USA - Massacre: Orlando Gay Nightclub Shooting: 50+ Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire - by M.Grimson, D Wyllie and E.Fieldstadt

At least 50 people are dead and more than 50 others wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning.

The massacre is the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States.

Officials said a hostage situation developed after the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m.

The shooter was identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen, 29.

He was shot dead about three hours later when a SWAT team entered the club, police said. A handgun and AR-15-type rifle were recovered at the scene, according to police.

The law enforcement sources told NBC News that Mateen was born in New York in 1986 and was listed as living at a residence in Port St. Lucie, about 125 miles south of Orlando.

Mateen had active security officer and firearm licenses, according to Florida records, and his family said he worked in security. Marriage records show he was married in Port St. Lucie in 2009, and a relative said he had a 3-year-old son.

The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, officials said.

Mir Seddique, Mateen's father told NBC News, "this has nothing to do with religion." Seddique said his son got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago and thinks that may be related to the shooting.

"We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident. We weren't aware of any action he is taking. We are in shock like the whole country," Seddique said.

Meanwhile, a man who answered the phone at Mateen's address, Mustafa Abasin, told NBC News: "We are in shock and we are sad." He would not say how he knew Mateen, but said he was helping investigators.

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., whose district includes the area of the massacre, said the attack was "more likely than not ideologically motivated."

"It's no coincidence that the attack took place where it did and where it did," he said. "It might be that we've seen the commission of an awful hate crime."

Grayson said investigators were searching Mateen's home and combing the nightclub. Processing the gruesome scene would "take hours," Grayson said. "There is blood everywhere."

Police said Mateen was a U.S. citizen, but some of his family members are not. They would not say where those family members were from, and while they have not confirmed that Mateen was Muslim, several Muslim groups rebuked the attack.

Note EU-Digest: If it happens to turn out to be an  ideologically motivated terrorist attack it shows once again the cowardliness of these deranged killers. This massacre also highlights the urgent need for gun control in America and better screening of security personnel before putting lethal weapons into their hands. Either way - we can only hope that the investigation into this hideous crime comes up with answers very soon.

Read more: Orlando Nightclub Shooting: Mass Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire in Gay Club - NBC News

Gay Community: Slovenians reject same-sex marriage in referendum

Slovenians rejected a same-sex marriage law by a large margin in a referendum on Sunday, according to preliminary referendum results.

The results released Sunday by authorities show 63 percent voted against a bill that defines marriage as a union of two adults, while 37 percent were in favor.

The results were incomplete, but were unlikely to change significantly in the final tally.

Parliament introduced marriage equality in March, but conservative groups, backed by the Catholic Church, pushed through a popular vote on the issue.

Read more: Europe - Slovenians reject same-sex marriage in referendum - France 24

Catholic Church: Vatican should understand they only excist as a 'theocracy' in Europe by the grace of the EU - by RM

French Predident Hollande with Laurent Stefanini

France stated on Wednesday March 15 it was standing by its choice to send a gay diplomat to the Vatican, despite three months of silence from the Holy See over the appointment. "France has chosen its ambassador to the Vatican.

The choice was for Laurent Stefanini and that remains the French proposal," government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said. "Negotiations are underway. Every ambassador must be approved when they are nominated ... we are awaiting the response from the Vatican," Le Foll added.

The lengthy delay in approving the candidate is seen as unusual and could indicate a rejection.

While the Vatican usually declares it has accepted a candidate around a month after an appointment is made, it makes no public statements at all if the answer is no.

The French cabinet approved the appointment of the 55-year-old Stefanini already on January 5 but has not yet received a reply.

The Vatican is the smallest "state" in the world with a population of 842 and has a landmass of only 110 acres.

 In 2007, the Vatican was also silent for months when the last gay ambassador was appointed. Eventually, France was forced to select another ambassador. 

All this in spite of Pope Francis' PR comments regarding the church accepting LGBT individuals, he has publicly spoken out against same-sex marriage and adoption.

In this modern day and age - and basically already since Martin Luther and John Calvin broke the iron grip of the Catholic church on Europe with the reformation, the whole concept of the Vatican as a state is questionable to say the least. 

Although the 1984 concordat states that the Catholic religion is no longer the sole religion of Italy, in 2007 the Church objected to the introduction of an omnibus religious freedom law which would “put the Catholic Church on the same level as religious sects” . This law has still not been passed in Italy and should be.

According to the EU's Copenhagen criteria which define what states are eligible to join the EU, a candidate state must be a free market democracy. Given that the Holy See is a theocracy it does not meet the criteria. Basically case closed - however as it is small, and surrounded by an EU state, it is closely linked to the EU. The Holy See has an open border with the EU and even intends to join the Schengen Information System.  It also uses the euro as its sole currency and has an agreement with the EU allowing them to mint their own coins. 

The EU gave Italy authority to negotiate a deal with the Holy See in 2000, which allowed the Holy See to mint a maximum of €670,000. After a review of the arrangements, a new agreement came into force in 2010 which allowed the Holy See to mint €1 million a year (plus up to an additional €300,000 on special occasions).

With the above in mind, the Vatican should really start to comprehend that they exist as a "nation" only by the grace of the EU. They can not circumvent or disobey established EU Human Rights rules or impose their views on any member state, regardless of the fact they still seem to believe to qualify standing above established international laws. 

EU-Digest

Vatican - gay community: "Pope Frances speaks out of two sides of his mouth" - Vatican refuses gay French ambassador′s nomination

Italian gay activists have slammed the Vatican after it reportedly refused to accept France’s nomination for new ambassador Laurent Stefanini on the grounds of his alleged homosexuality. 

French President Francois Hollande recommended 55-year-old Stefanini for the post in January, but the Holy See has so far failed to recognize his credentials French and Italian media reported on Friday.

"Clearly, even at the Vatican they do not practice what they preach," Flavio Romani, chairman of the Arcigay association said Friday in a statement, where he blamed "top prelates" of contradicting one of Pope Francis' most famous statements.

In 2013, the pontiff said that "if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?

The debate comes as tensions rise between the Holy See and France's Socialist government after gay marriage was legalized in 2013, much to the outrage of the Catholic Church and traditionalists. 

Vatican officials have refused to comment on the allegation.

Read more: Vatican criticized after refusing gay French ambassador′s nomination | News | DW.DE | 10.04.2015

Russia Winter Olympics: Gay people should feel comfortable at the Sochi Olympics says President Putin

Gay people should feel comfortable at the Sochi Olympics but “leave children in peace,” Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

In June, Putin signed into law a bill forbidding the promotion of homosexuality to minors, sparking months of controversy ahead of the February 7-23 event in Sochi.

The law’s proponents argue that it is aimed at protecting children from harmful influences, but critics allege the move restricts freedom of speech and is part of a broader crackdown on Russia’s gay community.

Gay sex is not a crime in Russia, so gay people can “feel calm, at ease, but leave children in peace, please,” Putin said at a meeting with Olympic volunteers in the mountain village of Krasnaya Polyana, the base outside Sochi for Olympic snow sports.

The remarks come a day after Putin repeated his vow that there would be “no discrimination” at the Games. He has previously said that Russia will “do everything” to ensure a warm welcome for Sochi guests “regardless … of sexual orientation.”

Russia's Interior Ministry, which controls the police, has vowed to enforce the controversial anti-gay law at the Olympics. There will also be tight restrictions on protests, which are confined to a park in a small town that lies more than 12 kilometers from any Olympic venues.

U.S. President Barack Obama will not attend the Games, and his nomination of two gay former athletes to his country’s delegation has been widely interpreted as a comment on the Russian law.

Note EU-Digest: Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill . Gay sex is not a crime in Russia, but promoting sex  - whatever kind of sex - involving minors is not acceptable in any country.  

EU-Digest