Thursday, August 6, 2020
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Islam - Current Day > 12 y/o Swedish Girl Collateral Damage in Migrant Gang War
12yo girl killed by stray bullet in gang war near Stockholm, leaving Sweden ‘shocked & dismayed’
People sit beside flowers and candles at the site where a 12-year-old girl was shot in Botkyrka, near Stockholm, Sweden August 3, 2020. © TT News Agency / Naina Helen Jama via Reuters
A drive-by shooting near the Swedish capital has left a 12yo girl dead, stoking shock and outrage nationwide as the government once again vows to step up policing and impose harsher sentences to stop a wave of gang violence.
The young girl, who has not been identified by authorities, was shot early on Sunday morning near a McDonalds in a suburb south of Stockholm, later dying in hospital from her injuries. The victim is not believed to have been the intended target in the shooting, but was hit by a “stray bullet” fired at two men said to be tied to a criminal gang, according to local press reports.
Justice Minister Morgan Johansson has dubbed the incident a “heinous atrocity,” saying he was “dismayed and shocked” to hear of the shooting while vowing to mobilize “more police” to prevent similar tragedies in the future and impose “harsher sentences” on criminals.
While the murder has been reported as a gang-involved homicide, local authorities cautioned that they had not yet determined the exact circumstances of the shooting, calling on the public to come forward with any information or evidence they might have. “I cannot confirm any such reports, but want to underline that we are in great need of witnesses and observations,” local police chief Carolina Paasikivi told the TT newswire.
The shooting has ignited a firestorm of controversy across Sweden, drawing criticisms of the government from the public and opposition MPs, among others, who insisted authorities take more aggressive action to tackle crime.
“Enough is enough!” tweeted Adam Marttinen, the legal policy spokesman for the Sweden Democrats, casting blame on the government for failing to prevent the tragic shooting while calling for a “war” on organized crime.
A spokeswoman for the right-of-center Moderate party, Maria Stenergard, similarly pointed a finger at the authorities and their approach to crime, tweeting: “So deeply saddened that we have a government that is totally incapable of seeing that people – not least children – are getting [hurt] really bad as a result of the public so completely capitulating.”
What does she mean by that? I suspect she is referring to the outrageous acceptance of tens of thousands of Muslim asylum seekers with no background checks and no real plan on how to integrate them into a society that they cannot possible be integrated with.
With the police investigation currently in an early stage, authorities are also reportedly seeking information on a white car that was seen around the crime scene at the time of the shooting, around 3:30am. No arrests have yet been made, but several suspects have been taken into custody for questioning.
National police chief Anders Thornbern said investigators would do “everything in [their] power to bring the people behind this terrible act to justice,” but noted that authorities were also depending on “those who know anything about the incident coming forward,” urging “schools, social services, police and citizens” to work together on the investigation.
Sweden has seen an uptick in fatal shootings and other violent crimes in recent years, much of it believed tied to feuding criminal gangs. In the first four months of 2020, fifteen people were killed in 98 separate shooting incidents, according to police statistics. The same period in 2019 saw 81 shootings, though with the same number of fatalities, up from 76 shootings and nine deaths the year prior. The country has also witnessed an unprecedented wave of bombings, with its national bomb unit called out to more than 100 blasts last year alone, many involving hand grenades and homemade IEDs.
“We've seen, over the last couple of years, that the amount of explosions in Sweden have risen to a level not seen anywhere else in Europe,” police official Stefan Hector told a local newspaper earlier this year, adding “The reasons, or underlying cause, are criminals clashing.”
What he doesn't add, and what very few media will report is that the vast majority of these criminal gangs are Muslim immigrants.
Amid the surge in gang violence, dozens of so-called “no-go zones” have emerged in some neighborhoods – dubbed “vulnerable areas” by police – where crime and poverty rates soar and law enforcers struggle to maintain an effective presence. While Swedish authorities have repeatedly pushed back on the “no-go” label, arguing officers are not actually barred from entering the areas, emergency workers have complained of a lack of security for personnel in such neighborhoods, pointing to the fact that first-responders often can't do their jobs without police escorts.
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
So Many Legs To This WE Charity Scandal, and So Little Interest in Canada's Mainstream Media
CBC BUSTED: Panelist who defended WE Charity was paid
$40,000 by Trudeau government
Roberto Wakerell-Cruz
Montreal, QC
The Post Millenium
Additionally, Alvaro received an added $24,997 contract to provide "communications advice" to Trudeau's Minister of Women Maryam Monsef, according to Blacklock's Reporter.
To the surprise of no one, Alvaro has made frequent appearances of CBC's Power & Politics, wherein she defended the Trudeau Liberals in their ongoing WE Charity scandal.
"Some of the facts unfortunately don’t lend themselves to the provocative nature of what we all like to describe as the ‘WE Scandal’ or ‘WE Controversy’," said Alvaro on the broadcast. "I think there’s been a lot of innuendo, a lot of rumour, a lot of he-said, she-said about We Charity."
"There isn’t a criminal investigation," she continued. "There’s a lot that’s been put out there but none of it has been justified. There hasn’t been a lot of evidence behind it. And I think it’s very concerning, quite frankly, that we continue to put the word scandal beside We."
"We’re looking at the decimation of a charity that just months ago was like a Canadian golden child," said Alvaro. "All of that down the tube to score some political points. I have a real problem with the way this charity has been treated."
According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Code of Ethics, pundits must provide full disclosure of their interests: "It is recognized the full, fair and proper presentation of news, opinion, comment and editorial is the prime and fundamental responsibility of each broadcaster."
CBC lists its panelists for Power and Politics of which Alvaro is the lead. There is no mention of her ever having worked for the Trudeau government.
Of course, it should be expected that panelists on CBC News and political comment shows would be biased toward the Liberals, since all the show hosts are also far-left and hopelessly in love with Justin Trudeau.
This report came from one of two right-wing web sites but originated with a members-only website called Blacklock's Reporter, about which I know nothing. We will soon know if the article is accurate because either Alvaro will disappear from P&P, or there will be a disclaimer before she speaks.
Most MSM News sites in Canada will likely ignore this story as another blow to the credibility of the Liberal Party. They are very protective of their far-left, acting PM.
Most MSM News sites in Canada will likely ignore this story as another blow to the credibility of the Liberal Party. They are very protective of their far-left, acting PM.
Meanwhile:
Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O'Regan, and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Katie Telford, are up to their ears in WE Charity by raising money through Amanda Alvaro's Toronto-based charity Artbound. According to Alvaro, she and Telford are very good friends.
O’Regan, Telford helped raise $400,000 for WE Charity
MARIEKE WALSH
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED JULY 12, 2020
UPDATED JULY 13, 2020
(Honorary Chair) and Jason Dehni (Co-Founder & Chair Artbound) pose for a picture.
Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for WE Charity prior to the Liberals forming government.
Through their work with a group called Artbound, Mr. O’Regan and Ms. Telford were involved in raising $400,000 for WE Charity, then called Free the Children, in 2010 and 2011, according to Amanda Alvaro, one of Artbound’s founders, and a close friend of Ms. Telford.
The 2010 press release announcing the launch of Artbound described it as a “nonprofit volunteer initiative in support of Free The Children.” Mr. O’Regan, then a host with CTV, was its honorary chair. Ms. Alvaro said Ms. Telford is a co-founder of the organization and her work with the group ended after 2012.
Mr. O’Regan also travelled with Artbound to Kenya in 2011 to help build an arts school that would then be managed by WE Charity. His office said he paid for the trip.
The two were both involved in the decision to award the charity a now-cancelled contract to administer a new $900-million program to pay students for volunteer work. The Prime Minister’s Office said Ms. Telford did not recuse herself from discussions about the contract and Mr. O’Regan’s office said he did not recuse himself from the cabinet decision.
Artbound was founded with a mandate to “help create sustainable change in developing countries through the arts,” according to the press release. Ms. Alvaro said the group has evolved to also raise funds for other charities. It became a registered charitable foundation in 2015, according to the CRA.
Artbound raised money through events like ‘The pARTy,’ which was attended in 2010 by Mr. O’Regan, Ms. Telford, and WE Charity co-founder Craig Kielburger. (See photo at top).
“I am tremendously proud of what we have created with volunteer-led Artbound and I saw firsthand how Free the Children changed lives,” Ms. Alvaro said.
Ms. Telford helped establish Artbound and developed the group’s mandate and how it could contribute, Ms. Alvaro said. But she added that Ms. Telford played a more peripheral role to herself and another founder who took on leadership roles.
Gosh, I wonder who that might be? Could it possibly be someone in the Liberal caucus?
“None of us had a personal tie to the Kielburgers,” Ms. Alvaro said, in reference to Craig and his brother, Marc Kielburger, who together founded WE Charity.
The Globe and Mail is a media partner of WE Charity.
In a statement, Mr. O’Regan’s office emphasized that he was working with Artbound, rather than directly with WE Charity.
“Minister O’Regan was not paid. Note that Artbound and WE (previously Free the Children) were separate organizations,” spokesperson Ian Cameron said.
WE Charity and WE Charity Foundation are also separate charities, although they have the same address and phone numbers. But be sure, money passes between them just as it did from Artbound to Free the Children. Somehow, this keeps reminding me of a money-laundering operation. I'm sure it's just my suspicious nature.
Mr. Cameron said the minister has not been involved with Artbound since he entered politics. Mr. O’Regan announced that he would seek the Liberal nomination in the Newfoundland riding of St. John’s South-Mount Pearl in August, 2014.
Both Ms. Telford and Mr. O’Regan are subject to the Conflict of Interest Act. It requires public office holders to recuse themselves from “any discussion, decision, debate or vote” that would put them in a conflict of interest.
The act says “a public office holder is in a conflict of interest when he or she exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further his or her private interests or those of his or her relatives or friends or to improperly further another person’s private interests.”
The connections between Mr. Trudeau’s most senior adviser and one of his cabinet ministers, and close friends, follows several other ties between the Liberals and WE Charity over the past decade. On Friday, The Globe reported that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family also travelled with the charity in 2017. And one of his daughters works for the charity.
And contrary to previous statements made to The Globe and online news outlet Canadaland, it emerged last week that members of Mr. Trudeau’s family were paid for their participation in WE Charity events.
His wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, was paid $1,400 in 2012, according to the charity, his mother, Margaret Trudeau, was paid approximately $250,000 between 2016 and 2020 and his brother, Alexandre Trudeau, was paid about $32,000 between 2017 and 2018.
Neither Mr. Morneau nor Mr. Trudeau recused themselves from the decision to award WE Charity a contract to administer the $900-million program.
WE Charity was to be paid at least $19.5-million, with $5-million of that going to other organizations.
In fact, it was $43.5m they were to be paid, and it was not WE Charity, but WE Charity Foundation, a new charity set up by the Kielburgers to manage their real estate holdings. They have no history whatsoever, of charitable activities. Why did the contract go to WE Charity Foundation?
The Keilburgers admitted that the contract was for $543.5m, with $43.5 to go for administrative costs and $500m to go to intended students. How did the contract drop from $912m announced by Trudeau. Where was the other $378.5m going to end up?
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion is investigating whether Mr. Trudeau breached the Conflict of Interest Act. The NDP and Conservatives have also asked Mr. Dion to investigate Mr. Morneau.
The Globe asked all other cabinet ministers on Saturday whether they have any previous or current connections with WE Charity, Free the Children, or with ME to WE, the charity’s for-profit affiliate organization.
As of Sunday night, seven ministers did not reply to the request for comment. The offices for Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos, and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson were among them.
Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna’s office declined to answer the Globe’s specific questions, including detailing what work she has done with the charity or ME to WE, but spokesman Bruce Cheadle said, “Minister McKenna has never been paid for any work with the charity.”
Most minister’s offices said their ministers had no connection with the charity or its affiliate.
The spokespeople for ministers Bardish Chagger, Marc Garneau, Karina Gould, David Lametti, Joyce Murray and Carla Qualtrough said their ministers have spoken at or attended a WE event but have never been compensated for their appearances and have no other connections with the organization.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng’s office said she hasn’t attended WE Charity events since her election in 2017. But spokesperson Ryan Nearing said it’s possible that some of the charitable events she attended prior to that had affiliations with WE. For example, she attended some Artbound events and paid for her own tickets.
So, now we have at least 11 Ministers or advisors in the caucus who have had some connection with WE charity. None of whom recused themselves from discussing giving nearly a billion dollars to it. Such integrity; they must get it from their Dear Leader's example.
War on Christianity at Another Christian University
Private Christian university says no sex outside heterosexual marriage. LGBTQ alumni say that discriminates
School forbids sexual intimacy outside 'biblical intentions' of heterosexual marriage
Bobby Hristova · CBC News
Redeemer University, a private Christian university in Hamilton, Ont., is facing criticism from former students who say the school's policies discriminate against LGBTQ people. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)
Within a year of starting school at Redeemer University, Lauren Druif wanted out.
As a queer student, she knew there was a risk of being an outcast at the private Christian school in Ancaster, a suburban area of Hamilton, Ont.
But a school policy that says students will be disciplined for any sexual behaviour that occurs outside a heterosexual marriage, based on what Redeemer calls "biblical intentions," made her feel like an outsider.
"That was a huge influence on the final decision to leave.... I can't think of anything other than discrimination to call it," said 22-year-old Druif of Acton, Ont., who left the school in 2016.
CBC has spoken to a number of Redeemer students, past and present. Some did not want to speak on the record for fear of reprisal from the university or because they hadn't publicly revealed their sexual orientation, but all of them expressed concerns about a school policy they say discriminates against LGBTQ students.
The school says the policy is part of the Reformed Christian tradition and does not discriminate.
Druif's sentiments were also echoed in the Rainbow Report, an internal document submitted to the school last year with LGBTQ alumni reflections of their time on campus and what they described as an unwelcoming climate for LGBTQ students.
Policy covers 'broad range' of behaviour
According to the school's Student Conduct and Accountability Policy, obtained by CBC, Redemeer disciplines students for what it refers to as "sexual misconduct."
"This covers a broad range of sexual behaviour by students when it falls outside biblical intentions and/or explicit guidelines. These include sexual intimacies which occur outside of a heterosexual marriage, including any type of intercourse or sexual relations or involvement with pornographic material," the policy says.
It's unclear how the school would discipline a student if it received a complaint, but in general, punishments range from warnings to fines to suspension and expulsion. School policies also apply beyond campus.
Before 2013, the school's standards of conduct didn't allow what it called "homosexual practice."
Same-sex marriage became legal in Canada in 2005.
Policies of public universities like the University of Toronto and McMaster University only pertain to sexual violence and sexual harassment, not consensual sex between two people.
Human rights experts told CBC they see Redeemer's policy as discriminatory and that it could be challenged in court.
Redeemer University declined multiple interview requests, but president Robert Graham responded to questions with an email.
"All people, including LGBTQ people, are created in the image of God and therefore deserve to be treated with dignity, love and respect. Redeemer condemns violence, harassment and intimidation," he wrote.
"As an institution based in the Reformed Christian tradition, we believe that all people are sinful and that this affects everyone's sexuality and relationships. The tradition also includes the understanding that Christian marriage is between a man and a woman and that sexual intimacy is reserved for a marital relationship."
He said that the Ontario Human Rights Code, specifically, sections 18 and 24, protects Redeemer's right to operate in accordance with its religious beliefs.
"What some refer to as discrimination is, in fact, freedom of association, which is protected by the law and is a core Canadian value," Graham said.
Debates about the rules in religious universities are not new. Trinity Western University in British Columbia tried, and failed, to create a law school with a similar rule. It was a battle between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom, which saw the Supreme Court of Canada rule that the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario have the power to refuse accreditation based on Trinity Western's policy.
In Redeemer's case, human rights experts say the policy could lead to lawsuits and human rights complaints.
"They're not discriminating against [students] because they're Christian, they're discriminating against them because they're LGBTQ by this code of conduct," Susan Ursel, the Toronto lawyer who represented the Canadian Bar Association against Trinity Western, told CBC.
"You can discriminate on the basis of only wanting Christians, sure, but once you're inside your Christian community, you don't get to pick and choose whether you like people who are gay or straight. You take your community the way you find it and you serve it."
Christopher Karas, a paralegal and human rights activist, said if challenged, Redeemer's policy would likely have to change.
"The courts have generally held that religious rights are institutional rights whereas sexual orientation and gender are individual rights, which supersede religious rights," he told CBC.
'I lived daily in fear'
The Rainbow Report, a 45-page document submitted to the university in 2019, features personal accounts from students and alumni, many of whom identify within the LGBTQ community.
The report is full of reflections that describe living in a culture of fear and shame. Many say they didn't feel safe on campus and some left school before graduation.
"My years at Redeemer, and especially those two when I lived on campus, were marked with guilt and fear! I felt guilty that I wasn't straight ... I lived daily in fear. I was afraid that someone would catch my eyes wandering," reads one submission.
Wow! That must have been just terrifying! What could be worse than 'wandering eyes'?
Another person wrote: "Redeemer was the strongest and most painful experience of silent and submersive deconstruction, for me, and for many of my friends."
Another horror! 'Silent and submersive deconstruction'! Could anything possibly be worse than that? BTW, does anybody know what that means?
One more reflection read: "So much fear. So many thoughts of being broken ... all because I signed a piece of paper making me fear expulsion and therefore being outed before I even knew where I stood with regards to faith and sexuality."
So, the logical question is, why did you sign with a Christian school? Your fear of being outed makes it quite clear that you knew where you stood with regard to your sexuality.
The document also includes recommendations from some students about how the school can improve. Some say the Bible can be interpreted to accept LGBTQ intimacy while others say the institution and staff should be more open about having constructive conversations.
The Bible cannot be interpreted to accept LGBTQ intimacy and still be The Bible. God is God, and He is not 'progressive'! Sin is progressive!
Abby Terpstra-Paterson contributed to the Rainbow Report. She graduated from Redeemer University in 2001 and said seeing anti-LGBTQ policies wasn't shocking back then.
"The fact that it's still 20 years later and it hasn't changed, that's alarming to me. I now have children who are looking at going to college and university and I would never send them [to Redeemer] now," the 40-year-old Mississauga, Ont., resident told CBC.
While Redeemer did receive the report, it's unclear what the school did with it.
In his responses to CBC, Graham did not mention the report specifically. He did say undergraduate programs are only open to students who share the school's beliefs. He also maintained that incoming students must sign a form that they understand the policies before joining the school.
Redeemer University president Robert Graham said the school has a Sexuality and Gender Awareness group on campus run by a hired external counselling agency. It's unclear what the purpose of the group is.
"No Redeemer student has ever been expelled or suspended because of their sexual orientation and Redeemer University's policies would not permit such," Graham wrote.
"Redeemer recognizes that Christians also struggle with issues of sexuality and identity, and is committed to walking with all who desire to be part of its community as shaped by its beliefs and policies."
Some submissions in the Rainbow Report note that the school is trying to be more progressive.
"The air about Redeemer is changing, it's growing and it should absolutely continue to do so. But we absolutely need to make sure that Redeemer is equipped to actually help nurture the people who are coming to study in its halls, not continue to make them feel isolated and hurt," one person wrote
Students have a choice to attend, but it isn't simple
LGBTQ students in the report also explain why some of them stayed at Redeemer despite knowing a private Christian school may harbour resistance to being LGBTQ. The report indicates many students attended because their family forced them to and that leaving for another school wasn't always possible.
Older alumni said many start school at 17 or 18 years of age and still haven't revealed their sexual orientation or gender identity to loved ones, let alone strangers. University and college years can also be when many might start exploring their sexuality or gender.
"I will get angry about those comments until the day I die because as [LGBTQ] people, we agree to things all the time in order to protect ourselves so people don't look at us sideways, so that people don't push us out of the one thing we want so badly, which is a community. We want to be loved," Druif said.
"A lot of us grew up loving our churches, loving the people who raised us in a church and loving these people who are saying these things about us and that hurts so bad."
Redeemer receives taxpayer money
Redeemer doesn't receive government operating funding like a public university does, and must rely on donations.
But it can still access taxpayer money through grants and funds.
Human rights experts say the government giving money to a school found to discriminate would contravene the Canadian Human Rights Act and potentially the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
According to the school website, the largest single sum of government money Redeemer ever received was $2.9 million for infrastructure projects in 2009 through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program by the federal government.
The school has also received money through other federal government programs.
Between 2003 and 2019, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) awarded faculty members $577,000 for research.
The most recent grant avenue has netted a total of $336,312 between 2013 and 2021 from the Research Support Fund. That money comes from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Redeemer University's website shows how much money it has earned from the Research Support Fund of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. It adds up to $336,312. (Redeemer University)
Both SSHRC and NSERC are overseen by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry.
The office of Minister Navdeep Bains declined multiple requests for comment or interview.
When asked about whether it would be appropriate for taxpayer money to go to a private religious institution that had policies found to be discriminatory, Dominique Bérubé, vice-president of programs at SSHRC, said there was an "obvious answer," but explained that the fund's eligibility criteria doesn't review a school's policies, giving them "no leverage to assess that question."
This is bizarre, and evil! Why would LGBTQ go after research grant money which would not be the least bit discriminatory in its application to strait or gay students? This is just a thinly veiled attempt to weaken and destroy the school.
"This is a fair question that needs to be addressed," she said. "Discrimination against LGBTQ groups is a critical issue."
So is discrimination against Christians. I'm inclined to believe that this is another LGBTQ attack on the right of Christians to exist in a Christian environment. You have virtually every other university in Canada at your disposal; how can it be discrimination for a few small schools to want to function as God intended.
At least two other schools with similar policies to Redeemer University (Tyndale University in Toronto and Ambrose University in Calgary) also receive money from the fund.
The majority of the SSHRC money Redeemer received went toward paying administrative salaries and lab maintenance tied to the research in each grant application.
"The question for decision makers in our courts is, 'Can religion do anything it wants? Or in a decent, multicultural, diverse society, are there even limits on what religion can do?' " Ursel said.
That's an absurd question and diverts away from the real question which is, 'Can Christian schools exist in a climate of hostility from LGBTQ lobbies?'
Another question is, 'What is more important to a Christian School, not hurting the feelings of LGBTQ students who are too immature to tell their parents that they are gay, or pushing God into a corner and telling Him to be quiet?'
Another question is, 'What is more important to a Christian School, not hurting the feelings of LGBTQ students who are too immature to tell their parents that they are gay, or pushing God into a corner and telling Him to be quiet?'
Those who want to destroy Christian schools don't believe in God the Father or Jesus Christ the Son. They think that schools can ignore the morality God-ordained and there will be no consequences from God. They're wrong. There will be consequences for both the schools and those who persist in their attempts to destroy them.
Monday, August 3, 2020
Corruption is Everywhere - Even in Spanish Royalty
Former Spanish king announces he’s leaving country after
$100m Saudi rail corruption scandal explodes
The 82-year-old former monarch told his son, King Felipe VI, he was leaving Spain, according to a statement released by the royal house on Monday. While Carlos has declined repeatedly to comment on the scandal, which triggered a Supreme Court investigation in June, the allegations are believed to be the reason he is leaving.
The court began looking into the former king’s involvement with a contract for a high-speed rail line from Mecca to Medina in Saudi Arabia in June, months after the Swiss La Tribune de Geneve paper reported that Swiss public prosecutors were investigating a $100 million Swiss bank account in the name of a Panamanian foundation whose sole beneficiary was Carlos. While the money was supposedly a gift to the foundation from now-deceased Saudi King Abdullah, the Geneva court suspected “aggravated money laundering” – that the funds were connected to a Spanish consortium receiving the €6.7 billion contract to construct the rail line. Carlos only added to the suspicion by liquidating the foundation in 2012 and transferring the funds to his former mistress, Corinne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.
Carlos was King of Spain for nearly 39 years, abdicating the throne in June 2014 to be succeeded by his son. When he stepped down, he lost his immunity from prosecution, though he cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed before the abdication. The current probe is not his first brush with a corruption investigation – Carlos has been accused of money-laundering before, and zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was once infamously caught on tape lamenting “The king has no concept of what is legal and what isn’t.”
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Islam - Current Day - ISIS Bride; Afghan Car Bomb; Islamic Rage; Women's Rights Activist Goes Silent
ISIS bride Shamima Begum’s UK return put on hold after British government wins right to appeal decision
Shamima Begum’s return to UK shores has been cast in doubt after the British government dramatically won a court battle allowing it the right to appeal an earlier decision. The appeal will be heard by the UK’s Supreme Court.
Begum, now 20, who was one of three east London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria to join Islamic State in 2015, won a High Court appeal earlier this month, allowing her to return to the UK and challenge the withdrawal of her British citizenship.
However, on Friday, the Court of Appeal ruled that the case raised a point of law of public importance, meaning that Begum’s return must be paused while the UK government appeals the decision.
Begum left the UK five years ago and lived under IS rule for over three years, having married Dutch-born Islamic State fighter Yago Riedijk. She was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019, and was discovered to be pregnant.
Then-UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked her British citizenship later that year on national security grounds. Last year, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) said that Begum had not been unlawfully rendered stateless while she was living in Syria because she was entitled to Bangladeshi citizenship.
Afghanistan car bomb kills 8, injures 30
By Danielle Haynes
Afghan security officers stands guard outside the emergency hospital in Kabul after a car bomb blast targeted
a crowded market in Logar province of Afghanistan, on Thursday. Photo by Jawad Jalali/EPA-EFE
a crowded market in Logar province of Afghanistan, on Thursday. Photo by Jawad Jalali/EPA-EFE
Multiple children were among the victims.
"The incident occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time in Sharwal Square of Pul-e-Alam city, capital of Logar [province]. The initial information indicated that eight civilians were martyred and 30 wounded," tweeted ministry spokesman Tariq Arian, according to a translation by Xinhua news agency.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack; the Taliban denied involvement, Tolo News reported.
The explosion comes ahead of a planned three-day cease-fire between the Afghan government and Taliban militants for the Eid al-Adha holiday.
Pol-e-Alam, AFG
Egyptian kills brother in row over Eid meat
Accused had warned his family against accepting meat being distributed to the poor
Gulf News
The accused told prosecutors in the Delta province of Beheira that he flew into rage on learning that his family had accepted the meat given away to the poor during the Eid of Sacrifice, private newspaper Al Masri Al Youm said.
He added that his family had ignored his earlier warnings against accepting such gifts. In a fit of rage, he flew the meat piece out of the house window, triggering a fight with his brother. Wielding a knife, the accused reportedly fatally stabbed his brother and inflicted wounds in the abdomen of his sister.
Local prosecutors ordered him to be kept in custody for four days pending further interrogation.
During Eid Al Adha, Muslims, who can afford it, sacrifice animals such as sheep, goats, camels and cows, honouring the Prophet Ebrahim’s willingness to slay his son Ismael at Allah’s command. As the Prophet Ebrahim and Ismael showed unwavering obedience to the divine order, Allah sent a ram slaughtered in the son’s stead.
Was it that he was too proud to accept meat given to the poor? Did his pride exceed all common sense and love for his brother and sister?
Of course, the son Abraham nearly sacrificed was Isaac. Ishmael had been sent away by Abraham as an illegitimate son after Isaac, the promised son was born. The Ishmael sacrifice story was invented by Mohammed thousands of years after Isaac's story was written.
'It's psychological torture': Saudi activist's family say she hasn't been heard from in 6 weeks
..
UBC graduate Loujain Alhathloul turned 31 on Friday in a Saudi jail
Michelle Ghoussoub · CBC News
Alhathloul, a graduate of the University of British Columbia, was arrested in May 2018 along with nine other high-profile women's rights activists. (Loujain Alhathloul/Facebook)
Women's rights activist Loujain Alhathloul, currently jailed in Saudi Arabia, hasn't been heard from in six weeks — the longest time she's been silent since she was arrested over two years ago, according to her brother.
Alhathloul, a graduate of the University of British Columbia, has been detained since May 2018, when she was arrested along with nine other women's rights activists. She turned 31 in prison on Friday.
"We don't know anything about her well-being and we don't know anything about where she is exactly," said her brother Walid Alhathloul, speaking on the phone from Toronto.
He said she was previously detained in Ha'er Prison, a maximum-security prison and the country's largest, but the family now isn't sure whether she's been moved to a different location.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, her family was able to visit her weekly. But those visits were replaced by weekly phone calls when Saudi Arabia tightened restrictions on prison visits to prevent the spread of the virus.
Alhathloul says the family now hasn't heard from her since June 9. "I would say it's a way to torture us, the family. Loujain knows that we are doing fine, but we don't know if she's doing fine," he said.
"We're safe — she's not safe. It's psychological torture."
Detained since 2018
Alhathloul was first accused of attempting to destabilize the kingdom. Since then, those charges have been changed to communicating with foreign journalists and attempting to apply for a job at the United Nations.
Her trial was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're expecting that we're not going to get any updates from the court, or from the judge," said her brother, who said that even two years on, the family maintains hope that she will be released.
"We're holding up. We're used to that and we know that the target is us. This was difficult at the beginning, but right now it's becoming part of our DNA."
Loujain Alhathloul's birthday triggered an outpouring of support on social media, and protests
outside of the Saudi embassy in Washington DC. (Loujain Alhathloul/Facebook)
In 2014, following her graduation from UBC, Alhathloul was arrested for live-streaming herself breaking Saudi Arabia's female driving ban by driving across the border from the United Arab Emirates.
The stunt, which captured the world's attention, earned her 70 days of detention. She followed that up by running in Saudi Arabia's first election open to women.
After 14 months of detention, she was offered to sign a deal that would have let her walk free if she posted a video statement denying that she'd been tortured. She tore up the document.
She had previously told her family that she'd been held in solitary confinement and suffered electrocution, flogging, and sexual assault
Alhathloul's birthday triggered an outpouring of support on social media and protests outside of the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C.
Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Walid Alhathloul said he believes his sister, who in February was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by United States Congress members, has become a symbol for women's rights across the world.
"People saw that when she got involved, she didn't have to, because she had all her own privilege," he said. "And despite that, she sacrificed her own privilege for the sake of greater women's rights in Saudi Arabia. She did that unconditionally."
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