Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/2/2015

The father of Syed Farook, one of the deceased suspects in today’s massacre in San Bernardino, said that his son was a devout Muslim who prayed regularly. The elder Farook admitted that he did not see much of his son, since he is separated from the boy’s mother, who is close to their son.

In other news, in the wake of the recent jihad massacre in Paris, French authorities say they have closed three mosques due to their being too “radical”.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Dean, DV, Fjordman, Insubria, JD, Jerry Gordon, LP, MM, Nick, RRN, Srdja Trifkovic, Vlad Tepes, WRSA, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Greeks Told to Declare Cash “Under the Mattress”, Jewelry and Precious Stones
» Italy: Xmas Spending Up for First Time After 7 Years Say Retailers
» Report: U.S. Companies Defaulted on $95 Billion Worth of Debt in 2015
 
USA
» 14 Dead: 14 More Wounded in San Bernardino; As Many as 3 Gunmen Believed to Have Fled Scene
» 14 Dead in Shooting at San Bernardino, California, Center for Disabled; 3 Suspects on Loose
» 14 Dead, 17 More Wounded in San Bernardino Shooting Attack; 1 Suspect Dead, 1 at Large
» Americans Recognize Failure of ObamaCare After 5 Years — Mitch McConnell
» At Least 300 US-Based Daesh Sympathizers Promote Group on Social Media
» Biggest Attack on American Soil by Terrorists Since 9/11,12 Dead, Suspects on the Loose
» Carson Tumbles, Rubio Rises and Trump Still on Top in New National GOP Poll
» Dispute at Party May Have Sparked San Bernardino Mass Shooting That Killed 14
» Father of Calif. Shooting Suspect Speaks Out
» Obama ‘Anticipating’ Next US President to be Democrat
» Pairs of Habitable Worlds Could Throw Microbes at Each Other
» San Bernardino Shooting: At Least 14 Dead
» San Bernardino Shoot-Out After 14 Die in Government Holiday Party Gun Massacre: One Suspect Killed, One Cornered and Another on the Run — All on Live TV
» San Bernardino Shooting: ‘Suspect Down’; ‘Officer Down’
» Suspect ID’d in San Bernardino Massacre as Syed Farook
» Two Suspects ‘Dealt With, ‘ Possible Third Suspect on the Loose
 
Canada
» Woman Faces 10 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Pigs on a Scorching Summer Day
 
Europe and the EU
» Artificial Intelligence Called in to Tackle LHC Data Deluge
» Bataclan: Devastated Owners Vow to Reopen
» Belgium Wants Unified ‘European CIA, ‘ Cites Paris Attacks
» DNA Analysis of the “Viste Individual” Is Underway
» Fierce Campaign to Stop Far-Right Victory in France Elections
» France Forces Closure of Three ‘Radical Mosques’
» Fresh Raids Across Molenbeek
» German Power Giant RWE to Spin Off Renewables Business
» Italy: Checks Show Sicignano Could Have Fired on Intruder in Home
» Italy: Rome Rubbish Company Starts 34 ‘Parentopoli’ Sackings
» Italy: Paolo Berlusconi Probed for Links to VatiLeaks 2 Suspect
» Italy: Rome Prosecutors Probe ATAC Tenders
» Italy: Veils and Burqas to be Banned From Lombardy Hospitals
» Italy: Antitrust Fines 7 Power Firms 6 Mn Euros
» Italy: Renzi Launches Survey on 500-Euro Culture Bonus
» Italy: Rubbish Costs 22.6% Up in 5 Yrs
» Italy: Berlusconi Says Can’t Wait for Others to Fight ISIS for us
» Judge Orders 240 Mn Kuwait Petroleum Italia Seizure
» Liberté Losing Out in France’s ‘War’ On Terror
» Norway: ‘Alcohol-Free Christmas’ Aids Integration: Expert
» Spain: Jihad Supporter Planning to Join Islamic State Arrested in Pamplona
» Spain’s Green Energy Problems
» Spanish King to Sephardic Jews: “How We Missed You!”
» Terrorism Tourism Hits Molenbeek
» UK: Cameron Accuses Opposition Leader Corbyn of Sympathizing With Terrorists
» UK: Cambridgeshire Police Advertise for Volunteer Detectives to Solve Burglaries
» UK: Ex-Muslims Give Reasons They Left the Faith, Using a Hashtag
» UK: Four Men Are Arrested in Luton on Suspicion of Plotting Terror Attacks
» UK: Video Shows How ISIS Attack Would Play Out in London After Paris Attacks
» UK: Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe Was Never Mad Says Brother Carl
» Volterra — Italy’s City of Alabaster
» Why Finland Now Leads the World in Nuclear Waste Storage
 
Balkans
» NATO Invites Montenegro to Join as Russia Warns of Provocation
» Suspected Jihadists ‘Threatened Pope Francis’
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Caritas Starts Christmas Gift for Gaza Christians Campaign
» CNR-Tel Aviv Uni Accord on Research in Optics Field
» Palestinians Abused Israeli Athletes in 1972 Olympics Attack
 
Middle East
» Al Qaeda Captures Two Yemen Towns
» Austrian Jihadist ‘Killed by Kurdish Soldiers’
» British Parliament Authorizes Airstrikes Against Militants in Syria
» Fitna TV: The Shi’ite-Bashing Campaign on Salafi TV Channels and Social Media
» ‘Inequality’ Behind Rise of Daesh, Middle Eastern Terrorism — Piketty
» Is ISIS Oil Profiteering an Erdogan “Family Business”?
» ISIS Takes Aim at Putin, With Videos Showing Russian ‘Spy’ Beheading, Threats to Moscow
» ISIS Executes Two Gay Men by Pushing Them From Hotel Roof
» Istanbul Explosion in the Bayrampasa District Injures 5 in Turkey
» Italy: ‘Irresponsible’ Not to Involve Moscow in Terror Fight
» Russia Says Turkish President Benefits From ISIS Oil Trade
» Russia Presents Detailed Evidence of ISIS-Turkey Oil Trade
» Srdja Trifkovic Interview With RT International on Turkey’s Oil Ties With ISIS
» Syrian Army Pushes Deeper Into Daesh Territory Along Aleppo-Raqqa Highway
» Syria Conflict: Russia Accuses Erdogan of Trading Oil With IS
» Syria Gov’t Structure Must Stay to Prevent Iraq Redux, Kerry
» The Benefits of Drinking Camel Urine
» Turkish Court to Decide if Comparing Erdogan to ‘Rings’ Character Gollum a Crime
» Yes, Turkey is Buying Oil From ISIS
 
Russia
» Dark Days on Crimea: Russia and Ukraine Rattle Sabers
 
South Asia
» 900 Italian Soldiers in Herat in 2016
» Afghan Days: A Look at Life, Labor, And Commerce in Kabul
» Afghan Taliban Leader Mansour Wounded in Gunfight
» India’s Culture Minister Against the Taj Mahal’s ‘Hinduisation’
» Malaysia Air Seals 90-City Emirates Deal, Drops Paris, Amsterdam
» Pakistan: 4 Taliban Hanged Over Peshawar School Attack
 
Far East
» China’s Space Prowess Could Challenge Decades of US Dominance: Report
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» British Terror Suspect Gets 9 Yrs in Kenya
» Cameroon Army Kills 100 From Boko Haram, Frees 900 Hostages
» ‘More South Africans Living in Fear’
» Pope Kenya: Extremism Stems From Lack of Education and Employment
» South Sudan: What China Hopes to Achieve With First Peacekeeping Mission
» Xi in Africa as Continent Feels Most Pain From China Trade Slump
 
Immigration
» Berlin: The EU28 Should Give Aid to Turkey
» Canadians Are Now Second-Class Citizens in Their Own Country
» EU Migration Deal With Turkey is Fraught With Risk
» EU to Relocate Sweden Asylum Seekers
» France Scolded for ‘Round-ups’ of Refugees
» Islamist Groups Targeting Newly Arrived Refugees, Says German Official
» Le Soir: Greece Could be Suspended From Schengen
» Refugees Reach Sweden in an Inflatable Boat
» Slovakia in Legal Challenge to Migrant Quotas
» Turkey Gloats as Europe Threatens Greece With Schengen Expulsion Over Refugee Response
 
General
» Global Warming Hoax Unravels… Globalist Science Fraud Engineered to Control Humanity, Not Save It
» Many Worlds, Subterranean Edition
 

Greeks Told to Declare Cash “Under the Mattress”, Jewelry and Precious Stones

When earlier today we read a report in the Greek Enikonomia, according to which Greek taxpayers would be forced to declare all cash “under the mattress” (including inside) or boxes that contain more than 15,000 euros as well as jewelry and precious stones (including gold) worth over 30,000 euros, starting in 2016, we assumed this has to be some early April fools joke or a mistake.

After all, this would be merely the first step toward full-blown asset confiscation, conducted so many times by insolvent governments throughout history, once the government cracks down on those who made a “mistake” in their asset declaration form or simply refuse to fill such a declaration, thereby making all their assets eligible for government confiscation.

It was not a joke.

Here is the take of Keep Talking Greece, whose stunned response mirrors ours.

Cash “under the mattress” totaling more than 15,000 euro, jewelry and other valuable items such as diamonds and gemstones, should be declared to electronic system of tax authorities, Taxisnet, as of 1 January 2016. Next to properties and vehicles and shares, now the taxpayers will also have to declare their deposits. And not only that. They will have to fill if they rent bank lockers and if yes, also the name of the bank and the branch, even if abroad.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Xmas Spending Up for First Time After 7 Years Say Retailers

But expenditure on gifts still 30% down on 2009

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — Christmas spending in Italy is set to rise this year for the first time after seven years of falls due to the economic crisis, retailers association Confcommercio said Wednesday. According to a Confcommercio study, the average per capita expenditure on gifts this year will climb to 166 euros, up 5% with respect to Christmas 2014.

However, this remains 30% lower than the average Italian’s spending on Christmas gifts in 2009, Confcommercio said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Report: U.S. Companies Defaulted on $95 Billion Worth of Debt in 2015

So far this year, companies have defaulted on about $95 billion worth of debt, which is the biggest number of defaults since 2009, says a new report from Standard & Poor’s. Overall, debt owed by United States companies compared to their profits has been on the rise.

According to the S&P, the number of borrowers to default in 2015 surpassed the 100 mark this past week.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

14 Dead: 14 More Wounded in San Bernardino; As Many as 3 Gunmen Believed to Have Fled Scene

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Fourteen people were confirmed killed and 17 more wounded in a mass shooting at a San Bernardino community social services building.

“We do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and upwards of 14 people that are injured,” said Chief Jarrod Burguan of San Bernardino Police. The number of injured was later upped to 17.

At least ten of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.

The shooting was first reported at about 10:59 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center, 1365 South Waterman Avenue. The gunfire erupted in a conference room where the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health was holding a banquet, said Maybeth Field, president and CEO of the social services center. She said the building houses at least 25 employees as well as a library and conference center.

Authorities were still clearing the “massive facility” as of 2:15 p.m., Burguan said.

“We do not have any identification on who those suspects are, we do not have any motive for the shooting at this point,” said Burguan. “The only information I have at this point is they came prepared to do what they did and that they were on a mission.”

He added it’s believed the suspects — who were armed with long guns, not handguns — had fled, possibly in a dark-colored SUV.

Around 3:15 p.m. there was a report of a brief chase between law enforcement and possible suspects. Officers pointed their guns at the vehicle as it stopped not from the crime scene.

Sky9’s Stu Mundel reported that a “man was deceased” next to the vehicle. The vehicle was riddled with bullets. Officials did not say if the deceased was connected to the earlier carnage at the social services building.

At 3:35 p.m., Mundel listened to scanner traffic and reported that “all suspects” were accounted for; by 4:30 p.m. officials said one suspect was dead and another was at large.

An officer was reported down but apparently that officer only suffered a graze wound, according to reports from the scene.

SWAT officers made a methodical search house-by-house about five blocks from where police and the suspects exchanged gunfire.

At a 5:35 p.m. news conference, officials said two suspects — one male and one female — were dead and another suspect was in custody…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

14 Dead in Shooting at San Bernardino, California, Center for Disabled; 3 Suspects on Loose

Fourteen people are believed dead and more than a dozen injured Wednesday after three gunmen “on a mission” burst into a San Bernardino, Calif., social services facility where employees were hosting a holiday party, and police were hunting three suspects who appear to have escaped.

The men, who witnesses said were wearing body armor and masks, entered the Inland Regional Center just after 11 a.m. with grim precision, according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan. Once inside, they opened fire with rifles, shooting people in a conference room where a holiday party was taking place, authorities said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

14 Dead, 17 More Wounded in San Bernardino Shooting Attack; 1 Suspect Dead, 1 at Large

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Fourteen people were confirmed killed and 17 more wounded in a mass shooting at a San Bernardino community social services building.

“We do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and upwards of 14 people that are injured,” said Chief Jarrod Burguan of San Bernardino Police. The number of injured was later upped to 17.

At least ten of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.

The shooting was first reported at about 10:59 a.m. at the Inland Regional Center, 1365 South Waterman Avenue. The gunfire erupted in a conference room where the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health was holding a banquet, said Maybeth Field, president and CEO of the social services center. She said the building houses at least 25 employees as well as a library and conference center.

Authorities were still clearing the “massive facility” as of 2:15 p.m., Burguan said.

“We do not have any identification on who those suspects are, we do not have any motive for the shooting at this point,” said Burguan. “The only information I have at this point is they came prepared to do what they did and that they were on a mission.”

He added it’s believed the suspects — who were armed with long guns, not handguns — had fled, possibly in a dark-colored SUV.

Around 3:15 p.m. there was a report of a brief chase between law enforcement and possible suspects. Officers pointed their guns at the vehicle as it stopped not from the crime scene.

Sky9’s Stu Mundel reported that a “man was deceased” next to the vehicle. The vehicle was riddled with bullets. Officials did not say if the deceased was connected to the earlier carnage at the social services building.

At 3:35 p.m., Mundel listened to scanner traffic and reported that “all suspects” were accounted for; by 4:30 p.m. officials said one suspect was dead and another was at large.

An officer was reported down but apparently that officer only suffered a graze wound, according to reports from the scene…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Americans Recognize Failure of ObamaCare After 5 Years — Mitch McConnell

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claims that five years of Obamacare have only brought the American people reduced choices in doctors, soaring medical costs and out of control additional financial penalties.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Five years of Obamacare have only brought the American people reduced choices in doctors, soaring medical costs and out of control additional financial penalties, US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday.

“[T]he American people continue to oppose this unprecedented Democrat attack on their health care,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “When Americans think Obamacare, they think increased cost, runaway premiums, surging deductibles. tax hikes on the middle class.”

The Obamacare program, McConnell argued, also known as the Affordable Care Act, had also resulted in frightening scarcity of options for too many when they get sick.

“When Americans think Obamacare, they think broken promises and endless failure. Imploding state-based exchanges, collapsing co-ops… and the lie of the year: ‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep it’,” he added.

McConnell was promoting the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act to start dismantling Obamacare which has already passed the US House of Representatives. President Barack Obama is expected to veto the legislation if the Senate also approves it.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

At Least 300 US-Based Daesh Sympathizers Promote Group on Social Media

A study revealed that at least 300 US-based sympathizers of the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group operate on social networks, promoting the group online to thousands of Americans.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At least 300 US-based sympathizers of the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group operate on social networks, promoting the group online to thousands of Americans, a study found.

“Social media plays a crucial role in the radicalization and, at times, mobilization of U.S.-based ISIS [Daesh] sympathizers. The Program on Extremism has identified some 300 American and/or U.S.-based ISIS sympathizers active on social media, spreading propaganda, and interacting with like-minded individuals,” a report by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism revealed on Tuesday.

According to the report, the propaganda is spread to several thousand Americans. The US-based activists of the group operate on numerous platforms, with Twitter being the most popular. Other means of communications include Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr, as well as messaging apps such as Kik and Telegram.

Banning accounts of such users often proves ineffective, as they set up new accounts within hours, the study found.

Daesh, a jihadist militant group which is outlawed in Russia, is known for recruiting young people from all over the world by extensively using social media.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 foreigners are estimated to be fighting alongside Daesh extremists against government forces in Syria and Iraq.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Biggest Attack on American Soil by Terrorists Since 9/11,12 Dead, Suspects on the Loose

SAN BERNARDINO (Web Desk) — Police are attending a shooting at a social services facility for disabled people in California.

Fire officials in San Bernardino said it was responding to a “20 victim shooting incident” and it was working to clear the scene, BBC reported.

ABC News reports that there are 12 people dead but police have not confirmed that number.

It is still a “very active scene” and police are trying to secure the building, said a police spokeswoman.

There may be up to three gunmen, she said, and they were heavily armed and possibly wearing body armour.

Reports of at least 20 people shot in San Bernardino, Calif. | Live feed ===>> https://t.co/HnqKR5WaxL

— Veteran Apologist (@VetApologist) December 2, 2015

One man received a text from his daughter that said she was hiding inside the building, where she works.

Terry Petit told reporters his daughter wrote to him: “People shot. In the office waiting for cops. Pray for us. I am locked in an office.”

A local reporter tweeted that people are being evacuated from the Inland Regional Center, a medical and health organisation.

People are being seen wheeled away on stretchers with medics and police officers in attendance.

Representatives from the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are on the scene.

No arrests have been made yet.

There are also unconfirmed reports of an explosive device at the scene.

Update: One of the suspects has been named by the local media outlets as Farooq Saeed and this may be the first of its kind case of domestic terrorism in America after 9/11.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Carson Tumbles, Rubio Rises and Trump Still on Top in New National GOP Poll

A new poll released Wednesday shows Dr. Ben Carson falling to third place in the race for the Republican 2016 nomination, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio surges into second — but still a significant distance behind frontrunner Donald Trump, who holds a comfortable lead.

The Quinnipiac University National Poll shows Trump leading with 27 percent of Republican voters, while Rubio moves into second place with 17 percent. Carson, who was in a virtual tie with Trump in a Quinnipiac poll taken last month, finds his support dropping to 16 percent, now tied with Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Dispute at Party May Have Sparked San Bernardino Mass Shooting That Killed 14

A dispute at a holiday gathering may have sparked a mass shooting in San Bernardino that left 14 people dead and 17 others wounded on Wednesday morning, federal law enforcement officials said.

As many as three assailants, who carried long guns and wore masks, opened fire on a gathering of San Bernardino county employees around 11 a.m., sources and a witness told the Los Angeles Times.

A senior federal official who is monitoring the case said investigators believe one of the shooters left the party after getting into an argument and returned with one or two armed companions.

The shooting took place in a large conference room on the grounds of the Inland Regional Center, which serves people with developmental disabilities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

A black sport-utility vehicle was seen fleeing from the office complex where the shooting occurred. Shortly before 3 p.m., police began pursuing a black SUV in San Bernardino, though it was not immediately clear whether the car chase was linked to the attack.

Authorities confirmed that a suspect had been shot in connection with the car chase. It remained unclear if the pursuit was linked to the attack. A police officer was also shot and sustained non-life threatening injuries during a firefight that followed the pursuit.

TV footage showed dozens of heavily armed police officers approaching the SUV, and officers in tactical gear could be seen stalking through a San Bernardino neighborhood.

A body could be seen lying in the street near the vehicle. Blood was pooling nearby and a weapon was lying just feet away.

“A suspect is down,” county sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Vicki Cervantes said at an afternoon news conference.

She added that another suspect was “possibly a suspect at large in the area.”

Cervantes would not say if the suspsect had died.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Father of Calif. Shooting Suspect Speaks Out

ONE OF the suspects in Wednesday’s mass shooting in California was identified as a young father who worked for the county agency that had been holding a holiday party when the carnage unfolded.

Syed Farook, believed to be 30, was linked to the horrific slaughter that left 14 dead at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Farook’s father was shocked to learn of his son’s possible involvement in the attack.

“I haven’t heard anything,” the elder Syed Farook told the Daily News. “He was very religious. He would go to work, come back, go to pray, come back. He’s Muslim.”

The shell-shocked dad said his son worked as a health technician inspecting restaurants and hotels and graduated from La Sierra High School in 2003.

After police announced two suspects — a male and a female — were dead following a car chase and shootout with police, the FBI began a search of a nearby Redlands apartment linked to the younger Farook’s family…

           — Hat tip: WRSA [Return to headlines]
 

Obama ‘Anticipating’ Next US President to be Democrat

Obama said he was confident that the next leader of the country would also be democrat.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama said he was confident that the next leader of the country would also be from the Democratic party.

“I am anticipating a Democrat succeeding me. I am confident in the wisdom of the American people on that front,” Obama told a press conference Tuesday.

The US presidential election is scheduled for November 8, 2016.

Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, is the frontrunner from the party, according to recent polls. Senator Bernie Sanders is her main contender in the party.

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson are the frontrunners in the Republican party.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Pairs of Habitable Worlds Could Throw Microbes at Each Other

Aside from a handful of astronauts, the only living beings to have seen an inhabited planet looming large in the sky come from science fiction.

But in other solar systems, a pair of planets could share a habitable zone — a region around a star with the right temperatures for liquid water. That proximity might help life to evolve, according to research presented at the Extreme Solar Systems III meeting in Hawaii this week.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

San Bernardino Shooting: At Least 14 Dead

Police are searching for up to three gunmen who killed at least 14 people at a social services centre in San Bernardino, California.

The gunmen, in military-style clothing, entered the building and opened fire before fleeing in a black SUV.

FBI officials said they do not yet know if it was a terrorist attack but local police said it might have been domestic terrorism.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

San Bernardino Shoot-Out After 14 Die in Government Holiday Party Gun Massacre: One Suspect Killed, One Cornered and Another on the Run — All on Live TV

Two suspects are dead after a dramatic police shootout on a residential street in San Bernardino this evening as police closed in on the masked gunmen suspected of killing 14 and injuring another 17 at a conference center today.

San Bernardino police Sgt. Vicki Cervantes said two suspects are ‘being dealt with’ and there is still possibly another suspect ‘outstanding’ but would not elaborate further.

She said a police officer, who was the first to engage with the suspects, was hurt in the gun battle and is in hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.

Armed police and armored vehicles were captured on live television surrounding a black SUV on San Bernardino Avenue — a mile and a half from the Inland Regional Center where the mass shooting occurred this morning.

A source told CNN that the suspects threw pipe bombs out of the windows of the vehicle before the shootout with police. The vehicle was captured on broadcast helicopters with its windows apparently completely shot out and a smashed windscreen.

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan urged residents in the area south of San Bernardino Avenue and west of Mountain View to shelter in place while police activity continues…

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

San Bernardino Shooting: ‘Suspect Down’; ‘Officer Down’

[…]

6:15 p.m.: NBC News investigative reporter Tom Winter reports that law enforcement sources indicate one suspect may be a man named Sayeed Farook.

Multiple law enforcement sources in multiple agencies tell NBC News that one of the suspects in the San Bernardino shooting is Sayeed Farook

— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) December 3, 2015

The Los Angeles Times reports that its sources indicate the lead gunman was a U.S. citizen…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Suspect ID’d in San Bernardino Massacre as Syed Farook

CORONA, CALIFORNIA — Law enforcement officials have identified Syed Farook as one of the suspected shooters who attacked a center for the disabled in San Bernardino, California, according to NBC News. The Daily Beast has learned that the police have just executed a search warrant at a Redlands, California address—an address that belongs to Farook’s family.

Police pursued a car leaving from the Redlands address, Chief Jarrod Baraugan said at a Wednesday evening press conference. A male and female suspect were inside the car, and both of them have been killed. Both of the suspects were armed with assault rifles and handguns, Baraugan said. Police have apprehended a third man, but have not identified his relation to the attacks yet.

An eyewitness at the Inland Regional Center, where gunmen killed 14 and wounded at least 18 more, told police he saw a man leaving a meeting of county employees this morning. At 11 a.m., at least two men entered the center and opened fire.

A police officer radioed into dispatch a report from an eyewitness present at the center who told him that he saw Farook leave the event before the shooting, looking nervous.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Two Suspects ‘Dealt With, ‘ Possible Third Suspect on the Loose

SAN BERNARDINO (KUSI) — 3:23 p.m. — According to San Bernardino County Sheriffs, one suspect is down as police surround black Ford Expedition.

Shots have been exchanged between possible suspects and police officers.

Update: an officer working the #ActiveShooter was struck non life threatening injuries #SanBernardino

“I believe there are two suspects at this time being dealt with. If there were originally three suspects, it’s possible there is still one outstanding,” said Sgt. Vicki Cervantes of the San Bernardino Police Department.

2:59 p.m. — Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement regarding the shooting in the City of San Bernardino:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by the brutal attack. California will spare no effort in bringing these killers to justice.”

Capitol flags will be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims and their families.

1:45 p.m. — San Bernardino Police held a press conference Wednesday afternoon with more information on the mass shooting.

Chief Jarrod Burguan confirmed there are currently 14 fatalities, and at least 14 with significant injury.

“As officers initially arrived on scene, they went into active shooter protocol. These are the things that we train for. They immediately entered the building in search of the suspects,” Officer Burguan said.

According to Sheriff John McMahon, all the courts and local city and county buildings are shut down as the scene is still not secure.

We will work hand and hand with the city of San Bernardino to secure this scene @sheriffmcmahon

Chief Burguan said the suspects were armed with long guns.

“We do not have any weapons recovered at this point,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep this area safe.”

Of the suspects intent, Burguan said: “They came in with a purpose.”

A dad in California received this text from daughter at the scene of the mass shooting. pic.twitter.com/z1pfG58wuj

President Obama released a statement shortly after reports of the shooting:

“We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallele anywhere else in the world.”

DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement on the shooting in San Bernardino:

“Today, another horrifying mass shooting has thrown another American community into agony. The victims of this mass shooting, their families, and the community of San Bernardino are in our thoughts tonight, but our thoughts are not enough. Thoughts won’t reduce gun violence in our country. Sensible reforms will. Our nation’s leaders have a moral obligation to prevent the murder of innocent people by enacting reforms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, the mentally ill, and those on national security watch lists. It is long past time for Republicans to join Democrats to get guns out of the hands of people who should not have them.”

1:10 p.m. — An official source from the San Diego Regional Center confirmed all five locations in the area are closed in response to the shooting.

“My prayers are with the victims, families and survivors of this horrific attack. I’m on my way back to the district and am in touch with our local law enforcement to closely monitor the situation as it develops. My heart aches that the out-of-control gun violence epidemic has come to our community,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) whose district includes San Bernardino and the Inland Regional Center.

Related Link: Deadliest U.S. mass shootings | 1984-2015

12:44 p.m. — According to the Los Angeles Times, San Bernardino Police Department Sgt. Vicki Cervantes confirms there are fatalities, but did not give a specific number.

The Loma Linda University Medical Center reported they are preparing for an influx of patients from the mass shooting.

Police are heavily guarding the hospital. Here are a couple at ER entrance. #SBshooting @crimeshutterbug pic.twitter.com/9iR7tXTtuu

12:21 p.m. — Riverside police dispatchers have broadcast a general advisory that the suspects involved in the shootings in San Bernardino may have fled in a black GMC Yukon, heading northbound on Waterman Avenue, roughly 40 minutes ago.

Initial reports also indicated there may have been multiple gunmen, possibly wearing body armor and armed with automatic weapons.

The broadcast indicated there were unconfirmed reports the suspects were male and of Middle Eastern origin, “armed with AK-47s and wearing body armor.”

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Woman Faces 10 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Pigs on a Scorching Summer Day

Anita Krajnc, of Toronto, was charged with criminal mischief when she gave drinking water to pigs being transported to a slaughterhouse on a hot day.

From The Guardian:

A video of the incident shows the driver, identified in court documents as Jeffery Veldjesgraaf, climbing from the vehicle to confront Krajnc.

“Jesus said, ‘If they are thirsty, give them water,’“ she tells him.

Veldjesgraaf responds: “You know what? These are not humans, you dumb frickin’ broad.”

He threatens to call the police and then asks: “What you got in that water?”

When she replies that it is just water, he says: “How do I know?”

Ontario hog farmer Eric Van Boekel, who owned the pigs, filed a police complaint the next day.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Artificial Intelligence Called in to Tackle LHC Data Deluge

Algorithms could aid discovery at Large Hadron Collider, but raise transparency concerns.

Driven by an eagerness to make discoveries and the knowledge that they will be hit with unmanageable volumes of data in ten years’ time, physicists who work on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), near Geneva, Switzerland, are enlisting the help of AI experts.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Bataclan: Devastated Owners Vow to Reopen

In their first interview since the terror attacks the owners of the Bataclan vowed to reopen in 2016 saying it “mustn’t become a mausoleum”, while one of the bars targeted by gunmen is to reopen on Friday.

The Bataclan concert hall in Paris, where 90 people were killed by jihadists on November 13, could re-open by the end of next year, two of its owners told a French newspaper on Wednesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Belgium Wants Unified ‘European CIA, ‘ Cites Paris Attacks

The Paris terror attacks have prompted Belgium to call for a unified European intelligence agency that would share information to nip future threats in the bud. The idea has been met with skepticism from such EU members as Germany.

The statement was made by Belgium’s Prime Minister, Charles Michel. “We must quickly put in place a European intelligence agency, a European CIA,” in order to “unmask those with hostile intentions,” Michel said on French radio RTL.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

DNA Analysis of the “Viste Individual” Is Underway

As part of a project to learn about prehistoric migration patterns in Scandinavia, scientists in a Swedish laboratory will attempt to extract and analyze DNA from the skull of “Viste Boy,” the 8,200-year-old remains of an adolescent discovered in southwestern Norway. They will also test 6,000-year-old human remains from Sømmevågen, which is also located in southern Norway, and other human bones that were discovered in the cave at Viste where “Viste Boy” was found.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Fierce Campaign to Stop Far-Right Victory in France Elections

France’s far-right National Front (FN) faced a ferocious campaign Tuesday to stop it taking two of France’s most important regions in elections starting this weekend.

As Prime Minister Manuel Valls called the party a “menace to the economy” and business leaders warned of the “ruin” it could cause, two main newspapers in the north launched an unprecedented campaign to stop its leader Marine Le Pen taking control of the region.

La Voix du Nord daily and its sister paper Nord Eclair ran a second day of attacks on Le Pen and the party Tuesday, questioning their competence to rule the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region.

Articles headlined “Marine Le Pen and the Front are not who they say they are” and “Who are the members of the National Front really?” cast doubt on the party’s ability to govern the depressed region, once a Socialist stronghold…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

France Forces Closure of Three ‘Radical Mosques’

The French government announced on Wednesday that three mosques deemed to be “radical” have been closed down in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

France’s interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced on Wednesday that three mosques in France have been closed under emergency measures implemented in the days following the Paris terror attacks.

On Wednesday French police raided a mosque in the Paris suburb of Lagny-sur-Marne, the third Islamic place of worship to be raided and closed since November 13th.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Fresh Raids Across Molenbeek

Fresh house searches have been carried out in the Brussels borough of Molenbeek, the home of the Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect of the Paris attacks still on the run.

In contrast with earlier raids no mass police presence was deployed. Five locations were searched. Two people were led away for questioning.

Belgian judicial sources have indicated that Abdeslam, whose brother Brahim blew himself up in Paris, is not the target of today’s raids. On the other hand the judicial authorities are keen to gather more information on another key suspect, Mohamed Abrini. Abrini was seen in a car with Salah Abdeslam two days ahead of the Paris attacks.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

German Power Giant RWE to Spin Off Renewables Business

RWE, Germany’s second-biggest power supplier, said on Tuesday it planned to spin off its renewables, grids and retail operations at home and abroad to a new subsidiary and list it on the stock market.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Checks Show Sicignano Could Have Fired on Intruder in Home

Voluntary manslaughter charge may now be reduced

(ANSA) — Milan, December 1 — Examinations have shown that Francesco Sicignano, the pensioner who shot and killed a would-be burglar at his villa on October 20, could have fired the shot inside his home and the young man could have managed to drag himself out of the property even while dying, it emerged on Tuesday.

The results of the examinations are compatible with Sicignano’s version of events and could lead to a reduction of the voluntary manslaughter charge against him.

Albanian Gjergi Gjonj, 22, was shot in the heart as he was mounting the stairs outside the villa at Vaprio d’Adda near Milan, Carabinieri investigators said.

However the pensioner insisted he was inside and threatening him, and managed to drag himself out after being mortally wounded.

“I shot him in the house, he was threatening (me) and then he dragged himself out onto the exterior stairs still alive,” Sicignano told prosecutors during questioning.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Rome Rubbish Company Starts 34 ‘Parentopoli’ Sackings

Staff hired by nepotism in 2008

(ANSA) — Rome, December 1 — The board of Rome rubbish collection company AMA on Tuesday instructed the general manager to start dismissal procedures against 34 staff allegedly hired via nepotism in the so-called ‘Parentopoli’ case. They are administrative staff hired in 2008 under the scandal-hit administration of former mayor Gianni Alemanno.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Paolo Berlusconi Probed for Links to VatiLeaks 2 Suspect

Chaouqui allegedly promised to intercede for Silvio Berlusconi

(ANSA) — Rome, December 1 — Silvio Berluscon’s brother Paolo is under investigation by Rome prosecutors for suspected embezzlement in a Terni probe involving Vatileaks 2 defendant Francesca Chaouqui and her husband Corrado Lanino in connection with the sale of San Girolamo castle at Narni, judicial sources said Tuesday. According to Corriere della Sera, Chaouqui allegedly promised the younger Berlusconi to act on judicial requests to the Vatican regarding Silvio Berlusconi. Chaouqui is among five defendants in the Vatileaks 2 trial in the Vatican.

Earlier Tuesday a lawyer acting for Silvio Berlusconi denied newspaper reports that Chaouqui had contacted the former premier or Paolo in relation to the case.

“Premier Berlusconi has never had any contact with Francesca Chaouqui, or indications from anyone, of requests made by her,” Niccolò Ghedini said in a statement. “Besides, it would have been impossible to make demands since there is no possible link between Premier Berlusconi and ‘Vatican affairs’ or the Vatican bank,” he continued. In regards to Paolo Berlusconi, Ghedini acknowledged that he had met Chaouqui “occasionally” in social situations, but said the reports of contacts in relation to Vatileaks 2 were “unfounded”. Chaouqui, a PR expert, is on trial alongside investigative journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, Monsignor Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda and his former assistant Nicola Maio for allegedly leaking confidential Holy See documents.

Vallejo Balda and Chaouqui were both members of the now-defunct COSEA commission set up to advise Pope Francis on reform of the Holy See’s economic-administrative structure.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Rome Prosecutors Probe ATAC Tenders

Contracts worth one billion ‘awarded without public offer’

(ANSA) — Rome, November 30 — Rome prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at the city’s ATAC public transport company, sources said Monday. The probe into ATAC tenders was sparked by a report to the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) by the former city councillor for transportation, Stefano Esposito.

In his report, Esposito said 90% of ATAC tenders worth one billion euros were made without a public offer in 2011-2015. Prosecutors will also be looking in to chronic dysfunction in the Rome public transport system, including numerous strikes and work-to-rule actions by disgruntled workers and several mechanical breakdowns on the city subway system.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Veils and Burqas to be Banned From Lombardy Hospitals

Roberto Maroni says move in line with national law

(ANSA) — Milan, December 2 — The regional government in Lombardy said Wednesday it will ban women from wearing veils or burqas in hospitals.

Lombardy Governor Roberto Maroni, speaking at a press conference with Labour Minister and Minister for Social Policies Giuliano Poletti, said that during a meeting on Friday the region “will ban, on the basis of national law, hospital entry for anyone ‘wearing the veil, burqa or anything of that type’.

“We have regulations that establish the conditions for entry into hospitals,” he said. “The regulations don’t expressly prohibit entry for those who are covered or wear the veil.

“However there are national laws and we will bring ourselves into line with those.”

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Antitrust Fines 7 Power Firms 6 Mn Euros

Enel, Eni, Acea, Hera, GdF Suez, Green Network, Beetwin

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — The antitrust authority on Wednesday fined seven electricity and gas firms a total of more than six million euros for activating supplies that had not been requested. The firms are Enel Energia, Eni, Acea Energia, Hera Comm, GdF Suez Energie, Green Network and Beetwin. The firms are among the largest in the Italian power sector.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Renzi Launches Survey on 500-Euro Culture Bonus

For feedback on initiative to fight terrorism with cultural ed

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — Italian Premier and Democratic Party (PD) head Matteo Renzi on Wednesday launched an online survey soliciting opinions about his proposal to offer Italians turning 18 in 2016 a 500-euro card for cultural activities such as theatre performances, concerts, and museum visits.

The bonus is part of the government’s one-billion-euro spending package on culture to match one billion in security spending as a response to the November 13 Paris attacks, and has garnered criticism, especially as a possible vehicle to entice potential PD voters.

“Helping 18-year-olds to remember who we are seems to me a government’s duty, far from an electoral gratuity,” Renzi wrote in a letter to PD members, in which he launched an email feedback campaign.

“What do you think of it? I’ll gladly read your remarks at the address matteo@partitodemocratico.it”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Rubbish Costs 22.6% Up in 5 Yrs

Highest in Lazio, 214 euros a year per head

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — The cost to the taxpayer of rubbish collection in Italy has risen 22.6% over the last five years, small-business group Confartigianato said Wednesday.

Costs were highest, 214 euros a head per year, in Lazio, where “the perception of dirtiness is high”. Consumer groups have complained that rubbish-collection rates have risen too steeply in the last few years.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Berlusconi Says Can’t Wait for Others to Fight ISIS for us

Former premier calls for UN coalition

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi spoke out on the need for Italy’s participation in an anti-ISIS coalition and said many Western leaders are underestimating the ISIS threat, in an interview published Wednesday in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

“We can’t delude ourselves that others will make wars for us, and wait to gain the benefits of it,” Berlusconi said.

“I don’t see an effective awareness of the serious of the situation on the part of many Western leaders,” he said.

Berlusconi said Italian Premier Matteo Renzi is “wise” in being cautious about fighting the Assad regime without a viable leader as an alternative, but called caution against fighting ISIS “an ambiguity that we can’t allow”.

In terms of alliances, Berlusconi said, “I’m at the full disposal of my country to support forming a UN-backed coalition,” and also he encouraged cooperation with Russia.

“We all have to realise that Russia is an indispensable ally, not an enemy,” he said.

In terms of domestic politics, the head of Forza Italia called the possibility of an election run-offf between the Democratic Party and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement “a nightmare scenario” and said if forced to choose between the two, he’d leave his ballot blank, “just as many of the Forza Italia electorate probably would”.

He also said he is committed to supporting a “no” vote in a referendum on government reforms.

“We will oppose in all ways a reform custom-tailored for PD”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Judge Orders 240 Mn Kuwait Petroleum Italia Seizure

Eight investigated for illegal disposal of waste

(ANSA) — Naples, December 1 — A Naples preliminary investigations judge ordered the preventative seizure of 239.7 million euros worth of assets on Tuesday from Kuwait Petroleum Italia.

The amount is the equivalent of the profit made from the illegal disposal of hazardous waste, according to prosecutors’ accusations.

Eight people are under investigation for allegedly storing up to 42,000 cubic metres of oily water in fuel tanks in a Naples deposit and then disposing of it illegally to avoid the extra costs involved in the correct handling of the substance.

Investigators had already seized equipment from the company in November 2013. According to prosecutors, wiretapped conversations and intercepted emails pointed to the existence of an agreement between managers in Naples and more senior company directors, and that the illegal disposal of the waste was a conscious choice made by the firm to avoid additional costs.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Liberté Losing Out in France’s ‘War’ On Terror

With the French PM suggesting the country’s state of emergency could be extended even beyond February, a top human rights lawyer is leading the growing chorus of disapproval, telling The Local all talk of “war” plays into the hands of Isis.

Rights groups, trade unions and politicians are voicing growing opposition in France to the ongoing state of emergency declared after the Paris terror attacks and are calling for an end to the ban on demonstrations.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Norway: ‘Alcohol-Free Christmas’ Aids Integration: Expert

An expert on Islam has suggested that Norwegians could improve integration by removing beer, wine and spirits from the Christmas party table.

Lars Gule, a researcher on extremism and Islam, told broadcaster NRK that one way Norwegians could contribute to the integration of people from foreign countries would be to pay more attention to the fact that many Muslims don’t drink alcohol.

“Food habits and customs surrounding alcohol can create barriers. Many [Muslims] would never even set foot in a bar because it is a place that serves alcohol,” Gule said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain: Jihad Supporter Planning to Join Islamic State Arrested in Pamplona

A Moroccan national was arrested in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona early Tuesday morning after attempting to fly to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

The 32-year-old suspect had also been proselitizing in favor of ISIS and recruiting new followers of the jihadist cause inside the teahouse he managed in the Navarrese capital, the Interior Ministry reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain’s Green Energy Problems

Over the past two years the Spanish government has been slashing generous subsidies for the renewable energy industry. As a result the installation of new wind turbines has ground to a halt. Zero wind power megawatts were installed in Spain in the first half of 2015. (1)

Then there’s Abengoa, a Spanish company that was another of President Obama’s personally picked green energy projects. It is now on the verge of bankruptcy, potentially saddling US taxpayers with a multibillion tab and fueling the notion that the administration repeatedly gambles on losers in the energy sector, reports Ben Wolfgang. (4)

The renewable energy firm, which is constructing several large-scale solar power projects in the US and has received at least $2.7 billion in federal loan guarantees since 2010, has said it will begin insolvency proceedings, a technical first step toward a possible bankruptcy. The news sent Abengoa’s stock price falling by about 60 percent.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Spanish King to Sephardic Jews: “How We Missed You!”

“How we missed you!”

That was how King Felipe VI addressed representatives of Spain’s Jewish community to celebrate new legislation allowing people of Sephardic origin to obtain Spanish citizenship.

Speaking at a special ceremony held inside Madrid’s Royal Palace on Monday, the Spanish monarch said it was “a privilege” to be able to write “a new page in history.”

The Sephardic ancestry law, which went into effect on October 1, comes more than five centuries after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.

Felipe VI also thanked Sephardic Jews for having preserved their old language, Ladino, “like a prized treasure,” and for teaching their own children “to love this Spanish homeland.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Terrorism Tourism Hits Molenbeek

Several Belgian media are reporting on a new phenomenon: after it became clear that a number of terrorists and terrorist suspects involved in the Paris attacks hailed from the Brussels borough of Molenbeek, a growing number of curious Belgians and visitors have been visiting the diverse inner city suburb.

Xpats.com’s Robyn Boyle even reports that Molenbeek has become a new tourist hotspot, while the daily De Morgen speaks of a new “flood of tourists interested in learning more about the place where terrorist suspects like Salah Abdeslam got their start”.

According to De Morgen guided tours of Molenbeek are fully booked. Since the Paris attacks groups of about 40 people have been taking part in a tour of Molenbeek each and every Saturday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Cameron Accuses Opposition Leader Corbyn of Sympathizing With Terrorists

UK Prime Minister David Cameron accused opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of being a “terrorist sympathiser” for not supporting the expansion of the country’s military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group to Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Cameron’s words come as the UK lower house is preparing for a debate and a vote on expansion of the anti-Daesh airstrikes from Iraq to Syria on Wednesday. The UK leader has long called for the move.

“You should not be walking through the lobbies with Jeremy Corbyn and a bunch of terrorist sympathisers,” Cameron told a committee of Conservative backbenchers late Tuesday, asking them to support the military campaign, as quoted by The Guardian newspaper.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn requested a two-day debate to be held ahead of the vote, criticizing Cameron for not providing enough time for lawmakers to consider the proposed military operation. Corbyn announced on Monday that Labour members would be allowed a “free vote.”

The United Kingdom has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh positions in Iraq since September 2014, as part of a US-led international coalition against the extremist group. A parliamentary vote held in 2013 prevented Cameron from expanding the British offensive into Syria. Corbyn has been staunchly opposing the UK military operation in both Syria and Iraq.

Russia, which has outlawed and designated Daesh as a terrorist group, has also been launching airstrikes against its positions in Syria since September on request of Damascus authorities.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Cambridgeshire Police Advertise for Volunteer Detectives to Solve Burglaries

Cambridgeshire Constabulary is seeking to hire two unpaid volunteers to work from Parkside Police Station, in Cambridge, pictured, in its latest bid to save money.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Ex-Muslims Give Reasons They Left the Faith, Using a Hashtag

Ex-Muslims are using a hashtag, #ExMuslimBecause, to tell why they have left the faith.

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain started the tag, saying it wanted to defend people’s right to leave Islam and criticise it without fear or intimidation.

But many Muslims are taking issue, saying that the hashtag is “hateful,” and being used as an excuse for Muslim-bashing at a time of increasing fear of Islamophobia.

           — Hat tip: Nick [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Four Men Are Arrested in Luton on Suspicion of Plotting Terror Attacks

Scotland Yard announced that the men, who are in their 30s, were being questioned in London over claims they were ‘involved in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism’.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Video Shows How ISIS Attack Would Play Out in London After Paris Attacks

More than 2,000 firearms officers from Scotland Yard took part in a mock terror attack in London on Tuesday. They were sent to a city office block which was said to have been taken over by extremists.

[Comment: How many would die in the time it takes for a firearms officer to get to the scene? Surely a better method is ensure public is armed — not caught like fish in a barrel.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe Was Never Mad Says Brother Carl

The Yorkshire Ripper has faked madness for decades to avoid being sent to a tough maximum security jail, his brother insisted last night.

He spoke out after it emerged serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, 69, is set to be moved from Broadmoor psychiatric hospital to prison because his treatment for paranoid schizophrenia has now finished.

His younger brother Carl Sutcliffe, 50, said: ‘I’ve never believed Peter was mad. He never showed signs of schizophrenia as a child.

‘I know he’s been trying to get out of Broadmoor for a while. He’s fed up with it, even though it’s fairly cushy.’

He claimed he understood that when the killer was arrested he had planned to ‘make out he was mad and then he’d get an easy ride’. Carl added: ‘He’s wicked. I don’t care if he’s in prison or in Broadmoor, as long as they never let him out.’

Yesterday there were fears that Sutcliffe, who has already squandered hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on legal bids for freedom, could challenge any ruling in the courts. This would mean even more taxpayers’ cash being wasted on him — and bereaved families and survivors being put through fresh agony.

Sutcliffe was given 20 life terms in 1981 for murdering 13 women and trying to kill seven more in a spree between 1975 and 1980 across Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Volterra — Italy’s City of Alabaster

Volterra in Tuscany has always been famous for the mining and processing of alabaster — a soft, almost translucent stone. Students at the world’s only school for alabaster now want to give the material a new image.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Why Finland Now Leads the World in Nuclear Waste Storage

Other nations hope to learn from approval of the world’s first deep repository for spent nuclear fuel.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

NATO Invites Montenegro to Join as Russia Warns of Provocation

NATO has invited Montenegro to become the 29th member of the alliance. The decision is likely to increase tension with Russia just as Germany’s foreign minister has said NATO and Moscow could reopen a dialogue forum.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Suspected Jihadists ‘Threatened Pope Francis’

Four people arrested in Italy and Kosovo on suspicion of spreading jihadist propaganda online allegedly made threats against Pope Francis and the former US ambassador to Kosovo.

The gang also praised the Paris terrorist attacks, in which 130 people were killed on November 13th.

The four, all Kosovan citizens, were arrested as part of an anti-terror sweep conducted by police in Brescia in cooperation with Kosovan authorities, Corriere reported.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Caritas Starts Christmas Gift for Gaza Christians Campaign

To raise aid funds for 350 families

ROME — The Jerusalem branch of Caritas has launched a campaign to raise at least 50,000 dollars for gifts and aid to the small Christian community of Gaza. The 350 families — about 1,000 people — are part of the Holy Family parish. Christians in the Gaza Strip are a very small minority among a much larger Muslim population and like other Palestinians survive amid economic hardship in an overcrowded area that has been devastated by incessant conflict and subjected to an economic embargo by Israel. The humanitarian organization of the Catholic Church launched the initiative with the aim of bringing a warm, festive Christmas to the families. The gifts and aid will be taken to Gaza on December 20 and distributed after mass officiated by Patriarch Fouad Twal. The donations in euros marked with “Regali di Natale per le famiglie di Gaza” can be sent via bank transfer to: Bank of Palestina PLC. Branch — Bethlehem. P.O.BOX: 765 Betlemme — West Bank via Israel Banca n. 89. Banca Filiale N°: 450.

Codice Swift: 22 PALSPS.

Conto n. 1379000. Beneficiario conto: CARITAS GERUSALEMME IBAN. No: PS03PALS045013790000333000000.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

CNR-Tel Aviv Uni Accord on Research in Optics Field

Signed in Naples during National Optics Institute symposium

(ANSAmed) NAPLES, NOVEMBER 12 — The Italian national research center (CNR) and the University of Tel Aviv have joined forces for advanced research in the optics and photonics field. The agreement was signed on Thursday in Naples between CNR’s National Optics Institute (INO), which has one of its two headquarters in Naples, and the Israeli university as part of the annual INO symposium, during which the academic world meets with its political and entrepreneurial counterparts on future prospects for research in sectors of strategic growth such as optics and photonics. Opening the Neapolitan event was Ady Arie, director of the University of Tel Aviv’s School of Electrical Engineering, who discussed innovative systems for the generation of new frequencies using non-linear optical techniques. The possible applications of these innovative techniques hold a great deal of promise for the communications, sensor-based gas detection, environmental and medical sectors. “The collaboration set in motion with the University of Tel Aviv,” said CNR’s INO director Paolo De Natale, “began in past years and made it possible to achieve important scientific results. After the agreement signed today in Naples, we will be able to develop the works started, strengthening the synergy developed between our two countries.” CNR noted that the synergy in the scientific and research fields had been stepped up after Prime Minister Matteo Renzi expressed the hope for greater collaboration during his visit to Israel. A roundtable discussion was held in the afternoon on the most advanced technologies of optical diagnostics and sensors with important applications that will help, for example, with innovative treatments in the medical field, using for example radiations that make it possible to reveal elements that are invisible to human eyes without damaging biological tissues, or sensors able to reveal environmentally polluting substances with a sensitivity that had never before been achieved.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Palestinians Abused Israeli Athletes in 1972 Olympics Attack

Wife says late husband mutilated by captors

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — The wife of one of 11 Israeli Olympians killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Games has disclosed new details of her husband’s final moments, saying that he was mutilated by his captors, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

After years of remaining silent, Ilana Romano said Wednesday that photos she obtained from Germany in 1992 showed that the body of her husband, weightlifter Yossi Romano, was mutilated after he was shot while trying to resist the attackers. She said the Palestinian attackers had beaten up other athletes and forced them to watch her husband die while refusing to allow doctors into the room.

“Some said the Palestinian terrorists were freedom fighters. Not only were they not freedom fighters, but they were brutal,” she said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Al Qaeda Captures Two Yemen Towns

The southern Yemeni towns of Zinjibar and Jaar have been overrun by al Qaeda militants. Scattered local forces were easily overwhelmed without a stable state to support them.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Austrian Jihadist ‘Killed by Kurdish Soldiers’

An Austrian jihadist from Bregenz in Vorarlberg has reportedly been killed by Kurdish soldiers whilst fighting with Isis militants in northern Syria.

33-year-old Deni Vasilyev had lived in Austria for almost ten years, after fleeing Belarus and claiming asylum here.

He is believed to have travelled across Germany to Turkey and from there into Syria to join fighters with the so-called Islamic State group — but it is not clear when he arrived in Syria.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

British Parliament Authorizes Airstrikes Against Militants in Syria

The House of Commons has voted 397 to 223 in favor of launching air strikes against suspected “Islamic State” militants in Syria. Britain has already been bombing Iraq for more than a year.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Fitna TV: The Shi’ite-Bashing Campaign on Salafi TV Channels and Social Media

The 2000s witnessed the escalation of Sunni-Shi’ite tensions in the Middle East, with virulent rhetoric fomenting on both sides of the sectarian divide. The anti-Shi’ite campaign has clearly been the more pervasive and acrimonious. The first decade of the 21st century witnessed the development of three major hubs of extreme anti-Shi’ite discourse: 1) Egypt; 2) Saudi Arabia and the Gulf; and 3) North Africa. From there, the vilification of Shi’ites has spread to other parts of the Arab world and beyond.

The growth of sectarian animosity on broadcast media was facilitated by the proliferation of TV channels in some Middle Eastern nations in the 2000s and the rapid development of social media platforms. Arab authorities have been lackadaisical in enforcing their own media laws, and in some cases have exhibited an ideological affinity with inciting broadcasters.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

‘Inequality’ Behind Rise of Daesh, Middle Eastern Terrorism — Piketty

As the international community tries to find a way to defeat jihadist groups like Daesh, French economist Thomas Piketty has come up with a new theory about the rise of the group, blaming widespread inequality in the Middle East’s political and social system as a major driver of terrorism.

Piketty, who has previously written about the uneven distribution of wealth in the world, believes that while there are a number of factors at play, the entrenched inequality and high concentration of oil wealth within Middle Eastern countries are significant factors driving the support of jihadist and terrorist groups in the region.

Setting out his argument in French newspaper Le Monde, Piketty believes that the political and social systems of the Middle East have been made fragile due to the fact that a small number of countries own a majority of the region’s wealth, and that wealth is unevenly divided among those countries.

He calculated that oil-wealthy Middle Eastern countries, consisting of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman, account for only 16 percent of the region’s population, but close to 60 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

He says that such inequality makes the Middle East region the “the most unequal on the planet.”

Then to make matters worse, Piketty says that even in the oil-rich countries, the wealth still isn’t evenly shared, with many parts of the population, including women and refugees, held in a state of poverty and “semi-slavery.”

Western Intervention Also to Blame

While arguing that the inequality across the Middle East, shown through the various political and social structures, is a major driving factor in terrorism, Piketty also blames a series of western military interventions in the region for consolidating the wealth in the hands of the very few and leading many to experience the horrors of war.

He argues that exposure to constant poverty and a sense of suppression, along with the stresses of war and suffering, create a “powder keg” for terrorism and lead many to justify the use of violence as a way of protesting against their situation.

He also is also particularly critical of western support for abusive regimes.

“These are the regimes that are militarily and politically supported by western powers, all too happy to get some crumbs to fund their [soccer] clubs or sell some weapons. No wonder our lessons in social justice and democracy find little welcome among Middle Eastern youth.”

Terrorism Needs to be Fought Economically

In a dramatically different approach to the one currently being initiated by western governments, Piketty believes that terrorism and inequality are ultimately linked, and as a result need to be combated economically.

He says western nations should show that they are more concerned with the overall social development of the region, rather than their own financial and strategic interests, as a way of winning credibility in the region.

According to a research paper co-authored by Piketty last year, he found that the richest 10 percent of people in the Middle East held over 60 percent of the wealth, while the top one percent held more than 25 percent of the wealth.

This inequality, according to Piketty, exceeded that in the US, where the top one percent held 23 percent of the wealth and western Europe, where the top one percent had 11 percent of the wealth.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Is ISIS Oil Profiteering an Erdogan “Family Business”?

There are daily accusations by Putin, jailed Turkish journalists and third parties that illegal ISIS profiteering constitute “a family business” benefitting President Erdogan and his son, Bilal. These allegations erupted in the wake of the downing of a Russian SU-24 November 24, 2015 after allegedly being warned by Turkish military to stop intruding Turkish air space. Premier Davutoglu gave permission to Turkish F-16s to launch a missile to take out the errant Russian jet fighter. The plane fell into an area inside Syria along the border in Latakia province occupied by rebel Turkmen militias. The pilot of the SU-24 was killed, while the co-pilot parachuted and was rescued in an operation by none other than “wounded” Iranian Quds Force Commander, Gen. Qasem Soliemani. The Russian co-pilot refuted the Turkish allegations saying that their aircraft had not intruded Turkish airspace.

Putin wasn’t going to take Erdogan’s action lying down. He refused to return Erdogan’s calls. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov cancelled a meeting in Ankara, scheduled the day following the downing of the Russian jet fighter, Davutoglu rushed aides to brief NATO in Brussels, which was worried about Turkey possibly invoking Article 5. President Erdogan “regretted “ the episode, opting to reach out by calling Putin. Putin refused his calls; instead seeking an “apology”. President Obama met with Erdogan on the sidelines in Paris endeavoring to facilitate a dialogue with Putin, while the actors in this drama were all at a UN Climate Change Conference. Reuters reported:…

           — Hat tip: Jerry Gordon [Return to headlines]
 

ISIS Takes Aim at Putin, With Videos Showing Russian ‘Spy’ Beheading, Threats to Moscow

ISIS sent a chilling message to Moscow Wednesday, releasing a video showing the beheading of a Russian accused of spying, and another clip that included threats to attack Moscow, as well as Washington and New York.

The video showing the beheading is believed to have come from the terrorist group’s stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, where the Russian military has conducted devastating air attacks in recent weeks. The alleged spy’s identity was not immediately known, but he is believed to have gone to Syria in 2014.

“Here today, on this blessed land, the battle [against Russia] begins,” the militant says in Russian.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

ISIS Executes Two Gay Men by Pushing Them From Hotel Roof

Reserves most special punishment for presumed homosexuals

(ANSA) — Reyhanli (Turkey), December 2 — Two men were pushed off the roof of a 4-storey hotel by Islamic extremists because they were gay, ANSA learned Wednesday.

Hawass Mallah, 32, and Mohammed Salameh, 21, were sentenced to execution by a judge in July in the ancient Syrian city of Palmira, now controlled by ISIS.

During the trial one of the men was asked by the judge if he felt satisfied with the sentence given that death would help absolve him from his sin.

The story of the men was recounted to ANSA by Omar, who had witnessed the event before escaping to Reyhanli in Turkey.

He said the men’s hands were tied behind their backs before they were thrown off the roof to their deaths.

Notorious for the brutal punishments given out to their enemies, ISIS reserves some of its most barbaric practices for those it presumes to be homosexual.

At least 36 men have been killed for alleged sodomy in Iraq and Syria, Human rights group OutRight Action International said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Istanbul Explosion in the Bayrampasa District Injures 5 in Turkey

Black and white footage taken close to a motorway in Istanbul, Turkey, shows the massive pipe bomb explosion which happened at the height of rush hour.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: ‘Irresponsible’ Not to Involve Moscow in Terror Fight

Italy working for de-escalation between Russia, Turkey

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni told the Senate Wednesday that it would be “irresponsible not to posit the problem of involving Russia” in the anti-terror fight.

Italy, he said, “remains convinced of the existence of this potential and is working in these hours for direct relations between Russia and Turkey for a de-escalation and to avert the recurrence of incidents” such as Turkey’s recent downing of a Russian jet.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Says Turkish President Benefits From ISIS Oil Trade

Sharply raising the stakes in Moscow’s spat with Ankara, Russia’s top military brass on Wednesday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of personally profiting from oil trade with Islamic State militants.

The bluntly-worded accusations follow Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border last week, the first time a NATO member shot down a Russian aircraft in more than half a century. The fierce personal attack on Erdogan reflects the Kremlin’s anger and signals that Russia-Turkey tensions will likely continue to escalate.

“The main customer for this oil stolen from Syria and Iraq is Turkey,” said Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov. “The top political leadership of the country, President Erdogan and his family, is involved in this criminal business.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Presents Detailed Evidence of ISIS-Turkey Oil Trade

On Monday, Turkey’s sultan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said something funny. In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s contention that Russia has additional proof of Turkey’s participation in Islamic State’s illicit crude trade, Erdogan said he would resign if anyone could prove the accusations.

Now obviously, conclusive evidence that Ankara is knowingly facilitating the sale of ISIS crude will probably be hard to come by, at least in the short-term, but the silly thing about Erdogan’s pronouncement is that we’re talking about a man who was willing to plunge his country into civil war over a few lost seats in Parliament. The idea that he would ever “step down” is patently absurd.

But that’s not what’s important. What’s critical is that the world gets the truth about who’s financing and facilitating “Raqqa’s Rockefellers.” If a NATO member is supporting this, and if the US has refrained from bombing ISIS oil trucks for 14 months as part of an understanding with Erdogan, well then we have a problem. For those who need a review, see the following four pieces:

Unfortunately for Ankara, The Kremlin is on a mission to blow this story wide open now that Turkey has apparently decided it’s ok to shoot down Russian fighter jets. On Wednesday, we get the latest from Russia, where the Defense Ministry has just finished a briefing on the Islamic State oil trade. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Turkey may be in trouble.

First, here’s the bullet point summary via Reuters:

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS RUSSIA’S AIR STRIKES IN SYRIA HELPED TO ALMOST HALVE ILLEGAL OIL TURNOVER

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TURKISH PRESIDENT AND FAMILY INVOLVED IN BUSINESS WITH ISLAMIC STATE OIL

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS WILL CONTINUE STRIKES IN SYRIA ON ISLAMIC STATE OIL INFRASTRUCTURE

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS KNOWS OF THREE ROUTES BY WHICH ISLAMIC STATE OIL IS DIRECTED TO TURKEY

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS TO PRESENT NEXT WEEK INFORMATION SHOWING TURKEY HELPING ISLAMIC STATE

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version and the full statement from Deputy Minister of Defence Anatoly Antonov is below. Let us be the first to tell you, Antonov did not hold back.

In the opening address, the Deputy says the ISIS oil trade reaches the highest levels of Turkey’s government. He also says Erdogan wouldn’t resign if his face was smeared with stolen Syrian oil. Antonov then blasts Ankara for arresting journalists and mocks Erdogan’s “lovely family oil business.” Antonov even calls on the journalists of the world to “get involved” and help Russia “expose and destroy the sources of terrorist financing.”

“Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region,” Antonov continues, setting up a lengthy presentation in which the MoD shows photos of oil trucks, videos of airstrikes and maps detailing the trafficking of stolen oil. The clip is presented here with an English voice-over. Enjoy.

Oh, and for good measure, Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy says the US is not bombing ISIS oil trucks.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Srdja Trifkovic Interview With RT International on Turkey’s Oil Ties With ISIS

Broadcast live 13:53 GMT on Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Video:

RT: We are going live to Srdja Trifkovic, Foreign Affairs Editor of Chronicles magazine. Russia has asked Turkey for open access to facilities crucial for ISIS oil smuggling. What will be happening next? Will Ankara go for it, what are your thoughts?

ST: Absolutely not. I think that Erdogan will scream blue murder and claim that this is all a setup and a reaction to what he calls “justified downing of the Russian plane.” The real issue is what the United States will do about this. It is quite obvious the Turkish tail has been wagging the American dog for far too long, and Erdogan has been getting away with murder, both literally and figuratively. Unless and until the United States decides that this nonsense must stop, he will continue to get away with it — and he will claim that this is just “Russian propaganda.” I also predict that the whole presentation, convincing as it was, will be partly ignored and partly distorted by the Western mainstream media.

I think the next step for the Russians would be to explore the possibility, with the government of Iraq, of extending their airstrikes to the territory of northwestern Iraq. Some of the choke-points for the oil smuggling operation have remained largely unscathed by the U.S.-led “coalition.” In order to avoid the congestion of planes, with the possibility of further incidents like the one on November 24, I am sure that these huge concentrations of trucks can be very effectively struck by Russian cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea. That is simply an off-the-cuff idea…

           — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic [Return to headlines]
 

Syrian Army Pushes Deeper Into Daesh Territory Along Aleppo-Raqqa Highway

The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces, supported by Russian air strikes, have reportedly managed to drive Daesh out of a long section of the strategic Aleppo-Raqqa highway in northern Syria.

Backed by Russian air strikes, the Syrian forces have regained control of a considerable part of the strategic Aleppo-Raqqa highway from Daesh militants in northern Syria, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.

On Tuesday, the government troops stormed Daesh positions along the Aleppo-Raqqa highway, forcing the terrorists to retreat and suffer large casualties in the fighting, sources said.

The latest offensive came a week after the Syrian forces staged an assault on Daesh defensive positions near the highway, targeting the Siyasko Chemical Factory’s western and eastern perimeters.

During the attack, the Syrian Army regained full control over the Aleppo-Raqqa highway entrance to the facility after a series of fierce clashes with Daesh militants in the area.

Meanwhile, military sources have reported that new forces fighting for the restoration of order in the country, known as the Local Defense Force, are due to be deployed to Syria’s north so they may take part in the final stage of large-scale military operations to regain control over Aleppo province’s southwestern areas.

As for the Russian air campaign, it kicked off on September 30, when more than fifty Russian aircraft, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 warplanes, commenced precision airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria at the behest of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Earlier that day, the Russian upper house of parliament unanimously supported the request of President Vladimir Putin to deploy units of the Russian Aerospace Forces abroad.

Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad confirmed that Syrian Army strikes, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, were being carried out against armed terrorist organizations, not political opposition factions or civilians.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Syria Conflict: Russia Accuses Erdogan of Trading Oil With IS

Russia’s defence ministry has accused the family of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being directly involved in the trade of petroleum with the Islamic State group.

Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said Turkey was the biggest buyer of “stolen” oil from Syria and Iraq.

Mr Erdogan said Russia had no right to “slander” Turkey with such claims.

Russia and Turkey have been locked in an angry dispute since Turkey shot down a Russian jet last month.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Syria Gov’t Structure Must Stay to Prevent Iraq Redux, Kerry

‘Assad must go, but also take part in transition’

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 2 — US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that the government structure must be maintained in Syria.

“We do not want the armed forces, the healthcare system or other state services to fall to pieces,” as this is, “as we learned in Iraq”, he said, disastrous for keeping order, ensuring services and supporting legitimate governance. Speaking at a NATO ministerial meeting, he added that Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad needs to leave and that the war cannot end so long as he is in charge. He added that the US is encouraging the Riyadh conference expected to be held in the coming weeks as a way to unite the Syrian opposition so that they can choose their own leaders and negotiators to negotiate a transition with Assad and his government. Kerry said that Assad would have to cooperate with efforts for a transition that can be acceptable to all, saying that this is achievable if the countries meeting in Vienna remain focused on agreed principles and seek to implement them.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

The Benefits of Drinking Camel Urine

I hope that you can provide me with a scientific answer — if such knowledge is available — about the saheeh hadeeth about drinking camel’s urine. May Allaah reward you.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Turkish Court to Decide if Comparing Erdogan to ‘Rings’ Character Gollum a Crime

A Turkish doctor faces prison time if it is proven that comparing President Erdogan, (r.), to “Lord of the Rings” character Gollum, (l.), is indeed an insult.

It can’t be flattering to be compared to “Lord of the Rings” character Gollum, but a Turkish court is trying to determine if it is a crime.

A doctor who likened President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the pasty, cave-dwelling creature is facing up to two years in prison in Turkey, where insulting the president is a crime, reports said Wednesday.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Yes, Turkey is Buying Oil From ISIS

US special forces raided the compound of an Islamic State leader in eastern Syria in May, they made sure not to tell the neighbours. The target of that raid, the first of its kind since US jets returned to the skies over Iraq last August, was an Isis official responsible for oil smuggling, named Abu Sayyaf. He was almost unheard of outside the upper echelons of the terror group, but he was well known to Turkey. From mid-2013, the Tunisian fighter had been responsible for smuggling oil from Syria’s eastern fields, which the group had by then commandeered. Black market oil quickly became the main driver of Isis revenues — and Turkish buyers were its main clients.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Dark Days on Crimea: Russia and Ukraine Rattle Sabers

Electricity cables cut, no trade between Ukraine proper and the Crimean Peninsula, no gas supply: Once again Ukraine and Russia seem headed for confrontation. The US and Europe fear for the future of the Minsk Protocol.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

900 Italian Soldiers in Herat in 2016

‘On average’ says Gentiloni

(ANSA) — Brussels, December 1 — There will be “on average” 900 Italian soldiers at its Afghan base at Herat next year, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Tuesday.

Italy is one of the so-called framework nations in the Resolute Support mission.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Afghan Days: A Look at Life, Labor, And Commerce in Kabul

The U.S. has spent some $700 billion on the Afghan conflict since 2001, more than tripling local incomes in that time and spurring the country’s nominal gross domestic product to expand fivefold. As that spigot closes, growth is slowing.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Afghan Taliban Leader Mansour Wounded in Gunfight

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was wounded in a gunfight Wednesday following an argument at a meeting in Pakistan of militant commanders, AFP reported, citing officials.

“Mansour was seriously injured. He was rushed to hospital and we are not sure if he survived his wounds,” Sultan Faizi, the spokesman for the Afghan first vice president, told AFP.

According to the BBC, four people were killed in the firefight in the city of Quetta that seriously wounded Mansour.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

India’s Culture Minister Against the Taj Mahal’s ‘Hinduisation’

The Indian government rejects a petition by six lawyers, who want the mausoleum to be recognised as a Hindu temple. According to the minister, nothing demonstrates that the site was originally dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Mumbai (AsiaNews/Agencies) — India’s Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has rejected a petition by a group of lawyers that the Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple, and as such should be handed over to Hindus. The government found no evidence to support the claim for the monument’s ‘Hinduisation’.

The Taj Mahal, a 17th Century mausoleum, was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, a Muslim, and cannot be considered a Hindu temple.

In their application, six lawyers from Agra, where the monument is located, told the court there was “substantial evidence” suggesting that the building was originally a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Completed in 1653, the mausoleum is dedicated Shah Jahan’s third and favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child.

The monument includes a complex structure of white marble domes and minarets inlaid with semi-precious stones and carvings. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

The idea of ‘Hinduising’ a Muslim monument is part of broader agenda pursued by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Organisation or RSS), a Hindu ultra-nationalist paramilitary group.

Since the Registrar General of India released in late August its 2011 census data for religion, which indicate that the Muslim proportion of the population has gone up whilst the Hindu proportion has gone down, the RSS has been pushing India’s central government to take action against the “rising” numbers of Christians and Muslims, which for them is creating a “demographic imbalance”.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Malaysia Air Seals 90-City Emirates Deal, Drops Paris, Amsterdam

Malaysian Airlines agreed a mammoth code-share deal with Dubai-based Emirates, the world’s biggest international carrier, allowing it to sell tickets to more long-haul destinations while scrapping unprofitable routes.

The accord covers more than 90 locations in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa served via Emirates’s Gulf hub, according to the airline, which will sever 10 code-share agreements with existing partners and drop its own direct flights to Paris and Amsterdam next year.

The deal gives the Malaysian carrier access to Europe without incurring “monumental losses,” Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller said in a phone interview Wednesday. Mueller, who took over in March, has already trimmed capacity by 30 percent and cut thousands of jobs as he seeks to revive a company racking up losses even before two high-profile crashes in 2014.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Pakistan: 4 Taliban Hanged Over Peshawar School Attack

Parents say all shd be given same punishment

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — Pakistan hanged four convicted militants on Wednesday who were sentenced to death over a Taliban attack on an army-run school last year that killed more than 150 people, mostly children, the Associated Press reported.

Officials said the men were executed at a high-security prison in the northwestern city of Kohat. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. The four are the first convicted militants to be executed in connection with the school massacre.

The December 16 attack, which was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, horrified the country and led the government to lift a 2008 moratorium on the death penalty. However, most of the nearly 300 people hanged since then have been convicted criminals, not militants.

Parents of children killed in the assault welcomed the executions and demanded that all those connected to the attack be given the same punishment.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Space Prowess Could Challenge Decades of US Dominance: Report

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) recently released its 2015 annual report to Congress, and it includes an intriguing look at the China’s space and counterspace programs.

The 2015 report, released in November and provided to Inside Outer Space by the USCC, provides information on and analysis of developments in the U.S.-China security dynamic, U.S.-China bilateral trade and economic relations, and China’s evolving bilateral relationships with other nations.

“China’s aspirations are driven by its assessment that space power enables the country’s military modernization and would allow it to challenge U.S. information superiority during a conflict,” the report states.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

British Terror Suspect Gets 9 Yrs in Kenya

Jermain Grant tried to get ID documents

(ANSA) — Rome, December 2 — A court in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa on Wednesday sentenced British national Jermain Grant, who authorities say is an Islamist extremist who plotted attacks against the country, to nine years in prison for attempting to illegally acquire Kenyan identification documents, the Associated Press reported.

Justice Martin Muya said the prosecution has proved that Grant had attempted to illegally acquire a birth certificate, a Kenyan identification card and a primary school leaving certificate. The high court found Grant guilty after the prosecution appealed a previous acquittal.

Authorities believe Grant was part of a cell with another British national, Samantha Lewthwaite, that was planning attacks over Christmas 2012. Lewthwaite is the widow of Jermain Lindsay, one of the bombers who took part in the July 7 2005 attack on London that killed 52 people.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Cameroon Army Kills 100 From Boko Haram, Frees 900 Hostages

The Cameroon Army said Wednesday it has freed 900 Boko Haram hostages and killed 100 of the group’s fighters during a three-day raid last week.

A government spokesman says joint forces from the nations of Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Benin killed more than 100 militant fighters and arrested 100 others in a three-day operation that unfolded in the Sambisa Forest over the weekend. The forest straddles northeastern Nigeria and Cameroon, and the Lake Chad area.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

‘More South Africans Living in Fear’

Parliament — More South African households perceive crime to be increasing and feel less safe in their neighbourhoods, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) revealed in its latest Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) on Tuesday.

“South African households are currently starting to increasingly feel that the levels of violent and property crimes are increasing and this makes it more and more unsafe for them to walk in the parks or even allow their children to play alone in the parks,” said Kefiloe Masiteng, deputy director general for population and social statistics

Burglary and home robbery remained the most feared crime, according to the survey conducted among 30 000 households in the country between 2014 and 2015.

“More and more people are starting to feel more victimised,” said Masiteng.

The prevalence of burglaries among the respondents increased from 4.6 percent in 2010 to 5.1 percent in 2014/15, while home robberies decreased from 2.6 percent to 1.2 percent during the same period.

“About 2.1 percent of individuals experienced theft of their personal property, while 0.9 percent experienced assault in 2014/15,” Masiteng said.

There was also a decline in the number of people who felt safe when it was dark from 2011 to 2014/15, with just over a third of those interviewed feeling safe walking in their areas alone.

“As a result of fear of crime, more of the households in South Africa took measures to protect themselves and their property,” said Masiteng.

“More than half of the households took physical protection measures for their homes while almost a third took physical protection measures for their vehicles.”

           — Hat tip: RRN [Return to headlines]
 

Pope Kenya: Extremism Stems From Lack of Education and Employment

On the last day of his visit to Kenya, Francis goes to a slum and meets young people before leaving for Uganda. Corruption is “in all institutions, including the Vatican.” The marginalized “have a special place in my life and in my choices.” They are “a result of new forms of colonialism.

Nairobi (AsiaNews) — The lack of education and job opportunities is creating “the danger” of young people being “recruited” by extremism and violence, said Pope Francis responding to a question posed by a young man at the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi. The sports ground was bubbling with enthusiasm for the last public meeting of the Pope in Kenya, from where at15:30 (local time) he left for Uganda, the second leg his trip to Africa.

The last day in Kenya was marked by the visit to the slums of Kangemi and a meeting with young people. Both moments of great significance. To 100 thousand inhabitants of a “neighborhood” that lacks everything, he said that the poor and the marginalized, victims of the “terrible injustice of urban marginalization,” “wounds caused by minorities that concentrate the power, wealth and selfishly squander”, “have a special place in my life and in my choices. “ They are bearers of values such as “solidarity, giving their life for others, preferring birth to death; giving a Christian burial to the dead” and they too deserve decent homes and access to work.

Speaking later to the young people, who welcomed him with songs and dances, in an impromptu speech in Spanish he denounced tribalism and corruption — which is “in all institutions, including the Vatican” — and recommended the defense of the family. “If you did not receive understanding, you are understand others. If you did not receive love, love others. If you have felt the pain of loneliness, draw close to those who are alone”.

The slum and the house of the poor in Nairobi were the key moments of the Pope’s visit in Kenya, from where he left at 15:30 local time bound for Uganda, the second leg of his first trip to Africa.

In Kangemi (pictured) Francis travelled in an open topped car along the narrow streets of the slums, accompanied by the warm welcome of the people, to the parish of St. Joseph the Worker, run by the Jesuits who run a clinic, a higher technical institute, a center of assistance to mothers in need.

“In fact — he told those present — I feel at home, sharing this moment with brothers and sisters, I’m not ashamed to say, you have a special place in my life and in my choices. I’m here because I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your joys and hopes, your fears and your sorrows. I know the problems you face every day! How can we not denounce the injustices? But first of all I want to focus on one aspect that the talk of exclusion, failing to recognize or seem to ignore. I want to refer to the wisdom of the neighborhoods. A wisdom that comes from ‘stubborn resistance to what is authentic “(Enc. Laudato sì, 112), from Gospel values which the welfare society, numb from unbridled consumption, seem to have forgotten. You are able to weave “bonds of belonging and living together that transform the crowding in a community experience where you break the walls of the ego and overcome the barriers of selfishness” (ibid., 149)”.

In the neighborhoods there is a culture of solidarity

“The culture of poor neighbourhoods, steeped in this particular wisdom, “has very positive traits, which can offer something to these times in which we live; it is expressed in values such as solidarity, giving one’s life for others, preferring birth to death, providing Christian burial to one’s dead; finding a place for the sick in one’s home, sharing bread with the hungry (for ‘there is always room for one more seat at the table’), showing patience and strength when faced with great adversity, and so on” (Equipo de Sacerdotes para las Villas de Emergencia, Argentina, Reflexiones sobre urbanización y la cultura villera, 2010). Values grounded in the fact each human being is more important than the god of money. Thank you for reminding us that another type of culture is possible”.

“I want in first place to uphold these values which you practice, values which are not quoted in the stock exchange, are not subject to speculation, and have no market price. I congratulate you, I accompany you and I want you to know that the Lord never forgets you. The path of Jesus began on the peripheries, it goes from the poor and with the poor, towards others.

To see these signs of good living that increase daily in your midst in no way entails a disregard for the dreadful injustice of urban exclusion. These are wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and run-down peripheries.

This becomes even worse when we see the unjust distribution of land (if not in this neighbourhood, certainly in others) which leads in many cases to entire families having to pay excessive and unfair rents for utterly unfit housing. I am also aware of the serious problem posed by faceless “private developers” who hoard areas of land and even attempt to appropriate the playgrounds of your children’s schools. This is what happens when we forget that “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone” (Centesimus Annus, 31)”.

“One very serious problem in this regard is the lack of access to infrastructures and basic services. By this I mean toilets, sewers, drains, refuse collection, electricity, roads, as well as schools, hospitals, recreational and sport centres, studios and workshops for artists and craftsmen. I refer in particular to access to drinking water. “Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights. Our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity” (Laudato Si’, 30). To deny a family water, under any bureaucratic pretext whatsoever, is a great injustice, especially when one profits from this need.

This situation of indifference and hostility experienced by poor neighbourhoods is aggravated when violence spreads and criminal organizations, serving economic or political interests, use children and young people as “canon fodder” for their ruthless business affairs. I also appreciate the struggles of those women who fight heroically to protect their sons and daughters from these dangers. I ask God that that the authorities may embark, together with you, upon the path of social inclusion, education, sport, community action, and the protection of families, for this is the only guarantee of a peace that is just, authentic and enduring.

These realities which I have just mentioned are not a random combination of unrelated problems. They are a consequence of new forms of colonialism which would make African countries “parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel” (Ecclesia in Africa, 52). Indeed, countries are frequently pressured to adopt policies typical of the culture of waste, like those aimed at lowering the birth rate, which seek “to legitimize the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalized” (Laudato Si’, 50).

In this regard, I would propose a renewed attention to the idea of a respectful urban integration, as opposed to elimination, paternalism, indifference or mere containment. We need integrated cities which belong to everyone. We need to go beyond the mere proclamation of rights which are not respected in practice, to implementing concrete and systematic initiatives capable of improving the overall living situation, and planning new urban developments of good quality for housing future generations. The social and environmental debt owed to the poor of cities can be paid by respecting their sacred right to the “three Ls”: Land, Lodging, Labour. This is not a question of philanthropy; rather it is a duty incumbent upon all of us.

I wish to call all Christians, and their pastors in particular, to renew their missionary zeal, to take initiative in the face of so many situations of injustice, to be involved in their neighbours’ problems, to accompany them in their struggles, to protect the fruits of their communitarian labour and to celebrate together each victory, large or small. I realize that you are already doing much, but I ask to remember this is not just another task; it may instead be the most important task of all, because “the Gospel is addressed in a special way to the poor” (Benedict XVI, Address to the Bishops of Brazil, 11 May 2007, 3).

Dear neighbours, dear brothers and sisters, let us together pray, work and commit ourselves to ensuring that every family has dignified housing, access to drinking water, a toilet, reliable sources of energy for lighting, cooking and improving their homes; that every neighbourhood has streets, squares, schools, hospitals, areas for sport, recreation and art; that basic services are provided to each of you; that your appeals and your pleas for greater opportunity can be heard; that all can enjoy the peace and security which they rightfully deserve on the basis of their infinite human dignity. Mungu awabariki! God bless you!

Corruption is as sweet as sugar: we like it, but it “makes us sick”

In his unscripted responses to questions from young people, during his meeting with them at the stadium, the Pope began speaking about tribalism, which he compared to “hiding your hands behind your back” hiding stones that you are ready to hurl “against each other”. He said this can only be defeated by everyone holding hands together. “Tribalism can only be overcome with your ear, your heart, and your hand. (Ask yourselves): What is your culture? Why are you like this? Why do your cousins have these customs? Do they feel inferior or superior? Once we’ve heard the response in our ears than it passes to our hearts and then I extend my hand. If you don’t dialogue with each other then you’re going to have division like a worm that grows in society

Regarding corruption teh Pope noted: “Corrupt people don’t live in peace”. “One example and it’s not just in politics, in all areas of life, also in the Vatican. These are cases of corruption. Corruption is something that eats inside, like sugar. Sweet, we like it, it’s easy. And then we end up in a bad way. So much sugar that we end up being diabetic or our country ends up being diabetic. Each time when we accept a bribe and we put it in our pockets, we destroy our hearts. we destroy our personalities, and we destroy our country. Please, don’t develop that taste for that sugar which is called corruption. You might say ‘but Holy Father, I see many who are corrupt. I see so many people who are sold. Just for a little bit of money. Without worrying about the livelihood of others. Young people: corruption is not a path to life, it’s a path to death!”.

He also spoke of young people fascinated and recruited by radicalism. “The first thing we have to do to stop a young person from being recruited is education and work. If a young person has no work than what future awaits him or her? And that’s where the idea of being seduced or recruited comes in. Even if there are small opportunities, without them what can they do? That is the danger. It’s a social danger which is beyond us and it’s even beyond the country because it depends on an international system that is unjust. It’s the injustice of having an economic system where the person is not the center but rather the god of money”.

From the young man whom Francis calls a “theologian”, two questions. The first concerns the way in which it is possible to understand that “God is our Father”, in the tragedies of life. The Pope responded by saying what helps him not to lose hope is keeping a rosary in his pocket and a box containing “the story of the failure of God”, the Stations of the Cross. “There is only one road, look to the Son of God. God has given Himself to save us all. God Himself became tragedy. God let Himself be destroyed on the Cross. God became a tragedy. God allowed himself to be destroyed on the cross.

When you don’t understand something, when desperation hits you then look at the cross. That is the great failure of God, that is the destruction of God, and it’s a challenge to our faith. And this is hope, because history did not end in that failure. Rather it’s in the resurrection of Christ that renewed all of us”.

The second question is for young people who have never known the love of a family. The Pope responded with an exhortation. “Defend the family. Defend the family always. everywhere there’s not only kids who are abandoned but also elderly are abandoned with no one to visit to them with no-one to love them, How do you come out of this very negative experience? There is one remedy, one remedy alone, to come out of these experiences. To do that which you did not receive. If you didn’t receive understanding, then be understanding with others. If you felt pain of loneliness come close to those who are alone, flesh is cured by flesh and God became flesh in order to cure us, let’s do the same ourselves”..

After the meeting with young people, a short time with the bishops of Kenya, the Pope left Kenya.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

South Sudan: What China Hopes to Achieve With First Peacekeeping Mission

China started deploying hundreds of troops to South Sudan earlier this year to bolster the UN peace mission in the country — the first ever Chinese infantry battalion to be sent on external peacekeeping operations.

As Africa’s biggest trading partner, China is perhaps more associated with deal-making rather than peacekeeping in the continent.

The country’s oil interests in South Sudan, the world’s newest state, are vast and largely kept hidden from view.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Xi in Africa as Continent Feels Most Pain From China Trade Slump

President Xi Jinping’s five-day trip to Africa comes as the continent suffers more than anywhere else from China’s slowing economic growth and an associated rout in the value of the region’s commodities exports.

Trade between the two slumped 18 percent in the first nine months of 2015 from a year earlier, the largest decline in China’s trade with the world’s continents, according to China’s commerce ministry.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Berlin: The EU28 Should Give Aid to Turkey

Sz, deputy minister Spahn questions European solidarity

(ANSA) — BERLIN — The German government calls on the EU’s 28 members to give Turkey financial aid to tackle with refugee crisis: “All member states should make their contribution to the 3 bn euro funding”, German deputy finance Minister Jens Spahn told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The EU as a whole should have a strong interest in a reliable agreement with Turkey.

“It’s also a matter of European solidarity”, he added.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Canadians Are Now Second-Class Citizens in Their Own Country

For years there have been complaints about the number of homeless on the streets of major cities because of the lack of affordable housing. Suddenly there are plenty of housing units for the 25,000 people who will be rushed into the country by February. No problem. In the coming months, vulnerable Canadians now living in low income housing will undoubtedly be forced to vacate their residences to make way for Syrians. And it strains credulity to believe Canadians on waiting lists for subsidized housing will not be affected by the influx of these so called refugees.

The welcoming of refugees from camps in countries where they are away from the fighting and safe takes precedence under the Trudeau government to the health and safety of Canadians. Jane Philpott, Canada’s Minister of Health, announced on Sunday that refugees with contagious diseases will be allowed to come to Canada as long their conditions are ‚”treatable.” How they will be forced to obtain necessary medical treatment was not explained.

For years we have been hearing about lengthy hospital waiting lists, hundreds of thousands of people unable to obtain a family doctor and about how the healthcare system needs fixing. Suddenly, there are enough doctors and medical resources for these refugees who will suffer from not only infectious diseases but who will have other medical conditions and will need help for mental health issues common from having previously been in a war zone.

Now apparently, our overtaxed healthcare system has sufficient room to treat these new arrivals. This is total BS and something will have to give. Canadians will take second place to the Syrians for scarce medical resources.

And the government must realize ISIS terrorists will be among these 25,000 new Canadians. They simply do not care.

[Comment: All part of the intentional destruction and destabilization of western nation states. Politicians work for the globalists, not the public. The media, a propaganda arm of the globalists, is used to fool the public in voting for the globalists choice of politician.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU Migration Deal With Turkey is Fraught With Risk

Europe’s leaders have been desperate to slow the flow of humanity on to the shores of the EU, and at first glance Turkey appears to be the clear winner in a deal agreed at a summit in Brussels.

The EU will pay an “initial” sum of €3bn (£2.1bn) towards the cost of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey, there will be renewed momentum in EU accession talks, and for 75 million Turkish citizens there is also the apparently real possibility of visa-free travel to Schengen countries by this time next year.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

EU to Relocate Sweden Asylum Seekers

Asylum seekers arriving by the thousands in the Scandinavian country.

Overwhelmed by a stream of migrants, Sweden will soon benefit from a “relocation” programme for some of its asylum seekers, the European Commissioner of Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos said Monday.

“Sweden is among the group of member states that has welcome the highest number of refugees this year,” Avramopoulos said at a press conference in Stockholm, adding that Sweden had made “tremendous efforts”.

In September, the EU unveiled a plan for redistributing nearly 160,000 migrants and refugees from frontline states Italy and Greece although so far only a small number have been relocated.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

France Scolded for ‘Round-ups’ of Refugees

A top prison inspector has slammed France for its response to the refugee crisis in Calais, stating that the policy of “unclogging” the ‘Jungle’ camp by flying migrants around the country must stop.

French prison inspector Adeline Hazan had harsh words for France about its treatment of the refugees in the New Jungle, a campsite in Calais that is home to around 4,500 migrants.

The “unclogging” is intended to spread the refugees across the country to ease pressure on the Calais bottleneck as more migrants move into the port city in the hopes of crossing the Channel to get to the UK.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Islamist Groups Targeting Newly Arrived Refugees, Says German Official

German security officials have warned that local Islamist extremists are targeting newly arrived refugees with promises to help them integrate with the local Muslim community.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Le Soir: Greece Could be Suspended From Schengen

Countries and Brussels peeved at failure to establish hotspots

(ANSA) — BRUSSELS — There is growing irritation in Brussels and in the EU countries over the failure to establish hotspots, therefore Greece could be suspended from the Schengen area. The rumors were reported by the daily newspaper Le Soir.

Meanwhile, the EU’s health and food safety commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis, returning from Greek islands besieged by migrants, in a letter addressed to Juncker describes scenes of absolute despair, with people dying for lack of tents and blankets.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Refugees Reach Sweden in an Inflatable Boat

Five refugees are believed to have travelled to southern Sweden in an inflatable boat, as part of efforts to avoid border controls.

The refugees were discovered in a rubber boat in Skillinge harbour in Skåne, according to a classified intelligence report first seen by Swedish broadsheet Dagens Nyheter (DN).

They are understood to be the first group to be caught attempting to bypass newly toughened border controls by sailing to Sweden in this kind of boat.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Slovakia in Legal Challenge to Migrant Quotas

Premier, vote of EU interior ministers is invalid

(ANSA-AP) — BRATISLAVA — Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, says his government has filed a complaint to challenge a European Union decision to redistribute 120,000 asylum-seekers among the bloc’s 28 nations.

Immediately after the refugee-sharing move was approved by EU ministers in September, Fico said Slovakia was not ready to accept the plan and was planning a legal complaint at an EU court in Luxembourg.

Slovakia voted against the plan along with the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary. Slovakia has not been hit by the recent wave of migrants heading for Germany and other rich Western countries.

Fico said the complaint was filed Wednesday morning and asks the court to rule that the decision taken by a majority vote of EU interior ministers is invalid.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Gloats as Europe Threatens Greece With Schengen Expulsion Over Refugee Response

This weekend, Europe generously rewarded Turkey with a wire transfer of €3 billion (more coming) in soon to be ebmezzled funds over the country’s “proactive” stance in limiting the outflow of refugees originating from its territory. When we first reported on this modest bribe by the European Union, we said that “next we look forward to learn how much that other key entry gateway of the migrant pathway into Europe — Greece — will demand, now that the EU’s desperate starting bid to halt the refugee flow has been revealed.”

Unfortunately, when it comes to negotiations, Greece always manages to screw things up especially now that, as a vassal state of Europe, it has absolutely no leverage. As a result, its starting bid is not only zero, it is effectively negative because as the FT reports (in a piece show title was curiously changed from “Greece threatened with Schengen suspension over migrant response” to “Greece warned EU will reimpose border controls”), unlike the carrot approach used by the EU in dealing with Turkey, Europe has decided that the stick is far more appropriate when dealing with Greece and as the FT writes, “the EU is warning Greece it faces suspension from the Schengen passport-free travel zone unless it overhauls its response to the migration crisis by mid-December, as frustration mounts over Athens’ reluctance to accept outside support.”

In other words, not only do the Greeks suffer under the weight of 700,000 refugees crossing into its borders from Turkey and headed for a “welcoming Germany” which is no longer welcoming… now they have to suffer the indignity of being ostracized by their own European partners who are being remarkably generous with non-EU member Turkey, which may very well be funding ISIS by paying for Islamic State oil and thus perpetuating the refugee crisis, while threatening to relegate Greece into the 4th world, and with visa requirements to get into Europe to boot!

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Global Warming Hoax Unravels… Globalist Science Fraud Engineered to Control Humanity, Not Save It

(NaturalNews) The global warming being pushed on us by global governments is a science fraud. The satellite data purported to show a warming “trend” over the last hundred years has been fraudulently altered to show a warming trend where none exists.

What the data really show are an obvious cooling trend over the last hundred years (see below). But because this cooling trend doesn’t fit the globalist agenda of enslaving the population under a system of absolute behavioral control, the data had to be altered to fit the government narrative of global warming / climate change.

I used to casually believe the global warming narrative, but when I took a closer look at the data and motivations of those pushing the global warming agenda, it became obvious to me that global warming is a massive scientific hoax being perpetrated for political reasons.

I’ve just posted a podcast that explains the systemic fraud and deception being carried out by “climate change alarmists” in their effort to enslave all of humanity under globalist regulatory control that would dictate all human activity (including breathing).

In this podcast, shown below, I cover:

  • The utterly false premise that any government wants to “help the people” or “save the planet.” History shows that governments only exist to expand their power, crushing freedom in the process.
  • The fake media’s false narrative and why the mainstream media is nothing more than a puppet for totalitarian government.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Many Worlds, Subterranean Edition

One of the richest lines of research for those thinking about life beyond Earth has been the world of microscopic creatures that live in especially extreme and hostile environments here. The realm of extremophiles has exploded in roughly the period that exoplanet discoveries have exploded, and both serve to significantly change our view of what’s possible in nature writ large.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/2/2015

  1. “……… his son was a devout Muslim who prayed regularly”

    That’s the duty of a devout muslim: to massacre the infidels / kuffar and leave them discuss stupidly about the absence of motive.

  2. If Democrats wish to parrot their Dear Leader’s denials that these attacks have
    anything at all to do with the “peaceful” religion of Mohammed, that is their
    privilege. Oh, there have been other attacks, quickly labeled “workplace violence”.
    Too quickly. When the perpetrators are screaming “Allahu Ackbar” while shooting
    innocent people – well – duh!

    If you believe those were “workplace violence”, there’s a bridge they would just
    love to sell you; along with that seaside land in Arizona they can’t find a sucker to
    buy.

    Pay attention. Believe your lying eyes, and not the lying lips of the Obamabots in
    the mainstream media.

    We’re old and on our way out of this mortal coil sooner than later. Our ancestors
    put the example before us that cowards die a thousand deaths; but the valiant
    never taste of death but once.

    If the younger people coming on up don’t hear us; it’s only because they have been
    lulled by the siren song of Hussein Obama & Company. – We’re counting the days
    until his term is up and hoping he won’t gin up a race war before that can happen
    peacefully.

  3. His family said he was a ‘devout Muslim’. What could he have been praying for the outcome of the ‘teachings of the prophet’ as laid down in the Quran, the Suras and the Hadieths? Which I refer to as the Muslim Manifestos

  4. Charming behaviour!

    Recently, clashes erupted at the Greek-Macedonian border. They involved hundreds of pakistani migrants who were attempting to force a passage to continue to Western Europe. They blocked many refugees from syria and other nations, at the border, denouncing double standards in the treatment of applicants within Europe. Their action was accompanied by songs , one of which a simple refrain : “If we do not pass, no one will !”
    original in French

    https://francais.rt.com/international/11520-leurope-exclut-migrants-pakistan-renvoie-illico-europe

  5. JD, it’s difficult to choose from among your many posts here, but really, not everything that happens on this planet is a conspiracy. If it were, you’d be unable to trust your nearest and dearest (assuming you have such).

    • I do declare, Mr.H., you’re getting downright feisty, you are. That’s not a judgement, now, just an observation…you know how we Christians are loath to judge the likes of y’all. Just sayin’… 😉
      /irony

    • “Climate change” Its the end of the world again. The more powerful than God little brain baying. Very Islamic.

  6. I’d like to take a moment and spare a thought for South Africa and the good people down there. I was recently in Cape Town and the Western Cape and I loved it.

    I recommend that anyone with the means visit and enjoy it before it dries up and blows away.

Comments are closed.