A knife-wielding culture-enriching “Frenchmen” attacked three policemen guarding a Jewish community center in the southern French city of Nice. Two of the policemen were lightly wounded, and their attacker was arrested. Some reports say the man carrying the knife had an accomplice, who was also arrested. The incident had nothing to do with Islam.

In other news, Charlie Manson, the infamous 80-year-old murderer serving a life sentence in California, will apparently not get married after all. Mr. Manson was engaged to a 26-year-old woman, but the marriage has not yet taken place, and their license will expire on Thursday.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, Insubria, Jerry Gordon, LS, Nick, Papa Whiskey, 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.

$100 Oil Isn’t Coming Back for a ‘Long Time’: BP CEO

(MarketWatch) — Try to put $100-a-barrel oil out of your mind for a “long time.”

That was the advice of BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley on Tuesday, after the oil giant was forced to slash spending and posted a loss as the price of crude-oil hit home in the fourth quarter.

Dudley suggested the world get comfortable with sub-$60 oil in an interview with Bloomberg TV, saying the price could stay in a range below that level for up to three years. Also on Tuesday, he told CNBC that $50-a-barrel was likely the price investors would have to get used to.

“It will be a long time before we see $100 again,” he told Bloomberg.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Danes Spend $16 Bln to Weaken Crown; Reserves at Record High

(Reuters) — Denmark’s central bank said on Tuesday it had spent 106 billion Danish crowns ($16 billion) intervening in the foreign exchange market in January, which boosted its reserves to a record high as it tried to keep the crown stable with the euro.

The central bank sold crowns at unprecedented rates to weaken the currency and bought foreign currency, boosting foreign exchange reserves to 564 billion Danish crowns.

Denmark pegs the crown to the euro, allowing its currency to fluctuate 2.25 percent either side of a parity rate of 7.46038 crowns to the euro. The crown has been straining against the upper end of that range since Switzerland scrapped its ceiling on the value of the franc and the European Central Bank announced a bond-buying scheme to aid its economy.

The bank has cut its key policy rate three times in January to -0.50 percent and suspended for now a government debt issuance programme, which it hopes will reduce rates on longer-dates debt, making it less attractive to foreign investors.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Franc Surge Squeezes Eastern European Homeowners

When Agnieszka Gagala took out a Swiss franc mortgage in Poland in 2009, her debt amounted to 260,000 zloty (CHF64,000). After the Swiss National Bank (SNB) abandoned its defence of the franc, the exchange rates went into overdrive, leaving Gagala with 500,000 zloty to pay back.

The 32-year-old’s monthly mortgage repayments, which started at 1,200 zloty, have now soared to 2,000 zloty, leaving her with 600 zloty to live from every month. “I can’t even tell you how distressed and angry I am right now,” she told swissinfo.ch.

“Many people who decided to take loans in CHF were not really aware about the risks and very often they were not explained very well. No one can expect customers to have the same knowledge as economists.”

Gagala is not alone. Around 500,000 Polish homes were bought with franc loans.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



German Yield Below Japan for First Time Bodes Ill for Europe

(Bloomberg) — For the first time on record, Germany’s 10-year yields are below Japan’s, an ominous signal for European Central Bank President Mario Draghi as he seeks to revive the euro area’s economy.

Tumbling yields on German debt, the euro area’s benchmark sovereign securities, are inviting comparisons with Japan, a nation wracked by decades of zero nominal economic growth and falling consumer prices. Germany’s inflation rate turned negative in January for the first time in more than five years, while the ECB is preparing to pump more cash into the region’s economy via a quantitative-easing program to fend off the risk of deflation.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italy: House Prices Down 5.6% in 2014

Florence overtakes Rome for costliest real estate

(ANSA) — Rome, February 2 — Italian house prices fell 5.6% in 2014, the Osservatorio di Immobiliare.it sector monitor said Monday.

The fall sharpened in the last part of the year, it said. The weighted average price of residential real estate in Italy in December 2014 was 2,166 euros per square metres. Among the cities with dearest property was Florence, which with an average of 3,657 euros overtook Rome (3,566). The biggest annual falls were in central Italy (-7%) and the south (-6.8%).

The housing market in the more affluent northeast held up.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Merkel Expects Greek Funding Talks to Drag on for Months

Germany expects talks with Greece to drag on until after the current round of bailout funding runs out at the end of the month and is prepared to play a waiting game until April or May, when the country approaches a cash crunch, a person familiar with the matter said.

Greece would not immediately go bankrupt at the end of February because it has resources to last beyond that point and Germany is ready to hold off until there is a more urgent need to strengthen its bargaining position, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing internal talks.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



RBA Unexpectedly Cuts Cash Rate Joining Global Easing: Economy

The Reserve Bank of Australia unexpectedly cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low and said the local currency remains overvalued, joining a dozen global counterparts in easing this year as commodity prices tumble.

The overnight cash rate target was lowered by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent, Governor Glenn Stevens said in a statement Tuesday. Growth will be weaker for longer and the jobless rate peak higher than earlier expected, he said.

Stocks surged to an almost seven-year high, the currency traded at a more than 5 1/2-year low and bond yields dropped to records. Stevens’s move follows a collapse in the price of iron ore, which generates A$1 in every A$5 of export income, and a rush to ease among global policy makers that had threatened to drive Australia’s currency higher.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



S&P Cuts European Banks on Rules Forcing Losses on Bondholders

Six European banks, including Credit Suisse Group AG and HSBC Holdings Plc, had their ratings cut by Standard & Poor’s on the prospect that governments are less likely to provide aid in a crisis.

Barclays Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc also had the long-term ratings on their non-operating holding companies reduced, the ratings company said in a statement Tuesday.

Standard Chartered Plc and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc had both their long-term and short-term ratings lowered. Deutsche Bank AG was among other banks in Germany and Austria that may have their credit ratings lowered, S&P said today.

The EU enacted the bank-resolution law last year in a bid to end taxpayer bailouts that prevailed in the financial crisis. The bloc granted 661 billion euros ($758 billion) for recapitalization and asset-relief measures from 2008 to 2013, according to European Commission data.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swiss Franc Gets Expensive

The Swiss franc is rising against other currencies. Great news for Swiss on shopping sprees in Spain, but bad news if you have a Swiss mortgage in Poland you pay back in zloty.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swiss Acclimate to New World After Losing Franc Shelter

For family-owned watchmaker H. Moser & Cie., whose timepieces are produced by hand, the Swiss franc’s 20 percent surge to near parity with the euro means business will have to adapt.

Acclimatizing to an uncertain new world after the central bank unexpectedly dropped its currency cap of 1.20, Chief Executive Officer Edouard Meylan is looking at options including partnerships for the production of parts and cutting some spending as he tries to protect sales and profits.

The Swiss National Bank’s Jan. 15 decision delivered a shock to the export-oriented economy, which has outperformed the neighboring euro area every quarter since 2012.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Border Patrol Agents Say Gun Sharing Puts Lives at Risk

Guns are in such short supply at the Border Patrol that one agent told FoxNews.com 400 agents share just 100 rifles at his station.

The lack of weapons is more than just a nuisance, according to law enforcement authorities, who say each agent should be able to calibrate his or her gun to individual preferences, a process they call “zeroing.”

“We are left to check out rifles that were unzeroed to us,” a border patrol agent told FoxNews.com. “This practice needs to be outlawed, as it could cost someone their life.”

“Zeroing”includes setting the rifle’s sights to one’s eyes and adjusting for any tendencies of the gun, like a bias to shoot towards the left or right.

“It is a major problem when I cannot be absolutely certain where my round will hit in relation to my point of aim,” another border agent told FoxNews.com.

[Am I to understand that this government, which goes through our money like a hot knife through butter, can’t spring for a few lousy carbines to issue these guys? — PW]

Charles Manson Marriage License Set to Expire Thursday With No Wedding Ceremony

A marriage license issued to 80-year-old convicted mass murderer Charles Manson and a 26-year-old woman will expire this week without the couple having actually tied the knot.

Manson and Elaine “Star” Burton received a marriage license this past November, giving them permission to hold a ceremony inside a visiting room at California State Prison, Corcoran.

However, the license expires Thursday. Since inmate weddings at the prison are only held on Saturday and Sunday, during visiting hours, Manson and Burton have missed their chance to take the plunge.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Pro-Palestinian Students Heckle Cal-Davis Opponents With Cries of ‘Allahu Akbar!’

Anti-Israel activists at the University of California, Davis heckled Jewish students and shouted “Allahu Akbar” at them during a vote last week on a resolution endorsing a boycott of the Jewish state, according to video of the event obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The commotion erupted late Thursday evening as pro-Israel students attempted to counter a student government resolution to divest from Israel as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Activists waving Palestinian flags shouted at the Jewish and pro-Israel students as they left the meeting room ahead of an eight to two vote in favor of the divestment resolution, which is part of a larger movement by anti-Israel groups to attack Israel and pro-Israel students on campus.

“Allahu Akhbar!” a large group of activists shouted in unison as the pro-Israel students filed out of U.C. Davis’ meeting room, according to video provided by a member of Aggies for Israel, a pro-Israel student group at Davis.

[How many of these varmints mouthing the Muslim war cry are over here on student visas that could — and should — be revoked? How many are receiving taxpayer-funded financial aid that could — and should — be summarily cut off? — PW]

Seattle: Muslims Demand Teacher be Fired for Showing Muhammad Cartoons

Controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed hit home in Seattle recently, culminating in a protest outside of southend refugee service provider on Friday.

A group of Somali Americans gathered outside the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to demand the resignation of a teacher who showed the cartoons to her teenage students on the day after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

“We’re not gonna be silent when it’s something that’s not right,” said Hassan Aden, who was one of between 15 to 20 people who attended the protest. “We’re trying to show that we’re not happy with what she did.”

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



US Reject Accusations That Joe Biden Conspired Against Venezuela

The United States has rejected as “patently false” the claims made by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that Biden conspired to overthrow him. The South American country is struggling in an economic crisis.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Canada Terror Suspects Planned to Derail US-Bound Train, Court Hears

Two men accused of planning to derail a train traveling between Canada and the US were motivated by Islamic extremism, a court has heard. The pair’s alleged plans were foiled by an undercover agent.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



ISIS-Related Terror Network Dismantled in Canada

Federal police in Canada dismantled an Islamic State (ISIS) group recruiting network, by arresting a Canadian with ties to ISIS for allegedly helping others join the jihadists, authorities said Tuesday, according to AFP.

International warrants were also issued through Interpol for the arrest of two other men, including a Canadian reportedly killed in Syria, for joining the banned terror group and encouraging others to follow suit.

“We were able to disrupt an organized network associated with [ISIS],” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner James Malizia.

“This network was involved in recruiting individuals for terrorism purposes and in sending them into Syria and Iraq for the benefit of this terrorist group,” he added.

Austria: Teen Girls Arrested After Offering Themselves to is Fighters

Austrian officials who recently cracked down on terrorism by arresting several people believed to be recruiting and fundraising for ISIS have revealed two more teenage girls tried to leave the country to marry terrorist fighters.

Police believe that the youngest of the girls, aged 16, who come from a Chechen family, had persuaded her friend, aged 17, that she should do the same, and both of them had already managed to leave the country when they were stopped during a routine check in Romania.

Believing that the girls were on their way to Syria to join ISIS, they were sent back to their homes in the province of Salzburg and Upper Austria, where they are now being questioned by Austrian police.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



European ‘No-Go’ Zones: Fact or Fiction?

Part 2: Britain

by Soeren Kern

“There’s things that I see when I’m driving around Birmingham that shouldn’t be happening. I only drive into these areas, never actually walk into these areas, I just wouldn’t. Just in case I did do something that…because of their culture or their religion it was a threat or it was an insult or something.” — Resident of Birmingham.

“There are some communities born under other skies who will not involve the police at all… there are communities from other cultures who would prefer to police themselves.” — Sir Tom Winsor, chief inspector of the police forces in England and Wales.

“We are sleepwalking our way to segregation. We are becoming strangers to each other and leaving communities to be marooned outside the mainstream.” — Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.

“One of the results of (multiculturalism) has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into ‘no-go’ areas where adherence to this ideology (of Islamic extremism) has become a mark of acceptability.” — Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Attacker Coulibaly Not Related to Paris Killer

Another man arrested

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, FEBRUARY 3 — Moussa Coulibaly, arrested on Tuesday after allegedly stabbing three soldiers in Nice, is reportedly not a relative of the man who killed a Paris policeman and several customers of a kosher supermarket in a parallel attack to one on the office of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. A second man has reportedly been arrested as part of investigations into the attack on three soldiers at a Jewish site in Nice.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



France: Next Charlie Hebdo Issue Delayed Once Again

The next edition of Charlie Hebdo, which was originally tabled for January 28th, will not hit the news kiosks until February 25th, with one of the surviving journalists asking for “patience”.

The next edition of Charlie Hebdo will appear on February 25, a journalist from the French satirical magazine said Monday, less than a month after 12 people were killed at their offices.

“Finally. A bit more patience, but Charlie Hebdo will come out on February 25th at all good kiosks,” said Laurent Leger on his Twitter account.

A so-called “survivors’ issue” published on January 14th had a print run of seven million, with a first batch selling out within minutes. Before the attacks, the weekly sold around 30,000 copies.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Three Soldiers Stabbed at Riviera Jewish Centre

French soldiers, who were protecting a Jewish centre in the Riviera city of Nice, were attacked by a man wielding a knife on Tuesday, leaving two of them injured. France’s counter-terrorism police have launched an investigation.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France: Small Election Reveals Big Fault Lines in Sarkozy’s UMP

A by-election in eastern France has been nothing but bad news for ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party. Eliminated outright in the first round of the February 1 vote, it is now struggling to show a united front for the second round.

The Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) finished in an embarrassing third place in Sunday’s by-election in the rural Doubs department.

Squeezed out of the February 8 runoff by the candidates from the far-right National Front (FN) party and the ruling left-wing Socialist Party (PS), the UMP has been left with the uncomfortable task of telling its supporters who they should cheer on now that it’s watching the game from the sidelines.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



France Arrests Eight in Suspected Jihadist Network

French police on Tuesday arrested eight people suspected of involvement in an alleged network that sent people to Syria to wage jihad, the interior minister said.

Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters the suspects were arrested in the area around Paris and the southeastern city of Lyon.

Last week, crack security forces arrested five people from the small town of Lunel in southern France, from where around 20 young people have left for Syria.

Some 1,400 people living in France have either joined the jihadist cause in Syria and Iraq or are planning to do so, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said last month.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



French Soldiers Hurt in Knife Attack

A man with a knife has attacked three soldiers patrolling outside a Jewish community centre in Nice, in the south of France.

Two soldiers were lightly wounded. The assailant was arrested, police say.

The attack happened in central Nice. Two people who were with the assailant fled the scene, reports say.

France has been on high alert since last month’s terror attacks in the Paris region by three Islamist gunmen, in which 17 were killed.

One soldier was hurt in one arm, the other in the face in Tuesday’s attack, an official at Nice city hall said.

Two police officers from the city’s tram service and another man managed to arrest the assailant, who reportedly had two knives.

The soldiers were guarding a building housing the Nice Israeli Consistory, Radio Shalom and a Jewish association.

The assailant has the Malian surname Coulibaly — the same as that of one of the Paris attackers, who killed four people in a Jewish supermarket.

Germany Plans New Foreign Fighters Law

A draft law from the Justice Ministry shows that the government plans to criminalize people who leave or attempt to leave Germany to join terrorist groups such as Isis.

Spiegel reported on Tuesday that the document would include punishments for “travelling or seeking to travel, if the trip is carried out to commit, plan or prepare terrorist acts”.

Government sources told the magazine that the cabinet was likely to agree on the new text on Wednesday without change, sending it on to the Bundestag (German parliament) for approval.

“Above all we’re doing something that will make Germany more secure,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany: 70 Years on, Dresden Bombing Still Divides

On February 13, Dresden will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Allied air raid that reduced the baroque city to rubble. Ever since the fires went out, the bombing has served as a propaganda tool for Nazis, Communists and the modern far right. Now critics warn that the ceremonies could serve as a rallying point for Pegida supporters — and further tarnish Dresden’s reputation.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Gravitational-Wave Hunt Enters Next Phase

The landmark BICEP2 result has turned to dust, but the search for primordial cosmic ripples continues.

Subtracting the portion of the signal known to be a result of dust left only a tiny excess, with a statistical confidence far below the level needed for a significant finding. There is now no reason to believe that BICEP2 saw anything but dust.

Still, it may yet be possible to find evidence of gravitational waves in the CMB by exploring the existing excess in more detail, and by scanning the sky at different frequencies. The team has learned lessons from its and Planck’s findings, which it is applying in new detectors.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



How Skeletons Reveal Gruesome Secrets About Our Ancestors

A new study provides a unique insight into what life was like in the Middle Ages.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Italy: Furore as Priest Claims ‘Father Christmas Doesn’t Exist’

Parishioners with children leave church

(ANSA) Genoa, February 2 — An elderly priest has set off a furore among some of his parishioners by telling families gathered for mass that “Father Christmas doesn’t exist”.

A number of parents and grandparents attending the church in Rapallo walked out in consternation when Father Pasquale Limoncini, aged 89, lambasted in his homily what he called “not exactly sober” Christmas decorations organised by the local council including the construction of a “Father Christmas house” on the sea front of the Ligurian resort.

Fr. Limoncini went on to declare that “Father Christmas doesn’t exist” and called for the poverty and humility of the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary, patron of the town, to be stressed next Christmas.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Michelangelo’s Bronze Panther-Riders Revealed After ‘Renaissance Whodunnit’

Two handsome, virile naked men riding triumphantly on ferocious panthers will on Monday be unveiled as, probably, the only surviving bronze sculptures by the Renaissance giant Michelangelo.

In art history terms, the attribution is sensational. Academics in Cambridge will suggest that a pair of mysterious metre-high sculptures known as the Rothschild Bronzes are by the master himself, made just after he completed David and as he was about to embark on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

If correct, they are the only surviving Michelangelo bronzes in the world.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Monopoly Maker Puts Real Money in Birthday Edition

One lucky French Monopoly player will not have to “Pass Go” to come up trumps after game maker Hasbro announced it had placed 20,580 euros in real bank notes in a special edition box to mark the board game’s 80th birthday.

Of the 30,000 birthday sets, a further ten contain 300 euros and 69 more include 150 euros in crisp notes.

“We were looking to do something truly unique,” Monopoly’s French product manager Florence Gaillard told reporters on Monday. “And when we asked players what they wanted to find inside their boxes, they told us they wanted real money.”

“We’re making their dreams come true,” she added with a smile.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



NATO Units Set for Baltics, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria

‘Biggest reinforcement to East since end of Cold War’

(ANSA-AP) — BRUSEELS/TRIESTE — NATO is deploying small units in six eastern European nations to help coordinate a spearhead force set up in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the units in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania will be the first of their kind there. Defense ministers from the 28-nation military alliance will discuss the full force, which can react quickly to any hotspots in Europe, when they meet on February 5.

This will be the biggest reinforcement of troops in the East since the end of the Cold War, Stoltenberg said. The size of the troops (5-10 thousand soldiers) is yet to be defined, according to a source from within the Alliance.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Norway Banishes Islamist to Remote Village

A court in Oslo on Monday authorised police to banish Iraqi Kurd “hate preacher” Mullah Krekar to a remote Norwegian village.

The mullah, 58, who has been living in Norway since 1991, founded the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam. He was released from prison at the end of January after serving a two-year, 10-month sentence for making threats against Prime Minister Erna Solberg, before she came to office, and three Kurds.

The police had invoked special measures to order Krekar, whose real name is Najmeddine Faraj Ahmad, to live in a refugee centre in Kyrksæterøra, a village of 2,500 people situated 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



PEGIDA to Demonstrate in Swedish City of Malmö

The “anti-Islamisation” group Pegida will hold its first demonstration in Sweden next Monday.

The Malmö police in southern Sweden has given the group permission to hold a meeting on Stortorget, a square in the city centre, Swedish Radio’s Malmö station reports.

The organiser of the event is gallerist Henrik Rönnquist, who along with controversial street artist Dan Park, has previously been convicted of incitement to racial hatred.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Prehistoric High Times: Early Humans Used Magic Mushrooms, Opium

Opium, “magic” mushrooms and other psychoactive substances have been used since prehistoric times all over the world, according to a new review of archaeological findings.

The evidence shows that people have been consuming psychoactive substances for centuries, or even millennia, in many regions of the world, said Elisa Guerra-Doce, an associate professor of prehistory at the University of Valladolid in Spain, who wrote the review.

Guerra-Doce’s previous research showed the use of psychoactive substances in prehistoric Eurasia. The new review “brings together data related to the early use of drug plants and fermented beverages all over the world,” Guerra-Doce told Live Science.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Spain: Government and Socialists Sign Anti-Terrorism Pact to Tackle Jihadists

The Popular Party (PP) government and the opposition Socialists on Monday signed a far-reaching anti-terrorism pact, the fourth such agreement to be signed between Spain’s two main parties in the last 30 years.

The difference is this is the first anti-terrorism deal not to specifically address Basque terrorist group ETA, but instead seeks to tackle jihadist extremism and support activities for radical groups in Syria and Iraq.

But one day after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez put their signatures to the pact, Socialists said they were prepared to appeal a measure linked to the proposed law that calls for life sentences for anyone convicted of deadly terrorist attacks or other violent crimes.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swedish Islamist Convert in ISIS Viral Video Row

A Gothenburg mosque has slammed a 29-year-old Muslim convert from the city who posted a video online calling on other Scandinavians to travel to Syria to join the terror group Isis.

Michael Nikolai Skråmo, who also calls himself Abo Ibrahim Al Swedi, appears in the propaganda video wearing desert camouflage and clutching an assault rifle, and proceeds to give practical and motivational encouragement to would-be jihadis.

“My brothers, ‘hijra’ (migration) and ‘jihad’ are so simple. It only costs a few thousand ‘lapp’ (Swedish kronor),” he says in Swedish. “Do you not wish in in your heart to fight and show God what you have to offer him? The door to jihad is standing there waiting for you. It’s the fastest way to Jannah (Paradise).”

Skråmo, who has two Norwegian parents but was born and grew up near Gothenburg in Sweden is understood to have moved to Raqqah, the capital of the fledgling Islamic State in Syria, back in September with his wife and two children, hoping to fight alongside Islamic State soldiers.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Swiss Exports Hit Record High in 2014

Global demand for Swiss-made goods surged 3.5% last year as the value of exports reached CHF208.3 billion ($224 billion), beating the previous record set in 2008. The rise in exports was led by pharmaceuticals, chemicals and watches.

But exporters will have little reason to toast the positive figures from 2014 after the Swiss National Bank abandoned its defence of the franc on January 15.

Since then, the price of Swiss goods abroad has risen by around 20% with the franc appreciating against the euro and other currencies.

Many exporters have sounded the alarm bell about their immediate prospects while economists have downgraded their forecasts for Swiss economic growth.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Switzerland Remains Offshore Wealth Magnet

The world’s wealthy still consider Switzerland the best place to park their riches despite tax evasion scandals ending banking secrecy. Swiss banks held $2 trillion (CHF1.87 trillion) of offshore wealth last year, according to financial consulting firm Deloitte.

This confirms Switzerland as being ahead of Britain ($1.7 trillion) and the United States ($1.4 trillion) as the world’s leading destination of cross-border wealth management. However, smaller Asian centres, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, continue to grow at a faster rate than Switzerland despite remaining some distance away in terms of absolute size of assets under management (AUM).

“Switzerland remains the world’s largest centre, but other locations are catching up rapidly — especially Hong Kong (142% AUM growth), the US (28%) and Singapore (25%),” Daniel Kobler, Deloitte Switzerland’s head of Banking Strategy Consulting, said in the report.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Three French Soldiers Stabbed in Front of Jewish Site

Not seriously injured, attacker arrested

(ANSAmed) — PARIS, FEBRUARY 3 — Three French soldiers guarding a building housing several Jewish institutions in Nice were stabbed by an attacker on Tuesday, say police.

The three were reinforcements for France’s Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan and are not in serious condition. The perpetrator of the attacker has reportedly been arrested.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Tsipras Says Greece and Cyprus Could be ‘EU Bridge to Russia’

On a visit to Cyprus on 2 February, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told his host, Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiades, that the two countries could form a bridge between Europe and Russia, currently estranged over Ukraine.

“Greece and Cyprus can become a bridge of peace and cooperation between the EU and Russia,” said Tsipras, as quoted by the Greek daily Ekathimerini.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UKIP Couldn’t Improve on What Winston Churchill Had to Say About Muslims

by Robert Fisk

Churchill published some views so dark about Muslims that he deleted them from future editions — but I kept hold of them.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



United Kingdom: Killer’s Complaint at Whole Life Sentence Set for Human Rights Judgement

The applicant, Arthur Hutchinson, is a British national who was born in 1941 and is detained in Her Majesty’s Prison Durham (the United Kingdom). The case concerns his complaint about his whole life sentence for murder.

Relying on Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment), Hutchinson alleges that his whole life sentence amounts to inhuman and degrading treatment as he has no hope of release.

In September 1984, Hutchinson was convicted of aggravated burglary, rape and three counts of murder, the trial judge sentencing him to a term of life imprisonment with a recommended minimum tariff of 18 years.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



ICJ: Serbia Did Not Commit Genocide Against Croatia

Belgrade welcomes decision by court. Sad chapter closed

(ANSAmed) — BRUSSELS — The United Nations’ highest court based in The Hague ruled on Tuesday that Serbia did not commit genocide against Croatia during the Balkan war.

Judges rejected charges by the Zagreb government regarding the tragedies of Vukovar and other cities in 1991.

Addressing the Court, judge Peter Tromka, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said the intent to commit genocide had not been proven and therefore there was no evidence to support the case.

Evidence provided by the Croatian government, he added, was insufficient to prove that action committed by Serbian armed forces had the aim necessary to cite genocide.

According to the UN Convention, in order to be labelled as genocide, military action must be aimed at destroying all or part of a group, based on ethnic, racial or religious motives. The Croatian city of Vukovar was destroyed following the Serbian occupation that lasted for three months in 1991: tens of thousands of Croatians were displaced and some 260 were arrested and killed. For their part, authorities in Belgrade denounced the fact that Croatians had expelled some 200,000 Serbians from Croatian territory. Four years later, moreover, Croatian armed forces bombed the ethnic Serbian majority in the region of Krajina, leading about 200,000 people to leave their homes.

“I believe this has closed a sad page of our past while another one has been opened into our future”, said Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic, commenting the verdict. “We were expecting such a ruling from the judges. It was proven that no genocide was committed by the Serbian side”, said Selakovic.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



New Anna Lindh Executive Director is Tunisian

Role of Anna Lindh Foundation necessary to promote dialogue

(ANSAmed) — TUNIS, JAN 27 — The new Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation is Tunisian. The Board of Directors has uninanimously approved the appointment of Hatem Atallah as new executive director of the Foundation. Atallah was designated by the Board of Governors, a body that includes 42 high officials of the Mediterranean Union, sitting with Eu representatives and members of the Arab League participating as observers. Hatem Atallah stood out for his successful record as diplomat and international manager. He held the role of Tunisian ambassador to the United Kingdom and he was also Tunisia’s representative at the African Union. Atallah takes on from Andreu Claret (Spain) who became Executive Director in 2008.

As new Executive Director, Atallah will lead the Anna Lindh Foundation from its head-quarters in Alexandria (Egypt) and he will carry out the new phase of the Foundation’s programme (2015-2017) in close co-operation with newly elected President Elisabeth Guigou. The role played by the Anna Lindh Foundation is more than ever necessary in order to confront those seeking to stoke divisions both within their societies and between their countries and the international community. In the wake of tragic events, the Foundation must build upon the solidarity existing between the citizens of the Mediterranean in order to promote exchanges, fraternity and mutual understanding.

The new programme of the Anna Lindh Foundation is co-financed by the European Union and by member countries of the Mediterranean Union, it encompasses projects in the fields of culture, media, education, translation and youth and also takes on an advocacy role focusing on cross-cultural matters and supporting more than 4000 grass-root movements and Ngos belonging to its Euro-Mediterranean network.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



The European Commission Supports the IEMed in Promoting Research and Dialogue on Mediterranean Policies

The European Institute of the Mediterranean (Barcelona), together with the EuroMeSCo network, will develop over the next four years enhanced research, dialogue and dissemination to effectively meet the challenges of the region and greater inclusion of civil society in policy-making processes.

This enhancement of its activity in this field is the result of the granting by the EC Neighbourhood programme of the action “Euro-Mediterranean Political Research and Dialogue for Inclusive Policy-Making Processes”.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Egypt: Bombs in Cairo After 183 Islamists Sentenced to Death

A homemade bomb exploded in the city centre. Two more are discovered at the airport. Al-Sisi’s government is criticised for human rights violations, but ordinary Egyptians praise him for trying to improve security and the economy.

Cairo (AsiaNews) — A homemade bomb exploded near a bus station in central Cairo on Tuesday. Two more bombs were found at the airport.

Security forces are on high alert for possible Islamist attacks a day after a court upheld the death sentence for 183 Muslim Brotherhood militants.

The accused were convicted in the deaths of 11 officers in Kerdasa in August 2013, a few weeks after the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohamed Morsi.

Since then, Egyptian authorities have arrested thousands of Brotherhood members, and sentenced hundreds to death. None has been carried so far.

Human rights activists have criticised the “dictatorial” methods of President’s Abdelfattah al-Sisi, who replaced Morsi, but most of Egyptians seem to support the president because he is providing security to society, which is needed to put order into the economy.

Mr Morsi also faces a new espionage trial on 15 February. He too could be given the death penalty if found guilty.

Out of 183 people convicted yesterday, 34 were sentenced in absentia. The Grand Mufti ratified the verdict. Offenders may still appeal to change the verdict. Last month, the death sentences of 37 people were overturned on appeal.

For al-Sisi, the Brotherhood and its allies are the country’s main security threat.

Meanwhile, Islamic State’s Egypt wing claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated operations that killed at least 27 people last week.

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



‘Islamic State’ Encroaching on Libya

Terror organization ‘Islamic State’ continues to gain ground in Libya by carrying out attacks and kidnappings. Some of the country’s regions are no longer under the control of state authorities.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Moroccans Expelled From Algeria in 1975 Still an Open Wound

45,000 families forced out after Sahara ‘Green March’

(by Diego Minuti) (ANSAmed) — ROME, FEBRUARY 2 — The 1975 expulsion of 45,000 Moroccan families from Algeria scarred relations between the two countries and continues to create problems between them. The families had long been residing in Algeria, and on December 9 of that year they were unexpectedly issued expulsion orders by President Houari Boumediene. The decree ordered that even Moroccans living in Algeria for generations had to leave the country at extremely short notice. Making it more painful was the fact that it was issued during the most important holiday of the year for Muslims, the Feast of Sacrifice, which is meant to be celebrated in a spirit of solidarity and brotherhood. Many of the Moroccans had been born in Algeria and considered it their homeland. Houari Boumediene, one of Algeria’s most popular presidents, made the decision due to the two countries’ dispute over the future of the former Spanish Sahara, which Hassan II occupied in a de facto manner in part thanks to the ‘Green March’, which tens of thousands of people took part in. The 45,000 families were targeted simply as part of a larger political game and were forced to leave everything in their possession in Algeria: property, homes, money and even family jewels. Many of those wanting to remain ended up agreeing to terrible compromises, as the popular Algerian singer Khaled wrote in a 2009 song that speaks about Moroccan girls that agreed to marry elderly men from Oran to stay. All of the initiatives taken thus far by members of the expelled families — who have joined together in the Admea association — have run up against the hardline stance taken by the Algerian authorities. The latter have also rejected requests made by international institutions, such as when the international Human Rights Committee asked Algiers in 2009 to review its decisions. Meanwhile, some members of the families continue to experience hardship in Morocco while others opted to begin from scratch in Europe or elsewhere.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Alarab Television Channel Goes on Air

Alarab, a new pan-Arab television channel, took to the airwaves on Sunday from its headquarters in Manama, Bahrain. The channel, owned by Kingdom Holding Co. Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is headed by the Madinah-born, US-educated Saudi journalist, columnist and editor Jamal Khashoggi.

The new channel will compete in a very crowded Arabic television news market. There is Al-Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Sky News Arabia, BBC Arabic, France 24 and RT Arabic.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Arrest in Lebanon Lifts Veil on Life of Islamic State Leader’s Ex-Wife, Saja Al-Dulaimi

About six years ago, Lebanese military officials said, Dulaimi married Baghdadi, who is originally from Samarra, a city north of Baghdad. The marriage lasted for only about three months, said Sheik Hassan al-Dulaimi, a prominent elder from Iraq’s Anbar province who is from the same tribe as Saja al-Dulaimi, in a telephone interview.

The Lebanese military officials described Saja al-Dulaimi, who does not veil her face, as strikingly beautiful. She was combative during recent interrogation sessions, they said.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Dutch Jihadi Jailed for Terrorism is Actually in Iraq, Not Prison: Ad

A man from Amsterdam sentenced to 1.5 years in jail last week for planning to commit terrorist offences in Syria has escaped, despite being under security service surveillance, the AD says on Tuesday. Omar H is now in Iraq and has joined IS, anonymous sources told the paper. The 23-year-old reportedly left the Netherlands at the end of last year. It is unclear why H was not in custody prior to the trial or why the public prosecution department failed to mention he was missing. Defendants in the Netherlands do not have to attend court hearings.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



ISIS Burns Alive Jordanian Pilot it Kept Hostage — Reports

The Islamic State has released a video, purportedly showing Moath al-Kasasbeh, the Jordanian pilot captured in December, being burned alive. The Jordanian government had pleaded to release the hostage in exchange for a captured terrorist.

— Hat tip: LS [Return to headlines]



ISIS Killed Jordanian Pilot on Jan. 3, Says Gov’t

Reports BBC

(ANSAmed) — ROME, FEBRUARY — Jordan announced that the pilot shown being burnt alive by the Islamic State (ISIS) in a video released on Tuesday had actually been killed on January 3.

It added that this was why ISIS had refused to provide proof that he was alive, the BBC quoted Jordanian television as saying.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



ISIS Reportedly Holds Nazi-esque Mass Book Burning

UNESCO warns reports of mass burning in Iraq may be one of ‘most devastating’ acts of ‘cultural cleansing’ in history, rivaling Hitler.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday voiced concern over reports of mass book-burning in Iraq, saying it would be one of the most “devastating” such actions in history if confirmed.

Referring to reports that thousands of books on philosophy, law, science and poetry have been torched in recent weeks, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said it was part of a campaign of “cultural cleansing,” reports AFP.

“If confirmed, this would be one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history,” UNESCO said.

ISIS: Jordanian Pilot Burnt Alive in a Cage

Jordan says that he was killed on January 3

(ANSAmed) — AMMAN — A video released on Tuesday by the Islamic State (ISIS) and posted on the website of Site Intelligence Group reportedly shows the Jordanian pilot held hostage by the jihadists as he is burnt alive. SITE director Rita Katz reported the news on Twitter. The footage starts out with a close-up of the hostage in an orange jumpsuit and bruised under his right eye as he makes a statement. There is a black backdrop with flags from countries taking part in the anti-ISIS coalition, including Canada, France, the US, the UK, the UAE and Jordan. In the second part, the Jordanian pilot is standing in front of a group of armed militants dressed in camouflage with their faces covered. In the final part the hostage is seen in a cage as fire approaches and surrounds him.

Jordan announced that the pilot shown being burnt alive by the Islamic State (ISIS) in a video released on Tuesday had actually been killed on January 3.

Minutes after the news broke out, the government reportedly sent a number of salafi convicts to Swaqa prison, were executions often take place.The king could be poised to make a statement and order execution of Sajeda al Rishawee, the failed al Qaida bomber in Amman whose release was demanded by Isis in exchange for the Japanese journalist Kinje Koto.

Jordan plays a key role in the US lead alliance to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq, using its intelligence tools and airspace to provide access to ISIS controlled territories.Outspoken deputy Hind al Fayez slammed authorities tactics to mobilize streets against ISIS, by allegedly using Kassasbeh’s capture as a rallying cry to support sending boots to ground in Syria and Iraq.The US condemned the killing and offered Jordan support, hours after president Obama pledged 8.8 billion US dollars to fight the extremist group.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Islamic State Shows Burning of Hostage, Jordan Vows ‘Earth-Shaking’ Response

(Reuters) — Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday appearing to show a captured Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage, a killing that shocked the world and prompted Jordan to promise an “earth-shaking” response.

A Jordanian official said the authorities would swiftly execute several militants in retaliation, including an Iraqi woman whom Amman had sought to swap for the pilot taken captive after his plane crashed in Syria in December.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the content of the video, which showed a man resembling airman Mouath al-Kasaesbeh standing in a small black cage before being set ablaze.

The furious reaction of the Jordanian authorities made clear they treated it as genuine.

Islamic State: UN Alarmed by ‘IS Logo’ On Food Aid

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it is “extremely concerned” by images seeming to show its food parcels in Syria being handed out bearing the logo of the Islamic State militant group.

The pictures on social media appear to be from the town of Deir Haf, where WFP distributed food last August.

“WFP condemns this manipulation of desperately needed food aid,” said Muhannad Hadi, the UN agency’s emergency regional coordinator.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



‘Jihad is So Simple’: Norwegian Posts ISIS Vid

A 29-year-old ethnic Norwegian Islamist has called on other Scandinavians to travel to Syria to join the terror group Isis, in a propaganda video posted online on Sunday.

Michael Nikolai Skråmo, who styles himself Abo Ibrahim Al Swedi, appears in the video wearing desert camouflage and clutching an assault rifle, and proceeds to give practical and motivational encouragement to would-be jihadis.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



New ISIS Video Purpotedly Shows Jordanian Pilot Being Burned Alive

A new video that surfaced on the Internet Tuesday appears to show ISIS burning alive a Jordanian pilot the terror group has held since December.

If authentic, the 22-minute video would bring a grisly end to speculation into the fate of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who was captured when his plane crashed during a bombing mission in Syria Dec. 24. The video shows a man standing in a cage with a line of fuel leading to him, which is then ignited, causing him to burst into flames. Islamic State had previously sought to trade him for Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman who is in a Jordanian prison for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people in Amman.

Jordan had shown a willingness to make the exchange, but had sought proof that its pilot was still alive.

The horrific footage surfaced just a day after top Islamic State leaders warned against social media disclosures of the terror army’s activities that were not sanctioned by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi or the group’s spokesman, Mohammad al-Adnani.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



One in Five Turks Think Charlie Hebdo Cartoonists Got What They Deserved

According to an opinion poll conducted in Turkey by the Metropoll research company last month, 56 percent agreed that Charlie Hebdo (which published the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad) had insulted the Prophet, but said it was wrong for them to be killed. However, 20 percent of respondents said they had “got what they deserved” for insulting the Prophet. Only 16 percent said the Charlie Hebdo killings were an attack on freedom of expression.

The demonstrations in support of the Kouachi brothers substantiate the findings of the Metropoll report.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Report: Jordan to Execute Terrorists After Pilot Burned Alive

After ISIS releases video of Maaz al-Kassasbeh’s execution, official says female suicide bomber, 4 others, to be killed in response.

By Ari Soffer

Sajida al-Rishawi, whose release ISIS had previous demanded, faces execution

Just hours after a video surfaced showing the ISIS terrorist group executing a captive Jordanian pilot by burning him alive, Jordan is preparing to execute five terrorist prisoners in revenge, according to a report.

Speaking to Sky News Arabic under condition of anonymity, a Jordanian security official claimed Sajida al-Rishawi — a failed female suicide-bomber whose release ISIS had demanded in a previous video in exchange for Japanese hostage Kenji Goto — would have her execution sentence expedited along with four other Islamist terrorists, in response to the horrific execution of pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh.

The five convicted terrorists would be executed “within hours” the source claimed.

In an official statement to Jordanian state TV, a Jordanian army spokesman confirmed al-Kassasbeh’s death and vowed “revenge”, without elaborating further.

“The military forces announce that the hero pilot, Muath al-Kaseasbeh, has fallen as a martyr, and ask God to accept him with the martyrs,” Mamdouh al-Ameri said in a statement, translated by the Associated Press.

“While the military forces mourn the martyr, they emphasize his blood will not be shed in vain. Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians,” he added.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama issued a response to the gruesome execution video Tuesday, saying that if it was authenticated it just shows the organization’s “barbarity”, and would strengthen the resolve of the international coalition mobilized against it.

“Should in fact this video be authentic, it’s just one more indication of the viciousness (and) barbarity of this organization,” Obama said, adding it would “redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of the global coalition to make sure” ISIS is “ultimately defeated.”

Meanwhile, Jordanian state TV reported that al-Kassasbeh was in fact executed as early as January 3rd.

ISIS had previously offered to free Japanese hostage Kenji Goto in return for Sajida al-Rishawi, but the deal stalled after the jihadists inexplicably balked at Jordan’s demand for proof that al-Kassasbeh was alive.

If reports he was in fact executed as far back as a month ago are true, it would mean he was already dead when the offer of a prisoner swap was made.

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



Saudi Arabia: Foreign Policy Unchanged Under King Salman

Chairing his first Cabinet meeting as monarch and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on Monday, King Salman said that Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy would remain in place.

Saudi Arabia’s policies in relation to Arab, Muslim and international countries “will remain unchanged,” the king said during an address to the Cabinet. “We will work hard in the service of Islam, for the betterment of our loyal and noble people and support Arab and Islamic causes,” he said. “We’ll also work to promote international peace, security and global economic growth and pray to the Almighty to help us shoulder this responsibility and trust in a way that pleases Him,” the king said.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Turkish Islamists: Je Suis Kouachi!

by Burak Bekdil

If a mere 5% of Turks feel sympathetic to ISIL, it means there are nearly 4 million souls residing in Turkey who feel sympathetic to jihadists. And that is too many. If 10% of ISIL sympathizers in Turkey decided to join the jihad, that would mean 400,000 new jihadists willing to fight across the border in Iraq and Syria, or inside Turkey if they think Ankara allied with the West against their Salafist comrades.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Danish Chechen Dies Fighting in Ukraine

A Danish citizen of Chechen origin has died while fighting against pro-Russian forces in Ukraine, according to media reports.

A former Chechen military commander, Isa Munajev worked as a boxing trainer in the Zealand town of Birkerød before heading to eastern Ukraine in August to once again fight pro-Russian separatists.

According to the reports, Munajev was killed on Sunday while fighting in Debaltseve, an eastern Ukraine town that the Kyiv Post reports holds a “strategic rail and road junction”.

Munajev was in charge of a battalion of 15 masked fighters in eastern Ukraine. Six of those come from Denmark, and five of the six hold Danish citizenship.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



‘No Obstacle to Sell Arms to Ukraine’, Polish Minister Says

Siemoniak:’Russia constitutes threat for Europe’

(ANSA) — WARSAW — “There are no obstacles for the Polish military industry to sell arms to Ukraine”, said the country’s Defense Minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, during a press conference in Warsaw dedicated to security in the context of the Ukrainian crisis.

“Russia, with its military means, constitutes a longterm threat for Europe”, said the Minister, while reminding of a series of measures taken by the Polish government with the aim of reinforcing security — “an absolute priority for Poland” in the current situation. According to the Minister, the prospectives of a pacific solution of the conflict are diminishing, from the moment in which Moscow’s evident aim is to block the European integration of Ukraine. Siemoniak further wished for a more intense collaboration between NATO and Ukraine.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Russia Cuts Price of Vodka Amid Double-Digit Inflation

Russia has dropped the minimum price of vodka by 16 percent in an attempt to ward off a rise in moonshine consumption, spurred on by the falling ruble and contracting economy.

As of Sunday, the minimum price of vodka is now 185 rubles ($2.60) for half a liter, down from 220 rubles ($3.10).

The minimum retail price for vodka was first set in 2009 as part of a crackdown on binge drinking. In 2014 the minimum price was raised from 89 rubles ($1.20) to 199 rubles ($2.80) and then to a record high of 220 rubles ($3.16) per bottle.

A markup of the minimal price for hard liquor, however, has only increased illegal alcohol’s share in overall consumption.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Bangladesh: Political Violence Threatens Survival of Population

A new arsonist attack caused seven deaths and 16 seriously wounded. Traffic strike imposed by opposition “maintained” by constant attacks. The goal is to bring down the government. Material damage greater than number of victims: prices rise; raw materials, not delivered, waste away; ordinary people lose their jobs.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) — There seems to be no end to the political violence marring Bangladesh and for the population living conditions continue to deteriorate. The latest took place this morning, when a group of people threw petrol bombs at a night bus in Jogmohonpur (district of Comilla). Seven people died burned alive, while another 16 were seriously burned. Among these, five are in critical condition.

Monir Hossain, assistant director of the Comilla fire brigade, said: “The attack on the night bus that runs the Dhaka-Chittagong highway occurred around 3:30 am. Seven people died on the spot. The 16 injured were transported to Comilla Medical College and Hospital and Chouddagram Upazila Health Complex. “

Since January 5 a nationwide traffic strike has been imposed by opposition parties. The objective of the coalition — led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP, nationalist) and the Jamaat-e-Islam (Islamic fundamentalist) — is to topple the government led by the Awami League and call new elections.

For its part, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina holds BNP leader Khaleda Zia — de facto — under house arrest, with the “excuse” of protecting her from possible threats to her life.

To make people adhere to the strike, the opposition occasionally endorses arson attacks like today, causing deaths and injuries. To date, about 50 people have been killed and over 350 were injured. However, the material damage caused by the block is causing serious difficulty to the population. Due to the strike the transit of goods and products undergoes heavy delays, causing the decay of many commodities. Farmers and ranchers cannot sell their produce and prices have skyrocketed.

Students cannot go to school, or college. Many entrepreneurs have lost their jobs.

Fr. Joyanto S. Gomes, director of the Christian Communication Center, told AsiaNews: “It is very serious thing to try to come to power by burning and killing innocent people. It is not democratic targeting education and the economy. We should learn from others how to do good for the people”.

The priest, who is also secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications, says: “I really believe that leaders can achieve their goals by working well, rather than using violence. If the opposition made constructive criticism of the government, proposing effective welfare policies, could come to power with ease”.

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



Vietnam’s “Modern Sex Slaves” Sold in China as Prostitutes or Brides

In 2014, thousands of young women crossed the border to be exploited in brothels or subject to forced marriages. Consumerism and materialism are among the causes of this growing trade. The victims are mostly from remote and isolated areas, but middle class girls fall victim as well because of the Internet and social media. Catholics are among those who have come to the defence of the victims.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Fiji to Remove Union Jack From Flag, Says PM Bainimarama

Fiji is to remove the UK’s union jack from its flag, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has announced.

Mr Bainimarama, a former coup leader who was elected last year in Fiji’s first elections in eight years, said it was “time to dispense with the colonial symbols”.

The Commonwealth Pacific nation gained independence from Britain in 1970.

New Zealand, which also has the symbol on its flag, will hold a referendum on whether to change it in 2016.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Draft of Arrest Warrant for Argentine President is Found at Dead Prosecutor’s Home Buenos Aires — Alberto

Nisman, the prosecutor whose mysterious death has gripped Argentina, had drafted a warrant for the arrest of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, accusing her of trying to shield Iranian officials from responsibility in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center here, the lead investigator into his death said on Tuesday.

The 26-page document, which was found in the garbage at Mr. Nisman’s apartment, also requested the arrest of Héctor Timerman, Argentina’s foreign minister. Both Mrs. Kirchner and Mr. Timerman have repeatedly denied Mr. Nisman’s accusation that they tried to reach a secret deal with Iran to lift international arrest warrants for Iranian officials wanted in connection with the bombing.

The new revelation that Mr. Nisman had drafted arrest warrants for the president and the foreign minister further illustrates the heightened tensions between him and the government before he was found dead on Jan. 18 at his apartment with a gunshot wound to his head. He had been scheduled the next day to provide details before Congress about his accusations against Mrs. Kirchner.

‘Missing Oil’ From 2010 BP Spill Found on Gulf Seafloor

Up to 10 million gallons (38 million liters) of crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill has settled at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, where it is threatening wildlife and marine ecosystems, according to a new study.

The finding helps solve the mystery of where the “missing” oil from the spill landed. Its location had eluded both the U.S. government and BP cleanup crews after the April 2010 disaster that caused about 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of crude oil to leak into the Gulf.

“This is going to affect the Gulf for years to come,” Jeff Chanton, the study’s lead researcher and a professor of chemical oceanography at Florida State University, said in a statement. “Fish will likely ingest contaminants because worms ingest the sediment, and fish eat the worms. It’s a conduit for contamination into the food web.”

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Germany: Court Decision Could Prompt Migration Reform

After a court ruling that Turkish spouses couldn’t be forced to take a language test before joining their partners in Germany, community organizations have guarded hopes for a new law.

A Berlin court found on Friday that Germany’s attempt to make a system of language tests for spouses immigrating to Germany comply with European rules had failed, and that the law would have to be rewritten.

“We hope that the law will be completely reformed,” president of the Turkish Communities in Germany Safter Cinar told The Local.

“The current law’s first sentence says that its purpose is ‘to manage and restrict immigration’.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Latest Trends at External Borders of the EU

Although some data are still missing for December 2014, the number of detections of illegal border-crossing in 2014 as a whole totalled about 278 000. This is two and a half times larger than the year before (107 000) and twice as much as in 2011 (141 000) during the initial stages of the Arab Spring. This increase is mostly connected to the increasing number of refugees and displaced people worldwide, related to the ongoing conflict in Syria and its spread to Iraq, which have created the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Following recent increases, in December 2014 Kosovo nationals were for the first time the migrants most commonly detected illegally crossing the external border of the EU/Schengen area, accounting for a massive 40% of total detections. This trend has been linked with rumours among the Kosovo population that France’s decision to remove Kosovo from the national list of safe countries will make it much more straightforward to obtain asylum in this Member State.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



UN Asks EU to Share Sweden’s Refugees

The top UN official for refugees has called on the European Union to consider imposing a quota system to stop Sweden and Germany taking in a greater proportion than other nations.

Delivering a keynote speech in Stockholm, Antonio Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), told reporters that he wanted the EU to force its nations to more equitably handle a spike in asylum seekers.

“We are ready to support political initiatives within Europe, for instance, aiming in some situations to have forms of quota distribution,” Antonio Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), told reporters.

He said that while asylum seekers generally enter Europe through Greece and Italy, nearly half of all asylum requests last year were presented in Germany and Sweden, a sign of the continent’s lopsided distribution.

— Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]



Britain Approves Three-Parent Babies in Commons Free Vote

Case involved DNA from two women and one man

(ANSA) — London, February 3 — British parliamentarians on Tuesday approved the introduction of a fertility technique involving DNA from three parents.

The technique, approved in a free vote with 382 MPs in favour and 128 opposed, is said to be aimed at preventing deadly genetic diseases being passed from mother to child.

It must still be approved by the House of Lords in London but if successful, the first such baby could be born next year.

— Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]



Christian Bakers Face $75k Fine for Refusing to Make Cake for Gays

An Oregon bakery was determined to have violated state anti-discrimination laws for refusing to make a gay couple’s wedding cake and will soon face a court hearing to find out the extent of its punishment, which includes a possible fine of up to $75,000.

The owners of the Portland-area bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa say they declined to bake the wedding cake in 2013 because it would have violated their religious beliefs, which reject same-sex marriage.