Gates of Vienna News Feed 10/31/2011

Thanks to NATO, freedom and democracy are now enjoyed by the Libyan people. Evidence of their new condition may be seen in the black flag of Al Qaeda, which flies over the courthouse in Benghazi. Reports coming out of the city say that it is being governed by Sharia law.

In other news, Hagia Sophia, the former cathedral of Constantinople and later an Ottoman mosque, is being returned to use as a mosque after serving as a museum for almost a century.

Meanwhile, British prime minister David Cameron says that British ships off the Horn of Africa will now be allowed to carry armed guards to protect them against pirates.

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

Thanks to A. Millar, C. Cantoni, CSP, Egghead, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Gaia, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, JP, KGS, Kitman, Nilk, 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.