After the death of the US Ambassador in Libya and protests in Egypt, anti-American protests have now spread to Yemen, with the US embassy being stormed.
Yemen is already a hot bed of anti-American feeling, with al-Qaeda active in the country. Many think Yemen could become the next Afghanistan.
The protests were sparked by a short clip of a movie, “Innocence of Muslims” on YouTube, made by an American Jew, Sam Bacile, where he depicted Muhammed as a pedophile and womaniser.
It has also emerged that the Libyan attack was planned in advance to be carried out on 9/11, the anniversary of the al-Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers in New York.
As the violence continues in the region, it has called into question whether America should be giving aid to countries who fail to deal with terrorism, and cannot protect American citizens within their own embassies.
Only months after Americans were hailed as heros in Libya for helping the people overthrow Gaddafi, muslim extremists have raided the embassy and killed the US Ambassador and three US workers. The reason for the violence in Libya and Egypt – a movie on YouTube by a young man from Florida, Sam Bacile. Bacile depicted Mohammed as a womanizer and pedophile.
What has now emerged, is whilst American citizens are under attack, the US embassy in Cairo issued a statement of apology to the attackers, instead of condemning the violence. The White House quickly retracted the statement. Under international law an American Embassy is like US soil in that nation, and an attack on an embassy is normally regarded as an act of war.
Whilst US money and military expertise helped overthrow the Libyan and Egyptian dictators, Muslims still view America as the “Great Satan”.
The eurozone countries, in their attempts to contain the debt crisis had ratified an agreement to create a permanent bail-out fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the permanent fund was to be €500 billion ($638.8 billion). However, some German lawmakers said that German involvement in the fund was in breech of their constitution. Today, Germany’s highest court ruled that the fund does not violate the German constitution, thus removing a considerable road block towards solving part of the debt crisis.
The court hearing has caused much uncertainty in European and global markets. Had the German lawmakers ruled to block the bailout fund, it would have sent panic through the global economy, and would have ended the bail-out fund as a rescue vehicle; Germany is the biggest contributor to the fund, as they are the largest economy in Europe.
However, the German court have placed a limit on Germany’s contribution to the European Stability Mechanism; Germany’s financial liability in the bail-out fund cannot be increased without agreement from the German parliament. Germany will not sign a blank cheque to Brussels!
The Euro, sitting at $1.2936 against the US dollar, is the highest it has been in four months. This follows a German Constitutional Court approval of German rescue and maintenance of the Euro.
The conditional approval has lowered fears for the region’s debt problem.
This new perspective has lifted global stock values and has also reduced Italy and Spain’s costs to borrow.
The Israeli filmmaker who created the film “Innocence of Muslims” which ignited ultraconservative Islamist violent acts, is now in hiding.
There have been assaults on the U.S. Embassy in Egypt and the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
Sam Bacile states “Islam is a cancer, period” and that his film is a provocative political statement which condemns the religion.
Claims are made in the film that Muhammad was a fraud, a “feckless philanderer” and an “approver of child sexual abuse”.
Bacile was warned that he might be the next Theo van Gogh. A Muslim extremist killed Van Gogh after making a film that appeared to be an insult to Islam.
Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. ambassador (J. Christopher Stevens) and three staff members at the American Consulate were killed on Tuesday following an attack by ultraconservative Islamist protesters.
The staff members were killed after they returned to the Consulate to help other staff members evacuate according to Fox News.
The Islamist protesters are angry over a film that is critical of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.
Dozens of protesters climbed the walls of the Consulate. After taking down the American flag, they tried to burn it. Unable to do so they then tore it apart and replaced the flag with a black flag with a Muslim statement…”There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet”.
Israeli filmmaker in hiding after anti-Islam movie sparks Libya, Egypt protests http://t.co/YzXmfryk مخرج الفيلم إسرائيلي وقرر الاختفاء
@MouridBarghouti 6 hours ago 34 retweets | 2 replies
Israeli filmmaker in hiding after anti-Islam movie sparks Libya, Egypt protests – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper
Film by Sam Bacile, who self-identifies as an Israeli Jew, led to protests at the U.S. consulate in Libya and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo; one American staffer killed in clashes.
Read more at www.haaretz.com
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@theblaze : This Is the Anti-Muhammed Movie That Sparked Deadly Islamist Protests in Egypt & Libya Yesterday http://t.co/fdaBYzIX by @billyhallowell 1 hour ago more »
Sam Bacile’s Anti-Islam Movie Sparked Deadly Protests in Egypt, Libya | Video | TheBlaze.com
On Tuesday, Americans remembered the lives of those individuals who were mercilessly killed during the September 11, 2001 attacks. But on the same day that the 11th anniversary of the tragedy was being remembered, two notable, anti-American events unfolded in the Middle East — in Egypt, Islamists tore down the American… …
‘Islam is a cancer – period’: said maker of ‘blasphemous’ internet film, which accused Mohammed of being a fraud and a paedophile, has led to the death of US ambassador in wake of violent protests in the Middle East.
Produced and written by Sam Bacile, a California real estate developer, the two-hour movie, ‘Innocence of Muslims,’ cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors.
The English-language 13-minute trailer on YouTube shows an amateur cast performing a wooden dialogue of insults
Muslims find it offensive to depict Muhammad in any manner.
Fears he will be ‘next Theo van Gogh’- Dutch filmmaker killed by a Muslim extremist after making film that was perceived as insulting to Islam
Film backed by U.S. pastor Terry Jones, who inflamed anger in the Muslim world in 2010 with plans to burn the Koran
Stocks to rise on German court ruling- U.S. stocks were headed for a higher open Wednesday after a German court backed Europe’s latest rescue fund.
Germany’s Constitutional Court dismissed complaints on the legality of the European Stability Mechanism, a permanent bailout fund that’s expected to have a maximum lending capacity of €500 billion.
Markets around the world initially rose on the news, but European stocks turned mixed in afternoon trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 lost 0.1%, while the DAX in Germany jumped 1.9% and France’s CAC 40 rose 1.2%.
Asian markets, which closed ahead of the German court decision, ended higher.
Investors were anxious about how the ruling would impact the European Central Bank’s plans to preserve the euro, which remained at its highest level against the U.S. dollar in four months early Wednesday.
“This is good news for the EU and has certainly been reflected in the value of the euro across the board,” said Chris Towner, director of foreign exchange advisory services at HiFX. “This gives a foundation for the EU leaders to start to put a proper framework in place for further integration.”
As stocks around the globe reacted, investors bailed out of U.S. Treasuries, sending the yield on the benchmark 10-year note up to 1.74% from 1.69% late Tuesday.
In corporate news, Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) is expected to unveil the iPhone 5 at an event later Wednesday . Shares of the company were higher as investors awaited the announcement.
U.S. stocks advanced Tuesday, rebounding from the previous day’s pullback.
German Constitutional Court backs European rescue fund
updated 8:19 AM EDT, Wed September 12, 2012
Protesters call for the end of the European Stability Mechanism in front of the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Germany
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
German court dismisses complaint against European rescue fund
37,000 citizens had sought to stop the fund going ahead
Critics said the fund would expose German taxpayers to excessive demands
Supporters say the European Stability Mechanism is vital to saving the euro
The eurozone’s crisis plan passed another milestone Wednesday with the decision from Germany’s Constitutional Court to dismiss a complaint against Europe’s permanent bailout fund, known as the European Stability Mechanism.
The decision eases the pressure on two of the eurozone bloc’s largest economies, Italy and Spain, whose funding costs have been soaring amid a financial crisis that has dragged on for more than two years.
The two countries — the bloc’s third- and fourth-largest economies, respectively — are considered too big to fail, but Spain has already been forced to seek financial aid for its banks and is widely expected to seek further assistance.
Anatoli Annenkov, senior European economist at Societe Generale, said the verdict showed that on paper, “we now have some powerful tools available which combined looks sufficiently large to deal with financing pressures on Spain and Italy, if and when they arise.”
That may “be sufficient to calm markets,” Annenkov said, although he noted that the plans needed to be quickly translated into practice, with full details of conditions and enforcement made clear. “We expect the first real case to be Spain, which is currently studying the conditions for applying for aid,” he added.
The decision, which was months in the making, was expected but clears the way for the introduction of the European Stability Mechanism, which is due to become operational in October and will have a maximum lending capacity of 500 billion euros. The ruling included conditions to limit Germany’s liability to the fund to 190 billion euros.
In Germany’s biggest ever constitutional challenge, about 37,000 citizens had tried to block the fund, saying it violated the country’s right to retain control of its own budget.
The citizens, who backed a legal push from the More Democracy movement, said the mechanism could expose the country to unlimited demands for taxpayer money. They wanted a referendum to decide the issue.
Supporters of the rescue fund, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said it was a vital part of measures to prop up ailing European economies and avert the collapse of the euro. Addressing German parliament Wednesday, Merkel said: “It is a good day for Germany, it is a good day for Europe.”
Markets rose on news of the ruling, as investors had been anxious about how it would affect the European Central Bank’s plans to preserve the euro.
It was feared that a negative ruling would throw global markets into chaos and force Europe’s politicians to return to the drawing board to tackle Europe’s debt crisis.
The bailout fund is set to provide financial help to European countries struggling to cope with their debt burdens.
It’s an integral part of a plan announced by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi last week to buy bonds with a duration of between one and three years.
The bond purchases, described as “outright monetary transactions,” would be available to countries that seek outside help and that agree to meet a number of budgetary conditions before approval. There would be no “ex ante limits on the size” of the purchases, Draghi said, repeating his pledge to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro.
The measure is designed to keep a lid on bond yields and borrowing costs.
The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other American staff members were killed Tuesday in an attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, the White House confirmed. President Obama, in a written statement issued Wednesday morning, called the attack “outrageous” and “senseless.”
Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff. The protesters, angry over a film that ridiculed Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, were firing gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades.
“I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens,” President Obama said in a statement Wednesday morning. “Right now, the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts and prayers. They exemplified America’s commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in stark contrast to those who callously took their lives.”
Obama said he’s directed the administration to provide “all necessary resources” to support security for U.S. personnel in Libya and to increase security at diplomatic offices around the world.
“While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants,” he said.
Obama called Stevens “a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States” who “selflessly served our country and the Libyan people” throughout the Libyan revolution.
“His legacy will endure wherever human beings reach for liberty and justice,” the president said. A White House official said Obama was told Tuesday night that Stevens was unaccounted for, and informed early Wednesday of his death.
Libya’s interim president on Wednesday apologized to the United States for the attack. Mohammed el-Megarif described the attack as “cowardly” and offered his condolences. Speaking to reporters, he vowed to bring the culprits to justice and maintain his country’s close relations with the United States.
Stevens is the first U.S. ambassador killed in an attack since 1979.
The State Department identified one of the other three Americans killed as Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, a husband and father of two who had worked for the State Department for 10 years. The U.S. government is still notifying the next of kin for the other two individuals killed, and has not identified them.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Stevens as a passionate and dedicated diplomat who had devoted himself to the transition in post-Qaddafi Libya.
“As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi. He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation,” she said.
Stevens was appointed as ambassador to Libya in May 2012.
He served as a special representative to the Libyan Transitional National Council during the revolution in 2011, and as the deputy chief of mission from 2007 to 2009. Originally from California, Stevens was an international trade lawyer before joining the Foreign Service in the early 1990s. He also served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps from 1983 to 1985, teaching English in Morocco.
U.S. officials remain on alert for violence at other diplomatic posts.
Hours before the Benghazi attack, hundreds of mainly ultraconservative Islamist protesters in Egypt marched to the U.S. Embassy in downtown Cairo, gathering outside its walls and chanting against the movie and the U.S. Most of the embassy staff had left the compound earlier because of warnings of the upcoming demonstration.
Dozens of protesters then scaled the embassy walls, and several went into the courtyard and took down the American flag from a pole.
They brought it back to the crowd outside, which tried to burn it, but failing that tore it apart. The protesters on the wall then raised on the flagpole a black flag with a Muslim declaration of faith, “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” The flag, similar to the banner used by Al Qaeda, is commonly used by ultraconservatives around the region.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Algiers was warning Americans in the country to avoid non-essential travel amid calls for more protests after the Libya attack.
US ambassador to Libya, 3 American staff members killed in attack
Residents in Southern California on Monday were greeted with pungent smells of sulfur.
Officials have been perplexed. An explanation being explored is a wind delivered odor from a recent large scale fish die off in the Salton Sea.
Residents of Riverside County through to the San Fernando Valley were the recipients of the odor, about 150 miles from the Salton Sea.
Experts however are skeptical of this explanation.
Jack Crayon, who is an environmental scientist with the Department of Fish and Game in California says that this odor development around the sea is common, it occurs a few times a year and that it is unusual for the odor to travel that kind of distance.
Intelligence from Israel, the United States and at least two other Western nations suggests that Iran is closer to building a nuclear weapon than previously thought.
If the International Atomic Energy Agency believes the intelligence to be credible it will further strengthen the case for a preemptive strike against Iran, to take out their nuclear facilities.
The evidence shows that Iran have been running computer modelling, essential to the understanding of how to build a nuclear warhead.