Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/14/2017

Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker off the Horn of Africa, the first hijacking of a commercial vessel since 2012. The incident is widely seen as a test of Donald Trump’s leadership.

In other news, on the eve of the Dutch elections, Geert Wilders called for the Turkish ambassador to be expelled from the Netherlands. Mr. Wilders also referred to pro-Turkish rioters as “scum”.

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

Thanks to Fjordman, JD, Reader from Chicago, Salome, 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
» Dutch Election News: Euro Set to Fall Amid Election Result Chaos
» EU Workers Worse Off as Real Wages Fall in Seven Countries
» How the Federal Reserve is Setting Up Trump for a Recession, A Housing Crisis and a Stock Market Crash
 
USA
» Assange: Hillary, Intel Officials Plotting Pence Takeover
» Congress Considers Bill to “Stop Arming Terrorists”
» How Trump Can Gut ObamaCare Without Congress
» Mattis Withdraws Pentagon Pick Seen as Muslim Brotherhood Supporter
» Muslim Hacking Suspects Could Read Every Email Dozens of Congressmen Sent and Received
» Selfie of White Joggers in African American Neighborhood Sets Off Debate, And Quest for Understanding
» Slopes by US Capitol ‘Open’ For Sledging
» States Aren’t Waiting for Trump to Seek Funds for Infrastructure
» The End of Taxpayer-Funded Public Broadcasting?
» Top Marine Grilled by Senators Over Nude Photo Scandal
» Trappist-1 Worlds Are Close Enough for Life to Hop Between Them
» Trump Orders Review of Government Structure to Cut Size, Cost
» Trump Prepares to Cut Payments to UN by More Than 50 Per Cent
 
Europe and the EU
» ‘A Haunting Spectre’ Fears Le Pen Will Break the Block as Populism Spreads Across Europe
» Brexiteers Hailed by Le Pen for Showing France Way Out of EU
» Catalonia is Still Pushing for an Independence Vote That Spain Calls Illegal
» Czech Zoo to Saw Off Rhino Horns After French Killing
» Despite Brexit, Globalist EU Expands Transnational Military
» ENI Official Sees Potential of Gas Discoveries Off Cyprus
» EU Bans Islamic Headscarf, Sparking Angry Protest From Soros-Funded Group
» EU Parliament Toughens Gun Laws
» Farage: Mediterranean People Would ‘Spit on the Floor’ At Merkel
» France: François Fillon Charged With Several Offences Linked to ‘Fake Jobs’ Scandal
» France: the Woman Who Would be President
» Free Speech Under Attack at UK Colleges, Report Says
» French Left Outraged Online Over Massacre of Camembert Cheese
» French Presidential Candidate Francois Fillon Charged in Jobs Probe
» Geert Wilders: Expel Turkish Ambassador From Netherlands
» Geert Wilders Calls Pro-Turkish Rioters ‘Scum’ Hours Before Polls Open
» German State Bans Foreign Officials Campaigning Amid Turkey Row
» Germany to Force Facebook, Twitter to Delete Hate Speech
» Germany: Proposed Law Would Fine Facebook Up to €50 Million for Hate Speech
» Germany: 300 Officers Raid Mosque and Suspected ‘Hotspot for Radical Islamists’
» German State of Saarland Bans All Political Campaigning by Foreign Officials
» German Police Carry Out Raids on Islamists in Hildesheim
» Germany Plans to Fine Social Sites That Don’t Remove Hate Speech
» How Urine Could Help Astronauts Grow Food in Space
» Is This 400,000-Year-Old Hominin the Great Grandpa of Neanderthals?
» Islamic Veil Can be Banned in Workplace, Says EU Court
» Madrid: Scotland is Not Catalonia and Northern Ireland is Not Gibraltar
» Norwegian Teams Set New Record With 217-Minute Game
» Pictured: Huge Weapons Haul Seized by Spanish Police
» Sinn Fein Calls for Referendum on Northern Ireland Leaving the UK ‘As Soon as Possible’
» Spain Ex-Rail Boss Charged Over Santiago Train Crash That Killed 80
» Swedish Minister: Country Needs to Integrate Returning Islamic State Fighters
» Turkey Accuses Merkel of ‘Supporting Terrorists’
» Video: Marine Le Pen Smacks Down Reporter: ‘No One Trusts the Media’
» Video: Footprints of Italy’s Largest Dinosaur Discovered in Abruzzo
» What’s the Secret to Long Life? Have Children, Swedish Experts Say
» Why Those in the Poor Paris Suburbs Don’t Care About France’s Election
 
North Africa
» Egyptian Economic Crisis Leads to Increased Calls to Reduce the Country’s Birthrate
» Libya Military Strongman Claims Control of Key Eastern Oil Terminals
» On the Backdrop of Copts Fleeing Sinai, Egyptian Establishment, Al-Azhar Criticized for Helplessness in Dealing With ISIS, Discrimination of Copts
» Tunisians Protest Law That Allows Men Who Rape Underage Girls to Marry Their Victims Instead of Being Punished
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Intel’s Mobileye Deal Marks Israel as Autonomous Tech Hub
 
Middle East
» ISIS Faces Heavy, But Not Crushing Blow in Mosul
» Saudi Arabia Launches Girls’ Council — Without Any Girls
» The Arabs Know That the Moslem Brotherhood Are Terrorists
» Turkey Vows to Mobilize Islamic World Against Euro-Fascism
 
Russia
» Earth’s Lost History of Planet-Altering Eruptions Revealed
» Forest Prayers With Russia’s Polytheistic Mari
» Mission to Venus: NASA and Russia May Explore Hellish Planet Together
» The Abdication of Nicholas II Left Russia Without a Czar for the First Time in 300 Years
 
South Asia
» Cow Slaughter to be Punishable by Life Sentence in Gujarat
» Indonesia: Anger Over UK Ship’s Damage to Pristine Reef
» Kim Jong-Nam Death: Malaysia ‘To Deport 50 North Koreans’
» More Than 500 Sculptures to be Made for Cremation of Thailand’s Late King
» Rhino Horns Worth $5m Seized in Thailand Off Flight From Ethiopia
» Thai Junta Admits Defeat in Temple Raid
» The Intoxicating Drug of an Indian God
» The Surprising Discovery at Angkor Wat
» Why Does India Think Every Brown Woman With a White Man is Promiscuous?
 
Far East
» 2 Golden Escalators, 10 Aircraft, 500 Limos & 1200 Luxury Rooms: Saudi King’s Lavish Trip to Japan
» 3,300 Chinese Cruise Passengers Stage Boycott at South Korean Resort Amid Missile Shield Row
» China Ready to Neutralise THAAD, Retired PLA General Says
» China’s Political Propaganda Gets a Digital Makeover
» If You Like Japan’s Toilets, You’ll Love Their Bathtubs
» Japan and Saudi Arabia Ready to Accelerate Joint Projects and Set Up Special Economic Zones
» The Colourful Propaganda of Xinjiang
» US Buildup Near Korean Peninsula Aimed at ‘Incapacitating’ Kim: Report
 
Australia — Pacific
» Neighbours Turned Woman Away Just Before She Was Attacked With Machete, Court Told
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Officials Say Pirates Hijack Freighter in Latest Test for Trump
» Opinion: Hunger on the Horn of Africa is Not Caused by Climate Change
» Somali Pirates Suspected of First Ship Hijacking Since 2012
» UN Warns That 20 Million Face Starvation
 
Latin America
» Mexican Firm Bidding to Help Build Trump’s Wall: “It’s Not a Betrayal”
» US State Dept. Warns College Students Against Spring Break Travel to Mexico
 
Immigration
» Afghan Asylum Seekers Snuck Into the UK in Turban Scam
» After Drunken Driving Conviction, Government Wants to Deport Mexican Man for the 7th Time
» EU to Open Migration Centres in Africa Because Europe ‘Needs 6 Million Migrants’
» Hungary Forced to Pay Migrants by European Court of Human Rights
» Jihadis Using Religious Visa to Enter US, Experts Warn
» Le Pen: Open Borders Pushing France Towards Civil War
» Mass Invasion of Spain Reaches New Height
» Russia Wants Immigrants the World Doesn’t
» Spain Welcomed More Refugees Than Ever Before in 2016
» Turkey Says “Migrant Deal Has Ended”, May Unleash Millions of Refugees
 
Culture Wars
» #Resist: A Global Commie Totalitarian Movement
 
General
» How Humans Invented Numbers— And How Numbers Reshaped Our World
 

Dutch Election News: Euro Set to Fall Amid Election Result Chaos

THE euro could fall this week as the outcome of the March 15th Dutch election threatens to cast more doubts over the future of the EU.

Although last week’s European Central Bank (EBC) meeting gave the euro a boost, uncertainty about the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands has unsettled the currency.

The EUR/GBP exchange rate is sliding from an 8-week high to trend around 0.873, with GBP/EUR returning to 1.14. However, with the US dollar coming under pressure of its own, the EUR/USD exchange rate is still around a three-and-a-half week high of 1.067.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

EU Workers Worse Off as Real Wages Fall in Seven Countries

EU workers are worse off in seven countries as real wages have fallen every year since 2009, according to a new report.

Adjusted for inflation, workers in Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Portugal, Cyprus, the UK and Italy have seen their wages fall every year since 2009.

And the EU’s economic measures to tackle stagnant economic growth and European unemployment “unsatisfactory”, according to the report by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the European Trade Union Confederation.

Workers in Greece were hit “particularly hard” according to the the report, experiencing a fall in wages of -3.12 per cent, with real wages in Croatia falling by -1.06 per cent.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

How the Federal Reserve is Setting Up Trump for a Recession, A Housing Crisis and a Stock Market Crash

During the Obama years, the Federal Reserve pushed interest rates all the way to the floor, and this artificially boosted the economy. In a recent article, Gail Tverberg explained how this works…

With falling interest rates, monthly payments can be lower, even if prices of homes and cars rise. Thus, more people can afford homes and cars, and factories are less expensive to build. The whole economy is boosted by increased “demand” (really increased affordability) for high-priced goods, thanks to the lower monthly payments.

Asset prices, such as home prices and farm prices, can rise because the reduced interest rate for debt makes them more affordable to more buyers. Assets that people already own tend to inflate, making them feel richer. In fact, owners of assets such as homes can borrow part of the increased equity, giving them more spendable income for other things. This is part of what happened leading up to the financial crash of 2008.

But the opposite is also true.

When interest rates rise, borrowing money becomes more expensive and economic activity slows down.

For the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates right now is absolutely insane. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s most recent projection, GDP growth for the first quarter of 2017 is supposed to be an anemic 1.2 percent. Personally, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if we actually ended up with a negative number for the first quarter.

As Donald Trump has explained in detail, the U.S. economy is a complete mess right now, and we are teetering on the brink of a new recession.

So why in the world would the Fed raise rates unless they wanted to hurt Donald Trump?

Raising rates also threatens to bring on a new housing crisis. Interest rates were raised prior to the subprime mortgage meltdown in 2007 and 2008, and now we could see history repeat itself. When rates go higher, it becomes significantly more difficult for families to afford mortgage payments…

[Comment: Create the problem. Get the reaction. PRopose the solution… global centralization…more power and control in bankster hands.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Assange: Hillary, Intel Officials Plotting Pence Takeover

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange tweeted Tuesday morning that both Hillary Clinton and intelligence community officials are secretly plotting a Mike “Pence takeover” in the Oval Office.

“Clinton stated privately this month that she is quietly pushing for a Pence takeover,” Assange wrote. “She stated that Pence is predictable hence defeatable.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Congress Considers Bill to “Stop Arming Terrorists”

A bipartisan bill to prohibit U.S. taxpayer funding and arming of terrorist groups and their associates is making progress in Congress, most recently having a companion bill introduced in the Senate by popular liberty-minded U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The legislation, originally sponsored in the House by Democrat Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, takes aim at lawless U.S. government “regime change” schemes overseas that often involve providing money, weapons, training, and other support to savage terror organizations. High-profile voices on both sides of the aisle have joined forces to get the bill passed into law. Of course, aiding designated terror groups is already a serious crime, but for whatever reasons, the laws have not been enforced against federal officials.

In particular, the new legislation, known as H.R. 608 in the House, bans the provision of any assistance by the federal government to al-Qaeda, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and the Islamic State, sometimes known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. The “Stop Arming Terrorists Act,” as it is being dubbed, would also prohibit official U.S. aid to any individual or group affiliated with, associated with, or cooperating with any of the proscribed terror organizations. Finally, the legislation bans any funds to state sponsors of those groups, which would ensnare a number of ostensible U.S. government “allies.” The director of national intelligence would be in charge of making the determinations, in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees. Providing anything from cash and weapons to training and intelligence would be prohibited under the bill.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

How Trump Can Gut ObamaCare Without Congress

Could President Trump use executive orders to dismantle Obamacare? Perhaps, but lawsuits will follow, thwarting each executive order, as is happening with Trump’s immigration orders. Eventually the Supreme Court would weigh in. After John Roberts twisted himself into a legal pretzel to find Obamacare constitutional, I wouldn’t bet on him having a change of heart if Trump starts swinging a wrecking ball at Obamacare.

So how can President Trump activate the cancer which is buried within Obamacare? It won’t be a cancer doctor, but close. How about a bone cruncher, an orthopedic surgeon by the name of Tom Price?

Most don’t remember how “the Secretary” is sprinkled generously throughout the Affordable Care Act. Dormant cancer cells waiting to be activated. For a good summary, read Philip Klein’s excellent piece from 2010 in The American Spectator. When the bill was signed into law, Kathleen Sebelius was “the Secretary” of Health and Human Services. Not so today. Now it’s Dr. Price.

Within the bill there are 2,500 references to “the Secretary”. 700 times the Secretary “shall” do something, 200 times the Secretary “may” do something, and 139 occasions when the “Secretary determines” what should be done.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Mattis Withdraws Pentagon Pick Seen as Muslim Brotherhood Supporter

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has withdrawn his nominee for the Pentagon’s top civilian job after opposition from lawmakers concerned about her close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

A senior official confirmed to Fox News that Mattis pulled the nomination of former Ambassador Anne Patterson to be undersecretary of defense for policy. The move was first reported by the Washington Post.

Patterson was U.S. ambassador to Egypt between 2011 and 2013, when that country’s president, Mohamed Morsi, was overthrown by the military. Critics opposed her selection by Mattis on the grounds that she was too accommodating to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood during her tenure in Cairo.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Muslim Hacking Suspects Could Read Every Email Dozens of Congressmen Sent and Received

Congressional IT staffers who are the subject of a criminal investigation into misusing their positions had full access to members’ “correspondence, emails, confidential files,” and there was almost no tracking of what they did, a former House technology worker said.

Imran Awan bullied central IT to bend the rules for him so there wouldn’t be a paper trail about the unusually high permissions he was requesting. And their actions were not logged, so members have no way of knowing what information they may have taken, the central IT employee said.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Selfie of White Joggers in African American Neighborhood Sets Off Debate, And Quest for Understanding

The photo generated numerous comments on social media, with many expressing concerns about what they saw as the neighborhood’s changing demographics. For some blacks, the photo was a symbol of how they were losing clout in the neighborhood amid rising home values.

Los Angeles’ African American population has been declining for more than two decades. Latinos now make up the majority in many working-class South L.A. neighborhoods.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Slopes by US Capitol ‘Open’ For Sledging

After a decade-long ban, the slopes around Capitol Hill in Washington are now open to sledging. Congress overturned the law in early 2016 and Tuesday was the first time that city residents could take advantage of their new right. The city’s mayor even came out to take an official snow depth measurement.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

States Aren’t Waiting for Trump to Seek Funds for Infrastructure

Republican leaders from at least six states are pushing to raise gasoline taxes or other fees to pay for upgrading roads and bridges, saying they can’t count on President Donald Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan to deliver what they need.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

The End of Taxpayer-Funded Public Broadcasting?

The liberal media have always had an advantage over conservative media because of their billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. But now, if the Trump administration has its way with the budget, the liberal media may be reduced significantly in size.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Top Marine Grilled by Senators Over Nude Photo Scandal

The nation’s top Marine told a group of skeptical senators on Tuesday that he intends to make cultural changes at the service branch in response to the scandal over nude photo-sharing that has rocked the military.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Trappist-1 Worlds Are Close Enough for Life to Hop Between Them

The newly discovered planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system could be a playground for rock-riding microbes.

Three of the small, dim star’s seven planets orbit firmly within its habitable zone — the region with the right temperature to retain liquid water, thought to be a requisite for life. They keep close to each other, only a few times the distance between Earth and the moon, looming large in one another’s sky.

At such short distances, when a meteorite hits the surface of one of the planets, the resulting debris could make its way between them.

If bacteria or other forms of life stowed away on a piece of debris, they could hitch-hike between worlds in a process called panspermia. Some scientists believe life on Earth may have started this way, as microbial stowaways from Mars.

Now, Manasvi Lingam and Avi Loeb at Harvard University have determined that this sort of transfer is 1000 times more likely to occur between the TRAPPIST-1 planets than between Earth and Mars.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Orders Review of Government Structure to Cut Size, Cost

President Donald Trump ordered work to begin on a reorganization plan for the federal government to reduce its size and cost. “Today there is duplication and redundancy everywhere,” Trump said in an Oval Office signing ceremony on Monday. “Billions and billions of dollars are being wasted.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Prepares to Cut Payments to UN by More Than 50 Per Cent

PRESIDENT Trump’s administration is drafting plans to cut the nation’s payments into United Nations programmes by more than 50 per cent, it has been revealed.

The Republican firebrand is set to put forward his budget for the coming year on Thursday in a major sign of the world leader’s plans for the future.

And the former property mogul is expected to slash payments into the United nations by more than half in a dramatic move away from the nation’s former position of globalisation.

State department officials have been told to find the cuts ahead of the President’s Budget as he attempts to invest more funding in the military without raising taxes.

The US currently pays $10billion into the UN’s coffers — paying off membership fees as well as funding individual agencies and programmes such as peacekeeping operations.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘A Haunting Spectre’ Fears Le Pen Will Break the Block as Populism Spreads Across Europe

THERE are increasing fears among European Union supporters that Marine Le Pen will become the president of France.

A new research project has raised fresh debate over whether the Brussels elite can weather the political storms brewing around the bloc.

The spread of populism around Europe is damaging the dream of an EU superstate fancied by europhile politicians, sparking panic in socialist leaders who have been forced to tackle issues like migration.

Cross party think tank DEMOS has examined the resurgence of nationalism — questioning whether 2017 will be the year to bring European Union to its knees.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Brexiteers Hailed by Le Pen for Showing France Way Out of EU

MARINE Le Pen hailed Brexiteers for finding “the key to the jail” as she said the UK had shown France there is a way out of the European Union (EU).

The French presidential hopeful told Nigel Farage she admired Britain’s bold decision to leave the red-tape obsessed bloc.

Asked by the LBC host about what Brexit means for France, the Front National Party leader said it had paved a path for her country to follow.

The anti-EU politician said: “It’s a very strong signal, it shows there is at least one way of finding the keys to the jail.

“Because we have been told it’s impossible to leave the EU and the UK has just demonstrated that when people want it you can set up the conditions to exit the EU.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Catalonia is Still Pushing for an Independence Vote That Spain Calls Illegal

After years of limited autonomy under Spain, many Catalans are now asking for their right to self-determination.

But Spain is trying to block that move every step of the way, by declaring that the region’s separatist government cannot call a referendum on independence. And on March 3, a top legal advisory body in Barcelona ruled that the Catalan government”does not have the authority to … call a vote on the political future of Catalonia.”

Artur Mas is Catalonia’s former president (2010-2016) who defied Madrid by holding an unofficial vote in 2014. More than 80 percent of those who voted chose independence from Spain, but turnout was really low and opinion polls don’t give a clear read on the issue.

On March 13, a high court in Catalonia ruled that Mas had “perverted democratic principles,” according to El País newspaper, barred him from holding public office for two years and handed him an almost $40,000 fine.

Still determined, his allied successor leading the Catalan government plans to hold an independence referendum in September.

Mas, 61, visited The World newsroom recently (before the new court vertict) to talk with host Marco Werman about Catalonia’s political future.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Czech Zoo to Saw Off Rhino Horns After French Killing

A Czech zoo said Tuesday it would use a chainsaw to remove the horns from its herd of rare rhinos after a brutal attack last week in a French zoo where poachers shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns.

“It’s for the sake of rhino safety,” Andrea Jirousova, spokeswoman for the zoo in the central Czech town of Dvur Kralove nad Labem, told AFP.

“The attack (in France) put us on alert, the danger is really intense,” she said, but declined to reveal when the surgery would take place.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Despite Brexit, Globalist EU Expands Transnational Military

Despite the historic Brexit vote and soaring anti-European Union sentiment across the bloc, unelected EU bosses are moving forward with a plot to create a continental military force answerable only to the unaccountable superstate. In a throwback to the days of European imperialism, EU policymakers are already plotting to use their newly approved EU military headquarters in Brussels to providemore help to globalist institutions such as the United Nations as they occupy various African nations under the guise of “peace.” And despite British voters demanding that ties with the superstate be severed, efforts are being made to ensnare the United Kingdom’s armed forces in the latest EU military scheme.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

ENI Official Sees Potential of Gas Discoveries Off Cyprus

A senior official with Italy’s oil and gas company Eni says the discovery of a huge natural gas deposit in Egyptian waters has boosted hopes of other such finds in the eastern Mediterranean that could help meet Europe’s energy needs.

Eni SpA Chief Exploration Officer Luca Bertelli told a gas conference Tuesday that his company’s “milestone” discovery of Zohr, estimated to hold 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, has reinvigorated the interest of other major oil and gas companies in the region.

He said waters off Cyprus hold potential for new discoveries while exploration opportunities are coming up with Lebanon and Israel soon offering offshore areas, or blocks, to bidders for exploration licensing.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

EU Bans Islamic Headscarf, Sparking Angry Protest From Soros-Funded Group

A ruling by the European Union’s top court on Tuesday, which allows companies to bar staff from wearing Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols, has set off a storm of complaint from rights groups and religious leaders. With its first ruling on a hot political issue across Europe, the Court of Justice (ECJ) has found that a Belgian firm which had a rule barring employees who dealt with customers from wearing visible religious and political symbols “may not have discriminated” against a receptionist dismissed for wearing a headscarf.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU Parliament Toughens Gun Laws

European Union lawmakers have voted to toughen the bloc’s gun laws and close loopholes exploited by attackers in France.

The lawmakers passed the rules on Tuesday in a 491-178 vote, with 28 abstentions.

It will force EU countries to beef up laws on certain arms that fire blanks so they can’t be easily converted to use live ammunition and require permits from people wanting to buy one.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Farage: Mediterranean People Would ‘Spit on the Floor’ At Merkel

Due to a major winter storm that pounded Washington D.C. and the east coast, Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been postponed until Friday.

During an interview with Stuart Varney on the FOX Business Network, former UK Independence Party Leader and Fox News contributor Nigel Farage weighed in on Merkel and her role throughout Europe.

“She did save Greece, and she saved Italy, and Spain and the others because they’re all still in the Euro nearly ten years on. But you know what? Real leadership would have been to recognize during that crisis, that actually the Mediterranean countries were not suited ever, to join the Eurozone — it would only ever lead to massive unemployment and misery,” said Farage. “Real leadership is to recognize when you’ve got something wrong, rather than continuing to plow on with the same failing project.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

France: François Fillon Charged With Several Offences Linked to ‘Fake Jobs’ Scandal

French presidential candidate François Fillon was officially charged on Tuesday over the “fake jobs” scandal involving his British wife Penelope. The conservative is being investigated for various offences including misuse of public funds.

“He was charged this morning. The hearing was brought forward so that it could take place in a calm manner,” his lawyer Antonin Levy told AFP.

Fillon was also charged with misuse of corporate assets, he said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

France: the Woman Who Would be President

Is France’s Marine Le Pen far-right?

Marine Le Pen’s political awakening came at the age of eight, when she survived a bombing at her family’s Paris home.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Free Speech Under Attack at UK Colleges, Report Says

Censorship of free speech and cultures that have become increasingly “PC” are not just phenomena on campuses across the U.S. — a new report shows that they are also having a “chilling” effect on more than half the campuses in the United Kingdom.

The British Internet magazine spiked, which focuses on politics and society, released its third-annual report on campus censorship in the United Kingdom, and the results paint a grim picture.

The 2017 analysis showed that 63.5 percent of universities in the United Kingdom actively censor speech, and 30.5 percent stifle speech through excessive regulation, creating what the magazine calls a steady rise in censorship during the past three years. Only 6 percent of universities in the U.K., the study says, are “truly free.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

French Left Outraged Online Over Massacre of Camembert Cheese

French people are in uproar after a picture was posted online of a Camembert cheese that had clearly been cut in a flagrant violation of fromage etiquette.

The post on on the French page of the site Reddit was titled “How my mother cuts Camembert…” (Le manière dont ma mère coupe le camembert),

It was flooded with comments from French people, who reacted with a mixture of mockery and anger at the way the famous French cheese from Normandy had been cut. “We’ve guillotined people for less than that,” wrote Raleur Francais.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

French Presidential Candidate Francois Fillon Charged in Jobs Probe

PARIS — French presidential candidate Francois Fillon was given preliminary charges Tuesday in an investigation of taxpayer-funded jobs his wife and children received but allegedly never performed.

A top contender in a French presidential election never has reached such a critical step in a criminal investigation, yet Fillon has vowed to keep campaigning less than six weeks before the contest’s first round.

The charges further damage the image of the former prime minister, who used to tout his reputation for probity. And it further reduces his chances of winning the two-round April 23-May 7 presidential election in which he once was viewed as the leading contender.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Geert Wilders: Expel Turkish Ambassador From Netherlands

Courageous Dutch politician stands up to Turkish Islamofascists

Geert Wilders is all guns blazing in the finals days before critical elections in the Netherlands that will serve as a referendum on the Islamization of the country — and Turkey’s attempt to bully its way into the European Union.

On the heels of a violent Turkish uprising that started in Rotterdam this weekend, and was further exacerbated and encouraged by Turkey’s president Recep Erdogan, Wilders called for Turkey’s ambassador and staff to be ejected from Holland.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Geert Wilders Calls Pro-Turkish Rioters ‘Scum’ Hours Before Polls Open

GEERT Wilders has branded pro-Turkish supporters “scum” on the eve of the Dutch elections.

The far-right candidate made the claims following protests outside Rotterdam’s Turkish consulate as relations between the two nations continue to deteriorate.

Wilders also described the Netherland’s Labour Party’s slogan, “the Netherlands belongs to us all”, as “rubbish” and claimed “the Netherlands does not belong to all of us”.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

German State Bans Foreign Officials Campaigning Amid Turkey Row

The state of Saarland said on Tuesday it would ban foreign officials from holding election rallies on its soil amid a raging dispute with Turkey over campaigning for a pivotal referendum.

“After the recent debate about campaign appearances of Turkish government officials in Germany, Saarland will ban such appearances,” the southwestern region said in a statement.

Turkey has been waging a war of words with its NATO partner Germany, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing it of “Nazi practices” after several German towns blocked rallies by Turkish ministers campaigning in favour of the referendum to expand the president’s powers.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germany to Force Facebook, Twitter to Delete Hate Speech

The German government has announced new plans to force social media sites to delete hate speech and fake news. Justice Minister Heiko Maas said Facebook and Twitter had failed to regulate themselves.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Proposed Law Would Fine Facebook Up to €50 Million for Hate Speech

The Justice Minister proposed a law on Tuesday that could see social networks such as Facebook slapped with heavy fines if they fail to wipe illegal hate speech from their sites.

Justice Minister, Heiko Maas, who has been highly critical of Facebook’s efforts to clamp down on outlawed racist and xenophobic posts and comments, said the new measures could carry penalties against the offending company of up to €50 million.

He noted the draft law, which would still require the approval of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet and then the parliament, followed several months in which companies had been allowed to take voluntary measures.

“These have proved insufficient, and they (the posts) are not being deleted quickly enough,” Maas told reporters, citing data provided by internet watchdog jugendschutz.net.

A surge of hate speech on Facebook and other social media in Germany has raised the political heat on the companies ahead of a general election in September.

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Germany: 300 Officers Raid Mosque and Suspected ‘Hotspot for Radical Islamists’

Police in Lower Saxony launched a major raid on Tuesday morning on the organization “German-speaking Islamic Circle”, which officials believe to be a “hotspot for the radical Salafist scene”.

Around 370 officers took part in the raids beginning at 6am on the nationally active “German-speaking Islamic Circle” (DIK) in Hildesheim. The state interior ministry also placed a ban on the group on Tuesday.

Berlin Christmas market attacker Anis Amri, who killed 12 people in an Isis-claimed terror act in December, had also stayed with the group in February 2016.

According to officials, ‘hate preachers’ who were part of the group radicalized Muslims and encouraged them to become jihadist fighters in war-torn areas.

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German State of Saarland Bans All Political Campaigning by Foreign Officials

Saarland’s State Premier, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, said that Turkey’s referendum campaigns “put at risk domestic peace.” The move comes as the row between Ankara and European countries continues to escalate.

The small western German of Saarland moved on Tuesday to ban all foreign politicians from campaigning in the state.

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German Police Carry Out Raids on Islamists in Hildesheim

The ban of the Islamist DIK group in Hildesheim has prompted police raids on the city’s Islamists. Anis Amri, perpetrator of the deadly Berlin Christmas market attack, had been a member of Salafist circles there.

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Germany Plans to Fine Social Sites That Don’t Remove Hate Speech

Germany’s Justice Minister on Tuesday put forward a new draft law calling for social networks like Facebook to remove slanderous or threatening online postings quickly or face fines of up to 50 million euros ($53.15 million).

“This (draft law) sets out binding standards for the way operators of social networks deal with complaints and obliges them to delete criminal content,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement announcing the plans.

Failing to comply could result in a fine of up to five million euros on the individual deemed responsible for the company in Germany and 50 million euros ($53 million) against the organizations themselves, he said.

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How Urine Could Help Astronauts Grow Food in Space

If you want to be one of the first human beings to visit Mars, you better have a strong stomach. Scientists in Germany are testing ways in which urine and sweat could help astronauts grow food on the Red Planet.

Most food for missions to the International Space Station are brought as cargo from Earth. However, longer-duration space missions, such as those to Mars, will need a self-sustaining food supply, scientists have said. Jens Hauslage, a plant physiologist at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is researching how to grow food in space, including a test system that involves a tank of urine and a tomato plant, the BBCreported.

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Is This 400,000-Year-Old Hominin the Great Grandpa of Neanderthals?

A newfound, 400,000-year-old hominin skull has a few telltale features suggesting that it’s more of a Neanderthal than a Homo sapiens relation, a new study finds.

The cranium, discovered in a Portuguese cave, is helping anthropologists understand how hominins, particularly Neanderthals, evolved during the middle Pleistocene epoch in Europe, the researchers said. The team isn’t sure whether the skull belongs to a newfound species of hominin, but noted that the skull appeared “broadly ancestral” to the Neanderthals, said study co-researcher Rolf Quam, an associate professor of biological anthropology at Binghamton University in New York.

In addition, the scientists unearthed hand axes in the cave, a stone-crafted technology that was likely developed in the Middle East about 500,000 years ago. Thanks to the excavations, researchers now have proof that this technology spread as far west as Portugal within 100,000 years of being developed in the Middle East, Quam said.

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Islamic Veil Can be Banned in Workplace, Says EU Court

Banning Islamic headscarves in the workplace is not “direct discrimination” and can “objectively justified”, ruled the European Court of Justice on Tuesday (14 March).

Judges said that the dismissal of a Muslim employee who insisted on wearing a headscarf — despite an internal company rule prohibiting any sign of political, philosophical or religious beliefs — did not constitute a breach of EU law.

They followed the opinion of the court’s advocate general, published last year.

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Madrid: Scotland is Not Catalonia and Northern Ireland is Not Gibraltar

Spain stays firm on its position of “not encouraging secessionist movements” when UK leaves EU

If Scotland were to leave the United Kingdom following agreement with London and in accordance with the law, Spain would respect the move, but would not allow the country to remain in the European Union following Brexit. For Madrid, Scotland is only part of the EU if the United Kingdom is.

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Norwegian Teams Set New Record With 217-Minute Game

Two Norwegian ice hockey teams set a record early Monday for the longest ever match, playing for three and half hours with eight overtime periods. The score was nothing extraordinary — a 2-1 home win for Storhamar Dragons over Sparta Warriors — in the quarter-final of the Norwegian championship.

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Pictured: Huge Weapons Haul Seized by Spanish Police

Spanish Police have released striking pictures of a huge weapons haul seized from an organised crime group.

It includes over 10,000 assault rifles, machine guns, pistols, revolvers, and 400 shells and grenades.

The guns and ammunition were seized in January during an operation against firearms trafficking.

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Sinn Fein Calls for Referendum on Northern Ireland Leaving the UK ‘As Soon as Possible’

Northern Ireland should hold a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom and joining the Republic of Ireland as “as soon as possible”, Sinn Fein’s new leader has said.

Michelle O’Neill said Brexit would be a “disaster” for the province and that a referendum on Irish unity could be one way of bypassing its effects.

The intervention comes hours after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for a referendum on Scottish independence — arguing that the Scottish people should be given a choice on Theresa May’s final Brexit deal.

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Spain Ex-Rail Boss Charged Over Santiago Train Crash That Killed 80

A former safety official for Spain’s state railway operator has been charged with homicide over a 2013 train derailment that left 80 people dead, according to a judicial ruling released Monday.

Previously the train driver was the only person facing criminal charges over the tragedy in July 2013 when a train left the track on a sharp bend while travelling at double the speed limit, near Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.

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Swedish Minister: Country Needs to Integrate Returning Islamic State Fighters

Swedish Minister for Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kuhnke has suggested that Swedes who left to fight for radical Islamist groups in the Middle East should be welcomed back and helped to integrate into society.

Ms. Kuhnke made the comments Sunday evening on the television programme Agenda which is transmitted by the Swedish state broadcaster SVT. The programme focused on the fact that some 300 Islamic radicals from Sweden had gone to the Middle East to fight for groups like Islamic State and around half of them had returned to Sweden.

“They need to be channelled back into our democratic society,” Kuhnke said. The minister added she and the government had no idea how many of the returnees were still radicalised versus how many left because they had become disillusioned with Islamist beliefs.

When asked how many radical Muslims were involved in deradicalisation programmes, she estimated between 10 to 30 people based on information given to her by various municipalities. “There are far too few. We have to work together much better,” she noted.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Accuses Merkel of ‘Supporting Terrorists’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of backing terrorists, as new acrimony erupted between Turkey and its EU allies.

Erdogan’s scathing broadside came hours after the European Union urged him to avoid inflammatory rhetoric in a growing standoff with Germany and the Netherlands over the blocking of ministers seeking to address rallies promoting a ‘yes’ vote in a April 16th referendum on giving him greater powers.

Erdogan had twice over the weekend accused NATO ally The Netherlands of acting like the Nazis, comments that sparked outrage in a country bombed and occupied by German forces in the Second World War.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn called on Turkey to “refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation.”

But in an interview with A-Haber television, Erdogan bluntly stated: “Mrs Merkel, you are supporting terrorists.”

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Video: Marine Le Pen Smacks Down Reporter: ‘No One Trusts the Media’

French populist highlights incredible disconnect from reality of establishment press

“Madame, French people have no confidence in the media whatsoever, are you aware of that, or not?” asks Le Pen.

A fascinating exchange in which French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen informs a reporter that no one trusts the media highlights how incredibly disconnected from reality the establishment press really is.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Video: Footprints of Italy’s Largest Dinosaur Discovered in Abruzzo

Researchers have uncovered dinosaur tracks in rural Abruzzo, which reveal that Italy’s largest documented dinosaur once roamed the central region.

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What’s the Secret to Long Life? Have Children, Swedish Experts Say

A new Swedish study suggests that people who have children live longer than those who do not.

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Why Those in the Poor Paris Suburbs Don’t Care About France’s Election

The first round of the French presidential election is just weeks away — but don’t expect everyone in the forgotten suburbs around Paris to care or even to turn out and vote for that matter.

“Frankly, whichever candidate ends up winning, things will stay the same,” an 18-year-old youth in the gritty Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois told the Local.

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Egyptian Economic Crisis Leads to Increased Calls to Reduce the Country’s Birthrate

Egypt’s population is currently some 91 million, and its growth rate over the past two decades, which stands at 48% (2.4% per year), is among the world’s highest. This issue has been troubling Egyptian government officials for decades, and in 1975 they established the National Population Council, one of whose main tasks is to work to achieve a balanced population growth rate. This issue has recently become the focus of public debate again in Egypt due to the severe economic crisis afflicting the country.

Egypt’s population growth rate is five times that of China’s.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Libya Military Strongman Claims Control of Key Eastern Oil Terminals

Troops commanded by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter (Haftar) have reportedly recaptured two of the country’s key eastern oil terminals. Both were seized by an Islamist-led force earlier in March.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

On the Backdrop of Copts Fleeing Sinai, Egyptian Establishment, Al-Azhar Criticized for Helplessness in Dealing With ISIS, Discrimination of Copts

In recent weeks, there has been an escalation of ISIS attacks against Coptic residents of northern Sinai, which included the murders of at least seven Copts. These attacks were preceded by an ISIS video on February 19, 2017, that included threats of attacks on Egyptian Christians, as well as numerous threats made by ISIS on social media. As a result, over 200 Coptic families fled from Al-’Arish to Al-Ismailia and other governorates in Egypt proper.

President Al-Sisi and Egyptian regime officials were quick to stress that they were working to handle the crisis and assist the Copts.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Tunisians Protest Law That Allows Men Who Rape Underage Girls to Marry Their Victims Instead of Being Punished

On December 13, 2016, a lower court in northwestern Tunisia granted a 21-year-old man legal permission to marry a 13-year-old girl he had raped and impregnated. The court decision was in accordance with Article 227(a) of the Tunisian criminal code, which states that if a rapist weds his victim, all legal proceedings in the rape case against him are terminated. It should be noted that in Tunisia, the age of consent for sexual relations is 13.

The court decision sparked a wave of anger and criticism in Tunisia, with calls for revoking the rapist’s authorization to marry his victim and for him to be subjected to the penalty stipulated by law.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Intel’s Mobileye Deal Marks Israel as Autonomous Tech Hub

Israel’s emergence as a center for automotive technology got a vote of confidence on Monday when Intel Corp. said it would pay $15 billion for Mobileye NV, a Jerusalem-based maker of chips and software for driverless cars. It will be the largest takeover of an Israeli tech firm and follows a series of deals and partnerships inked in recent years by major tech and auto companies.

“The deal proves in a dramatic manner that our vision is coming true. Israel is becoming a global technology center, not only in cyber, but also in the automotive area,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a text message. Israel had already singled out the automotive technology sector as a possible economic boon, allotting it 250 million shekels ($68 million) for the next five years.

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ISIS Faces Heavy, But Not Crushing Blow in Mosul

Iraqi troops have surrounded western Mosul and military leaders vow it’s only a matter of time until they crush the last major stand of the Islamic State group in Iraq. But the militants are positioning themselves to defend the remains of their so-called “caliphate” in Syria and wage an insurgent campaign in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon and Iraqi officials say the senior IS leadership has escaped to regroup in Syria and the deserts along the border to prepare for the future.

“They know they will lose Mosul, but they want this to be a hard fight,” said Maj. Saif Ali, a commander in the Iraqi special forces on the front lines.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Saudi Arabia Launches Girls’ Council — Without Any Girls

It was an encouraging initiative for a country not known for giving women a platform in public life.

But when Saudi Arabia wanted to show off its inaugural girls’ council in al-Qassim province, they overlooked one thing: the women.

Pictures released to mark the first Qassim Girls Council meeting showed 13 men on stage, and not a single female.

The women were apparently in another room, linked via video.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

The Arabs Know That the Moslem Brotherhood Are Terrorists

Conservatives see the threat of aggressive Islam, which puts us far ahead of liberals, who merely live in stupefied denial. But conservatives tend to treat Islam as monolithic, which it is not.

Right now the Trump administration is considering whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, which sounds to Arab ears like “Is the Pope Catholic?” Do the Saudis play double games?” “Are the mullahs of Iran really genocidal?”

The answer is Yes! Yes! and Yes!

Which is why even Saudi Arabia, Russia, Syria, Bahrain, and the UAE have officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror group. One of biggest on the Sunni side of the street.

A new article in Cairo’s Al Ahram this week gives an explanation even the New York Times could understand (if it wanted to). The MBs promote violent Jihad, and carry it on themselves in their civil war against Egypt. They sponsor Hamas terror against Israel. They follow radical doctrines. Most of all (and here comes a new word), the MB’s are taqfiri. (TAHK-fear-ey). They regularly declare other Muslim groups to be infidels, which means they will kill other Muslims unless they submit to the MB version of Islam. From its most basic belief, the Ikhwan is at war with all Muslims who do not follow its militant war doctrine. The doctrine of taqfir is basic, and deviation puts you outside of the circle.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Vows to Mobilize Islamic World Against Euro-Fascism

Turkey will intensify its efforts against racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia on all international platforms, especially at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as Turkey’s government is currently the term president, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said March 14.

“This matter is not a matter merely for Turkey. This fascism that shows its dirty face is negatively impacting all Muslims and foreigners living in Europe,” he said at a Doctor’s Day meeting.

Erdogan called on Turks, Muslims and foreigners living in Germany and the Netherlands not to vote for parties that espouse anti-Turkey policies.

In a new attack against the Dutch in their spat, Erdogan also held the Netherlands responsible for Europe’s worst mass killing since World War II.

“We know the Netherlands and the Dutch from the Srebrenica massacre. We know how rotten their character is from their massacre of 8,000 Bosnians there,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Earth’s Lost History of Planet-Altering Eruptions Revealed

Enormous volcanoes vomited lava over the ancient Earth much more often than geologists had suspected. Eruptions as big as the biggest previously known ones happened at least 10 times in the past 3 billion years, an analysis of the geological record shows.

Such eruptions are linked with some of the most profound changes in Earth’s history. These include the biggest mass extinction, which happened 252 million years ago when volcanoes blanketed Siberia with molten rock and poisonous gases.

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Forest Prayers With Russia’s Polytheistic Mari

The Mari people of central Russia speak a distinct language and practice a separate religion from their Christian neighbors. Photographer Sergei Poteryaev and reporter Regina Khisamova attended a traditional prayer ceremony in one of the sacred forest groves of the Mari El Republic.

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Mission to Venus: NASA and Russia May Explore Hellish Planet Together

NASA scientists are meeting with representatives from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute (IKI) this week, to continue discussion of a possible collaboration on the institute’s upcoming Venera-D mission to Venus, NASA officials announced last week.

Russia launched 16 space probes toward Venus as part of the Venera series between 1961 and 1983, including the only probes to ever successfully land on the surface of hellish planet. The IKI Venera-D mission is scheduled to launch sometime in the 2020s. The mission would include an orbiter and a lander, and possibly a solar-powered airship that would fly through Venus’ upper atmosphere.

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The Abdication of Nicholas II Left Russia Without a Czar for the First Time in 300 Years

Events in Saint Petersburg 100 years ago brought the end to the Romanov dynasty.

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Cow Slaughter to be Punishable by Life Sentence in Gujarat

The leader of an Indian state has announced that slaughtering cows and transporting beef will soon be punishable by a life sentence, the harshest penalty yet for crimes against the revered animal in the Hindu-majority country.

The chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, said his government would introduce a bill in the next week to bolster existing laws against butchering cows and related crimes. The current punishment is a Rs50,000 fine (£622) and up to seven years in jail.

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Indonesia: Anger Over UK Ship’s Damage to Pristine Reef

Two weeks ago, a British-owned cruise ship accidentally ran aground in one of Indonesia’s most pristine coral reefs, causing extensive damage. For local people, who rely on dive tourism, it is a sad and worrying time.

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Kim Jong-Nam Death: Malaysia ‘To Deport 50 North Koreans’

Malaysia says it will deport 50 North Koreans for overstaying their visas, despite its recent ban on North Koreans leaving the country.

The group were working in Sarawak on Borneo island, Malaysia said.

But it did not say why the government had decided to expel them despite the ban, which was imposed in response to a similar move by Pyongyang.

Ties between the two remain tense after the murder of the North Korean leader’s half-brother in Malaysia last month.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

More Than 500 Sculptures to be Made for Cremation of Thailand’s Late King

Craftsmen are now hard at work at the sculptural hall of the Fine Arts Department’s Traditional Arts Office in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Sharing the same working space are a dozen artisans assigned to create more than 500 sculptures for decorating Phra Merumat, the palace-like structure where the royal urn will be housed at the royal cremation later this year.

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Rhino Horns Worth $5m Seized in Thailand Off Flight From Ethiopia

Twenty-one rhino horns worth an estimated $5m have been seized in Thailand after being found in luggage sent from Ethiopia in the biggest such haul in years.

Some 29,000 rhinos are left in the wild today compared to 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th Century, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

Earlier this month, poachers shot a rhino dead and hacked off its horn at a zoo in France in what is believed to be the first such incident in Europe.

Last month poachers stormed an animal orphanage in South Africa and killed two rhinos for their horns after taking staff hostage.

Rhino horns are prized in some Asian cultures as an ingredient for traditional medicines believed to be effective in treating ailments ranging from fever to cancer.

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Thai Junta Admits Defeat in Temple Raid

Authorities have failed to arrest the ex-abbot of Thailand’s most powerful Buddhist sect. However, they can claim a minor victory. George Styllis and Patthiya Tongfueng report from Pathum Thani province.

An hour’s drive from Bangkok, glittering under the burning midday sun, stands Thailand’s largest and wealthiest temple, the scandal-ridden Wat Phra Dhammakaya, a 400-hectare complex resembling more the headquarters of a secret intelligence agency than a traditional Buddhist temple.

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The Intoxicating Drug of an Indian God

The cannabis plant’s role in Hindu mythology has authorities turning a blind eye to India’s drug shops.

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The Surprising Discovery at Angkor Wat

The largest religious structure on earth has puzzled and enchanted visitors for centuries. How did it come to be? Jonathan Glancey investigates.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Why Does India Think Every Brown Woman With a White Man is Promiscuous?

The sight of an Indian woman in the company of a man of another race seems to bring out the worst in her countrymen.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

2 Golden Escalators, 10 Aircraft, 500 Limos & 1200 Luxury Rooms: Saudi King’s Lavish Trip to Japan

When King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud landed in Japan, people were left in awe of the size of his delegation and his 500 tons (metric) of luggage. The king made quite an entrance, descending from his plane on one of his two golden escalators.

The four-day visit, which began Sunday, is part of the Saudi royal’s month-long Asia trip, as the kingdom looks to diversify its economy from oil dependency. Saudi Arabia is Japan’s largest oil supplier.

The Saudi royal’s trip caused many on social media to react in anger, comparing the king’s lavish travel to the situation in war-torn Yemen.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

3,300 Chinese Cruise Passengers Stage Boycott at South Korean Resort Amid Missile Shield Row

About 3,300 Chinese tourists refused to leave their cruise ship at the South Korean resort island of Jeju on Saturday in a spontaneous protest against Seoul’s decision to deploy a US anti-missile system.

Seoul plans to install the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system as a shield in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. But Beijing is concerned that THAAD will breach its fences, prompting official protests and boycotts of South Korean products.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

China Ready to Neutralise THAAD, Retired PLA General Says

China knew it might not be able to stop Seoul deploying a US anti-missile system and was prepared to counter with its own anti-radar equipment, a retired PLA general said on Monday.

The comments by Wang Hongguang came as a South Korean court’s decision to uphold the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, the country’s former president, fanned hopes Seoul might put plans for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system on hold.

Park supported the installation of the system to help protect South Korea against threats from North Korea, which Beijing says can peer through China’s defences.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Political Propaganda Gets a Digital Makeover

China has been trying and failing for years to get its people, especially its young people, to care about its political system. Could it now be close to working out how to do just this?

Every March, the National People Congress (NPC), China’s biggest annual political event, goes virtually unnoticed by the vast majority of the Chinese people.

But if you’ve ever been to China, you will notice the government’s propaganda is installed everywhere, from Chang’an Avenue in the capital city of Beijing to the small rural alleyways.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

If You Like Japan’s Toilets, You’ll Love Their Bathtubs

After transforming toilets with seat-warmers, air fresheners and strategically placed water sprays with its premium Washlet line-up, Toto Ltd. now wants to revolutionize bathing.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Japan and Saudi Arabia Ready to Accelerate Joint Projects and Set Up Special Economic Zones

Japan sees resource-rich Saudi Arabia as an attractive market for its infrastructure exports

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

The Colourful Propaganda of Xinjiang

China is in the midst of a crackdown on what it describes as “terrorism driven by religious extremism”. The campaign is focused on the western province of Xinjiang, home to China’s Uighur ethnic minority who are predominantly Muslim.

The government believes religion breeds terror and has been trying to control religious expression in the region by imposing rules on the Uighur community. Critics say it is exacerbating the terror problem.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US Buildup Near Korean Peninsula Aimed at ‘Incapacitating’ Kim: Report

A growing U.S. presence off the Korean Peninsula, which includes drone stations, military drills and even elite American special forces, is reportedly part of a plan aimed at “incapacitating” the rogue regime in Pyongyang should conflict break out.

On Sunday, the U.S. declared it will permanently station unmanned missile capable drones in South Korea. The development came amid reports that elite U.S. forces — possibly including SEAL Team 6, will take part in joint military drills with South Korea.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Neighbours Turned Woman Away Just Before She Was Attacked With Machete, Court Told

Neighbours turned away a screaming woman moments before her former partner attacked her with a machete in the middle of an Ipswich street, a Brisbane court has heard.

Giving evidence at the Supreme Court, witness Dianne Farley described how the distressed woman went to two homes after Muhumed Samow Ali allegedly rammed the victim’s car on September 10, 2015.

Ali, 52, is fighting charges of attempted murder and intending to cause grievous bodily harm, but has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and being armed in public.

Ms Farley said she was in her home on Monterey Street in Wacol and headed outside when she heard the crash…

           — Hat tip: Salome [Return to headlines]
 

Officials Say Pirates Hijack Freighter in Latest Test for Trump

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia, Somali officials and piracy experts said Tuesday, in the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel there since 2012.

The area where the hijacking occured is overseen by the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.

It was not immediately clear what the pirates’ intentions are, but it may become one of the Trump administration’s first international tests.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Opinion: Hunger on the Horn of Africa is Not Caused by Climate Change

It’s a familiar sight in parts of East Africa — starving children, desiccated carcasses and parched landscapes. 17 million face the threat of hunger. It’s a man-made crisis, says Ludger Schadomsky.

Development minister Gerd Müller is currently trying to canvass support for a “Marshall Plan with Africa” — an ambitious yet ill-defined development and recovery program for the continent. The difference between the original Marshall Plan and Müller’s scheme is that the recipients back in 1948 were really determined to get back on their feet after the calamity of World War Two.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Somali Pirates Suspected of First Ship Hijacking Since 2012

An oil tanker has been hijacked by suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, reports say, the first such hijacking in the region in five years.

Piracy was rampant off the Somali coast until increased patrols by European naval forces contained the problem.

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UN Warns That 20 Million Face Starvation

The United Nations says the world is being confronted with the largest humanitarian crisis since 1945. It’s calling for a coordinated global effort to help 20 million people facing famine in four countries. One of them is Somalia.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Mexican Firm Bidding to Help Build Trump’s Wall: “It’s Not a Betrayal”

Theodore Atalla, the owner of a small industrial lighting company in the central Mexican city of Puebla, not only backs Donald Trump’s controversial plans to build a wall along the US-Mexican border, but has also asked to take part in its construction. Ecovelocity is the only company registered in Mexico among the more than 600 that have joined the bidding process for what has become a symbol of the US president’s election promises, and a humiliation for Mexico.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

US State Dept. Warns College Students Against Spring Break Travel to Mexico

The U.S. State Department is warning college students across the country not to spend spring break in certain parts of Mexico, where rampant crime has made travel dangerous for Americans.

The warning comes as students are finishing up midterm exams and heading out in search of warmer climes, salty margaritas and wild parties. But Mexico, once among the most popular spring break destinations, is plagued with endemic levels of violence, according to the government.

“U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery in various Mexican States,” the State department travel warning stated.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Afghan Asylum Seekers Snuck Into the UK in Turban Scam

Hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers snuck into the UK using British Sikhs’ passports — because turbans on their photos meant border officials couldn’t spot the difference.

Border officials are said to have difficulty distinguishing between the illegal immigrants and genuine passport holders because Sikh men are allowed to wear turbans in their ID documents.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

After Drunken Driving Conviction, Government Wants to Deport Mexican Man for the 7th Time

State troopers arrested Vasquez on drunken driving and marijuana charges last month

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a Mexican man at the Hidalgo County jail last week and wants to deport him for the seventh time.

Officers detained 26-year-old Obed Vasquez- a Mexican citizen who lives in Mission — at the Hidalgo County jail on Thursday, according to the criminal complaint against him.

State troopers arrested Vasquez on drunken driving and marijuana charges during February. After he pleaded guilty, the Sheriff’s Office released him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU to Open Migration Centres in Africa Because Europe ‘Needs 6 Million Migrants’

The European Union (EU) is to open asylum processing centres in West Africa and countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean because the continent “need[s] six million migrants”, Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos has said.

Speaking in Geneva last week, the Greek Eurocrat denied terror attacks are linked to migration and warned the “biggest threat” to Europe is “the rise of populism, nationalism and xenophobia”.

Declaring “the 27 [member states] will need 6 million immigrants in the future”, Avramopoulos explained the Commission is going to open reception centres to recruit migrants, because an open borders approach would fuel populism.

“We will open offices in all countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean and in West Africa. This is the best way to fight smugglers.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Hungary Forced to Pay Migrants by European Court of Human Rights

HUNGARY is being forced by the European Court of Human Rights to pay thousands of pounds to two migrants for keeping them in a border transit zone.

The court ruled today the Hungarian government has to pay £8,750 each to the two Bangladeshi men — Ilias Ilias and Ali Ahmed — which could affect plans agreed last week to detain thousands of asylum seekers in border camps.

Both men filed a suit against the country in September 2015 — the height of the migrant crisis — after Hungarian officials put up a fence on its southern borders and created two transit zones for asylum seekers in a bid to curb numbers arriving via the Balkans.

The pair wanted to be released from the transit zone and asked for their expulsion to Serbia to be halted.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Jihadis Using Religious Visa to Enter US, Experts Warn

A U.S. visa program designed to temporarily admit religious workers from other countries may be letting jihadists into the country, security experts and religious leaders warn.

The R visa program is for non-immigrant clerics and religious workers and allows successful applicants to stay in the U.S. for up to five years. They are then allowed to apply for a permanent residency under their R-1 status.

But some critics say the visa raises red flags and has long been abused by leaders with extreme views.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Le Pen: Open Borders Pushing France Towards Civil War

‘Non-existent immigration policies’ root cause of migrant crisis, she says

Presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s anti-open borders, nationalist Front National party, launched a savage attack on uncontrolled immigration saying it had pushed France to the verge of a “civil war.” The hardline candidate added that the country’s “virtually non-existent” immigration policies were to blame for the never-ending refugee crisis; and that illegals had been pouring into France undeterred for “decades”.

She said: “Our lax — or should I say non-existent — immigration policies are the root cause of the migrant crisis.

“Officials have turned a blind eye to illegal immigration for more than 40 years, and have let millions of paperless migrants into the country. The situation is spiralling out of control, and things can only get worse,” she said during a conference on civil rights in Paris.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Mass Invasion of Spain Reaches New Height

At least 43 percent of the 15,755 Third World invaders who lodged “asylum” claims in Spain during 2016 have been granted leave to remain, while the applications of a further 20,370 are still being considered, official figures have shown.

The number of invaders pretending to be asylum seekers broke all records in 2016, and only 3,395, or 21.6 percent, were “declined” refugee status.

The only good news is that only 355 of those accepted have been given “full refugee status,” while the remainder were given “subsidiary protection,” which is a temporary status.

However, with good behavior, most of the “subsidiary protection” recipients can go on to gain permanent residence in Spain-or other equally liberal European states, which still believe that there is a “refugee crisis” instead of a straightforward nonwhite racial invasion of Europe underway.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Wants Immigrants the World Doesn’t

While Europe and the U.S. tighten border controls, former Soviet states are encouraged by Moscow to send their workers.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Spain Welcomed More Refugees Than Ever Before in 2016

Close to 16,000 people sought asylum in Spain during 2016, more than six times the figure of a year earlier.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Says “Migrant Deal Has Ended”, May Unleash Millions of Refugees

“Europe has not kept its promises on the migrant deal, for us that agreement has ended.”

As we noted moments ago, the tit-for-tat aggression resumed its escalation between Turkey and the Netherlands, with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus exclaiming from Ankara that “Europe’s politicians are under fascist, neo-nazi influence” and in response, Turkey will suspend all high-level diplomatic meetings and cancel all flight permissions for Dutch politicians.

As part of its furious response, Turkey said it would impose various travel sanctions on Dutch diplomats such as halting all high-level political discussions with the Netherlands in the wake of the Dutch government’s decision to bar two cabinet ministers from campaigning in the country. Kurtulmus said during a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting that Ankara also is closing its air space to Dutch diplomats until the Netherlands meets Turkish requests, according to the AP.

Kurtulmus also says the Dutch ambassador to Turkey, who was traveling when the diplomatic row started, won’t be allowed to return, and said that Turkey’s government plans to advise parliament to withdraw from a Dutch-Turkish friendship group.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

#Resist: A Global Commie Totalitarian Movement

The leftist hordes of a communist political culture are on the march around the globe, in alliance with Islamofascism. These young people are shaped by universities, the media, Hollywood with their trashy productions and vile behavior, corrupt politicians with allegiance only to their own pockets, the multi-nationals, the corrupt judiciary, unions, and non-profits with billions and billions of dollars of funding from elitist billionaires such as George Soros who fancy themselves the social engineers of One World Government and of the climate change industry.

What happened to American universities since the early 1970s has finally reverberated around the world, like a wave created by a small stone thrown on a placid lake. It has now become a tsunami of #resist anarchists and drones around the western world. They are now resisting authority, law and order, and the capitalist system that had made their parents successful in the first place. Marching under the banner of feminism and equality, asking to be Muslims, and promoting the subjugation of women in western societies, violent millennials are bullying anybody who is a Christian and a nationalist.

Campuses have become bastions of leftism and anti-Americanism. According to David Horowitz, the schools of education are now training teachers for social justice in every major. “An entire series of texts designed for teacher instruction and published by Columbia Teachers College is devoted to ‘teaching social justice’ in mathematics and other unlikely subjects. Its editor is Obama collaborator and unrepentant terrorist William Ayers.” (David Horowitz, “Big Agenda,” p. 117)

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

How Humans Invented Numbers— And How Numbers Reshaped Our World

Anthropologist Caleb Everett explores the subject in his new book, Numbers and the Making Of Us.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

14 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/14/2017

  1. On the Fed raising interest rates at this most inopportune time: Cancel the National Debt Donald! Then see what the Federal Reserve takes to doing, because now is the time to call their bluff!

    • Sadly the Federal Reserve is part of the Deep State that seeks to oust President Trump.

  2. On that domestic violence incident in Wacol, Queensland, which is basically a suburb of the town of Ipswich, a town about 60 clicks west of Brisbane, and that in my observable and humble opinion is not the most salubrious part of what is generally a very prosperous state, and is the kind of place that generally reports this kind of incident that tends to be reported more in that kind of ‘demographic’ than in other more ‘affluent’ areas.

    The study of ‘demographics’ tends to diffuse the many issues that cause domestic related incidents throughout all social levels. And one of the issues never mentioned is the ‘religious’ or ‘racial’ background of those who become involved in such incidents.

    I’m sure that many police officers who have spent more than a decade in that position would attest to the fact that most of the domestic incidents they attend would involve people of a non-Caucasian background, especially in the more multicultural and densely populated areas of all Australian states and territories.

    What also should be noted, is that nearly all domestic related incidents do NOT involve violence which makes all those side adds on that article, and in my observable opinion, just plain political propaganda against the white male of what used to be an homogenous Australian society.

  3. “The sight of an Indian woman in the company of a man of another race seems to bring out the worst in her countrymen.”

    They are right there. I was in Goa with my Thai wife having accepted an invitation from our Indian friends to attend their daughter’s wedding. We were walking down a crowded main road when two indian youths suddenly made threatening gestures at my wife and spat at her. Naturally I went for them but my wife pulled me back allowing the little cretins to withdraw to 20 yards down the road where from a position of relative safety they continued to make abusive gestures, until I moved towards them and they ran off.

    My wife comes from Southern Thailand and is very dark skinned. It is possible that the indian youths not being exposed to common decency or other benefits of civilisation might have mistaken my wife for indian which still makes their actions inexcusable. Indians seem to have a problem with inter racial marriage, unless they are the ones doing it and we had a similar problem in the UK.

    I used to go to India a lot before I was married. The main characteristics I encountered from the locals were hypocrisy and a post colonial chip on the shoulder.

    • Racial discrimination is A-okay when it is expressed by colored people towards whites.

      Part of their true resentment of the colonial era is the realization that they can’t really do much better in terms of modernizing their nation.

      • Indeed on both points. Today I encoutered an online argument about depicting fictional characters (like from books or tv shows) in different skin colour than they were originally made as, specifically how it’s not cool to “whitewash” black characters. Someone added to that comment that it’s the same with darkening white characters, upon which another person argued, that it’s completely fine to darken white characters, because there are so many of them in the media anyway. Hypocrisy at it’s finest.

        There’s also hardly any nation in the world, that’s doing better now than while being a collony – both economically and concerning human rights (and especially the latter should be worrying, considering there were many second grade citizen at that time).

  4. Re “Footprints of Italy’s Largest Dinosaur Discovered”.

    What, bigger than Berlusconi?

    • Deliberate, puposeful, malicious destruction of the German people in the name of population stability.

      That is such a patently dishonest and ridiculous goal as to require the conclusion that the true goal is destruction for its own sake. A course of conduct identical to paying for your daughter’s wedding at which 35% of the guests will be bikers, street thugs, bums, documented morons, intersectional feminists, “climate change” zealots, the criminally insane, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, with Elizabeth Warren as the DJ.

      Thus demonstrating that you are a Man of Foresight.

  5. Justice Minister, Heiko Maas, deal with the AntiFa scum who bring ultra-left violence to German streets.

    Then, after you deal with scourge of double parking, jaywalking, and shoplifting, perhaps you can turn your attention to the menace of free speech that threatens to rot the brains of the Germans, you officicious dorque.

  6. One thousand four hundred years after the catastrophe of Islam took root, we have state-of-the-art Islamic law: marry a 13yo girl you raped and no criminal penalty in Tunisia.

    Hell on earth for women and vicious, incontinent swine skate free from the pain the cause.

    Next for examination – Koranic flat earth idiocy.

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