Reader supplied links for Aug. 28 – 2015

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

60 Replies to “Reader supplied links for Aug. 28 – 2015”

  1. Sweden’s Tolerance Tested By Migrant Surge (skynews, Aug 27, 2015)
    http://news.sky.com/story/1542262/swedens-tolerance-tested-by-migrant-surge

    “Just under an hour’s drive to the southwest of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, is the town of Södertälje.

    It is a place where the openness of Sweden’s policy on immigration is palpable but so too are the strains and tensions it is causing.

    More than 10,000 of Södertälje’s residents have roots in Iraq. Nearly 8,000 are from Syria.

    Last year, this country of just nine million people accepted 85,000 refugees. This year, its government says it plans to take in 100,000.

    A spike in refugees from Syria arriving in Södertälje over the past four years correlates directly with the timeline of Syria’s grim and ongoing civil war.

    Sweden is unique in its policy of granting every Syrian who makes it here automatic residency.

    Regardless of the fact that most arrive illegally and with the help of traffickers or smugglers, they are given a grant for housing and state-funded education.

    The problem is that a national policy designed to give refugees a chance and make their lives that little bit more humane has caused a surge in the numbers coming here.

    It is putting a strain on public services and, predictably, it is boosting the popularity of political parties far to the right of the traditional mainstream.

    But we found something far less predictable: immigrants, now settled in Södertälje, who are themselves now questioning if Sweden has gone too far…..”

  2. Seven killed in Turkey in clashes with militants (smh, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/seven-killed-in-turkey-in-clashes-with-militants-20150828-gj9pdp.html

    “Diyarbakir, Turkey: Seven people, including at least four civilians, were killed on Thursday in clashes between Turkey’s armed forces and militants in the mainly Kurdish south-east, security sources and the army said.

    Smoke rose above the town of Cizre near the Syrian border after Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels armed with rocket launchers attacked a military base in the afternoon, witnesses and security sources said.

    One soldier was killed and four were wounded in a clash with PKK militants in Diyarbakir province, the Turkish military said in a statement.

    Street fighting that has raged for days between soldiers and militia fighters continued overnight in the town of Yuksekova, about 300 kilometres further east, near Turkey’s border with Iraq and Iran, despite a curfew there, officials added….”

  3. the guardian – Pope Francis sends letter praising gay children’s book

    Italian book that explores different family types including same sex was banned by mayor of Venice, but pontiff becomes unlikely supporter

    […]The book, however, was met with disapproval by Venice’s new mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, who in June banned Piccolo Uovo and about 50 other titles from schools. The decision led more than 250 Italian authors to demand their own books be removed from the city’s shelves, a move one writer described as a “protest against an appalling gesture of censorship and ignorance”.

    Now Pardi has found an unlikely supporter in Pope Francis, who through his staff has written to the author praising her work. “His holiness is grateful for the thoughtful gesture and for the feelings which it evoked, hoping for an always more fruitful activity in the service of young generations and the spread of genuine human and Christian values,” wrote Peter B Wells, a senior official at the Vatican secretariat of state.

    The letter, dated 9 July and recently seen by the Guardian, was a response to a parcel of children’s books sent by Pardi to the pontiff in June. The collection from her publisher, Lo Stampatello, including seven or eight books which deal with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues (LGBT), was accompanied by a heartfelt letter from the author describing the attacks she has come under in recent months.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/28/pope-francis-sends-letter-praising-gay-childrens-book

    =====================================

    Vatican denies encouraging gender theory with author letter

    Missive to Francesca Pardi ‘was supposed to remain private’

    (ANSA) – Vatican City, August 28 – The Vatican on Friday denied encouraging gender theory via a letter from Pope Francis to an author who writes about gay marriage. “In no way does the letter from the Secretariate of State mean to endorse behaviour and teachings not in line with the Gospel,” the Vatican press office said. It said the letter to Francesca Pardi, in response to a letter from her to the pope after Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro banned ‘gay’ books from the city’s schools, was meant to remain private, something which “unfortunately did not happen”.

    http://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/english/vatican-denies-encouraging-gender-theory-with-author-letter-no844266

      • Some Statistics about Pope Francis’ General Audiences

        For the 100th general audience of Pope Francis’ pontificate, the Prefecture of the Papal Household released the average attendance of audiences from 51,6K in 2013 ( for pope Benedict ) to 14,8K in 2015. ( for Bergoglio )

        […]Benedict’s audiences exceeded those of John Paul II at times. The square is emptier and emptier. And it’s not because of the general secularization. Romans aren’t going either, so it isn’t the economic slump.

        http://wdtprs.com/blog/2015/08/interesting-statistics-about-pope-francis-general-audiences/

      • He is preaching Marx instead of Christ and is insuring that the Roman Church is more or less destroyed. I have seen debates about whether or not the various groups of Catholics in the US and abroad should split off and form new Orthodox Churches. Opis Di (sp?) is very close.

  4. Scuffles and fights breaking out among the more than 1000 migrants gathered on Greece’s border with Macedonia –

    Scuffles and some fights are breaking out among the more than 1,000 migrants, including families with young children, gathered at Greece’s northern border with Macedonia.

    Macedonian authorities are allowing up to 50 people to cross at a time, with more arriving by the busload all day at the informal crossing outside the Greek village of Idomeni. Once in Macedonia, the migrants board trains or buses heading north to Serbia.

    A Greek border policeman estimates about 1,000 people are crossing in an eight-hour period every day. The officer spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

    About 300 of the migrants had arrived Thursday and spent the chilly night in the open, lighting small fires to keep warm. Aid organizations including Doctors Without Borders were providing medical help, shelter, food and water. Most were from Syria and Afghanistan.

    http://www.14news.com/story/29900202/the-latest-1000-migrants-jostle-to-cross-macedonian-border

    • ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ world premier in Montreal

      ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’, a film seven years in the making, had its world premier at the Montreal World Film Festival this morning. A poorly attended press screening was the fulfilment of the commitment director, Majid Majidi made to the festival, despite pressure in Iran to show it sooner.

      Two sold-out screenings in Iran followed quickly on the Montreal debut, to an apparently enthusiastic response, according to director Majid Majidi. The new 190-minute film focuses on Muhammad’s childhood, careful not to show his face. The movie puts him in various scenes and relies on his point-of-view and the family members around him to convey the story.
      null

      At a press conference this afternoon, Majid Majidi, with the producer and three of the lead actors in attendance, answered questions regarding the cost and the motivation of the film.

      The most expensive Iranian movie ever, at US$40 million, Majidi explained, throught an interpreter, that half of the cost is invested in the future, with the creation of the buildings and locations of ancient Mecca and Medina, just south of Tehran. It is a Cinema city that will boost the Iranian film industry.

      […]At over 3 hours in length, there are some very strong performances, and sweeping scenes that make it a visual feast.

      http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2015/08/27/muhammad-the-messenger-of-god-world-premier-in-montreal/

  5. Thai police look into Turkish connection in Bangkok blast

    Thailand last month deported more than 100 Uighurs to China, sparking condemnation by rights groups and a protest outside Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul. The treatment of Uighurs is an important issue for many Turks, who see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious background.

    Thai media reported that police were investigating 15 to 20 Turkish people who had entered the country over the two weeks before the blast.

    National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri, asked about the reports, confirmed that police had been looking into the arrival of Turkish people.

    “There are probably more Turkish coming into Thailand than that. We investigated groups which may have come into the country,” Prawut told reporters.

    Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said he was aware of reports in the Thai media that Turks may have been involved but said Ankara had received no requests for information or assistance from Thai authorities.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/27/us-thailand-blast-idUSKCN0QW0MY20150827

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    Thai police look into Turkish connection in Bangkok blast

  6. JAPAN – Muslim man mistakenly served pork wages hunger strike at immigration facility

    YOKOHAMA–A Pakistani Muslim held at an immigration facility here has been on hunger strike for two weeks since he was mistakenly served a macaroni salad containing bits of bacon.

    Immigration officials apologized to him, but the 49-year-old man went on the hunger strike Aug. 13 to protest what he claims to be a serious human rights violation. As of Aug. 27, he had only consumed water and dietary supplements.

    The man was given the macaroni salad in a “bento” box lunch on Aug. 12, according to sources at the immigration office and a group supporting the Pakistani. He put the salad into his mouth and then spat it out.

    The Pakistani is awaiting deportation at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau’s Yokohama District Immigration Office in Kanazawa Ward.

    The immigration office had been providing the man with meals that did not contain pork because Muslims are forbidden to eat the meat.

    However, it was found that employees at the contractor that prepared the boxed lunch and immigration officials both failed to realize that the salad contained bacon.

    Immigration officials are advising the man to eat, but he is refusing to comply, the sources said.

    http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201508280045

  7. GERMANY HEIDENAU – German court overrules Heidenau demo ban

    The ban on public gatherings in Heidenau is “illegal,” a regional court declared, after local authorities called off a pro-refugee rally over safety concerns. The German town has been struggling with far-right violence.

    The Dresden court made its decision after an urgent appeal on Friday. The appeal was filed by a person who wanted to take part in one of the rallies scheduled that day.

    Earlier, local authorities decided to ban all public gatherings, as the supporters of refugees and far-right protesters both had demos scheduled for Friday.

    The police could not “eliminate the possibility of violent encounters between the two camps,” according to the local officials.

    However, the court decided that was not a valid reason as “police forces from other states and from the federation could be made available”.

    “In addition, police have the resources, including water cannon, to prevent any disproportionate damage,” the court said.

    Heidenau was hit by clashes between anti-migrant protesters and the security forces last week, leaving dozens of police officers injured. The town quickly became a flashpoint for the rising anti-refugee sentiment in Germany.

    In response, several activist groups decided to hold a symbolic event welcoming immigrants in the town on Friday, with live music, a football game and a fundraiser.

    http://www.dw.com/en/german-court-overrules-heidenau-demo-ban/a-18678835

    • A heckler who decried Merkel as a traitor for her advocacy of refugee migrants during her stopover in the eastern town of Heidenau has been charged by German police.

      BERLIN (Sputnik) – German police have charged a protester who heckled Chancellor Angela Merkel during her stopover in the eastern town of Heidenau, a police spokesman told local media.

      “We know of the video and have initiated a criminal case for libel,” Dresden police spokesman Thomas Geithner told the Bild newspaper late on Thursday.

      The person who filmed the video depicting the suspect shouting slurs at Merkel has reportedly identified the heckler as a red-haired woman, who was carrying a sign.

      http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150828/1026296843.html

    • Hi, Richard –
      Still in enemy territory. Internet connection barely there, so quick hello.

      Thank-you for delicious article (Aug 23) about how Russian oil exports are overtaking those from the KSA. China disdains nasty NATO sanctions, cuddles up with Uncle Vlad. Accelerated departure from petrodollar => yuan-dollar?! I ate it up and then nibbled at scraps from the links.

      Been wondering – how does this hard-left mob reconcile itself to the vast inherited wealth they so blithely enjoy? They keep the upholstery in the yacht club shabby, their cars are elderly – but so are the many servants who are “almost like family.”

      Reminds me, did you get your truck finally?

      • Sometime in the first half of September, it took several months to save up money to get the transmission rebuild and that should be done by the middle of Sept. then it will take several hours to get it reinstalled.

        Glad to be of help in the articles, I have posted a couple of monographs on fourth generation war, the one I posted on the 29th is probably the best but both tell you want is coming to all Western nation

        When you get teh ability to stream videos again let me know, I have found some old TV shows from the 50s and 60s on you tube. One of them (Rawhide) had Clint Eastwood as a supporting actor and was designed to make the star (Eric Fleming) a major star. Fleming was killed when he was sweep over a waterfall in South America while filming a movie.

  8. DAILY MAIL – Anjem Choudary remanded back to Belmarsh jail for another five months as a judge rules his terror trial will not happen until the New Year

    Anjem Choudary accused of encouraging support for Islamic State
    Alleged that the 48-year-old did this in social media posts on the internet
    Appeared via video at the Old Bailey with co-accused Mohammed Rahman
    Provisional trial date for January 11 and is expected to last up to four weeks

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3214141/Anjem-Choudary-remanded-Belmarsh-jail-five-months-judge-rules-terror-trial-not-happen-New-Year.html

  9. 2 VICE News journalists and their translator detained in Turkey after being questioned by anti-terrorism police –

    British journalists detained in Turkey

    DIYARBAKIR: Turkish anti-terrorist police have detained two British journalists from Vice News for reporting from the predominantly Kurdish southeast without government accreditation, security sources said Friday.

    The two journalists were identified by the Turkish media and security sources as Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury. They were detained in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir province, where they were filming clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants, the sources said.

    “A Vice News journalist, cameraman and fixer were detained by local police last night in Diyarbakir, Turkey, while reporting in the region. Vice News is working closely with the relevant authorities to secure their immediate release,” Vice said in an e-mailed statement.

    The company declined to confirm the identities of the journalists. Vice News describes itself as an international news organization focusing on under-reported stories.

    The security sources said the two Britons and their Turkish translator were in close contact with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.

    A 2-1/2-year-old cease-fire between Turkey and Kurdish militants collapsed in July after a group close to PKK rebels shot dead two police officers. Ankara retaliated with strikes against the group in Iraq and Turkey.

    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Aug-28/313123-british-journalists-detained-in-turkey.ashx

  10. Report: Iran Won’t Allow Barenboim to Perform in Tehran

    Culture Ministry says it won’t work with artists of the ‘Zionist regime’; Berlin opera and Israeli-Argentinian conductor were meant to accompany Merkel on first visit to Islamic Republic.

    – Israeli-Argentinian conductor Daniel Barenboim had his hopes dashed Friday after Iran’s Ministry of Culture said he will not be allowed to perform in Tehran, the Iranian news agency Fars reported.

    Barenboim, 72, general music director at Berlin’s Staatsoper opera house, said on Thursday that there were discussions with Tehran over a proposed concert.

    Sources with the opera house have told German media that if the nuclear deal is finalized, the orchestra will accompany German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her first visit to the Islamic Republic.

    But spokesman Hussein Nushabadi rejected the symbolic gesture with the statement: “Iran does not recognize the Zionist regime (Israel) and will not work together with artists of this regime.”

    Nushabadi told news agency Fars that the culture minister immediately spiked the idea on finding out that Barenboim is an Israeli citizen.

    Israel however also criticized the conductor’s planned concert ahead of reaction from Tehran. Barenboim, who is a vocal opponent of Israel’s settlement policy in Palestinian territories, was abusing Israeli culture to benefit his own political goals, according to a post by Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev on Wednesday, who also accused him of undermining Israel’s efforts to block the Iranian nuclear deal.

    Regev said on Facebook she planned to contact the Foreign Ministry and Germany’s culture ministry to make this point.

    http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.673445

    ===========================================

    Milan Cathedral – Prayer from Rossini’s “Moses in Egypt” – ( June 2015 )

  11. 2 French Journalists Accused of Blackmailing Morocco’s King (abcnews, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/french-journalists-arrested-blackmail-moroccan-king-33374852

    “Two French journalists known for their critical writings about Moroccan King Mohammed VI have been arrested in France for allegedly trying to blackmail the monarch, according to his lawyer and the prosecutor’s office.

    The case has received blanket coverage in Morocco and been held up as a clear example of the perfidy of those who would seek to criticize the monarchy — which is considered above criticism.

    The Paris prosecutor’s office said the two, Eric Laurent and Catherine Graciet, remained in detention Friday. Their lawyers have not spoken publicly about the matter.

    Eric Dupont-Moretti, a lawyer for the king, told RTL radio Thursday that Laurent claimed he and Graciet were writing a compromising book about the monarch and demanded 3 million euros ($3.4 million) to keep it unpublished.

    Dupont-Moretti said the Moroccan leadership filed a lawsuit in Paris and the arrests came after a sting operation.

    Moroccan website Le360.ma, which has close ties to the palace, reported details of how Laurent allegedly approached the palace demanding money. Moroccan representatives held two more meetings with the journalists that were monitored by police and they were arrested after leaving a restaurant with money that was allegedly a down payment, the report said.

    The king is seen abroad as a force for stability in the region and has been lauded for pursuing democratic reforms and pushing women’s rights in the North African country.

    Critics, however, say that he rules as a dictator behind a democratic facade and presides over a corrupt economy dominated by his associates.

    This point of view is almost never heard in Morocco. Activists during the Arab Spring protests were often arrested if they criticized the king directly.

    Much of these critiques were summarized in Laurent and Graciet’s 2012 book “Predator King,” which was banned in Morocco and detailed how the king’s fortune ballooned after he took the throne in 1999.”

  12. Mali Militia Refuses to Leave Town After Peace Deal Broken (abcnews, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mali-militia-refuses-leave-town-peace-deal-broken-33382795

    “A government-allied militia in Mali said Friday it won’t follow demands by an international peace monitoring group to leave a northern town that it took from separatists last week.

    Fihroun Maiga, a spokesman for the militia, said it did not want Tuareg separatists, who previously occupied the town of Anefis, to return.

    “We have said we will not leave Anefis without occupation of the town by the Malian army,” because the separatists would then come back, Maiga said. He said any threats of sanctions by the United Nations to get them to leave will not work.

    The United Nations on Thursday said it was investigating who was responsible for breaking the terms of a peace accord signed by the government, allied militias and separatists in June….”

  13. 9 civilians killed as India and Pakistan exchange fire over disputed border (CNN, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/28/asia/india-pakistan-violence/index.html

    “India and Pakistan blamed each other Friday for exchanges of fire over their disputed border that killed nine civilians and wounded dozens more.

    The violence is the latest flareup along the heavily armed frontier.

    Six people were killed and 46 were wounded on the Pakistani side, its military said in a statement.

    Three people were killed and eight were wounded on the Indian side, said Pawan Kotwal, a military official.

    Both sides accused each other of starting the gunfire and shelling across the border.

    Pakistan said villages were hit near the city of Sialkot in Punjab province. India said the Pakistani fire struck areas of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Neither side reported any casualties among military personnel….”

  14. Facebook Must Obey German Law Even if Free Speech Curtailed: Minister (nbcnews, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/facebook-must-obey-german-law-even-if-free-speech-curtailed-n417811

    “Facebook will have to abide by German laws banning racist sentiment even if it might be allowed in the United States under freedom of speech, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with Reuters.

    Maas, who has accused Facebook of doing too little to thwart racist and hate posts on its social media platform, said that Germany has zero tolerance for such expression and expects the U.S.-based company to be more vigilant.

    “One thing is clear: if Facebook wants to do business in Germany, then it must abide by German laws,” Maas told Reuters. “It doesn’t matter that we, because of historical reasons, have a stricter interpretation of freedom of speech than the United States does.

    “Holocaust denial and inciting racial hatred are crimes in Germany and it doesn’t matter if they’re posted on Facebook or uttered out in the public on the market square,” he added.

    Maas sent a letter to Facebook public policy director Richard Allan in Dublin saying he received many complaints from users that their protests on racist posts have been ignored. He suggested meeting in Berlin on Sept. 14. Maas is a leader of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

    The party faced a flood of racist emails, phone calls and bomb threat after its chairman Sigmar Gabriel denounced an anti-refugee “mob” behind anti-refugee violence in the eastern town of Heidenau.

    The town near Dresden was the scene of violent clashes last weekend as far-right militants, protesting against the arrival of around 250 refugees at a local shelter, pelted police with bottles and rocks, some shouting “Heil Hitler”.

    “The internet isn’t a place where laws are ignored, where indictable comments can be spread with impunity,” Maas said, adding he found it appalling that some were using Facebook to spread hatred against refugees and the Germans helping them.”

  15. GERMANY – HEIDENAU – German court reinstates ban on Heidenau rallies after appeal

    A German court on Friday evening reinstated a ban on rallies in the eastern town of Heidenau this weekend, overturning an earlier decision that found the ban to be “illegal”.

    The ban imposed by local authorities in the eastern state of Saxony aims to prevent a repeat of violent far-right protests against refugees.

    The administrative court of appeal of Saxony restored the ban on outdoor public gatherings in Heidenau from Friday through Monday morning, excluding parties planned to welcome refugees.

    http://news.yahoo.com/german-court-reinstates-ban-heidenau-rallies-appeal-180023930.html

    ======================================================

  16. Chad sentences 10 Boko Haram members to death (BBC, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34091579

    “Chad has sentenced 10 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram to death on terror charges, after a three-day trial in the capital N’Djamena. The 10 were convicted over their roles in twin attacks on the capital in June, which killed at least 38.

    The attacks were the first by the Nigerian-based group in Chad, which hosts the headquarters of a regional force set up to fight the militants. In July, Chad reintroduced the death penalty for acts of terror. Opposition and civil liberties groups have criticised the new anti-terror legislation, saying it could be used to curb civil rights.

    The men were found guilty of charges including criminal conspiracy, killings, wilful destruction with explosives, fraud, illegal possessions of arms and ammunition, and using psychotropic substances, according to chief prosecutor Bruno Mahouli Louapambe, quoted in AFP news agency….”

  17. comment on the youtube page of the video :

    From Austria. Insider: Die USA bezahlen die Schlepper nach Europa! Translation :

    “Insider: The United States pay the traffickers to Europe!” August 5, 2015 An accusation made by Ranking Officers of the Austrian Intelligence Officers from the Austrian Defence Office, have reported the fact that an organization traced to the United States is paying the smugglers who daily transport thousands of refugees to Europe. The Smugglers demand exorbitant sums to bring refugees to Europe illegally, they currently charge 7000 to 14,000 euros. For Austrian Police districts lie Erstaufnahmelager and Traiskirchen, 100 officers point to American geostrategic organizers are repeatedly fingered but few experts are willing to allow reliable information leaked, no one wants his full name to the public.

    There are strong investigation indications that the US is the source of a co-financing model which contribute substantial money to the tractor and tug costs of smugglers. The North African migrants are very poor so they don’t have 11,000 euros in cash and European Goverments suppress questions about where the money comes from?

    A strict media black-out prevails to suppress appropriate contexts. Even the HNAA and the Army News Agency is prohibitted from passing on infromation that investigative suspicions show that the money is coming from the same provocaturs who plunged Ukraine into chaos a year ago.

    http://www.info-direkt.at/insider-die-usa-bezahlen-die-schlepper-nach-europa/
    ===========================================================
    Germany wants camps in Italy, Greece, Turkey to sort through migrants seeking asylum

    As Europe faces its worst refugee crisis since World War Two, and Germany deals with higher numbers of asylum seekers than any other EU country, euronews met Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s Interior Minister and a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

  18. Ghana investigates Islamic State recruitment in universities (BBC, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34084468

    “Ghana’s authorities are investigating several universities over links to suspected recruitment for the so-called Islamic State (IS), officials say.

    IS agents recruited students after urging them to join radical online forums, National Security Coordinator Yaw Donkor told state media.

    Mr Donkor confirmed that two Ghanaians had travelled to join IS, the first such cases that have been reported.

    Ghana has so far been unaffected by Islamist militancy….”

  19. More of that pathological altruism… More… More… We need more…

    Migrant deaths: UN warns of ‘crisis of solidarity’ (BBC, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34092932

    “The UN has said “much more is required” to prevent the deaths of migrants fleeing to Europe after hundreds were reported dead in recent days.

    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a “collective political response” to avert “a crisis of solidarity”.

    He called on states involved to “expand safe and legal channels of migration”….”

      • The growing number of refugees arriving in Austria everyday are causing huge troubles to the government. The situations keep getting worse. UNHCR spokesperson explains why.

  20. ‘Terror’ Trucker – Suspected Extremist Lands Commercial License – School Bus Driver? – Fox & Friends

  21. ARIZONA _ PHOENIX – Transgender Woman Barred From Tempe Mosque Unless She Dresses as a Man or Can “Prove” She’s a Woman

    […]Though Dawud was born male, she has been legally female since 2011 — her Arizona driver’s license and U.S. passport list her as such. She converted to Islam in 2013 and, until recently, says no one has raised any questions about her identity.

    But earlier this summer, a handful of her fellow community members went to the ICC board of directors with concerns that she was not actually female and said having her pray with them in the women’s section made them uncomfortable.

    […]Despite feeling humiliated by the whole experience, Dawud gave Fayad medical documentation from her primary care physician that stated she was female. She says he promised not to show the documents to anyone without her permission and assured her that this entire matter would remain confidential.

    […]Dawud says Fayad admitted to sharing the document without her consent, and admitted to discussing details of their supposedly private meeting.

    “He said he had to show and share the information because the ‘imam needed a fatwa’”— a legal opinion about Islamic law. “I was then accused of deliberately deceiving the board [with the medical document] and of making [Fayad] ‘make a fool out of himself in front of the board,’” she adds.

    […]“This is an issue that most of the Muslim population doesn’t address [even though] it’s not always clear cut where a person fits in,” says Ani Zonneveld, president of the board of directors of Muslims for Progressive Values, a nonprofit built around the belief that “Islam is inherently progressive, inclusive, and egalitarian.”

    She’s not surprised to hear about Dawud’s difficulty and calls transgender issues an example of “nuanced, spiritual human rights that are not being addressed by mainstream Islam.”

    http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/transgender-woman-barred-from-tempe-mosque-unless-she-dresses-as-a-man-or-can-prove-shes-a-woman-7605136

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    Dawud’s Video Response to her Treatment by the ICC ( 1 h 5 min )

  22. ‘Terrorist’ blast kills Bahrain policeman, wounds 7 (CNN, Aug 29, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/28/middleeast/bahrain-violence/index.html

    “Two homemade bombs were remotely detonated in a Bahrain village on Friday, killing a policeman and wounding seven others, authorities said.

    Bahrain’s Interior Ministry characterized the explosions in Karrana, a village just west of the capital Manama, as a “terrorist” act, and later reported “several suspects” had been arrested…”

  23. Extremists Kill 28 in Villages in Northeastern Nigeria (abcnews, Aug 28, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/extremists-kill-28-villages-northeastern-nigeria-33378099

    “Boko Haram extremists killed 28 people during attacks on remote villages in northeast Nigeria, members of a civilian defense group said on Friday.

    A total of 24 people were killed in an attack Tuesday night in Marfunudi, according to resident Abubakar Jojo. The town is roughly 50 miles from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri.

    Jojo said the Islamic extremists slit the throats of many of the victims.

    Witnesses said the extremists also attacked the village of Kafa on Thursday, killing four people. Sadiq Kaka, a member of a defense group, said the bodies were thrown into a river.

    Word of attacks in remote areas often take days to reach population centers.

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian army said that during a search operation in villages suspected to be Boko Haram enclaves in Borno state they discovered and destroyed an improvised explosives device-making factory and arrested three suspected Boko Haram members.

    More than 1,000 people have been killed since President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in March with a pledge to wipe out the militants, whose six-year-old uprising has killed a total of 20,000 people. Nearly 2 million have been driven from their homes….”