Two culture-enrichers have been arrested in Geneva on suspicion of “transporting explosives and toxic gases”. The two men, reportedly Syrians, may also be charged with supporting a terrorist organization.
In other news, thousands of migrants who were stranded in Greece when Macedonia closed its borders to them have been transported back to Athens, where they are being housed in former Olympic sports stadiums, among other places.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Charlie Marteau, Dean, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, Nick, PA, Srdja Trifkovic, Steen, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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EC Tells Italy to Apply Deposit Guarantee Directive
Rome risks new infringement procedure
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 10 — The European Commission on Thursday said it has told Italy and nine other member States to fully implement the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive (DGSD). The directive improves the protection of deposits and is a step a step towards a fully-fledged Banking Union to create a safer and sounder financial sector in the wake of the financial crisis. Thursday’s warning puts Italy one step away from an infringement procedure. The Commission said it may decide to refer them to the Court of Justice of the EU if the directive is not applied.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EC’s Hill Says Italy Responsible for Bank Rescue Plan
Commission says programme was discussed at length
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 10 — Jonathan Hill, the European commissioner for financial stability and services, said Thursday that the Italian government should take sole responsibility for its controversial plan to rescue four crisis-hit small banks. “The Italian government led the process and has responsibility for it,” Hill said. On Wednesday the Commission denied an assertion by the Bank of Italy that it had denied permission to use the Interbank Safeguard Fund (FIT) to soften the plan. Many small investors who bought bonds in the four banks have lost their money. “The government discussed (the plan) at length with the Commission, in particular with the competition directorate general, which regarded the measures taken as compatible with EU legislation,” Hill said.
The four banks rescued by the government leaving bondholders empty-handed, CariChieti, CariFerrara, Cassa Marche and Banca Etruria, “sold people inadequate products” and that had “personal consequences for some people in Italy”, Hill added Thursday. One of the penniless former bondholders committed suicide.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
US ‘Junk Bond’ Market About to Crash on Fed Hike
High-yielding US bonds started a major rout late this week, stripping many energy and mining companies of their financial resources and stirring concerns about a ‘domino effect’ financial meltdown similar to the 2008 crisis.
Kristian Rouz — US higher-yielding debt securities, known as ‘junk bonds’, suddenly posted their greatest drop since 2011 in the past two trading sessions on Wall Street, just as ‘Fed week’ is starting on Monday.
The US Federal Reserve is widely anticipated to hike base borrowing rates during the 16-17 December Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, but even if the regulator remains in the bond market, the steep rout in high-yielding bonds might signal an end of the six-year rally in US securities.
Another potential consequence of the brewing junk bond market crash could be a wave of bankruptcies in the currently hot areas of the US economy like shale oil small caps, metals producers and select financial services.
The higher-yielding bonds in the US are high-risk securities issued by commercial enterprises exposed to various combinations of hazardous factors, yet involved in lucrative operations like oil drilling and mining, capital investment and diverse financial services. Yesterday, Wall Street witnessed massive money withdrawals from the $789 mln-worth Third Avenue Focused Credit Fund after its management failed to pay its investors for months.
Traders are exiting stocks as well ahead of the Fed decision on monetary policy. Nobody is certain of the consequences of a hike in interest rates for their own business, and market participants are dumping risky assets.
Against that background, prices on risky bonds tanked to their six-year lowest with yields skyrocketing, signaling a rising toxicity and a possible collapse of such assets. The iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond exchange-traded fund, a benchmark of the US junk bonds, shed 2% on Friday to its lowest since mid-July 2009.
An unprecedented rout in the post-crisis US bond market might only be a beginning of a greater bonds meltdown. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said the deeper decline is in line for the US bonds market.
“The meltdown in High Yield is just beginning,” Icahn twitted on Friday.
The main reason the junk bond dynamics are so important is that a similar picture preceded shortly before the US financial markets collapse in 2008. After a years-long rally, junk bonds plummeted first, triggering a chain of crashes in both stocks and bonds, invoking grave consequences for the US economy. Besides, the fact the current junk bond rout is happening just before the Fed decision exposes the fragility of the US finance amidst the abundance of cheap commodities and an ever-strengthening dollar.
Translated into the language of the real economy, the junk bond rout has already put several enterprises on the edge of financial insolvency. Swift Energy Co. failed to pay $8.9 mln of interest, resulting in 102 bond issuers put on the edge of default, according to Standard & Poor’s data.
The Phoenix, AZ-based Freeport-McMoRan Inc., one of the world’s biggest copper producers, suffered a massive bonds plunge, which, coupled with copper prices at their multi-year lowest, puts the company on the edge of exhausting its financial resources. Freeport’s $2 bln worth of bonds expiring in 2022 dropped 0.025 cents to 0.58 cents per dollar, according to data by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Freeport bonds’ yield rocketed up to 13.9%. Another miner, Anglo American Capital Plc has found itself in a similar situation with its $650 mln worth of bonds.
That means default risks are rising for the US companies with high level of debt. Given the large portion of junk bonds have been issued in the mining and energy sectors in the past two-three years, the rout could erase a large portion of US commodity output, potentially driving prices up in the medium-term.
“Right now we are at a critical juncture, and we will be watching it to see which way it goes,” Paul Karos of the Minneapolis-based Whitebox Advisors LLC said.
Since 2009, US investors have put tens of billions into high-risk debt, allowing small caps and low-rated companies to expand their businesses. The hot junk bond market greatly contributed to the shale oil boom in North America, and while the returns were positive, the entire market flourished. But after the commodities plunge in prices, the junk bond market has lost 16% its value, to $255 bln in November. More recent developments are even worse.
Although there is no sign of panic in the New York trading, the rout in bonds and equities is anticipated to deepen on Monday as the Fed decision becomes a primary concern.
While there is a considerable liquidity squeeze (the era of cheap money is ending in a few days, so borrowers literally line up for new loans) in the US markets, coupled with disinflationary effects of the cheap oil, volatility is rife. Plummeting junk bonds might turn out to be a trigger for an across-the-board market crash, which is bad news for the Fed — it is they who will be blamed for all the financial turbulence afterwards, even though hardly undeservedly.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
CCRKBA Blasts Florida Sheriff Over Remarks About Armed Citizens
BELLEVUE, WA — Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri should apologize and walk back his unconscionable remarks about how legally-armed citizens would be “thrown down on the ground with a gun pointed at them” at a crime scene, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
“We are simply astonished at the abrasive attitude reflected by Sheriff Gualtieri’s comments,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “The sheriff has opposed open carry legislation, which the Florida Police Chiefs Association supports, but threatening lawfully-armed private citizens with physical abuse because they might have the misfortune to end up in the middle of an armed robbery or some other felony crime is unconscionable.
“If this guy can’t tell the difference between an armed law-abiding citizen and some criminal,” he added, “maybe he ought to pursue a different career. We know of hundreds of lawmen and women who have encountered armed citizens at crime scenes, and this is the first time we’ve ever heard of a sheriff whose first thought is to throw someone to the ground at gunpoint.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
DHS Leads Search for Afghan Trainees Gone Missing in U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in coordination with the State Department, is leading the efforts to locate two Afghan men who were reported missing after they failed to show up for U.S. military training Monday at a base in southern Georgia, Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Karns said Friday.
Authorities have identified the Afghan nationals as Mirwais Kohistani and Shirzad Rohullah, reports USA Today. They were part of a group 23 Afghans who came to the United States in February for training at the Moody Air Force Base (AFB) near Valdosta, Georgia.
The names and passports of the men were released as part of a federal investigation to track them, reports Daily Mail.
Air Force officials maintain that there is no evidence that the men pose a threat. According to the Air Force, which was in charge of training them, both men were screened before entering the United States.
“Two male Afghan air force students did not report for duty yesterday at their regular maintenance training at Moody AFB in Valdosta, Georgia. Both are assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron,” said Moody AFB officials in a statement released Tuesday. “They have been at Moody since February 2015 and were screened prior to their arrival in the United States more than a year ago.”
“The students have trained alongside American counterparts for the entirety of 2015 and do not pose any apparent threat,” added the statement. “There is a well-coordinated process among federal agencies to locate the individuals as quickly as possible and return them accordingly to the proper authorities to manage their present situation.”
On Thursday, Moody AFB officials reportedly stressed that the Afghan men still do not pose a threat, although efforts to locate them have been intensified.
| — Hat tip: Charlie Marteau | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Vows to Execute Cop Killers, Gets Police Union Endorsement
Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump was endorsed by the largest police union representing New England officers after vowing to call for the death penalty for anyone who kills a cop.
Members of the New England Police Benevolent Association held a closed-door meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to cast their votes, and noted that his bigoted comments about banning Muslim immigrants did come up, but was outweighed by the fact that he has spoken in support of police so often.
“Listen, our message very clear: It’s what is the next president of the United States going to do to unite this country in an effort to save police officers? Because it’s open season on police officers,” Jerry Flynn, the NEPBA’s executive director told the press, despite the fact that police killings are down from previous years.
On Thursday, Trump told the press that he had explained to the union’s executive board that he would execute cop killers prior to their endorsement.
“I said that one of the first things I’d do in terms of executive order if I win will be sign a strong, strong statement that will go out to the country, out to the world, that anybody killing policemen, police woman, police officer, anybody killing a police officer, death penalty is going to happen, OK.”
Trump also spoke out in favor of militarized police, a topic of heated debate ever since the entire world watched the weapons of war being used against protesters on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown.
“You know they’re taking away the military equipment,” said Trump.
“Every time I see a conflict, I see a van pull up, I see an armor-plated Humvee pull up. I see almost a tank in some cases pull up. We’ve got to let our police have the finest equipment and the finest training and if we don’t,” he said, “we’re making a tremendous mistake as a country.”
Approximately 150 people had gathered to protest outside the meeting.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Government Data Shows U.S. Being Bombarded With Fukushima Radiation 1,000 Times Higher Than Normal
(NaturalNews) Government data shows that the U.S. is being bombarded with Fukushima radiation 1,000 times higher than normal.
In the months following the 2011 meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, residents of Los Angeles were being exposed to levels of dangerous alpha radiation nearly 1,000 times above normal levels, a government study found.
The data came from a July 2012 presentation at the National Conference on Radiation Control. The presentation was given by Joji Ortego, Principal Radiation Protection Specialist for Los Angeles County Radiation Management.
Following the Fukushima meltdowns, Los Angeles county heard many concerns from residents about the potential health impacts of radiation crossing the Pacific Ocean from the disaster. So they commissioned a study of radiation levels in the area. The report notes that federal agencies delayed in providing information to the county, and that the state Radiologic Health Branch was unable to provide inspectors due to budget constraints. The state lab was unable to provide a reasonable turnaround time for sample analysis, so the county instead hired a local radiation monitor manufacturer for the analysis.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Missouri Cellphone Purchases and Propane Thefts Are Noted, But Authorities See No Link
A series of bulk purchases of cheap, prepaid cellphones at Wal-Mart stores across central and eastern Missouri in the last week prompted multiple local law enforcement offices to notify federal investigators.
Meanwhile, other local agencies passed word to the FBI about thefts of small propane tanks in the Kansas City area.
Yet no law enforcement officials report anything, other than perhaps timing, that suggests a link between the propane thefts and the cellphone purchases.
FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said Friday the agency had been contacted by local law enforcement officials about the cellphone purchases and also was aware of the propane tank thefts.
“The local authorities are investigating the propane tanks,” she said. The FBI is investigating the cellphone purchases.
“You have local law enforcement acting out of an abundance of caution,” Patton said. But “we have seen similar purchases of bulk cellphones in the past, and it has been concluded that these transactions were unrelated to terrorism.”
Criminals sometimes use prepaid cellphones to avoid surveillance because the devices can make it harder for investigators to link a phone to a particular person. And terrorists and insurgents have used them in recent years as triggering mechanisms on homemade explosives.
Propane tanks can be fashioned into explosive or incendiary devices.
But prepaid cellphones also are popular with consumers who lack the credit for contract wireless plans. They are also popular among immigrants, who often buy calling time needed to make international calls from small stores that cater to them. And thefts of propane tanks, often for resale, are common.
The incidents come at a jittery time in the wake of the recent mass killing in San Bernardino, Calif., by a couple apparently inspired by the Islamic State…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Peggy Noonan: Establishment Candidate May Run Third Party if Trump Wins
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan suggested that if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, some “establishment” Republicans may decide to run third party.
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Friday, Noonan commented on the possibility of a contested Republican Convention and downplayed the argument that Trump would run third party.
Noonan explained that “the big establishment Republicans in Washington actually got together the other night to figure out what do we do if this goes to the floor of the convention.”…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Power Brokers Trying to Steal Nomination
It will be the end of the Republican Party, as true conservatives are sick and tired of being used, abused and ignored.
With the Iowa caucuses getting closer and Donald Trump continuing to lead in the polls, the Republican Party power brokers are getting desperate.
It certainly looks like the GOP establishment will stop at nothing to wrest the party’s nomination away from Trump. On Monday night, a group of moderate insiders met with Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. They discussed the possibility of a brokered convention in Cleveland next July if Trump swept through the primaries with a delegate lead. The hope among the establishment is that the moderates will unite behind a candidate like Jeb Bush to defeat Trump in a one on one match-up.
It is quite ironic that these political insiders are plotting a brokered convention since there has not been a dramatic Republican convention since the 1976 showdown in Kansas City between President Gerald Ford and conservative challenger Ronald Reagan. After Reagan’s two terms, the establishment has controlled every nomination process until this one.
Of course, the only reason for this urgent meeting is that the establishment desperately wants to defeat Trump. They truly cannot stand the notion of a nominee like Trump who is a straight talker and is politically incorrect. More importantly, these insiders can’t control Trump for he is a billionaire who doesn’t need their money. This is a notion that truly frightens them for if nominated and, heaven forbid, elected President, he could take away their precious hold on power.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
(NaturalNews) You can tell who is really serious about combating the various threats that face our country and the world by assessing the quality, practicality and seriousness of their solutions.
Take the threat that Islamic jihadis pose, not just to the Middle East, but also to other countries, especially the Christian secular West. In February, as ISIS solidified its hold on a self-declared caliphate carved out of portions of Iraq and Syria, and spread its reign of terror through mass murder, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf suggested that all that was needed to counter the group’s influence was a jobs program.
“We cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war,” she said, without a hint of evidence that she even realized the irony of what she had just said.
But then, in her interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, she dropped this gem: “We need in the longer term — we need the longer term to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups. Whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs…”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The IRS Wants to Deny Your Tax Deduction Unless You Share Your Social Security Number
Take our word for it — never trust the IRS to do the right thing. The same politicized agency that “accidentally” revealed the confidential taxpayer information of donors to activists who would later harass them now wants you to share your Social Security number with every charitable organization that you financially support. Under the proposed “Substantiation Requirement for Certain Contributions” regulation, the Obama IRS would deny your tax deduction if you gave more than $250/year and didn’t cough up your SSN.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The Watchlist Gun Bans Begin: Obama Enlists Governors to Bypass Congress: “By Executive Order”
Now governors are abusing executive orders to trample on the 2nd Amendment as well.
With strong resistance in Congress to gun control measures, Obama has taken to working outside his constitutional authority yet again.
But he, his pen and his phone, are not alone this time.
To bring teeth to his pending executive orders, President Obama is working to enlist the help of many of the state governors who he hopes will sign their own executive orders.
To that end, Gov. Dannel Malloy in Connecticut is taking the first plunge in this end run around that pesky Constitution and Bill of Rights. Of course, Connecticut, home to the Sandy Hook shootings, has already seen its gun rights eviscerated:…
As SHTF explained the other day, the federal No Fly terror watch list is one of the worst instruments that could possibly be used. Firstly, it is has never stopped a terrorist from acting, though some may have been indentified ahead of time.
But, more importantly, the No Fly watch list has put thousands of people on its list for reasons of mere suspicion alone — it is not based upon past crimes or direct accusations based on evidence. The practices for being added to the list are secretive, and there is virtually no way of appealing, or being taken off the list. That is despite the fact that many of the people on the no fly list — who have been barred from getting on a plane and traveling — are on the list simply because they share a last name with a suspect, or a similar name.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why America Will Burn: People “Behave Utterly Helpless to Change the Situation”
Last night, while appearing as a guest on the Hagmann and Hagmann report, Doug Hagmann asked me why Americans are so dumbed down that we cannot even mount the slightest bit of resistance to the tyranny that is engulfing this country. The superficial response is simple, America has acquiesced to its fate. In addition, as Steve Quayle put it on my show this past Sunday night, Attorney General “Loretta Lynch(mob)” stated that she would prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any person speaking against Islam and Muslims in general. This misguided statement was made immediately on the heels of the San Bernardino massacre which was inspired by ISIS. Lynch(mob’s) insensitivity toward the 14 people who just lost their lives at the hands of terrorists is symbolic about this administration views its citizens in general. In the 1960’s, our counterculture friends would have already been in the streets. Today……crickets chirping. Why? Doug Hagmann asked me why and I responded with an explanation of Dr. Martin Seligman’s psychological construct known as learned helplessness. I was partially right, however, the main reason America is dead on arrival is because we do not fear God.
My most sincere apologies to the audience of The Hagmann and Hagmann Report for having a mental lapse. I should have stated that the main reason that America is going to burn is because we have turned away from our God. The second reason America is doomed is because our people have permitted themselves to be rendered psychologically useless through the process of learned helplessness.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
EU Needs to Rehabilitate Returning Jihadists: Anti-Terror Chief
Europe must work out ways to rehabilitate jihadists returning from Syria, the EU’s anti-terror czar said on Friday, warning not all of them could be simply thrown in jail.
Speaking to delegates at a conference in Rome, Gilles de Kerchove said Europe needed to figure out a way of absorbing hundreds of returning extremists.
Kerchove estimated that around 3,000 Europeans had been to Syria, lured by jihadist groups like the Islamic State (IS) group which has claimed a string of recent attacks, including last month’s assault on Paris.
Returning radicals must be given the possibility of being reintegrated into society, he said…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Front National Win Could Lead to Civil War, Warns French PM
The rise of the Front National could lead to civil war in France, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned, ahead of the second round of regional elections on Sunday that could bring real power to the far-Right party.
“There are two options for our country,” he said. “There is one option which is that of the far right which, basically, preaches division. This division may lead to civil war, and there is another vision which is that of the Republic and its values, which are for unity.”
He added: “Division and stigmatising people carry within them the seeds of civil war.”
The Front National (FN) took a record share of votes in the first round of regional elections last weekend, confirming leader Marine Le Pen as a serious contender in the presidential race in 2017.
The results, with the FN winning more than 40 per cent of the vote in some regions, left the ruling Socialists and the mainstream conservative opposition in disarray…
| — Hat tip: Steen | [Return to headlines] |
Have Police Foiled an ISIS Chemical Weapons Plot in Europe?
Two Syrian terror suspects are arrested in Geneva for ‘making and transporting explosives and toxic gases’
Two suspected Syrians were arrested in Geneva on suspicion of transporting ‘explosives and toxic gases’ as part of a probe into a terror threat.
Switzerland’s attorney general said the men were also suspected of making and hiding the dangerous materials.
But Geneva prosecutor Olivier Jornot today said only traces of explosives were found in the car, and did not elaborate on claims about potential chemical weapons.
More arrests are expected to be made in the coming days amid heightened security on Switzerland’s border with France.
Mr Jornot said the two men, who spoke Arabic and had valid Syrian passports, had just arrived in Geneva.
They were subjected to extra checks because of their ‘behaviour and their nationality’, he added.
He also claimed the traces of explosives found in the car may not have been linked to the pair, who had only recently acquired the car.
Officials have opened criminal proceedings against the men under a law which bans groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS.
The men have been handed over to Swiss federal police despite denying criminal intent…
| — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon | [Return to headlines] |
Impoverished and ‘Abandoned’ Calais Turns to Far-Right National Front
The crisis-hit northern French city of Calais is at the epicentre of far-right National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen’s seemingly unstoppable drive to become an indelible part of the mainstream French political landscape.
Blighted by chronic unemployment and widespread poverty, the port city is also home to the notorious “Jungle” camp on the outskirts of town, home to some 6,000 migrants who dream of making it across the channel to England. On the streets of the old city of Calais, the migrants are few and far between. They tend to stay in the “Jungle” and when they do venture into town, most try to keep a low profile.
Just a few days before Sunday’s critical regional elections, there is little sign of the National Front across the city. Campaign posters of the far-right party, as well as its charismatic leader, Marine Le Pen, are almost non-existent and there are no party members or volunteers campaigning in the streets…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Bocconi University at 7th Place in FT European Ranking
‘2015 results bring us closer to target,’ pro-rector says
(ANSA) — Milan, December 7 — Milan’s private Bocconi University specialising in economics and the social sciences is at seventh place in the Financial Times’ European Business School ranking for 2015, the university said on Monday.
This is one place higher than last year. The Bocconi’s MSc in international management at ninth place worldwide and its MBA is at tenth place in Europe. In the FT’s separate executive education ranking the business school is at 10th place in Europe this year. “The results obtained in 2015 bring us closer to achieving the target of our Bocconi2020 strategic plan: improving our positioning in the main international rankings to reach the top five in Europe and the top 20 globally in all rankings concerning management schools and universities teaching social sciences,” said pro-rector for internationalisation Stefano Caselli.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Caritas Hostel, Soup Kitchen Reopen at Termini Station
Holy Door of Charity unveiled at opening ceremony
(ANSA) — Rome, December 10 — A hostel and soup kitchen run by Catholic charity Caritas at Rome’s Termini station reopened on Thursday following renovations that began in 2010.
“I hope that this house becomes the home of hope,” said Vicar-General of Rome Agostino Vallini at the opening ceremony.
During the celebrations, the Holy Door of Charity that Pope Francis is set to walk through on December 18 was unveiled.
The door, a work by artist Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, is one of several holy doors that will be opened as part of Francis’ special Jubilee year.
Other holy doors will be based at Rome’s four principal basilicas and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love. More Doors of Mercy will be opened around the world to mark the Holy Year, which started December 8 and runs until November 20, 2016.
The hostel at Termini has welcomed the homeless, poor and immigrants for 25 years. The renovation work will allow it to host 180 homeless people.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Flash Mob to Protest Demolishing of Roma Camps
Rome prefect says closing Monachina camp is a priority
(ANSA) — Rome, December 11 — The July 21 Association announced Friday that it will hold a flash mob in front of the Pantheon in Rome on Saturday to protest the city’s dismantling of Roma camps, as part of its international “Capital Sin” (Peccato Capitale) campaign to raise public awareness around forced evacuations of the camps.
The group said the city began initiating the evacuations on March 13 of this year, the same day Pope Francis announced his plan to hold the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began December 8.
Since then, the city has tripled its forced evacuations of the camps, in “violation of international law and human rights”, the association said.
The group launched an online petition calling on the city to stop the forced evacuations, counting among its signers anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano and journalist Gad Lerner, along with 26 civil society organisations.
Meanwhile on Friday, Rome Prefect Franco Gabrielli addressed a group of Rome residents from the XII Municipality near Vatican City, and said dismantling the “Monachina” camp situated off Via Aurelia between the XII and XIII Municipalities is a “priority”, but requires administrative intervention.
“I hope after the holidays we can intervene,” Gabrielli said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jaguar Land Rover Signs Deal to Build Plant in Slovakia
Planned a plant near Nitra, to produce 300,000 cars a year
(ANSA-AP) — BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Jaguar Land Rover has signed a deal with the Slovak government to build a new plant for the luxury car maker in Slovakia.
The U.K.-based company, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, is planning a plant near the city of Nitra, about 100 kilometers (65 miles) west of the capital, Bratislava, that could produce up to 300,000 cars a year.
“It’s a great success for Slovakia,” Prime Minister Robert Fico said after a signing ceremony on Friday.
The plant should open in 2018 and create up to 4,000 jobs.
Slovakia is a regional car-making powerhouse with Germany’s Volkswagen, France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen and South Korea’s Kia Motors Corp. all having a major plant in this Central European country of 5.4 million.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Jihadist Who Planned Attack on Swedish Cartoonist Held in Spain
The man, who was travelling with an Irish passport, is wanted by authorities in the US for being part of an al-Qaeda cell suspected of planning an attack on a Swedish cartoonist.
The 50-year-old holds both Irish and Algerian nationality and is wanted by the United States for alleged membership of a terrorist cell linked to al-Qaeda that recruited and radicalized Muslims and financed and planned terrorist attacks.
The US alleges Damache conspired with American woman Colleen LaRose, who used the online name Jihad Jane, and others to create a terror cell in Europe.
LaRose was sentenced in January 2014 to 10 years in prison after being convicted of planning to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who had depicted the head of the Muslim prophet Mohammad on a dog.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Paris a Scarred City Four Weeks After Terror Attacks
Four weeks ago to the day, 130 people were killed in a series of terror attacks in Paris. While life may seem to have gone back to normal, the attacks have left the French capital a changed city.
Bags are searched during mundane grocery shopping, heavily armed police patrol the streets, and Parisians are likely to be told to open their coats for security guards at the cinemas.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Rotting Wood Turns Austria’s Poorest Town Into Green Model
Broke, remote and deprived of jobs — just 25 years ago, the border town of Guessing close to Hungary was one of the poorest in Austria, a forgotten frontier along the Iron Curtain trail.
Yet today, the municipality of 4,000 people has morphed into a global flagship model for green energy, after becoming the first community in the European Union to produce all its heat and power from renewable sources back in 2001.
Latest figures show the town is already 80 percent carbon neutral, a clear frontrunner in the bloc’s race for reducing C02 emissions…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Suspected ISIS Group Recruiter Arrested in Spain’s Ceuta
A Spaniard has been arrested in the Spanish north African territory of Ceuta on suspicion of recruiting youth to fight for the Islamic State group in Syria, the interior ministry said Saturday.
The 34-year-old Ceuta resident, arrested at dawn in the Mediterranean peninsula bordering Morocco, “was carrying out recruitment and indoctrination of youths with a vulnerable profile,” the ministry said in a statement.
He offered them “help to travel to conflict zones and join the Daesh terrorist organisation,” it said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
The suspect was known for “his adherence to Salafist ideology,” it said, referring to a fundamentalist branch of Islam.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Confirm Arrest of Two Syrians ‘Transporting Explosives’
Swiss authorities said Saturday that two people of Syrian origin had been arrested on suspicion of transporting “explosives and toxic gases” as part of a probe into a terror threat.
The two suspects arrested Friday are accused of the “manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives and toxic gases”, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
They are also under suspicion of violating Swiss law prohibiting “groups like Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and similar organisations”, it added…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Authorities Begin Criminal Investigations Against Two Syrians in Geneva
Swiss prosecutors say they have opened proceedings against two Syrians on suspicion of making and transporting explosives and toxic gases. A car was stopped in Geneva Friday on a road leading to neighboring France.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: “Rotherham Councillor” Recognised by Abuse Victim, Court Told
One alleged victim of a Rotherham sex abuse ring claims she recognised a man at a Masbrough house which “was run like a brothel” as “an MP or councillor from Rotherham”.
Prosecutor Ms Michelle Colborne said: “He was related to the defendants, she believes.”
The girl “spent her time stoned on drink and drugs having sex with whoever was next”.
Sheffield Crown Court also heard today that one of the defendants, Basharat Hussain trafficked a girl to Blackpool after forcing her to perform sex acts on him and other men.
The alleged victim was one of two, one aged 12, said to have been picked up by Hussain from a children’s home after he promised to have them back by 11pm.
But she later returned to Rotherham with “STIs and nits”.
It is also claimed brothers Arshid and Basharat Hussain forced girls to work as prostitutes and handle drugs and money for them.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Gang ‘Forced Girl of 11 to Have Sex With Three Men a Day’
Rotherham care home girls were repeatedly raped by groups of Asian men after being enticed by two women accomplices, court hears
A gang allegedly spent more than ten years targeting and sexualising teenage girls in Rotherham before subjecting them to horrific acts of a degrading and violent nature, a court has heard.
The five Asian men are accused of raping and sexually abusing 12 young girls during the 1980s, some of whom were allegedly raped up to three times per day while under the local authority’s care.
It is alleged that two white women, who are also standing trial, would give the girls shelter and ply them with alcohol before offering them up to the men at a brothel-like house, where one alleged victim claims she saw ‘a politician or MP’.
Many of the girls targeted came from troubled homes or lived in children’s homes and five became pregnant as a result of the sexual exploitation, the court was told.
One was beaten, had a cigarette stubbed out on her chest, was tied up and raped repeatedly from a very young age. She claims staff at the children’s home would turn a blind eye when she returned in a ‘bloodied state’.
Another alleged victim was found with STIs and nits after being allegedly locked up at a restaurant in Blackpool for weeks on end.
And one girl of 12 was given permission to go off with an Asian adult — who repeatedly had sex with her — as long as she was back at the children’s home by 11pm, the court heard.
Opening the case today, Michelle Colborne said: ‘It is alleged that in differing ways they facilitated the sexual abuse of teenage girls.
‘You will hear evidence from 12 women who were targeted, sexualised and in some instances subjected to acts of a degrading and violent nature.’
Drug dealer Arshid Hussain, 40, — known as Mad Ash — was said to be the main abuser and allegedly used the teenagers for his own gratification, before prostituting them to men whom he owed money.
He is alleged to have children by seven English women by 1999 and got several of the alleged victims pregnant.
He is standing trial alongside his brother Basharat Hussain, 39, and uncle Qurban Ali, 53, who walked into court with a white stick.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Kosovo: From EIB to EU 82 M Euro to Modernize Railways
Agreement signed in Pristina
(ANSA) — PRISTINA/BELGRADE, DEC. 9 — The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EC have granted a 82 million euro loan to renovate and modernize 148 km of railways in Kosovo. Kosovo’s Finance Minister Avdullah Hoti and the EIB Deputy Director General Romualdo Massa Bernucci signed to this purpose a 42 million loan agreement in Pristina. The signing of the deal was attended by the European Union special representative in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar. The project will be supported by the EU with an additional 40 million euro funding for the project planning and implementation. Bernucci underlined that this is the first EIB loan supporting the public sector in Kosovo, whereas according to Minister Hoti, this deal represents the largest railway investment in Kosovo so far.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: 5 Bln From SACE to Support Italian Firms and Export
‘One of the most strategic markets in the Med’
ROME — The Italian export credit agency SACE has announced five billion euros in operations being assessed to support Italian export and firms in Egypt, one of the most strategic markets for the country in the Mediterranean.
The agency gave the announcement during a bilateral meeting between Economic Development Minister Federice Guidi and Egypt’s Minister for Investment Ashraf Salman, in Rome for the Conference on the Mediterranean.
SACE has in Egypt a portfolio of insured transactions worth 1.6 billion euros, mostly in the energy, petrochemicals and infrastructure and constructions sectors, including both large Italian companies and many SMES.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Libya Post Gaddafi: Enslaved Women, Abducted Children and Illegal Oil Trade
Of all the Arab states engulfed by the so-called Arab Spring, Libya has become the first to fall into complete chaos.
The murder of the head of state Muammar al-Gaddafi, carried out by the rebels supported by NATO air power, was to bring democracy and freedom to all the people who raised the new Libyan revolutionary tricolor with a crescent and a star.
But Libya, once the richest country in Africa, did not receive democracy and freedom, instead it fell head first into turmoil, chaos and destruction following the death of its leader.
Human rights activists in Libya and other countries have repeatedly voiced their concern because of the impunity with which the armed rebel factions, each of which calls itself ‘true revolutionaries,’ operate in the country. These illegal armed groups that emerged after Muammar Gaddafi was killed are not only fighting each other for territory and property, but also from time to time perform paid orders for murder or kidnapping.
The kidnapping of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan in 2013, by armed individuals was one such example. This is the only example that the media decided to highlight only because of the high position of the victim. After this event, the activists regularly raised the question: if the rulers can be kidnapped so easily, then what to speak of Libya’s ordinary citizens?
According to human rights organizations, the total number of kidnapped and missing persons during the civil war ranges from 10.5 thousand to 11 thousand men. The report also suggested that in a small Libyan town named Sabha topped the list of the most criminal cities of the world.
In big cities such as Misrata, the number of abductions reached 850 cases, according to the coordinator of the ‘Libyan Committee for finding kidnapped people’ Tarek Abdel-Hadi.
He further said that among the abductees there are 20 children and 25 elderly people. The kidnappers usually attack entire families.
The former press secretary of the Libyan Association of Tribes and activist Bassem al Sol spoke to Sputnik regarding the number of women that are kept in illegal prisons of such armed groups.
“In Benghazi, Misrata and Sirte there are rundown buildings which have been turned into illegal prisons by rebel gangs, there are women who are accused of ‘supporting the Gaddafi regime’. All these women ever did was hold positions in public institutions. Only in the city of Misrata the number of women prisoners who are tortured reaches 4,300,”Bassem al Sol told Sputnik.
According to the Red Crescent in Libya, due to the events of the ‘Arab Spring’, in 2014, 72,682 families in the country were left homeless and were forced to leave their homes because their villages were subjected to massive attacks by militants.
According to the Libyan Ministry of Internal Affairs, at the moment about 16,000 people in the country have illegal weapons and belong to various criminal groups. The source of the weapons was NATO air operations. NATO forces threw these weapons to the so-called ‘revolutionary fighters’ for the war against the legitimate government of Gaddafi in 2011.
So far, the new Libyan authorities have not managed to disarm these illegal groups. Moreover, even uniting those armed groups under one banner and carrying out negotiations with them has not been possible until recently.
Children have also become unfortunate victims of this chaos. They are kidnapped for ransom and since the formation of Daesh (Islamic State) around 20,000 children have been brainwashed into joining the militants.
“Children in Sirte are kidnapped and converted to real Daesh militants who kill, rape and commit terrorist acts. They are changing their way of thinking,” Bassem al Sol said.
Regarding the financing of the Daesh group, the information provided on social media on the militant’s pages suggest that the ‘emirs’ (ruler) of Daesh receive around $6,000. The lowest ranking fighters receive about $265, but this amount increases over time.
Libya, which is one of the most oil-rich countries in Africa and the Middle East, is experiencing an oil crisis due to the events in the country. Oil rigs, pipelines and depots have been the reason for clashes between the rebels in Libya, each of which is trying to get access to a source of income.
In 2010, according to the state National Oil Corporation of Libya (The National Oil Corporation (NOC), the average oil production in Libya amounted to 1,500 000barrels per day. In 2015, a similar figure was only 500 thousand barrels a day, accounting for a third of the amount of crude oil before the ‘Arab Spring.’
The rest of the oil is produced from ‘Daesh’ controlled territories or not produced at all due to equipment failure or vandalism.
According to Global Petrol Prices, the average price per liter of gasoline in Libya in 2015 ranges from 0.14 to 0.17 US dollars. Before the events of the “Arab Spring” during the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, Libyans paid from 0.10 to 0.12 dollars for gasoline. If you take the data before the financial crisis, the price per liter of gasoline in Libya in 2006 was 0.8 dollars.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
German TV Channel Films ISIS Slave Trade in Turkey
(Today’s Zaman) German television station ARD has produced footage documenting the slave trade being conducted by the radical terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) through a liaison office in Turkey.
Two correspondents from the TV channel filmed a Yazidi family buying their relatives to save them from ISIL and spoke to witnesses. The Yazidi family contacted a liaison office of ISIL in Turkey through a Kurdish man named Abu Mital, who works as an intermediary for ISIL, in order to purchase a mother, her three children and an 11-year-old boy from ISIL and return them to their family.
In the video, Mital is seen contacting ISIL militants on the Internet, bargaining with them and setting a price for the sale of the woman and the children. Mital then went to the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep, where he received information via WhatsApp about the name of the person to whom he had to give money and the address of the ISIL liaison office.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS Can Only be Defeated With Ground Troops, Berlusconi
‘West has acted recklessly towards Putin’
(ANSA) — Rome, December 11 — Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said Friday during a televised interview that only a ground intervention would be able to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS).
The leader of the center-right Forza Italia (FI) party stressed that Russian president Vladimir Putin, a personal fried of his, was “a necessary ally of Europe” but that he had been hit by a trade war enacted by the “recklessly behaving” West.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Nine Things Saudi Women Still Can’t Do
Saudi women vote Saturday for the first time in elections but still face a host of other restrictions, among the tightest in the world.
Under Saudi policies and practices women cannot:
- Drive. Saudi Arabia is the world’s only country banning women from getting behind the wheel.
- Travel, without the consent of a male family member known as a guardian…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Prince Slams Trump as ‘A Disgrace’ To USA as Backlash Grows
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has called Donald Trump a disgrace to the United States following his call for a ban on Muslims entering the country, and demanded the Republican front-runner withdraw from the US presidential race.
Trump triggered an international uproar when he made his comments in response to last week’s deadly shootings in California by two Muslims who authorities said were radicalised.
“You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America,” Prince Alwaleed, the chairman of Kingdom Holding, said on his Twitter account, addressing Trump and referring to the Republican Party…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Billionaire Prince Demands Donald Trump Exit 2016 Race
Donald Trump collects the best enemies — now including a Saudi billionaire prince who funds Islamist advocacy in American universities.
Reportedly the richest of many Saudi Princes, Alwaleed Bin Talal says Trump should quit the 2016 election as he’s “a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America.”
His demand follows Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslim migration, since the San Bernardino massacre by two Muslims — an immigrant and a son of an immigrant.
The prince is supposedly worth roughly $24.8 billion — not as much as Trump’s other billionaire critics, Mark Zuckerberg, for example — but enough to be comfortable when socializing with Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg or Carlos Slim, the Mexican part-owner of the New York Times.
The prince has already donated tens of millions of dollars to set up pro-Islam advocacy centers at several U.S. universities, including Harvard and Georgetown.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Billionaire Prince in Social Media Rant at US Candidate Donald Trump
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has called for Donald Trump to pull out of the US presidential race after his incendiary comments about Muslims. Prince Alwaleed called the businessman ‘a disgrace.’
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Women Vote, Run as Candidates for First Time
Across Saudi Arabia women headed to polling stations as both candidates and voters for the first time in the country’s history. The vote is seen as a tentative step towards easing tight restrictions on women.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Snipers Using Newest Russian Rifle to Fight Terrorists — Reports
The advances of the Syrian Army against terrorists are not only backed up by Russian airstrikes but also by cutting-edge Russian-produced firearms, Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote citing media reports.
The newest MTs-116M sniper rifle was spotted in use by a female unit of the Syrian Army. The unit is currently engaged in fighting in the Damascus suburbs, near the municipality of Jobar.
The weapon was developed by Instrument Design Bureau, one of the leading Russian defense companies, in 1997.
According to its engineers, the MTs-116M is designed to hit targets with a single shot with maximum accuracy during special counter-terrorist operations. For this purpose, it is based on the MTs-116 7.62-mm bolt-action sporting sniper rifle. Its construction was upgraded to meet the military’s demands.
“The rifle can easily be adjusted for the shooter. It has an adjustable stock, cheek pad and trigger,” the company said on its website.
The rifle can be used in all weather and climate conditions. It has an effective range of over 700 meters and a weight of 6.5 kilograms with an unloaded magazine. Its barrel length is 66 centimeters.
For long-range firing, the rifle is equipped with the POSP 8×42 sighting system. A night vision scope is also available. A sniper bullet with a steel core is used. The rifle outperforms the MTs-116M and SVD in accuracy.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands Protest in Iraq Against Turkish Troop Deployment
Mass demonstrations have been staged in Baghdad and Basra calling for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from near the northern city of Mosul. Some protesters threatened violence against the soldiers.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Neo-Nazis Seek to Join US-Led Coalition in Syria — German Media
The commander of the Ukrainian Azov volunteer battalion recently announced that he and his forces are ready to fight on the side of the Western coalition in Syria, DWN wrote.
Biletsky stressed that the Azov militias are willing to fight against Daesh terrorists together with the US.
“We can send out international legion to Syria so that it would fight on the side of the Western coalition,” Biletsky said.
According to the newspaper, Ukrainian neo-Nazis have good relations with the US as many of them participated in the military training of the Ukrainian army conducted by American soldiers. The training was directed against Russia and Donbass militias, seeking independence from Ukraine, DWN wrote.
The Azov Battalion has been repeatedly accused of committing war crimes in Eastern Ukraine. The crimes were reported to range from armed assault and robbery, to kidnapping and murder.
Against the background of worsening relations between Russia and Turkey, members of the battalion expressed sympathy for the latter and announced their willingness “to deepen” relations between Turkey and Ukraine.
Relations between Moscow and Ankara deteriorated after a Turkish jet brought down a Russian Su-24 aircraft over Syria in November, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Russian jet had never crossed into Turkish airspace.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
EU May Consider Ending Anti-Russia Sanctions Due to Rome-Proposed Debate
Claudio D’Amico, of Italy’s right-wing Lega Nord party, said that he doubted Rome would press for lifting the sanctions against Russia at the EU talks in Brussels next week.
MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova — Italy’s opposition to the automatic extension of the EU sanctions against Russia could push other countries to consider scrapping them, an Italian lawmaker told Sputnik on Friday.
On Wednesday, Italy demanded that EU nations debate the extension of the economic sanctions, imposed on Moscow in 2014 and expiring in January, rather than automatically prolonging them for another six months.
“I hope this initiative of Italy will give a push to other EU countries to start negotiations on how and when to revoke sanctions against Russia,” Claudio D’Amico, of Italy’s right-wing Lega Nord party, said.
The lawmaker added that he doubted Rome would press for lifting the sanctions against Russia at the EU talks in Brussels next week.
“Italy just wanted to initiate the consultations. It waits for another member-state to move the process forward,” he said, adding that the nation’s economy has suffered enough due to the curbs on trade with Russia.
Relations between Russia and the European Union soured in 2014 after Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed economic sanctions on the Russian energy, banking and defense industries. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Russian FM Spokeswoman Mocks EU Envoy Over Comments on Ukraine’s Debt
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has dismissed as “controversial” a proposal by the EU Envoy to Moscow Vigaudas Ushatskas to write off 20 percent if Ukraine’s debt as a “friendly gesture” but not to expect any lifting of the sanctions imposed on it by the EU.
“Over the past few days Mr. Ushatskas has made a number of fascinating but somewhat controversial statements… One day he said that Russia should write off 20 percent of Ukraine’s debt as a ‘friendly gesture’ only to say the next that we should not expect any lifting of the EU sanctions as a New Year gift,” Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook on Friday.
She wondered why Russia should give presents without expecting a return gift in the form of a lifting of the illegal sanctions maintained by the West essentially due to Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk accords.
Maria Zakharova emphasized that even though Ukraine was getting “New Year presents” in the form of millions of dollars each year, “the result of these loans was next to nil, probably because this money was not coming from the heart.”
Vigaudas Ushatskas earlier expressed confidence that the implementation of the Minsk accords would serve as a “unifying factor in EU-Russia relations.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Shortsighted Choice: European MP Slams Brussels Over Anti-Russian Sanctions
The EU’s sanctions against Russia are creating new problems rather than solving existing ones, an Italian member of the European Parliament said on Friday.
Fabio Massimo Castaldo was commenting on the Italian governmnet’s call on the EU not to automatically extend its anti-Russian sanctions. He welcomed the clear desire by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to show understanding for local manufacturers hit hard by the reciprocal sanctions.
“I beleive the EU’s [decison to introduce sanctions against Russia] was shortsighted, and this is a new attempt to start discussing something which until now has been deemed as a final decison. Personally, I don’t think that this feeble attempt by the Italian government will be enough to change the EU’s position, especially now that Poland, the Czech Republic and other East European countries insist that the sanctions stay,” Castaldo told RT.
According to him, expanding the sanctions against Russia makes no sense because the European Union needs cooperation with Moscow when dealing with many existing crises and problems.
“No effective power transition in Syria is possible without Russia’s diplomatic help. Moreover, we have already realized the futility of these sanctions,” the Italian MEP added.
When asked if Europe was one on the issue of the anti-Russian sanctions, Fabio Castaldo said that there was no desire to support the extreme position of some Eastern European states which hold a historical and ideological grudge against Moscow.
“The sanctions policy is not fair; it will take us nowhere and will not help change the situation in Ukraine. We must find a political solution by way of talks, not just a set of sanctions, which are too many. The EU’s sanctions against Russia are creating new problems, rather than solving existing ones,” Fabio Castaldo said in conclusion.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
US Seeks to Incorporate Ukraine Into EU ‘At Any Price’ — German Media
The EU is planning to lift visa restrictions for Ukraine and Georgia. A DWN author argues that the step is triggered by the Americans and that it is “a geopolitical chess move” aimed at isolating Ukraine from Russia.
Washington is trying to prevent Russia and Ukraine from resuming their relations at all costs, the newspaper wrote. One of the ways to achieve this is to further isolate Ukraine from Russia through the introduction of a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU, despite the fact that Kiev has not carried out necessary reforms and is stuck in a widespread corruption.
“In fact, this is a geopolitical move of the US government,” the author wrote. “Ukraine should join the EU at any price to isolate Russia. That is why, the Americans have already instructed the IMF to change its rules and rescue the bankrupt state — although Kiev is not able to pay its debt to Moscow.”
On December 15, the European Commission is expected to release its report on Ukraine’s progress on the path toward visa liberalization. The EC will access Kiev’s adoption of a relevant legislation as well as its general progress on the path to reform, including anti-corruption measures.
According to the newspaper, the potential desire of the European Commission to abolish visa restrictions for Ukraine and Georgia is “surprising” because just a few months ago Germany said that Kiev had not made progress in the fight against corruption, while some Ukrainian politicians even demanded the resignation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in connection with a number of corruption scandals.
If the visa-free travel regime is adopted, Ukrainian citizens will be given the right to visit Europe for three months every six months, although they will not receive a working permit.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
War Beast: New T-90MS Tank Impervious to RPGs
The T-90MS, a new, fully modernized version of the Russian T-90 main battle tank, has displayed its capabilities at a testing range in the city of Nizhny Tagil in the Ural Mountains.
The armored vehicle has successfully passed numerous tests under various weather and climate conditions and is already considered one of the most powerful main battle tanks in the world.
“Since man-portable anti-tank weapons have become the new trend nowadays, we decided to upgrade both the tank’s weaponry and defense systems. The tank can now hold its ground against a large number of enemy infantry armed with anti-tank weaponry,” the head of the design department of the Transmash design bureau told the Russian TV channel Zvezda.
The T-90MS was outfitted with a remote-controlled machinegun mount and a new state-of-the-art turret and hull defense system comprised of removable dynamic defense modules.
The tank’s offensive capabilities have been greatly enhanced via the addition of a new fire control system. Its multichannel panoramic sights, which are equipped with an integrated thermal vision system, allow the tank commander to effectively keep track of the vehicle’s surroundings both during day and nighttime without being impaired by the low visibility caused by adverse weather conditions.
A new tracking system and “hunter-shooter” mode give the tank crew the edge up during fights against multiple enemy targets. After marking a target, the commander is free to leave it to the gunner and scan the battlefield for more targets to engage — the tracking system keeps the tank’s weapon systems locked on the target.
The new tank’s crew comforts were improved as well, with the addition of automatic transmission, a rear view camera and two air conditioning units.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: Two Spanish Policeman Killed in Taliban Attack Near Kabul Embassy
Updated: A second Spanish policeman has died following a Taliban attack near Spain’s embassy in Kabul that also killed at least four Afghan policemen, Spain’s interior ministry said on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Almost 300 Dead, Over 550 Injured During Taliban Attack on Kunduz
Nearly 300 people died and more than 550 were injured in two weeks as a result of a Taliban attack on the Afghan city of Kunduz, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported Saturday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The UNAMA pointed out that the “vast majority” of the casualties were due to fighting on the ground and could not be attributed exclusively to one party to the conflict.
According to the report, 289 people were killed and 559 sustained injuries between September 28 and October 13. The two weeks cover the Taliban’s attack on the provincial capital of Kunduz and temporary occupation of the city, as well as the Afghan government’s counter-offensive.
The estimated figures include 67 casualties of a Medecins sand Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) facility bombing by the United States that took place on October 3. A US AC-130 gunship aircraft shot 30mm cannon shells for 30 minutes into the MSF hospital in Kunduz, killing at least 30 medical staff and patients.
In 2015, Afghan military casualties reached the highest level since the war in the country between government forces and several militant groups began, hitting 4,000 in August, according to Pentagon.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Malaysian Authorities Arrest 130 People Over Daesh Links — Prime Minister
Malaysian authorities have arrested 130 returnees from Syria over suspected links to Daesh terrorist group.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Malaysian authorities have arrested 130 returnees from Syria over suspected links to Daesh (IS/ISIL) terrorist group, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday.
“We caught 130 people who returned here from Syria. There were bomb-making experts. I have asked the Chief Justice to set up a special court, which could even convene at night [to handle the cases],” Razak was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.
Indonesia and Malaysia, the two most-populated Muslim-majority countries of the region, are the homeland of the largest percentage of Daesh fighters originating from Southeast Asia.
Daesh, also known as ISIL/the Islamic State, is a militant group which took over large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014. It is outlawed in many countries including Russia. The group gained notoriety for its human rights atrocities, and has offshoots in many countries.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Second Spanish Police Officer Dies After Kabul Embassy District Attack
The second Spanish police officer has died due to the terror attack that recently occurred near Spain’s embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Saturday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Friday, a car bomb detonated in Kabul’s Sherpor area, the location of several embassies and government buildings, close to the Spanish diplomatic mission, killing a Spanish policeman. The blast was followed by heavy gunfire.
“This is the second victim of the attack. All the embassy staff has been evacuated,” the ministry said in a statement.
Commenting on the tragedy, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Friday the explosion had not been directed against the embassy itself, but a nearby guest house.
The comment was dubbed by the Taliban militant group that claimed responsibility for the targeted attack.
Afghanistan has long been in political and social turmoil, with the armed Taliban movement redoubling their insurgency across the country and the violent extremist Islamic State taking advantage of the instability to gain a foothold in the country.
The US-led NATO mission formally ended its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat operations in Afghanistan on December 31, 2014, transitioning to a non-combat mission in the country.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
The Disappearance of One of China’s Foremost Billionaires is Death of the Rule of Law
Speaking to AsiaNews, a trade union source said that the fate of Fosun group founder Guo Guangchang, dubbed China’s Warren Buffet, epitomises the collapse of a social system. “Now the government does what it wants without even manipulating the legal process.” Doing so, “no private investor will risk his money”.
Beijing (AsiaNews) — The “disappearance” of billionaire Guo Guangchang “marks the final death of the rule of law in China. Now the government does what it wants without even manipulating the legal process,” said a trade union source involved with mainland China, anonymous for security reasons.
Dubbed China’s Warren Buffett, Guo is the chairman of Fosun, one of China’s biggest private conglomerates. Since he went missing after landing in Shanghai from Hong Kong, his Hong Kong shares stopped trading.
Mainland news outlet Caixin reported that Guo had either been detained or was assisting in other investigations. However, two Fosun executives dismissed the Caixin story as inaccurate. “It’s a rumour,” one of them said.
Conversely, a well-connected businessman told the South China Morning Post that Guo’s problems might be related to his relationship with either Yao Gang, a vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or Ai Baojun, a vice-mayor of Shanghai. Both are under investigation by the anti-graft watchdog.
“Guo is very cautious in his handling of the government. As he often tells us, stay close to politics, but stay away from politicians,” a source inside Fosun said.
“Until Xi Jinping became president, China’s economic development was characterised by some sort of gang rivalries,” the source told AsiaNews. “Business people tied themselves to party bosses, knowing that if the latter fell from grace, they would risk everything. However, theirs was a calculated risk, a ‘business risk’. Now there are no rules.”
Still, this “could backfire against the current government. Laws in China are not reliable, nor are unions or employers for workers.”
“As unfair this might be, at least it could stand under political despotism. Now, if the latter goes, no private investor will risk investing. And private capital holders are the last card for China’s economy.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gambia President Declares Country Islamic Republic
Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh declared on Saturday his formerly secular country an Islamic republic.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Gambia’s population of 1.8 million people is 95 percent Muslim, but no state religion was previously announced.
“Gambia’s destiny is in the hands of the Almighty Allah. As from today, Gambia is an Islamic state. We will be an Islamic state that will respect the rights of the citizens,” the President was quoted on his office’s website as saying.
In 1965, Gambia, the smallest country in continental Africa, gained independence from the United Kingdom. In October 2013, Gambia left the block of former 54 British colonies.
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in countries ruled by Islamic laws, including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Gambia Declared Islamic Republic by President Yahya Jammeh
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared his Muslim-majority country an Islamic republic, saying the move marks a break with the colonial past.
Mr Jammeh told state TV the proclamation was in line with Gambia’s “religious identity and values”.
He added that no dress code would be imposed and citizens of other faiths would be allowed to practise freely.
Some 90% of Gambians are Muslim. The former British colony’s economy relies heavily on tourism. However, relations with the West have soured recently.
The European Union temporarily withheld aid money to Gambia last year over its poor human rights record.
Mr Jammeh has been president of the tiny West African country for 21 years.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels Pushes for EU Coastguard-Borders Agency
The European Commission pushed Friday for a new 1,000-strong EU force to slow the record flow of migrants across the EU’s external borders but faced opposition from some member states hostile to giving Brussels this sovereign right.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner in charge of migration policy, told a Mediterranean security conference in Rome that national authorities had been overwhelmed by the unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers and other migrants arriving in Europe, creating the need for a pan-European solution.
ADVERTISING”National authorities manage to do their best but they were not prepared,” Avramopoulos said. “We need something more comprehensive and better structured.”…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Danke Schon: Why Marine Le Pen Should Thank German Chancellor Merkel
In the eyes of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Front party, German Chancellorette Angela Merkel is the main culprit of the refugee crisis in Europe, according to French political journalist Roland Hureaux.
Merkel’s promise to host refugees in Germany led to an uncontrolled influx of foreigners across Europe. This in turn led to the rise of popularity among right-wing parties, including the National Front, Hureaux wrote for Atlantico.
“For many people voting for the National Front in the first round wasn’t only the gesture of despair, but also a warning to those who was behind this imposed migration,” Hureaux said, as cited by Atlantico.
Refugees continue to come to Europe because back in the summer Merkel openly stated that Germany would host everyone running from chaos in Syria.
Although most refugees are, of course, truly running for their lives; there are certainly those who try to migrate to the EU in search of better life using the situation in Syria, passing as refugees, the author said.
As of late, both Berlin and Paris have taken a tougher stance on the refugee issue, partially due to a backlash from a large number of German and French citizens.
Last week, Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration, eurosceptic party took political elites across Europe by surprise, winning 28 percent of the vote in the first-round of the regional elections.
The rise of attacks by Islamist extremists, combined with the migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of immigrants arriving in the European Union, has created a solid platform for the National Front’s anti-immigration policies.
The party advocates a dramatic reduction in legal immigration to France from the current 200,000 a year to 10,000, a ban on automatic immigration rights, in particular via joining a spouse or family member living in the country, toughening in requirements for the French citizenship, and priority to the French nationals in employment and social housing.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Moroccan Actor Loses Job for Sounding Too Posh
Dutch award-winning actor Nasrid Dchar lost a contract to make a radio advert for the health ministry because he did not sound enough like an immigrant.
The 37-year-old actor, who is of Moroccan origin, said in a Facebook post that he likes doing voice-overs because the part does not depend on his appearance or cultural background.
However, he was shocked to be told by the production company: ‘You speak really ABN (proper Dutch). Could you read the text again, but a bit more like a foreigner.’
‘I thought I had misheard them and they said “other tone” not “allochtoon” because they sound so similar,’ he he wrote. ‘So I collected my thoughts and said “okay, lets do it again in another tone.”
Two weeks later Dchar was told by the ministry they would not be using his voice ‘because I don’t sound enough like a foreigner’.
Apologies
The health ministry later apologised to Dchar on Facebook. ‘The aim of the ad was to reach a relatively young, unskilled group about health insurance and it had to be easy for them to understand and relate to,’ the ministry said.
‘So we decided to go for something other than a standard voice and be more streetwise.’
Dchar hit the headlines when he won the Golden Calf as best actor in 2011 and made a heartfelt speech about being a Dutch Moroccan actor. ‘I’m a Dutchman. I am very proud of my Moroccan blood. I’m a Muslim and I am holding a
ing Golden Calf,’ he said.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
FT Bombshell: EU Unveils Standing Border Force That Will Act “Even if a Government Objects”
Last weekend we wrote that in Europe’s attempt to contain the greatest refugee crisis since WWII, it would directly take control over the border control of the one country which over the summer lost its sovereignty (but at least it still has the euro), and which serves as a springboard for tens of thousands of migrants to proceed onward with their journey to Germany (where as reported earlier, they are no longer desired, as their continued arrival results in a plunging approval rating for Angela Merkel).
We added that the deployment of additional officers will begin next week, and noted that as our friends at Keep Talking Greece wrote:
“the masks have fallen. Hand in hand, the European Union and the Frontex want to cancel national sovereignty and take over border controls in the pretext of “safeguarding the Schengen borders”. With controversial claims, they use the case of Greece to create an example that could soon happen “in the border area near you.” And the plan is all German.”
Finally, we asked whether this was merely Paranoia…
“or just another confirmation that the Eurozone is using every incremental, and produced, crisis to cement its power over discrete European state sovereignty and wipe out the cultural and religious borders the prevent the amalgamation of Europe into a Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt-controlled superstate? “
It was not paranoia, because according to blockbuster FT report released moments ago, “Brussels is to propose the creation of a standing European border force that could take control of the bloc’s external frontiers — even if a government objected.”
As even the otherwise pro-EU FT cautiously notes, “The move would arguably represent the biggest transfer of sovereignty since the creation of the single currency.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Parliamentary Petition to Close U.K. Borders and Halt Immigration Already at 450,000
Comparing the map for supporters of the call to close the U.K. borders and halt all immigration with the corresponding map for supporters of the petition to ban Donald Trump from the U.K. clearly shows that the former has widespread support in urban and rural regions of the United Kingdom, whereas the latter is concentrated on highly urbanized areas such as Greater London.
One must also question whether the petition to “Block Donald J Trump from UK entry” has been fraudulently manipulated by non-UK sources.
The raw data files behind these two petitions can be downloaded directly from the parliamentary petitions website. In these files, the “Block Donald J Trump from UK entry” petition has—at the time of writing—a total signature count of 527,669, but the data file lists only 253,966 signatures coming from the U.K. itself. By comparison, the “Stop all immigration and close the UK borders until ISIS is defeated” petition has a total signature count of 449,285, of which the U.K. signature count is 439,483.
In other words, according to the U.K. parliamentary data files on these two petitions, it appears that only 48 percent of the signatories for the petition to ban Trump came from within the U.K., whereas 98 percent of the signatures for the petition to close the U.K. border and halt immigration are sourced from within the U.K.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Shut Off From the Balkan Route, Asylum Seekers Flood Into Athens
After getting evicted from the Greek border, thousands of refugees and migrants were relocated to former Olympic stadiums-turned-shelters in the capital. As Diego Cupolo found out, they have no idea what to expect next.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Official Arrested for ‘Selling Visas’
A Swedish migration officer on assignment in West Africa was remanded in custody for serious bribery and gross misconduct, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Saturday.
The former official is suspected of selling between 70 and 75 visas from the Swedish Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and was detained by police in Sweden on Friday, according to media reports.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Trapped in Greece by EU Rules, Migrants Desperate to Get Out
Guylo is a musician, looking for a place of peace to play his guitar. Fares wants to study. Mohammed is waiting for news of his wife and child after becoming separated from them en route.
All are migrants trapped in Greece after being barred from continuing their odyssey through Europe — and are desperate to get out.
ADVERTISING”We are looking for (smuggler) networks, do you know someone?” asks Guylo, 37, who fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Out-Trifkovicing Trifkovic
On December 10 Srdja Trifkovic was interviewed by Mike Church—who presents a nationally syndicated radio talk show—about his article “Defeating Domestic Jihad: A Program of Action,” published on this site on December 4. We bring you the transcript of that interview.
MC: Let’s talk about your essay that you have published on Chronicles magazine website, “Defeating Domestic Jihad: A Program of Action” . . . Do you mean an American plan of action?
ST: American, of course. My analysis of the problem posed by the jihadist networks is primarily focused on how the United States can and should defend itself from what in Europe, unfortunately, is literally getting out of control. What I am suggesting as an American program of action is more or less out of question in Europe, now that we have a wave of roughly one million so-called refugees—in reality illegal migrants. They are pouring into an unprotected, demoralized, and politically inane Europe, from both the Middle East and North Africa. This is throwing the security services in Western Europe into a total quandary.
America is not there yet, but it might get close to that imbroglio unless some measures are taken to prevent the disaster from developing. My essay was really an attempt to define the issues in value-neutral terms, to look at them not in terms of an emotional response to St. Bernardino but to develop a realist approach. Of course it will be decried as “xenophobic” and “Islamophobic” by the liberal elite, but it is nevertheless the only way to think about it and talk about it.
MC: You say, number one, that spying on Muslims is necessary, legal and justified, and I agree with that. How do you convince the American government, with all the trouble that candidate Trump is going through for even suggesting that there should be some kind of moratorium on importing Muslims?
ST: First of all, the precedent for what I am suggesting already exists. It was considered perfectly legitimate for the United States’ authorities to spy on members of the Communist Party and various affiliated front organizations, both before and during the Cold War. It is justified if a group professes an ideology which is fundamentally opposed to the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution, opposed to the notion that the Constitution is the rock bed, the foundation of the American political system. No believing Muslim can ever aver to respect the U.S. Constitution above all other systems or documents, because it would be an act of apostasy. It would be a mortal sin, because the Sharia—to a believing Muslim—is the only universally valid, eternally valid law of any land. The Sharia system is of course based on the Kuran and the Sira, the example of the “prophet.”
Ever since the time of Muhammad and his four immediate successors, the first four caliphs in the seventh century, the model of the eternally valid political, legal and religious authority was established. Islamist revivalists have tried to emulate it ever since. What I am saying is that if you are seriously committed to the Muslim faith then you cannot be a “regular American.” You cannot swear the oath of allegiance as a naturalized U.S. citizen, as I did some 15 years ago. You cannot owe allegiance to a system based on what is, essentially, a man-made document. To a believing Muslim, the only source of authority, the only bearer of legitimate sovereignty, is Allah and his anointed representative in this world, the Caliph. That was the model established by Muhammad when he conquered Mecca. It has been followed ever since by his various successors, in Damascus, in Baghdad, in Egypt, in Spain, and of course in the Ottoman Empire from the early 16th century until its collapse in the aftermath of World War I…
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Japan has no immigration from the Muslim world, nor does Israel, which declares itself a Jewish state. Are they also fascistic?
President Obama and the guilt-besotted West often bawl their apologies for the horrors of the Crusades that liberated Jerusalem.
Anyone heard Muslim rulers lately apologizing for Saladin, who butchered Christians to take Jerusalem back, or for Suleiman the Magnificent, who conquered the Christian Balkans rampaging through Hungary all the way to the gates of Vienna?
Trump’s surge this week, in the teeth of universal denunciation, suggests that a large slice of America agrees with his indictment — that our political-media establishment is dumb as a box of rocks and leading us down a path to national suicide.
Trump’s success tells us that the American people really do not celebrate “globalization.” They think our negotiators got snookered out of the most magnificent industrial machine ever built, which once guaranteed our workers the highest standard of living on earth.
They don’t want open borders or mass immigration. They want people here illegally to be sent back, the borders secured, and a moratorium imposed on Muslim immigration until we fix the broken system.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Hostilities Against the Swiss Cross in… Switzerland!
At a school in Emmen in the Swiss canton of Lucerne, students were asked to beautify some concrete walls. In fact, more than 1,000 inhabitants of the locality have participated in similar initiatives in the past seven years.
The plan was sponsored by Emmenfarbig (Emmen in Color), an association directed by Peter Jans and was to have children paint musical instruments on a wall.
“Some of the children had the idea to paint a Swiss flag with an alpenhorn,” Peter Jans told newspapers according to the Geneva daily La Tribune de Genève.
The children’s initiative caused a whole storm to break out. Unwilling to hurt the sensitivity of immigrants, the school board panicked and decided to cancel the event.
The Swiss Flag Forbidden in Its Own Country?
Peter Jans was ordered to fill in the cross of the national flag painted on the wall, leaving only a red background. So he asked the town’s city council to clarify whether the Swiss flag could be painted in the future.
Students, parents and teachers reacted strongly. The president of the municipality, Rolf Born tried to calm people down by saying that “personally, I see no problem with the Swiss cross at school.”
He rebutted the accusation by pro-immigrants that painting the national symbol — the Swiss cross — had political and racist overtones or incited violence.
| — Hat tip: PA | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Court Says Lesbian’s Adoption of Ex’s Daughter Valid
One of first cases recognising ‘stepchild adoption’ in Italy
(ANSA) — Milan, December 10 — A Milan appeals court on Thursday ruled valid a lesbian woman’s adoption in Spain of her ex-wife’s daughter, and ordered the adoption transcribed in Italy. The two Italian women started a relationship in 1999, then one of them had the child through a donor in 2003. They married in Spain, and the spouse who did not give birth legally adopted the child before the couple divorced two years ago.
The sentence represents one of the first cases in Italy recognising so-called stepchild adoption, or adoption by one partner in a same-sex couple of the other’s biological child.
Italy still lacks a civil unions or gay marriage law, so births to same-sex married couples are not officially recognized.
In July, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy for failing to provide legal “recognition and protection” for gay couples, and said it must remedy the situation by changing its laws. Premier Matteo Renzi’s government is preparing a civil unions bill that would give same-sex couples many of the same rights and responsibilities as straight married couples, including the right to adopt their spouse’s children and for widows to receive their deceased partners’ pensions and inherit their property.
However, the traditionally Catholic center right, as well as Catholic elements within the center-left, are not happy with the plans, and are against recognising the rights of gays in committed relationships to be parents.
This, they argue, will inevitably usher in the legalization of surrogate motherhood, which is illegal in Italy and which the Catholic Church condemns as a sin.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
‘Transgender’ Father Abandons 7 Children to Become ‘6-Year-Old Girl’
Some liberals express support for Stefonknee Wolschtt.
A transgender father who abandoned his seven children to start a new life as a “6-year-old girl” is being celebrated by some liberals as a shining example of diversity.
46-year-old Stefonknee (pronounced ‘Stephanie’) Wolschtt is being profiled by numerous media outlets after he/she/xe revealed her story in a video interview for The Transgender Project.
Wolschtt is now dressing up and pretending to be a 6-year-old girl with her adopted family after being given an ultimatum by her ex-wife, who said she had to “stop being trans or leave”.
Wolschtt chose to abandon her 23-year marriage along with her seven kids and is now fulfilling her role as “little sister” to her new parents’ youngest granddaughter.
If you are having trouble trying to understand this insanity, don’t worry, the video below will help clear things up…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Hopefully the enablers of new Balkans West will not survive the spoils and imagined security to be brought about by betrayal to Evil triumphant. Calais “jungle” is a good look inside the degenerate heart of a Muslim “community” in Europe, America and especially beneath the inferiori low self esteem Turkey and the Gulf State inferior interior sandy estates. Our countries are in the worst possible company. I hope we find sobriety soon. Right now we seem to be thinking too much.