Reader’s links for April 6 – 2016

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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

71 Replies to “Reader’s links for April 6 – 2016”

  1. Amnesty highlights ‘disturbing rise’ in global executions (BBC, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-35971623

    “A surge in the number of executions recorded worldwide saw more people put to death last year than at any point since 1989, Amnesty International says.

    At least 1,634 people were executed in 2015, a rise of more than 50% on the previous year, the group found in its review of the use of the death penalty.

    Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were responsible for 89% of the executions.

    The total does not include China, where Amnesty said thousands more were likely killed but records were kept secret.

    On the other hand, the group also noted that for the first time ever a majority of the world’s countries had fully abolished the death penalty….”

  2. Germany: Anti-Armenian rally hits Chancellery as Merkel meets Pres. Sargsyan

    Police monitored the group closely as demonstrators waved Azerbaijani and Turkish flags and chanted “Armenia out.” One protester at the rally held a sign reading “Miss Merkel, please ask the president how long the Armenian army will occupy Azerbaijani soil.”

    • euronews – Migrant arrivals to Greece slow amid tighter security on Turkish coast

    • Greece: Riot police evict refugees in tents protesting outside parliament

      Greek riot police removed a group of refugees protesting by setting up tents outside the Hellenic parliament at Syntagma Square in Athens, Wednesday.

      The protest follows the announcement that the port of Piraeus, which currently shelters about 4,800 people, will be evacuated by the end of the week. A new facility to accommodate up to 3,000 people is said to be under construction near the Skaramagas shipyards in Athens.
      =============================================
      comment on the youtube page :

      Here’s what happened: Around 50 or so invaders and their fake NGO traitor friends marched to Syntagma Square tonight and were going to pitch their tents in front of the Greek Parliament Building. But wonders never cease, the riot police were allowed to do their jobs and told the invaders and their dirty traitor friends “If you don’t get out of here, we are going to arrest you as illegals”. The invaders got the message loud & clear that they would lose their fake “refugee” status and got out of there quickly. Isn’t funny how quickly the traitor ruling elites allow the cops to do their jobs when the trash comes rolling into their own front yards. Another 100 started marching towards Syntagma later among them showing them the way was a dirty traitor Greek skila, the riot police have them surrounded. Meanwhile on the island of Xios angry residents went to the island’s government building protesting against the illegals. They rushed into the building screaming insults and calling the SYRIZA PM and other government officials “Traitors! You sold out Greece! Get these illegals out of country!” They also were throwing yogurts at the traitor ruling party & fake NGOs. Outside the building meanwhile they got into it with the fake NGOs who are on the island and the rest of Greece “supporting” the illegals but in reality causing trouble. Angry Xio residences attacked them, yelling at the foreign ones to get out of Greece and calling the Greek ones traitors. Police had to protect the fake NGOs & MKOs from angry residence who were about to rip them apart. They also attacked journalists from the Greek news channel ERT this is the traitor channel that set up an Arabic “channel” for the illegals.?

      • RT – ATHENS – Greece: 35 arrested following refugee protest outside Greek parliament

        Around 30 refugees and five Greek pro-refugee activists were arrested near the premises of the National Library following a refugee sit-in protest outside the Hellenic Parliament in Athens, Wednesday.

        The group of refugee protesters were surrounded by the police and transferred by bus to a detention centre as others managed to run away and escape the police. Earlier, Greek riot police removed the protesters, who had pitched tents outside the Greek parliament.

    • GREECE – Chios – protest

      from the yt comment above :

      Meanwhile on the island of Xios angry residents went to the island’s government building protesting against the illegals. They rushed into the building screaming insults and calling the SYRIZA PM and other government officials “Traitors! You sold out Greece! Get these illegals out of country!” They also were throwing yogurts at the traitor ruling party & fake NGOs. Outside the building meanwhile they got into it with the fake NGOs who are on the island and the rest of Greece “supporting” the illegals but in reality causing trouble. Angry Xio residences attacked them, yelling at the foreign ones to get out of Greece and calling the Greek ones traitors. Police had to protect the fake NGOs & MKOs from angry residence who were about to rip them apart. They also attacked journalists from the Greek news channel ERT this is the traitor channel that set up an Arabic “channel” for the illegals.?

    • RT – Greece: Clashes erupt between pro and anti-refugee groups in Chios
      Clashes erupted between several hundred anti-refugee protesters and a number of pro-refugee activists at Vounaki Square in the Greek island of Chios, Wednesday, as thousands of refugees remain stranded on the island.

      While many residents of the island, which lies close to Turkey, oppose refugees staying in Chios, solidarity groups and leftist activists say they are in support of a peaceful and more humane solution. Members of far-right groups allegedly mingled in the crowd and intensified the clashes between the two groups.

  3. CBC – CANADA – Windsor Muslims applaud incoming halal regulations

    ‘We have to tell people the truth’

    Muslims living in Windsor, Ont., will soon have the peace of mind knowing the halal meat they purchase is, in fact, halal.

    New federal regulations designed to make sure all food labelled “halal” actually meets those standards came into effect Monday. Up until then, there was no standard for certifying labels and no ramifications for falsely labelling food as halal.

    “If we’re selling halal meat, we have to be certified,” said Hasan Taweel, a Windsor butcher who specializes in halal products. “We have to tell people the truth.”

    Food declared halal means it’s “permissible” for Muslims to eat.

    For animal products, the requirements include blessing each animal before slaughtering it by hand. Taweel said this is an important process for many Muslims.

    “It’s a big issue,” Taweel said. “Eating meat, being cheated, buying fake meat that is not halal … it’s a big issue.”

    He said he believes customers are regularly cheated, since it is very difficult to tell if the animal has undergone the ritual slaughter when making a purchase at the butcher shop. He said he wants to see the regulations go even further to reach what groups are allowed to certify the food.

    “The person is being cheated by the seller,” Taweel said. “The person who sells the meat and says it’s halal when it’s not. That person is a big cheater and he’s cheating his customer.”

    Maryan Amalow works at the University of Windsor and helps make sure international students there know they are eating true halal meat.

    Though she does not believe there is any punishment for mistakenly eating false halal products, she said it would be a deep betrayal if a store lied to her.

    Amalow applauds the new regulations and hopes to see them enforced.

    “For me it’s very important,” Amalow said. “For someone to sell me something that is not halal and put the label of halal, that’s a betrayal. I wouldn’t be taking that lightly because that person just insulted my belief.”

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-muslims-halal-regulations-1.3522340

  4. WaPo – France’s Charlie Hebdo blames ordinary Muslims for terrorism

    Charlie Hebdo is back in the headlines — this time for a headline of its own.

    Last week, the satirical publication — whose offices were attacked by two jihadist gunmen in January 2015 — published an editorial, in English and in French, titled “How Did We End Up Here?”

    In the aftermath of more attacks in Paris in November and in Brussels on March 22, the editorial continues the magazine’s provocative criticism of Islam as an affront to the vaunted French ideal of secularism.

    “For a week now, experts of all kinds have been trying to understand the reasons for the attacks in Brussels,” the piece begins. “An incompetent police force? Unbridled multiculturalism? Youth unemployment? Uninhibited Islamism?” For the piece’s principal author — the cartoonist Laurent Sourisseau, known as “Riss” — all of these commonly cited reasons are entirely beside the point. “The first task of the guilty,” he writes later on, “is to blame the innocent.”

    For Riss, the problem is fundamentally individual; there is hardly anything structural about it. To that end, his piece focuses on four specific individuals — one real Muslim and three imagined ones.

    The real one is Tariq Ramadan, who teaches contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford and who arrived in France to deliver a lecture at Sciences Po’s Saint-Germain-en-Laye campus last week. “Tariq Ramadan,” the editorial concedes, “is never going to grab a Kalashnikov with which to shoot journalists at an editorial meeting. Nor will he ever cook up a bomb to be used in an airport concourse. […] It will not be his role.”

    The “role” he does have, however, is to “dissuade people from criticizing his religion in any way.”

    As the piece continues: “The political science students who listened to him last week will, once they have become journalists or local officials, not even dare to write nor say anything negative about Islam. The little dent in their secularism made that day will bear fruit in a fear of criticizing lest they appear Islamophobic.”

    The same is true of the next two characters in the piece, an imaginary Muslim “veiled woman” and an imaginary Muslim baker. They, too, have roles: making people uncomfortable on the street and quietly preventing them from buying the pork-laden croque monsieurs and baguettes au jambon that are apparently a national birthright. “We’ll get used to it easily enough,” the piece mocks. “As Tariq Ramadan helpfully instructs us, we’ll adapt.”

    The third imaginary Muslim, however, is a “young delinquent” who heads to Brussels airport in a taxi with several of his friends. And there is the crux of the editorial, the narrative line that connects Ramadan, the veiled woman, the baker and, finally, the jihadist: “None of what is about to happen in the airport or metro of Brussels can really happen without everyone’s contribution.”

    In the end, the piece concludes that what the young men attack is not necessarily innocent people flying home or going to work on the subway. What they attack is an abstraction — “the very notion of the secular.” Islam, this argument maintains, is anti-French, anti-modern and anti-intellectual. It silences discourse, discussion and, most of all, debate.

    France today is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population, and the Charlie Hebdo editorial is perhaps the most recent expression of a collective paranoia that has gained significant traction in recent years.

    This is a paranoia over the prospect of an “Islamic France,” an anxiety that was the essence of Michel Houellebecq’s best-selling 2015 novel, “Soumission,” and that remains a frequent admonition of, among others, the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut, who insists that an accusation of Islamophobia is the most dangerous strain of an ideology he calls “anti-racism.” Anti-racism, for Finkielkraut, “will be to the 21st century what communism was to the 20th.”

    The paranoia appeared again this week, when Air France announced it would require female employees to wear headscarves on a renewed service between Paris and Tehran. A leading union accused the airline of launching “an attack on women.”

    As is often the case with everything Charlie Hebdo publishes, the piece has ignited an intense debate, both inside and outside of France. For a certain segment of the French intellectual establishment, the most ironic element in a piece by the most ironic of magazines is precisely the question of silence it poses. But who, exactly, is being silenced: the imaginary French cafe-goers in the piece, denied their croque monsieurs? Or Tariq Ramadan himself?

    “There is a kind of demonization of my presence in France which is crossing the board, and this is used as the personification of ‘what we don’t want,’” said Ramadan, in an interview. “I’m the personification of this Islam that is perceived as a threat.”

    In the first three months of 2016, Ramadan — often accused of a “double speak” between his public appearances in Europe and the Islamic world — has been prohibited from speaking in Béziers, Argenteuil, Orléans, Bordeaux and even at Paris’s Arab World Institute. “All these people who are apparently ‘Je Suis Charlie,’” Ramadan said, “are also apparently fine with preventing me from speaking.”

    In the wake of the editorial, four prominent French intellectuals addressed this controversy in a Sunday opinion piece for Le Monde. “In a country where millions of people took to the streets in defense of freedom of expression,” they wrote, “one can thus prohibit the speech of Tariq Ramadan, the man we love to hate, without any legal justification.”

    For Ramadan, there is a distinctly French phenomenon. “How is it,” he said, “that it’s the only country in the world where I cannot lecture in a university?”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/04/05/frances-charlie-hebdo-blames-ordinary-muslims-for-terrorism/

    ============================================
    DAILY MAIL – Charlie Hebdo is condemned as ‘bigoted and racist’ for latest editorial suggesting that the fear of being labelled Islamophobic is stopping criticism of Muslims and aiding terrorists

    Charlie Hebdo has published a controversial editorial on Islamophobia
    Magazine claims fear of being branded ‘Islamophobic’ is aiding terrorists
    They say that all Muslims directly and indirectly contribute to terror attacks
    But the comment piece has been condemned as being ‘bigoted and racist’

    www( dot )dailymail( dot )co( dot ) uk/news/article-3524803/Charlie-Hebdo-condemned-bigoted-racist-latest-editorial-suggesting-fear-labelled-Islamophobic-stopping-criticism-Muslims-aiding-terrorists.html

    ==========================================
    CHARLIE HEBDO :

    How did we end up here?

    https://charliehebdo.fr/en/edito/how-did-we-end-up-here/

    • Charlie is right, the ordinary Moslems are doing nothing to fight the jihad therefore they are giving tact support to the jihad. The sooner more people realize this the better off we will all be.

  5. Samsung Patents Contact Lenses With Built-In Camera

    LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Samsung has been granted a patent in South Korea for contact lenses with a display that projects images directly into the wearer’s eyes.

    According to SamMobile, the patent includes a “contact lens equipped with a tiny display, a camera, an antenna, and several sensors that detect movement and the most basic form of input using your eyes: blinking.”

    A smartphone will be required for the device to work, according to documents.

    The “smart” contact lenses could prove to be a substantial upgrade from so-called “smart glasses”, posing a threat to what will be its main competitor in the market, Google Glasses.

    http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/04/05/samsung-patents-contact-lenses-with-built-in-camera/

    • Scientific breakthroughs like this are occurring and we still have to worry about 7th Century barbarians.

  6. Mind-control MICROSCOPE changes the behaviour of mice in an instant: Scientists make the animals do whatever they want by tweaking the brain’s ‘code’ in real time

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3526125/Mind-control-MICROSCOPE-changes-behaviour-mice-instant-Scientists-make-animals-want-tweaking-brain-s-code-real-time.html#ixzz4541e1MSw
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    In a breakthrough that wouldn’t look out of place in a science fiction film, researchers said they have been able to control the minds of living animals by tweaking the activity of their brain cells.

    Using a specialised microscope to tweak activity of brain circuits, they were able to control the behaviour of mice, leading to hopes that we could one day selectively stimulate cells in the brain, like hitting keys on a piano.

    While mind control may seem like the stuff of dystopian sci-fi nightmares, the team said the findings could provide insight how the different regions of the brain communicate with one another and even shed new light on brain disorders.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3526125/Mind-control-MICROSCOPE-changes-behaviour-mice-instant-Scientists-make-animals-want-tweaking-brain-s-code-real-time.html#ixzz4541zFLVk
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  7. SAUDI ARABIA – Crown Prince receives Speaker of US House of Representatives Paul Ryan

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior received at Al-Yamamah Palace here today the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan accompanied by a number of the House s members.

    During the meeting, they discussed a number of issues of mutual interest within the framework of the prospects of cooperation and historical relations existing between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

    The audience was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir; Director General of General Investigation, General Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Huwairini; and Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom Dr. Joseph W. Westphal.

    http://www.gulfmagazine.com/english/9178/

    • SAUDI ARABIA – King Salman receives US House Speaker Paul Ryan

      JEDDAH: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received the US Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan and other representatives at Al-Yamamah Palace on Wednesday.

      During the meeting, they reviewed the relations of friendship between the two countries and discussed a number of issues of common interest.

      The delegation included the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Member of the House from the state of Texas William Mac Thornberry; Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from California State Devin Nunes; Member of the House of Representatives from Ohio State Michael Turner, Member of the House of Representatives from New York State Gregory Meeks; Member of the House of Representatives from South Dakota State Kristi Noem; Member of the House of Representatives from Wisconsin State Ron Kind; Member of the House of Representatives from Texas State Will Hurd and the chief aide to House Speaker Jonathan Perks.
      The audience was attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister; Minister of State and Cabinet’s Member Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban; the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir; and United States Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Joseph W. Westphal.

      http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/906371

    • WaPo-Paul Ryan could make 2016 normal again

      […]But both Republicans and Democrats may find common ground in Ryan’s application of subsidiarity to the conduct of the House, which is fundamentally aimed at inviting the American people to the table.

      With a jaundiced eye, one notes that Ryan’s pro-people template seems rather well-timed for a contested convention and perhaps for unifying the party given the divisiveness and repulsion posed by Trump and, almost equally, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). Plainly, it would be dicey for party leaders to bypass Cruz or Kasich, but Cruz will lose in a general election and Kasich may lack sufficient support to justify promoting him from last to first.

      […]Finally and surely — surely — Ryan had something more in mind when he agreed to take the speaker’s job against the advice of so many. They feared, ironically, that he would be damaged by infighting and lose any shot at the presidency some day. Alas, he has done the opposite. We live and learn. And while President Paul Ryan may not fit today’s conventional wisdom, his nomination would barely register on Ripley’s odd-o-meter.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/paul-ryan-could-make-2016-normal-again/2016/04/05/ca6dc99c-fb6f-11e5-886f-a037dba38301_story.html
      =====================================================
      Fox News – Ellen Ratner: Paul Ryan as nominee would destroy GOP

  8. Iraq puts northern offensive against Islamic State on hold

    ERBIL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) – An Iraqi army offensive touted as the first phase of a campaign to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State has been paused until more forces arrive to hold ground, the commander in charge said on Wednesday.

    Almost three weeks into the operation, Iraqi forces have retaken just three villages from Islamic State in the Makhmour area, which is set to be a key staging ground for a future assault on Mosul, around 60 km (40 miles) further north.

    The faltering start has cast renewed doubt on the capabilities of the Iraqi army, which partially collapsed when Islamic State militants took around a third of the country in 2014.

    Major General Najm Abdullah al-Jubbouri, who is in charge of the offensive, said that Iraqi forces were now waiting for the arrival of federal police units and additional local tribal fighters to hold territory after it is retaken.

    That would free up his forces to go on the offensive against the insurgents, Jubbouri said in a statement, dismissing what he described as efforts to disparage the army. “We do not want to use all our units to hold territory,” he said.

    The initial target of the latest offensive was Qayara — an Islamic State hub on the western bank of the Tigris river — but Iraqi forces have so far failed to recapture the hilltop village of Nasr on the eastern side.

    http://www.oann.com/iraq-puts-northern-offensive-against-islamic-state-on-hold/

      • I haven’t really got started yet but I will say that the culture isn’t dead but it is dying, and the author misses the main cause of that death. The lack of a physical frontier for them to move to, this lack has tied them down in one place where the government aka revenuers can over the long term grind down their base culture. If/when space travel to other star systems is developed you will find a lot of the American Celts rediscovering their ancient heritage and will be among the first colonists to leave Earth for a new home.

      • I like his warning at the end, and would like to point out that a lot of the people who were Democrats have switched parties (not that the Republicans are much better) and are siding with the outsiders in this election. Granted that includes Saunders but I don’t think he stands a chance against the Clinton machine.

        • I like the writer, obviously a fellow lover of Americana. Touches topics that could open all sorts of discussions, covers lots of ground in a delightful, self-effacing tone. That warning at the end struck me too.

          I share the Baron’s interest in evolutionary linguistics and always value his comments even when the rest aren’t up to par. [Unusual at GoV.]

          • To put the warning another way, when aroused they will charge hell with a half empty gallon bucket at the drop of a hat. They are almost aroused enough to drop the hat themselves.

  9. Brussels attack suspect worked in European Parliament

    One of the Brussels bombers had a summer job cleaning the EU assembly in 2009 and 2010.

    A suspected terrorist involved in the Brussels bombings on March 22 worked in the European Parliament as a cleaner in 2009 and 2010 for an outside contractor, according to a Parliament spokesperson.

    The man’s identity was being withheld for legal reasons. Belgian prosecutors say four men took part in the coordinated attacks on Zaventem airport and Maalbeek metro station, three of them dying in the suicide-bombings and one fleeing. The blasts killed 32 people and injured hundreds more.

    “The European Parliament confirms that seven and six years ago, one of the perpetrators of the Brussels terrorist attacks worked for a period of one month for a cleaning company which was contracted by the European Parliament at the time,” said Parliament spokesperson Jaume Duch Guillot.

    “As a student, he held a summer holiday job cleaning at the Parliament for one month in 2009 and one month in 2010. Those were the only instances he worked at the Parliament,” said Guillot. “As required by the contract, the cleaning firm submitted proof of the absence of a criminal record to the European Parliament.”

    EPP Chairman Manfred Weber warned more than 200 MEPs in the EPP group at their weekly meeting Wednesday morning that one of the suspected terrorists in the Brussels bombings once worked in their halls, according to an EPP official

    “Weber informed the group MEPs this morning but he does not have any details,” said EPP spokesperson Pedro López de Pablo.

    A Parliament spokesperson said the cleaning contractor, which was not named, was changed three years ago.

    European Parliament President Martin Schulz held a crisis meeting after the news first emerged on the website of the Austrian news agency APA, according to a Parliament official.

    http://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-attack-suspect-worked-in-european-parliament/

    Brussels bomber had worked in EU Parliament before attack – spokesman

    https://www.rt.com/news/338685-brussels-bomber-eu-parliament/

    • Brussels attacks: One of the bombers worked in EU Parliament (BBC, Apr 6, 2016)
      http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35979965

      “One of the men who carried out the devastating bomb attacks in Brussels once worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament, officials say.

      He had month-long summer jobs there in 2009 and 2010, the EU Parliament said, without revealing his identity.

      Sources, however, say he is Najim Laachraoui, one of the airport bombers.

      The Belgian prime minister has defended his country’s approach to fighting terror threats, insisting Belgium is not a “failed state”.

      Charles Michel said everyone in authority had to take a share of the blame for failings before and after 22 March.

      The attacks by so-called Islamic State on a Brussels airport and metro station killed 32 people.

      Laachraoui, already a major suspect on the run after the Paris attacks in November, was named as one of the two bombers who targeted Zaventem airport.

      The EU Parliament said the cleaning firm had provided proof that the person hired had no criminal record at the time.

      The BBC’s James Reynolds in Brussels says the capital’s metro and its airport are gradually reopening….”

  10. FRANCE – RIPOSTE Laïque – Paris: condamnation d’un site d’extrême-droite dirigé par un Suisse

    La justice française a condamné mercredi le directeur de la publication du site d’extrême droite Riposte laïque. Le Suisse Alain Jean-Mairet devra s’acquitter d’une amende de 5000 euros pour provocation à la haine envers les musulmans.

    Cette “diatribe violente” contre les musulmans avait été publiée en octobre dernier. Intitulé “Et si l’islam était le culte de la perversion sexuelle et morale?”, le texte avait été signalé au parquet par la Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l’antisémitisme (Licra).

    Signé Salem Bennamar, le texte énumérait en introduction une foule d’abjections – “abuser sexuellement d’enfants pré-pubères”, “terroriser, racketter, décapiter” – et accusait les “gouvernements occidentaux et musulmans” de silence voire de complicité active.

    Limites de la liberté d’expression dépassées

    Le tribunal correctionnel de Paris a estimé que “sous couvert d’expliquer les faits qu’il dénonce par la supposée déviance morale de l’islam, l’auteur impute ensuite aux musulmans, de manière explicite, sans aucune réserve et sans distinction entre eux, une perversion morale et des comportements abjects”.

    Pour les juges, le texte procède à une “stigmatisation généralisée et systématisée des musulmans”, en évoquant “leurs supposées ‘pratiques zoophiles, pédophiles, incestueuses et nécrophiles, voire démoniaques'”.

    Loin de se livrer à une critique de l’islam, son auteur “s’adonne à une diatribe violente contre les musulmans, auxquels il prête des perversions inhérentes à leur seule appartenance religieuse”, ont estimé les juges. Selon eux, “les propos poursuivis ont amplement excédé les limites admises à la liberté d’expression”.

    Problème de compétence

    Dans un article publié sur son site, Riposte Laïque indique que l’avocat d’Alain Jean-Mairet a fait appel. La défense considérait que la justice française n’était pas compétente pour juger M. Jean-Mairet, présenté comme le président de Riposte laïque Suisse, pays où s’est établi le site internet.

    La Cour a toutefois rejeté cet argument, estimant être compétent dès lors que les propos litigieux étaient accessibles en France. Le parquet avait estimé que l’établissement du siège social de l’association en Suisse constitue en fait une manoeuvre pour tenter d’échapper aux poursuites.

    Mercredi, le site de l’association renvoyait vers le nom d’un responsable domicilié en Thaïlande, tout en indiquant être basé à Genève. Riposte laïque s’était fait connaître en voulant organiser en juin 2010 un “apéro saucisson-pinard” dans le quartier multiethnique de la Goutte d’Or à Paris, qui a été interdit.

    http://www.romandie.com/news/Paris-condamnation-dun-site-dextremedroite-dirige-par-un-Suisse/692351.rom
    ================================================================

    • Et si l’islam était le culte de la perversion sexuelle et morale ?

      Forniquer, violer, abuser sexuellement d’enfants pré-pubères, incendier, faire de l’élevage sexuel sous couvert d’adoption, terroriser, racketter, décapiter, lapider, kidnapper, rançonner, vitrioler, pratiquer la nécrophilie et la zoophilie, trahir, brader le pays, brûler le drapeau national, piétiner les codes républicains, appeler au meurtre des « mécréants », prier illégalement dans les rues, s’envelopper dans son linceul, faire l’apologie du djihad et de l’antisémitisme, razzier, profaner les tombes, prêcher la haine du juif, du chrétien et du démocrate dans les mosquées, appeler au meurtre des démocrates, assassiner, envoyer des filles mineures en Syrie pour servir de putes halal afin de satisfaire les bas instincts des terroristes, partouzer halal, donner sa femme en offrandes aux escadrons de la mort djihadistes, ce n’est ni un crime ni un délit aux yeux des gouvernements occidentaux comme musulmans qui eux-mêmes organisent des filières terroristes et servent de proxénètes pour l’occasion.

      Tout ceci n’a rien de choquant ni d’outrageant pour les bonnes âmes musulmanes, qui versent leurs larmes de crocodiles quand leur ignoble figure tutélaire Mahomet est soi-disant caricaturée et ridiculisée, mais ça le devient quand un homme entretient une relation sexuelle avec une personne majeure et consentante du même sexe que lui. Le partenaire sexuel chez les musulmans est celui qui se soumet sans broncher à ses désirs. Un musulman s’accouple avec un être humain comme avec un corps inerte ou un animal, il n’a pas à tenir compte de sa volonté. Hypocrite et cul-bénit, il prêche et se drape dans sa vertu tout en s’adonnant à la luxure. C’est un déviant sexuel né, qui trouve une légitimation à ses pulsions dans sa religion elle-même, qui fait office de facteur désinhibiteur. Elle libère ses bas instincts de toutes contraintes morales et sociétales.

      Plus les musulmans se voilent la face, plus ils essayent de soustraire au regard de l’humanité les traits hideux de leurs perversités sexuelles et de leur amoralité qui marquent leurs visages. Elles ne sont ni puritaines ni rigoristes, elles se cachent d’elles-mêmes. Elles ont peur d’assumer leur identité sexuelle non-conformiste, éprouvant une véritable aversion pour tout ce qui les renvoie à leur véritable nature. La morale musulmane est un pur fantasme, une illusion d’optique, un trompe-l’œil pour induire l’observateur étranger en erreur et pour lui faire croire que ces sociétés musulmanes sont un modèle exemplaire en ce qui concerne l’ordre moral. Ce n’est rien d’autre qu’un rideau qui cache les coulisses d’un théâtre aux regards des spectateurs. Quand une religion veut régler dans ses moindres petits détails la vie intime de ses disciples, cela en dit long sur sa nature voyeuriste, sur l’hyper-sexualisation de son message soi-disant sacré et sur son caractère profondément exhibitionniste. De tous les systèmes de croyance qui puissent exister, l’islam est le seul à avoir codifié les rapports sexuels et fixé un cadre dans lequel lesdits rapports peuvent être accomplis. Il est permis d’entretenir toutes sortes de relations de l’humain à l’animal, en passant par les corps sans vie des femmes, de même qu’avec les djinns.

      Les musulmans ont beau se proclamer homophobes et condamner les homosexuels, ils sont certainement les peuples au monde qui s’adonnent le plus aux pratiques homosexuelles à cause du cloisonnement sexuel de leurs sociétés, qui favorisent la promiscuité entre les personnes du même sexe, pratiques homosexuelles qui trouvent aussi leurs origines dans les abus sexuels dont les musulmans sont souvent victimes pendant leur enfance de la part des imams et des instituteurs, quand ce n’est pas des membres masculins de leurs familles. Le même raisonnement prévaut aussi pour leurs femmes qui vivent dans leur tour d’ivoire en vase clos, qui partagent les « faveurs sexuelles » d’un même mâle mais s’ennuient et manquent cruellement de tendresse et n’ont pas d’autres moyens pour s’évader et combler leur vide affectif que de se livrer à une activité sexuelle entre elles.

      On ne saurait dire qu’avec leurs pratiques zoophiles, pédophiles, incestueuses et nécrophiles, voire démoniaques, les musulmans ont une morale sexuelle et que les interdits et tabous sont leurs atouts majeurs. Quand bien même ils pourraient le revendiquer, il n’en demeure pas moins qu’ils seraient à contre-courant de leur innommable idole, leur prophète atteint du démon du midi à la cinquantaine, qui forniquait avec des femmes de 7 à 77 ans, violant les femmes captives, impudique, incapable de contrôler sa fougue sexuelle, allant même jusqu’à obliger son fils adoptif à répudier sa femme afin qu’il puisse abuser de ses charmes. Bel étalon sexuel qui fait la fierté de ses adorateurs, qui sont tout heureux de louer ses performances sexuelles hors du commun, qui seraient selon eux un don d’Allah, qui aurait honoré une centaine de femmes en une seule nuit.

      Dans les sociétés musulmanes, qui ont érigé la tartuferie en norme sociale, inscrite en lettres d’or dans leur code de bonne conduite, la morale religieuse musulmane, qui est l’école du vice par excellence, sous couvert du sacré, fait force de loi et la morale républicaine est un sacrilège qu’il faut abolir, car elle constitue une entrave aux libertés des mœurs barbares de l’islam. Autrement dit, tous les crimes et forfaits, qu’ils soient sexuels ou non, accomplis au nom de la religion musulmane, sont licites et toutes les libertés humaines sont illicites.

      Et dire que le prophète lui-même était un pervers sexuel patenté, auquel tous les musulmans aspirent de ressembler. Tout donne à croire, pour perpétuer la tradition, qu’il vaut mieux avoir des penchants pédophiles, y compris pour des jeunes garçons, les gholmanes, que d’avoir une orientation ouvertement homosexuelle.

      Salem Ben Ammar

      http://ripostelaique.com/et-si-lislam-etait-le-culte-de-la-perversion-sexuelle-et-morale.html

  11. Ashton Carter says U.S. military too ‘top heavy,’ aims to cut ranks of generals and admirals

    Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday he plans to reduce the number of generals and admirals to counter a “top-heavy” command structure.

    Shrinking the top brass is one of a number of ideas for updating the sprawling Defense Department command structure as contained in the 30-year-old Goldwater-Nichols Act. Mr. Carter said there are too many four-star billets.

    “In the coming weeks the Defense Department will look to simplify and improve command and control where the number of four-star positions have made headquarters either top-heavy or less efficient than they could be,” he said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

    “The military is based on rank hierarchy, where juniors are subordinate in rank to their seniors,” he said. “This is true from the platoon to the corps level, but it gets complicated at some of our combatant and component command headquarters, where we have a deep bench of extremely talented senior leaders. So where we see potential to be more efficient and effective, billets currently filled by four-star generals and admirals will be filled by three-stars in the future.”

    Mr. Carter is, however, sticking with the current lineup of Combatant Commands, headquarters such as Central Command, European Command and Pacific Command, which do the war planning and fight the wars.

    For example, Central Command now heads the war against the Islamic State and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pacific Command oversees countermeasures to China’s growing aggression.

    Some analysts had proposed consolidating commands, such as European and Africa commands. Africa Command was created in the George W. Bush administration to counter a growing Islamic threat on the continent.

    Mr. Carter rejected that idea. Combining the two, he said, would be “actions that would run contrary to why we made them separate, because of their distinct areas of emphasis and increasing demands on our forces. And indeed those demands have only further increased in recent years, with each command growing busier.”

    Mr. Carter also said he plans to keep the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, currently Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, out of the wartime chain of command, from the president to the defense secretary to field commanders.

    Goldwater-Nichols institutes that arrangement to preserve the chairman as an objective voice and the chief military adviser to the president and the defense secretary.

    But chairman and the service chiefs, who are mostly assigned the task of maintaining combat readiness of each branch, will gain a larger voice in war planning and weapons acquisition.

    “In an increasingly complex security environment, and with a decision chain that cuts across the combatant commands only at the level of the secretary of defense, we are not postured to be as agile as we could be,” Mr. Carter said.

    The thrust of Goldwater-Nichols, a command structure born out of the failed Desert One operation to rescue Americans in Iran, will remain intact.

    “I’m deeply proud of how our people have operated in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 15 years,” Mr. Carter said. “So the updates we make now must not undo the many positive benefits that Goldwater-Nichols has had for DoD. Instead, they must build on them.”

    Congress will have its own ideas on legislation this year to change the department’s organizational structure.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/5/ash-carter-says-us-military-too-top-heavy-aims-cut/
    ============================================
    Pentagon chief seeks reforms, calls Russia ‘No. 1 strategic threat’

    Seeking to make the US military more efficient and better coordinated in the face of “strategic threat” from Russia, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is seeking “practical updates” to the Pentagon’s organizational framework established in the 1970s.

    Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, Carter said the reforms were necessary to make the US military more “agile” and able to address the five strategic challenges, which he named as “Russia, China, North Korea, Iran………. and terrorism.”

    https://www.rt.com/usa/338579-carter-pentagon-reform-russia-threat/

    • Too many senior officers are coming out and saying that Obama has weakened the US military way too far, they have to be punished for this by being purged from active duty.

  12. Swiss Weigh Muslims’ Refusal to Shake Female Teachers’ Hands (abcnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/swiss-weigh-muslims-refusal-shake-female-teachers-hands-38203868

    “A Swiss high school’s decision to accept two Muslim boys’ refusal for religious reasons to shake hands with their female teachers has triggered a debate in the small Alpine country, where handshake greetings have long been a gender-neutral tradition.

    The public school in the northern town of Therwil, near Basel, recently accepted the teens’ belief that they should only willingly touch the women they eventually marry.

    Regional spokeswoman Deborah Murith said Wednesday that the school’s decision centered on the balance between constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion and gender equality. She said the school had ruled that if the boys won’t shake hands with female teachers they should also be banned from shaking hands with male teachers.

    However, she added the decision is temporary, pending legal advice that the school has sought from the Basel-Landschaft regional government on the matter.

    The issue is but another episode showing how European officials have been grappling with ways to balance civil and religious rights on a continent that was long dominated by Christianity but has faced an influx of Muslims in recent decades. Switzerland drew headlines in 2009 with a controversial ban on the construction of minarets.

    Some political and religious leaders criticized the school’s decision.

    “Shaking hands when greeting one another is part of the culture in Switzerland and practiced as such at Therwil schools,” Therwil’s local council said in a statement. “The decision of the school therefore doesn’t reflect the position of the community council in this matter.”

    The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland noted that politeness is a key aspect of Islamic tradition, and the practice of women and men shaking hands across gender lines varies from one predominantly Muslim country to another. The federation said refraining from handshakes is “inappropriate” in Switzerland.

    “I would urge students and parents to consider the following: Can refusing a handshake be more important than the Islamic commandment of mutual respect?” federation president Montassar BenMrad said.

    Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga, a former Swiss president, said on Swiss TV: “There are always new issues when it comes to coexisting, but in this case it seems absolutely clear to me that it’s totally wrong for a child to refuse to shake their teacher’s hand. That doesn’t fall under the headline freedom of religion. On the contrary, I think it’s part our culture to shake hands.””

  13. Migrant crisis: European Commission proposes asylum reforms (BBC, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35974982

    “The European Commission has come up with alternatives for a “more humane and efficient” way of handling asylum in response to the migrant crisis.

    The current EU system is widely thought to have failed because of the influx of a million people through Greece.

    Among the options is a plan to scrap a rule for refugees to claim asylum in the country they arrive in.

    The so-called Dublin regulation proved unworkable when Germany opened the door to Syrian refugees last August.

    European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans argued the current system had to change, saying: “We need a sustainable system for the future, based on common rules, a fairer sharing of responsibility, and safe legal channels for those who need protection to get it in the EU.”…”

    • EU wants to centralize its asylum process (DW, Apr 6, 2016)
      http://www.dw.com/en/eu-wants-to-centralize-its-asylum-process/a-19170231

      “Europe’s refugee crisis won’t be resolved by the EU Commission’s proposals. They want to reflect further and develop asylum law in the EU. But just how and when will this happen? Bernd Riegert reports from Brussels.

      Is the EU Commission afraid of its own courage? Confidential papers from the Commission that were recently leaked to media sources in Brussels reveal that the EU Commission wants to propose to member states a centralization of the asylum process.

      Decisions concerning asylum applications would go through European authorities, which is seen as a further development in immigration policy.

      That was no longer the case after the weekly meeting of the EU Commission in Brussels Wednesday. Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the Commission, appeared before the press, delayed by consultation with the 28 Commissioners from all member states. The most sensitive parts in the asylum documents would be eliminated, declared Timmermans.

      “Long-term, there are other options, including a centralized European system with European decisions taken regarding individual asylum applications. But from a political perspective, it isn’t realistic to speak of that today. For that reason, we also didn’t propose that today.”

      Markus Ferber, the CSU party representative responsible for immigration policy at the EU told Deutsche Welle that such a proposal by the Commission would have surprised him.

      “I would consider it a bit adventurous for such a mammoth administration to succeed at the European level.”…”

  14. Deadly diabetes in ‘unrelenting march’ (BBC, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35959554

    “The world is facing an “unrelenting march” of diabetes which now affects nearly one in 11 adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

    In a major report it warned cases had nearly quadrupled to 422 million in 2014 from 108 million in 1980.

    High blood sugar levels are a major killer – linked to 3.7 million deaths around the world each year, it says.

    And officials said the numbers would continue to increase unless “drastic action” was taken.”….

    The Middle East has seen the prevalence of diabetes soar from 5.9% of adults in 1980 to 13.7% in 2014.

    Dr Slim Slama, a WHO specialist in region, told the BBC News website: “We are the region that has experienced the greatest rise in diabetes, moving from 6 million to 43 million – it is a huge, huge increase.

    “In Qatar or Kuwait we have more than 20% of the population with diabetes and when you look at subgroups – people beyond 45 or 60 years old – it’s 30-40% and things are even more worrying.”…”

  15. German Prosecutors Probe Comic’s Poem About Turkey President (abcnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-prosecutors-probe-comics-poem-turkey-president-38203717

    “German prosecutors have to decide whether a TV comedian’s poem about the Turkish president was mere satire, or a punishable offense.

    German public broadcaster ZDF said Wednesday that prosecutors in the western city of Mainz have opened a preliminary probe into whether the poem broke the law.

    If convicted of insulting a foreign head of state, Comedian Jan Boehmermann could face up to three years in prison.

    Boehmermann read the poem in a program aired by ZDF television Thursday as an example of something that wouldn’t be allowed in Germany, contrasting it with another channel’s satirical song that also poked fun at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    While the German government defended the song as legitimate free speech, it has strongly distanced itself from the poem.”

    • German comedian could face jail for insulting Erdogan (thelocal, Apr 6, 2016)
      http://www.thelocal.de/20160406/german-comedian-could-face-jail-for-insulting-erdogan

      “Germany’s hippest young comedian faces a jail sentence of up to five years if Turkey decides to press charges over a poem he wrote insulting its head of state.

      Jan Böhmermann knew what he was doing when he read out a self-penned poem insulting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan live on his late night show on Thursday evening.

      He introduced the piece by speaking directly to the Turkish president.

      “What I’m about to read is not allowed. If it were to be read in public – that would be forbidden in Germany,” Böhmermann said, before proceeding to perform his “smear poem” which, among many insults, called Erdogan a “goat fucker” who “watches child porn while kicking Kurds.”

      Böhmermann has reached an unrivalled level of popularity among Germany’s youth for his boundary-pushing humour in a comedy scene which is often dry and formulaic.

      He was reacting to an official complaint made by the Turkish government against a satirical song broadcast on public television in March which mocked Erdogan for his pomposity and his poor human rights record….”

    • Merkel says ZDF’s poem on President Erdogan ‘insulting’

      German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized a video of a comedian reading a poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Germany’s state broadcaster ZDF and called the text “insulting,” during a phone call with Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

      “Both prime ministers agreed that the poem was intentionally insulting,” German government’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert said while providing information on the April 3 discussion between Merkel and Davutoglu.

      According to Seibert, Merkel said the poem was “unacceptable” and stressed that the broadcaster removed the content after apologizing on April 1 for “crossing the line into slander.”

      Merkel had also underlined the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Germany, while recognizing certain limitations to these principles.
      “Humor is part of freedom of expression and the press but it is not without limits,” he added, but declined to comment on whether the chancellor extended an apology over the incident.

      Seibert also evaded the question over which prime minister brought up the issue of the poem during the phone call, which mainly focused on the migrant deal between Turkey and the European Union.

      The aforementioned poem was read by German satirist Jan Böhmermann on his late night show “Neo Magazin Royale” on March 31, only days after a diplomatic crisis ensued between Ankara and Berlin over a video ridiculing Erdogan that was aired on German regional public broadcaster NDR.

      German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier had slammed Turkey after the latter summoned Germany’s ambassador to Ankara over the video, saying Turkey should “share common European values” as a partner nation of the EU.

      “I think we can expect from such a partner nation [of the EU] that it shares our common European values,” said Steinmeier said in Tashkent on March 30, adding that this expectation was even more valid when the EU was “currently opening further accession chapters and intend to discuss them.

      http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97301&NewsCatID=351

      MERKEL verleugnet Pressefreiheit – Sichtweise zweier Damen

    • AFP- German prosecutors probe Erdogan ‘bestiality’ TV satire

      German prosecutors on Wednesday announced a preliminary probe into a TV satirist who crudely insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on air in the midst of a row with Turkey over freedom of expression.

      Comedian Jan Boehmermann accused Erdogan, among other things, of having sex with goats and sheep in his “Defamatory Poem” that, a smiling Boehmermann declared on air, openly breaches Germany’s legal limits to free speech.

      About 20 viewers agreed and launched criminal complaints over the offending clip, which Chancellor Angela Merkel through a spokesman labelled “deliberately insulting”.

      Prosecutors in the western city of Mainz, where public broadcaster ZDF is based, have now opened a probe to assess whether the poem screened a late-night show at the end of March indeed constitutes a criminal offence.

      “It could be a violation of section 103 of the criminal code — insulting organs or representatives of foreign states,” which carries up to three years’ jail, prosecution spokesman Gerd Deutschler told AFP.

      The prosecutors would ask ZDF to provide them with the footage which was taken offline on April 1, he said, adding that for a criminal case to proceed the Turkish government would have to file an official complaint.

      In the German-language rhyme Boehmermann, seated before the Turkish flag and a portrait of Erdogan, also charges that the Turkish leader loves to “repress minorities, kick Kurds and beat Christians while watching child porn”.

      The comedian was reacting to Ankara’s decision to call in Germany’s ambassador in protest over a previous satirical song broadcast on German TV which lampooned Erdogan in far tamer language.

      The two-minute clip “Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdogan”, set to the tune of a 1980s pop song, takes aim at the Turkey president over his alleged spending excesses and his government’s crackdown on civil liberties.

      Berlin’s muted response to Turkey’s diplomatic protest sparked criticism in Germany that Merkel’s government was kowtowing to the Turkish leader because Europe needs him to curb the influx of migrants setting sail for the EU from Turkey’s shores.

      After his own clip was taken off air and the internet, Boehmermann noted ironically that he and his employer had now “demonstrated the limits of satire in Germany, finally!”

      http://www.globalpost.com/article/6756111/2016/04/06/german-prosecutors-probe-erdogan-bestiality-tv-satire

      http://vladtepesblog.com/2016/04/02/zdf-deletes-bohmermanns-erdogan-satire-video-from-their-media-library/

    • “Bewusst verletzender Text” – Merkel distanziert sich von Böhmermann-Gedicht über Erdogan – Steffen Seibert in Berlin.

  16. Syrian arrested in Germany on war crimes charges (thelocal, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.de/20160406/syrian-arrested-in-germany-on-war-crimes-charges

    “German authorities on Wednesday arrested a Syrian national on war crimes charges, on suspicion of commanding a rebel militia in Aleppo that committed atrocities and plundered artefacts for sale.

    Federal prosecutors said in a statement that the 41-year-old accused identified only as Ibrahim Al F. had been detained in the western region of Westphalia on a German arrest warrant.

    “The accused is strongly suspected of treating people entitled to protection under international humanitarian law cruelly and inhumanely in the autumn of 2012 during the Syrian civil war,” prosecutors said.

    Ibrahim Al F. is believed to have led a 150-man district militia in Aleppo belonging to the Islamist rebel group Ghuraba al-Sham, then part of the Free Syrian Army, a loose coalition of opponents to President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

    Prosecutors said the militia, however, mainly pursued “self-serving aims”….”

  17. Boy sued for €20K after stabbing ‘friend’ in back (thelocal, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.at/20160406/boy-sued-for-20k-after-stabbing-friend-in-back

    “A 15-year-old boy is being sued for €20,000 after stabbing his ‘friend’ in his back because he veered in front of him on the pavement.

    A 15-year-old boy is being sued for €20,000 after stabbing his ‘friend’ in his back because he veered in front of him on the pavement in Vienna.

    According to 13-year-old Jakub, from Vienna, he had met 15-year-old Mostafa in front of an underground station after school when the older boy had complained that his ‘friend’ had stepped into his path.

    “Then he grabbed me by my left arm, pulled me down and stabbed me with a pocket knife,” says Jakub.

    Jakub’s step-father told the Krone newspaper that the other boy “wanted to kill him” in the incident that happened on March 11th.

    “Why do children do these things?,” the step-dad went on to ask. “They used to play football together, not stab each other.”

    Mostafa, who will also appear before a criminal court, is now being sued by his former buddy for €20,000 damages – a high price for falling out with your friend….”

  18. Finmeccanica in ‘biggest ever’ warplane deal with Kuwait (thelocal, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.it/20160406/kuwait-buys-28-warplanes-in-biggest-ever-deal-for-finmeccanica

    “Kuwait and Finmeccanica signed on Tuesday a contract for 28 Eurofighter “Typhoon” warplanes as the oil-rich Gulf state that is part of the anti-Islamic State coalition beefs up its military might.

    Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica, which will assemble the multi-role fighters, said the contract was its biggest ever. It did not specify an amount but Italian media reports said it was worth €7-8 billion ($8-9 billion).

    The deal also includes logistics, operational support and the training of flight crews and ground personnel, which will be carried out in cooperation with the Italian Air Force, Finmeccanica said in a statement.

    Kuwait’s parliament last month approved spending an additional $500 million as an advance payment for the jets.

    That funding came on top of $10 billion additional defence spending already approved by parliament in January to upgrade the country’s military….”

  19. How Sweden wants to keep refugee numbers down (thelocal, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20160406/how-sweden-wants-to-cut-the-number-of-refugees

    “Sweden’s migration minister on Wednesday outlined an updated version of how the government wants to tighten asylum rules to discourage refugees from travelling to Sweden.

    “This has been the most difficult task I have had on my desk in my almost 20 years as a politician at this level,” justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson told a press conference in Stockholm.

    The plan builds on a proposal first mooted by the ruling centre-left Social Democrat-Green coalition in November last year, following a record influx of asylum seekers to the country.

    However, it eases some of the tough restrictions initially proposed, following criticism by experts, other authorities and government agencies.

    The changes to the November proposal include:

    – Temporary residence permits will be extended for 13 months rather than 12 months, which means refugees are covered by Swedish social security benefits such as child care funding.

    – Those who land a job may be given permanent residence permits. However, this will not apply to people under the age of 25, unless they have completed the equivalent of a high school education. This is to avoid young refugees dropping out of school to seek employment.

    – In some “special cases” family reunification and the process of getting permanent residency for minors, for example children with health problems, will be made easier.

    “It’s not the case that we’ve closed the borders. More than a hundred asylum seekers are still coming every day. We’re doing more than anybody else, we’re making the biggest humanitarian effort since World War Two. I think we should be bloody proud of that,” Johansson was quoted as saying by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet…”

  20. Russia says its planes hit Nusra Front positions in Syria (reuters, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-syria-planes-idUSKCN0X329N

    “Russian aircraft have hit positions of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front near the Syrian city of Aleppo, thwarting an attempted offensive, Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

    It also said that up to 1,500 militants controlled by the Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra in Arabic), have attacked Kurdish fighters in Aleppo, killing 18 civilians and 11 of the fighters.”

  21. Moroccan Men Reports Sexual Harassment by Female Bosses (moroccoworldnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/183759/moroccan-men-reports-sexual-harassment-by-female-bosses/

    “Taroudant – The Moroccan Network for the Defense of Men’s Rights has said sexual harassment of men by women is a problem in Morocco.

    The men’s rights group claimed that sexual harassment by women, especially female superiors at the workplace, is also a pertinent problem that men have to deal with in their place of work.

    “There are many instances where women hit on men, which our group monitors,” said Abdel-Fattah Bahjaji, head of the group.

    Bahjaji said that women also direct some harassing expressions at men like “Hey handsome, what pretty eyes you have!”

    “You are like a gazelle walking the earth!”

    The head of the men’s right group said that most cases involve women making unsolicited passes at their male subordinates at work and when men resist their bosses’ overtures, they face harassment or sacking.

    However, the Moroccan sociologist Mariam al-Rabihi downplayed the allegations, saying that this kind of harassment is not frequent enough to call it an issue.

    “Harassment of men by women exists for sure, but we cannot call it a phenomenon,” she told The New Arab….”

  22. Mogherini Dismisses Euro-Deputy’s Allegations on Human Rights in Morocco (moroccoworldnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/183747/mogherini-dismisses-euro-deputys-allegations-on-human-rights-in-morocco/

    “igh Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini has curtly dismissed a Euro-deputy from the group of European United left concerning false allegations on the situation of human rights in Morocco.

    “The EU keeps a regular contact with the national council of human rights and its regional delegations, and supports the process of democratic reforms in Morocco in conformity with the new constitution,” Mogherini said in her answer to question by Portuguese Euro-deputy, communist João Ferreira.

    The EU lauded on several occasions Morocco’s commitment to promoting human rights, upholding democracy and the rule of law and reforming the judiciary.

    Answering another question on the Morocco-EU agriculture agreement, Mogherini said that the agreement is valid from the international point of view, adding that the European court’s decision does not affect agreements concluded with Morocco.”

  23. Moroccan-Spanish Counterterrorism Cooperation Model to Follow: Official (moroccoworldnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/183744/moroccan-spanish-counterterrorism-cooperation-model-to-follow-official/

    “The Moroccan-Spanish counterterrorism cooperation represents a “model to follow,” said on Tuesday Spanish secretary of state for foreign affairs Ignacio Ibanez.

    Spain appreciates cooperation ties with Morocco in terms of counterterrorism, this cooperation is a model to follow, the Spanish official said in an interview with the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET).

    He added that counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries does not face difficulties marking such cooperation in the European zone.

    He underlined that Spain is striving to promote cooperation between Brussels and Rabat.”

  24. U.S. to Approve $1 Million Grant to NGO in Western Sahara (moroccoworldnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/183726/u-s-to-approve-1-million-grant-to-ngo-in-western-sahara/

    “The U.S. State Department is expected to approve a USD 1 million grant for a program promoting “civil society and local governance” in the Western Sahara in southern Morocco, according to Al-Monitor.

    The agency will award the grant to one or more non-governmental organizations under the auspices of the Near Eastern Affairs bureau’s Middle East Partnership Initiative. The new project will serve to strengthen bonds between the region’s inhabitants and their local government.

    “The State Department is in the process of concluding negotiations on a civil society and local governance program in the Western Sahara,” a State Department official was quoted by Al-Monitor as saying.

    A report from the foreign aid appropriations committee of the U.S. Congress says the funds will also “support democratic reforms” in the Sahara….”

  25. Morocco Deport Canal + Crew for Filming without Authorization (moroccoworldnews, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/183728/morocco-deport-canal-crew-for-filming-without-authorization/

    “Rabat – A group of French journalists was arrested in Beni Mellal because they were making a short film about homosexuality without an authorization from local authorities.

    A source from the ministry of communication stated that the crew of the “le petit journal” show, which is presented by the French Channel “CANAL+,” was arrested and deported out of Morocco because they were filming an episode about homosexuality in Beni Mellal without a filming license.

    The same source added that the deportation of the French journalists was in total compliance with the legal requirements, and said that they could have applied for a filming license in order to avoid any confusion.

    He also confirmed that the Moroccan press works on such subjects regularly and that the authorities have never prevented journalists from obtaining a filming permit regarding these issues. He also called on the foreign press to respect the Moroccan law…”

  26. Afghan forces instructed to consolidate operations to fight growing instability (khaama, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-instructed-to-consolidate-operations-to-fight-growing-instability-0567

    “The Afghan security institutions have been instructed to consolidate and create further coordination to fight the growing instability in the country.

    The instruction was issued during the National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.

    According to the Presidential Palace media office, the NSC meeting reviewed the reports about the security situation of Helmand, Urugan, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul and Baghlan provinces.

    The Afghan national security forces were also hailed for their achievements and bravery to defend from the national interests of the country…”

  27. 30 killed as Afghan Air Force pound militants in Uruzgan province (khaama, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/30-killed-as-afghan-air-force-pound-militants-in-uruzgan-province-0569

    “At least 30 militants were killed in two separate operations conducted by the Afghan National Security Forces pounded militants in southern Uruzgan province in coordination with the Afghan Air Force.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the militants were targeted in Dehrawood district of Uruzgan by the Afghan security force.

    According to an operational update by Ministry of Defense (MoD), at least 17 militants were also wounded during the raids.

    At least 5 militants were killed in separate operations conducted in Ghazni and Farah provinces, MoD said, adding that 6 others were also wounded…”

  28. 39 ISIS loyalists killed in Afghan forces raids in Nangarhar (khaama, Apr 6, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/39-isis-loyalists-killed-in-afghan-forces-raids-in-nangarhar-0571

    “At least 39 ISIS loyalists were killed during a raid by the Afghan national security forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the militants were killed in air and ground operations conducted in Nazian, Achin and Kot districts.

    MoD further added that 15 militants affiliated with the terror group were also wounded during the same operations.

    Local security officials earlier said at least 19 militants were killed during the raids conducted in Kot district of Nangarhar as part of a military operation to clear the area from the militants presence.

    Provincial police spokesman Hazrat Hussain Mashriqwal said the operations are led by provincial police Chief Gen. Fazal Ahmad Sherzad.

    He said the Afghan forces kicked off the operations this morning and as a result at least 19 ISIS loyalits were killed and 15 others were wounded.

    Mashriqwal further added that the Afghan security forces did not suffer any casualties during the operations.

    This comes as the US forces conducted a drone strike in Achin district of Nangarhar province earlier, leaving at least 6 loyalists of the terror group dead.

    The Afghan forces have intensified counter-terrorism operations against the terror group loyalists amid concerns that attempts are being made by the militants affiliated with ISIS to expand foothold in Afghanistan.”

  29. Leftist Norwegian Politician Gets Raped By Somalian, Begs For Him Not To Be Deported

    Leftist Norway politican Karsten Nordal Hauken was brutally sodomized by a Somali and felt so incredibly guilty in the aftermath he subsequently begged authorities not to deport the man.

    Hauken has finally come out to tell the public his story of his rape and forgiveness, Norway’s public broadcasting channel NRK reports.

    Immediately after the rape first occurred, Hauken was taken to the hospital in Oslo where nurses collected samples for DNA evidence. About six months after the rape, police completed their investigation. They secured the DNA and fingerprint evidence necessary to move the case forward.

    In court, the Somali claimed the interaction was consensual, but Norwegian authorities begged to differ. The Somali went to prison for four and a half years.

    The story doesn’t end there. Shortly before the sentence was over, Hauken learned the man was about to be deported from Norway and sent back to Somalia.

    “I got a strong feeling of guilt and responsibility,” Hauken wrote. “I was the reason he wouldn’t be in Norway, and instead be sent to an unknown future in Somalia. He had already done his time in prison. Would he get punished again, and this time much harder?”

    Hauken fell into a deep depression. He started drinking heavily and lost years doing little else but smoking marijuana to dodge feelings of self-loathing.

    He’s since apparently turned his life around and has come to some important realizations, which may strike other observers as completely bizarre.

    As Hauken noted in the interview, it’s important not to stay silent about personal struggles and mental illness. Rape happens, and not just to women. But perhaps the most notable lesson Hauken says he learned is that “rapists are from a world so different from ours.”

    “In his culture, sexual abuse is about power, not lust,” Hauken said. “And it’s not considered a gay action to be the one who engages in power and violence.”

    “I don’t feel anger against my rapist, because I look at him as a product of an unjust world. A product of an upbringing full of war,” Hauken said.

    What this all means, according to Hauken, is that refugees need our help more than ever.

    http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/06/leftist-norwegian-politician-gets-raped-by-somalian-begs-for-him-not-to-be-deported/#ixzz4563Pb3Fo

    SV-er Ble Voldtatt Av En Somalisk Asylsoker!

    • This could almost be the basis of an episode of “The Twilight Zone” except that it is TRUE.
      Clearly a case where ideology has overwhelmed the man’s very own identity, a case of self-brainwashing it would seem.

        • That would probably be a kindness but I doubt if we could get that agreed to by most people.

          Given the rate of AIDS in the Gay community (I don’t know about the rate in Africa except that it is high) the rape itself may be a death sentence.