A young man in downtown Brussels who was wearing a long overcoat with wires dangling from it aroused suspicion and was detained by police for four hours. However, it turned out that he was simply a physics student who was conducting an experiment measuring radiation, so he was released.
In other news, the French National Assembly has voted to extend the current state of emergency for another six months.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, JLH, MC, MM, Nick, Srdja Trifkovic, Upananda Brahmachari, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
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Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Italy: ABI Chief Patuelli Says Bank Stress Tests ‘Abstruse’
Banking chief also blasts news leaks
(ANSA) — Rome, July 20 — Antonio Patuelli, the head of Italian banking association ABI, on Wednesday blasted the stress tests European lenders are put to as “abstruse in content and method”. Patuelli also complained about the leaking of information on Italian banks, many which have been at the centre of turbulence on the financial markets due to concern about their exposure to non-performing loans. “If the news leaks came from private individuals, it would be possible to take legal action,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
D’Souza Offers a Look Inside Hillary’s America
In a July 20th interview with Rick Wiles of TRUNEWS, filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza spoke with the host about his recent upcoming movie release, “Hillary’s America”.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Restaurant Sees Surge in Business After Posting Controversial ‘Black Olives Matter’ Sign
The owner of an Italian restaurant in New Mexico says he’s seen a surge in business after posting a billboard that featured a food-centric pun playing off the Black Lives Matter slogan.
Rick Camuglia, owner of Paisano’s in Albuquerque, posted what he thought would be a well-received joke on the marquee sign in front of his restaurant last week. It read:
“BLACK OLIVES MATTER — TRY OUR TAPENADE.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Melania Trump Speechwriter Admits ‘Mistake’ In Lifting Michelle Obama Lines
A speechwriter for Melania Trump took the blame Wednesday for lifting passages from a 2008 Michelle Obama speech, admitting she made a “mistake” — while saying she offered her resignation, but it was rejected.
In a written apology put out by the Donald Trump campaign responding to the furor, a self-described “in house staff writer” at the Trump Organization named Meredith McIver said she worked with Melania Trump on her opening-night convention speech.
She said that she wrote down passages from the first lady’s speech during planning discussions, after Melania Trump mentioned them as the kind of message she wanted to share.
“I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech,” she said. “I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.”
The statement comes after Trump campaign officials repeatedly denied plagiarism charges a day earlier, and downplayed the controversy over the strikingly similar passages.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pokémon Go-Playing Driver After Hitting Police Car: ‘That’s What I Get for Playing’
Not surprisingly, playing Pokémon Go while driving is a poor idea. That was demonstrated early Monday in Southeast Baltimore.
Three police officers were standing outside their patrol car, parked nearby Patterson Park. About 3:30 a.m., according to body-camera footage, a Toyota RAV4 moving down the street side-swiped the parked police car.
Officers leaped aside, then went to check on the folks who were in the vehicle. The side of the RAV4 that hit the police car appeared damaged. “You guys okay?” one officer asked.
A young man stepped out of the driver’s seat as the other passengers stayed inside. He lifted his phone up to show the telltale Pokémon Go app. “That’s what I get for playing this dumb a— game,” the driver said, shaking his head.
Frustrated, the driver did not respond to the officer. Another passenger said they were fine. The video ends with a Baltimore police warning: “Don’t Drive Distracted #PlaySafe.” There’s a “no” sign over an eager hand clutching a phone with Pokémon Go open.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Three cops dead in Baton Rouge, and the analogies to the 1960s deepen.
by Heather Mac Donald
It is possible that the Dallas killers and the Baton Rouge killers had not heard Obama’s most recent speeches on criminal-justice racism, or even the many that preceded them. But even if the cop murderers had not encountered Obama’s exact words, the influence of his rhetoric on the hatred in the streets is absolute. Obama’s imprimatur on the Black Lives Matter demagoguery gives it enormous additional thrust and legitimacy, echoing throughout public discourse into the most isolated corners of the inner city.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Could Face Headwinds in Ohio — But GOP Insiders Push for Unity
Donald Trump’s party in Cleveland this week is about to kick into high gear — but unless the Republican presidential nominee can bridge the rift with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Trump’s chances of carrying the key battleground state will remain in doubt.
There are signs, however, that some top Ohio Republicans are parting with Trump’s former rival in his refusal to help elect the billionaire businessman, realizing their support may be key in a contest that polls indicate will be tight.
“I think the state delegation is coming together, and the more and more I’m with them, I realize that,” Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, told FoxNews.com Wednesday in Cleveland. “If the election were held today, Trump would win.”
He seemed to nudge Kasich, saying, “This is a team sport. The team has to come together.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
US Election 2016: Who Are the Next Generation of Trumps?
“Congratulations, Dad, we love you!” shouted Donald Trump Jr.
His father had just clinched the presidential nomination at the Republican Party Convention in Cleveland.
The 38-year-old was among four of Mr Trump’s five children in attendance.
His offspring are taking on an increasingly visible role in his campaign — but who are they?
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
What, Congressman Steve King Asks, Have Nonwhites Done for Civilization?
Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, questioned the historical contributions of nonwhite “subgroups” during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday, igniting swift backlash online.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Cemetery Asks Pokémon Players to Hunt ‘Piously’
Graveyard authorities in Vienna have pleaded with Pokémon Go players to act ‘piously’ and not to climb over graves while hunting pokémons around the holy sites.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian Police Detains Physics Student Amid Brussels Bomb Scare
A man detained by Belgian police in Brussels after a four-hour security operation at a parking lot near Place de la Monnaie turned out to be a physics student who was measuring radiation.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A physics student was detained on Wednesday in central Brussels after four-hour security operation by Belgian police, local media reported.
The man was isolated at a parking lot near Place de la Monnaie after a security officer spotted wires hanging from his long coat.
Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported that the suspect turned out to be a physics student measuring radiation. The security operation has been wrapped up, according to the outlet.
The area was put on lockdown and a security cordon was set up in part of the square. People were evacuated from the nearby library and several shops. Bomb squads and firefighters were called to the scene .
High security measures have been in place in the Belgian capital after terrorist attacks at the airport and nearby metro station killed 32 people and injured dozens.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
British Airman Attacked by Knife-Wielding Assailants at RAF Base ‘In Possible ISIS Attack’
Police hunt two knifemen who attacked British airman outside RAF base that is home to Tornado jets bombing ISIS ‘in possible terror attack’
Two knifemen are on the run after threatening a British airman outside an RAF base home to jets bombing the Islamic State.
RAF Marham, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was reportedly placed on lockdown after the serviceman was approached by the blade-wielding assailants at around 3.30pm yesterday.
Police would not comment on whether the incident was terror related but a source told the Sun that there was a ‘strong possibility’ this was a terror attack, adding ‘this could’ve been a lot more serious’…
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Five Million Danish ID Numbers Sent to Chinese Firm
If you lived in Denmark between 2010 and 2012, it’s almost certain that your personal identification number (CPR number) and health information ended up in the hands of a Chinese company.
The Danish Data Protection Agency (Datatilsynet) said on Wednesday that the CPR numbers of 5,282,616 people were mistakenly delivered to the Chinese Visa Application Centre, a Copenhagen-based Chinese company.
A package sent by the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI) to Statistics Denmark in February 2015 contained two CDs with the CPR number and health information of over 5 million residents who lived in Denmark between 2010 and 2012. The package, sent by registered mail, was “delivered to the Chinese Visa Application Centre” by mistake, Datatilsynet wrote.
When the letter later made its way to Statistics Denmark, the data agency said that it had been opened.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
‘France is Creating the Best Marketing ISIS Could Wish for’
When French political leaders talk of “war” and “a battle against radical Islam” after the Nice truck killings they are simply playing into the hands of Isis, argues French sociologist and Islam expert Raphael Liogier.
There was a familiar reaction among French politicians after the Nice truck rampage — the third major terrorist attack in France in just 18 months.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
France Votes to Keep State of Emergency for Six Months
Lawmakers in the French parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to extend the state of emergency for a further six months.
France’s National Assembly voted by a huge majority early Wednesday for a proposed law that would extend the state of emergency for six months following last week’s massacre in Nice.
The state of emergency has been in place since the Paris attacks in November, and the extension would see the measures — which give the police extra powers to carry out searches and place people under house arrest — remain in place until the end of January 2017.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Ex-Priest Gets Eight Years for Child Rape
Also producing child porn of victim aged 11
(ANSA) — Bari, July 20 — A Bari judge on Wednesday sentenced a former priest and soccer coach to eight years in prison for aggravated child rape and child pornography.
Giovanni Trotta, 55, must also pay damages of 64,000 euros to the victim, aged 11 at the time.
The incidents took place in 2013 and 2014.
The court also handed Trotta a life ban from holding public office, from working in the school system, and from any public or private office were minors are present.
After he serves his time, Trotta will be banned from approaching any place where minors are present and from holding jobs involving contacts with minors for a year.
The former priest sexually abused the child while boasting that he was a clergyman although he’d been defrocked years ago and while promising him a modeling career and a tryout with “an important Rome football club”, the prosecution said.
Trotta has been in jail since his arrest in April 2015.
He is currently under investigation on separate child rape and child porn charges for luring seven boys aged 12 to 13 from from chat rooms to his home.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
May Heads to Berlin and Paris for Pre-Brexit Talks
The new British prime minister, Theresa May, is heading to Berlin on Wednesday (20 July) for “frank and open” discussions on Brexit.
A week after taking office, May will have a working dinner with chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday evening, before going to Paris to discuss Britain’s exit from the EU with president Francois Hollande on Thursday.
“I do not underestimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the European Union and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful negotiation,” May said ahead of her trip.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Must Call EU Referendum to ‘Regain Control’ Of Borders, Says Dutch Politician
A ‘NEXIT’ referendum on whether the Netherlands should leave the European Union must be called to allow the country to “regain control” of its borders, a Dutch politician has demanded.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Man, 34, Charged Over Stockholm Metro ‘Attack’
A 34-year-old man is facing trial in a case which grabbed global headlines this summer after he allegedly pushed another man in front of a train at Stockholm’s central underground station.
Police launched a probe into suspected attempted murder after a 23-year-old man was pushed onto the tracks at the T-centralen metro station on May 31st.
They seized another man the following day after residents in the Rinkeby suburb recognized him from CCTV images released by police.
The victim’s girlfriend, who witnessed the incident, said the alleged attack had been unprovoked.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Three French Soldiers Killed in Libya
Gov’t admits to military presence for the first time
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, JULY 20 — The French defense ministry on Wednesday said that three of its soldiers had died on a mission in Libya.
The announcement marks the first time the government has admitted to the presence of French soldiers in the country. The ministry did not provide further details on how or when the soldiers died. AP had on Tuesday reported the death of two soldiers, saying that they were from French Special Forces and had been on a helicopter shot down by Libyan militias near Benghazi on Sunday.
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his condolences over the death of the three, praising the “courage and dedication of these soldiers involved in active service for France, who every day carry out dangerous anti-terrorism missions”. The spokesperson did not confirm the presence of French soldiers on the helicopter shot down on Sunday.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Did Turkey Help Gaza Terrorists Fire Rockets at Israel?
A series of internal Turkish government emails released by the Wikileaks site include what appear to be instructions to Palestinian terrorists on how to conceal their rockets from Israeli airstrikes.
The “AKP Email Archive” was released by the whistleblower website in the aftermath of the attempted military coup against the rule of the Islamist AKP party and its leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan has used the coup — which was promptly quashed in a single day — to purge all state and public institutions of his rivals.
Some commentators and even world leaders have already suggested the coup — or at least the purge lists — may have been pre-planned by Erdogan as a way to get rid of his opponents. Since rising to power the Islamist leader has worked hard to consolidate his power at all costs, jailing and suing journalists, opposition figures and anyone critical of him or his party.
Wikileaks appears to be using the leak as a means of hitting back at what it sees as Erdogan’s attacks on democracy.
In one of the emails, entitled “Our missile tactics in Palestine,” a sender from Turkey — who appears to be named Osman Kastamonulu, but who uses the name of a Turkish singer as his email address — emails “palestine.copenhagen@gmail.com” to advise on how to hide rockets from Israeli jets.[…]
[The rotten heart of NATO]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
by Srdja Trifkovic
Last Saturday, during lunch with Scott Richert and Aaron Wolf at Rockford’s Prairie Street Brewhouse, I expressed suspicion that the coup in Turkey—just over 24 hours old at that time, and in the final stages of collapse—was Erdogan’s Reichstag fire: a stage-managed event, carried out by clueless stooges, meant to enhance the power of the manipulative autocrat who was its ostensible target.
My initial hunch was based on what little was known at the time, but even that indicated the plotters’ spectacular ineptitude. They did not broadcast any proclamation or statement when they had a chance to do so on Friday evening—e.g. on the state owned TRT network or on CNN Türk, both of which they occupied for several hours—as if they did not realize that declaring one’s objectives and creating the impression of irreversible momentum in one’s favor is the key to a successful coup d’etat. They did not attempt to secure control over major airports and other key transportation hubs, except for a brief appearance at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport which they left just in time for Erdogan’s plane to land on return from the Aegean coast. They entered the empty parliament building in Ankara, but they did not occupy the massive and lightly guarded presidential palace complex.
?ore significantly, it seemed inexplicable that the putschists did not try to isolate, arrest, or kill President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, or his prime minister, or any of some two-dozen senior government ministers and key AKP leaders. This baffling blunder (if that is what it was) enabled Erdogan to rally his supporters via smartphone broadcast and get them en masse into the streets. Aggressive pro-government crowds then confronted demoralized tank crews which were blocking (to no visible purpose) Istanbul’s key bridges and some of Ankara’s public buildings. Many of those soldiers were unaware of the proceedings in which they were supposed to play a key role, having been told by their officers that they were taking part in military exercises…
| — Hat tip: Srdja Trifkovic | [Return to headlines] |
Genocide in Homeland Exposes Rift in Iraqi-American Christian Community
The persecution of Christians in Iraq and Syria has exposed a rift among the half-million Chaldeans in the U.S., igniting furious debate as to whether the religious minority — subjects of ongoing genocide at the hands of ISIS — should remain in their ancestral home or seek asylum abroad.
According to leaders within the Chaldean community, which is an Iraq branch of the Catholic Church, there are two opposing factions within the religious community. One is led by Baghdad-based Patriarch Sako, who closely aligns under the governance of Pope Francis and holds particular influence among the 250,000 Chaldeans located in the Detroit area. Sako urges Chaldeans to hold fast to their bloody homeland.
Then there is the other side helmed by Bishop Sarhad Jammo, who until last week presided over Southern California’s 150,000-plus Chaldean community. Jammo advocated for Chaldeans to flee the war zone for their own survival. The two metropolitan regions host roughly 80 percent of American Chaldeans.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Is Incirlik Air Base Being Held Hostage by Turkey?
For a fifth consecutive day, Turkey has intentionally withheld power and vital supplies from the U.S.-NATO joint installation Incirlik Air Base.
According to our sources, verified by TRUNEWS as parents and spouses of U.S. airmen currently stationed at Incirlik Air Base, no supplies have been flown or driven into the installation since Saturday, food and water are being strictly rationed, and only one week of fuel reserves remain to power their electric generators.
| — Hat tip: Nick | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Declares Three Month State of Emergency: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced late on July 20 a nationwide three-month state of emergency after the July 15 failed coup.
“The purpose of the state of emergency is to most effectively and swiftly take steps necessary to eliminate the threat to democracy in our country, the rule of law, and the rights and freedom of our citizens,” Erdogan said.
After back-to-back National Security Council and Cabinet meetings — the first since the coup — Erdogan made a statement saying the three-month state of emergency was being declared under Article 120 of the Turkish Constitution.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Over 10 Mn Hindus Left Bangladesh in Last 49 Years: Economist Dr Abul Barkat
On an average 632 Hindus left Bangladesh per day in the last 49 years from 1964 to 2013. As such 1,13,03,320 Hindu minorities have left Bangladesh due to Islamic persecution.
Atul Brahmachari | HENB | Dhaka | July 19, 2016:: In his recent paper entitled as “Seventh Five Year Planning (2016-20) in Bangladesh: The Dream and Reality”, the eminent Economist Prof. Dr. Abul Barkat told that over 1.1 Crore (over 11 million) Hindus had left Bangladesh under Religious persecution and discriminations from 1964 to 2013.
Prof. Barkat was speaking to a Seminar at Rajshahi University in Bangladesh on Sunday (17.07.2016) for divulging the pointers of poverty alleviation, elimination of discrimination and economic development for all. The seminar was jointly organised by Bangladesh Economic Forum and Economics Department of Rajshahi University.
Clarifying his view Dr. Barkat expressed that the GDP and consideration of economic development in current parameters were unable to find any direct connection to change the status of the economically vulnerable groups. In most of the cases such data deliverance did not any good for the minorities, tribal and marginal people in Bangladesh.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Ansar Al-Khilafah Brazil Group Pledges Allegiance to ISIS
Following up on yesterday’s post , the Daily Mail reports on Fears for Rio Olympics terror attack as Brazilian extremists become first group in South America to pledge allegiance to ISIS…
| — Hat tip: JLH | [Return to headlines] |
European Ships Rescue 3,200 Migrants in One Day
British, Irish, Italian and Spanish vessels taking part in an EU naval mission Tuesday rescued 3,200 people from a flotilla of 26 overcrowded boats off the coast of Libya, Reuters reports. The Italian coastguard said migrant smugglers had increased activity on the route due to calm weather. Some 80,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea as of 18 July compared with 83,000 in the same period last year, Reuters said.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Flow of Cuban Migrants to U.S. Dramatically Increased After Normalization of Relations
The number of undocumented Cuban migrants arriving in the U.S. has quintupled over the past five years, increasing dramatically after the December 2014 announcement by Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro of a normalization of relations between Washington and Havana.
Fewer than 8,000 Cubans reached the U.S. in the 2011 fiscal year, compared with more than 44,000 so far in fiscal 2016, which ends Sept. 30, Customs and Border Protection told EFE Tuesday.
Some 60 migrants arrived in the Florida Keys in a 48-hour period earlier this week, all of them aboard barely seaworthy rafts and boats.
Cubans embark on the arduous and often dangerous journey knowing that thanks to the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, they are virtually assured of being able to remain in the United States.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Merkel Chief of Staff: Refugees Don’t Pose Higher Terror Risk
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Chief of Staff Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday evening in response to the Würzburg axe attack that refugees are no more likely than anyone else to commit terrorist atrocities.
All the evidence from the last 12 months shows that the danger of terrorism posed by refugees “is not larger or smaller than that in the rest of the population”, Altmaier told broadcaster ZDF.
The chief of staff was making the comment after a 17-year-old who had arrived in Germany in 2015 claiming to have fled from Afghanistan, attacked passengers with an axe on a train near Würzburg, seriously injuring four people.
Investigators believe it is very likely that there was a religious motive to the attack, as the teenager was heard to shout “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) on several occasions.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Many Refugees in Germany Lack Training or Education: Report
The level of education among newly arrived migrants in Germany is lower than expected, according to the Federal Labor Office. A quarter have a high school diploma, while three quarters have no vocational training at all.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 3,200 Boat Migrants Rescued: Italian Coast Guard
The latest arrivals take the number of migrants to have landed in Italy this year to more than 80,000.
One person was found dead during the rescue efforts, said the coastguard on Wednesday, which coordinated the missions conducted by the Italian navy and coastguard, the EU’s Eunavfor Med mission and NGOs such as MSF, Sea Watch and MOAS.
The latest arrivals take the number of migrants to have landed in Italy this year to more than 80,000, according to the UN’s refugee agency. Most of them are Africans.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Darwin Award coming up