Enrique Marquez, a friend of the San Bernardino terrorists, was arrested today and charged with plotting with Syed Rizwan Farook to commit a terror attack. Mr. Marquez is the man who allegedly bought the weapons used by the jihadi couple in their massacre.
In other news, between 800 and 1,000 migrants tried to storm the entrance to the Channel Tunnel near Calais in an attempt to get to Britain. French police resorted to the use of tear gas to drive them away.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, MD, RRR, Seneca III, 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.
Canadian Dollar Crashes to 12-Year Low After Collapse in Consumer Prices
Not since December 2013 have Canadian Consumer Prices dropped by such a large amount. November CPI dropped 0.3% MoM, dramatically worse than expected to the largest drop since Dec 2013. The largest YoY drop in Canadian CPI, amid a surge in inventories relative to a collapsee in wholesale sales sent the loonie crashing above 1.4000 for the first time since August 2003.
Candian CPI tumbles and Wholesale Sales plunges…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Consumer Debt, Minimum Wage/Joblessness, Clinton’s Laugh for 10 Hours
Canadians’ love affair with debt is continuing and set to rise in 2016, says a new report from CIBC.
Households in the Great White North will finish off 2015 with record-high debt levels, and this level of debt will swell in 2015. Despite the growing amount of debt, a lot of financial experts say Canadian consumers are in good shape. For every dollar a Canadian has in disposable income, they are $1.64 in the red.
The Bank of Canada (BoC) governor Stephen Poloz recently came out highlighting his concern about increasing household debt and illiquid assets. Poloz believes this could be a major weak spot in the country’s financial system. However, he has been adding fuel to the fire with low interest rates, and the possibility of subzero rates.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
How Many College Students Will Die From Real-World Stupidity if a Financial Collapse Unfolds?
(NaturalNews) The Federal Reserve has just declared that it will no longer bail out failing banks. This is one of the key precursors to the coming systemic debt collapse that’s mathematically inevitable.
Converging with this day of reckoning is the bizarre phenomenon of pampered, coddled college students who feel “offended” by free speech and ideas that counter their own stilted beliefs. They’re so psychologically fragile that they feel “traumatized” by merely hearing words that they consider “hurtful speech” — a vast realm of important ideas from illegal immigration to race-based college admissions quotas.
Today’s students have never been asked to overcome adversity. They haven’t been prepared for anything that happens in the real world… a realm that’s littered with obstacles, dishonesty and betrayal. This brings up the all-important question: How many of these college students will not survive the coming collapse?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Cantone to be Arbitrate Over Saved Banks
Case of four rescued banks rocks government
(ANSA) — Rome, December 17 — Premier Matteo Renzi announced Thursday that the Italian anti-corruption agency headed by Raffaele Cantone will handle the arbitration of cases concerning investors left with worthless bonds in four Italian banks recently rescued by a government decree. The government and Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi, whose father was vice president of one of the banks, face confidence motions over the case. Many small investors seem to have been deceived by their banks about the risks linked to the bonds. “In the next few hours we’ll do everything possible to ensure that those who were cheated can have the money,” Renzi told Mediaset television.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
This is What a Financial Crisis Looks Like
Just within the past few days, three major high yield funds have completely imploded, and panic is spreading rapidly on Wall Street. Funds run by Third Avenue Management and Stone Lion Capital Partners have suspended payments to investors, and a fund run by Lucidus Capital Partners has liquidated its entire portfolio. We are witnessing a race for the exits unlike anything that we have seen since the great financial crash of 2008, and many of those that choose to hesitate are going to end up getting totally wiped out. In case you are wondering, this is what a financial crisis looks like. In 2008, other global stock markets started to tumble, then junk bonds began to crash, and finally U.S. stocks followed. The exact same pattern is playing out again, and the carnage that we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the end of 2009, a high yield bond ETF that I watch very closely known as JNK has been trading in a range between 36 and 42. I have been waiting all this time for it to dip below 35, because I knew that would be a sign that the next major financial crisis was imminent.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Activists Try to Silence Climate Skeptics…
No debate allowed… Same tactic always used by the radical left when they are losing the argument
(NaturalNews) Well, another “climate change summit” is on the books, and the “agreement” isn’t even being applauded by the “green” groups. But that didn’t stop the global warming hucksters from doing all they could to force their views on the global public, not through reasoned debate, but by attempting censorship.
As noted by Marc Morano of Climate Depot — who was in Paris recently to kick off a documentary “Climate Hustle,” laying out the hoax in detail — several environmental groups called for revoking the credentials of any attendee who questioned the cult of global warming, while others have called for banning opposing viewpoints and even taking legal action against “deniers.”…
And honestly, the “warmists” as Morano calls them, ought to be feeling desperate. Their hoax has been exposed time and again as a fraud. Consider:
- Time and again climate data purporting to “prove” warming is taking place has been faked or changed;
- Some of the same dire warnings the government issued during the “global cooling” scare of the 1970s — such as, the cooling will become a major national security issue — are used in the global warming hoax today;
- In order to perpetuate their hoax, the cultists need to spew their “science” without challenge, which is why they want government to criminally charge so-called “deniers.” Only people whose viewpoint cannot stand up to scrutiny would wish to empower government in such a manner.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump ‘Honoured’ By Vladimir Putin’s Compliments
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said it is a “great honour” to receive a compliment from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The property tycoon hailed Mr Putin as a man “highly respected within his own country and beyond”.
It comes after Mr Putin said Mr Trump was a “very colourful, talented person” during his annual news conference.
The two men, both known for their blunt manner of speaking, do not know each other personally.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Families of Terrorists See No Evil, Speak No Evil
By Victor Davis Hanson
Amid all the furor over Islamic terrorism in the United States, a few themes are ignored: the role of friends and family of terrorists, and how well the U.S had treated many of those who went on to kill Americans.
Take, for example, the family members of Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook, who recently murdered 14 people and wounded 21 in San Bernardino before being killed by police. The New York Times recently contacted Malik’s sister in Pakistan, Fehda Malik, who insisted that her sister was not an extremist, “She knew what was right and wrong,” Fehda Malik said.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Freedom to Tyranny: How Serial Terrorist Attacks Will Change America Forever — Part I
In recent days Natural News editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, warned of a coming multi-city attack throughout the United States similar to the one that took place in Paris in November and in San Bernardino, Calif., in December. Bugout.news editor Jon E. Dougherty wrote a manuscript in 2006 examining the impact of multiple terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Americans’ constitutional rights and freedoms, a theme he continued in graduate school in 2014-15. This article is one of a series to be published over the course of several days that will provide readers insight into what they might expect in terms of reactions by federal and state governments if Adams’ prediction comes true, and if the premise of Dougherty’s research is confirmed.
(Bugout.news) In the aftermath of new terrorist attacks — especially if those attacks were to involve weapons of mass destruction — one of the most costly casualties is likely to be the U.S. Constitution. It’s entirely possible a great number of elected officials, civilian heads of government agencies, military chiefs, political advocacy groups and even media representatives and pundits would call for dramatic curbs on personal freedoms and liberties, all in the name of enhancing public safety. And if they were to get those restrictions, there is no telling when — or even if — Americans would ever enjoy basic constitutional liberties again.
Which liberties are most at risk? In a worst-case scenario, the entire Constitution could be suspended, though that is unlikely. That said, if history is any indication, our ten most cherished freedoms — those embodied in the Bill of Rights — are in the gravest danger. Among them, specifically, the freedom of speech and assembly (First Amendment); the right to keep and bear arms (Second Amendment); no warrantless searches and the reasonable expectation of privacy (Fourth Amendment); and states’ rights (Tenth Amendment) could suffer the most. Here’s how.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
(NaturalNews) An article in the journal Science casts doubt on how seriously the findings of any one psychological or other type of scientific study should be taken. In order to contribute to an ongoing debate about the reliability of psychological research, 270 researchers on five continents repeated 100 experiments that had been published in major psychological journals in 2008.
They were only able to replicate the original experiment’s findings in 36 of 100 cases.
[Comment: However, the side effects of the ‘medication’ are well known: violence, thoughts of killing, suicide…]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
NY Times Stealth-Edits Article to Remove Embarrassing Obama Admission
If you read The New York Times’ story on President Barack Obama’s private meeting with news columnists Friday morning, you may have caught one quote that made the President look particularly bad:
In his meeting with the columnists, Mr. Obama indicated that he did not see enough cable television to fully appreciate the anxiety after the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and made clear that he plans to step up his public arguments.
The President of the United States failed to understand that Americans were anxious after two major terrorist attacks in Western cities because he doesn’t watch TV? It’s an admission that opponents are sure to use to make the president seem out-of-touch at best, and unconcerned about a serious threat at worst.
Many politicos and journalists immediately saw the newsworthiness of the statement, especially after CNN’s Brian Stelter drew attention to it.
[…]
But just as the quote was beginning to make the rounds, it disappeared entirely from the the Times piece, without a correction or any indication that the piece had been updated…
| — Hat tip: MD | [Return to headlines] |
Rush Limbaugh: ‘Disband the Republican Party’
Conservative talk-radio king Rush Limbaugh went on the warpath against the Republican Party during his recent broadcast, chastising the GOP’ s relinquishing of the “ power of the purse” to President Obama, via passage of the $1.1 trillion omnibus bill, and saying in the bluntest of terms: the party of the so-called ideological right ought to just toss out the white flag.
First Limbaugh spoke of lawmakers’ failure to maintain “ the primary power the House has” to serve as a keeper of the taxpayer dime, saying “ not a penny of money can be spent in this country by this government without the House of Representatives authorizing it.”
He went on, speaking of the Republicans’ backing of Obama’ s $1.1 trillion wish list of spending items, saying members of the GOP, under the leadership of newly minted Speaker Paul Ryan, “ squandered that … for some inexplicable reason.”
Limbaugh pointed out the bill “ fully funds Planned Parenthood,” a fact he sees as “ beyond comprehension,” given the recent videos that have emerged about the organization’ s baby parts’ selling scheme.
[Comment: Better to oust out those who are RINO’s and not conservative.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
San Bernardino Shooting: Friend of Gunman is Charged
A friend of one of the San Bernardino attackers has been charged in connection with the mass shooting that killed 14.
Enrique Marquez, 24, is the first person arrested over the deadliest terrorist attack in the US since 9/11.
Mr Marquez is charged with plotting with gunman Syed Farook to attack a university in 2011 and 2012.
He is also accused of illegally purchasing the two rifles that were used by Farook and Tashfeen Malik.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
On the very same day as mainstream media outlets argued that the San Bernaradino shooting was probably workplace violence, a narrative also repeated by the Obama administration, we warned that there were likely more terrorists working in conjunction with Farook and Malik.
The Justice Department has now confirmed that the California shooter’s ex-neighbor has been arrested for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. According to officials Enrique Marquez was a friend of Syed Farook and helped supply some or all of the firearms used in the San Bernardino massacre.
According to U.S. Attorney General Eileen Decker, Marquez and Farook planned a variety of vicious assaults including another mass shooting at a local college as well as attacking commuters in their vehicles while sitting in traffic on a California state highway:…
Of note is that both soft-targets mentioned by the U.S. Attorney General are essentially gun-free zones, a discussion which no doubt came up during the terrorists’ planning phase.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Race Relations at 20-Year Low, Survey Finds
They’re the worst since the O.J. Simpson trial ended in an acquittal
Perception of U.S. race relations have reached a 20 year low after several high-profile deaths of black Americans at the hands of police officers, according to data from a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
Only 34% of Americans said race relations in the country are fairly good or very good, the lowest since October 1995, shortly after the O.J. Simpson trial concluded in an acquittal for the former football star.
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the country’s first black president saw Americans’ view of race relations reach a high of 77% in January 2009. However, the Wall Street Journal notes, there has been a precipitous decline in Americans’ perceptions of race relations since July 2013, when George Zimmerman being acquitted of shooting and killing Trayvon Martin—and that dim view of relations is shared across racial lines. Just 33% of whites and 38% of Hispanics view race relations as very or fairly good, with only 26% of African Americans saying the same.
The WSJ/NBC poll surveyed 1,000 adults and was conducted Dec. 6-9 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
University Seeks to Fire Professor for Questioning Sandy Hook
Parents demand professor be fired for controversial views on school shooting
Administrators at Florida Atlantic University are recommending that a professor who espouses controversial views on the Sandy Hook school shooting be fired.
On Wednesday, university officials notified Professor James Tracy, PhD, one of the foremost academic figures researching the events at Sandy Hook, that he had ten days to appeal their decision, according to CBS News.
Prof. Tracy, who teaches a course on “American Media” and a class entitled “Culture of Conspiracy,” was recently the target of a Sun-Sentinel op-ed urging the university to re-consider his employment.
In a response posted to Facebook attributed to Tracy, the professor cites the FAU Academic Affairs Faculty Handbook which states, “A faculty member’s activities which fall outside the scope of employment shall constitute misconduct only if such activities adversely affect the legitimate interests of the University.”
“Do ‘the legitimate interests of the university’ include the pursuit of truth?” Professor Tracy asked, going on to list various inconsistencies and discrepancies which should warrant further investigation.
Since the shooting three years ago, prominent academics and security experts alike have placed their reputations on the line demanding a closer look into the various suspicious circumstances surrounding the event.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
272 is Fighters Are Hiding in Europe. 150 More Terrorists Are on Their Way
Two waves of IS terrorists are said to have been trained for terror attacks in Europe — either for suicide bombings, or for Paris-style handgun attacks.
Today, Dagbladet can reveal information about two waves of Islamic State terrorists, specially trained for attacks on European soil.
The first wave is said to already have travelled to Europe. The second wave is still with the terror group in Syria — after having received training in a militant camp between Sinjar and Mosul in Iraq. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) confirms to Dagbladet that they are familiar with the information.
Dagbladet has obtained the information from a source with deep insight into IS in Syria. The source has previously given information which proved to be correct.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Arrested German Jihadist: Islamic Blitzkrieg Coming
Lawyer says ISIS terrorist ‘wants to come clean’.
A detained German terrorist told authorities that Chancellor Angela Merkel can expect an Islamic blitzkrieg from returning fighters.
Lawyers for a disillusioned member of the Islamic State group say the man, known only as Harry S, wants to “come clean.” The 27-year-old from Bremen told Der Spiegel that he “saw it all” and wants to talk. He is the first terrorist to help intelligence officials piece together the fate of German-speaking jihadists Mohamed Mahmoud and Berlin rapper Denis Cusper, known as “Deso Dogg.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Czech MPs Join Hungary in Saying No to Israel Labels
The Czech lower house urged the government not to implement an EU code on labels for Israeli settler exports on Thursday (17 December).
MPs from all government and opposition parties, except the Communist party, said in a resolution the EU code is “motivated by a political positioning versus the State of Israel,” according to the Reuters news agency.
“It is necessary to reject these attempts that try to discriminate against the only democracy in the Middle East,” Daniel Hermann, the Czech culture minister, said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Douglas Carswell: UKIP Needs a New ‘Fresh Faced’ Leader
Ukip’s only MP Douglas Carswell has suggested Nigel Farage should step down as leader, so the party can radiate “sunshine and optimism”.
Mr Carswell said the party’s poor performance in the Oldham West by-election convinced him the party needed new leadership.
Nigel Farage, the current Ukip leader, has responded to the BBC that his only MP should “put up or shut up”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Édith Piaf: The Dark Life of the Singer of Love
The French have declared her the “Singer of the Century.” Édith Piaf was born 100 years ago, on December 19, 1915. Her career was legendary; her life was filled with myth and tragedy.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Evidence of Roman Battle Discovered in the Netherlands
Archaeologist Nico Roymans of the Vrije Universiteit announced in a press release the discovery of skeletal remains, swords, spearheads, and a helmet in the modern area of Kessel, at the site where Roman general Julius Caesar wiped out the Tencteri and the Usipetes, two Germanic tribes, in 55 B.C. Caesar described the battle in Book IV of his De Bello Gallico. After he rejected the tribes’ request for asylum and permission to settle in the Dutch river area, his force of eight legions and cavalry conquered the camp and pursued the survivors to the convergence of the Meuse and Rhine Rivers, where he slaughtered more than 100,000 people. The Late Iron Age skeletal remains represent men, women, and children, and show signs of spear and sword injuries.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook, Google, Twitter Agree to Delete Hate Speech in 24 Hours: Germany
Germany said on Tuesday that Facebook, Google and Twitter have agreed to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours, a new step in the fight against rising online racism following the refugee crisis.
The government has been trying to get social platforms to crack down on the rise in anti-foreigner comments in German on the web as the country struggles to cope with an influx of more than 1 million refugees this year.
The new agreement makes it easier for users and anti-racism groups to report hate speech to specialist teams at the three companies, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Former ISIS Fighter Reveals What Terror Group is Planning for Europe
A German jihadist who fled Isis after witnessing beheadings and executions in Syria has claimed the group is trying to plan a Europe-wide terror attack.
The 27-year-old former militant, named as Harry S, said he and other foreign fighters had been asked if they would “bring jihad to their homeland”.
“They want something that happens everywhere at the same time,” he said.
Harry S was speaking to Der Spiegel from prison, where he is still being questioned by police and the intelligence services after being arrested at Bremen airport on his return in July.
He claimed he fled Isis because he could not stand its brutality after three months with the group in Syria and is now telling German authorities all he knows.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Black Fashion Week, now a permanent fixture in the fashion calendar, and it’s all thanks to its founder Adama Amanda Ndiaye. It exists to counter dominant Caucasian beauty ideals, challenging boundaries and perceptions. BFWParis is about cultural history more than it’s about colour. With Carol Baretto (Brazil), Eliette Lesuperbe (Guadeloupe) and Racha Farah (Djibouti-Paris).
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
French Tourism Industry Continues to Suffer After Paris Attacks
The French tourism industry continues to suffer from a drop in business after the terrorist attacks in Paris last month. Hotels, restaurants and airlines are losing out as people cancel their bookings. It comes as France’s national statistics office cut its growth forecast for the French economy, partly down to the events in November.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: How Booksellers Will Deal With ‘Mein Kampf’
An annotated edition of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” will be released in German in January. Amazon plans to donate its proceeds. Many bookstores seem uncomfortable with promoting the anti-Semitic work.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Police Raid Two Flats in Berlin Anti-Terror Sting
Police searched two apartments in Berlin on Thursday while investigating a suspected planned terrorist attack. In North Rhine-Westphalia a man was also arrested on terror charges.
The two flats were situated in Berlin’s Neukölln and Friedrichshain neighbourhoods.
City prosecutors had given the green light for the operation after the residents of the apartments were suspected of planning a terrorist attack and possessing illegal weapons.
One of the suspects is a 28-year-old: investigators found photographic evidence of him posing with an AK-47 and who alleged proclaimed his desire to travel to Syria to take part in the civil war there.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Almost 40% of Schools ‘Need Urgent Maintenance’
Marked disparity between North and South says report
(ANSA) — Rome, December 17 — Almost 40% of Italian schools need “urgent maintenance” and there is a marked disparity between building quality and services in the North and South, a report revealed on Thursday.
The study by environmental association Legambiente showed that the best of the 6,310 schools in the country in terms of building quality were in northern cities including Trento and Reggio Emilia.
The environmentalist group said Premier Matteo Renzi’s reforms of the school system needed to also deal with the urgent problem of the “territorial disparity between the North, South, and the islands” in terms of buildings, investments and services.
Only 0.6% of schools in Italy are built using ecologically friendly architecture but increasing numbers are using renewable energy sources such as solar power, the survey found.
It also said that services such as school buses were in decline while recycling was improving.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: North-South Gap ‘Narrowing’ Says ISTAT
Over half of new Q3 jobs created in South
(ANSA) — Rome, December 11 — The employment gap between Italy’s wealthy, industrialized North and its chronically impoverished South narrowed slightly for the second consecutive quarter, Istat national statistics bureau said in its labor report Friday. Over half of the 247,000 new jobs created in the third quarter occurred in the South (+136,000 over the same period last year). However the South still has the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 19%, according to Istat.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: CSM Opens Inquiry Into Banca Etruria Prosecutor
After allegations of incompatibility
Rome (ANSA) — Rome, December 17 — The Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM), the judiciary’s self-governing body, on Thursday opened an inquiry into Prosecutor Roberto Rossi, who is leading an investigation into Banca Etruria. The latter is one of four failed government-rescued banks. One of Banca Etruria’s clients, a pensioner, committed suicide after his life savings went up in smoke.
The CSM will look into whether Rossi is incompatible with the Banca Etruria inquiry because he also works as a government consultant.
Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi will face a no-confidence vote Friday called by the opposition after it emerged her father was on the board of Banca Etruria.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Migrant-Saving Bishop ‘Embezzled €180k’
A Sicilian bishop, renowned for his solidarity towards the migrants landing on the island’s shores, is being probed for allegedly embezzling huge sums of Church money.
Bishop Domenico Mogavero, who oversees the siocese of Mazara Del Vallo near Trapani, was questioned on Thursday as part of an investigation into the illegal use of diocese funds between 2010 and 2011, Corriere della Sera reported.
Italy’s financial police are investigating how €180,000 of Curia funds found their way into his personal account.
Also implicated in the probe is the ex-economist of the diocese, Father Franco Caruso, who allegedly squandered €250,000 of church money destined for charitable projects.
It has been alleged that some of the missing money was given to another local priest, Father Vito Caradonna, who Mogavero suspended in 2011 after the priest was sentenced to two years in jail for attempting to sexually assault another man.
Caruso was eventually removed from his position as economist by Mogavero in 2014.
Speaking to reporters from Corriere on Thursday, Mogavero’s lawyer, Stefano Pellegrino, maintained his client — an outspoken critic of the corrupt government of ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi — was innocent.
Pellegrino said that the investigation had been launched at the behest of the bishop.
“Father Mogavero has clarified his position in an interview with police today,” Pellegrino said.
“On discovering irregular activity on the diocese accounts he asked his economic advisers to look matters, before reporting them to the police personally.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Macedonia FM Visits Greece to Discuss Name Dispute
Macedonia’s foreign minister visited Athens Thursday in the first such trip in fifteen years. Greece wants Macedonia to change its name. “Aside from the name dispute with Greece, we can share experiences that might be useful for us in the EU accession process,” said minister Nikola Poposki.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mother Teresa to be Granted Sainthood
Pope Francis has recognized a second miracle by Mother Teresa, clearing the path for her sainthood. The Vatican is expected to canonize the popular nun by September next year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
North Stream Issue ‘Intriguing’ Says Renzi
‘Ball in EC’s court now’
(ANSA) — Rome, December 18 — Premier Matteo Renzi said at the close of an EU summit in Brussels Friday that the North Stream pipeline issue is “intriguing”. “A majority of countries support our position, against Germany and the Netherlands,” he said. “Now the ball is in the (European) Commission’s court”. The decision to double the North Stream pipeline project “was approved on the sly after the elimination of South Stream last year sparked a mad number of lawsuits,” he added.
“Several leaders have tabled the issue of the North Stream pipeline,” European Council President Donald Tusk said. “Italy and Bulgaria need clarification on the feasibility of the North Stream project after the South Stream pipeline that was supposed to bypass Ukraine to bring Russian gas into Europe was judged not to be feasible,” Tusk said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Renzi Says Italian Banks More Solid Than German
No one minded when Merkel bailed out German banks says premier
(ANSA) — Rome, December 18 — Premier Matteo Renzi said Friday that he was confident that Italy’s banking system was more solid than Germany’s despite the recent rescue of four small lenders. “The solidity of the Italian banking system is better than that of Germany,” Renzi told reporters at the close of a summit of EU leaders.
“I represent a country that follows the rules even when I didn’t choose them — let us avoid easy alibis,” he said.
“When (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel spent 247 billion euros to save her banks she did so within the rules…It would be too extravagant to hold the chancellor responsible for that.
I wasn’t there, and Italy did not do so,” Renzi concluded.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Seeking Better Ties, Greece and Macedonia Ask: What’s in a Name?
Macedonia’s foreign minister has visited Athens for talks with his Greek counterpart. It’s the first such trip in 15 years, with both countries locked in a bitter naming dispute.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Election: Podemos and Citizens Push Politics Into Unknown
The power monopoly of Spain’s political heavyweights is set to take a hit as two new contenders fight for power in national elections on 20 December.
Podemos on the left and Ciudadanos (Citizens), who sell themselves as a party of the centre, are riding high in the opinion polls and could change the face of Spanish politics.
Citizens leader Albert Rivera launched his party in 2006 posing naked on campaign posters while Podemos (We Can) only emerged last year, led by charismatic university professor Pablo Iglesias.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Jermaine Baker Shooting: Firearms Officer Arrested
A firearms officer has been arrested over the fatal shooting of a man.
Jermaine Baker, 28, was shot dead on 11 December during an alleged attempt to spring two convicts from a prison van in Wood Green in north London.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) told a meeting held to address community tensions that the officer was arrested on Thursday.
It has opened a homicide inquiry, and IPCC investigators were in Wood Green on Friday appealing for witnesses.
On Friday Mr Baker’s family released a statement which said: “Those who knew and loved Jermaine will keep him in their hearts and minds as they remember him.”
IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts said the officer had been interviewed under caution and evidence suggested Mr Baker was in a black Audi when he was shot.
“In that car was what appeared to be a non-police issue firearm,” she said.
She told the meeting the IPCC was taking detailed statements from a number of significant witnesses but at this stage no relevant CCTV had been found.
Further forensic examinations were taking place on the firearm found in the car and the gun discharged by the police officer, she added.
The Police Federation said it wanted to find out why the IPCC was “bandying words about” like homicide.
“I’ve never heard of that before,” said spokesman Ken Marsh.
“It’s a week before Christmas and this individual’s [the officer] life has been thrown into disarray.”
Haringey Borough Commander Victor Olisa said police did not believe Mr Baker was a gang member, as had been suggested in some newspapers…
| — Hat tip: Seneca III | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Oxford Colleges Gives in to Pressures From Rhodes Racism Campaigners
An Oxford college might remove a statue of the 19th Century politician Cecil Rhodes giving in to a student anti-racism campaign.
The students have claimed hat honouring Rhodes is not compatible with an “inclusive culture” at the university.
Oriel College says it will launch a consultation on the statue’s future as it removed a plaque to the colonial politician.
The college says it doesn’t “condone his racist views or actions”.
A similar protest already took place in South Africa led by a group called Rhodes Must Fall. As a result a statue of Rhodes was attacked and then ultimately taken down at the University of Cape Town in April.
Students argue Rhodes, who is often described as the founding father of apartheid, is a lasting symbol of an evil, colonial era.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Woman Raped by Gang of Teens After Asking for Directions Home
The victim was attacked by a group of teenagers as she walked home from a night out
A woman was raped by a group of teenagers in Central London after asking them for directions home.
The woman, who is in her 50s, was on her way home from a night out and approached a group of teenagers in Edgware Road, Westminster, asking for directions.
Police said the group, described as Asian or Arabic youths, led her to Park West Place and raped her.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Watlington Hoard Rewrites England’s Early Medieval History
The British Museum has unveiled a hoard of coins found by a metal detectorist who alerted an officer from the Portable Antiquities Scheme and assisted with the archaeological excavation. The hoard contains 186 coins, seven pieces of Viking jewelry, and 15 ingots. Some of the coins depict figures thought to represent King Alfred the Great of Wessex, who ruled from A.D. 871 to 899, and King Ceolwulf II of Mercia, who ruled from 874 to 879. Ceolwulf II has been largely forgotten by history, but the coins suggest that the two kings shared a powerful alliance as equals. “Here is a more complex political picture in the 870s which was deliberately misrepresented in the 890s after Alfred has taken over the whole of Ceolwulf’s kingdom,” Gareth Williams, curator of Early Medieval coinage at the British Museum, told The Telegraph.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
11 Killed in Libya Fighting Between Ajdabiya Residents, Qaeda
Eleven people have been killed in fighting in the eastern Libyan city of Ajdabiya between armed residents and fighters of Al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar al-Sharia, the Red Crescent said Friday.
Witnesses said clashes had raged since Wednesday in the city, which is controlled by the internationally recognised government based in the east of the country.
Red Crescent official Mansour Ati told AFP that civilians, including children, were among the dead, whose bodies had been taken to the city’s hospital…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
‘Islamic State’ Holds Libyan Town in Grip of Terror
Since conquering the Libyan town of Sirte, “Islamic State” has imposed a severe regime on the remaining locals as foreign fighters and their families have moved into abandoned homes. Nancy Porsia reports from Libya.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Youth Convicted for ‘Homosexuality’ Freed
Controversial conviction of 6 other young men
TUNIS — A young Tunisian man who was sentenced to one year in prison by a court of first instance for homosexuality was released after an appeals court reduced the length of the jail term to two months, said the attorney of the defendant, Fadoua Braham. The lawyer said his client would appeal the “unjust and unacceptable” ruling to the Supreme Court.
The young man does not need to serve time as he has already been detained for over 60 days after his arrest in September.
His case had raised the protests of associations defending the rights of minorities, civil society and foreign media, especially regarding the procedure used by judicial authority to establish the man’s alleged homosexuality — a rectal examination at a hospital.
The young man had been summoned at the police station of Hammam-Sousse as a witness in a murder investigation and had ended up confessing his homosexuality after six days.
Meanwhile a controversy is ongoing in Tunisia over another conviction on “homosexuality” charges after a court in Kairouan sentenced six young men to three years in prison. The appeals trial is scheduled to start next week.
The case has reopened a debate in the country over the abolition of homosexuality as a criminal offense — in article 230 in the criminal code which provides for jail terms of up to three years for a “homosexual act” — an article critics accuse of going against the principles of the Tunisian Constitution approved in 2014.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Inspector Who Helped Trigger Arab Spring: ‘I Regret it All’
A woman in Tunisia says she feels responsible for the Arab Spring and regrets arresting the man whose public suicide sparked the violent, world-changing movement, The Telegraph reports.
Faida Hamdy was the council inspector who confiscated a street vendor’s stall in central Tunisia five years ago on Thursday, leading the man to set himself on fire in protest.
The act spiraled into hundreds of copycat immolations and violent riots across the Arab world that ultimately led to the overthrow of Tunisia’s President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali.
“Sometimes I wish I’d never done it,” Hamdy told The Telegraph of the pivotal arrest. “I blame myself and say it is all because of me. I made history since I was the one who was there and my action contributed to it but look at us now. Meanwhile, Tunisians are suffering
as always.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK Prepares to Send Troops to Libya to Stem the Rise of ISIS
Britain is preparing to deploy up to 1,000 troops and Special Forces to Libya to help wipe out Islamic State jihadists. A handful of soldiers will also be deployed to the country for a ‘scoping’ mission.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS: 2 Syrians Held With 148 Passports at Istanbul Airport
Followed by agents, found in possession of SIM cards, video cams
(ANSAmed) — ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 18 — Turkish police arrested at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul two Syrians suspected of ties with ISIS, local media reported on Friday. The two men, aged 54 and 58, arrived in Istanbul on Thursday afternoon. A reported 148 original passports were found in their luggage, mostly European, along with two mini video cams hidden in as many pens and 10 European and Turkish SIM cards.
The men were apprehended following intelligence reports according to which the suspects had repeatedly travelled to war zones in Syria.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Israel and Turkey Reach ‘Agreement’ To Normalize Diplomatic Ties
Israel has made an agreement with Turkey to normalize relations, diplomatic sources say. A restoration of ambassadorial representation — on hold after a deadly Israeli naval raid in 2010 — is envisaged.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Obama Urges Turkey’s Erdogan to Withdraw Troops From Iraq
President Barack Obama urged Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull troops out of Iraq Friday, amid a row that has split key members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
“The President urged President Erdogan to take additional steps to deescalate tensions with Iraq,” the White House said. “Including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Firearms Officer Suspended After Shooting Gangster Dead is Now Arrested
A firearms officer suspended after shooting a gangster dead has now been arrested.
Jermaine Baker, 28, died from a single gunshot wound during the police operation near Wood Green Crown Court, north London, on Friday.
Now, the Metropolitan Police Service have been informed that a serving firearms officer has been arrested as part of an ongoing Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation (IPCC).
The officer was suspended from duty yesterday.
Mr Baker, from Tottenham, north London, was sitting in a stolen black Audi saloon and a £200 imitation handgun which fires small plastic pellets was found nearby.
Investigators suspect he was part of a gang preparing to hold up a Serco van at gunpoint and release two top-level Turkish gangsters.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Terry, the senior officer leading post incident, said: ‘This is an independent investigation being carried out by the IPCC, and they are accountable and responsible for it.It is absolutely vital that the facts of what took place are thoroughly established, as quickly as possible.
‘Our first thoughts are with Mr Baker’s family at this difficult time as they await the outcome of this investigation…
| — Hat tip: Seneca III | [Return to headlines] |
Kiss of Love Row: 60 Kerala Women (Mostly Hindu) Sent to Gulf, Forced Into Sex Trade.
The Secular-Muslim-Christian triangular racket of “Kiss of Love” exposed. Anti-Hindu, anti-Indian-culture forces sent 60 Kerala women (most of them are Hindu) to Gulf, forced into sex trade. HENB | Thiruvananthapuram
| — Hat tip: RRR | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Recognises Second Mother Teresa ‘Miracle’
Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for the Roman Catholic nun to be made a saint next year.
The miracle involved the healing of a Brazilian man with several brain tumours in 2008, the Vatican said.
Mother Teresa died in 1997 and was beatified — the first step towards sainthood — in 2003.
She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the poor in the slums of the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta).
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
US Aid in Afghanistan: A Significant Boost to the Taliban?
The United States spent millions of dollars on humanitarian projects in Afghanistan intended to stabilize the political situation in the country and draw local support for a US-backed government in Kabul.
In some cases, the projects have had the opposite effect, increasing support for the Taliban, according to an internal study by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The study found that Afghans believed that USAID projects in their country, including the construction of a wall around a schoolyard and the repair of an irrigation system, would not have been allowed to take place without Taliban approval.
“Worryingly, stabilization programming actually had the perverse effect of increasing support for the Taliban in Taliban-controlled villages,” said the study carried out for USAID by Management Systems International, an agency contractor.
The study found that support for the Taliban increased in 13 villages where US-backed projects took place.
USAID defended its projects, saying the Afghan villages mentioned in the study represented a small proportion of those that have received American assistance.
“We worked in 5,000 villages over five years, and in the vast majority we saw an increased support for the government,” said Jason Foley, a USAID senior official.
In other cases, USAID managed its projects so poorly that Taliban leaders were able to successfully submit requests through intermediaries for American aid projects for villages under the group’s control, the study found.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Why Taliban Special Forces Are Fighting Islamic State
The Afghan Taliban say they have unleashed “special forces” in an increasingly bloody battle with fighters from the rival, so-called Islamic State (IS) group. The Taliban’s dominance and monopoly on insurgency in a region home to numerous local and foreign militant groups is being challenged by IS, which has been gaining some support. Who’s winning the war of the militants?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China Issues Second ‘Red Alert’ As Smog Looms Over Beijing Region
A second smog alert has been issued in China, as the polluted air is expected to blanket large parts of the country. The alert is the second in just 10 days.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Japan Hangs First Man Convicted by Jury as Tokyo Claims Death Penalty is ‘Popular’
Government claims death penalty remains popular with Japanese public, although researchers dispute 83 per cent support rate.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Windows 10 Tuned for Chinese Government
Microsoft is forming a joint-venture in China to tailor a version of its new Windows 10 computer operating system for use by the Chinese government.
“We’re announcing a new joint venture that will license, deploy, manage and optimize Windows 10 for China’s government agencies and certain state owned enterprises and provide ongoing support and services for these customers,” Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi said in an online post late Wednesday.
The joint venture, tentatively called C&M Information Technologies, is being created in a partnership with state-owned China Electronics Technology Group and will be based in Beijing, Microsoft said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Mexico Eyes $44 Bn in Deep-Water Oil Auction
Mexico’s government unveiled on Thursday 10 deep-water oil blocks that it will offer in the fourth auction of its energy reform, eyeing investments that could total $44 billion. The fields in the Gulf of Mexico contain a total of 10.9 million barrels of crude, the energy ministry said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Almost Every Third Briton Supports Banning Muslims From Entering UK
About 29 percent of British residents are in favour of temporarily prohibiting Muslims from entering the United Kingdom, a Sky Data poll showed.
LONDON (Sputnik) — The survey, conducted on December 11-16 and covering over 1,000 people, revealed that the percentage of people in favour of the ban on Muslims is higher among those who voted for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in May — two in three, or 67 percent, of UKIP supporters are for the temporary ban.
The poll was conducted in the wake of a proposal made by US presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Republican Party frontrunner, on December 7. Trump called for a completer ban of all Muslims entering the United States until a counterterrorism plan had been established.
According to the Sky Data poll, 32 percent of Britons agree that amid the global terrorist threat, coming particularly from the Islamic State (Daesh) group, known as Daesh in Arabic, Trump’s proposal should be “seriously considered” by the UK leadership.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told the UK parliament on Wednesday that Trump’s proposal is “wrong.”
A UK petition to ban Trump from the United Kingdom for his anti-Muslim remarks has gathered over 500,000 signatures.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
As Lawmakers Clash Over Refugees, Syrian Immigration Quietly Tops 100,000 Since 2012
By Joseph J. Kolb
A proposal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States has ignited a bitter debate in Washington, but more than 10 times that number of people from the embattled country have quietly come to America since 2012, according to figures obtained by FoxNews.com…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Calais: 1,000 Migrants Try to Storm Channel Tunnel
Some 800 to 1,000 migrants tried on Thursday to break into the Channel Tunnel near the French port city of Calais in a desperate bid to reach Britain, local officials said, triggering chaotic scenes that saw traffic disrupted and security forces firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.
“We noted the presence of 800 to 1,000 migrants” near the tunnel, a local official told AFP, as a police source described the numbers as “unprecedented” for daytime.
People normally try to cross over under cover of darkness, often having paid exorbitant sums to smugglers to make dangerous, even life-threatening bids to reach the other side of the Channel.
“As they approached the tunnel, several migrants tried hard to slow down the flow of traffic so they could climb into the trucks,” the source said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Don’t Say You Donate Blood to EU, Renzi Tells Merkel — Sources
Berlin denies conflict over migrants
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 18 — Premier Matteo Renzi had a heated exchange with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the European summit in Brussels in which he said “you cannot tell us that you are donating blood to Europe, dear Angela,” sources said on Friday.
The exchange at the start of the second day of the summit when Renzi confronted Merkel about Germany’s opposition to rapid completion of the process towards a banking union in the eurozone, the sources said. Merkel is said to have admitted that there have too many delays over this issue due to a series of emergencies that the union has had to face Renzi’s stance was backed by several other leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Earlier on Friday Merkel’s spokesperson denied speculation that there is a rift between Italy and Berlin over migrants after Renzi said he was against the EU being led solely by Germany. “I don’t see any conflict between the German government and the Italian one,” Merkel’s spokesperson Christiane Wirtz said. “There are intense discussions about refugees at the European level”.
The Union needs to change course, abandon austerity and enact policies that will stoke economic growth and create jobs, Renzi told the meeting of European Socialists ahead of the EU summit on Thursday. Sources present at the meeting said Renzi referred to the conduct of German companies willing to do business with Russia while European sanctions are in force.
Renzi’s government has also warned the European system to tackle the asylum seeker crisis risks breaking down if the EU does not keep its pledge to relocate thousands of refugees in front-line countries like Italy and Greece, whose outlying islands are the first landfall for people taking to the Mediterranean in a bid to flee war, persecution, and Islamist terrorists in Africa and the Middle East.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
EU Exploits ‘Refugee’ Crisis it Created to Push Draconian Plan for Occupying Army
New paramilitary force would have power to seize control of borders against the will of nation states.
The European Union is exploiting the refugee crisis it helped create by pushing draconian plans for an occupying army that would have the power to take control of national borders without the consent of sovereign governments.
After rolling out the red carpet for potentially millions of migrants — most of whom are not Syrian — to enter Europe in search of welfare havens like Sweden and Germany — the EU has proven its total incompetence when it comes to dealing with border security.
However, instead of handing more power to national governments to address the crisis, the EU is set to eviscerate the sovereignty of member states further under a new proposal which would permit the deployment of up to 2,500 armed guards wearing EU uniforms, along with naval patrol vessels, helicopters and drones.
“The EU’s first paramilitary force would have the power to take control of a nation’s borders without the consent of sovereign governments,” reports the Times. According to Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for migration, the idea represents “more Europe”…
As Leo McKinstry highlights, the new proposal is in line with a quote that is seen at the entrance to the Visitors’ Centre of the European Parliament which reads, “National sovereignty is the root cause of the most crying evils of our times,” leading “to tragic disaster and barbarism.”
The person who said those words was none other than British diplomat Lord Lothian, a passionate advocate of appeasing Nazi Germany right up until the mid-1940’s.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
EU Infraction Procedure ‘Unreasonable’ Says Alfano
We’re doing our part to ID migrants says interior minister
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 17 — Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday in Brussels an EU infraction procedure against Italy over its procedures for identifying migrants is “unexplainable and unreasonable”. “We’re doing our part as far as hotspots (migrant identification centers) are concerned,” he said. “But we must also preventively say that, if relocations and repatriations were to not go through, the system might not hold up for long”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
French Police Use Tear Gas as Hundreds Storm Calais Tunnel
Between “800 to 1,000 migrants” tried to illegally pass through the tunnel from Calais to the UK on Thursday, AFP reported. “Security forces were deployed… objects were being thrown at them, and they had to resort to using tear gas,” the agency quotes French police as saying.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Remiss in Fingerprinting Migrants Say EU Sources
Omissions ‘hinder police investigations’
(ANSA) — Brussels, December 17 — EU sources said Thursday Italy has been remiss in collecting migrant fingerprints, because it is only taking those of asylum seekers and not of all individuals seeking entry into Europe. “Gathering fingerprints from asylum seekers does not absolve Italy from the obligation of taking them from all undocumented people crossing the external (Schengen Area) borders as well,” the sources said.
This omission hinders Europol and other international police forces from identifying suspects and investigating “terrorist or other criminal threats”, the sources said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Merkel: Support for EU Border Guards
“No decision will be made” at EU summit
(ANSA) — BRUSSELS — “Germany strongly supports” the EC proposal to set up an European “coast and border guard Agency”, said German chancellor Angela Merkel as she arrived at the summit of the EU leaders. “No decision will be made today”, added the Chancellor, who is hoping, however, for a fast set-up process.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Renzi Says EU Behind on Migrants, Not Italy
Premier describes infringement procedure as ‘extravagant’
(ANSA) — Rome, December 18 — Premier Matteo Renzi on Friday said that the European Union was at fault for failing to respect its commitments on asylum seekers, not Italy. He also described the European Commission’s decision to open an infringement procedure against Italy over registering the finger prints of asylum seekers as “extravagant”. “It’s not Italy that’s behind on migrants, but the EU,” renzi told a press conference at the end of the two-day European summit in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Protesters Storm the Site of a Planned Asylum Centre in Holland
The demonstrators went on the rampage in the small town of Geldermalsen on Wednesday evening in the worst riot of its kind in The Netherlands since the refugee crisis began.
Police had to fire warning shots into the air when thousands of Dutch protestors stormed the site of a planned asylum centre, shortly to open for 1,500 refugees.
The demonstrators went on the rampage in the small town of Geldermalsen last night in the worst riot of its kind in the Netherlands since the refugee crisis began.
A planned discussion about the imminent arrival of the migrants, staged by the town council, was abandoned in the chaos as the mob outside tried to storm the building. Councillors were forced to flee out of rear exits into police vans…
It was by far the biggest and the most violent outbreak of anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.
Deputy justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff responsible for managing Holland’s intake of refugees, called the protestors ‘un-Netherlanderish’.
[Comment: At what point do such councillors realize they are not representing their constituents? And what would the people call the Deputy Justice Minister? Traitor? The ‘refugee’ crisis was manufactured — intentionally allowed…now EU appartchiks want to implement an standing EU army to control the population. Any recruits would be sent to nations other than their own so any reticence to shoot directly at protestors would be reduced… ]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands Riot After Officials Threaten to Build Asylum Centre in Tiny Town in Netherlands
Police fired warning shots in a bid to disperse the crowd in Geldermalsen, Netherlands where 2,000 people joined the protest.
Pictures and videos of the incident showed dozens of youths tearing down fences, throwing beer bottles and fireworks at police, and chanting slogans against the proposed centre for asylum-seekers in the town of 27,000.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Whitehall Won’t Tell Number of EU Workers in UK Amid David Cameron’s Brussels Negotiations
Officials have given out 1.9m national insurance numbers to EU citizens in four years — while logging only 751,000 arrivals. The huge gap means many more may be living here than thought.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Any Ideas the Political Left Doesn’t Like Are Labeled ‘Hate’
(NaturalNews) It’s a tried-and-true tactic that the political Left has used successfully for years. When a liberal no longer wants to debate the big issues of our time — issues that are generally only “controversial” because the Left has deemed them so — they shut off debate by calling their detractors and opponents names, and saddling them with labels that are neither flattering nor accurate.
If you don’t agree that gays and lesbians should be married then you’re a hater and a bigot, even if you feel the way you do because of religious convictions [though liberals aren’t even consistent with this view, because they won’t use such labels to describe Muslims who vehemently oppose homosexuality, let along gay marriage].
If you have a problem with social carve-outs for people of color, like giving minorities extra or out-sized consideration for college admission, employment or for other reasons, you’re a hater and a racist.
If you don’t believe in big government welfare programs, you’re a hater and an extremist.
If you oppose the “Black Lives Matter” movement and so-called “safe zones” on campus, you’re a hater and a racist and a bigot and an extremist all wrapped into one.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Town Puts Up ‘Christians Only’ Signs
If you’re planning a trip to the northern town of Pontoglio, be warned: you’ll be thrown out if you don’t respect Christian values.
A controversial sign has been put up by a roadside, telling drivers approaching Pontoglio that the Lombardy town of almost 7,000 inhabitants is one of “western culture and profound Christian traditions”.
The sign goes on to say that anyone caught disrespecting the town’s deep-rooted culture and local traditions would be asked to leave.
Mayor Alessandro Seghezzi was granted permission from the local council to erect the sign at entrances to the town, explaining in a letter that the move is intended to preserve the area’s values and culture, as well as keep citizens safe.
“Today we’re living in a transitory period,” he wrote.
“It’s our job to ensure that all comply with rules that govern civil life.”
Seghezzi told Corriere that the town’s culture is “based on mutual respect: from women and music to dress, customs and traditions”.
Local councillor Paolo Bocchi backed the move, insisting that there was “nothing racist about it”.
“These are just the interpretations being made…this is purely information about our history, our tradition. I challenge anyone to say that Pontoglio’s story is any different.”
But others lambasted the move, with Laura Castellletti, the deputy mayor of Brescia, saying: “I thought I lived in a secular state. I was also convinced that there was no state religion in Italy.”
In fact, Roman Catholicism ceased to be the state religion in 1984.
Many people took to Twitter to criticize the sign, with one saying: “What a beautiful Christian welcome?”
Although the sign was not obviously directed at Muslims, areas of the north have been strongly opposed to accommodating refugees from Syria and other conflict zone. There have also been several indications of rising anti-Muslim angst in the wake of the Paris attacks.
But this isn’t the first time Brescia towns have used public sign posts to express their message.
Authorities in Capriolo and Prevalle recently spread their views against “gender ideology” via official town hall outdoor digital signs.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
OTTAWA — The final report of a non-partisan panel’s consultations on the politically charged issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia remains inaccessible to the general public days after being delivered to federal ministers.
Earlier this week the External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v. Canada delivered their report to the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Honourable Dr. Jane Philpott, Minister of Health. In a joint statement the ministers promised to make the report available in the coming weeks.
However, the Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory Group on Physician-Assisted Dying made its report and recommendations public on Monday, December 14. By releasing the provincial report before the federal report, the public debate is shaped by the radical nature of the provincial report.
Found among the 43 brazen recommendations are reckless proposals for the killing of children, the mentally ill and patients suffering from dementia. Mark Penninga, Executive Director of the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada, condemned the provincial panel’s approach. “Metaphorically, the panel is recommending that Canadians and our lawmakers should give assistance to a vulnerable 12-year-old cancer patient standing on the edge of a bridge by offering to give her a shove, rather than to coax her off the ledge and offer her the resources and care she requires. It’s cold-blooded. When is that shove ever an acceptable answer to a young child crying out for help?”…
Penninga also voiced concerns about the provincial panel’s direction. “Right from the beginning, this provincial panel contained only pro-euthanasia activists, with no attempt to balance their position. They intentionally push the boundaries of what the Supreme Court has permitted. Contrary to what these panelists may wish to write into law, Parliament still has the first say and can reaffirm that human life is sacred.” Penninga noted the importance of making public the federal panel’s recommendations as soon as possible. “The federal panel was much more balanced, with a plurality of views on the issue and with palliative experts on the panel.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why That Suspended Wheaton Professor is Wrong to Say Christians and Muslims ‘Worship the Same God’
The media and student activists think they have a new sympathetic victim in the culture wars, and it’s Wheaton College Professor Larycia Alaine Hawkins. Prof. Hawkins was suspended by Wheaton, an evangelical Christian institution, for the following Facebook post — but mainly for the money quote that claims Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.”
The predictable narrative here is that Hawkins — that rare Christian who isn’t filled with hate toward Muslims — tried to reach out with love, only to get slapped down by her Bible-thumping overlords who will not countenance anything but vile rage toward the followers of Islam.
That also appears to be the regrettable view of many Wheaton students, who perhaps should know better but generally follow the lead of dopey college-age activists everywhere. The Washington Post offers the conventional perspective:
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
So, the islamic freeloaders have made another attempt to gatecrash their way into the UK. Make no mistake, all they want are the welfare handouts and a chance to live well and do nothing, courtesy of the British taxpayer.
It is disturbing to note that preparations are being made in the West Sussex village of Earnley to house a large number of migrants. Has some backstairs EU deal been done to let these people currently congregating at Calais into the UK? If so, who voted for it?
…all they want are the welfare handouts and a chance to live well and do nothing, courtesy of the British taxpayer.
This is certainly true. But it is also true that some unknown but non-trivial percentage of those parasites intends to engage in violent jihad in their new homeland, and this is their highest priority.
If you let 10,000 in, and the ratio of jihadis is only 0.1%, you get 10 bomb-throwing throat-cutting AK-wielding mujahideen. Think what just 2 of them did in Woolwich. Or San Bernardino.
O brave new world, that has such people in’t!
Mr. Farook probably told Mr. Marquez of the glories of Al-Andalus.
600 years of occupation are bound to leave some marks….
If you would like to see just how hard it is to drive a truck near Calais these days, see this Hungarian trucker blast off about it as he tries to get through without actually killing any of the “cultural enrichers” on their way to the UK.
Warning: very bad language!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxBBDYqzYe8
Hungarians are noted for their very imaginative and fluent cursing but in this case it is really over the top. I laughed. I learned a few new curse words in Hungarian, too.
“This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.
Sorry about that.”
This was posted by 2400 Sunday. It would have been interesting to have seen the video. I am currently in Sderot.
Marquez converted to Islam 2 years ago. We should find out his “true” name and refer to him by that so that no one is fooled.
I tried to leave a reply. It did not appear.
Okay. I see you did post what I sent about the bad-mouthed Hungarian trucker. When it didn’t appear, I kind of wondered about you guys — were you what I thought you were or did I miss something along the way?
I am glad to see that you are what I thought you were. Warriors in the freedom and truth movement, so to speak — not saying that I know how to define it. It is like beauty, hard to define, but one knows it when one sees it.
There is so much obfuscation these days, it is to weep and gnash one’s teeth and I’m not kidding. I treasure the few websites I’ve found that tell the truth. You are one of them — I wish I knew more of them, but I’m just not that smart or knowing about how to find them.
God bless and have a great day (she said). I’m not trying to suck up, but I will say that you, Baron and Dymphna, are among my few favorites online.
No comments get approved between bedtime and when we get up in the morning. That’s all that happened here.