Pro-Kremlin Television Host Backs Civil Partnerships

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billionaire Saudi Prince to Give Away $32 Billion Fortune

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russia Sees a Threat in Its Converts to Islam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

British Groups Plan Mohammed Cartoon Exhibit in London

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turkish Police Use Water Cannon to Disperse Gay Pride Parade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Islamic State May Threaten Russia's Caucasus

BBC AMERICA: The head of Russia's Security Council has identified Islamic State (IS) as the greatest threat to world peace and security, and it seems the danger could be getting closer to home.

The militant Islamist group has proclaimed the establishment of a wilayaat, or province, in Russia's mainly-Muslim North Caucasus, suggesting it may be gaining the upper hand in a battle for control over radical forces there.

The statement follows an anonymous audio message posted online pledging allegiance to IS on behalf of militants in four regions. » | Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow | Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Related »

French Beheading Suspect Acted on Islamic State Orders, Says Prosecutor

THE TELEGRAPH: Yassin Salhi is believed to have killed his boss but says his motive was personal not terrorist-related

The French man who beheaded his boss and tried to blow up a chemical plant had a "terrorist motive" and links to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Syria, despite his claim that he carried out his grisly act for purely personal reasons, a prosecutor said.

"This corresponds very precisely to the orders of Daesh [Isil] which calls regularly for acts of terrorism on French soil and in particular to cut the throats of unbelievers,” said Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins.

"The decapitation recalls the habitual modus operandi of this terrorist organisation," he told reporters. » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Tuesday, June 30, 2015

New Dark Age Alert! Islamic State Beheads First Women Civilians

THE TELEGRAPH: Two women and their husbands beheaded for "sorcery" in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzour

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadists have beheaded two women in Syria for sorcery, an extension of the punishment which is normally reserved for men.

The women and their husbands were all accused of witchcraft, one couple in the town of Mayadeen, in eastern Deir Ezzour province, and one in Deir Ezzour city, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, which monitors the conflict.

Five people in all in Mayadeen were beheaded, the others on charges of “banditry” and “drugs”, with two of the men then crucified.

The case marks the first time a woman civilian is recorded as having been beheaded, though the punishment has been inflicted on women soldiers from the Kurdish militia, the YPJ, the female version of the YPG.

Women have been stoned to death for adultery. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor | Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Europe's Big Guns Warn Greek Voters That A No Vote Means Euro Exit

THE GUARDIAN: Germany, France and Italy joined the European commission in insisting that Sunday’s poll was about continued eurozone membership

The eurozone’s three biggest countries have raised the stakes in next Sunday’s Greek referendum with an orchestrated warning to voters that a no vote would mean exit from the single currency and the return of the drachma.

As the Greek economy suffered on its first day of stringent capital controls, politicians from Germany, France and Italy joined the European commission in insisting that the poll was not about whether Athens could secure more favourable bailout terms but was about continued euro membership.

The stark assessment was shared by George Osborne, who told MPs that the UK economy would be affected by the chaos that would result from Greece leaving the eurozone. » | Larry Elliott, Graeme Wearden and Nicholas Watt | Monday, June 29, 2015

British Tourists in Greece Told to Carry Cash

THE TELEGRAPH: Holidaymakers must have enough cash to cover all their costs and any potential emergencies, George Osborne warns

British tourists going on holiday to Greece have been told by the Government to travel with thousands of pounds worth of euros in cash, despite the risk of them not being insured if they get robbed.

With 150,000 UK holiday makers travelling to Greece every week, George Osborne said that holidaymakers must have enough cash to cover all their costs and any potential emergencies.

However, insurers warned that most families will only be covered for a maximum of £200 if they are robbed while on holiday.

It came as the Government attempted to contact thousands of expat pensioners living in Greece to encourage them to move their savings into British banks as the country teeters on the brink of economic collapse. » | Peter Dominiczak, and Matthew Holehouse | Monday, June 29, 2015

Life Under Islamic State Is 'Totalitarian Normality'

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and publisher Jurgen [sic] Todenhofer [sic] who embarked on one of the most hazardous journeys imaginable for a western journalist. Last December, the 74-year-old spent 10 days inside the territory controlled by Islamic State.

He was taken to the group's base in Raqqa, Syria, and then to their most highly prized asset in Iraq - the northern city of Mosul.

Mr Todenhofer is no stranger to the risks that come with bearing witness to conflict. From Afghanistan to Iraq and Syria he has consistently visited and written about conflicts which have drawn in the US and its allies. He has become a vocal critic of American foreign policy and military interventions.

His own experience has included years in the legal profession and as a centre right member of the German Parliament. But now he's best known as a peace advocate prepared to talk to anyone with a stake in contemporary conflicts.

He talks to Stephen about what motivates young Muslims from the West to join Islamic State and what life is like for those who live under IS control.


WIKI: Jürgen Todenhöfer »

Islamic State Marks Gay Marriage Ruling by Throwing 4 Gay Men Off a Roof

JIHAD WATCH: Yet gay activists in the West tend to side with Leftists who consider resistance to jihad terror to be “Islamophobia.” Suicidal short-sightedness.

Apparently the Islamic State was not moved to repentance by photos of gay marriage supporters — which will come as a surprise to the editors of Foreign Policy.

“Horrific moment ISIS kill four gay men by throwing them from a roof,” by Jamie Lewis, Mirror, June 27, 2015: » Robert Spencer | Sunday, June 28, 2015

Israeli Official: Obama’s Got Muslim Daddy Issues

Estranged: This picture shows the only time
Barack Obama met his father, Barack Obama Sr.

WND: Ex-U.S. ambassador suggests childhood 'abandonment' fuels outreach to Islam

During a radio interview Sunday, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren reinforced his position that President Obama’s relentless outreach to the Muslim world may be motivated by Obama’s being abandoned by two Muslim father figures.

Last week, Oren had speculated Obama’s purported abandonment issues may have caused him to seek acceptance from the Muslim world.

Sunday, Oren maintained “it’s a legitimate question” to ask whether the “abandonment” of Obama’s Kenyan Muslim father and Indonesian Muslim stepfather have been partially driving Obama’s policy toward Islam , the Middle East, the war on terrorism and Iran.

Oren was speaking on “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” broadcast on New York’s AM 970 The Answer and Philadelphia’s NewsTalk 990 AM.

Oren, a historian and author, served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. from May 3, 2009 to 2013. He is now a member of Knesset and has been promoting his latest book, published last week, entitled, “Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide.”

As part of the book promotion, Oren penned an opinion piece last week in Foreign Policy Magazine in which he labeled Obama’s Muslim outreach as “naïve” and “detached from a complex and increasingly lethal reality.”

Oren posited Obama’s policies of rapprochement toward the Islamic world “clearly stem from his personal interactions with Muslims” as well as the president’s academic influences. » | Sunday, June 28, 2015

Pope Francis Wants to Chew Coca Leaves in Bolivia, Says Minister

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: La Paz: Pope Francis has told the Bolivian government that he would like to chew coca leaves, the key ingredient in cocaine, when he visits the Andean country next month, a Bolivian minister said on State television and radio on Sunday.

Situated at about 3,650 metres above sea level, La Paz is one of the world's highest capital cities and for centuries local people have chewed coca leaves to ward off the effects of altitude.

Although it is the key ingredient in cocaine, the unprocessed leaf is legal to use and still widely chewed in Bolivia and other Andean countries. Many indigenous people, including Bolivian President Evo Morales, defend its use and consider it a sacred plant. » | Reuters | Monday June 29, 2015

Gulf States Share Shock of Terror Attack on Mosque in Kuwait

THE GUARDIAN: Neighbouring states fear further violence during Ramadan as the holy month is marked with deadly bombings

The aftermath of the attack on a Shia mosque in Kuwait has resonated well beyond its borders into neighbouring Gulf countries, which have long shared both its worldview and its fears that Islamic State is stalking them.

On Saturday, Kuwaiti officials announced arrests linked to the Friday blast at the Imam al-Sadiq mosque, which killed 27 and maimed 200 more, as security at places of worship from Sharjah to Doha was tightened and rhetoric against the group intensified across the region.

Officials in Kuwait had long said an attack of the type carried out during Friday prayers would be very difficult to stop. The fact that it took place in the holy month of Ramadan, when worshippers were likely to be less on their guard than usual, made it even more so.

Isis had made no secret of its intentions to launch attacks during Ramadan, with its spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, releasing a speech earlier last week calling for strikes in the remaining three weeks of the fasting month, which would lead to greater blessings in the afterlife. » | Martin Chulov | Saturday, June 27, 2015