Denmark Suspends Ferries as Migrants Demand Route to Sweden

Danish police clash with one of around 300 migrants who were
walking north on a highway in southern Denmark

THE TELEGRAPH: Ferries from Germany closed to trains after migrants refuse to disembark in Denmark, demanding to be taken on to Sweden

A major ferry crossing from Germany to Denmark has been partly closed after hundreds of migrants refused to disembark on arrival, demanding to be taken onward to Sweden, as Europe's migrant crisis spreads northward.

The crossing from Puttgarden to Rodby, Scandinavia's busiest ferry route to Germany, is usually open to car and train passengers.

But operators suspended the latter route after two trains carrying around 350 refugees spent Wednesday stuck in Rodby, demanding to continue on to Sweden.

The refugees refused to register with Danish authorities, which would mean having to apply for asylum in Denmark or returning to Germany, preferring instead to seek asylum in Sweden, where asylum conditions are more generous. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Al Qaeda Mag Urges Attack on Koch Brothers, Buffett, Bloomberg

NBC NEWS: A notorious Al Qaeda magazine is encouraging lone-wolf terrorist attacks on U.S. economic leaders, including Sam Walton, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett.

The list in Inspire magazine also included industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch, internet entrepreneur Larry Ellison, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, economist Robert Shiller, and former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke. Not mentioned is Janet Yellen, who succeeded Bernanke as Fed chairman.

Also pictured was Jim Walton, one of the heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, although he was misidentified in the caption as his late father, Sam Walton. Several other names on the list were misspelled.

The slickly produced magazine article begins with a photo illustration showing blood-spattered pictures of several of the leaders next to a dripping gun. Its stated goal is to derail the "revival of the America Economy."

The article says the "economic personalities" and "wealthy entrepreneurs" can get off the list by withdrawing their money from U.S. banks, investing their wealth outside American soil, and denouncing support for Israel.

Shiller, a Nobel Prize winner, said he was shocked to learn his name was on the list.

"Why me? I am non-plussed. Why I am included?" he said. "I was just in Istanbul for an Islamic finance forum, part of the G20. I quoted Mohammed. I'm sympathetic to the Islamic community." » | Robert Windrem and Tracy Connor | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Salafisten auf Rekrutierungstour unter Flüchtlingen

Koran-Verteilung durch Salafisten in Wuppertal (Archivbild)

DIE WELT: Kaum im sicheren Deutschland angekommen, geraten Flüchtlinge aus Syrien ins Visier von muslimischen Fanatikern. Der Salafisten-Prediger Pierre Vogel rät seinen Anhängern: "Bringt Geschenke mit!"

Jeden Tag kommen sie mit Zügen aus Südeuropa an: Flüchtlinge aus Syrien. Sie sind dem Krieg entkommen, den Fassbomben des Assad-Regimes und dem Terror des Islamischen Staates. Doch in Deutschland werden sie nicht nur von Hilfsorganisationen und ehrenamtlich engagierten Bürgern erwartet. Sondern auch von Salafisten, die in ihnen potenzielle Rekruten für ihren fanatischen Glauben sehen.

Der in Bergheim (Nordrhein-Westfalen) lebende salafistische Prediger Pierre Vogel hat bereits eine Liste von Ratschlägen veröffentlicht, wie sich Salafisten am besten den Flüchtlingen nähern sollen. Vogel rät seinen Anhängern, Teams zu bilden und alle Flüchtlingsunterkünfte in ihrer Umgebung ausfindig zu machen und zu besuchen.

Auch, wie man die Herzen der meist mittellosen Flüchtlinge erreicht, glaubt Vogel zu wissen: "Bringt Geschenke mit!" Dem Personal der Unterkunft sollen die Salafisten ihre Hilfe anbieten; und wenn diese abgelehnt wird, solle man in nahe gelegenen Moscheen das Gespräch mit den Flüchtlingen suchen. (+ Video) » | Von Stefan Laurin | Mittwoch, 9. September 2015

Europe Faces Political War On Two Fronts As Backlash Builds

A migrant group walks between the railroad tracks near
Roszke village on the Hungarian-Serbian border

THE TELEGRAPH: The EU's Eastern states shocked to lose their sovereignty over borders, just as southern Europe lost economic sovereignty by joining the euro.

The European Union is fracturing along multiple lines of cleavage, torn by an emerging Kulturkampf over migrant flows before it has overcome the bitter conflict at the heart of monetary union.

“The bell tolls, the time has come,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the European Commission, in his State of the Union speech.

"We have to look at the huge issues with which the European Union is now confronted. Our Union is not in a good situation,” he said.

Perhaps it would be churlish to point out that the cause of this near existential breakdown is a series of moves that have his fingerprints all over them: » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Rede der Bundeskanzlerin im Bundestag zu Haushalt und Flüchtlingskrise

Deutschland ist wirtschaftlich stark. Der Haushalt 2016 kommt ohne neue Schulden aus. Die Arbeitslosigkeit ist so niedrig wie seit 1991 nicht. Deshalb kann unser Land in die Zukunft investieren – und auch die Flüchtlingssituation meistern. Das sagte Angela Merkel heute im #Bundestag.

Britain Can Stay ‘In’, Says Juncker, But Then It Should Butt Out

David Cameron and Jean[-]Claude Juncker deep in discussion

THE TELEGRAPH: There was no attempt to sugar the pill in Strasbourg today when Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his 'State of the Union' address

Even when times are tough American presidents always declare the state of their union to be “strong”, or something similarly optimistic, but after a year of near perpetual crisis in Europe Jean-Claude Juncker was past pretending: the European Union, he said, is not in “a good state”.

But if this occasion was a showcase for the European Commission president to lay down a vision for how to fix the continent’s ills, from the recent migrant crisis to the still-wobbly euro, it did not inspire confidence.

Mr Juncker spoke for 90 minutes – an absurdly long time – prescribing “more Europe” as the panacea for everything while being heckled from the upper slopes of the chamber by an assortment of anti-Federalist MEPs, including some from our own Ukip.

As a spectacle, it was risible – but that cannot distract from the fact that Mr Juncker is right about one thing: Europe’s challenges have now taken on an existential quality. » | Peter Foster | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wegen Papst-Cover: Saudi-Arabien verbietet „National Geographic“

Verboten: Das katholischer Kirchenoberhaupt
in der Sixtinischen Kapelle.

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Saudi-Arabien verbietet die aktuelle arabische Ausgabe des Magazins „National Geographic“. Anlass ist das Cover und möglicherweise auch die Titelgeschichte.

Die aktuelle Ausgabe des Magazins „National Geographic“ darf in Saudi-Arabien nicht verkauft werden. Auf dem Cover ist der Papst mit der Schlagzeile „Die Kirchenreform – so führt Franziskus die stille Revolution an“ zu sehen. Das reichte offenbar aus, um das Heft in Saudi-Arabien verbieten zu lassen.

Alsaa Omar al-Menhaly, der Chefredakteur des Magazins, entschuldigte sich auf Twitter bei seinen Lesern, die bereits seit einer Woche auf die neue Ausgabe warteten: Das Magazin dürfe „aus kulturellen Gründen“ nicht veröffentlicht werden. In Saudi-Arabien ist es nicht nur verboten, christliche oder jüdische Gottesdienste zu feiern, auch der Import und das öffentliche Tragen von religiösen Symbolen wie Kreuzen, Bibeln oder Rosenkränzen steht unter Strafe. » | Von Kornelius Friz | Mittwoch, 9. September 2015

Inside Story: Desperate Journeys

Refugees cross into Germany after torturous journey from war-torn countries.

Europe Divided Over Growing Refugee Crisis

The European Commission has presented a seven-step solution to tackling the ever-growing refugee crisis swamping the continent. And, in the process, it's accusing member countries of lacking unity in handling the situation. But despite the gravity of the problem facing Europe, the parliament session still occasionally descended into a less-serious mood. Germany is, by far, the favored destination for migrants and refugees coming to Europe.

Cold Welcome: Protesters Flock to London in Rally against Netanyahu Visit

While the Israeli Prime Minister is due in London today, he might not get a very warm welcome. Protests over his visit are taking place and RT's Polly Boiko is following them for us.

Germany Torn by Migrant Hatred

What P****s Me Off About The European Migrant Crisis

Police Fire Rubber Bullets at Pro-refugee Protesters in Switzerland

Riot police fired rubber bullets at a crowd of pro-refugee protesters in Zurich on Saturday.

'You've Simply Got It Wrong' Farage Blasts EU's Juncker as He Dishes Out Refugee QUOTAS

Nigel Farage has blasted Jean-Claude Juncker for his
'compulsory' refugee quotas

EXPRESS: NIGEL Farage has blasted the European Union for allowing migrants to "flow" into Europe in "biblical proportions" as Jean-Claude Juncker sets out COMPULSORY refugee quotas to share 160,000 asylum seekers.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has called for solidarity from the EU's 28 member states in responding to Europe's worst migration crisis since the Second World War.

Criticising Europe's failure to come up with a united response to the hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving on its shores, Mr Juncker said quotas will now be "compulsory".

He took a swipe at David Cameron's refusal to voluntarily sign up to the quota, saying he hoped this time "everybody will be on board".

As he dishes out quotas for each country in the Schengen open borders arrangement, Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: "Mr Juncker you've simply got this wrong."

He said his stark warning in April, that the terms of the European Common Asylum Policy were set so wife [sic] that "anyone who sets a foot on EU soil can stay".

He added: "I said it would lead to a flow of biblical proportions and indeed that is what we are beginning to see and that's been compounded by Germany last week saying that basically anyone can come. » | Selina Sykes | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Refugee Crisis: Juncker Calls for EU to Take 'Bold, Concerted Action'

European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker
addresses the European parliament in Strasbourg.

THE GUARDIAN: European commission president uses first state of the union address to urge member states to accept plan to relocate 160,000 refugees

Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, has called for “bold, concerted action” to deal with Europe’s most serious refugee crisis since the second world war.

In his first annual state of the union address before the European parliament in Strasbourg, Juncker urged member states to accept the commission’s plan to relocate 160,000 refugees fleeing war and terror.

Juncker acknowledged that the numbers of people arriving in Europe was “frightening” for some, but declared: “Now is not the time for fright, this is time for bold, concerted action. It is a matter of humanity and dignity, for Europe it is a matter for historical fairness.”

Recalling past waves of migration, Juncker reminded his audience that Europe was the world’s wealthiest and most stable continent.

“We have the means to help those fleeing war and terror. There is certainly an unprecedented number of refugees, but it is just 0.11% of Europe’s population. Refugees represent 25% of Lebanon’s population,” said Juncker. » | Mark Tran | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Queen Becomes Longest-reigning Monarch - 'A Record She Would Rather Not Have Had'

THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron will lead the world's tributes to a monarch who has served the Commonwealth through the Cold War, the Space Age and the Internet Age

In her 21st birthday broadcast to the Commonwealth, Princess Elizabeth memorably promised that “my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service”.

She could not have expected as she said those words that the burden of monarchy would fall on her shoulders so soon afterwards, but more than 63 years after she ascended the throne, the Queen has never wavered from that pledge.

On a day of history, of celebration and gratitude as she becomes our longest-reigning monarch, David Cameron will express the thanks of a nation for her "remarkable record" of duty.

In turn, Her Majesty is expected to make a brief reference to her achievement in surpassing her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria when she opens a new railway in the Scottish Borders. Read on and comment » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Tuesday, Sepptember 8, 2015


THE DAILY MAIL: DOMINIC SANDBROOK: Let's be frank: The young woman who became Queen in 1952 could not have imagined the Britain of today » | Dominic Sandbrook for The Daily Mail | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

'Terrorist Don't Move by Timetable, Our Borders Completely Open' - Former German Deputy Defense Minister

The unending influx of migrants has reinvigorated fears that Islamic State fighters could be hiding among the crowds storming Europe's borders. Some reports suggest that thousands of extremists have already been smuggled in. Germany's Federal Intelligence Service chief Gerhard Schindler said that terrorists would rather travel by plane on forged documents than use overcrowded migrant routes. But a former German Deputy Defence Minister Willy Wimmer doesn't quite buy that.

Österreich: Strache zum aktuellen Flüchtlingsstrom | FPÖ-Wahlkampfauftakt 2015

Germany Faces Massive Anti-migrant vs Pro-migrant Standoff

Germany is once again in the midst of massive anti-immigration rallies, which are often met with counter-marches, dividing the country in two. The latest demonstrations saw thousands of right-wing protesters expressing anger over the influx of refugees.

A l'université d'été du FN, Marine Le Pen tente de capitaliser sur le "fardeau" de l'immigration

Devant environ 3 500 personnes, la présidente du Front national a érigé pendant une heure et quart la crise migratoire comme numéro un des "gigantesques défis" que la France doit selon elle affronter.

A l'université d'été du FN, Marine Le Pen... by francetvinfo

Selon Marine Le Pen, la majorité des migrants qui arrivent de Syrie «ne sont pas des réfugiés politiques»

La présidente du Front national refuse de dire que les migrants, et plus particulièrement les Syriens fuyant le régime de Bachar el-Assad, sont persécutés. Invitée ce lundi sur iTélé, Marine Le Pen assure que «la majorité de ces gens qui arrivent ne sont pas des réfugiés politiques».

«Si l'on s'en tient aux critères de l'asile, il faut être persécuté par le gouvernement en place. Ceux qui sont actuellement combattus par le gouvernement en place, ce sont les fondamentalistes islamistes. Alors vous voyez qu'avec ce genre de critères, on se prépare peut-être à des lendemains qui déchantent.»


Selon Marine Le Pen, la majorité des migrants... by libezap

Pope Francis Makes It Easier for Catholics to Divorce

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Vatican City: Pope Francis, making the most substantial changes to Catholic marriage annulment procedures in centuries, on Tuesday radically simplified them and said bishops should give greater help to divorced couples.

In a move that again showed his desire for the Church to be more merciful to Catholics in difficulty, Francis reaffirmed traditional teaching on the "indissolubility of marriage", but streamlined annulment procedures many considered cumbersome, lengthy, outdated and expensive.

An annulment, formally known as a "decree of nullity", is a ruling that a marriage was not valid according to Church law because certain prerequisites, such as free will, psychological maturity and openness to having children, were lacking. » | Reuters | Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Saudischer König will für Flüchtlinge in Deutschland 200 Moscheen bauen

TAGES ANZEIGER: Saudiarabien lässt die Flüchtlinge nicht in ihr Land. Nun will sich aber einer der Machthaber engagieren und in Deutschland 200 Moscheen errichten. » | hae/mlr/pat/sda/afp | Dienstag, 8. September 2015

Flüchtlingskrise: Die arabische Halbinsel schottet sich ab

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Die Golfstaaten und Saudi-Arabien stellen sich taub gegenüber ihren muslimischen Glaubensbrüdern aus den Bürgerkriegsstaaten. Riad möchte lieber für die syrischen Flüchtlinge in Deutschland 200 Moscheen bauen.

Die arabischen Golfstaaten sind reich, sie sind muslimisch, und sie schotten sich gegenüber ihren Glaubensbrüdern aus Syrien mit einer Kälte ab, die immer mehr zu einem Skandal wird. Europäische Länder nehmen aber großzügig Flüchtlinge aus den arabischen Bürgerkriegsregionen auf, viele auf dem christlichen Kontinent scheuen keine Lasten, um ihrem humanitären Anspruch gerecht zu werden. Gegenüber diesem Leiden stellen sich die arabischen Golfstaaten jedoch taub, obwohl sich der saudische König als „der Hüter der beiden Heiligen Stätten des Islams“ anreden last

Sie bauen die größten Moscheen, die höchsten Gebäude und die prächtigsten Paläste. Der Flüchtlingsstrom fließt jedoch nach Norden, nach Europa, nicht nach Süden, auf die Arabische Halbinsel. Das hat zwei Gründe. Zum einen wollen die Flüchtlinge nicht in einem unfreien Land wie Saudi-Arabien leben; nach allem, was sie erlebt haben, lechzen sie nach Freiheit und nach Sicherheit.

Zum anderen sind diese Flüchtlinge in den Staaten des Golfkooperationsrats (GCC) auch gar nicht erwünscht. Seit dem Ausbruch erst der Krise und dann des Kriegs in Syrien war es für Syrer immer schwieriger geworden, überhaupt ein Einreisevisum zu bekommen, das zudem sehr teuer ist. Die Syrer könnten ja auf Arabisch, der gemeinsamen Sprache, berichten, was in Syrien tatsächlich geschieht, und sie würden die saudische Gesellschaft in einem unerwünschten Maße politisieren. In den vergangenen Jahren wurden dann, vor allem in Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, zunehmend Aufenthaltsgenehmigungen für syrische Gastarbeiter nicht mehr verlängert. » | Von Rainer Hermann | Dienstag, 9. September 2015

Germany: Protesters Hurl Rocks at Anti-refugee Rally Organisers in Dortmund

Protesters hurled bottles and stones at the car of the organisers of an anti-refugee rally led by right wing political party "Die Rechte" in Dortmund, Monday night.

Germany: PEGIDA Swarm Munich in Anti-refugee March

Germany: 10,000 PEGIDA Protesters Rally against Refugees in Dresden

An estimated 10,000 supporters of PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans against Western Islamization), marched through the group's place of origin, Dresden, Monday, decrying Islamism in Europe and the mass immigration of Muslim refugees into Germany.

Germany – Arson Attack: Planned Refugee Shelter Set On Fire

Germany to Spend Six Billion Euros on Refugees

Greeks Evacuate Refugees from Lesbos as Island Overflows

Europe Refugee Crisis: Greek Island of Lesbos "Near Explosion"

The Glazov Gang - The Flood of Fake Syrian Refugees into America

HT: Jihad Watch »

Lammert verurteilt Fremdenhass: "Die Flüchtlingskrise wird Deutschland verändern"

Norbert Lambert verurteilt Pöbeleien und gewaltsame
Übergriffe gegen Flüchtlinge. 

T ONLINE: Der Präsident des Bundestages, Norbert Lammert, hat fremdenfeindliche Tendenzen in Deutschland verurteilt und betont, dass das Land wegen der Flüchtlingskrise vor einem dauerhaften Wandel stehe. "Diese große humanitäre, politische und kulturelle Herausforderung wird Deutschland verändern", sagte er im Bundestag.

Der CDU-Poltiker zeigte sich überzeugt, dass die Aufnahme von Flüchtlingen zum Vorteil des Landes geschehe. Dafür müssten die Verantwortlichen aber so mutig und entschlossen handeln, wie das zuletzt etwa bei der Finanz- und Bankenkrise geschehen sei. » | rtr, dpa, t-online.de | Dienstag, 8. September 2015

Röszke: Zusammenstöße als Flüchtlinge Polizeikette durchbrechen

Flüchtlinge haben gestern in Röszke nahe der ungarischen Grenze zu Serbien eine Polizeikette durchbrochen, um ihre Reise nach Westeuropa, vor allen Dingen Deutschland, fortzusetzen. Auf ihrem Weg riefen sie im Chor „Germany“. Die Gruppe wurde später von der Polizei angehalten und ungefähr die Hälfte der Menschen in ein so genanntes „Auffanglager " gebracht, der Rest setzte seinen Marsch Richtung Budapest über eine Autobahn fort.

Syrien-Report der UNO

Die Untersuchungskommission der UNO zur Menschenrechtslage in Syrien zeichnet in ihrem neusten Bericht ein düsteres Bild der Lage. Von wahllosen Tötungen und sexueller Sklaverei ist die Rede.

Germany Says It Could Take 500,000 Refugees A Year

THE GUARDIAN: German vice-chancellor repeats call for EU countries to take their fair share of refugees, as violence flares on Greek island of Lesbos

Germany could take 500,000 refugees each year for “several years”, the country’s vice-chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has said, as fresh clashes broke out overnight between police and refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos and thousands of people gathered amid chaotic scenes on the Greek border with Macedonia.

“I believe we could surely deal with something in the order of half a million for several years,” he told ZDF public television. “I have no doubt about that, maybe more.” Germany expects to receive 800,000 asylumseekers this year, four times the total for 2014.

Gabriel also stressed that other European countries must also accept their fair share as refugees flee war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa and head for the EU. » | Helena Smith in Athens, Mark Tran in London and agencies | Tuesday, September 8, 2015

British Jihadist Killed after Plot to Kill the Queen

The Prime Minister told MPs that three jihadists had been
killed in Syria

THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron says an Isil jihadist was assassinated by an RAF drone in an attack he describes as a "new departure" for Britain in the fight against terrorists.

A British jihadist has been killed by UK forces in Syria after he directed a plot to kill the Queen, it emerged on Monday night.

In a move David Cameron said was “a new departure” for Britain, Reyaad Khan was last month assassinated in an RAF drone strike after security services uncovered his bid to stage a terror attack in the UK.

The Prime Minister said that it is the first time UK forces have directed a targeted attack against one of its own citizens when Britain is not at war.

It is also marks the first British military action in Syria and Mr Cameron made clear that UK forces are now prepared to carry out more strikes in Syria, Iraq and Libya against specific targets.

Downing Street denied the existence of a “kill list” of terrorists.

However, it has been made clear by Whitehall sources that British-born Isil fighters including Jihadi John, the terrorist responsible for executing westerners in Syria, are targets for UK forces. » | Peter Dominiczak, Ben Farmer and Steven Swinford | Monday, September 7, 2015

Migrant Crisis: Influx Will Change Germany, Says Merkel

BBC: Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the "breathtaking" flow of migrants into Germany will "occupy and change" the country in the coming years.

She said Germany would speed up asylum procedures and build extra housing, but called on other EU states to help.

French President Francois Hollande said quotas for EU countries to relocate 120,000 migrants were being planned and that France would take 24,000.

Meanwhile, the flow of migrants across Europe shows no sign of easing.

On Monday, large numbers of people were reported to be streaming into Hungary across its southern border with Serbia. » | Monday, September 7, 2015

East-West Divide: Clashes in Budapest, Eastern Europe Rejects Migrant Sharing Quotas (September 4, 2015)

Clashes break out in Budapest as a crowd of football fans marches by a camp of refugees in the heart of the Hungarian capital. Meanwhile, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have unanimously rejected a quota system for sharing migrants.

ISIS Cells in USA & Europe Ready to Launch Third World War - Terrorism Expert

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has been calling in recruits from all across the globe – and it’s not just men who answer. Young women come to IS to join the jihad, to be sex slaves for terrorists – or to commit terror attacks themselves. What lures girls into a life of fanaticism and violence? And how does desperation drive one into donning a belt with explosives? We pose these questions to a criminologist and terrorism expert, a reserve lieutenant colonel of the Israeli Army and a recently elected member of the Knesset. Dr Anat Berko is on SophieCo today.

RT Documentary: ISIS vs Christ

In early 2015, a small Egyptian village was dealt a cruel blow. ISIS killed 20 men from Al-Ur because they were Christian. Now their families take comfort from their faith as they to come to terms with the loss. The whole community honours the dead as martyrs, Christian and Muslim neighbours alike mourn their deaths and condemn the killers. A few survived and are torn between survivor’s guilt and admiration for the courage shown by their fallen friends. However hard times may be for this village, the community finds solace and pride in how the martyrs’ faith remained strong to the very end.

Majority of Brits Would Vote for Brexit amid EU Migrant Crisis

More people in Britain want to leave the EU than to stay - according to new poll by the country's 'Mail on Sunday' newspaper. It's the first time since November that the public have swung towards quitting the bloc. And, it's an issue Brits could soon get to decide on for real.

The Men Evading Tajikistan's de-facto Beard Ban

'I did not grow a beard to be vulgar but because it's beautiful',
says Romish Ibrohimov.

THE GUARDIAN: Reports indicate the government is clamping down on facial hair on religious grounds, but the rules don’t seem to apply to all. Global Voices Online reports

Russia’s great moderniser Peter the Great was responsible for one of history’s strangest tariffs: the beard tax.

Now, more than 300 years later Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon is clamping down on facial hair with the same fervour, seemingly linked to the government’s ongoing campaign against the influence of Islam in Tajik society.

Reports that police in the former Soviet state have been forcibly shaving men with facial hair are widespread.

In April, Rustam Gulov claims the police took him into custody and shaved him against his will. “Judging by the hair in the room, I estimate they shaved the beards of approximately 200-250 people before me,” the well-known blogger later wrote. » | Global Voices Online, part of the New East network | Monday, September 7, 2015

UN Refugee Chief : History Will Judge Us Harshly Over Syria Crisis

THE TELEGRAPH: Peter Sutherland, the UN's special envoy for migrants and refugees, says this is not a temporary phenomenon

The flood of refugees into Europe from the Middle East and Africa has only just begun as states disintegrate in a maelstrom of religious war, the United Nations has warned.

"We cannot comfort ourselves that this is a temporary phenomenon," said Peter Sutherland, the UN's special envoy for migrants and refugees.

Quite apart from Syria, much of the Sahel across sub-Saharan Africa is hanging by a thread, and ISIS is expanding into every country of the Maghreb. » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Como, Italy | Monday, September 7, 2015

Pastor Converts to Islam with 480-member Congregation in Rwanda

UMMID.COM: Kigali (Rwanda): In one of the largest reversion cases of Christians to Islam, a Rwandan pastor and his entire 480-member congregation have reverted to Islam, as the world fastest growing religion expands its presence in the African continent.

Salim Mikdad, a former pastor, reverted to Islam after being convinced into it by Muslim scholars, Nigeria Watch reported.

Later on, he managed to convince his entire 480-member congregation to take a similar decision on August 25. » | Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Angola Officially Bans Islam, Closes Mosques

MOROCCO WORLD NEWS: Taroudant – Angola has reportedly banned Islam, Muslims and has closed the mosques in the country.

After its decision to ban the practice of Islamic religion and the shutting down of its places of worship in the whole country, Angola became the first country in the world to officially ban Islam.

“This is the final end of Islamic influence in our country,” Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos said on Sunday.

Angolan Minister of Culture, Rosa Cruz e Silva, announced earlier the ban, saying that “the process of legalization of Islam has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human rights, their mosques would be closed until further notice.”

She also said that the ban must take place because Islam was “contradictory to the customs of Angola culture and it is a sect”. » | Larbi Arbaoul | Sunday, September 6, 2015

Putin: EU-Flüchtlingskrise war voraussehbar und bedingt durch blinden Befehlsgehorsam gegenüber USA

Der Präsident der Russischen Föderation, Wladimir Putin, hat im Rahmen einer Rede auf dem Wirtschaftsforum in Wladiwostok darauf hingewiesen, dass die Flüchtlingskrise in Europa angesichts der westlichen Interventions-Politik im Nahen Osten nicht überraschend kommt. Zudem betonte er, dass die USA, denen die EU im blinden Gehorsam folgte, kaum von dem Flüchtlingszustrom betroffen ist, trotz ihrer maßgeblichen Rolle bei der Destabilisierung der Region.

Pope Calls on All of Europe’s Catholics to House Refugees

THE NEW YORK TIMES: VIENNA — Pope Francis on Sunday called on every parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary in Europe to shelter refugees fleeing “death from war and hunger,” adding that the Vatican’s two parishes will lead the way by taking in two families.

In a speech to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said it was not enough to say “have courage, hang in there” to those marching towards what he described as “life’s hope.”

It was the pontiff’s first direct message to Europe — and the world — about how to embrace and integrate the largest mass migration Europe has seen since the end of World War II. » | Alison Smale | Sunday, September 6, 2015

Papst: "Jede Pfarre soll eine Familie aufnehmen"

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Angesichts der Tragödie Zehntausender Menschen auf der Flucht vor Krieg und Hunger hat Papst Franziskus beim Angelus- Gebet am Sonntag konkrete Akte der Solidarität eingemahnt. Er rief vor allem Europas Pfarren, religiöse Gemeinschaften, Klöster und Wallfahrtsorte auf, jeweils zumindest eine Flüchtlingsfamilie aufzunehmen. » | AG/red | Sonntag, 6. September 2015

Merkel über die Angst vor einer Islamisierung

Deutschland begrüsst Flüchtlinge

Peter Hitchens: We Won't Save Refugees by Destroying Our Own Country

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Actually we can’t do what we like with this country. We inherited it from our parents and grandparents and we have a duty to hand it on to our children and grandchildren, preferably improved and certainly undamaged.

It is one of the heaviest responsibilities we will ever have. We cannot just give it away to complete strangers on an impulse because it makes us feel good about ourselves.

Every one of the posturing notables simpering ‘refugees welcome’ should be asked if he or she will take a refugee family into his or her home for an indefinite period, and pay for their food, medical treatment and education.

If so, they mean it. If not, they are merely demanding that others pay and make room so that they can experience a self-righteous glow. No doubt the same people are also sentimental enthusiasts for the ‘living wage’, and ‘social housing’, when in fact open borders are steadily pushing wages down and housing costs up. Read on and comment » | Peter Hitchens | Sunday, September 6, 2015

Islamic State: ISIS Orders Parents to MARRY OFF Their Daughters to Its Depraved Fighters

EXPRESS: TERRIFIED parents in Libya have been ordered to MARRY OFF their daughters to depraved Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, it emerged today.

Sex-crazed Islamists in the coastal city of Sirte are looking to force mothers and fathers to hand over their young girls in the name of jihad.

Those who refuse could find themselves hauled before a Sharia court, with public floggings and even the death penalty amongst the punishments routinely handed down by Isis militants.

The move comes after Express.co.uk revealed how Nigerian terror group Boko Haram has sent hundreds of fighters to Sirte to help the jihadis hold the city.

The hated terror group has declared [the] Sirte its new capital in north Africa as part of its bid to create a so-called caliphate.

In a sermon to Sirte's terrified people - who recently rebelled against their new Isis rulers - militant Hassan al-Karami ordered locals to marry off their female relatives to Isis fighters. » | Nick Gutteridge | Saturday, September 5, 2015

Britain Should Help 'Crush' Isil in Syria, Former Archbishop of Canterbury Warns

THE TELEGRAPH: Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, says that air strikes in Syria may be needed to stop Isil 'for once and for all' as David Cameron considers a vote on military intervention.

Britain should "crush" Isil by taking part in military action in Syria, a former Archbishop of Canterbury suggests today amid mounting calls for further air strikes.

In an article for The Telegraph, Lord Carey says that it is "not enough" to send aid to Syria and admit thousands of refugees to this country.

He argues that Isil needs to be dealt with "for once and for all" and that "air strikes and other British military assistance" may be needed in Syria.

He also says Britain should be prioritising Christian refugees who are victims of "ethnic cleansing" and have been crucified, beheaded, raped, and subjected to forced conversion by Isil.

The comments from one of Britain's most senior religious figures are likely to be welcomed by David Cameron, who has suggested that military intervention is required to solve the Syrian crisis. » | Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, September 5, 2015

From Turkey to Germany for $12K: Illegal Human Trafficking Booms amid Refugee and Migrant Crisis

High demand for asylum in Europe has created a smuggling boom in the people-trafficking industry. A place in a boat from Libya to Italy costs from $900. Routes from Turkey to Sweden by plane, or to Germany overland can cost over $12 000.

The President Meets with the King of Saudi Arabia

President Obama delivers remarks before meeting with King Salman bin Abd alAziz of Saudi Arabia. September 4, 2015.

ARUTZ SHEVA: Saudi King Meets Obama, Reiterates Concern Over Iran Deal: King Salman of Saudi Arabia meets Obama in Washington, his first visit to the United States since assuming the throne. » | Ben Ariel, Canada | Saturday, September 5, 2015

L’ancien premier ministre portugais José Socrates sort de prison

José Socrates en juin 2011.

LE MONDE: En détention provisoire depuis novembre 2014 dans le cadre d’une enquête pour corruption et blanchiment d’argent, l’ancien premier ministre portugais José Socrates a été autorisé à sortir de prison, a annoncé vendredi 4 septembre le parquet général. Sur décision du tribunal d’instruction, il sera « assigné à résidence sans obligation de port d’un bracelet électronique ».

Chef du gouvernement de 2005 à 2011, il avait été arrêté le 21 novembre, puis inculpé trois jours plus tard pour corruption, blanchiment d’argent et fraude fiscale aggravée. Il était depuis placé en détention provisoire à la prison d’Evora, dans le sud-est du pays. » \ Le Monde.fr avec AFP | vendredi 4. Septembre 2015

France 'May Extend Airstrikes on Isil to Syria'

French President François Hollande

THE TELEGRAPH: President Francois Hollande is studying the possibility of sending French warplanes to attack Isil in Syria, according to "high-level sources" cited by Le Monde, and will discuss issue at press conference on Monday

France may extend military airstrikes against Islamic State targets from Iraq to Syria, Le Monde newspaper has reported.

France was the first country to join the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes on Isil targets in Iraq and has supplied weapons to what it considers moderate rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

But it has so far ruled out bombing the terror group’s bases in Syria out of fear that this might benefit the Assad regime.

Le Monde quoted an unnamed "high level source" as saying that in the wake of the growing migrant crisis in Europe, President François Hollande was now considering sending French warplanes to attack Isil in Syria. » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Saturday, September 5, 2015

Britain Pledges to Help Thousands of Refugees – But Rich Arab States Have Taken In NONE

EXPRESS: SUPER-RICH Arab states have been branded "shameful" after it emerged they have refused to give asylum to a single Syrian refugee.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – all relatively close to war-ravaged Syria and said by commentators to have the capacity to quickly house refugees – are yet to take any of the four million Syrians fleeing the region.

The news comes as record numbers embark on the life-threatening journey to Europe – and packed refugee camps in Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt come under threat from the Islamic State advance.

And although the tragic death of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi has seen European attitudes to the crisis change overnight, campaigners have slammed Gulf states' unwillingness to change tack.

Syrians must apply for tourist visas and work permits in order to have any hope of starting a new life in the Gulf – with few of the costly documents ever granted.

Amnesty International's Head of Refugee and Migrants' Rights, Sherif Elsayid-Ali, said: "The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace." » | Patrick Maguire | Saturday, September 5, 2015

Refugee Crisis: Hungary Lays On Buses as Human Tide Starts 150-Mile Trek to Vienna

Refugees walk down the M7 towards Austria

THE TELEGRAPH: Authorities concede to assist more than 1,000 refugees who had set off on foot towards Vienna after nearly a week stranded in mounting squalor outside Budapest’s main railway station

It was an exodus born of anger and frustration.

After nearly a week stranded in mounting squalor outside Budapest’s main railway station, more than 1,000 refugees took matters into their own hands on Friday and decided to try to walk towards a better life.

Half protest-march, half procession, the dismal crocodile of refugees left the Keleti station at 10am carrying what meagre possessions they could – a carrier bag of clothes, a bag of baby’s bottles, a few books or a phone – and set off for Vienna more than 150 miles away.

Many carried pictures of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, which they waved defiantly at the police, demanding to know why Hungary was not treating the refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia with more compassion.

While in Hungary’s parliament, politicians passed strict new laws that will make illegal crossings of the country’s newly fortified border with Serbia punishable by three years in jail, the procession wound slowly through the suburbs of Budapest and up the M1 motorway towards the Austrian border.

Then, hours after the refugees started trudging west, the Hungarian authorities made a concession of sorts, announcing that it would lay on buses to take them to border town of Hegyeshalom if they wanted.

It did not seem a wholly altruistic gesture.

"The top priority is that Hungary's transport should not be crippled," Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief-of-staff Janos Lazar told a press conference.

His chief of staff, Janos Lazar, added: "This does not automatically mean that they can leave the country. We are waiting for the Austrian government's response." » | Peter Foster, outside Budapest and James Badcock in Bicske | Friday, September 4, 2015

Amid Refugee Crisis, Hungary Prime Minister Says Muslims Not Welcome

AL JAZEERA: Viktor Orban says history of Ottoman rule means Hungarians will not accept large-scale Muslim immigration

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that his country did not want to accept Muslim refugees, as he defended his tough approach to border control on the frontline of Europe's migration crisis.

Orban spoke in Brussels at meetings between European Union leaders and Hungary's prime minister after images of a drowned Syrian child on a Turkish beach grabbed world attention this week and said that it was not a moral argument for opening Europe's doors.

"If we would create ... an impression that 'just come because we are ready to accept everybody,' that would be a moral failure. The moral, human thing is to make clear: 'Please don't come,'" Orban told reporters.

In a later news conference, Orban said the history of Ottoman rule meant Hungarians would not accept large-scale Muslim immigration, a point made recently by neighboring Slovakia.

"We don't want to, and I think we have a right to decide that we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country," Orban said. "We do not like the consequences of having a large number of Muslim communities that we see in other countries, and I do not see any reason for anyone else to force us to create ways of living together in Hungary that we do not want to see. That is a historical experience for us." » | Al Jazeera and wire services | Thursday, September 3, 2015


THE LOCAL (DE): Orban: Muslims threaten European identity: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Thursday that the wave of mostly Muslim refugees coming to Europe threatens to undermine the continent's Christian roots - an idea rejected by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. » | AFP | Friday, September 4, 2015

THE WASHINGTON POST: Muslims threaten Europe’s Christian identity, Hungary’s leader says: Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has made nationalistic and controversial statements in the past. But with his country emerging as a main gateway for refugees trying to reach richer European nations, his words suddenly carry much heavier weight. » | Rick Noack | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Actor Gérard Depardieu to 'Sell Everything' in France

Gérard Depardieu

THE TELEGRAPH: Actor and tax exile Gérard Depardieu pledges to sell all his properties in France, including a chateau, several restaurants and a fishmongers, in latest diatribe against his native country

French actor Gérard Depardieu has declared that he will "sell everything" in his home country, including his chateau and restaurants.

Already living as a tax exile in Belgium, with another address in Russia where he has been granted citizenship, the provocative star has said that this time he wants to sever all ties with France, including his string of properties.

“I think I want to sell everything in France!” he told TV Magazine. “I don’t want to be a part of this country anymore, even though I love the French.”

In 2012, Depardieu sparked a furious debate in France after becoming a tax resident of Belgium in order to avoid a 75 per cent levy on millionaire earners - a move dubbed “pathetic” by Jean-Marc Ayrault, then French prime minister.

The following January, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, awarded a Russian passport to the 66-year-old star of Green Card, Cyrano and the Asterix films.

Depardieu is currently registered as living in the town of Saransk, with his address listed as 1, Democracy Street. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, September 4, 2015

Documentary: Europe Or Die

Inside Story: Migrants or Refugees?

Thousands fleeing conflict in desperation have been undermined by language used by media to describe their plight.

Lebanese Communists Gear Up to Fight ISIS: 'We Are Sons of This Land and Won't Leave It'

At the Lebanon-Syria border civilians are taking up the fight against ISIS themselves by forming communist guerilla group.

Merkel: Maßnahmenpaket für Flüchtlinge - komplettes Eingangsstatement - ZDF heute

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat in der Bundespressekonferenz für den 24. September ein Maßnahmenpaket für Flüchtlinge in Deutschland angekündigt.

EU in Meltdown over Migrants as Cameron Says UK Will Do Its Duty and Take 4,000 Refugees

EXPRESS: EUROPE was in meltdown last night as the migrant crisis engulfing the Continent threatened to tear the EU apart.

Deep divisions opened between member states as they disagreed over how to deal with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to the European Union from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

A dramatic East-West split has formed as the EU struggles to deal with what is the greatest crisis in its history[.]

Brussels, Germany and France want to force all EU nations - including Britain - to take their share of up to 160,000 refugees.

But Hungary, which has borne the brunt of a recent influx of migrants, and Poland are steadfastly refusing to accept any more, insisting it is not their problem.

Yesterday Britain appeared to be increasingly isolated from the leading EU countries in its response to the escalating crisis with the Government coming under attack from all sides including its own backbenchers for its failure to do more.

But last night, the Government bowed to the mounting pressure with Whitehall sources indicating that David Cameron will announce later today that Britain is to take around 4,000 more Syrian refugees. » | Martyn Brown | Friday, September 4, 2015

„Wer überrannt wird, kann niemanden aufnehmen“

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán kritisiert in einem Gastbeitrag für die F.A.Z. die „verfehlte Einwanderungspolitik“ der EU. Angesichts der Flüchtlingskrise warnt er vor einer „Explosion“ in ganz Europa.

Der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán hat angesichts der Flüchtlingskrise vor einer „Explosion“ in ganz Europa gewarnt und den Bau des Grenzzauns verteidigt. In einem Gastbeitrag für die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Donnerstagsausgabe - hier im Epaper) schreibt Orbán: „Wer überrannt wird, kann niemanden aufnehmen".

Der Ministerpräsident geißelte die „verfehlte Einwanderungspolitik“ der EU. „Jeder europäische Politiker ist verantwortungslos, der Einwanderern Hoffnungen auf ein besseres Leben macht und dazu ermuntert, alles zurückzulassen, um unter Einsatz ihres Lebens in Richtung Europa aufzubrechen“, schreibt er in der F.A.Z. Unerlässlich sei der Schutz der Außengrenzen der EU. „Deshalb ist der Zaun, den wir Ungarn bauen, wichtig. Wir machen das nicht aus Spaß, sondern weil er notwendig ist." » | Quelle: FAZ.NET | Mittwoch, 2. September 2015

Cameron Bows to Pressure to Allow More Syrian Refugees into Britain

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister vows UK will take thousands of people currently in UN refugee camps on the Syrian border

David Cameron will respond to growing international and domestic demands that Britain take more refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war by announcing that the UK will take in thousands more.

Final details of the numbers, funding and planned location are being urgently thrashed out in Whitehall. » | Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Dutch Sergeant Joins Isil in First Such Desertion

THE TELEGRAPH: A 26-year-old Dutch air force sergeant is believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

A serving member of the Dutch air force may have joined Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Syria, the Netherlands Defence Ministry has said.

The 26-year-old air force sergeant has been suspended from service and his access to “information, systems and military sites” has been revoked, the ministry said in a statement.

"The case is currently being investigated by the Public Prosecutor," it said. "The defence ministry will of course investigate any risks or damage associated with the sergeant's position and take any necessary and appropriate measures."

Dutch authorities said on Thursday that this is the first time a serving member of the country’s armed forces is known to have joined Isil. » | Louisa Loveluck | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Desperate Refugee Pushes Wife & Kid on Rail Tracks as Police Hustle Asylum Seekers off Train

Worst Refugee Crisis Since WWII: 'Little Unity between EU Leaders, Lots of Fingerpointing'

Hungary is currently dealing with a major refugee influx, causing the Prime Minister to say asylum seekers are ‘German problem’ and to acuse EU of inability to control situation.

Migrants Rush to Board Trains after Budapest Station Reopens

Grèce : Lesbos, nouvelle porte d'entrée vers l'Europe pour les migrants

Au nord-est de la mer Égée, l'île de Lesbos est devenue la nouvelle porte d'entrée vers l'Europe après l'Italie pour les migrants. La plage de Sykamnia est jonchée de déchets, et les réfugiés vivent dans un campement de fortune.

Merci à Jean-Marc pour la vidéo, Niçois en vacances sur l'île.

Grèce : Lesbos, nouvelle porte d'entrée vers l... by nice-matin

Images choquantes de corps de migrants retrouvés sur une plage turque

Attention, certaines images de cette vidéo peuvent heurter la sensibilité –

La réalité de l’entrée des migrants cherchant refuge en Europe ne se limite pas au décompte des passages de frontières. Une des routes les plus empruntées actuellement par les réfugiés – particulièrement les Syriens fuyant la guerre – est celle de la mer Egée, entre la Turquie et la Grèce.

Ce mercredi matin, cette mer a rejeté les corps de onze personnes qui avaient essayé d’atteindre l’île grecque de Kos. Selon l’agence de presse turque Dogan, un premier bateau de 16 Syriens a coulé en tentant la traversée et sept de ses occupants ont perdu la vie. Un autre bateau, transportant six de leurs compatriotes, a connu le même sort, ce qui a coûté la vie à une femme et à trois enfants. Le corps de l’un d’eux a été retrouvé peu après sur la côte turque, une scène particulièrement choquante filmée par la télévision turque DHA.

La Méditerranée est la route la plus mortelle pour les migrants venant chercher refuge en Europe. Depuis le début de l’année, plus de 2 500 d’entre eux y ont perdu la vie, estime le Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés.


Les corps de migrants retrouvés sur une plage... by lemondefr
THE INDEPENDENT: Aylan Kurdi: Syrian boy's family took deadly voyage after Canada refused refugee application: The boy's aunt said the family made the decision to make their boat journey to Kos after their attempts to migrate to Canada were turned down » | Lizzie Dearden | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Migrants : la crise européenne expliquée en cartes

Depuis le début de l’année, plus de 350 000 personnes ont traversé la Méditerranée pour rejoindre l’Europe, ce qui représente la plus importante vague de réfugiés qu’a connue le Vieux Continent depuis la seconde guerre mondiale. Remise en cause de l’espace Schengen, divisions autour des quotas… face à ces arrivées massives et à la crise humanitaire qu’elles représentent, l’Europe se crispe et se voit ébranlée dans ses fondements.

Migrants : la crise européenne expliquée en cartes by lemondefr

Savage Enemy: How Isis Wants To Start Armageddon

Terror expert Robert Spencer exposes the mysterious inner workings of the Islamic State in his latest book, The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS. It is an essential primer to understanding one of the world's most dangerous enemies.

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

"Das Flüchtlingsdrama – Versagt Europa?" - Phoenix Runde vom 01.09.2015

Was sind die Gründe für das Scheitern einer gemeinsamen Strategie? Ist Europas Leitspruch „In Vielfalt geeint“, nur noch ein leeres Versprechen?

Flüchtlinge in Ungarn: Viktor Orbán und Martin Schulz zur aktuellen Lage am 03.09.2015

Pressekonferenz mit Statements von Martin Schulz (Präsident des Europäisches Parlament) und Ungarns Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán zur Situation der Flüchtlinge in Ungarn.

Migration Crisis: Hungary PM Claims Europe Is In Grip of 'Madness'

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, described the
chaos over refugees in Europe as a 'German problem'.

THE GUARDIAN: Viktor Orbán attacks EU immigration policy as misguided, warning that influx of Muslim refugees poses threat to Europe’s Christian identity

Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has claimed that Europe is in the grip of madness over immigration and refugees, and argued that he was defending European Christianity against a Muslim influx.

Orbán’s incendiary remarks came as he arrived in Brussels for a confrontation with EU leaders over his hardline policies in Europe’s biggest migration emergency since the second world war.

“Everything which is now taking place before our eyes threatens to have explosive consequences for the whole of Europe,” Orbán wrote in Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “Europe’s response is madness. We must acknowledge that the European Union’s misguided immigration policy is responsible for this situation.

“Irresponsibility is the mark of every European politician who holds out the promise of a better life to immigrants and encourages them to leave everything behind and risk their lives in setting out for Europe. If Europe does not return to the path of common sense, it will find itself laid low in a battle for its fate.”

…

“Those arriving have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture. Most of them are not Christians, but Muslims,” he said. “This is an important question, because Europe and European identity is rooted in Christianity. Is it not worrying in itself that European Christianity is now barely able to keep Europe Christian? There is no alternative, and we have no option but to defend our borders.” » | Ian Traynor in Brussels | Thursday, September 3, 2015


FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Orbán: Flüchtlingsproblem ist ein deutsches Problem: Ungarns Ministerpräsident sieht in der derzeitigen Krise „kein EU-Problem“. Ein Zug mit Hunderten Flüchtlingen hat derweil den Ostbahnhof in Budapest verlassen. » | Quelle: AFP/Reuters/dpa | Donnerstag, 3. September 2015

Bildsctrecke »

We Can't Cope with This Tide! Europe's Despairing Leaders Bring Back Border Controls with Free-movement Zone on Brink of Collapse

Biblical: Thousands of migrants emerge from the hold of a
ferry onto the streets of Greece's capital, Athens

DAILY MAIL: Berlin has sought to criticise EU countries for not taking enough migrants / It has now asked Italy to tighten controls on Austrian border to ease flow Figures show record 104,460 asylum seekers came to Germany last month / Slovakia’s foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak said Schengen Agreement had fallen apart

Europe's migrant crisis escalated last night as border controls were reintroduced and Germany admitted it could no longer cope with the influx.

Berlin had sought to criticise others – including Britain – for not taking in enough refugees after it announced it would no longer deport those coming from Syria.

But the EU’s passport-free travel zone was on the brink of collapse after Germany was forced to ask Italy to tighten border controls.

As tensions between European leaders unable to agree on how to handle the crisis simmered, Slovakia’s foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak said the Schengen Agreement removing border checks between 26 European countries has fallen apart.

Last night, as the numbers crossing into Germany reached nearly 150 per hour, it asked Italy to impose identification checks at Brennero, on the border with Austria, to ease the flow. An unprecedented surge of migrants has been trying to get to the country after Berlin last week began accepting asylum claims from Syrian refugees regardless of where they entered the EU. » | John Stevens for The Daily Mail | Thursday, September 3, 2015

EU Blamed for Migrant Chaos: Europe’s Border Crisis Is Totally Out of Control

EXPRESS: EU chiefs were condemned yesterday for causing the escalating migrant crisis now engulfing Europe as their dream of open borders turned into a “shambolic” nightmare.

As thousands of rail passengers were stranded or delayed by migrants clambering aboard Eurostar trains in Calais, authorities across southern Europe struggled to stem the invasion of desperate refugees.

On another day of high drama in the summer-long migrant crisis 3,000 migrants desperate to reach Germany protested around the main railway station in Hungary’s capital Budapest, shutting the terminal for a second day and threatening to bring more havoc.

In Greece 6,200 migrants were taken by three ferries from two overwhelmed islands to the mainland.

And tourists in the Turkish resort of Bodrum were horrified when the bodies of several migrants - including two small children - washed up on the shore after their tiny boat capsized as they made the perilous 13-mile crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Kos. » | Anil Dawar and John Ingham | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Shocking Images of Drowned Syrian Boy Show Tragic Plight of Refugees

A Turkish police officer carries a young boy who drowned in
a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos.

THE GUARDIAN: Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece

The full horror of the human tragedy unfolding on the shores of Europe was brought home on Wednesday as images of the lifeless body of a young boy – one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos – encapsulated the extraordinary risks refugees are taking to reach the west.

The picture, taken on Wednesday morning, depicted the dark-haired toddler, wearing a bright-red T-shirt and shorts, washed up on a beach, lying face down in the surf not far from Turkey’s fashionable resort town of Bodrum.

A second image portrays a grim-faced policeman carrying the tiny body away. Within hours it had gone viral becoming the top trending picture on Twitter under the hashtag #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (humanity washed ashore). » | Helena Smith in Athens, and agencies | Wednesday, September 2, 2015

An Indian Imam Converts to Christianity!