Readers links for Oct. 2 – 2015

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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

85 Replies to “Readers links for Oct. 2 – 2015”

  2. MPs investigate Syrian child brides and asylum concerns

    A group of around 20 underage Syrian girls are on their way to the main refugee reception facility in Ter Apel to join with the husbands of their arranged marriages, according to broadcaster RTV Noord. At the Tweede Kamer, the Lower House of Dutch Parliament, members of parliament are not happy about the report, which said two of the girls are aged 13 or 14, and a 15 year old in the group wants to join her 38-year-old husband.

    “I believe that they are not voluntary in these cases. I think that they were forced marriages,” said PvdA (Labour) MP Attje Kuiken to broadcaster NOS.

    http://www.nltimes.nl/2015/09/28/mps-investigate-syrian-child-brides-and-asylum-concerns/

    • Was it Denmark or the Netherlands that passed a law some years ago that said you could not bring a spouse into the country that was under 21 years old?
      Am I confused or, is this a technicality because they are “refugees”???

  6. The Russian Propaganda machine is running full blast

    Putin Hailed as Humanity’s Savior as Kremlin PR Machine Kicks In

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-01/putin-hailed-as-humanity-s-savior-as-kremlin-pr-machine-kicks-in

    Vladimir Putin may have caught the U.S. and its allies off guard by striking Syria, but his propaganda machine was ready.

    “A hundred dead terrorists,” a news presenter on Russia’s No. 2 network announced early Thursday, just hours after the bombing of what Putin has called “evil-doers” began. She then cut to a correspondent in Syria who lauded the precision of the strikes as aerial footage of the attacks supplied by the Defense Ministry aired.

    Over on Channel 1, the most-watched station, a parade of politicians, analysts and religious leaders — both Christian and Muslim — rolled by justifying the use of force on both legal and moral grounds.

    “This is more than just military strikes against Islamic State,” said the editor of National Defense magazine, Igor Korotchenko, after parliament unanimously authorized the use of force. “We are protecting the values of humanity and taking a stand against the most extreme forms of obscurantism and terror.”
    ‘World War III’

    Putin has used control over all national broadcasters to rally the public behind his policies throughout his 15 years in power, most dramatically after he annexed Crimea. With state TV stoking a patriotic fervor, his approval rating reached a record 89 percent this summer from 64 percent two years ago, defying the first recession in six years.

    While his support remains above 80 percent, discontent is growing as the economic contraction drags on and zeal over Ukraine fades. Fifty-five percent of Russians are satisfied with the direction in which the country is headed, down from 64 percent over the summer. But that poll, by the Levada Center, was taken in September, before the Kremlin’s media handlers found a new cause to champion: the global fight against terrorism.

  7. Russia confounds US with Syria military moves

    http://apnews.myway.com/article/20151001/us–united_states-syria-f7e7a8969e.html

    NEW YORK (AP) — Now, 1,506 days since the Obama administration first declared that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s “days are numbered,” he’s still there, and a convergence of Western trepidation and Russian resolve could strengthen his position further. But it also could set the stage for a long-sought political transition leading to the end of the Assad family’s 45-year rule.

    In either case, Assad’s Russian and Iranian backers could arguably claim victory.

    But there’s also a painful third possibility. Russia’s decision to intervene with airstrikes this week could just prolong and exacerbate an already brutal conflict that has spawned the largest refugee crisis since World War II and helped the rise of the radical Islamic State group that, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says, aims to establish a caliphate from “Portugal to P

    • If those people would just take on teaching one person each how to read, rather than their narcissistic demo, the world would be a better place…
      Someone that knows how to read can make an informed choice.
      The diners in that steak house already made a choice.

  9. A gunman singled out Christians, telling them they would see God in “one second,” during a rampage at an Oregon college Thursday that left at least nine innocent people dead and several more wounded, survivors and authorities said.

    “[He started] asking people one by one what their religion was. ‘Are you a Christian?’ he would ask them, and if you’re a Christian, stand up. And they would stand up and he said, ‘Good, because you’re a Christian, you are going to see God in just about one second.’ And then he shot and killed them,” Stacy Boylen, whoseOregon gunman singled out Christians during rampage daughter was wounded at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., told CNN.

    A Twitter user named @bodhilooney, who said her grandmother was at the scene of the carnage, tweeted that if victims said they were Christian, “then they were shot in the head. If they said no, or didn’t answer, they were shot in the legs.”

  11. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s 44-second UN silence (BBC, video, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-34426149

    “During his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found a novel way to protest against what he calls an absence of criticism of Iranian threats against Israel. Midway through his speech, he paused for 44 seconds in response to what he describes as the international community’s silence.”

    • Pentagon weighs using force to protect US-backed Syria rebels targeted by Russia

      Senior U.S. military leaders and defense officials are debating whether military force should be used to protect Washington-backed Syrian rebels who have come under attack by Russian airstrikes in recent days.

      The Associated Press reported early Friday that the question was part of a broader debate within the Pentagon about the the broader dilemma of how the administration should respond to what White House press secretary Josh Earnest described as Russia’s “indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition.”

      Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are escalating over Russian airstrikes that are serving to strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad by targeting the so-called “moderate” rebels rather than hitting Islamic State (ISIS) fighters it promised to attack.

      Turkey’s Foreign Ministry says Ankara and its allies in the U.S.-led coalition are calling on Russia to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to focus on fighting Islamic State militants.

      Meanwhile, a joint statement by the United States, France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Britain expressed concern over Russia’s military actions, saying they will “only fuel more extremism and radicalization.” The text of the statement was released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday, and confirmed by the French Foreign Ministry.

      The Pentagon on Thursday had its first conversation with Russian officials in an effort to avoid any unintended U.S.-Russian confrontations as the airstrikes continue in the skies over Syria. During the video call, Elissa Slotkin, who represented the U.S. side, expressed America’s concerns that Russia is targeting areas where there are few if any ISIS forces operating. Slotkin is the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

      A key concern is the prospect of the U.S. and Russia getting drawn into a shooting war in the event that Russian warplanes hit moderate Syrian rebels who have been trained and equipped by the U.S. military.

      At U.N. headquarters in New York, Secretary of State John Kerry said: “What is important is Russia has to not be engaged in any activities against anybody but ISIL. That’s clear. We have made that very clear.”

      “We are not yet where we need to be to guarantee the safety and security” of those carrying out the airstrikes, he said.

      In an interview late Thursday on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Kerry described the military consultations as “a way of making sure that planes aren’t going to be shooting at each other and making things worse.”

      “What is happening is a catastrophe, a human catastrophe really unparalleled in modern times,” Kerry said of the Syrian crisis, adding that Russia should help the United States “persuade Assad to be the saver of his country, not the killer of his country.”

      U.S. officials made it clear earlier this year that rebels trained by the U.S. would receive air support in the event they are attacked by either IS or Syrian government troops. Currently, only about 80 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels are back in Syria fighting with their units.

      The U.S. policy is very specific. It doesn’t address a potential attack by Russian planes and does not include Syrian rebels who have not been through the U.S. military training, even though they may be aligned with the U.S. or fighting Islamic State militants.

      So far, the Russian airstrikes have been in western Syria. The Syrians trained and equipped by the U.S. have primarily been operating in the north.

      U.S. officials said the issue is one of many being hashed out by top leaders within the department and the military’s Joint Staff. One official said they are weighing the potential fallout.

      At worst, if Russia bombs rebels trained by the U.S. and American fighter jets intercede to protect the Syrians, the exchange could trigger an all-out confrontation with Russia — a potential disaster the administration would like to avoid.

      Fueling the concerns is the fact that Russia has aircraft in Syria with air-to-air combat capacity, even though ISIS has no air force and the only aircraft in the skies belong to U.S.-led coalition or the Syrian government.

      Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook would not provide details of the talks with Russia. But much of the discussion involved proposals for avoiding conflict between U.S. and Russian aircraft flying over Syria.

      Kerry said he foresees further consultations with the Russians about air operations. And Cook said the U.S. side proposed using specific international radio frequencies for distress calls by military pilots flying in Syrian airspace, but he was not more specific about that or other proposals.

      Russia’s defense ministry said that over the past 24 hours it had damaged or destroyed 12 targets in Syria belonging to the ISIS fighters, including a command center and ammunition depots. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Col. Steve Warren, said he had no indication that the Russians had hit Islamic State targets.

      “While there is always danger of conflict, of inadvertent contact” between coalition and Russian warplanes, “we are continuing with our operations,” Warren told reporters at the Pentagon.

      http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/02/pentagon-weighs-using-force-to-protect-us-backed-syria-rebels-targeted-by

    • <strongSyrian sources: Egypt in talks with Russia to participate in the ISIS airstrike in Syria -`

      https://twitter.com/leithfadel/status/649704127975542784

      Russia seeking Egypt security support

      Al-Jarida reported that a Russian-backed Syrian security delegation will visit Cairo

      BEIRUT – Russia has been seeking Egyptian coordination and support for its “counterterror” efforts on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad regime, according to a Kuwaiti daily.

      “Preparations are being made to organize a visit by a Syrian security delegation, under the auspices of Russia, to meet a number of Egyptian security officials,” Al-Jarida reported Friday.

      “The task of the delegation is to obtain Cairo’s support in combating terrorism,” a high-level Egyptian source told the daily.

      During his visit to Moscow on August 26, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi signaled his support for an anti-ISIS alliance that would include the Syrian regime.[…]

      https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/565997-russia-seeking-egypt-security-support

    • Wait, what?
      “There should be an incentive for the refugee that has a plan in mind?”
      What plan might that be???
      Wow, how dumb can I be… I thought they were just trying to reach a safe harbor.
      Bwahahaha!!!

  15. Spanish Court Sentences 11 for Jihad Recruitment (abcnews, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/spanish-court-sentences-11-jihad-recruitment-34201482

    “Spain’s National Court has convicted and sentenced 11 members of a recruitment network that sent militants to carry out attacks for al-Qaida-linked groups fighting in Syria.

    A court statement Friday said the group, members of the Jabhat al-Nusra organization, recruited the militants in Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta and in neighboring Morocco.

    The court said that between 2012 and 2013 the group sent some 28 combatants to Syria. At least eight died in attacks that claimed hundreds of victims.

    All 11 are Spaniards of Moroccan background from Ceuta, where they were arrested in 2013.

    The cell’s leaders, Karim Abdesalam Mohamed and Ismail Abdelaftif were sentenced to 12 years while the rest each received 10-year sentences.”

  16. Yemen Cuts Ties With Iran After Bahrain Expels Iran Diplomat (abcnews, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemen-al-qaida-figure-condemns-bombing-shiite-mosques-34199036

    “Yemen’s internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi cut diplomatic ties with Iran, which it says arms and trains the country’s Shiite rebels, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Friday.

    The official did not offer further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief reporters.

    Friday’s move comes after the Gulf nation of Bahrain, a member of the Saudi-led coalition of Arab armies fighting the rebels, expelled its Iranian ambassador and recalled its own ambassador over allegations that the Islamic Republic sponsored “subversion” and funneled arms to militants in the island kingdom.

    Yemen has been torn by a ferocious war between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, allied with army units loyal to a former president….”

  17. Danish moms urged to send their kids on baby-making vacations (CNN, Oct 1, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/01/travel/danish-baby-making-vacations/index.html?iid=ob_article_organicsidebar_expansion&iref=obnetwork

    “A Danish travel company has come up with a novel solution for reversing the country’s declining birth rates.

    The hot-blooded new ad campaign by Spies Rejser suggests wannabe grandmas buy their adult kids an active sun and sex vacation, then be rewarded nine months later with a grandchild…”

  18. UK Teen in Australia Terror Plot Jailed for at Least 5 Years (abcnews, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-teen-australia-terror-plot-jailed-years-34198316

    “A 15-year-old British boy was sentenced Friday to at least five years in custody for organizing a terrorist plot to kill police officers in Australia.

    Judge John Saunders said the teenager, who can’t be named because of his age, would only be released when he was no longer a danger to the public. He handed down a life sentence with no chance of parole for five years.

    Prosecutors say the boy planned the Islamic State group-inspired attack from his suburban bedroom in Blackburn, northwestern England. He sent thousands of online messages to 18-year-old Australian Sevdet Besim, developing a plot to run over or behead police officers at a war memorial parade in Melbourne.

    The teenager, who was 14 when he was arrested in April, admitted inciting terrorism and is one of Britain’s youngest convicted terrorists…”

  19. Nigerian city of Maiduguri ‘attacked by five girl bombers’ (BBC, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34423311

    “Five young girls were behind a series of deadly explosions in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Thursday evening, security sources say.

    Fourteen people, including the girls, died and 39 were injured in the attacks at a mosque and house of vigilante leader, the military said.

    More than 100 people died in similar attacks in the city two weeks ago.

    Maiduguri is where Boko Haram Islamist militants were first based when they began their insurgency six years ago.

    Some 17,000 people are said to have been killed in that time and attacks by the group have intensified since Muhammadu Buhari became president in May, vowing to defeat the insurgents…”

  20. BREITBART – Ben Carson Goes After Terror-Tied CAIR, Wants Investigation of Tax-Exempt Status

    Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson wants the IRS to investigate the Council On American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Saudi-funded, terror-tied CAIR may have jeopardized its non-profit status and violated the law by calling for Carson to step down and withdraw from the presidential race.

    Routinely described as a “Muslim advocacy group” and a “civil rights organization” by the mainstream media, CAIR’s foundations tell a very different story. CAIR’s founder and current leader, Nihad Awad, has proven ties to Hamas, a U.S.-designated Palestinian terrorist group. FBI wiretaps found that Awad asked early CAIR employees to use coded-language when discussing their support for Hamas, due to its terror designation.

    CAIR also has significant ties, if not membership, with the global Muslim Brotherhood, as the founders of CAIR were all members of Muslim Brotherhood-launched outfits.

    CAIR has “brazenly violated IRS rules” as a tax-exempt organization, which are prohibited from intervening “in a political campaign on behalf of—or in opposition to—a candidate, Carson alleged.

    “Under the Obama administration, the IRS has systematically targeted conservative nonprofit groups for politically motivated audits and harassment,” Dr. Carson, one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination for President, said in a statement on his website. “The agency should now properly do its job and punish the real violators of America’s laws and regulations.”[…]

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/01/ben-carson-goes-terror-tied-cair-wants-investigation-tax-exempt-status/

    Ben Carson responds to CAIR’s calls to drop out of 2016 race

  21. Syria conflict: Russia strikes ‘will fuel extremism’ (BBC, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34419003

    “Members of the US-led coalition against Islamic State have called on Russia to cease air strikes they say are hitting the Syrian opposition and civilians.

    In a joint statement on Friday, the US, UK, Turkey and other coalition members said Russian strikes would “only fuel more extremism”.

    Russia, which according to witnesses launched fresh strikes on Friday, says it is targeting Islamic State (IS)…”

    • Syria: New Russian Strikes, Talks in Paris on Assad’s Future (abcnew, Oct 2, 2015)
      http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-led-coalition-asks-russia-concentrate-fighting-34195216

      “The presidents of Russia and France, which both started bombing Syria this week, held talks Friday about their military operations as they tried to overcome differences on whether Syrian President Bashar Assad should stay in power.

      Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande met in Paris after a week of frenzied international activity around Syria that finally broke into Friday’s meeting, which was supposed to have been only about Ukraine.

      Russian fighter jets have kept up a sustained bombing campaign since Wednesday, including 10 new airstrikes overnight. While Russia says it’s targeting extremists, Western officials suspect Russia of using the air campaign as a pretext to go after anti-Assad rebels.

      Putin entered Friday’s meeting after an intervention that ensured Russia’s role as a major player in Syria’s fate. In the space of a few days, Russian airstrikes and Putin’s diplomatic maneuvering at the U.N. first raised hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough — then brought fears of a new proxy war with the West.

      A senior French diplomat said Putin and Hollande tried to bridge the differences over an eventual political transition in Syria, and also talked about the airstrikes by Russia and the U.S.-led coalition, and protecting civilians.

      Assad’s future is a major sticking point: He’s Russia’s main ally in the Middle East, while France is firmly opposed to his rule…”

      • Spokesman: Russia launches 18 attacks in Syria in last 24 hours (CNN, Oct 2, 2015)
        http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/02/middleeast/russia-syria-airstrikes/index.html

        “Russian jets have launched 18 attacks inside Syria over the last 24 hours, according to the country’s official news agency, despite international concern about the military campaign.

        The Tass news agency reported Friday that Russia had “conducted 18 sorties against 12 facilities of the Islamic State terrorist group,” quoting Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.

        But international officials and some people inside Syria doubt that Russia is limiting its attacks to ISIS.

        An international coalition is urging Russia to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and focus instead on fighting the ISIS terrorist group.

        The joint statement adds new emphasis to global concern about Russia’s true aims in Syria — and whether it is concerned primarily with attacking ISIS or with propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and protecting its military base in Syria.

        “We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military build-up in Syria and especially the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs and Idlib since yesterday which led to civilian casualties and did not target Da’esh,” said the statement, jointly issued late Thursday by the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia…”

  22. John Kerry: ‘Catastrophic mistake’ for Russia to back Assad (CNN, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/02/politics/john-kerry-talks-syria-iran-with-stephen-colbert/index.html

    “Secretary of State John Kerry continued his defense Thursday night of the U.S. strategy in Syria, as well as, the Iran nuclear deal, this time advocating for the Obama administration to “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.

    Colbert started his interview with a question on the minds of many officials in Washington, challenging Kerry, “What is the plan in Syria, and as a follow up question, is there a plan in Syria?”

    Kerry responded, “Both questions are fair. Yes and yes. The plan is that we are going to continue to put pressure on ISIL. We’ve made it clear to Russia, we will continue to fly, we will continue to do what we’ve been doing for a year.”

    Kerry also affirmed the need to destroy ISIL while continuing to press for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. ”

    “If they’re there to support the Assad regime, Russia has made a catastrophic mistake because they will be siding with Assad, with Iran, and with Hezbollah against the entire rest of the community in that part of the world,” he said. And on Russian pressure for the U.S. to leave Syrian airspace, Kerry held firm, saying, “No matter what, we are going to continue our policy — it is our policy — of destroying ISIL.”

    But Kerry also appeared to echo a subtle shift in administration rhetoric on the removal of Assad, and instead of calling for his immediate resignation, he suggested a more gradual transition…”

    • U.S. assessment on Russia in Syria: A ‘strategic blunder’ (CNN, Oct 2, 2015)
      http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/01/politics/russia-syria-isis-bashar-al-assad/index.html

      “There is no ambiguity now about Russia’s current tactics in Syria — they are seeking to take over the airspace in the region and be the agenda-setting force on the ground, several senior administration officials told CNN.

      “Yesterday’s demarche to the U.S. by Russian officials in Baghdad was clear in its intent,” one senior administration official said. “Make sure you don’t have anyone around ISIS targets and get out of the air.”

      And while U.S. officials have no plans to cede Russia any ground, they also said it appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a dramatic chess move that the Russians have not thought through — one official even called it a “strategic blunder.”

      Had the Russians been clear that they are providing support in Syria to prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime’s collapse — a scenario that would benefit ISIS — they might have gotten some credit on the world stage.

      But their very first strikes in the region hit CIA-backed anti-Assad rebel forces, Arizona Republican John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.”

      And U.S. officials note that every bomb against a non-ISIS Sunni target puts them more in bed with Iran and Hezbollah, which are Shiite. U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf warn that this could set off a huge sectarian conflict and that the deeper the Russians get into this, the harder officials believe it will be to get a diplomatic process with the Saudis and others restarted.

      “It is going to be hugely tempting for the Saudis to start financing their guys again,” another senior administration official said. “Syria will be a magnet for every jihadi, who will rush to fight the Russians, just like they did in Afghanistan. The problem is while this will cause problems for the Russians, it will also mean trouble for the Gulf, when the jihadists come home.”

      “The Russians can’t be stupid,” another senior administration official said. “This is going to be wildly expensive. And they can’t hold out long. They know in the end there is no future for the guy (Assad) because the whole reason they had to come in is because Assad and his forces were extremely vulnerable. So we are hoping they will come to their senses, stabilize the situation and then we can agree on the Assad piece.”

      The U.S. wants to see Assad transition out of power in order to end the civil war…”

      • Croatian PM: Russian strikes could be ‘glimmer of hope’ for Syria (BBC, Oct 2, 2015)
        http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34427498

        “Members of the US-led coalition against Islamic State have called on Russia to cease air strikes they say are hitting the Syrian opposition and civilians.

        But Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovich has suggested that Russia’s actions could help hasten an end to the conflict and allow refugees who have fled the country to return.”

  23. Last gap in Hungary-Croatia migrant border fence (BBC, video, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34423214

    “Thousands of refugees and migrants seeking sanctuary in Europe continue to cross the border from Croatia into Hungary every day. A razor-wire fence is being built to try and stem the flow but one gap still remains, as Nick Thorpe explains.”

  24. Hamburg to seize commercial property to house migrants (BBC, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34422558

    “Hamburg has become the first German city to pass a law allowing the seizure of empty commercial properties in order to house migrants.

    The massive influx of migrants has put pressure on city authorities to find accommodation. Some migrants are sleeping rough outdoors.

    Hamburg’s law takes effect next week.

    In a new survey, by broadcaster ARD, 51% of people said the influx scared them. It suggests a four-year low in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s popularity.

    She has said Germany can accommodate migrants who have genuinely fled war or persecution – a humanitarian gesture towards the many thousands risking their lives to reach Europe this year.

    But many politicians – including her conservative Bavarian CSU allies and various EU partners – have criticised the open-door policy.

    Hamburg’s new law is described as a temporary, emergency measure. Owners of empty commercial properties will be compensated. The law does not include residential properties.

    But the conservative opposition in the city, in the north of Germany, condemned the move.

    The authorities in Bremen, a city just west of Hamburg, are considering passing a similar law…”

  25. Russia: Russia’s navy escorts St. Andrew relics and remains to Russia

    The Russian Navy was enlisted to ensure the safe passage of relics and the remains of Saint Andrew the “First-Called” Apostle from Greece to the Russian city of Sevastopol, Friday.

    Russia’s Kashin-class guided missile destroyer, the Smetliviy, was presented with a shrine containing the remains and relics of St Andrew from the Greek port city of Patras on September 22. The religious relics were then transferred at sea from the Smetliviy to the Russian Ropucha-class Novocharkassk landing ship, which took the relics on the last part of their journey to the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

    The shrine and relics of Saint Andrew will be permanently housed at the Temple of Archangel Michael in Sevastopol.

  26. REBEL MEDIA – Toronto Star’s “heroic” Palestinian women are actually Muslim Brotherhood activists

  27. Oregon killer singled out Christians to shoot them in the head
    Read more at http://libertyunyielding.com/2015/10/02/oregon-killer-singled-out-christians-to-shoot-them-in-the-head/

    The killer at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Oregon was identified on Thursday evening as Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, of Torrance, California, a Los Angeles suburb. As Howard Portnoy reported earlier, Harper-Mercer died when police shot him to end his killing spree.

    A lot of rumors are flying around the web among him right now. There is zero substantiation, from what I can tell, of a report that he was a Muslim. (Charles C. Johnson of Got News posted that report, but his website is hammered right now and the link doesn’t come up. Here’s one of many citations of the Johnson report.)

    However, eyewitnesses came forward in the hours after the massacre to report that Harper-Mercer asked each student in turn, in the classroom where he was shooting them, what religion they were. He shot the Christians in the head.

    Read more at http://libertyunyielding.com/2015/10/02/oregon-killer-singled-out-christians-to-shoot-them-in-the-head/

  28. DAILY MAIL – German Chancellor Angela Merkel tipped to win Nobel Peace Prize after opening her country’s doors to desperate refugees

    Angela Merkel said to have a ‘good chance’ of winning Nobel Peace Prize
    She is tipped by many – including Germany’s influential daily paper, Bild
    This is due to her response to the migrant crisis and situation in Ukraine
    Merkel has opened Germany’s doors to the growing number of refugees
    A total of 276 nominations have been submitted for the 2015 peace prize

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3257521/German-Chancellor-Angela-Merkel-tipped-win-Nobel-Peace-Prize-opening-country-s-doors-desperate-refugees.html

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

    Merkel tipped among Nobel Peace Prize favorites

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel has emerged among the contenders to win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Also in the frame are Pope Francis, a Russian newspaper and the parties involved in this year’s Iran nuclear deal./strong>

    The German mass-circulation newspaper “Bild” on Friday touted Merkel as a possible winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a day after she was tipped by a leading analyst.

    “A Nobel Peace Prize for Angela Merkel?” the newspaper asked in its headline.

    “Chancellor Angela has a good chance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize,” said the newspaper. “The reason: her actions in the Ukraine crisis and the refugee policies,” it added.

    The official shortlist remains a mystery, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute keeping the list of nominees a secret, even after the winner has been announced.

    Much of the excitement appeared to swirl around comments from the director of Norway’s Peace Research Institute, Kristian Berg Harpviken, an independent analyst who is not directly linked to the judging panel.

    “Angela Merkel is the one who really took moral leadership and who turned the debate on refugee issues in a European context entirely around,” Harpviken told journalists in Oslo on Thursday.

    “I think it is that combination of moral leadership and at the same time dealing with really hard dilemmas that makes her deserve the prize,” he said.

    Refugee issue looms large

    The refugee crisis also came out as a key issue for Nobeliana.com, a website run by leading Norwegian Nobel historians. However, Merkel was not in line for the credit this time, with the UN refugee organization UNHCR and Eritrean priest Mussie Zerai – an advocate for Eritrean refugees – tipped as joint contenders for the top spot.

    In second place was the Putin-critical Russia’s Novaya Gazeta, for its perseverance in independent reporting.

    Third in the running, according to Nobeliana’s assessment, were Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry for their work to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal.

    Also featuring on Nobeliana’s list were jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, for his work to promote human rights and freedom of speech; the Colombian government and FARC guerillas and Pope Francis, for his speeches on behalf of the poor and to promote social justice.

    The German chancellor was also omitted from a list of favorites compiled by the betting website Unibet. That list was topped by Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist who specializes in the treatment of women brutalized by rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

    http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-tipped-among-nobel-peace-prize-favorites/a-18757768

  29. Funding questioned as refugee numbers rocket (thelocal, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20151002/funding-questioned-as-refugee-numbers-rocket

    “Sweden’s government has promised to boost funding for refugees in its next budget, but with its forecast for new arrival numbers in 2015 set to be reached this month, official calculations are being called into question.

    While other Scandinavian countries have sought to limit immigration in the wake of the global refugee crisis, Sweden’s government has committed to providing extra funding and maintaining its open borders.

    But the country’s capacity for dealing with the large numbers of asylum seekers heading to the Nordic nation was called into question on Friday, as new figures emerged about the rush of new arrivals.

    According to official statistics quoted by the TT news agency, 73,000 people had applied for asylum in Sweden by the end of September, close to the 74,000 expected in the country in the whole of 2015.

    Last month alone, 24,306 people sought asylum in Sweden, a historically high figure that included 1,300 people on one single day…”

  30. Morocco eyes boycott of Sweden in Ikea row (thelocal, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20151002/morocco-eyes-boycott-of-sweden-in-ikea-row

    “Morocco has threatened to launch a boycott of Swedish companies over claims the Nordic country is planning to recognize a breakaway republic in Western Sahara.

    The Moroccan government said Sweden had been campaigning to boycott products from the territory of Western Sahara, which has been disputed since a war two decades ago.

    “We are heading towards a boycott of Swedish companies according to the principle of reciprocity after similar campaigns to boycott Moroccan companies,” a statement issued after Thursday’s cabinet meeting said.

    The announcement comes days after Moroccan authorities blocked the opening of the country’s first Ikea store. While officials said the Swedish furniture giant lacked a “conformity permit”, sources claimed the underlying reason was Sweden’s position on the Western Sahara conflict…”

  31. Two dozen Iraqi Christians who fled ISIS and crossed into the U.S. seeking religious asylum could be booted out in days

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3255382/Two-dozen-Iraqi-Christians-fled-ISIS-crossed-U-S-seeking-religious-asylum-booted-days.html#ixzz3nQnuRxov
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    Iraqi Christians fleeing persecution at the hands of ISIS are being turned away at the American border despite having family sponsors – as thousands of Muslims are granted asylum.

    At least 27 of the targeted minority, known as Chaldeans, have been held in detention in San Diego since entering through the Mexican border this spring.

    Now, after months of waiting, 22 have denied asylum and sent back across the Atlantic to Europe, as another five await a verdict.

    In total, America had accepted just 727 fleeing Christians at the start of 2015 – a fraction of the 4,200 Muslims granted asylum – and few since.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3255382/Two-dozen-Iraqi-Christians-fled-ISIS-crossed-U-S-seeking-religious-asylum-booted-days.html#ixzz3nQo0oeYv
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  32. Pakistan hands over dossiers against India to UN chief (tribune, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/966088/pakistan-hands-over-dossiers-against-india-to-un-chief/

    “ISLAMABAD: After weeks of speculation, Pakistan handed over on Friday dossiers containing evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism and fomenting instability in the country to UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

    “The dossiers include details of Indian interference and support for terrorism in Balochistan and Karachi as well as its security and intelligence agencies’ link with the TTP especially in FATA,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

    Counselor Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations Bilal Ahmad confirmed the handing over of the dossiers while responding to a question regarding accusations leveled by India in reaction to Prime Minister’s Nawaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly.

    In a stinging reply, Pakistan hit back at India by suggesting the entire world is united in unequivocally condemning terrorism, except India.

    “This country is insensitive to the tragic human dimension of terrorism. India seems to suggest that acts of terrorism in Pakistan are acceptable. By doing so, India in fact seeks to mask its own support and sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan,” the Pakistani diplomat said….”

  33. Top British military officials in Cairo to discuss counter-terrorism (ahram, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/151901/Egypt/Politics-/Top-British-military-officials-in-Cairo-to-discuss.aspx

    “A British military delegation arrived in Cairo on Friday for a two-day visit to discuss counter-terrorism efforts with Egyptian military officials.

    The delegation is headed by Lieutenant General John Lorimer, who as Chief of Joint Operations has a brief to oversee and control Britain’s overseas operations.

    Egypt’s chief of defence staff, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy, visited London two weeks ago where he and senior British military officials discussed the role the UK can play in supporting Egypt in effective counter-terrorism work, and how to cooperate to secure a stable future for Libya…”

  34. Egypt’s army sometimes operates beyond border to ‘chase smugglers’: Libyan FM (ahram, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/151886/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-army-sometimes-operates-beyond-border-to-ch.aspx

    “Egypt’s army sometimes operates in Libya when pursuing illegal smugglers, Libyan foreign minister Mohamed Al-Dairi has revealed.

    In an interview published on Friday by London-based publication Al-Hayat, Al-Dairi said that “Egyptian forces have no presence on Libyan soil, except for when they cross the border to pursue smugglers, something which happens in collaboration with Libya”.

    The border covers some 1,000 kilometers and has represented a serious threat to Egyptian security in recent years, with smugglers exploiting it to get weapons and militants in and out of Egypt.

    Following the ouster of long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, militias have fought central government forces in a civil war that has ravaged the country, and in the last year some territories have seen a permanent ISIS presence, particularly the eastern city of Derna and the more central Sirte….”

  35. Foreign toll in Saudi hajj stampede (ahram, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/151892/World/Region/Foreign-toll-in-Saudi-hajj-stampede.aspx

    “Saudi authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the 769 Muslim pilgrims they say were killed in the hajj stampede, but a number of countries have announced the deaths of their citizens.
    The death toll given below by foreign officials and media is now 1,030, well in excess of the Saudi figure. The tallies also show another 614 people as unaccounted for:

    – Iran: 464 dead

    – Egypt: 124 dead, 70 missing

    – Indonesia: 91 dead

    – Nigeria: 64 dead, 244 missing

    – Mali: 60 dead

    – India: 51 dead, 63 missing

    – Pakistan: 46 dead, more than 40 missing

    – Niger: 22 dead

    – Cameroon: 20 dead

    – Ivory Coast: 14 dead, 77 missing

    – Algeria: 14 dead, 54 missing

    – Chad: 11 dead

    – Senegal: 10 dead

    – Morocco: 10 dead, 29 missing

    – Somalia: 8 dead (media reports)

    – Ghana: 5 dead, 21 missing

    – Libya: 4 dead, 16 missing

    – Tanzania: 4 dead

    – Kenya: 3 dead

    – Tunisia: 2 dead

    – Burkina Faso: 1 dead

    – Burundi: 1 dead

    – Netherlands: 1 dead

    – Benin: unspecified number of deaths”

  36. PEGIDA head Lutz Bachmann charged for anti-migrant rhetoric

    German prosecutors have accused Lutz Bachmann, leader of the controversial anti-immigrant group, with inciting hatred. It is the culmination of an investigation that began months ago.

    The 42-year-old Bachmann, who came under fire a year ago after referring to migrants as “filth” and “cattle” on his Facebook page, was charged with inciting Germans against migrants, according to German prosecutors.

    Bachmann founded the group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, or PEGIDA, last year, organizing weekly demonstrations in the city of Dresden. He stepped down after the outcry following his social media posts, as well as selfies that surfaced online showing him with a Hitler moustache. He later apologized for the comments, calling them “ill-considered.”

    He was reinstated as the group’s chairman in February. Anti-immigrant demonstrations have continued in Dresden, though the number of particpants have dwindled, according to the Associated Press.

    Dresden prosecutors, who opened the investigation into Bachmann in January, said he posted the comments knowing they would rouse anger at migrants and lead to public disorder. The charge of inciting hatred leaves Bachmann susceptible to fines and up to five years in jail.

    The indictment comes as Germany tries to cope with a massive number of refugees streaming across its border, stoking German anxiety about immigration in general.

    http://www.dw.com/en/pegida-head-lutz-bachmann-charged-for-anti-migrant-rhetoric/a-18757867
    ==============================================================
    Co-founder of Germany’s PEGIDA charged with inciting hatred

    Berlin (AFP) – German prosecutors on Friday said they had laid charges of inciting racial hatred against Lutz Bachmann, co-founder of the xenophobic and anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement.

    Bachmann, 42, had labelled asylum-seekers “animals”, “trash” and “filthy rabble” in Facebook postings that became widely circulated in January, when the movement was at its peak drawing 25,000 to a rally.

    The weekly demonstrations waned and the movement split after a public outcry over Bachmann’s social media posts, as well as selfies that surfaced showing him with a Hitler moustache and hairstyle.

    In recent weeks — as the number of refugees to Germany has surged — rallies of the so-called “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” have again drawn up to 10,000 people.

    Prosecutors in the eastern city of Dresden, PEGIDA’s home base, argue Bachmann “attacked the human dignity of refugees who have come to Germany, insulted and maliciously maligned them in order to incite hatred”.

    The charge of inciting racial hatred carries up to five years jail.

    http://news.yahoo.com/co-founder-germanys-pegida-charged-inciting-hatred-155626071.html

  37. HUNGARY -Viktor Orban says migrants ‘look like warriors’

    Hungary’s prime minister says the refugees and migrants arriving in Europe are mostly young men who “look more like an army than asylum seekers.”

    Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday on state radio that while he did not reject the right of any country to try to solve its demographic problems “with young men from the Arab world who look like warriors,” it was unacceptable “to have this forced upon Hungary.”

    Orban, who is advocating for global quotas for receiving migrants, says it is unfair for countries like the United States, the rich Arab states, Israel and Australia to expect Europe to take in the migrants while accepting few or none themselves.

    He said that if Europe tried to solve the migration crisis and other global problems on its own, “we will crush the lifestyle … values and strengths we have developed in the past several hundreds of years.”

    http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20151002/API/310029930
    ———————————————————————————————-

    Hungary’s Orban: Croatian counterpart directed by Socialist International in migrant crisis

    BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s prime minister lambasted his Croatian counterpart Friday, accusing him of being the envoy of a global left-wing organization with the job of attacking Hungary — some the strongest statements yet in neighborhood disputes caused by the migrant crisis.

    Meanwhile, officials in the Czech Republic said they were willing to send more than 100 police and soldiers to help Hungary defend its European Union borders, which could include the border with Croatia. That could create the awkward situation of EU members guarding the borders of a fellow member country with troops.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the parties in the Socialist International, which includes Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic’s Social Democratic Party, support migration, think the wave of migrants reaching Europe is a “good thing” and their leaders “are following the orders not so much of their people as of the Socialist International.”

    Orban said on state radio that “we don’t consider what the Croatian prime minister says to be the opinion of the Croatian people.”

    “When they hear the Croatian prime minister, I ask Hungarians not to hear a Croatian man but an envoy of the Socialist International who is supposed to attack Hungary,” Orban continued, adding that he had refrained from criticizing Milanovic until now in the interest of the long-term relationship between their countries.

    Politicians from the two countries have been trading barbs since Hungary’s decision on Sept. 15 to close its border with Serbia with a high fence protected by razor wire, police and soldiers.

    Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, last month called Milanovic’s handling of the migrant crisis “pathetic,” while Milanovic said Hungary’s border fences were a disgrace.

    Thousands of migrants a day are streaming into Hungary from Croatia, through which they were forced to detour because of the fence. They are searching for clear paths toward Germany and other destinations in the European Union.

    Hungarian officials say they are close to completing a fence on the Croatian border as well.

    Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said Friday the matter of Czech help with border control in Hungary would be discussed Oct. 8 at a meeting with his counterparts from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

    All four countries in the so-called Visegrad Group, or V4, are in the EU’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

    Chovanec said the soldiers could be deployed within two weeks, while the Polish interior ministry said a helicopter and crew from the Polish Border Guard could be sent to help Hungary.

    EU member Croatia is not a Schengen country while Serbia is a candidate for EU membership.

    http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/10/02/hungarys-orban-attacks-croatian-counterpart-over-migrants

  38. SYRIA – Russian ships ready to protect air facility under Latakia from the air

    Ships of permanent task force of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea started practicing measures for air facility defense at the Syrian city of Latakia in the seaside direction.

    This said a military source to “Interfax-AVN”:

    «Ships of the Navy task force led by the missile cruiser «Moskva», located in the eastern Mediterranean, have started to work out defense problems of air facility at Latakia, which houses the Russian air group».

    In addition, the source added that the ships connections had made single artillery firing at air targets:

    «In the coming days, will be held joint exercises of naval group, during which will perform the main scene — group firing of anti-aircraft missiles at air targets, together with ground air defenses. The purpose of the exercise — to check the effectiveness of the air facility protection at Latakia from air strikes».

    http://news-front.info/2015/10/02/russian-ships-ready-to-protect-air-facility-under-latakia-from-the-air/
    =====================================================
    First look at Russian airbase in Latakia from where jets take off to bomb ISIS

  39. LEBANON -The US to double military assistance to Lebanese army

    The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon says Washington is more than doubling the baseline amount of U.S. military assistance to the Lebanese army compared to the previous year.

    Ambassador David Hale told reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday that America is committing $150 million of U.S. assistance funds to the army for the upcoming year

    Hale said America believes that the army is “the sole institution with the legitimacy and mandate to defend the country and its people.”

    Hale said the funds will allow the army to buy munitions, improve close air support, sustain vehicles and aircraft, modernize airlift capacity, provide training to its soldiers, and add to the mobility of armored units.

    The Lebanese army is fighting extremist groups on the border with Syria.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/151925/World/Region/The-US-to-double-military-assistance-to-Lebanese-a.aspx

  41. CANADA – MONTREAL – Pregnant Muslim woman attacked by Montreal teens, police say
    Investigators reluctant to call attack a hate crime, but haven’t ruled out possibility

    Montreal police are investigating after an attack on a pregnant Muslim woman.

    Police say the woman was going to pick up her daughter from school on Tuesday in the city’s north end, near the Galeries D’Anjou, when two teenagers came up behind her on their bikes and tried to rip off her hijab.

    The momentum of their tugging on her head scarf caused her to fall down.

    <strong<Const. Abdullah Emran said investigators have few details about the culprits because it happened quickly, but said it appears they were boys around 15 years old.

    Police are reluctant to call the attack a hate crime, but haven’t ruled out the possibility.

    “We want to make sure we confirm the facts,” Emran said.

    “Are we dealing with two teens trying to pull prank, or an incident where a woman was targeted?”

    Investigators say they may go door to door and look at any camera footage in the area.

    They also urged the two teenagers to come forward.

    Haroun Bouazzi, head of the Association of Muslims for a Secular Quebec, said he’s been pushing for Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre to do more to address hate crimes.

    “We’re very disappointed,” Bouazzi said.

    “We understand it’s a serious matter for him [Coderre] and we hope that he’s also going to say to the SPVM [Montreal police] that they have to take seriously this complaint.” ?

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-police-muslim-woman-1.3253668
    =========================================================
    Quebec legislature pleads for calm after Muslim woman attacked

    Quebec’s National Assembly made a unanimous call for calm in the midst of the federal election campaign as the province is again roiled by Islamophobia and at least one violent act targeting a Muslim.

    The motion came Thursday after news this week that teenagers knocked a pregnant woman to the ground by grabbing her Muslim scarf, known as a hijab, as she walked on a Montreal street. The woman was unhurt but extremely upset, her husband said.

    The sponsors of the motion said the Syrian refugee crisis and the federal debate over the place of the niqab in Canadian citizenship ceremonies has once again inflamed passions in the province, turning social media into a cesspool of hateful messages and putting pressure on Muslims.

    “It’s not a majority of Quebeckers, but a certain number of people say, ‘Niqab, jihad, radicalization, imam, Islam, it’s all the same.’ It’s not all the same,” said Françoise David, a member of the left-wing Québec solidaire party who introduced the motion. It passed 100-0 in the 125-seat house.

    “The incidents have multiplied in recent weeks. There’s a debate to be had on whether the niqab should be worn at federal ceremonies, but to talk about it for 15 days, that political parties – especially the Conservatives – end up making it a key campaign issue and pose as grand defenders of women, I say stop.”

    The federal Conservatives have vowed to pursue a ban on niqabs at citizenship ceremonies, while the NDP and the Liberals have sided with courts that have ruled it is allowed. The NDP has lost considerable ground in Quebec polls since the issue surfaced, and a French-language leaders’ debate Friday night on the TVA network is unlikely to turn down the heat.

    The unanimous vote in the National Assembly couldn’t paper over divisions in the province’s political parties. The Parti Québécois lobbied to have Ms. David remove the word “Islamophobia” from the motion, joining the Coalition Avenir Québec in saying it would prefer a more universal declaration against hate.

    Nathalie Roy of the right-wing CAQ told reporters the assembly should condemn radical Islam along with all forms of bigotry.

    But Ms. David insisted on keeping the word, saying, “Let’s call a cat a cat.” Both the PQ and CAQ eventually helped pass the motion.

    Quebec has seen a number of angry confrontations, minor violence and other anti-Islam outbursts in recent years in response to terrorist acts and manoeuvring on the province’s political scene.

    For nearly a decade, a debate over the place of religion in the province – mostly, although not exclusively, targeting Muslims – has simmered and occasionally boiled over. In recent years, the heat was turned up when the PQ planned to ban certain religious garments, including Muslim veils, from those working in the public service before losing the 2013 election. The Liberals replaced the PQ and now have their own legislation in the works to require uncovered faces in any interactions involving the public service – another measure that largely touches a small number of Muslim women who cover their faces.

    “We’ve seen it since the accommodation debate and it comes back,” Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said. “Events can always ignite those debates.”

    On Tuesday, Le Journal de Montréal reported that Oumessad Khoufache, 31, was walking to pick up her child at school when two boys on bicycles approached her, grabbed her hijab and knocked her to the ground. She’s four months pregnant.

    Her husband, Abdelhafid Ben Bellil, said his wife can’t stop crying and is afraid to go outside. She did not want to be interviewed. He said that “a media frenzy” is feeding hate against Muslims.

    Ms. David, a Quebec feminist leader before entering politics, described the niqab as a prison that she wishes would disappear, but she said the federal debate has exceeded common sense.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebecs-legislature-pleads-for-calm-after-muslim-woman-attacked/article26628960/

  42. Kunduz eyewitness: ‘No government troops here’ (BBC, Oct 2, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34422568

    “Rights groups have expressed concern for the large numbers of civilians trapped in the Afghan city of Kunduz, amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and government troops. The government has accused the Taliban of raping and killing civilians after it seized the northern city this week. The Taliban rejected the accusations.

    Both sides are claiming to be in control of much of the city. But one resident of Kunduz told the BBC that he disputes the government’s claims that the city has been retaken, saying he could see no evidence of government troops there.”

  43. Putin Continues to Dominate Obama as Russia Begins its War on ISIS in Syria

    http://freedomforce.com/6655/putin-continues-to-dominate-obama-as-russia-begins-its-war-on-isis-in-syria/

    The current conflict between the USA and Russia is all a bit confounding. On the one hand, we should be happy that we finally have some REAL help in fighting the terrorists in the Middle East. On the other hand, Russia is using the terrible problems in Syria, Iraq and Iran to make themselves stronger while simultaneously weakening us.

    Lt. Col. Ralph Peters appeared on Fox News to discuss these issues on Wednesday morning, and the Obama administration is not going to like what he had to say.

    Make no mistake, Putin thinks Obama is so weak. Putin would not be reluctant to shoot down a U.S. drone as a warning and possibly even bringing down a U.S. manned aircraft knowing that President Obama would not respond militarily. Putin would say, ‘Oh, it’s all an accident. It’s all a misunderstanding. We need to deconflict. You need to go out of the airspace.’ Putin is on a roll… This guy is good and we have a pixie dust president who still thinks he can say something three times and make it come true…

    • The last paragraph is a direct quote from the video in the article, watch it, the analysis of what is happening in Syria is very good.

  44. Soros Wants Europe to Take 1 Million Muslim Migrants a Year

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/260323/soros-wants-europe-take-1-million-muslim-migrants-daniel-greenfield

    George Soros has a “solution” to the Muslim migrant problem. As usual, his solution is to make things much worse. But I have a solution to the Soros problem. Why not put him on trial for war crimes? We’ve put Nazis who were older than him on trial. There’s no statute of limitations. And unlike many of them, Soros has gone on committing crimes against humanity even after WW2.

    Here’s Soros’ plan meanwhile. And considering how much influence he wields and how many organizations he controls, you’ll be hearing a lot more about it.

    First, the EU has to accept at least a million asylum-seekers annually for the foreseeable future…

    The EU should provide 15,000 euros ($16,800) per asylum-seeker for each of the first two years to help cover housing, health-care and education costs — and to make accepting refugees more appealing to member states. It can raise these funds by issuing long-term bonds using its largely untapped AAA borrowing capacity, which will have the added benefit of providing a justified fiscal stimulus to the European economy.

  45. Imam of Oregon’s Biggest Mosque Told Muslims to Kill Americans

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/260322/imam-oregons-biggest-mosque-told-muslims-kill-daniel-greenfield

    A few years ago the Oregonian’s Helen Jung was whining about how the FBI was being mean to the nice Imam and his mosque.

    The unexplained actions are aggravating the FBI’s already poor relationship with the mosque and fueling fear and frustration among Muslims that their house of worship appears to be once again in the government’s cross hairs…

    In Oregon, Masjed As-Saber stands out for its traditional focus and charismatic imam, who urges worshippers to stay true to the vast library of strict Islamic teachings, down to the conviction that men and women shouldn’t trim their eyebrows.

    Why that poor man. The FBI is persecuting him just because he opposes eyebrow trimming.

    Kariye briefly mentioned in one sermon his concerns that nonorganic food is threatening people’s health.

    Organic food… and murdering Americans. Why this Imam is so progressive.

    The imam of Portland’s biggest mosque collected money from worshippers after 9/11, sending the Portland Seven to Afghanistan to fight against coalition forces, the U.S. Department of Justice alleges in its fight to deport the imam.

    As religious leader of Masjed As-Saber, Kariye told several members of the plot that “Muslims should fight with fellow Muslim brothers of Afghanistan against Americans” and that this combat was a “righteous fight … legitimate jihad,” Justice Department lawyers wrote in an exhibit filed earlier this month in the immigration case.

    Oregon clearly needs more Somalis and their Muslim scholars. Because of the eyebrow trimming and the terrorism.

  46. CANADA – OTTAWA – New photos reveal sequence of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo shooting

    The Citizen has obtained a series of photographs, spanning a period of less than two minutes, that show the terrible drama of the shooting at the War Memorial, including the last known photograph of Cpl. Cirillo taken before Zehaf-Bibeau started firing seconds later.

    These photos are not the work of a professional photographer, nor are they grabbed from security camera footage. Instead, they were taken by a French visitor as he waited with his wife to hop on a tour bus. From the first casual snapshots of the Memorial to the deliberate photographs of a killer in action, these shocking images fill in important gaps in the record. They help us track Zehaf-Bibeau’s movements and actions at the War Memorial, hint at Cirillo’s desperate attempt to flee his killer and show the first frantic efforts of passersby to save his life.

    on this page :

    http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/photos-emerge-nathan-cirillo-shooting-zehaf-bibeau-war-memorial

    • German interior minister criticises lack of appreciation from some refugees

      Germany’s interior minister has criticised a “minority” of refugees who have absconded from or caused trouble in their allocated reception areas.

      While insisting just a few were involved, Thomas de Maizière was adamant that migrants accept the relocations determined by Germany’s migration authorities.

      “Until this summer, the refugees were grateful to be here with us,” he said. “They asked where the police were, where the authorities were, where they would be moved to. Now there are many refuge…

  48. Tapan Ghosh: Bringing Back Our Girls
    A hero rescues Hindu girls languishing in Muslim captivity in West Bengal.
    October 2, 2015
    Phyllis Chesler

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260292/tapan-ghosh-bringing-back-our-girls-phyllis-chesler

    According to The Times of India, in 2010, 28,000 girls and women “went missing” from West Bengal. The newspaper fails to say who the victims were or who kidnapped them.

    Who knows what may have happened to them, who will speak for them? And, who has been rescuing these “missing” aka kidnapped, raped, forcibly converted, and trafficked girls and women? So far, mainly free-standing Christian groups in Iraq and Hindu religious groups in India. And both groups are very clear that it is radical Muslims who have done the kidnapping.

    Governments, both Western and Eastern, are loath to say so and are not officially involved in such heroic rescues—or, for that matter, in the rescue of persecuted Christians. Individual progressives, leftists, feminists, who write about “oppression” and condemn sexual violence towards women, still fear to tread on such dangerous ground.

    Tapan Ghosh of India has no such fear. I interviewed him back in 2010 and he has just completed a second trip to the United States.

    His supporters describe him as “a voice of Unity among Hindus,” as a man who has spent his lifetime rescuing girls in West Bengal, India, who have been kidnapped and trafficked. Recently, he saved a 14 year old minor girl named Tuktuki Mondal, who was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists and reunited her with her parents. Her story made international headlines.

  49. CNN Obama: Russia heading for ‘quagmire’ in Syria

    Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama said Friday that he was willing to work with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on moving Syria away from civil war, but only if that plan includes removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power.

    In the absence of that, he warned that Russia’s air campaign against Syria would only lead to further bloodshed for the war-torn country and bog down Moscow.

    Russia, he predicted during a White House press conference, would get stuck in a “quagmire,” adding, “It just won’t work, and they’re going to stay there for a while.”

    Saying Syria’s civil war doesn’t directly involve the United States — but instead pits Assad’s forces against rebel groups — Obama admitted elements of his strategy had failed. A plan to train and equip opposition forces, which resulted in only a handful of trainees, “did not work the way it was supposed to,” Obama said.

    But asked whether he now backs no-fly zones in Syria — which his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, recommended this week during her presidential campaign — he warned against “easy, low-cost answers” to ending the war.

    Asked to respond directly to her suggestion, he said that one’s perspective changes when president.

    “I think Hillary Clinton would be the first to say that when you’re sitting in the seat that I’m sitting in in the situation room, things look a little bit different. Because she’s been right there next to me,” he said.

    He also said, “I also think there’s a difference between running for president and being president.”

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/politics/president-obama-syria-russia-assad/index.html

  50. How the Wars in Ukraine and Syria Are Connected

    http://dailysignal.com/2015/10/01/how-the-wars-in-ukraine-and-syria-are-connected/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRouuqzIZKXonjHpfsX56ugrW6G0lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ATcRiMa%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7jHKM1t0sEQWBHm

    LONDON—For the last year, I’ve been reporting on the Ukraine war. I’ve been back and forth to the front lines, embedded with Ukrainian troops and civilian volunteers. I’ve been on the receiving end of Russian weapons, including tanks, heavy artillery, mortars, machine guns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, and good ol’-fashioned Kalashnikovs.

    I don’t know for sure the nationalities of the soldiers on the other side of no man’s land who were trying to kill me. There’s nothing distinctive about the sound of an incoming shell or bullet that indicates whether the finger pulling the trigger was Russian, Chechen, Serb, or a bona fide Ukrainian separatist.

    But I do know this: One cannot buy tanks, heavy artillery, drones, and surface-to-air missiles (like the one used to shoot down MH-17) from a department store in eastern Ukraine. I checked. And one cannot learn how to effectively use this equipment in combat from a YouTube video.

    While I was in Iraq, I briefed a group of Air Force pararescuemen and combat rescue officers on the Ukraine war. I showed them a video of some combat footage I had shot from the trenches and bombed out neighborhoods, including artillery and tank attacks and lots of small arms gunfights. I felt funny at first, almost embarrassed, explaining my combat experiences to a group of battle-hardened elite troops. But they had a lot of questions. The war in Ukraine, after all, is a different kind of war from the one they have been fighting. And now that Russia has thrown its hat in the Syrian ring, my experiences in Ukraine were more than just a curiosity—they were useful

    The wars in Ukraine and Syria are connected. I told the pararescuers there was a good chance that Russian troops and the combat tactics they used in eastern Ukraine would appear in Syria before long, and that some pro-Ukraine fighters might follow their Russian foes to this new battlefield.

    In Ukraine, there are Chechen fighters on the front lines among the volunteer battalions who have fought in Syria against Assad but ultimately decided to fight in Ukraine because they’d “rather kill Russians.” Well, now they can fight Russia in Syria, too.

    There are reports that Arseny Pavlov, a prominent combined Russian-separatist commander from the Ukraine war known by the nom de guerre “Motorola,” is in Syria. In an interview with the Georgian Journal, Pavlov said he was a soldier in the Russian army in the Chechen War in the 1990s.

    Maybe Pavlov is in Syria on vacation, just like all those Russian troops caught fighting in eastern Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Or maybe he’s part of Russian military pivot to Syria.

    • We all know Russia is behind the trouble in Ukraine trying to rebuild the Russian Empire, now they are in Syria and there is a possibility that some of the Chechen’s fighting on the Ukrainian side may follow down to fight the Russians again.

      Putin is pulling a lot of groups into the fight in Syria and by attacking the supposedly non ISIS rebels he is forcing the US into supporting Assad, since he will have killed off all of the opposition other then ISIS. He is also pushing the idea that Russia is leading the anti-ISIS movement and that the US should do what he says. Things are going to get interesting especially if a manned US plane is shot down by Russia and Obama does nothing. The shoot down is a very real possibility and I don’t know any vet that thinks Obama has buts enough to do anything besides surrender.