In the wake of mass arrests of alleged terrorist plotters, Australian Muslims staged marches in Sydney against the demonization of Islam based on the behavior of a tiny minority of extremists. Meanwhile, Muslims in a Brisbane mosque have reached out to non-Muslims in an attempt to help them gain a better understanding of Islam.

In other news, authorities in Kenya have detained two Iranian men who were using forged Israeli passports. The two are suspected of planning terrorist attacks.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, Fjordman, Insubria, JP, KGS, Nick, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Italy: Mediobanca Posts 465mn Euro Profit for Year Ending June 30

Investment bank announces dividend

(ANSA) — Milan, September 17 — Italian investment bank Mediobanca announced Wednesday that it returned to profit in the year that ended June 30, compared with losses in the previous year.

Profits totaled 465 million euros, up from a loss of 176 million euros in the previous 12 months, the company said in a statement.

It also announced a dividend of 0.15 euros per share. Revenue came in at 1.819 billion, higher than expected and a 12% increase over the previous 12 months.

Mediobanca has been selling off assets that are deemed not essential to its core functions as an investment bank.

That included selling off part of its stake in the RCS MediaGroup — publisher of Italy’s best-selling newspaper Corriere della Sera — reducing that to 6.2% from its previous 14.93% holding.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Senator Bruno ‘Under Investigation in Ittierre Bankruptcy’

Candidate for Constitutional Court suspected of private interest

(ANSA) — Isernia, September 19 — Donato Bruno, a Senator for Silvio Brelusconi’s Forza Italia (FI) and a candidate to be a new Constitutional Court member, is under investigation over alleged fraud in the bankruptcy of clothing giant Ittierre, Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano said on Friday.

Bruno, a lawyer, was allegedly chosen as a consultant for Ittierre by his friend Stanislao Chimenti, one of Ittierre’s liquidators, for which Bruno received a fee of 2.5 million euros.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



UniCredit Among Italian Banks Borrowing Billions From ECB

Eurozone banks take up 82.6bn euros in ECB TLTRO loans

(ANSA) — Rome, September 18 — UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo were among the Italian banks to take advantage Thursday of a new targeted lending program, borrowing billions of euros in inexpensive loans from the European Central Bank (ECB) on condition they pass the cash on via loans to business and consumers.

A spokesman for UniCredit said the bank, which borrowed 7.75 billion euros, will likely participate again in December when the ECB is next scheduled to offer loans under its new targeted lending program called the TLTRO.

Intesa Sanpaolo borrowed four billion euros and the ECB has said banks will receive the money September 24.

Overall, 255 commercial banks in the eurozone took up 82.6 billion euros from the ECB as part of the TLTRO program that aims to push cash into European economies through increased loans.

Thursday’s four-year loans were offered at rates of just 0.15%, but analysts said that the number of banks participating was lower than expected and these took up less cash than anticipated.

Some may be waiting until the December offer and also may want to see what other measures the ECB has in mind to kick-start the sluggish eurozone economy, analysts said. The eurozone’s third-largest economy, Italy, has fallen into its third recession in six years with reports of deflation last month.

ECB President Mario Draghi announced the TLTRO plan in June, with the central bank planning to conduct eight such loan operations by June 2016.

The TLTRO builds on an earlier long-term loan program offered by the ECB, which is also planning to purchase asset-backed securities and covered bonds to try to inject more liquidity into the eurozone economy to stimulate growth.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Alibaba Shares Open at $92.70, Jumping 36% From I.P.O. Price

Alibaba began trading on the New York Stock Exchange at $92.70 a share, nearly two and a half hours after the market opened.

The opening price is a 36 percent jump above the initial public offering price, reflecting investors’ hunger for the shares. The company starts trading with a market valuation of $228.5 billion.

Caroline Glick: Why Rouhani Loves New York

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to New York next week will be a welcome relief for the Iranian leader. Finally, he’ll be somewhere where he’s appreciated, even loved.

Ahead of his trip to America, the US media continued its practice of presenting Rouhani as a moderate, and a natural ally for the US. NBC News’ Anne Curry interviewed Rouhani in Tehran, focusing her attention on his dim view of Islamic State.

Rouhani told Curry, “From the viewpoint of the Islamic tenets and culture, killing an innocent people equals the killing of the whole humanity. And therefore, the killing and beheading of innocent people in fact is a matter of shame for them and it’s the matter of concern and sorrow for all the human and all the mankind.”

The US media and political establishment’s willingness to take Rouhani at his word when he says that he’s a moderate is one of the reasons that Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz was in such a desolate mood on Wednesday…

Muslims Accuse Some Officials of Stoking Fear

Muslim community leaders are worried that some elected officials in Arizona and across the country are stoking a rise in Islamophobia in the wake of recent beheadings and other terrorist acts by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militant group.

They cite as just one example a training session Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery scheduled for today that purports to teach law-enforcement officers in the Valley about the threat of Islamic terrorists…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Zero-G 3D Printer Set for Launch: What Will be Made in Space First?

The first-ever item to be 3D-printed in space is being kept a well-guarded secret.

The first 3D printer designed to operate in zero gravity is set to launch to the International Space Station early on Saturday morning (Sept. 20) on board a NASA-contracted SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. Once installed on the orbiting laboratory, the device will be put through a series of tests to learn if additive manufacturing — better known as 3D printing — is viable in space.

“Being able to make what you need on orbit when you need it is a real game changer,” Niki Werkheiser, NASA’s manager for 3D Printing in Zero-G, a joint project with the company Made In Space, Inc. said. “The first printer we’re flying is a technology demonstration, and it’s that because the station is the only platform in the universe where we can print an entire part in microgravity.”

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Attack Against Finns Party: Anarchists Stone Office

The Finns district office was stoned in Helsinki on Thursday. Responsibility for the work was taken by the anarchist Takku.net site.

The Finns Party district office located on Hämeenlinna road, Helsinki, was stoned on Thursday. The Finns Youth Chairman Simon Elo told Iltalehti that no one was injured in the attack.

The office has been used in the past, among other things, for Finns MEP Sampo Terho as a campaign office.

– Big stones were thrown at the office and windows were broken. Also Terho personal items, such as television, were harmed, Elo says.

Anarchist Takku.net published on its site on Thursday afternoon a press release, which takes responsibility for the attack. The act was a stand against fascism.

The Finns have made a police report. Elo says that the party is taken it very seriously. He fears that violent political activism is now spreading now from Sweden to Finland.

– I am surprised that the anti-fascist criminals are able to act here in Finland.

Austria: Muslim Community Unites Against Jihadists

Salzburg’s Islamic community is deeply disturbed by the case of two young men from Pinzgau, who are suspected to have traveled to Syria in mid-August as jihadists.

Condemning the Isis terrorism in the Middle East in the strongest terms, Chairman of the Islamic community in Salzburg, Ahmet Yilmaz, spoke of his concerns about the brainwashing of young Muslims through internet propaganda videos.

“The Isis-terrorists pretend they are fighting for justice, in the name of Allah,” said Yilmaz.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Austria: Massive Cross Unveiled in Tyrol

A gigantic 30 metre high and 19 metre wide cross was officially unveiled on Thursday in the Tyrolean lowlands by Governor Günther Platter (ÖVP). The bizarre monument is located on the summit of the Buchensteinwand in the Pillersee valley, at an altitude of 1,456 metres.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Danish Radio Show Wants to Break Swedish Taboos

Inspired by Cold War-era radio show Voice of America, a Danish broadcaster decided to send signals from across the Sound, giving Swedes a chance, the Danes say, to tune into debates on topics deemed taboo in Sweden.

The journalists from the Danish broadcaster Radio24syv felt debates are too tame in Sweden and that some topics are just off-limits. They suggest political correctness and a consensus culture are stifling debate here on issues ranging from immigration and gender to religion and child rearing.

The host of Voice of Denmark, Mikael Jalving, tells Radio Sweden that “the branding of Sweden has been very sucessful and effective, but it doesn’t match the reality of Swedish society and politics.”

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Denmark: Odense Tracking Homeless With GPS

A GPS tracking system used for wandering dementia patients has been fitted on homeless volunteers, in order to improve city planning for those living on the streets.

In Denmark’s third-largest town, Odense, the town hall can now closely monitor the whereabouts of local drifters on a screen, after fitting twenty homeless people with a GPS tracker, Metroxpress reports.

The homeless volunteers will carry around the tracker inside their pockets for a week and they will get three tickets to a warm meal in exchange.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Denmark Presents New Anti-Jihadist Strategy

The government’s new plan calls for a carrot and stick approach to combat “the new challenges with extremism faced by Denmark”.

The Danish government on Friday announced a plan for combatting radicalization and extremism and slowing the stream of Danish citizens who fight in foreign wars.

The plan, which has been hinted at since July, includes a call to confiscate the passports or rescind the resident permits of anyone who fights in Syria or northern Iraq.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



English Votes for English Taxes is a Recipe for Revolution

By James Kirkup

“We have heard the voice of Scotland — and now the millions of voices of England must not go ignored. So, just as Scotland will vote separately in the Scottish Parliament on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues — and all this must take place in tandem with, and at the same pace as, the settlement for Scotland.”

That was David Cameron this morning, answering pressure from Tory MPs with English seats and trying to avoid being outflanked by Ukip, the new “voice of England”…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Ex-President Sarkozy Announces Return to French Politics

France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy announced his return to politics in a statement on his Facebook page on Friday, saying he would seek the leadership of his UMP party in a move that could position him for a 2017 presidential bid.

“I am a candidate for the presidency of my political family,” Sarkozy said.

The announcement ends months of local media speculation that Sarkozy, 59, would someday return to politics after his 2012 defeat to Socialist François Hollande in 2012.

A divisive figure reviled by many left-wing voters, Sarkozy is seen by his supporters as the politician with the best chance of rallying the fractured centre-right UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) party to a presidential victory in 2017.

But any political comeback could be undermined by a series of legal troubles Sarkozy is facing. Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation in July over corruption allegations.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Actress Gayet ‘Dumps Hollande’

‘Fed up with secret affair’ says French weekly

(ANSA) — Paris, September 18 — French weekly VSD published claims that President Francois Hollande was dumped by secret lover actress Julie Gayet who was ready to “turn the page” on their secret affair.

The VSD article said that Gayet was reportedly “sick of the secret nature of their relationship” and dumped Hollande when she realized he didn’t want to formalize the relationship.

Last January, French gossip magazine outed the alleged two-year-long secret romance, which led to the separation of Hollande and partner Valérie Trierweiler.

Trierweiler has since published a memoir “Merci pour ce moment (Thanks for This Moment)”, which has outsold best selling romance “50 Shades of Gray” by E.L. James.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



German Muslims Rally Against Extremism

Muslims across Germany held a day of prayers and rallies on Friday to condemn both Islamic extremism and a backlash against their faith that has seen arson attacks on mosques.

Imams at more than 2,000 mosques took part in the event organised by Germany’s four main Muslim groups, with government ministers, lawmakers and city mayors joining in.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Greece: ‘Exosuit’ Mission to 2,000-Year-Old Shipwreck Begins

A group of marine archaeologists kicked off a mission this week to explore an ancient shipwreck at the bottom of the Aegean Sea — not with a sub, but with a semi-robotic metal diving suit that looks likes it was taken straight out of a James Bond movie.

Sponge divers first discovered the 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the Greek island Antikythera in 1900. They recovered fragments of bronze statues, corroded marble sculptures, gold jewelry and, most famously, the Antikythera mechanism, a clocklike astronomical calculator sometimes called the world’s oldest computer. Teams led by Jacques Cousteau pulled up more artifacts and even found human remains when they visited the wreck in the 1950s and 1970s.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



How Sweden Democrats Went Mainstream

The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have become the third largest party in a country famous for its egalitarian ideals. The Local’s Maddy Savage explores the reasons for their success.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italian Stores See 18% Jump in Chinese Shoppers

Helps offset decline in Russian tourists, says industry group

(ANSA) — Rome, September 15 — Retailers in Italy may need to learn to speak Chinese, as the number of shoppers from that country jumped by 18% in the first six months of this year, a national organization said Monday.

The Italian Fashion Federation reported that the jump in Chinese shoppers between January and June helped to offset a 13% decline in spending by tourists from Russia over the same period.

Russians had previously been the single most important foreign shoppers in Italy, said the organization.

That may reflect economic sanctions imposed by Europe and North America against some parts of the Russian economy over Moscow’s role in the conflict in Ukraine.

Overall, the fashion industry reported a small drop of 1% in earnings in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year, the federation said.

Sales in the less-expensive accessories sector showed the only signs of annual growth, rising by 6.7% between January and June.

“The budget balance for the first half of the year for fashion shops was still bleak,” said Renato Borghi, president of the fashion federation. “You cannot reverse the trend of losses on our invoices for at least the past three years,” he added.

Even measures such as an 80-euro monthly tax bonus for low-income Italians introduced in the spring by Premier Matteo Renzi has been of little help because so many of those receiving the bonus must commit almost half their income to fixed expenses, he added.

Among the hardest-hit fashion items in the first six months of this year were fur garments, which dropped almost 11% and leather luggage, down 13%.

At the same time, spending on clothing has been falling across most of Italy, with an average drop of 10% compared with the same time last year.

One exception was the northern Trentino region where fashion spending rose by 6% in the first six months, said the group.

When people do shop, they are more likely to pay cash rather than using their plastic — credit card purchases fell by 3.4% compared with one year earlier.

Still, the very high-end fashion houses do not seem to be suffering but are keeping pace with rising rents on the most stylish streets, according to the federation.

Chic boutiques in Milan, Rome, Venice and Florence, are paying rental rates of as much as 670,000 euro per year per 100 square meters — the price for a premium spot on store on Milan’s Via Montenapoleone.

Second spot went to Rome’s storied via dei Condotti, where annual rents run at 650,000 euro for 100 square meters.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Premier’s Father Investigated for Bankruptcy Fraud

Tiziano Renzi owned Chil Srl, which went under in 2013

(ANSA) — Genoa, September 18 — The father of Premier Matteo Renzi is being investigated along with two others on suspicion of bankruptcy fraud, prosecutors in the north-eastern city of Genoa said Thursday.

The probe into the failure in 2013 of the Chil Srl newspaper distribution and advertising firm, which was founded by the premier’s father, was opened last year and prosecutors have asked for an extension, sources said.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Senate Approves EU Law After Wrangle Over Judges

Despite changes, liability for judges still a govt plan

(ANSA) — Rome, September 17 — The Senate on Wednesday approved by a vote of 214 to one with 27 abstentions, a 2013 European Union law that will now return to the Lower House because of new wording on the civil liability of magistrates.

Following guidelines of the EU on liability, only the State — rather than a citizen with a complaint — can proceed against a judge.

Earlier, a government confidence vote was organized to reject an amendment proposed by the regionalist Northern League.

The confidence motion on the amendment drew 159 votes of No, 70 votes of Yes and 512 abstentions. Despite the vote, the government of Premier Matteo Renzi said it still plans to introduce a measure of liability for judge’s actions in the event of blunders or miscarriages of justice. The judges would not be required to pay out of their own pockets, with the State footing the bill.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Berlusconi Loses La Repubblica Libel Case

Over Economist ‘Unfit to Lead Italy’ story

(ANSA) — Rome, September 11 — Former premier Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday lost a libel case over a report in Italian daily La Repubblica in April 2001 about an Economist cover story claiming he was “unfit to lead Italy” because of his conflicts of interest.

Italy’s supreme Court of Cassation said it was legitimate to cover the story and rejected the Forza Italia leader’s case against La Repubblica’s parent company, the L’Espresso publishing group.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Renzi ‘Too Thatcherite’ Says CGIL Chief

Camusso speaks out as labour reform row rumbles on

(ANSA) — Milan, September 19 — Susanna Camusso, the head of Italy’s largest trade union federation CGIL, on Friday accused Premier Matteo Renzi of being a Thatcherite as a big row over the government’s labour reforms rumbled on.

A key measure in the government’s Jobs Act would effectively change a landmark jobs protection regulation — Article 18 of the 1970 Workers Stature guaranteeing people unjustly sacked the right to their job back — for new hires.

The government says this regulation discourages firms from offering workers regular, steady contracts as it makes it very hard from them to get ride rid of a staff member once on the books.

This has been blamed for high unemployment levels, especially among young people, and the fact that most new entrants to the job market are hired on freelance or temporary contracts that give few rights and low job security. But the unions are outraged by the proposed change and there is the danger of a rift opening within Renzi’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD) over the issue.

“Renzi is a little too focused on the Margaret Thatcher model (of labor reform),” said Camusso, whose leftwing union traditionally has strong ties with the PD. “We are defending ourselves, because those who would abolish Article 18 are abolishing workers’ freedom. “We believe Workers Statute reform is possible, but by making sure everyone has the same rights and the same full-time, permanent contracts”.

Article 18 states that workers unjustly fired must be reinstated.

Under the change the government is proposing, newly hired workers would be given compensation, instead of being rehired, if a court rules they were unjustly dismissed — unless discrimination was the reason for the sacking.

The change would not apply to workers currently employed on regular open-ended contracts.

PD Deputy Secretary Debora Serracchiani said Friday that, while provisions for worker reinstatement are not now included in the government’s Jobs Act, they could be added in later versions.

But Serracchiani, who is also the governor of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, added that labour legislation in Italy needs to be updated to reflect a reality that is “radically different than that of the 1970s” and “to simplify a system that has a crazy rigidity”. She added that labour reforms have been unanimously approved by PD members on the Senate labor committee, adding “the situation is an extraordinary emergency”.

The PD’s economic pointman, Filippo Taddei, said that the government is aiming to get an enabling law on labour-market reform passed by October 8 as a “signal” to the EU and is not going to ram the measures through by decree.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Scotland Vote a Game Changer Says Salvini

‘Nothing will be the same in Italy and Europe’

(ANSA) — Milan, September 19 — The Scottish referendum was a game changer even though the Nos won, Northern League leader Matteo Salvini said Friday on his way back from Edinburgh.

“Even if the Nos won this time, nothing will be the same as before in Europe or Italy from today,” said Salvini, who is also an MEP.

“Thanks to the referendum, from today the Scots will have more strength, powers and money,” he said.

“Thank you Scotland, a splendid example of democracy, participation, pride,” Salvini said on Facebook.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Police Seize 13 Mn in Assets From Ex-Public Works Chief

Third seizure in just over a year for Angelo Balducci

(ANSA) — Rome, September 19 — Italian police on Friday seized 13 million euros in assets from Angelo Balducci, the former head of Italy’s public works board who is at the centre of a huge contract-rigging case.

This is the third seizure of assets from Balducci and his relatives in just over a year, with a seizure of 12 million euros in May 2013 and another totalling 13 million euros in June 2013.

The court also placed Balducci under special surveillance for three years, and said he must live in Rome for that period.

In a report, police said special measures were necessary “in recognition of the danger to society of the subject, who is dedicated to criminal offenses and regularly lives off the profits of illicit activities”.

A preliminary hearings judge indicted Balducci in September 2013 in investigations into alleged corruption in contracts related to construction and site preparation for major events in Italy, including the summit of the Group of Eight world leaders in 2009.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Italy: Pope’s Skull Cap Raises Over €100,000 on eBay

An Italian TV show managed to coax Pope Francis into handing over his white skull cap and has already raised over €100,000 in less than 24 hours by putting it on eBay.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italy: Marriage Scrapped Due to ‘Mummy’s Boy’ Husband

Italy’s highest appeals court, the Supreme Court of Cassation, on Thursday upheld the annulment of a marriage in Mantua because the husband was too dependent on his mother and did not pay enough attention to his wife.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italy: Pakistani Man Beaten to Death for ‘Spitting’ At Boy

A 17-year-old has been arrested for allegedly beating a homeless Pakistani man to death in Rome on Thursday night, Italian media has reported.

The incident occurred at around midnight on Thursday in the Torpignattara district in eastern Rome, Il Messaggero reported.

Speaking to police after the incident, the alleged attacker, who lives in the area, claims he had got into a fight with the man after he spat at him in the street.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Party Leader Launches Strong UKIP Challenge in Local by-Election [Rochdale]

UKIP kicked off its Heywood and Middleton by-election campaign with a visit from the party’s leader, today Thursday 18 September.

Nigel Farage dropped into the newly opened campaign shop in Market Street, Heywood, to meet the UKIP candidate, John Bickley and talk to the public and local business owners about their concerns…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



President of Catalonia Wants Referendum for Independence

Artur Mas undeterred by Scottish referendum result

(ANSA) — Madrid, September 19 — Catalonia President Artur Mas congratulated Scotland on Friday for its attempt to achieve independence, and said that despite the Scottish defeat, a referendum “is the way” towards independence for Catalonia.

Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain and has announced it may seek independence through a referendum in 2014.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Scotland Rejects Independence From Britain, BBC Projects

Alarmed by the uncertainties of going it alone, and lured by the promise of greater autonomy if they stayed put, voters in Scotland rejected independence from Britain in a referendum that had threatened to break up a 307-year union, according to projections by the BBC on Friday.

The outcome was a deep disappointment to the vocal, enthusiastic pro-independence movement led by the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, who had seen an opportunity to turn a centuries-old nationalist dream into reality, and forced the three main British parties into panicked promises to grant substantial new power to the Scottish Parliament.

The decision spared Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain a shattering defeat that would have raised questions about his ability to continue in office and diminished his nation’s standing in the world.

Scottish Independence: Referendum Results — Live

Scotland votes No to independence; Queen says “an enduring love of Scotland” will unite Britons, as Alex Salmond announces that he will resign as Scottish First Minister

Latest

19.45 Christopher Hope has filed this video report showing the moment he and fellow Telegraph reporter Ben Riley-Smith were denied entry to Alex Salmond’s resignation press conference…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Islamic State and Rotherham Abuse ‘Fuelling Far Right’

By Sima Kotecha Reporter, BBC Radio 4 Today programme

Islamic State extremism and the Rotherham abuse scandal are fuelling a far-right backlash in the UK, one of the Home Office’s most senior advisers on right-wing extremism has said.

The anonymous worker claims the government has overlooked the problem amid its focus on tackling jihadists.

The Home Office says it is working to prevent “all forms of extremism”.

But the Institute for Strategic Dialogue claims the government must engage more with the far right…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: My Brush With Bus Bigot

When I boarded a packed 102 bus in Golders Green on Tuesday evening, the last thing I expected was to be confronted with a racist free to spout antisemitic abuse with no one prepared to stop him.

On the top deck of my bus, which was full of Jewish school children, sat a grey-haired man screaming “get the Jews off the bus, all they do is **** us”…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



UK: Rotherham Child Abuse: New Acting PCC Chosen for South Yorkshire

Steve Pick has been announced as acting police and crime commissioner (PCC) for South Yorkshire following the resignation of Shaun Wright.

Mr Wright stepped down after a report found 1,400 children were victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

He was the head of children’s services in Rotherham between 2005 and 2010. Mr Pick will hold the post until a by-election for the new permanent PCC is held on 30 October…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



17 Killed in Serial Bomb Attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — A total of 17 people were killed and 55 others wounded in bomb attacks in Iraq on Friday, police sources said.

Seven people were killed and 28 others were wounded when a parked car bomb exploded before noon in the Karada district of central Baghdad, and several nearby shops and civilian cars were destroyed by the huge blast, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source added that a parked car exploded near a popular market in downtown of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, leaving eight people killed, 16 others injured and several nearby shops destroyed…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Fighting Escalates in Yemen, State TV Buildings Targeted

(AGI) Sana’a, Sept 19 — Fighting between Shiite Houthi rebels and the Yemeni army in Yaraf has escalated. Around 70 rebels are said to have been killed, while others continue to shell state TV buildings. All three television channels are off air.

Military reinforcements, including armoured vehicles and tanks, have arrived in Yaraf, a Houthi stronghold, where hundreds of Shiites have gathered over the last few days. Streets are deserted and shops closed.

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Iraq: Mosul: The Islamic State “Bans Christians From School”

Archbishop Nona tells AsiaNews, an entire “generation is in danger of not being educated”. The schools turned into shelters, cannot accommodate lessons. The Church is racing against the clock to find housing, but only a fraction of the institutions will be able to resume activities. In the city and Nineveh plain population is increasingly hostile to the Islamist militias, 98% want “their expulsion.”

Ankawa (AsiaNews) — For the first time in history, Iraqi Christians who always had a “high standard of education” in the region, are being deprived of the right to study and cannot attend schools. This represents a further threat to the survival of the minority, not only in Iraq but throughout the Middle East, because there is not the risk that an entire generation “will not be educated”, which is a “very bad sign”. The warning comes from Msgr. Shimoun Emil Nona, Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, in the north, the second most important city in the country and first city to fall into the hands of the militia of the Islamic State.

Interviewed by AsiaNews, the prelate confirms that “currently children from many of the refugee families” as well as “children who live in Christian areas” cannot start the school year. “There are about 700 schools scattered between Erbil, Ankawa and Zakkho — he explains — but they are hosting displaced people and are full. In other non-Christian areas the lessons have begun, but not here”. Moreover in the areas occupied by the Islamic Caliphate the curriculum has been changed to promote Islam and the Koran.

Msgr. Nona was the first to raise the alarm of the danger posed by the advance of the Islamists after the conquest of Mosul, where about 500 thousand people — Muslims and Christians — fled in early June to avoid being forced to convert to Islam. It was also where the militants founded their caliphate and imposed sharia. In cities and in areas on the Nineveh plain that are under the control of the Islamic State schools have reopened. However, under the instruction of their leader the curriculum has changed to ban history, geography and literature; students must study Arabic and the Muslim religion and are forbidden to speak of the Republic of Iraq or Syria, only of the Caliphate.

An Mosul elementary school teacher of mathematics and Arabic states that “we are in 2014, but it seems have regressed 14 centuries.” 95% of the 2,450 schools in the area — Mosul and Nineveh Plain — are in the hands of the Islamists, who have forbidden mixed classes and have closed the Faculty of Law, because “conventional law is no longer in force.” Rigid rules, imposed by force, are increasingly arousing the impatience of the local population. If at first people saw them as liberators from a central government (under former Shiite Prime Minister al-Maliki) regarded as the oppressor, today 98% of the people — as reported by an academic in Mosul — “would like to see them gone as soon as possible” ..

The archbishop of Mosul, who is also a refugee Ankawa, in Iraqi Kurdistan, cannot confirm this radical change of attitude towards the Islamic state and the distortion of the curriculum at the hands of the militia. He admits however, to “having heard similar rumors”, and there is a good chance that “they are true.” There are still some Christians in the city, but “very few” who live “isolated” and “in danger” because “anything could happen to them”.

Msgr. Nona asks us to pray for a situation “which is growing more dramatic with every passing day” especially with the arrival of winter. This interruption in the schooling of young Christians is a serious problem, because it halts the development of an entire generation of Iraqi Christians, who in the past have always been distinguished for their cultural level and standard of schooling. “It is very negative” says the bishop, and “very dangerous”.

In the history of community, education has always been an “important anchor for us,” says the Archbishop of Mosul, and as a Church “we are trying to rent as many homes as possible” to free schools and allow the resumption of classes . However, the operation is “very slow, because it is not always possible to find homes or housing is unavailable.” Concluding, the prelate says however that there are some small signs of hope, “we rented a building with 56 apartments — he says — that can accommodate all the families who, at this time, are housed in a school in Ankawa” . Only one out of 11, he adds, while the goal is “free up at least two or three more.” (DS)

— Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]



Masked Man With American Accent Appears in Latest ISIS Propaganda Film ‘Flames of War’

The latest suspected ISIS propaganda film has been uploaded to YouTube and appears to feature a jihadist with an American accent.

The 55-minute ‘Flames of War’ video was posted online today and bears hallmarks of previous Islamic State tapes including Hollywood-style effects and bloodthirsty, call-to-arms language.

The clip bears the stamp of the al-Hayat Media Centre, ISIS’ English-language propaganda arm.

A male voice in well-spoken English with a non-specific American accent provides the voice-over, using dialogue seemingly hijacked from a blockbuster action film.

He says: ‘In the face of the dark wave of the crusader force, the historical land of two rivers bore life to a mission that would transform the political landscape of the world.’

Almost an hour follows of battle scenes where militants wield rocket launchers, the footage manipulated with special effects. Piles of bloodied corpses are spliced with speeches by President Obama and former president George W Bush.

The tape builds to shaky camera footage of the extremists’ raid on the 17th Division air force base in Raqqa, Syria under the cover of darkness.

In the final minutes of the tape, a masked jihadist in desert fatigues, speaks directly to camera in a different American accent to the man who provided the voice-over.

An ISIS flag billows as Syrian soldiers, loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad, dig their own shallow shallow graves in the sand.

In a deep voice, the ISIS militant, who appears tall and well-built, speaks first in Arabic before transitioning into fluent, well-spoken English to deliver a chilling message.

He said: ‘We’re here in the 17th division military base just outside the city of Raqqa.

‘We’re here with the soldiers of Bashar, you can see them now digging their own graves where they were stationed. The very place they were stationed, terrorizing the Muslims in Raqqa.

He goes on to say that the work of Allah will be carried out on the soldiers by the mujahideen who captured them.

‘This is the end that they face,’ he said, gesturing to the men digging in the sand.

The tape ends with the American-accented jihadist brandishing a handgun and saying: ‘The fighting has just begun.’

A line of masked ISIS militants then shoot the kneeling soldiers in the back of their heads, the bodies pitching forward into a mass shallow grave….

Saudi Arabia: Raif Badawi, Appeal Denied, Will Soon Face Brutal Punishment for Blasphemy

Saudi dissident Raif Badawi, convicted of “insulting Islam,” has had his appeal denied, and will soon have a brutal punishment inflicted upon him: 10 years in prison, separated from his wife and children; 1000 lashes, given in installments of 50 lashes every week, in public; a 10-year travel ban after his prison sentence; and a massive fine.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Turkey’s Newspapers Face the Threat of Disappearance

Dailies sales in Turkey declined by 2.5% annually in August

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, SEPTEMBER 9 — Newspaper sales in Turkey declined by 2.5% annually in August 2014 after stalling during the same month of last year, further evidence of print media’s loss to the digital universe as Anadolu Agency reports.

According to statistics released by Turkey’s Press Bulletin Authority last week, the total average daily sales of printed newspapers decreased from 4.327 million in August last year to 4.223 million the same month this year. Although this decline is very similar to the trend observed internationally, the threat to the existence of newspapers in Turkey approaches at a faster pace since the country suffers from a very low daily newspaper circulation, especially compared to other countries. Currently, newspaper circulation in Turkey hovers around 60 per 1,000 people while it is over 500 in Japan, Iceland and Norway.

European countries’ average stands at over 200, according to the UN statistics office. Meanwhile, as is the case internationally, the increasing use of the Internet also weigh on newspaper sales as Turkey’s statistical authority, Turkstat, reported in August that Internet users had reached 53.8% of the country’s population. Around 74% of them use the Internet to access news stories. In line with these figures, Turkish newspaper Radikal ceased publishing its print edition to the Internet as its main course starting from June 22. The Turkey Journalists Union secretary general, Sibel Gunes, blames media managers for the failure of newspapers, stressing that qualified news stories are limited because media organizations in Turkey tend to employ inexperienced journalists due to cost advantages. “Newspapers and magazines tend to work with inexperienced reporters and news agencies. People following similar stories published on the Internet and broadcast on private TV channels do not want to buy same stuff,” Gunes said.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Turkey Opens Border to Kurdish Syrian Refugees

3,000 refugees fleeing ISIS attacks put pressure on the border

(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, SEPTEMBER 19 — Turkey has opened its borders to hundreds of Kurdish Syrian refugees fleeing the advance of ISIS jihadist militants in northern Syria, Turkish media reported Friday. Ankara had previously closed the border to the new flow of Syrian refugees, while Turkish Premier Ahmet Davutoglu ordered aid for them on Syrian territory.

In recent days, about 3,000 Kurdish Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled the onslaught of Islamic State jihadist militants in the Kurdish region of Syria that borders Turkey. The jihadists have occupied 21 villages around the city of Kobane, according to several sources.

Fighting is intense between the jihadists and the Kurdish-Syrian defence militias of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish-Syrian opposition political party.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Two Lebanese Soldiers Killed in Roadside Bomb

BEIRUT, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — Two Lebanese army soldiers were killed and three others wounded Friday when a roadside bomb targeted their vehicle in the northeastern border town of Arsal, the army guidance directorate said in a statement…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



War is Destroying Syria’s Ancient Treasures, Satellite Photos Show

Three years of heavy fighting have taken a toll on Syria’s archaeological treasures. Five of the country’s six World Heritage sites “exhibit significant damage,” and some buildings are now “reduced to rubble,” according to high-resolution satellite images examined by the nonprofit and nonpartisan American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Kremlin Wants to ‘Protect Russian Cyberspace From Unpredictable West’

(MOSCOW) — Russia is considering measures to protect its cyberspace from the “unpredictable” West, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said on Friday after a newspaper said Moscow was contemplating unplugging the Internet during protests or war.

The respected business daily Vedomosti, citing industry sources, said that Putin will convene Monday a meeting of the country’s Security Council to discuss possible restrictions on the Russian cyberspace — the last forum for free expression in the country.

Vedomosti said authorities were contemplating measures to unplug Russia from the global web in emergency situations such as major protests or military hostilities.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the Security Council meeting would take place but declined to discuss its agenda.

He said authorities were not planning to disconnect Russian cyberspace from the global web but needed to take measures to protect the country from the “unpredictable” West.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



2 Blasts Claim 4 Lives, Wound 14 in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — Four persons have lost their lives and 14 others sustained injuries as two bomb blasts rocked Burka district in the northern Baghlan province and Kandahar city the capital of Taliban former stronghold the southern Kandahar province on Friday…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



China Fines GlaxoSmithKline Nearly $500 Million in Bribery Case

In a record penalty, a court in southern China on Friday imposed a fine of nearly $500 million on GlaxoSmithKline, the scandal-hit British pharmaceutical giant, and sentenced its former head of China operations to at least 2 years in prison, a state news agency reported. The penalty was for bribery in a case that has exposed widespread corruption in China’s medical sector.

The fine of 3 billion renminbi, or $487 million, was imposed on the company by a court in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, after a secret trial against GlaxoSmithKline’s China unit and its former head, Mark Reilly, on the bribery charges, said the Xinhua news agency. “This is the biggest fine ever issued in China up until now,” said the brief Xinhua report.

Mr. Reilly and other unnamed defendants received prison sentences of up to 3 years, said the report. It gave no details of how Mr. Reilly and the others had pleaded, or whether any would appeal the verdict.

The initial Xinhua report was vague, but suggested that Mr. Reilly’s sentence was suspended for four years, and that he would be deported, perhaps immediately.

China: Ancient Squirrel-Like Creatures Push Back Mammal Evolution

Extinct squirrel-like creatures from China suggest the earliest mammals originated more than 200 million years ago, much earlier than often previously thought, researchers say.

The fossils were discovered in the last three years by private collectors and amateur paleontologists in a Liaoning province cornfield in northeastern China. Liaoning has become famous for the trove of feathered dinosaurs and winged reptiles known as pterosaurs unearthed there over the last decade. The province is also known for a fossil of a baby dinosaur inside a mammal’s gut, the first direct proof that mammals dined on dinosaurs.

The newfound fossils are about 160 million years old, dating back to the Triassic Period.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Abbott Dismisses Muslim Protest Over Counter-Terrorism Raids

Australian Muslims who protested against allegedly brutal tactics used by police in Thursday’s counter-terrorism raids did not represent their faith and should take a “long, hard look” at themselves, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Speaking in Sydney on Friday, Mr Abbott said the police operation was “a show of strength … it needed to be a demonstration that we will respond with strength to any threat to our way of life and to our national security”.

About 400 people attended a protest in Lakemba on Thursday night, expressing concern that the police raids were heavy-handed, and terrorised women and children…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Australia: Brisbane Locals Want to Understand Islam

“CAN you please take my photo, my daughter will never ever believe I’m in here,” asks Tracey Jaggers.

ENTERING a mosque for the first time is a huge step for the 50-year-old Brisbane mother. Ms Jaggers is frightened by Islam because she says a group of Muslim youths once threatened her.

“I deliberately avoid them in the street, they scare the living **** out of me,” she told AAP.

But Ms Jaggers went to the Holland Park Mosque open day on Thursday to try to understand the community she fears…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Hundreds Protest in Sydney About Counter-Terrorism Raids

Protesters in Lakemba carry placards saying ‘Stop terrorising Muslims’ following raids involving 800 police

Over 200 people in western Sydney attended a protest about the pre-dawn counter-terrorism raids that occurred across the country.

Rally organisers took to Facebook to encourage people to join them at a rally at Lakemba station to oppose the treatment of the Muslim community in what have been touted as the largest ever counter-terrorism raids in Australian history…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



More Terror Raids as Security Tightens

ONLY one suspect remains in custody after Australia’s biggest anti-terror raids, while security is tightened at Parliament House which has been identified as a potential terrorist target.

THREE of the 15 people arrested following Thursday’s raids in Sydney and Brisbane were released on Friday afternoon while one man charged with firearms offences was granted bail.

That leaves Sydney man Omarjan Azari as the only suspect behind bars, charged with planning to kidnap and behead a random member of the public…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Muslim Community Apprehension After Raids Leads to ‘Snap Protest’

Allegations of brutal tactics by counter-terrorism authorities and anti-Islam attacks on social media have sparked a wave of apprehension among Australia’s Muslim community in the wake of Thursday morning’s raids on homes allegedly linked to a terrorism plot.

About 400 people attended a protest at Lakemba railway station on Thursday night organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir.

News of the the protest in the afternoon prompted the Australian Defence League — an Australian “pride” group — to post “Let’s make our presence known and get there in force against these b****** terrorists.”…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Muslim Protest at Lakemba War Memorial: Veterans Furious Over Misuse of Sacred Site

RADICAL Muslim leaders have been slammed for holding a protest about Thursday’s terror raids at a sacred war memorial in Sydney.

Several hundred people gathered in Lakemba on Thursday night to hear controversial Hizt ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar warn of growing anger among the Islamic community over perceived victimisation…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Public Servant’s Soy Milk Sojourn

A Canberra public servant told her boss she needed longer breaks than her colleagues, saying she had to find a café that served organic coffee with soy milk.

When the Australian Taxation Office bureaucrat was warned about her absences from her desk and told she had to adhere to time management requirements, she took her case to the Commonwealth government’s workplace authority.

After the appeal was dismissed, the Executive Level 1 public servant went on stress leave and claimed workers compensation, arguing that her ATO supervisor’s approach left her with “adjustment disorder”…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Senator Jacqui Lambie Posts Far-Right Anti-Burqa Image, Raising Fears MPs Are Assisting Islamic State Recruit Terrorists

PUP senator Jacqui Lambie has posted online a provocative photo of a person wearing a burqua about to fire a gun, as Muslim leaders have warned “inflammatory” comments from her and Liberal senator Cory Bernardi are assisting Islamic State recruit potential terrorists.

The caption on the picture, created by far-right political group Britain First, states that “For security reasons it’s now time to ban the burqa”.

Britain First’s mission statement describes it as a “street defence organisation” that wants “our people to come first, before foreigners, asylum seekers or migrants”…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Kenyan Authorities Detain Two Iranians

Kenyan officials say that police have detained two Iranian men using forged Israeli passports to enter the east African country, on suspicion that they may have been involved in a plan to carry out an attack there or elsewhere.

Mwenda Njoka, spokesman for the interior ministry, said on Friday that the two men had passports identifying them as Israeli nationals and had tried to enter Kenya through its main airport on Thursday.

“The Iranians are suspected to be terrorists, either coming here as their final destination or in transit to another destination. The matter is being handled by the anti-terror police and Interpol,” Njoka told Reuters news agency.

Austria Mulls Return to Italy Border Controls

After sharp rise in refugees

(ANSA) — Rome, September 19 — Austria is considering the temporary reintroduction of border controls with Italy after a sharp rise in refugee numbers, Austrian daily Tiroler Tageszeitung said Friday.

Some 4,700 foreigners have been stopped in Austria this year, almost all of whom have been sent back to Italy, it said.

Only 300 asked for asylum in Austria.

Italy has seen a massive rise in refugees during its Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) Mediterranean search-and-rescue operation, which began almost a year ago after two disasters killed 400 migrants and is set to end soon to be superseded by an Italian-EU op, Frontex Plus.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Germany: Doubts About Western Balkans as ‘Safe Countries of Origin’

Do the Western Balkans really constitute “safe countries of origin?” Refugee organizations and the German Green Party say they’re anything but. The latter might vote them into “safety” anyhow.

Alexander, a client of Frankfurt lawyer Reinhard Marx, is severely traumatized, Marx says.

The 24-year-old Roma is seeking asylum after fleeing Serbia. There, he says, he was repeatedly persecuted, abused and threatened. Not only did Serbian police not protect him, he says, they actively passed his information to the perpetrators.

In Germany, however, Alexander’s application was rejected as “manifestly unfounded.”

Lawyer Reinhard Marx immediately filed an emergency appeal against Alexander’s obligatory departure…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



Germany Toughens Asylum Rules for Three Balkans States

Germany made it harder Friday for people from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia to apply for asylum after lawmakers classified the three Balkan countries as safe, with respect for basic rights.

The legislation was approved by the upper house of parliament and aims to make it simpler for authorities to deport political asylum seekers from the three formerly war-ravaged states…

— Hat tip: JP [Return to headlines]



How New Tech for Ancient Fossils Could Change the Way We Understand Animals

X-ray topography, virtual models and 3D printing are advancing our knowledge of the ancient animals—and modern ones, too.