Op-Ed: The End of an Era

ARUTZ SHEVA: Liberty, equality and fraternity are now superseded by the recognition accorded the darkest regime known to man.

For the past 226 years, the 14th of July has been commemorated as "Bastille Day", the day that the infamous Parisian prison fell into the hands of the people who, rebelling against King Louis XVI, stormed its gates during the French Revolution of 1789. The fall of the Bastille symbolizes the fall of the French monarchy and its despotism, and the establishment of the Republic, the nation of the people, based on liberty, equality and fraternity. This is France's national holiday. The French Revolution became a model for many other peoples who took their destiny into their own hands, and it is therefore ffitting to view the 14th of July, 1879, as the day that ushered in the democratic era, the rule of the brave people who defeated despotism, destroyed a dictatorship and founded the democratic framework in which a citizenry runs its own affairs, with liberty and freedom for all.

On the very same day, 226 years later, the 14th of July 2015, representatives of several democracies – one of them France – together with representatives of less democratic countries, Russia and China, signed an agreement in which the democratic world capitulated to the despotic dictatorship that is Iran. The world, in effect, authorized Iran's plans to achieve regional, and possibly greater than regional, hegemony, while ignoring the destructive role the land of the Ayatollahs plays in countries like Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. » | Dr. Mordechai Kedar | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Op-Ed: Obama's Iran Deal Has the Makings of a Catastrophe

ARUTZ SHEVA: This is not Libya, the South China Sea or Yemen.

Barack Obama has repeatedly signaled during the past six and a half years that that his No. 1 priority in foreign affairs is not China, not Russia, not Mexico, but Iran. He wants to bring Iran in from the cold, to transform the Islamic Republic into just another normal member of the so-called international community, ending decades of its aggression and hostility.

In itself, this is a worthy goal; it's always good policy to reduce the number of enemies. (It brings to mind Nixon going to China.) The problem lies, of course, in the execution.

The conduct of the Iran nuclear negotiations has been wretched, with the Obama administration inconsistent, capitulating, exaggerating, and even deceitful. It forcefully demanded certain terms, then soon after conceded these same terms. Secretary of State John Kerry implausibly announced that we have "absolute knowledge" of what the Iranians have done until now in their nuclear program and therefore have no need for inspections to form a baseline. How can any adult, much less a high official, make such a statement?

The administration misled Americans about its own concessions: After the November 2013 Joint Plan of Action, it came out with a factsheet which Tehran said was inaccurate. Guess who was right? The Iranians. In brief, the U.S. government has shown itself deeply untrustworthy. » | Prof. Daniel Pipes | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Christian Pastor Slammed after Calling Islam ‘Religion of Hatred’ and Likening Gay People to Paedophiles

Shocking sermon: Steve Crosthwaite

MIRROR: Pastor Steve Crosthwaite has been criticised for the 'disgusting' Sunday sermon in which he also criticised same-sex relationships

A Christian church leader has been slammed after calling Islam a ‘religion of hatred’ and likening gay people to paedophiles in a ‘disgusting’ Sunday sermon.

Pastor Steve Crosthwaite, of Wythall's Hollywood Christian Life Centre in Birmingham, told his 60-strong congregation ‘homosexuality is wrong’ and criticised same sex relationships.

During his 30-minute sermon, branded ’highly offensive’ by a local minister, pastor Crosthwaite said: "Islam is not a peaceful religion. Islam is a religion of hatred, the Birmingham Mail reports.

"Islam teaches there are permissible sins. For a Muslim to tell you 'I love you, I'm a peaceful guy' and it be a lie, well, Allah forgives that sin.

"For a Muslim to go out and kill someone, to commit murder in the name of Allah, well, that's a permissible sin.

"Islam is not a peaceful religion, but we're not allowed to say that are we? In our multicultural society we're not allowed to say things like that."

Crosthwaite gave the sermon, called 'Judging Others', at a 58-year-old place of worship that boasts of "unashamedly following Jesus”. » | Mike Lockley | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Atomabkommen: Teherans Stärke reizt Riad

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Nach dem iranische Atomabkommen stehen die sunnitischen Monarchien mit dem Rücken zur Wand. Eine von ihnen könnte nun selbst nach Nuklearwaffen streben.

Das Atomabkommen mit Iran könnte die bisherigen Allianzen in der arabischen Welt neu ordnen. Bereits seit dem vergangenen Sommer kooperieren die Vereinigten Staaten faktisch mit der schiitischen Führung in Teheran im Kampf gegen die sunnitische Terrorgruppe „Islamischer Staat“ (IS) im Irak. Die iranischen Verbündeten gingen am Boden gegen die Dschihadisten vor, die amerikanische Luftwaffe griff deren Stellungen aus der Luft an. Diese indirekte Zusammenarbeit dürfte sich künftig verstärken – sehr zum Missfallen der sunnitischen Führungsmacht Saudi-Arabien. Am Mittwoch zitierte die saudische Nachrichtenagentur SPA einen Regierungsmitarbeiter in Riad, der Iran davor warnte, dass Versuche, den Einfluss Teherans weiter auszudehnen, mit „Entschlossenheit“ bekämpft würden. » | Markus Bickel, Kairo | Mittwoch, 15. Juli 2015

Dante's Tomb in Italy to Get Extra Protection amid Fears It Will Become ISIS Target

DAILY EXPRESS: DANTE'S tomb is set to be given extra protection over fears Islamic State-inspired terrorists might target the site due to the famous poet's fictional slaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

The tomb in Ravenna, on the north east coast of Italy, is on a list of churches and sites where extra security will be implemented amid concerns of an ISIS attack, according to Italian newspaper reports.

All the sites have links to or contain art works featuring Muhammad or referring to victories over Muslim armies.

Dante Alighieri, known as Italy's greatest poet, describes a fictional encounter in his gory verse The Divine Comedy where devils have to cut Muhammad's chest open as he descends into hell. » | Alix Culbertson | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Iran Nuclear Deal: However the Great and Good Represent It, America Has Now Taken the Shia Side in the Middle East's Sectarian War

THE INDEPENDENT: Obama hailed a 'more hopeful world...an opportunity to move in another direction'

However much Bibi Netanyahu of Israel and the Gulf sultans rage at the Vienna agreement, the Arabs at least will suspect the truth: that the Americans have taken the Shia Muslim side in the Middle East’s sectarian war.

That’s not how it was represented by the great and the good, of course. The headlines were simple. The Iranians agree to jam the breaks on their nuclear programme, pack up their centrifuges for a decade and cut back their uranium stockpile. All this in return for an end to the sanctions, financial goodies and bank transfers that Washington, the EU and the dear old United Nations had variously imposed on and witheld from the nation which that bearded old prelate Ruhollah Khomeini founded as an Islamic Republic 36 years ago. » | Robert Fisk | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Israel and Saudi Arabia Present United Front over Iran Deal

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's enemies unsettled by its deal with the West, but Bashar al-Assad of Syria says it is 'a great victory'

The nuclear deal with Iran caused fury in Israel and consternation around the region at the likely increase in influence and resources of a newly enriched Iran.

Most telling was the loudest expression of support. "I am happy that the Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved a great victory by reaching an agreement," President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said in a message to his Iranian opposite number, Hassan Rouhani.

"In the name of the Syrian people, I congratulate you and the people of Iran on this historic achievement."

Israel and the Sunni Arab world have set aside old grievances to stand together against the West’s engagement with Iran.

The more strident denunciations came from Israel, which regards Iran as a direct threat. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, said the country would not be bound by what he called a "stunning historic mistake".

"Israel is not bound by this deal with Iran," he said in a televised address hours after the conclusion of the accord. "Iran continues to seek our destruction and we will defend ourselves." » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor and Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Iran's Supreme Leader Posts Photo of Himself Trampling Israeli Flag: 'The Zionist Regime Is Doomed'

The caption on this photo, posted on supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website[,] is 'The Zionist
Regime is Condemned to Vanish' 

CNS NEWS: (CNSNews.com) – A photograph posted on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official website--as the Obama administration was finalizing negotiations on a deal intended to prevent Iran from building a nulcear [sic] weapon--shows the walking stick-waving supreme leader striding across, and apparently glaring at, a painted representation of Israel’s national flag.

The caption on the photo, according to a translation by American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin, reads, “The Zionist Regime is Condemned to Vanish.”

“The Zionist regime is a regime with very shaky pillars,” the caption continues. “The Zionist regime is doomed. The Zionist regime is an imposed regime and was created with intimidation. Nothing created with intimidation can last long and this one will not last long either.” » | Patrick Goodenough | Monday, July 13, 2015

Irans Regime verwandelt sich nicht über Nacht in die Heilsarmee

DIE PRESSE: Zum Atomabkommen hätte es schlechtere Alternativen gegeben. Doch sich davon eine Zeitenwende im Nahen Osten zu erwarten ist schwer übertrieben.

Am Ende waren in Teheran sogar die Scharfmacher der Partei der „Selbstlosen“ begeistert. Außenminister Javad Zarif habe mit viel diplomatischem Geschick Irans Interessen verteidigt, ließen die ultrakonservativen Abgeordneten wissen; vor Kurzem noch hatten sie ihn als Verräter beschimpft. Die Iraner können mit dem Wiener Atomabkommen zufrieden sein. Sie sind nicht nur die Sanktionen los, die ihre Wirtschaft abgewürgt haben, sondern auch ihren internationalen Pariastatus. » | Christian Ultsch (Die Presse) | Dienstag, 14. Juli 2015

Tumulte flammen in Nordirland auf

TAGES ANZEIGER: Bricht Nordirland auseinander? Die Unsicherheit wächst, eine Einigung für den Haushalt muss erzielt werden. Dabei helfen die neuen gewaltsamen Ausschreitungen nicht.

Neue Sorgen um Frieden und Stabilität in Nordirland haben jetzt, zu Beginn der sommerlichen «Marschsaison», schwere Zusammenstösse zwischen Loyalisten und Polizei in Belfast ausgelöst. Dass ausserdem ein 16-jähriges katholisches Mädchen von einem Auto überfahren wurde, dessen Fahrer offenbar ein Mitglied des protestantischen Orangisten-Ordens war, hat auch in irisch-katholischen Stadtteilen Belfasts zu zornigen Reaktionen geführt. » | Von Peter Nonnenmacher, Korrespondent | Dienstag, 14. Juli 2015

Netanyahu Tells Obama: Iran Deal Threatens Israel's Security

ARUTZ SHEVA: In post-deal phone call, Israeli PM tells US president deal will allow Iran to go nuclear and funnel hundreds of billions to terror.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke Tuesday evening with US President Barack Obama, following the deal signed between world powers and Tehran over the latter's nuclear program.

Netanyahu used the opportunity to express Israel's concerns regarding the nuclear deal with Iran.

Warning the agreement threatened the State of Israel's security, Netanyahu stressed two central concerns.

First and foremost, he noted that it will still mean Iran can produce nuclear weapons at a future date - whether in 10-15 years' time when the deal's limitations expire, or by breaking its commitments before that time.

In addition, Netanyahu said, it will funnel hundreds of billions to the terror machine, and the Iranian war that threatens Israel and the entire world.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu launched a fierce attack on the deal, calling it a "stunning, historic mistake" and stressing that Israel is not bound by it. » | Ari Soffer | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

'Historic Mistake' Israel Blasts Iran Nuclear Deal as 'Surrender by West to Axis of Evil'

DAILY EXPRESS: IRAN has reached a landmark agreement with the UN over its controversial nuclear programme which will give officials access to all sites suspected of improper use – to prevent the rogue state from building an atomic bomb.

Iran has always contended that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and after 17 days of gruelling talks with diplomats from the US, Russia, the UK, France, China and Germany in Vienna an agreement has at last been reached.

But Israel has condemned the deal as a "stunning historic mistake". The country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the world was now a "much more dangerous place" and claimed that by removing sanctions, Iran will receive billions of dollars to support what he calls a worldwide terrorism network.

Mr Netanyahu said: "Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world.

"Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons." » | Patrick Maguire, Alix Culbertson and Tom Batchelor | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Iran Nuclear Talks: 'Historic' Agreement Struck

BBC AMERICA: World powers have reached a deal with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions.

US President Barack Obama said that with the deal, "every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off" for Iran.

His Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, said it opened a "new chapter" in Iran's relations with the world.

Negotiations between Iran and six world powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - began in 2006.

The so-called P5+1 want Iran to scale back its sensitive nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.

Iran, which wants crippling international sanctions lifted, has always insisted that its nuclear work is peaceful.

There has been stiff resistance to a deal from conservatives both in Iran and the US. The US Congress has 60 days in which to consider the deal, though Mr Obama said he would veto any attempt to block it.

The Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, said the deal would only only "embolden" Tehran.

"Instead of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, this deal is likely to fuel a nuclear arms race around the world," he added.

Israel's government has also warned against an agreement. » | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Look Who Just Pledged $32 Billion To Promote Islam And Sharia Law In America

WESTERN JOURNALISM: Anti-Islam activist Pamela Geller sees Alwaleed’s generosity as a Trojan Horse.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a senior member of the Saudi royal family, announced that he will be giving away his entire $32 billion fortune to charity–but his past statements and commitment to promote Islam in the United States have raised red flags for some.

Alwaleed Philanthropies’ statement regarding the prince’s intentions indicates his donation would “help build bridges to foster cultural understanding.”

“Philanthropy is a personal responsibility, which I embarked upon more than three decades ago and is an intrinsic part of my Islamic faith. With this pledge, I am honoring my life-long commitment to what matters most – helping to build a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable world for generations to come,” says Prince Alwaleed. » | Randy DeSoto | Friday, July 10, 2015

Der Handschlag, der Putins riskanten Plan besiegelt

Neue Freunde: Wladimir Putin mit dem saudischen Prinzen
Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud

DIE WELT: Woher bekommt Russland neues Geld? Präsident Putin hoffte auf Hilfe aus China, doch plötzlich taucht ein neuer Spieler auf. Einer, der Milliarden investiert – und die Spielregeln radikal verändert.

Was der russische Staatspräsident Wladimir Putin dem saudischen Prinzen Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud im Gespräch auf dem Wirtschaftsforum in St. Petersburg Mitte Juni konkret gesagt und vielleicht gar versprochen hat, wird man vermutlich noch lange nicht erfahren. Aber es muss eindrucksvoll gewesen sein.

Bis dahin nämlich waren die Scheichs äußerst skeptisch und zurückhaltend gewesen, wenn es darum ging, Geld in ein Land zu stecken, mit dem man nie sonderlich befreundet war und das zudem Hauptkonkurrent auf dem Weltölmarkt ist. Putin, der kühle Mann im Kreml, hat jedenfalls auf seine Art das Eis gebrochen. Und Saudi-Arabien hat zugesagt, zehn Milliarden Dollar (9,07 Milliarden Euro) in russische Investitionsprojekte fließen zu lassen.

Damit hatte kaum jemand gerechnet. In einer Zeit, in der russlanderfahrene Unternehmer eher das Weite suchen oder ihre Projekte zumindest auf Eis legen, plötzlich Beistand aus dem arabischen Raum? Und das vor dem Hintergrund, dass Russland der westlichen Welt seit über einem Jahr erklärt, aufgrund der Sanktionen vermehrt die wirtschaftliche Eigenständigkeit und Kontakt mit China und anderen ostasiatischen Staaten zu suchen. » | Von Eduard Steiner , Moskau Korrespondent | Montag, 13. Juli 2015

Pentagon Plan to Allow Transgender People to Serve in US Military

Defense Secretary Ash Carter

THE TELEGRAPH: Plan would give recognition to the 15,000 transgender people serving in silence in US military

The US military is finalising a plan to allow transgender people to serve openly in the armed forces it emerged on Monday night, ending what is seen as one of the last discriminatory barriers to active service.

The move would also offer recognition to the 15,000 transgender people who are thought to be currently serving in the military, many of whom keep their status a secret.

Ash Carter, the US defence secretary yesterday announced the plan to study "readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly".

“We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines - real, patriotic Americans - who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that's contrary to our value of service and individual merit," he said.

"Transgender men and women in uniform have been there with us, even as they often had to serve in silence alongside their fellow comrades in arms."

The armed services are expected to have six months to assess the impact of the change before it is introduced.

During that period, transgender individuals would still not be able to join the military, but any decisions to force out those already serving would be referred to the Pentagon, the Associated Press reported. » | Barney Henderson, New York | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Greek Protesters Set Fire to Syriza Flag

Avji Voutsina, protester burning Syriza flag

THE TELEGRAPH: Protesters campaign outside the Greek parliament against the new EU bail-out deal

Greece's small left-wing anti-capitalist Antarsya party and affiliated trade unions staged a rally on Monday night outside parliament in Athens against Greece's new bailout.

The party has said "the hours are critical" for those who favour left-wing policies.

One protester burnt Syriza's party flag outside parliament, saying that the leftist-led coalition government had reneged on its pre-election pledge to put an end to austerity. (+ video) » | Robert Midgley, and agencies | Monday, July 13, 2015

Isis Launches Russian-language Propaganda Channel

THE GUARDIAN: Islamic State’s social media and video efforts have stepped up, part of a region-wide effort to sign up youths to fight take up the black flag. RFE/RL reports

The militant group Islamic State has stepped up its Russian-language propaganda efforts, another sign it is becoming more powerful in the post-Soviet countries.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said recently that 2,000 Russian nationals are currently fighting in Syria or Iraq. In June, the country’s security council chief, Nikolai Patrushev, said that there was “no possibility” of stemming the tide of fighters.

Though Russian-speaking Islamic State (Isis) militants have put out their own messages for some time, in recent weeks a new Russian-language wing, Furat Media, has emerged, with Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts broadcasting under a river-themed logo.

It was through Furat that the militant group declared the establishment of a province in the North Caucasus, inside the Russian Federation itself. The propaganda wing also issued a professionally produced video, Unity Of The Mujahideen Of The Caucasus, which included interviews with Russian-speaking militants in Iraq and Syria. Dozens more are easily available for download from their site.

Previous Russian-language output had been piecemeal, with most videos either without subtitles or arriving after the Arabic versions were broadcast. Much was produced from outside of Isis-controlled territory. » | Joanna Paraszczuk for RFE/RL, part of the Guardian New East network | Monday, July 13, 2015

Ku Klux Klan Still Thriving against Backdrop of US Racial Tensions

Klansmen and Klanswomen from several US states set fire to a
cross in St Louis, Missouri

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Documentary shows Klan leader promoting “lethal force” by whites in Ferguson, Missouri scene of days of rioting after unarmed black teenager was shot by police last year

The Ku Klux Klan is flourishing and exploiting racial tension in America, according to a new behind the scenes documentary.

With race relations still on a knife edge in some parts of the country following the deaths of African Americans at police hands, the white supremacist group is unashamedly promoting more hatred. » | David Millward, US Correspondent | Sunday, July 12, 2015

Dan Cruickshank’s : Civilization Under Attack

By Day, at Heart of Counter-terror Policing. And by Night, Preacher of Extremism

Abdullah al Andalusi

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Government watchdog, which inspects police forces’ readiness for terrorism, employed preacher of extremism

The Government watchdog which inspects police forces’ readiness for terrorism admitted that it employed one of Britain’s most notorious Islamic extremists.

For almost two years Abdullah al Andalusi, led a double life, the Telegraph can reveal.

By night, he taught that the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was “no different to Western armies,” said that “kaffirs,” non-Muslims, would be “punished in hell” and claimed that the British government wanted to destroy Islam.

By day, using a different name, he went to work for the same British government at the London offices of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the official regulator of all 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The disclosures will be intensely embarrassing [sic] to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, who has criticised parts of Britain’s Muslim communities for “quietly condoning” Islamist extremism.

HMIC’s staff, who number less than 150, are given privileged access to highly sensitive and classified police and intelligence information to carry out their inspections. » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, July 12, 2015

Greece Nears Euro Exit as Bailout Talks Break Up without Agreement

THE GUARDIAN: Last-ditch negotiations to resume on Sunday after eurozone’s fiscal hawks put up fierce resistance to Alexis Tsipras’s rescue plan

Greece’s final attempt to avoid being kicked out of the euro by securing a new three-year bailout worth up to €80bn ran into a wall of resistance from the eurozone’s fiscal hawks on Saturday.

Finland rejected any more funding for the country and Germany called for Greece to be turfed out of the currency bloc for at least five years.

The last-chance talks between the 19 eurozone finance ministers in Brussels ended at midnight, as they struggled to draft a policy paper for national leaders at yet another emergency summit on Sunday that was billed as the decisive meeting.

With Greece on the edge of financial and social implosion, eurozone finance ministers met to decide on the country’s fate and on what to do about its debt crisis, after experts from the troika of creditors said that new fiscal rigour proposals from Athens were good enough to form “the basis for negotiations”.

But the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, dismissed that view, supported by a number of northern and eastern European states. “These proposals cannot build the basis for a completely new, three-year [bailout] programme, as requested by Greece,” said a German finance ministry paper. It called for Greece to be expelled from the eurozone for a minimum of five years and demanded that the Greek government transfer €50bn of state assets to an outside agency for sell-off. » | Ian Traynor in Brussels | Saturday, July 11, 2015

24 Hours to Save the Euro: Germany Prepares for a 'Temporary' Greek Exit as Euro Project on the Brink of Collapse

THE TELEGRAPH: Berlin readies humanitarian aid for Greece proposing a five-year expulsion from the euro, after Athens is accused of destroying the trust of its partners

The German government has begun preparations for Greece to be ejected from the eurozone, as the European Union faces 24 hours to rescue the single currency project from the brink of collapse.

Nine hours of acrimonious talks on Saturday night, saw finance ministers fail break the deadlock with Greece over a new bail-out package, accusing Athens of destroying their trust. It leaves the future of the eurozone in tatters only 15 years after its inception.

In a weekend billed as Europe’s last chance to save the monetary union, ministers will now reconvene on Saturday [?] morning ahead of an EU leaders' summit later in the evening, to thrash out an agreement or decide to eject Greece from the eurozone.

Should no deal be forthcoming, the German government has made preparations to negotiate a temporary five-year euro exit, providing Greece with humanitarian aid while it makes the transition.

An incendiary plan drafted by Berlin's finance ministry, with the backing of Angela Merkel, laid out two stark options for Greece: either the government submits to drastic measures such as placing €50bn of its assets in a trust fund to pay off its debts, and have Brussels take over its public administration, or agree to a "time-out" solution where it would be expelled from the eurozone. » | Mehreen Khan | Saturday, July 11, 2015

Omar Sharif: A Muslim Actor in Hollywood

DAILY MAIL: The lonely Lothario »

Replace Queen with a Socialist, Say Scots

DAILY EXPRESS: MORE than 10,000 people have signed a petition to stop Scotland’s newest hospital being named after the Queen.

The £842million facility, formerly known as the South Glasgow University Hospital, was named after the 89-year-old monarch when she officially opened it with Prince Philip, 94, earlier this month.

Now campaigners are calling for the name to be reversed, claiming calling it the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was “an affront to democracy”.

Instead, they suggest it could be named after Mary Barbour, a firebrand socialist active in the early 20th century and one of the city’s first woman councillors.

The criticism is in contrast to the cheering flag waving crowds that greeted the Queen and the Duke. About 300 guests also attended the official opening on July 3.

The online petition, launched by Glaswegian John Beattie, says: “We call on the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board to change the name of the new South Glasgow hospital.

“Considering the fundamental principle of monarchy is superiority of the monarch and their family over everyone else in society, we feel the naming of a public building after such a person is unacceptable.”

The petition had last night attracted 10,364 signatures, with some calling for the hospital to be named after Mary Barbour who organised a rent strike in 1915.

Mr Beattie, a bioethics student at the University of West Scotland, said: “We are a modern dynamic city, why should we be naming this public building after monarchy when there are more worthy people? Read on and comment » | Camilla Tominey | Saturday, July 11, 2015

Earth Heading for 'Mini Ice Age' within 15 Years

THE TELEGRAPH: River Thames could freeze over in 2030s when Northern Hemisphere faces bitterly cold winters, scientists say

The earth is 15 years from a "mini ice-age" that will cause bitterly cold winters during which rivers such as the Thames freeze over, scientists have predicted.

Solar researchers at the University of Northumbria have created a new model of the sun's activity which they claim produces "unprecedentedly accurate predictions".

They said fluid movements within the sun, which are thought to create 11-year cycles in the weather, will converge in such a way that temperatures will fall dramatically in the 2030s.

Solar activity will fall by 60 per cent as two waves of fluid "effectively cancel each other out", according to Prof Valentina Zharkova.

In a presentation to the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, she said the result would be similar to freezing conditions of the late 17th century. Read on and comment » | Dan Hyde | Saturday, July 11, 2015

Islamic State 'Behind Blast' at Italian Consulate in Cairo

The consulate was closed at the time of the attack

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have said they were behind a deadly explosion that severely damaged the Italian consulate in Egypt's capital, Cairo.

At least one person died and several people were injured when a car bomb went off at the building.

A tweet from a Twitter account linked to IS said Muslims should stay away from sites like the consulate, as they are "legitimate targets" for strikes.

Policemen and civilians were among the injured, the health ministry said.

The main entrance of the building was almost totally destroyed, windows were shattered and the building was flooded after water-pipes ruptured.

"Italy will not let itself be intimidated," the country's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said in a tweet, adding that there had been no Italian casualties.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after the attack and promised the two countries would stand together "in the fight against terrorism and fanaticism". (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, June 11, 2015

Doctor Zhivago: Lara’s Theme

Prince Philip Swears at Photographer: 'Just Take the F------g Picture!'

THE TELEGRAPH: Prince Philip loses his patience with a photographer as he poses with veterans during a Battle of Britain anniversary reception

Prince Philip's outburst came as he was joined by Prince Edward and Prince William at a reception with Battle of Britain veterans on Friday.

Clearly frustrated while waiting for a photograph to be taken, he was caught on camera ordering the photographer to "just take the f-----g picture!"

The reception marked the 75th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain. (+ video) » Telegraph video | Friday, July 10, 2015

Unbridled Capitalism Is the 'Dung of the Devil', Says Pope Francis

Pope Francis makes his speech in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where
he called for the poor to have the "sacred rights" of labor,
lodging and land. 

THE GUARDIAN: The pontiff condemns the impoverishment of developing countries by the world economic order and apologised for the church’s treatment of native Americans

Pope Francis has urged the downtrodden to change the world economic order, denouncing a “new colonialism” by agencies that impose austerity programs and calling for the poor to have the “sacred rights” of labor, lodging and land.

In one of the longest, most passionate and sweeping speeches of his pontificate, the Argentine-born pope used his visit to Bolivia to ask forgiveness for the sins committed by the Roman Catholic church in its treatment of native Americans during what he called the “so-called conquest of America”.

The pontiff also demanded an immediate end to what he called the “genocide” of Christians taking place in the Middle East and beyond, describing it as a third world war. » | Reuters | Thursday, July 9, 2015

Russland und Iran vereinbaren Atom-Kooperation

DIE PRESSE: Putin hofft auf einen baldigen Kompromiss bei den Wiener Atomgesprächen. Russland wird künftig auch militärisch enger mit dem Iran zusammenarbeiten.

Der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin und sein iranischer Amtskollege Hassan Rohani haben eine engere Zusammenarbeit im Militärbereich vereinbart. So sollen Kriegsschiffe öfter Häfen des jeweils anderen Landes anlaufen, sagte Kremlsprecher Dmitri Peskow am Donnerstag in Ufa. » | APA | Donnerstag, 9. Juli 2015

Former Saudi Foreign Minister Dies

Prince Saud al-Faisal

THE TELEGRAPH: Tributes paid to Prince Saud al-Faisal, once the world's longest-serving, foreign minister

Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal, formerly the world's longest-serving foreign minister who oversaw four decades of turbulent diplomacy for the oil-rich kingdom, died on Thursday.

A statement from the Royal Court said Prince Saud, who was born in 1940, died in the United States.

It did not give the cause of death but said funeral prayers would be held on Saturday night in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Prince Saud was one of the highest profile members of the kingdom's ruling elite before stepping down in April for health reasons.

The prince often swapped his traditional Saudi thobe and checkered shemagh headdress for elegant suits when on missions in Western capitals.

He oversaw Saudi Arabia's emergence as a major diplomatic player, facing successive regional crises and maintaining a focus on relations with the West.

"He was a symbol of honesty and hard work," the Royal Court said.

Relatives earlier announced Saud's death on social media. » | AFP | Friday, July 10, 2015

THE GUARDIAN: Former Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal dies: Prince had overseen nation’s emergence as a major diplomatic player, facing successive regional crises and maintaining a focus on relations with the west » | Agence France-Presse in Riyadh | Thursday, July 9, 2015

Le prince saoudien Fayçal est mort »

Le prince saoudien Fayçal est mort

L’EXPRESS: Pendant 40 ans, il a dirigé la diplomatie de l'Arabie Saoudite. Il avait été relevé de ses fonctions en avril.

Le prince Saoud al-Fayçal, qui fut le chef de la diplomatie de l'Arabie saoudite pendant 40 ans avant d'être relevé de ses fonctions en avril, est décédé, ont annoncé jeudi sa famille et une source officielle. Selon des sources saoudiennes concordantes non confirmées dans l'immédiat par les autorités, il est décédé jeudi à l'étranger à la suite d'un malaise cardiaque.

Né en 1940, le prince Fayçal souffrait de divers problèmes de santé. Il éprouvait notamment des difficultés à marcher après avoir subi une opération du dos aux Etats-Unis. "Que Dieu l'accepte au Paradis", a écrit son neveu Saoud Mohammed Al-Abdallah al-Fayçal sur Twitter.

Lorsqu'il a été démis en avril dernier, il était le chef de la diplomatie en poste le plus ancien au monde. Il a occupé cette fonction imminente, homme-clé des relations internationales au Moyen-Orient, sous le règne de quatre rois saoudiens différents. (+ video ) » | Par LEXPRESS.fr avec AFP | jeudi 9 juillet 2015

Britons Told to Leave Tunisia amid Fears of a Fresh Terror Attack

THE TELEGRAPH: Foreign Office has changed its travel advice for Tunisia warning against all but essential travel amid fears gunman Selfeddine Rezgui's cell could be ready to strike again

Britons have been told to leave Tunisia as soon as possible amid fears it is “highly likely” they will be targeted in a fresh terror attack.

The Foreign Office changed its travel advice for the country warning against all but essential travel.

Holiday operators were urgently arranging additional flights to bring Britons currently travelling in the country home, the FCO said.

There are up to 3,000 Britons currently in Tunisia, it is understood, and they have been told to contact their tour operator or airline to plan their return. (+ videos) » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor, video source UK POOL | Thursday, July 9, 2015

Comment Daesh crée son empire mondial

LE POINT: De l'Algérie à l'Indonésie, une vingtaine d'organisations ont fait allégeance au "califat" de l'organisation État islamique.

Un an à peine après la proclamation de son « califat » à cheval sur la Syrie et l’Irak , l’organisation État islamique (EI) multiplie les attaques à l'extérieur de ses « frontières ». Paris, Sousse, Copenhague ou encore Garland (Texas), le groupe djihadiste autoproclamé « État » cible les étrangers « infidèles » en réponse aux bombardements de la coalition internationale contre ses positions depuis septembre 2014. Cette force de frappe djihadiste s'explique tout d'abord par la multitude de « loups solitaires » présents en Occident. Par Skype, ces djihadistes, n'ayant parfois aucun lien avec l'EI ou n'ayant jamais combattu au Moyen-Orient, peuvent faire allégeance à distance avant de commettre leur attaque, revendiquée a posteriori par l'organisation. » | Par Paul Verdeau | lundi 6 juillet 2015

Behind The Scenes Of Syriza's Election Victory

Greece: The End of Austerity - As the Greek crisis threatens to sink the euro, this report looks at the promises that brough Syriza into power.

Greek No Vote: 'The Fightback for a Europe of Dignity Starts Here'

As Syriza supporters flock to Athens' Syntagma square to celebrate, Phoebe Greenwood talks to those who are celebrating a historic referendum outcome. 'They thought they could intimidate us,' one man says. Despite jitters on the financial markets, others happy with the historic oxi (no) vote say they hope it will be the moment that Greeks can come together

Islamic State Jihadists Execute Dozens amid Palmyra Ruins

25 Syrian government soldiers kneel in the ancient amphitheatre
in the city of Palmyra ahead of being executed by children

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A new Isil video shows teenage executioners using the Unesco heritage site as a theatre for death

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) have released a video purportedly showing the execution of dozens of Syrian government soldiers in the ancient ruins of Palmyra.

The footage shows 25 men kneeling on the stage of the site's historic Roman theatre, their hands tied behind their backs.

With ritualistic precision, the same numbers of executioners then step out in unison, each taking up position behind one of the condemned. A large black Isil flag is draped over the columns behind them.

Wearing matching long brown robes and brown bandannas the executioners appear to be boys or young teenagers – few look old enough to grow a beard.

Footage filmed from cameras trained on the soldiers' faces show that the men have been beaten.

Then the child jihadists transform the world-class tourist attraction into a killing ground.

Simultaneously raising their pistols, they spray bullets into the heads and backs of the men, leaving them lifeless and bloody on the ground.

An apparently unhappy crowd of onlookers, mostly dressed in civilian clothes, are gathered on the seats of the stadium watching the grisly show. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut | Sunday, July 5, 2015

China's Sexual Revolution - Documentary

Greek Economy Close to Collapse as Food and Medicine Run Short

Supporters of the yes campaign attend a rally in Athens on Friday.

THE GUARDIAN: Alexis Tsipras urges people to vote no in Sunday’s referendum as capital controls bite and vital tourism industry sees tens of thousands cancel holidays in Greece

Greece’s economy is on the brink of collapse after the capital controls imposed ahead of Sunday’s referendum left the country with shortages of food and drugs, the tourist industry facing a wave of cancellations and banks with barely enough money to survive the weekend.

Banks said they had a €1bn cash buffer to see them through the weekend – equal to just €90 (£64) a head for the 11 million-strong population – and would require immediate help from the European Central Bank on Monday whatever the result of the referendum, in which the two sides are running neck and neck.

Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s prime minister, was fighting for his political life on Friday night, using a rally to say that a no vote would enable him to negotiate a reform-for-debt-relief deal with the country’s creditors.

The survival of the Syriza coalition, formed just over five months ago to repudiate five years of austerity programmes, was in doubt as Greece started to suffer shortages of basic provisions, including the sale of vital drugs in pharmacies nationwide.

Food staples, such as sugar and flour, were also fast running out on Friday as consumers started to feel the effect of the restrictions. » | Helena Smith in Athens and Larry Elliott in London | Friday, July 3, 2015

Iceland Makes Blasphemy Legal

BBC AMERICA: Iceland's parliament has abolished its blasphemy laws, despite opposition from some of the country's churches.

A bill was put forward by the minority Pirate Party, which campaigns for internet and data freedom.

It came after the deadly attack the same month against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

The bill said it was "essential in a free society that the public can express themselves without fear of punishment". » | Friday, July 3, 2015

Majority of Britons See Islam as Threat, New Poll Reveals

Muslims attend Friday prayers during the second day of
Ramadan, in the courtyard of a housing estate next to the
small BBC community centre and mosque in east London,
Britain June 19, 2015.

NEWSWEEK: A majority of Britons consider Muslims to be a threat to Western democracy, a higher level than after the 7/7 bombings in 2005, a new poll has revealed, with over 75% believing that a large-scale terror attack is inevitable.

The survey, conducted by international research firm YouGov for the Huffington Post, revealed that 56% of those asked believe that Islam is a "major" or "some" threat to Western democracy, showing a marked rise in negative views towards Muslims.

The results represent a 10% rise from the 46% who held the same views in a poll conducted just a day after the 2005 terror attacks, the 10th anniversary of which is next week. The attack saw four coordinated suicide bombs target London's transport network, killing 52 people and injure almost 800 more. » | Jack Moore | Friday, July 3, 3015

UK’s First Female Sharia Judge: ‘We Can’t Ask Muslims Not to Have More Than One Wife’

BREITBART.COM: Britain’s first female sharia law judge has issued a brazen warning that flies in the face of UK law, stating that the “government cannot ask Muslims not to have more than one wife”.

The news comes on the back of a report by the Times newspaper which claims that Britain is experiencing a “surge” in Sharia marriages, as young British Muslims adopt a more hardline religious stance than their parents.

The Times reports:

“As many as 100,000 couples are living in such marriages, which are not valid under UK law, experts said. Ministers have raised fears that women can be left without the right to a fair share of assets if the relationship ends, while others are forced to return to abusive “husbands”.”

A leading Islamic family lawyer warned that the increase in Sharia ceremonies among the 2.7 million-strong Muslim population in Britain was also behind a growth in “secret polygamy”. more | Raheem Kassam | Thursday, July 2, 2015

DAILY EXPRESS: Sham Sharia weddings leave Muslim women exposed to abuse and cheating husbands: AN ESTIMATED 100,000 British Muslim women are being duped into sham Sharia marriage - leaving them exposed to abusive and cheating husbands. » | Rebecca Perring | Friday, July 3, 2015

ISIS Cuts Off Hands and Feet of 'Livestock Thieves' in Latest Sickening Propaganda Video

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC STATE (ISIS) savages have released their latest sickening propaganda video showing two 'thieves' having their hands and feet chopped off with a foot-long meat cleaver.

**WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW**

The stomach-churning four-minute clip shows the men, who are accused of stealing livestock and cars from a group of herders in the Syrian city of Homs, being brutally punished by ISIS fighters.

The pair, who seemed not to have been anaesthetised before the medieval sentence was carried out, had their right hands and left feet covered in antiseptic liquid before the cruel amputation.

Wearing rubber gloves, the ISIS barbarians tie the accused's feet and arms to a table before slicing the extremities in two.

After the grotesque incident, one of the victims was bundled into an ambulance with his clearly bandaged foot covered in blood.

The propaganda material was released just a day after another horrific video was circulated of the group's fighters throwing a man to his death from a building in Iraq simply for being gay. Read on and comment » | Tom Batchelor | Thursday, July 2, 2015

Islamic State Takes Sledgehammer to 'Irreplaceable' Ancient Palmyra Ruins

ISIS militants use heavy[-]duty sledgehammers to destroy
the historic statues in front of a large crowd, Palmyra

THE TELEGRAPH: Isil militants have released images showing a civilian being forced to destroy priceless artefacts from the Roman city of Palmyra as the head of Unesco warned of "cultural cleansing" by the extremist group'

Militants from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) are feared to have begun destruction of Syria’s Roman city of Palmyra as the head of Unesco warned of "cultural cleansing" by the extremist group.

Maamoun Abdelkarim, Syrian antiquities minister, said on Thursday the militants had destroyed a 15 tonne statue of a lion, known as the Lion of Al-Lat.

"It's the most serious crime they have committed against Palmyra's heritage," Mr Abdelkarim told AFP news agency. Isil seized Palmyra's ruins from Syrian government control in May, prompting widespread fears that the group could destroy the a Unesco World Heritage site as an act of propaganda.

The jihadists have destroyed cultural treasures across the Middle East and North Africa, often describing the sites as idolatrous. » | Louisa Loveluck, Cairo | Thursday, July 2, 2015

Iranian Actor Apologises after Tweeting Support for US Gay Marriage Ruling

Iranian actor Bahram Radan takes a selfie during the photocall
for the film Ice Age at the Fadjr international film festival in Tehran.

THE GUARDIAN: Bahram Radan deleted tweet in support of US supreme court decision after criticism from hardline media and homophobic abuse

A leading Iranian actor has apologised after coming under pressure over a tweet he posted in support of a historic US supreme court ruling on gay marriage.

Bahram Radan, who is known as the Iranian Brad Pitt, created controversy in the country when his tweet hailed a verdict last week which made same-sex marriage a legal right across the entirety of the US. Homosexuality remains a taboo subject inside the Islamic republic and is punishable by death.

“The US supreme court’s ruling that same-sex marriage is legal was historic, perhaps on the scale of the end of slavery ... from Lincoln to Obama,” the award-winning actor tweeted in Persian at the weekend.

But within a few hours, after many users bombarded him with homophobic abuse and hardline media criticised him, Radan deleted the tweet.

The ultra-conservative Keyhan newspaper, whose director is appointed directly by the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for Radan to be put on a blacklist and said he had been summoned to the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance for questioning, a claim which could not be independently verified. The ministry is in charge of vetting all cultural materials, including films, before they are released.

On Thursday, Keyhan published a letter of apology from Radan, who has more than 900,000 followers on Instagram, in which he said he was clarifying his position on same-sex marriage.

The letter was addressed to the paper’s managing editor, Hossein Shariatmadari, a hardline figure who is notorious for targeting dissidents and opposition figures and orchestrating media campaigns against them.

“What was published on the internet as my opinion about the US supreme court’s ruling on gay marriage was a mistake and does not reflect the dignity of the Iranian people, for which I apologise,” he writes in the letter.

“We’re living in a country which celebrates marriage as a tradition of the prophet [Muhammad]. American laws have no bearing on the Islamic republic and gay marriage is reprehensible under our social and religious laws and according to our social values.” » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, July 2, 2015

BBC Provokes Government Fury after Saying It Has to Be Fair to Isil

Lord Hall, the director general of the BBC, has rejected
calls to stop using the term Islamic State

THE TELEGRAPH: Lord Hall, the director general of the BBC, has provoked a furious response from the Government after saying it has duty of impartiality towards Isil

The BBC has been condemned by the government after claiming that it has to be impartial when reporting on Isil despite the terrorist atrocities in Tunisia.

Lord Hall, the head of the BBC, has rejected calls from a cross-party group of 120 MPs to stop using the name Islamic State and because it "gives the impression of support" for its opponents.

The comments infuriated Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, who said that the BBC should treat the terrorist organisation in the same way that it treated Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: "I have a different view of what impartiality means to the BBC. During the Second World War the BBC was a beacon of fact. It was not expected to be impartial between Britain and Germany.

“Today, it should be a beacon of fact but it’s not expected to be impartial about threats to the security and safety and lives and limbs of people of this nation.” » | Steven Swinford | Thursday, July 2, 2015

Islamic State 'Launches First Coin of Currency'

BBC AMERICA: Pictures are circulating online that are thought to show a currency issued by the so-called Islamic State group.

An anti-IS activist who lives in IS-controlled Syria has shared images of two gold coins social media.

Lucas de Jong reports on at what we know about the so-called "Islamic Dinar". (+ BBC video) » | Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Israeli PM on Islamic State Attacks in Egypt

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu offers his condolences to Egypt after a series of deadly attacks by the Islamic State in northern Sinai.

Netanyahu urges all nations to ‘stand up to all the forces of militant Islam’.

Up to 40 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a wave of attacks on multiple military checkpoints in the area.

THE GUARDIAN: Attacks on Egyptian checkpoints signal escalation in Isis capabilities: Jihadi group claims to have ‘total control of many sites’ in northern Sinai after wave of attacks in which up to 40 Egyptian soldiers were killed » | Patrick Kingsley in Cairo | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Pro-Kremlin Television Host Backs Civil Partnerships

THE TELEGRAPH: Head of Russia's state-owned news agency publicly calls for civil partnerships for gay couples, sparking speculation the Kremlin is rethinking its hardline stance on homosexuality

The head of Russia's state-owned news agency has publicly called for civil partnerships for gay couples, sparking speculation the Kremlin is rethinking its hardline stance on homosexuality.

Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of international news agency Rossia Segodnya and a prominent television host who has a reputation as a pro-Kremlin attack dog, made the comments during his weekly news programme on Sunday.

"In my view, it becomes a subject to discuss from time to time: the existence of the LGBT community is a fact,” he said, before explaining that there should be no discrimination against people who want to make a partnership official.

"You could figure out how to make life easier for adults if they want to take on, and on paper, the obligation to take care of each other. Love works wonders. Who’s against that?” he went on.

Mr Kiselyov pointed to civil-partnership legislation in the Netherlands and France as examples to follow, but made clear that marriage should remain “between one man and one woman,” and added that “we do not need any gay parades". » | Roland Oliphant, Moscow | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Billionaire Saudi Prince to Give Away $32 Billion Fortune

THE TELEGRAPH: Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal to donate entire $32 billion wealth to his charitable foundation

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, the Saudi Arabian billionaire and one of the world's richest people, announced on Wednesday that he will donate all of his wealth of $32 billion (£20.5 billion) to charity over the coming years.

The money will go to the Saudi prince's organisation called Alwaleed Philanthropies to work in the fields of "intercultural understanding" and supporting communities in need, he said in a statement.

Programmes will include promoting health, eradicating disease, bringing electricity to remote villages, building orphanages and schools, as well as "empowering women".

The prince, chairman of investment firm Kingdom Holding Company, said he has already donated $3.5 billion to the charitable organisation. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

US Blocks Attempts by Arab Allies to Fly Heavy Weapons Directly to Kurds to Fight Islamic State

THE TELEGRAPH: Middle East allies accuse Barack Obama and David Cameron of failing to show strategic leadership in fight against Islamic State

The United States has blocked attempts by its Middle East allies to fly heavy weapons directly to the Kurds fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, The Telegraph has learnt.

Some of America’s closest allies say President Barack Obama and other Western leaders, including David Cameron, are failing to show strategic leadership over the world’s gravest security crisis for decades.

They now say they are willing to “go it alone” in supplying heavy weapons to the Kurds, even if means defying the Iraqi authorities and their American backers, who demand all weapons be channelled through Baghdad.

High level officials from Gulf and other states have told this newspaper that all attempts to persuade Mr Obama of the need to arm the Kurds directly as part of more vigorous plans to take on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) have failed. The Senate voted down one attempt by supporters of the Kurdish cause last month.

The officials say they are looking at new ways to take the fight to Isil without seeking US approval.

“If the Americans and the West are not prepared to do anything serious about defeating Isil, then we will have to find new ways of dealing with the threat,” said a senior Arab government official. “With Isil making ground all the time we simply cannot afford to wait for Washington to wake up to the enormity of the threat we face.” » | Con Coughlin, Defence Editor | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Russia Sees a Threat in Its Converts to Islam

THE NEW YORK TIMES: ERZURUM, Turkey — As a teenager in St. Petersburg, Maksim Baidak hung out with neo-Nazis and right-wing nationalists, but the Russian security services mostly left him alone.

It was not until he abandoned white-Slavic supremacy and instead found God — as a convert to Islam and leader of a group of ethnic Russian Muslims — that he came under near-constant surveillance and was often forced into cars at gunpoint by security agents.

Then, one morning in 2013, masked commandos from a special counter-extremism unit busted into his apartment and arrested him. For two days, he was interrogated, at times with a black hood over his head — “tortured,” he said, by choking, electric shock and death threats.

“I was arrested like a terrorist,” said Mr. Baidak, 28, who now lives in Erzurum, a university town in northeast Turkey, where he fled after a judge released him for lack of any criminal charges. “Look at me, I am a journalist. I am a blogger,” he said. “I am a political activist, pro-democratic oriented, Sufi-oriented, but I was arrested like — I don’t know — bin Laden.”

While nations across Europe are grappling with the relatively recent peril of homegrown Islamic terrorists, Russia has long lived in fear of a jihadist uprising within its own borders, particularly in the Caucasus, where it fought two brutal wars to suppress Muslim separatists. » | David M. Herszenhorn | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

British PM Warns: ISIS Planning 'Terrible Attacks' in the UK

ARUTZ SHEVA: UK Prime Minister David Cameron says ISIS determined to carry out massacre on British soil, after 30 UK citizens killed in Tunisia attack.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that ISIS terrorists are actively planning terrorist atrocities against the UK, and warned the group poses an existential threat to the western world.

Speaking just days after a massacre by an ISIS gunman on a beach in Tunisia which killed 38 people - at least 30 of them British citizens - Cameron warned that until ISIS was defeated in Syria and Iraq, it would continue to pose a deadly threat to the UK and beyond.

"There are people in Iraq and Syria who are plotting to carry out terrible acts in Britain and elsewhere and as long as ISIL (Islamic State) exists in those two countries we are at threat," Cameron told BBC radio, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group. » | Ari Soffer | Monday, June 29, 2015

British Groups Plan Mohammed Cartoon Exhibit in London

ARUTZ SHEVA: Two British groups to hold exhibition featuring cartoons of Muslim prophet in central London.

Two British groups have announced plans to hold an exhibition featuring cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Sharia Watch UK and Vive Charlie on Tuesday announced their intention to hold the exhibition in central London in September of 2015, noting the event will feature controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who recently caused a storm in his own country after he announced plans to broadcast cartoons of the founder of Islam on national television.

The event has been organized “in honor of the cartoonists, bloggers, and artists around the world who risk their lives in defense of free expression, and of those who have been murdered in this cause,” the two groups said in a statement.

Anne Marie Waters, Director of Sharia Watch UK, said, "We at Sharia Watch and Vive Charlie are delighted that Mr. Wilders has agreed to attend and speak at our exhibition. It is vital, in this era of censorship and fear, that we stand together in defiance and demand our right to free expression.”

She continued, “We will not, and cannot, succumb to violent threats. The outlook for our democracy depends on the actions we take today. We owe it to future generations to pass on the freedom we have enjoyed.” » | Ben Ariel | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

More Than 42 Million Muslims 'Support ISIS' – As Experts Warn the Figure Will Grow

DAILY EXPRESS: THE Islamic State terror group is supported by more than 42million Muslims, a new report has warned.

The study, based on four recent polls, reveals the shocking level of support for the caliphate around the world.

Ryan Mauro of the Clarion Project, which carried out the research, warned that "ISIS is only a fraction of what it could potentially become".

He said: "If we don't act quickly, this is still going to grow – and what we're looking at today is going to look like the good old days compared to the future."

More than 8.5million people view ISIS positively, and around 42million view them somewhat positively, according to the data. » | Tom Parfitt | Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Islamic State Threatens to Topple Hamas in Gaza Strip in Video Statement

THE GUARDIAN: Video issued from Isis stronghold in Syria is rare public challenge to Hamas, which has been cracking down on jihadis who oppose its truces with Israel

Islamic State insurgents have threatened to turn the Gaza Strip into another of their Middle East fiefdoms, accusing Hamas, the organisation that rules the Palestinian territory, of being insufficiently stringent about religious enforcement.

The video statement, issued from an Islamic State stronghold in Syria, was a rare public challenge to Hamas, which has been cracking down on jihadis in Gaza who oppose its truces with Israel and reconciliation with the US-backed rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

“We will uproot the state of the Jews [Israel] and you and Fatah, and all of the secularists are nothing and you will be overrun by our creeping multitudes,” said a masked Islamic State member in the message addressed to the “tyrants of Hamas”.

“The rule of sharia [Islamic law] will be implemented in Gaza, in spite of you. We swear that what is happening in the Levant today, and in particular the Yarmouk camp, will happen in Gaza,” he said, referring to Islamic State advances in Syria, including in a Damascus district founded by Palestinian refugees. » | Reuters in Cairo | Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Turkish Police Use Water Cannon to Disperse Gay Pride Parade

Turkish police disrupt a crowd gathering for Istanbul's annual gay pride parade, using water cannon and rubber pellets to disperse them. Jillian Kitchener reports
Watch the video here

Greek Debt Crisis: In Athens, Scavenging from Bins Has Become a Way to Survive

THE TELEGRAPH: As the country prepares to vote on continuing austerity on Sunday, in the streets of Athens some people have already resorted to searching the rubbish bins for food to eat and scrap metal to sell

Piled high with rubbish congealing in the summer heat, municipal dustbin R21 on Athens' Sofokleous Street does not look or smell like a treasure trove.

But for Greece's growing army of dustbin scavengers, its deposits of rubbish from nearby stores and grocery shops make it a regular point of call.

"Sometimes I'll find scrap metal that I can sell, although if I see something that looks reasonably safe to eat, I'll take it," said Nikos Polonos, 55, as he sifted through R21's contents on Tuesday morning. "Other times you might find paper, cans, and bottles that you can get money for if you take them back to the shops for recycling."

But many of those who now forage in such dustbins each day are simply ordinary working people - or were, at least, until Greece's economic meltdown shot unemployment up to 25 per cent.

Mr Polonos, a quietly spoken man of 55, is typical of the new class of respectably destitute. He lost his job as a construction worker three years ago, when Greece's building boom dried up, and in the current climate, cannot see himself finding paid work in the foreseeable future.

Yet he dresses as smartly as he can in second-hand trousers and shirt, and does not see himself as any kind of vagrant. » | Colin Freeman, and Alastair Good, Athens | Tuesday, June 30, 2015