Just Days after Seizing Palmyra, Isis Massacres 400 People in the Ancient City

THE INDEPENDENT: Most of the people murdered were women and children

Isis has slaughtered more than 400 mostly women and children in the ancient city of Palmyra, two days after capturing the ancient city.

Syrian state television reported the massacre, quoting residents of the city.

The state news agency said: "The terrorists have killed more than 400 people.. and mutilated their bodies, under the pretext that they cooperated with the government and did not follow orders."

Opposition activists claimed that hundreds of bodies littered the streets. They said that many of the victims were from groups or families loyal to the government.

Amongst the dead were state employees - including the head of the nursing department at the city hospital, and all of her family members.

Isis supporters released videos of militants searching government buildings, looking for victims and pulling down pictures of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his father . » | Doug Bolton | Sunday, May 24, 2015

John McCain Mocks Obama for Calling Climate Change a Threat as Isis Advances

THE GUARDIAN: Republicans blame Obama after fall of Syrian and Iraqi cities / ‘The president is saying the biggest problem we have is climate change’

Senator John McCain on Sunday attacked the president for citing climate change as a threat to national security, suggesting that the Obama administration’s focus on environmental issues was detracting from the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

The comments by the Senate armed services committee chairman were part of a rotating blame game over the Memorial Day weekend about who is responsible for recent gains by Isis fighters, who last week took control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

“There is no strategy, and anybody who says there is, I’d like to hear what it is,” McCain said, appearing on CBS News. “Because it certainly isn’t apparent. Right now we are seeing these horrible reports, in Palmyra, they’re executing people and leaving their bodies in the streets.

“Meanwhile the president of the United States is saying that the biggest problem we have is climate change.”

In a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy last week, President Barack Obama said climate change posed an “immediate risk”. » | Tom McCarthy in New York | Sunday, May 24, 2015

Mark Levin Roars for Obama to Wipe Out the ISIS "Islamo-Nazis"

Decrying the pathetic response of America's Commander-in-Chief to ongoing Islamo-Nazi atrocities, Mark Levin tells his listeners how he would deal with ISIS if he were Commander-in-Chief

Church in Ireland Needs 'Reality Check' after Gay Marriage Vote

BBC AMERICA – EXTRACT: The Republic of Ireland has a written constitution which can only be changed by referendum.

Now that the proposal has been passed, a marriage between two people of the same sex will have the same status under the Irish constitution as a marriage between a man and a woman.

They will be recognised as a family and be entitled to the constitutional protection for families.

Civil partnerships for same-sex couples have been legal in Ireland since 2010, giving couples legal protection which could be changed by the government.

However, married gay people will now have a constitutional standing that can only be removed by another popular vote. Read the whole article here » | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Islamic State Flag Flies at Palmyra Citadel

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Islamic State fighters have raised their flag over an ancient citadel in the historic Syrian city of Palmyra and destroyed statues in a local museum, pictures posted online overnight by the group's supporters showed.

The militants seized Palmyra, known as Tadmur in Arabic and strategically significant with nearby natural gas fields and roads leading south-west to Damascus, on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting with the Syrian army.

"Tadmur citadel under the control of the caliphate," read a caption on one picture posted on social media websites. In another, a smiling fighter is shown carrying the group's black flag and standing on one of the citadel's walls. » | Reuters | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Democrats Call for ‘Flood’ of Muslims to U.S.

WND: 'We must dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept'

A group of 14 Democrat senators has written a letter to President Obama urging him to “dramatically increase” the number of Syrian refugees being resettled into American cities and towns.

They say the U.S. needs to take in at least 65,000 Syrians as permanent refugees over the next year-and-a-half.

“While the United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees, we must also dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept for resettlement,” says the four-page letter to Obama, copied to Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

More than 3.5 million Syrians are registered with the United Nations as refugees, and the U.N. wants to assign about 350,000 of them to so-called “third-party countries.”

The 14 senators, led by Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., cite the research of the Refugee Council USA to make their case for 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016. RCUSA is the main lobbying arm of the nine agencies that contract with the federal government to resettle refugees in cities and towns across America.

The more refugees brought into the country, the more government grants doled out to the nine resettlement agencies. Among them are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Church World Service, International Rescue Committee and the National Association of Evangelicals’ World Relief.

More than 90 percent of Syrian refugees will be Muslim

Of the 843 Syrians resettled in the U.S. since the start of the Syrian civil war, 92 percent have been Muslim and about 7 percent Christian. Syria’s overall population is 90 percent Muslim and close to 10 percent Christian. » | Leo Hohmann | Saturday, May 23, 2015

20 Other Countries Where Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal Nationwide

Read the TIME article here | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Ireland Votes to Approve Gay Marriage, Putting Country in Vanguard

Read the New York Times article here | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Queen Rania of Jordan Calls on Muslims to Take a Stand against ISIS and Its 'Attack on Civilisation' after Fanatics Threaten to Destroy Ancient Ruins at Palmyra

DAILY MAIL: The most influential woman in the Arab world told MailOnline that it would be an 'enormous loss to humanity' if ISIS destroyed the World Heritage Site / Insisted that ISIS' cause is nothing to do with religion but driven by nothing more than 'greed and power' / Called on Muslims and Arabs to lead the fight with support from the West / The Queen was pictured comforting the wife of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh who was burned to death by ISIS / She said it was one of the most difficult periods of her life - but that we owe an immense debt to his bravery

Queen Rania of Jordan today called on Muslims around the world to take a stand against Islamic State and its 'attacks against civilisation'.

The 44-year-old royal, who is one of the most influential women in the Arab World, spoke out as ISIS threatened to destroy the Unesco World Heritage site at Palmyra, in Syria, after over-running forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline in her home country, the Queen said: 'It's an attack on civilisation, it is the latest in the atrocities that ISIS and groups like them have committed.

'Palmyra is one of the greatest treasures in the region and indeed in the world – it shows how we're facing a global threat, not just against Arabs or Muslims, but against the entire civilised world.'

Unesco said the destruction of the ancient buildings and artefacts at Palmyra would be 'an enormous loss to humanity'. World leaders like President Francois Hollande of France have called for direct action to save them.

'I absolutely agree with that,' said the Queen, who was attending the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea Resort in Sweimeh. » | Nabila Ramdani in Sweimeh, Dead Sea, Jordan | Saturday, May 23, 2015

ISIS in Nuke Boast: We Can Get Atomic Bomb 'Within a Year' from Corrupt Officials

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC State (ISIS) are poised to buy its first nuclear bomb "within a year", the terror group claimed tonight.

The jihadists are looking to get hold of an atomic weapon or thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate explosive.

The merciless organisation says it hopes to purchase a nuclear device “through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials” in Pakistan.

But it admits that obtaining the deadly weapon may be a challenge and says it would settle for a “few thousand tons of ammonium nitrate explosive”.

The chilling boast was made in the latest edition of its propaganda ‘magazine’ circulated to publicise the group’s barbaric aims.

ISIS says it has already seized “tanks, rocket launchers, missile systems, anti-aircraft systems” – and is now setting its sights on the ultimate dirty bomb. » | Tom Batchelor | Friday, May 22, 2015

Several Killed and Injured after Suicide Bomber Strikes at Saudi Shia Mosque

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One witness says he believes at least 30 were killed in a 'huge explosion' at the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh

A suicide bomber set off an explosion during weekly prayers in a Shia mosque of eastern Saudi Arabia leaving many dead Friday, the interior ministry said.

"It has been established that an individual detonated a bomb he was wearing under his clothes during Friday prayers at Ali Ibn Abi Taleb mosque in Kudeih in Qatif province," the interior ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman, in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency, said the attack left many dead and wounded, without giving a specific toll.

An activist said at least four worshippers were killed and others wounded, and news websites in eastern Saudi Arabia posted photographs of bodies lying in pools of blood. » | AFP | Friday, May 22, 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Key Syria-Iraq Border Crossing'

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing between Syria and Iraq, a Syria monitoring group says.

Government forces withdrew from al-Tanf - known as al-Waleed in Iraq - crossing as IS advanced, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The loss of al-Tanf to IS follows the group's takeover of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday.

The US says that fighting the militants will be a "difficult challenge". Islamic State now controls "more than 95,000 sq km (36,679 sq miles)" of Syria, which is 50% of the country's entire territory, the UK-based SOHR said.

The militants dominate the provinces of Deir al-Zour and Raqqa and have a strong presence in Hasakeh, Aleppo, Homs and Hama. » | Friday, May 22, 2015

French Term 'Rights of Man' Is Sexist and Must Go, Say Feminist Campaigners

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Feminists in France launch campaign calling on government to shelve the "sexist" expression "rights of man" in favour of "human rights"

France must drop the “sexist” term “rights of man” in favour of “human rights”, a group of feminists said in a campaign launched on Thursday.

In a petition it intends to send to the French government, the Droits Humains collective called for “human rights for all”, and said the term "Droits de l’Homme" should be removed from all official documentation.

They argued that the francophone countries of Canada and Switzerland, along with Germany, Spain and other EU states, have already made the linguistic shift to human rights, as have “les Anglo-Saxons” like Britain.

The expression, however, runs deep in France as it was inscribed on the country’s 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man at the time of the French revolution.

The group said that while the declaration may have been revolutionary, it was sexist and “specifically and unambiguously designated people of the male gender to the exclusion of women”. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Finland Tells 900,000 Reservists Their Roles 'In the Event of War'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amid rising tension with Russia, Finland takes the rare step of sending letters to every military reservist

Finland has sent letters to nearly a million military reservists, setting out their roles “in the event of war” amid rising tension with neighbouring Russia.

The letters have been dispatched to 900,000 former conscripts in the armed forces, including to Finns living abroad.

The first were sent earlier this month, with the final batch distributed in the last few days.

Finland is not a member of Nato and the country shares an 830-mile border with Russia – the longest of any European nation apart from Ukraine.

In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine, Finland is uniquely vulnerable to any further aggression.

The letter tells the reservists which regiment or unit to report to in the event of hostilities. “Attached you will find your personal details as well as your role in the event of war,” it reads. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Tobacco Companies Prepare Multi-billion Compensation Claims over UK Plain Packaging

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Taxpayers could be forced to pay tobacco industry up to £11 billion industry for trademark losses

Tobacco companies are preparing to launch what could be one of the biggest ever legal claims against the British Government for losses as a result of the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes.

They are expected to begin lodging papers at the High Court as early as Friday, seeking a multi-billion compensation payout for being stripped of the right to use instantly recognisable brands.

Lawyers will argue that forcing them to use entirely unbranded packaging would amount to deprivation of a highly valuable intellectual property.

Although the companies would leave it to the court to determine the exact level of compensation, industry analysts have suggested their combined value of the industry in the UK could be as much as £11 billion.

A collective payout on that scale would wipe out almost the whole of the Government’s planned £12 billion welfare savings and dwarf the £8 billion of extra cash for the NHS promised by the Conservatives at the General Election. » | By John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Ireland Expected to Vote 'Yes' in Historic Referendum on Gay Marriage

A graffiti artist finishes a Yes campaign piece in
central Dublin, Ireland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Traditionalists do not want homosexuals to be able to take wedding vows, but majority of voters seem likely to say "We Do"

Judging by the number of posters urging a "Yes" vote in Friday's referendum on same-sex marriage, the Ireland of today is no longer a place where homosexuals are not welcome.

Yet while Dublin has no shortage of gay-friendly restaurants, bars and hotels, there are still some locals who think that God has made a reservation for them somewhere altogether hotter and more uncomfortable.

"This whole referendum thing stinks from hell," said Mary Delaney, a retired secretary, as she came out of St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, just off O'Connell Street in downtown Dublin.

"This thing is messing up the whole of Creation, and the culture of sex is so strong in our society today that it's impossible to protest."

Ms Delaney, who wore a "Vote No to Protect Marriage" sticker on her lapel, had just finished attending the 10am mass at St Mary's - one of five daily services still held here even on weekdays.

Yet while the Catholic church still remains strong in Ireland, the pews at St Mary's are not as full as they once were, and with the dwindling numbers has gone much of the opposition to homosexuality. Read on and comment » | Colin Freeman, Dublin | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Terrormiliz: Kreml verspricht Irak Hilfe beim Kampf gegen den IS

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Russland und der Irak wollen ihre militärische Zusammenarbeit ausbauen - beim Kampf gegen die IS-Terrormiliz erklärte sich Moskau zu Waffenlieferungen bereit.

Die irakische Armee kann bei ihrem Kampf gegen die Terrormiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) auf Unterstützung durch Moskau hoffen. Russland sei bereit, Irak mit Waffen zu versorgen, sagte der russische Außenminister Sergej Lawrow in Moskau. Sein Land werde alles tun, um der irakischen Regierung dabei zu helfen, den IS zurückzudrängen. » | anr/Reuters | Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2015

Razzien: Großbritannien geht gegen illegale Einwanderer vor

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Großbritanniens Premier Cameron verspricht kurz nach seiner Wiederwahl schärfere Gesetze gegen illegale Einwanderer. Die Polizei demonstriert bereits Härte. Bei Razzien wurden zahlreiche Migranten festgenommen.

Die britische Regierung will Migranten abschrecken - und gegen solche, die bereits ohne gültige Papiere im Land leben, hart vorgehen. Premierminister David Cameron kündigte Gesetzesverschärfungen an. Wer illegal nach Großbritannien komme und arbeite, dessen Lohn werde künftig beschlagnahmt, so der konservative Regierungschef. Vermieter sollen künftig noch strikter verpflichtet werden, die Einreisepapiere ihrer ausländischen Mieter zu prüfen. "Unkontrollierte Einwanderung kann unseren Arbeitsmarkt schädigen und zum Sinken von Löhnen führen", sagte er. » | anr/AFP/dpa | Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2015

Osama bin Laden a Paedophile? Terror Leader’s Extreme Porn Stash Revealed

DAILY EXPRESS: A MASSIVE haul of hardcore pornography was seized from the Pakistan hiding place of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden after he was shot dead by US Navy SEALs.

The nature of the pornography is considered so extreme that American officials refuse to release details, leading to intense speculation that it involves children or animals.

Under strict versions of Sharia law - of the type lauded by hardline Islamist groups ISIS and al-Qaeda - bin Laden would almost certainly have been beheaded, stoned to death, or thrown from a high building for possessing such material.

The Department of National Intelligence (DNI) has released today a list of books the 9/11 mastermind was reading when he was killed four years ago.

But they confirmed Navy SEALs also recovered a large digital collection of sex videos from the compound when they staged a secret mission to kill bin Laden in 2011.

However, the US Government says it is not going to describe or release details on any of the pornographic materials.

DNI spokesman Brian Hale said: “We have no plans to release that at this point in time[.] » | Thursday, May 21, 2015

L'Etat islamique s'empare de Palmyre en Syrie

REUTERS FRANCE: BEYROUTH (Reuters) - Les djihadistes de l'Etat islamique (EI) se sont emparés mercredi de Palmyre, où se trouve le site archéologique le plus célèbre de Syrie, dont les forces gouvernementales se sont retirées après avoir évacué les civils, rapporte la télévision nationale.

C'est la première fois que l'EI prend une localité à l'armée ou à ses supplétifs, qui avaient déjà cédé du terrain à d'autres groupes armés dans le Nord-Ouest et le Sud, ces dernières semaines.

Située à 240 kilomètres au nord-est de Damas, Palmyre se trouve au carrefour stratégique de routes menant à Homs et à la capitale. Outre les ruines antiques, voisines du centre qui est également nommé Tadmour, elle abrite des installations militaires récentes.

Selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH), l'EI tient la majeure partie de l'agglomération.

On ignore ce que sont devenus les militaires syriens qui étaient stationnés aux abords de la ville, souligne l'organisation basée à Londres qui dispose d'un réseau d'informateurs sur place.

"Grâce à Dieu, (Palmyre) a été libérée", a déclaré un membre de l'Etat islamique sur internet, ajoutant que le mouvement s'était emparé d'un hôpital où l'armée avait pris ses quartiers avant de se retirer.

D'autres djihadistes ont publié sur Twitter des photos d'hommes armés dans des rues qu'ils disent être celles de Palmyre. Les djihadistes de l'EI avaient déjà pénétré sur le site classé au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco le week-end dernier, mais en avaient été repoussés par les forces gouvernementales.

Maamoun Abdoulkarim, chef du service des Antiquités syriennes, a lancé un appel à la préservation de la cité et de ses monuments. » | Par Sylvia Westall et Tom Perry | mercredi 20 mai 2015