Sunday, October 04, 2015
French Politician in Hot Water after Calling France ‘White Race’ Nation
Main Migrant Crisis Still to Come
Polish Priest Krysztof Charamsa Comes Out as Gay, Is Sacked by Vatican
The Vatican dismissed a priest from his post in a Holy See office on Saturday after he told a newspaper he was gay and urged the Catholic Church to change its stance on homosexuality.
Monsignor Krzystof Charamsa was removed from his position at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal arm where he had worked since 2003, a statement said.
Charamsa, 43, and a Polish theologian, announced he was gay and had a partner in a long interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera {English] newspaper on Saturday.
He later held a news conference with his partner, a Spanish man, and gay activists at a Rome restaurant. They had planned a demonstration in front of the Vatican but changed the venue several hours before it was due to have started.
The Vatican said Charamsa's dismissal had nothing to do with his comments on his personal situation, which it said "merit respect". Read on and comment » | Philip Pullella | Saturday, October 3, 2015
Saturday, October 03, 2015
Francis: The Modest But Radical Pope Who Is Conscience Of His Era
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| Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives to lead a special audience at the Vatican |
Pope Francis has an extraordinary week ahead of him. Today, a summit opens in the Vatican to debate the future of the family – and it could be tumultuous. On Friday, the pontiff might win the Nobel Peace Prize for his dedication to non-violence and combating poverty.
He is a radical figure, obsessed with getting things done, transforming his church and focusing minds on the essence of Christianity. In two short years, he been transformed into the conscience of his era.
The physical challenge is mighty. The Pope is 78 and surgery conducted when he was young left him with one functioning lung. He has spoken honestly about expecting his tenure to be short. “Four or five years,” he told the press, “even two or three.”
Despite the challenges of age, he has thrown himself into international diplomacy, visiting Albania, Bosnia, Ecuador, the Philippines and Bolivia. Next month, he flies to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. These countries are what he likes to call “the peripheries” – nations that get overlooked by rich foreign leaders.
In September, he spent eight days touring Cuba and the United States. The pairing of these old enemies is significant. As a child of Argentina, birthplace of Che Guevara, he understands the impact on Latin America of US capitalism, Cuban socialism and the violent competition between the two. The recent détente has been credited to Pope Francis – US president Barack Obama thanked him for using his personal influence to bring them together.
When the Pope arrived in Havana, the scenes of joy were astonishing. No one should underestimate the subversive power of popular piety in communist regimes. The cries of “Christ lives!” underscored the sense of change sweeping the island, of the giddy promise of freedom. » | Tim Stanley | Saturday, October 3, 2015
Canada's Conservative Government Brings Up Islam Before Debate
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced the police tip line ahead of Friday night's debate and also mentioned a proposed ban on women wearing Muslim face veils at citizenship ceremonies.
Opposition leaders denounced injecting religion into the race. One said Conservatives are "are playing with fire."
The proposed anti-niqab law is popular in the French-speaking province of Quebec and has led to an increase in Conservative support in the tight race. The debate was being held in French and is the last time candidates will square off before the Oct. 19 vote.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's party says polygamy, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation take place in Canada. It says there were over 200 potential cases of forced marriage in Ontario between 2010 and 2012.
"We need to stand up for our values," Alexander said. "We need to do that in citizenship ceremonies. We need to do that to protect women and girls from forced marriage and other barbaric practices."
Former Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, now the defense minister, took aim at the niqab.
"This practice of face covering reflects a misogynistic view of women which is grounded in medieval tribal culture," Kenney said. » | Rob Gillies, Associated Press | Toronto | Friday, October 2, 2015
Gingrich's Take: Boehner's Resignation, Obama versus Putin
Obama Warns Russia's Putin of 'Quagmire' in Syria
At a White House news conference, Obama frequently assailed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he accused of acting out of a position of weakness to defend a crumbling, authoritarian ally.
Friday prayers were canceled in insurgent-held areas of Syria's Homs province hit by Russian warplanes this week, with residents concerned that mosques could be targeted, according to one person from the area.
Putin's decision to launch strikes on Syria marks a dramatic escalation of foreign involvement in a more than four-year-old civil war in which every major country in the region has a stake.
It also gives fuel to domestic critics of Obama who say his unwillingness to act on Syria has allowed Moscow to stage its biggest show of force in the Middle East in decades.
But the U.S. president warned that Russia and Iran, Assad's main backer in the Muslim world, have isolated the majority of Syrians and angered their Sunni Muslim neighbors.
"An attempt by Russia and Iran to prop up Assad and try to pacify the population is just going to get them stuck in a quagmire and it won't work," Obama said. (+ video) » | Alistair Bell and Tom Perry | Washington/Moscow | Saturday, October 3, 2015
Radical Islam: The Most Dangerous Ideology
The People Offering Homes to Europe's Refugees
Eurotunnel Services Suspended as Migrants Storm Tunnel
Eurotunnel services were suspended on Saturday after more than 200 migrants broke into its French terminal in a “massive and organised” assault.
Passenger and freight services through the tunnel were halted for several hours while French police struggled to contain the invasion and remove the migrants.
Two police officers and four migrants suffered minor injuries during scuffles, local authorities of the Pas-de-Calais region said.
Around 100 of the migrants managed to walk as far as 15 kilometres into the Channel Tunnel during the mass break-in before police intervened to stop them getting any further.
"The migrants entered the south tunnel and went quite far, around 15 kilometres," said the top official for the region, Fabienne Buccio.
A Eurotunnel spokesman described the latest incident at its Calais terminal as a "massive invasion and intrusion by a very large and co-ordinated group". » | Patrick Sawer | Saturday, October 3, 2015
Gauck: Integration der Flüchtlinge schwieriger als deutsche Einheit
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| Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck in Frankfurt |
Die Integration von Flüchtlingen wird Deutschland nach Ansicht von Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck vor eine größere Aufgabe stellen als die deutsche Einheit. Auch die Vereinigung von Ost- und Westdeutschland beschäftige Generationen, sagte Gauck am Samstag in seiner Rede beim Festakt zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit in Frankfurt. „Doch anders als damals soll nun zusammenwachsen, was bisher nicht zusammengehörte.“
Es müssten viel größere Distanzen überwunden werden als zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschen, die eine Sprache und eine gemeinsame Kultur und Geschichte gehabt hätten, sagte der Bundespräsident. Deswegen forderte Gauck Geduld und betonte, dass nur die in Deutschland geltenden Werte Basis für eine Integration sein könnten. „Es braucht Zeit, bis alte und neue Bürger Verantwortung in einem Staat übernehmen, den alle gemeinsam als ihren Staat empfinden.“ » | Quelle: Reuters | Samstag, 3. Oktober 2015
Obama Says Russian Strategy in Syria Is ‘Recipe for Disaster’
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| Barack Obama speaks to reporters in the White House: '[Putin] doesn't distinguish between Isil and a moderate Sunni opposition that wants to see Mr Assad go.' |
Russia’s failure to distinguish between Islamic State fighters and moderate opposition forces battling against Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, is a “recipe for disaster,” Barack Obama has said, as more evidence emerged that Moscow is targeting anti-regime rebels and not just Isis.
The US president said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “doesn’t distinguish between Isil [Isis] and a moderate Sunni opposition that wants to see Mr Assad go. From their perspective, they’re all terrorists. And that’s a recipe for disaster.”
A statement released earlier on Friday by the US-led coalition fighting Isis expressed deep concern about attacks by the Russian air force on Hama, Homs and Idlib. The attacks did not hit the jihadi group but caused civilian casualties.
“These military actions constitute a further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and radicalisation,” said the statement by France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the US and Britain. “We call on the Russian federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on fighting Isil.” » | Shaun Walker in Moscow Lauren Gambino in New York Ian Black in London and Kareem Shaheen in Beirut | Friday, October 2, 2015
Nine Médecins Sans Frontières Staff Killed in Suspected US Airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan
Bill Maher, Richard Dawkins Denounce ‘Regressive Leftists’ for Granting ‘Free Pass’ to Islam
Maher went on to say it is “ridiculous” that Muslims are a “protected species,” while Dawkins added that criticizing Muslims is “confused with racism.”
“So they think that if you you criticize Islam you’re being racist and you’re absolutely right that the regressive Muslims give a free pass to Islam,” he said. “They’re kind of right about everything else, I mean they’re right about misogyny and all of the other good things. But in the case of Islam, it just gets a free pass and I think it is because of the terror of being thought racist.”
Children of the ‘Caliphate’
Syria Blame-game: Obama Slams Russian Air Strikes, Says They Strenghten ISIS
It Doesn’t Get Much More Stupid Than This!
The New Saudi Borgias
A young Saudi prince, Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud, has apparently fled to the Wahhabi kingdom on his private jet after a bleeding woman was found trying to escape from his Los Angeles mansion. She filed sexual assault charges against him, claiming her injuries were sustained when he tried to force her to give him a blow job. Other alleged female victims have since detailed a three-day orgy of violence. But what are the chances they will have their day in court? The prince will certainly not be compelled by the Saudi royal family to return; and we can be equally sure that Washington will not hold its Saudi masters to account for facilitating his escape. Two Nepalese women imprisoned as sex slaves by a sadistic Saudi diplomat in New Delhi are unlikely to see justice either. Locked in his luxury flat for months, they were starved, tortured, raped and sodomised. The police described it as an open-and-shut case. But a few weeks ago he, too, was flown back to the Land of the Two Holy Mosques.
Both these scumbags should be quite happy to be back in Saudi Arabia, where maids from impoverished countries, and western women who work in Saudi homes, have long complained of sexual harassment. During dinner at a Saudi friend’s house in Jeddah, my host — the gentle, pious son of a general in the Saudi army — told me his college friends were ‘giving him hell’ because he wouldn’t let them have their way with his adolescent Filipina maid. They simply could not fathom his refusal. That was a decade or so ago, and that generation of brats are now the sexually warped, slave-owning Saudi princes and diplomats as ubiquitous around the globe as the hate-preachers they fund. » | John R. Bradley | Saturday, October 3, 2015
Angela Merkel 'Firm Favourite' for Nobel Prize over Refugee Crisis - But Losing Favour in Germany
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| A migrant takes a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel outside a refugee camp near the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees after registration at Berlin's Spandau district in September 2015 |
Speculation is mounting that Angela Merkel will win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her handling of the European refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine, just as public opinion in Germany is hardening on the migrant issue.
The German Chancellor has emerged as the firm favourite for the 2015 peace prize, the winner of which will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee next Friday.
But even as she is lauded on the international stage, Mrs Merkel is facing growing opposition to her refugee policy at home, where her personal approval rating with voters has plummeted nine percentage points in a single month, according to the findings of a new opinion poll. » | Justin Huggler in Berlin | Friday, October 2, 2015
Friday, October 02, 2015
Saudi Arabia Insists UN Keeps LGBT Rights Out of Its Development Goals
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Saudi Arabia is insisting the UN removes gay rights from the organisation’s Global Goals, saying it is “counter to Islamic law”.
The protest comes from the Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, who told the UN General Assembly that “mentioning sex in the text, to us, means exactly male and female. Mentioning family means consisting of a married man and woman,” AP reported.
He stated Saudi Arabia has the right not to follow any agenda that runs “counter to Islamic law”.
The Sustainable Development Goals program sets a series of “ambitious targets” for the UN’s 193 member states, related to poverty, equality and ending climate change.
However, overt references to LGBT equality were removed from the final agreement, Pink News reports.
The goals pledge to ensure that “human rights and fundamental freedoms are enjoyed by all, without discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, colour, sex, age, language, religion, culture, migration status, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic situation, birth, disability or other status.”
Homosexuality is illegal under Sharia law in Saudi Arabia and punishments for those engaging in same-sex relationships include execution, chemical castration and imprisonment. » | Samuel Osborne | Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Asyldebatte: Seehofers Attacken gegen Merkel werden immer schärfer
Der CSU-Vorsitzende Horst Seehofer hat seine Angriffe auf Bundeskanzlerin Merkel fortgesetzt. In einem Telefongespräch innerhalb der CSU-Führung habe Seehofer nach einem Bericht der „Bild“-Zeitung gesagt: „Die Kanzlerin hat sich meiner Überzeugung nach für eine Vision eines anderen Deutschland entschieden.“ Während einer Kabinettssitzung soll Seehofer zudem davon gesprochen haben, Flüchtlinge in Bussen nach Berlin vor den Reichstag zu fahren, schrieb „Spiegel Online". Ein Sprecher der Staatskanzlei habe den Bericht zunächst nicht kommentieren wollen. » | Quelle: AFP/KNA/dpa/Reuters/epd | Donnerstag, 1. Oktober 2015
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Angela Merkel, bientôt prix Nobel de la paix?
Le quotidien allemand Bild estime vendredi que la chancelière Angela Merkel est une prétendante sérieuse au prix Nobel de la Paix qui sera attribué vendredi prochain, pour son rôle dans les crises migratoire et ukrainienne.
«La chancelière Angela Merkel a de bonnes perspectives d'obtenir le prix Nobel de la paix», relève le quotidien populaire le plus lu d'Allemagne en Une dans un court article titré «Le prix Nobel de la paix pour Angela Merkel?». » | afp/nxp | vendredi 1 octobre 2015
Russia Destroys ISIS Targets in Air Strike Success as Ground War Erupts in Syria
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| Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov |
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed 12 strikes had hit ISIS and "other terrorist groups".
Russian aircraft began bombing sites in the war-torn country on Wednesday after Moscow approved air strikes aimed at degrading ISIS and propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to the Kremlin's own analysis, its planes had only struck ISIS targets, with the command and communication centres completely destroyed.
Russian Su-25M and Su-25 jets made 20 sorties with more likely to follow in the coming days.
It comes as ground war escalated in the country, with Iran and Hezbollah revealing troops had entered in support of Assad.
There were also reports Vladimir Putin, who this week signed a decree drafting 150,000 troops to the military, was preparing for soldiers to enter on the ground but this has been denied by Moscow. » | Tom Batchelor | Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Sweden's Liberal Reputation Tarnished as Race Attacks Rise
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| Kyle James, who was pepper-sprayed by bouncers at a Swedish nightclub. |
Kyle James, a black New Yorker with a top job in banking, had been warned to expect problems in bars and nightclubs in Stockholm when he visited the city in July. But nothing prepared him for what happened when he entered a well-known bar with two black friends.
After he had bought a drink, bouncers told him to leave; when he asked why, they dragged him outside, pepper-sprayed his eyes and pinned him to the ground. Police then handcuffed him and his friends. James, 32, was made to strip naked and spent the night without clothes in a cell.
Laughing, police accused him of punching a bouncer, although there were many witnesses who said that he did not. “It was one of the most demeaning experiences of my life,” says James. “I always had the perception that people were forward-thinking and liberal in Scandinavia, but not even an animal should be treated in that way.”
He tried to seek justice through the courts but after police dropped the case against him Swedish lawyers advised him not to press charges. Read on and comment » | David Crouch in Gothenburg | Friday, October 2, 2015
Margaret Thatcher: From Grocer’s Daughter to Iron Lady
Obama: Our Thoughts and Prayers Are Not Enough
Kampf um Syrien: Putin demütigt Obama
Das ist ein Wendepunkt in den Kriegen des Nahen Ostens: Erst hat Russland in Syrien eine neue Militärbasis aufgebaut, und nun bombardieren russische Kampfflugzeuge im Auftrag des syrischen Regimes Stellungen der Rebellen. Damit demütigt der russische Präsident Putin den zögernden amerikanischen Präsidenten Obama, und er markiert seinen Anspruch auf eine dauerhafte Präsenz im Nahen Osten. Putin, gestärkt durch die Annexion der Krim, will nun das Regime von Machthaber Assad retten. Zwar hatte die russische Propaganda angekündigt, Krieg gegen den „Islamischen Staat“ zu führen. Die ersten Luftschläge dienten aber allein dazu, das von Assad kontrollierte Territorium zu arrondieren. Das beschleunigt den Zerfall Syriens in Kleinstaaten. Einer wird von Assad regiert und von Russland geschützt werden. So entsteht das Abchasien des Nahen Ostens. » | Von Rainer Hermann | Donnerstag, 1. Oktober 2015
Attacks on Jews Rise to Five-year High in Germany - More Than Any Country in Europe
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| The political right, rather than jihadism, is behind most attacks on Jews in Germany, official figures suggest |
Anti-Semitic crimes have risen to a five-year high in Germany, according to a new report which finds it is recording more incidents than any country in Europe.
There were 1,596 recorded hate crimes against Jewish people last year in the country, the highest level since 2009 and a greater level than recorded in any other EU state. It was an increase from 1,275 the previous year, and it reverses a long-term trend of declining incidents.
Jewish leaders yesterday warned of hundreds of thousands of Jews are preparing to emigrate from Europe in the face of resurgent anti-Semitism.
EU officials warned against “singling out” Germany, with the official report by the bloc’s Agency for Fundamental Rights cautioning that data collection is patchy with some countries refusing to count anti-Semitic attacks at all, while others are more scrupulous.
Nevertheless, the “notable increase” in incidents raises difficult questions for Berlin some seventy years after the end of the Second World War. Of the incidents, 45 were classed as violent by the German police. » | Matthew Holehouse, Brussels | Thursday, October 1, 2015
Thursday, October 01, 2015
‘Russians Are Going to Succeed Where the West Did Not ... Or Did Not Want’ – Assad’s Adviser
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Deafening Silence” (C-SPAN)
Putin 'Bidding for Dominance' in the Middle East?
Britain First: The "Most Dangerous Far-right Party"?
PEGIDA Dresden: Stoppt den Asylantenwahnsinn ihr Politiker-Pack (28. September 2015)
Saudi Arabia Demands Russia End Syria Raids, Criticizes Iran
In remarks at the United Nations in New York, a senior Saudi diplomat suggested both Russia and Assad's other main ally Iran could not claim to fight Islamic State "terrorism" at the same time as supporting the "terrorism" of the Syrian authorities.
Saudi ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi expressed "profound concern regarding the military operations which Russian forces have carried out in Homs and Hama today, places where ISIS forces are not present. These attacks led to a number of innocent victims. We demand it stop immediately and not recur."
"As for those countries that have claimed recently to join in the fight against ISIS terrorism, they can’t do that at the same time as they support the terrorism of the Syrian regime and its terrorist foreign allies like Hezbollah and the Quds Force and other terrorist sectarian groups," he added in comments broadcast by Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television. » | Reporting by Noah Browning, William Maclean; Editing by Peter Graff | Dubai | Thursday, October 1, 2015
Iran Troops to Join Syria War, Russia Bombs Group Trained by CIA
Russian warplanes that joined the fight this week bombed a camp run by rebels trained by the CIA, the group's commander said, putting Moscow and Washington on opposing sides in a Middle East conflict for the first time since the Cold War.
The U.S. and Russian militaries will hold talks at 11 a.m. EDT via video link to seek ways to keep their militaries apart as they wage parallel campaigns of air strikes in Syria, a U.S. defense official said.
Russian jets struck targets near the cities of Hama and Homs in western Syria on the second day of their surprise air campaign.
Moscow said it had hit Islamic State positions, but the areas it struck are mostly held by a rival insurgent alliance, which unlike Islamic State is supported by U.S. allies including Arab states and Turkey. » | Leila Bassam and Andrew Osborn | Beirut/Moscow | Thursday, October 1, 2015
Graphic link here
Muslims Want Sharia Law in Non-Muslim Countries: Robert Spencer, Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi
Germany: Anti-refugee Activists Rally in Grossenhain
Donald Trump Says He Will Send All Refugees Back to Syria If Elected President
Republican US presidential front-runner Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would send thousands of Syrian refugees back to their home country if he is elected in November.
Mr Trump's remarks to CNN television came the same day Russian warplanes began air raids in Syria's center and north - their first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979.
"Look, if Russia wants to go in there, would have been nice if we went in as a unified front, to be honest. But if Russia wants to go in there and knock out Isis and maybe stabilize, this big migration with 200,000 people into the United States..." Mr Trump said.
"If I win, I'm going to say it right now and I'll say it to you, those 200,000 people - they have to know this and the world will hear it - are going back. (+ videos) » | AFP, video source APTN | Thursday, October 1, 2015
Muslim Man Beaten to Death over Rumours He Had Eaten Beef in India
A 50-year-old Muslim man was beaten to death over rumours he had eaten beef, a taboo in India, a Hindu-majority nation.
Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged from his house on the outskirts of the capital and attacked by around 100 people on Monday night, a police officer told AFP.
"When our team reached the spot a crowd was there outside his house. They (police) managed to rescue him and take him to the hospital, but his life could not be saved," said senior police superintendent Kiran S.
Indian police said on Wednesday they had arrested six people and "deployed additional personnel to contain any further repercussions".
Mr Akhlaq's 22-year-old son was also seriously injured in the attack and was in intensive care at a nearby hospital. » | Afp | Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Gen. Keane: Putin 'Outmaneuvered and Outbluffed' Obama
Second German Woman Evicted from Her Home to Make Way for Refugees
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| Gabrielle Keller with her letter |
A woman in Germany is being evicted from her home of 23 years to make way for asylum-seekers, in the second such case to emerge.
Gabrielle Keller has been given until the end of the year to leave her flat in the small southern town of Eschbach, near the border with France.
The flat belongs to the local municipality, which says it is needed to house refugees.
“I think it’s a scandal to throw tenants out of their apartments,” the 56-year-old Ms Keller told SWR television. “I can’t see the sense of it.”
Towns and cities across Germany are struggling to find accommodation for the tens of thousands of refugees streaming into the country. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Es gärt unter den Herrschenden Saudiarabiens
Deutsche Flüchtlingspolitik im Herbst
ZDF - Islam - Effects on Germany
My comment / Mein Kommentar:
Frau Merkel verdirbt Deutschland. Sie ist die Architektin der Islamisierung Deutschlands. Sie hat selber gesagt, daß Deutschland nimmer mehr das Selbe sein wird. Mich wundert, warum das deutsche Volk es ihr erlaubt, ihr Land zu ändern auf diese Art und Weise. Frau Merkel pflegte sehr vorsichtig zu sein. Nun scheint sie mir, den gesunden Menschenverstand verloren zu haben. – © Mark
Le Royaume-Uni va bannir la cigarette de ses prisons
Le gouvernement britannique a décidé d'interdire la cigarette dans les prisons. Cette mesure sera appliquée pour commencer au Pays de Galles et dans quatre prisons en Angleterre à compter de janvier.
Actuellement, les prisonniers du pays sont autorisés à fumer dans leurs cellules. Mais une décision de la Haute Cour de justice en mars a tranché en faveur de l'application, là aussi, de la législation anti-tabac en vigueur depuis 2007, à la suite d'une requête d'un détenu qui se plaignait des conséquences pour sa santé.
Dans un courrier adressé mardi soir au président de la Commission parlementaire de la justice, le ministre des prisons Andrew Selous a expliqué que l'interdiction serait introduite par phases progressives. Il s'agit de tenir compte de la forte proportion de fumeurs parmi les détenus et de «la particularité des lieux». » | ats/nxp | mercredi 30 septembre 2015
Russen bombardieren offenbar Rebellen statt IS
Russland hat erstmals Luftangriffe in Syrien geflogen. Das russische Verteidigungsministerium bestätigte die Luftangriffe auf Stellungen der Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat in Syrien. Kampfjets hätten Munitionsdepots und Treibstofflager des IS etwa 200 Kilometer von Damaskus entfernt bombardiert, sagte Generalmajor Igor Konaschenkow vom Verteidigungsministerium in Moskau der Agentur Interfax zufolge. Verteidigungsminister Sergej Schoigu habe enge Verbündete Russlands informiert, sagte er.
Verschiedene internationale Medien berichten hi[n]gegen, dass die russischen Angriffe in Gebieten geschahen, in denen nicht der IS sondern Rebellen der Free Syrian Army angesiedelt seien. Reuters zitiert ein Kader-Mitglied der FSA, die gegen Präsident Assad kämpft: «Im Gebiet nördlich von Hama gibt es keine Stellung des IS sondern ist vollständig unter der Kontrolle der Free Syrian Army.» Auch Gebiete um die Stadt Homs, die von russischen Bomben getroffen wurden, stehen nach Angaben von Reuters unter der Kontrolle von Rebellengruppen. Der IS operiere hingegen nicht in diesem Gebiet. » | bee/AFP/sda | Mittwoch, 30. September 2015
Judge Forced to Abandon 9/11 Case against Saudi Arabia Because It Has Immunity
Families of the victims and insurers had accused the Arab state of providing material support to terror group al-Qaeda.
But US District Judge George Daniels said Saudi Arabia could not be tried for the damage claims.
He said: "The allegations in the complaint alone do not provide this court with a basis to assert jurisdiction over defendants."
Sovereign immunity means the the sovereign or state cannot be sued. » | Tom Parfitt | Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Russian Warships Launch Airstrikes against ISIS in Syria
Ben Carson Responds to CAIR's Calls to Drop Out of 2016 Race
When It Comes to Islamic Terrorism, Is Obama on Our Side? Root for America
President Obama Attempts to Save Face on Syrian Conflict
Russians Tell US to Remove Warplanes from Syria, Senior Official Says
The official told Fox News that Russian diplomats sent an official demarche ordering U.S. planes out of Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory. U.S. military sources told Fox News that U.S. planes would not comply with the Russian demand.
"There is nothing to indicate that we are changing operations over Syria," a senior defense official said. "We have had every indication in recent weeks that (the Russians) were going to do something given the build-up," another defense official added.
The move by Moscow marks a major escalation in ongoing tensions between the two countries over military action in the war-torn country and comes moments after Russian lawmakers formally approved a request from the country's president, Vladimir Putin, to authorize the use of troops in Syria.
The Russian demand also mirrors one made by Turkey this past July, when Ankara asked U.S. planes to fly only in airspace south of Mosul, Iraq. In that case, 24 Turkish jets bombed Kurdish positions, catching the U.S. off guard. » | FoxNews.com | Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report | Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Russian Parliament Approves Use of Military in Syria to Fight ISIS
Vladimir Putin Is Calling the Shots over Syria - While Obama Is Sidelined
When the history of the decline of American influence in the Middle East comes to be written, US President Barack Obama’s testy exchange with Vladimir Putin, his Russian opposite number, at this week’s UN General Assembly in New York may turn out to be the key turning point.
Ever since his appointment as president in 2009, Mr Obama has sought to redefine Washington’s relationship with the Arab world, starting with his keynote speech in Cairo in June 2009, when he called for “a new beginning” in relations between the West and Muslim governments.
And in many respects Mr Obama has achieved his goal, with the ground-breaking deal he signed with Iran in the summer over its nuclear programme transforming Washington’s relations with the region. The only problem for Mr Obama is that, by investing so much of his political capital in his agreement with the ayatollahs, he has neglected to address many of the region’s other critical issues.
This is particularly true so far as his handling of the threat posed by Islamic State (Isil) is concerned. Having initially supported the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime when anti-government protests erupted more than four years ago, Mr Obama has been far less keen to involve himself in the conflict after Isil fanatics emerged as the most effective opposition group. His decision to authorise US-led air strikes against Isil last year was taken with the utmost reluctance, and only after Isil militants began massacring captured Yazidis in neighbouring Iraq.
With the American president unwilling to provide effective leadership in dealing with the Syrian crisis, the vacuum has now been filled by Mr Putin, whose surprise military intervention in support of Mr Assad last week, when Russian tanks, warplanes and marines were deployed to shore up the beleaguered Syrian leader, was no doubt timed with this week’s UN summit in mind. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Tuesday, September 29, 2015
My comment:
Wait until Iran sidelines the US and turns to Russia for succour and support. Methinks we are about to witness the total demise of American influence in the ME. And for this, the Americans can thank their 'leader', Barack Hussein Obama.
It has been Obama's wish all along to make Iran more powerful than Saudi Arabia. This, I believe, stems from his father. His father was a Shi'ite Muslim, and it was one of his father's dreams, I believe, to make Shi'ite Islam, i.e. Iran, dominant in the ME, and to limit Saudi Arabia's influence. (Remember: Dreams from My Father)
The problem for Obama is this: He seems to be well on track to make Iran strong and Saudi Arabia weak. But what he didn't factor in was that Iran would cut America down to size by turning its back on America (the Great Satan), and turn instead to Russia, Bashar Al-Assad's ally and friend. He also happens to be Iran's friend.
Obama is, and always has been, way out of his depth in international politics. The big players on the world stage are making a complete fool out of him. – © Mark
This comment also appears here.
German Leadership Has Left the Whole of Europe in Crisis Says Leo McKinstry
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| Angela Merkel's response to the migrant crisis has made things worse |
After the carnage of two world wars in the first half of the 20th century, both of them sparked by the country’s rampant territorial ambitions and maniacal leaders, the EU’s founding fathers believed that the best way to control Teutonic aggression was through the establishment of a federal superstate. But, as with everything that the EU does, this approach has failed disastrously.
Far from curbing German influence, the Brussels regime has served as a vehicle for cementing German dominance of Europe.
The EU is essentially a German-led entity with Berlin’s politicians now dictating the fate of the continent as surely as if they were in command of occupying armies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is truly the empress of this realm, capable of ruining entire European societies with just a word from her cold lips.
It is a familiar role for Germany. Ever since it first became a unified state in 1871, it has been a menace to the peace and stability of Europe.
In the modern history of the world no other advanced nation has come close to inflicting such repeated damage or spreading such profound misery.
Now the German political class is at it again, dragging Europe towards permanent ruin through its spectacular mishandling of the immigration crisis.
The scenes of chaos throughout Europe are a monument to the appalling vanity of Merkel and large sections of the German public. In their mix of shortsightedness and smugness they are the architects of this present catastrophe.
It was Merkel who opened the floodgates by declaring last month that Germany would take in more than 800,000 migrants this year alone.
That was a clear invitation for thousands to venture across the Mediterranean from north Africa and the Middle East, most of whom are neither Syrian nor refugees. » | Leo McKinstry | Monday, September 28, 2015
Whitewash! Germany Fears Rise Of Far-Right Over Refugee Crisis
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Behörden beschlagnahmen Häuser für Flüchtlinge
Stimmen, dass Flüchtlinge in sogenannten «Zweitwohnungen» untergebracht werden sollen, wurden bereits vor Wochen laut. Nun hat die Stadt Hamburg eine weitere Idee, wie man den Flüchtlingen ein zuhause geben – oder sie zumindest vorübergehend unterbringen könnte. Das berichtet die «Zeit». Die Stadt will Immobilien und Grundstücke in Hamburg «sicherstellen». Mit anderen Worten, man will leere Immobilien und Grundstücke beschlagnahmen, um Asylsuchende in diesen Gebäuden unterzubringen. Die Eigentümer sollen dafür mit den ortsüblichen Mieten entschädigt werden. Was momentan bloss ein Gesetzesentwurf ist, könnte ab Oktober Wirklichkeit werden. » | nab | Dienstag, 29. September 2015
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To Progress and Back: The Rise and Fall of Erdogan's Turkey
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- a devout Muslim, gifted populist, modernizer and father of the country's economic miracle -- is in danger of becoming an autocrat, one who is dragging his own nation into civil war and stoking external conflicts. First, he wanted to overthrow the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, then he ignored the Islamic State (IS) for far too long. And now he's fighting the Kurds, the West's only partner in its battle against the Islamic extremists. Erdogan is reinstating old battle fronts and stirring mistrust and nationalism. He is imprisoning journalists and his critics. And his soldiers are cordoning off and firing on entire Kurdish cities.
Erdogan used to have ambitious goals. He wanted to solve the Kurdish conflict and boost the economy. He wanted to modernize his country and align it more toward Europe. And he wasn't entirely unsuccessful.
Until very recently, Turkey, a NATO member, was regarded as democracy's only hope in the Islamic world. The country served as a mediator between East and West, and was on track to become a candidate for EU accession. But today's Turkey is quite the opposite: It is a country at risk of falling into a collective insanity, driven there by fanaticism, excessive nationalism and bizarre conspiracy theories.
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Read the whole article » | Hasnain Kazim, Maximilian Popp and Samiha Shafy | Translated from the German by Chris Cottrell | Thursday, September 24, 2015
Flüchtlingskrise: Seehofer fordert von Merkel Signal zur Begrenzung der Zuwanderung
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| Ministerpräsident Seehofer: "Aus den Fugen geraten" |
In der Flüchtlingskrise wächst der Druck aus den eigenen Reihen auf Angela Merkel (CDU). Bayerns Ministerpräsident Horst Seehofer hatte die Kanzlerin bereits für ihre Entscheidung kritisiert, in Ungarn festsitzende Flüchtlinge vorübergehend ohne Kontrollen nach Deutschland einreisen zu lassen. Jetzt verschärft der CSU-Chef erneut den Ton: "Es ist die drängende Pflicht eines Politikers, auf die begrenzten Aufnahmemöglichkeiten hinzuweisen", sagte Seehofer in München. "Bei aller Hilfspolitik sind wir Politiker nicht befreit von der Frage, auch über die Folgen unseres Tuns nachzudenken."
Seehofer dankte Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck, der bereits die beschränkten Aufnahmekapazitäten angesprochen habe. Ein "vergleichbares Signal" wünsche er sich von der Bundesregierung, sagte der CSU-Politiker. Seit Monatsbeginn seien knapp 170.000 Flüchtlinge in Bayern angekommen, so Seehofer - ein Beleg dafür, "dass die Angelegenheit vollständig aus den Fugen geraten ist". » | kev/dpa/Reuters | Dienstag, 29. September 2015
Cost of Migration Crisis Means Nothing to Us, Says Top EU Official
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| EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos during a joint news conference on the current migration and refugee[s] crisis in Europe, in Brussels |
The EU’s leaders “do not care about the political cost" of their handling of the migration crisis because they do not have to face election, one of its top officials has admitted.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, the commissioner for migration whose controversial plan to relocate 120,000 refugees badly split the EU last week, said national leaders should “stop thinking about” the backlash they face over migration.
The relocation policy is deeply unpopular in eastern Europe, but without the threat of re-election this “means nothing”, Mr Avramopoulos said. The remarks were met with anger by British eurosceptics. » | Matthew Holehouse, Brussels | Monday, September 28, 2015
Tunisie: lueur d'espoir après la condamnation d'un homosexuel à de la prison
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| Un homosexuel vient d'être condamné à de la prison pour sodomie. |
Un an de prison pour avoir eu une relation homosexuelle. La peine prononcée à l'encontre d'un Tunisien de 22 ans, a suscité l'indignation la semaine dernière. Son examen anal pour prouver la sodomie - une pratique légale - avait notamment indigné. "Cruel", "inhumain" et "dégradant", a jugé l'ONG Human Rights Watch. » | Maryline Dumas | mardi 29 septembre 2015
Flüchtlingskrise in Österreich: Jetzt droht Gewalteinsatz an der Süd- Ost- Grenze
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| Innenministerin Johanna Miki-Leitner warnt vor "mazedonischen Zuständen". |
In Deutschland mehrten sich zu Wochenbeginn warnende Stimmen, wonach die Kapazitäten zur Aufnahme von Flüchtlingen erschöpft seien. Pro Tag kämen im Durchschnitt etwa 10.000 Flüchtlinge an, berichtete die "Bild"- Zeitung am Dienstag unter Berufung auf Sicherheitskreise. Demnach sind in der Zeit vom 5. bis 27. September rund 230.000 Asylsuchende nach Deutschland gekommen. Zwei Drittel von ihnen, rund 150.000, seien nach den eingeführten Grenzkontrollen im "Zielland" Deutschland gelandet, viele davon über das "Transitland" Österreich. » | AG/red | Dienstag, 29. September 2015
Honor Killing in Germany After Police Slip-Up
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| Lareeb Khan |
A 19-year old girl was strangled to death by her father in an honor killing in Germany after police informed him by letter she had been caught shoplifting condoms.
Asadullah Khan, 51, strangled his daughter Lareeb while she slept in the family home. He and his wife, Shazia Khan, then dressed Lareeb in her work clothes as a dental assistant and put her body in their car and discarded it in a nearby forest.
The pair is being charged with murder.
Asadullah Khan admitted the killing and told the court that his daughter had brought dishonor on the family by forming a relationship with a boyfriend he did not approve of. He wanted her to have an arranged marriage with someone from Pakistan. » | Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Saudi Royal Calls for Regime Change in Riyadh
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| Saudi Arabia's King Salman. One Saudi royal claims that the king's son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 'is ruling the country'. |
A senior Saudi prince has launched an unprecedented call for change in the country’s leadership, as it faces its biggest challenge in years in the form of war, plummeting oil prices and criticism of its management of Mecca, scene of last week’s hajj tragedy.
The prince, one of the grandsons of the state’s founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, has told the Guardian that there is disquiet among the royal family – and among the wider public – at the leadership of King Salman, who acceded the throne in January.
The prince, who is not named for security reasons, wrote two letters earlier this month calling for the king to be removed.
“The king is not in a stable condition and in reality the son of the king [Mohammed bin Salman] is ruling the kingdom,” the prince said. “So four or possibly five of my uncles will meet soon to discuss the letters. They are making a plan with a lot of nephews and that will open the door. A lot of the second generation is very anxious.”
“The public are also pushing this very hard, all kinds of people, tribal leaders,” the prince added. “They say you have to do this or the country will go to disaster.” » | Hugh Miles in Cairo | Monday, September 28, 2015
Christian and Muslim Refugees Should Be Housed Separately, Says German Police Chief
Christian and Muslim refugees should be housed separately in Germany to minimise tensions following growing levels of violence at asylum seeker shelters, a police chief has urged.
Jörg Radek, deputy head of Germany’s police union, said migrants should be divided, following increasing numbers of attacks on Christians in refugee centres.
“I think housing separated according to religion makes perfect sense,” Jörg Radek, deputy head of Germany’s police union, told German newspaper Die Welt, particularly for Muslims and Christians.
Two separate clashes erupted between refugees on Sunday at a temporary migrant shelter in Kassel-Calden in northern Germany left 14 people injured, police said. » | Melanie Hall, Berlin | Monday, September 28, 2015
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