Gates of Vienna News Feed 10/24/2011

Kidnapping continues to be a popular activity in the Muslim world. Al Qaeda has been blamed for the abduction of three Spanish aid workers in Algeria, and a Russian doctor was kidnapped by tribesmen in Yemen, who hope to use him to bargain for a prisoner exchange with the Yemeni government.

In other news, Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has proposed that Norway’s oil wealth be used to help the Eurozone solve its debt crisis. The Norwegian government is concerned that any loans it makes to the EU might not be collateralized sufficiently, and would thus be risky.

Meanwhile, Mt. Etna in Sicily is in the midst of a spectacular eruption, throwing lava hundreds of feet into the air. The ash plume trailing from the volcano forced the closure of nearby Catania Airport.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Insubria, JP, KGS, Kitman, Nilk, PJ, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.