Daily Post for reader’s links on June 6 – 2015

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

17 Replies to “Daily Post for reader’s links on June 6 – 2015”

  1. Yemen crisis: Saudi Arabia ‘shoots down’ Scud missile (BBC, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33033842

    “Saudi Arabia has shot down a Scud missile fired from across the border by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and its allies, the state Saudi Press Agency says.

    It was intercepted by a Patriot missile battery near the south-western city of Khamis Mushait in the morning.

    On Friday, four Saudi soldiers and many Yemeni rebels died in fighting on the border, the Saudi-led coalition says.

    It says forces loyal to Yemen’s former president, backed by the Houthis, attacked several Saudi positions.

    In a separate development, the Houthis have agreed to attend peace talks in Geneva….”

  2. Egyptian court cancels Hamas listing as terrorist organization: sources

    An Egyptian appeals court on Saturday canceled a ruling to list the Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization, judicial sources said, signaling a possible easing of pressure on the Gaza Strip’s ruling faction.

    Hamas welcomed the decision by Egypt, which faces an islamist insurgency it says is fueled by weapons smuggled from Gaza. Hamas said the ruling would help relations with Cairo.

    Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood which the authorities have declared a terrorist group and have repressed since the army ousted one of its leaders, Mohamed Mursi, from the presidency in 2013.

    […]The lawyer who first raised the case against Hamas told Reuters he would request that Egypt’s Foreign Ministry place Hamas on its list of terrorist organizations, based on previous judicial decisions.

    “This ruling does not return us to zero. I have two rulings placing the Brotherhood and the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades on the list of terrorist organizations,” Ashraf Farahat said.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/06/us-egypt-hamas-idUSKBN0OM0BZ20150606

  3. A TERROR suspect who was banned from Britain and deemed a “serious threat” to security has been allowed back in – because of the Human Rights Act.

    The 56-year-old man, known as ZZ, was excluded from the UK in 2005 after leaving for a short trip and has been trying for nine years to get back in.

    The dual Algerian-French national was once in a North African terror cell and had links to hate preacher Abu Qatada.

    An Arabic weapons manual was also found in his Camden garage when it was searched by authorities, security sources told the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission.

    But because his wife and eight children have lived in the UK for their whole lives, he has been allowed to stay under the controversial Human Rights Act.

    ZZ has been allowed in despite being “not frank” in his evidence to the panel

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/582639/Human-Rights-Act-ZZ-David-Cameron-immigration-law-right-to-family-life-UK-Britain-politics

  4. Luton faith community take stand against Britain First demo
    PROMINENT figures and organisations from Luton’s religious community have ‘strongly opposed’ a Britain First demo scheduled to take place in Luton this month.

    In an open letter signed by groups and leaders ranging from Sunni Council of Mosques to the Bishop of Bedford they said the community of Luton is “disappointed that Britain First has chosen to come to our town to express views which we consider to be harmful and divisive to all our communities.”

    “Furthermore, we are deeply saddened that Britain First has once again targeted a peaceful local mosque in Luton in order to promote their demonstration and a blatant attempt to create hate and division amongst our communities.”

    Right-wing political group Britian First have announced plans for a ‘Luton day of the nation’ on June 27 to which all ‘patriots’ are welcome to attend.

    The religious leaders said Luton has had to ‘endure’ many similar demonstrations ‘all of which have proved to be counterproductive.’

    Concerns were also raised about Luton’s ‘stretched’ police forces and the ‘totally unacceptable’ financial implications of the demonstration which will have a ‘detrimental effect on the lives of each and every member of our community.”

    They said: “We are proud of our British values of mutual respect, decency and good manners. We are grateful to Churches Together in Luton who have initiated some dialogue. Despite the deliberately provocative nature of Britain First’s actions in Luton, and in the spirit of our collective faiths and humanity, we would be more than willing to join in this open conversation to address any concerns and grievances”

    http://www.luton-dunstable.co.uk/Luton-faith-community-stand-Britain-demo/story-26647425-detail/story.html

  5. DIALY MAIL – US Marine and FBI agent turned Muslim extremist who worked for World Trade Center bomber radicalizing dozens of fellow prisoners behind bars

    – Marcus Dwayne Robertson, also known as Abu Taubah, is a former US Marine who is now a Muslim extremist
    – He was arrested in 2011 on weapons charges and put behind bars at John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County, Florida
    He successfully radicalized 36 prisoners, including a white supremacist, in just his first year behind bars
    – He was then moved into solitary confinement as officials did not want more prisoners joining sides with Robertson
    – Robertson was an undercover FBI agent for 15 years yet was also a bodyguard for the man believed to be behind the 1993 WTC bombing
    Prosecutors are now hoping to convince a judge to keep Robertson in solitary confinement for years to come

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3112544/US-Marine-FBI-agent-turned-Muslim-extremist-worked-World-Trade-Center-bomber-radicalizing-dozens-fellow-prisoners-bars.html

  6. Muslims ask Moscow authorities for separate beaches for men and women

    The suggestion of the Muslim community to organize separate beaches for men and women has been supported by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, Jewish and Buddhist religions.

    The request to the Moscow City Hall has been prepared and filed by Albir Krganov who is a deputy chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia and also a member of the Public Chamber’s Commission for Harmonization of Relations between Ethnic and Religious Groups.

    The activist claimed that “hundreds of thousands” of religious residents of Moscow were deprived of ability to visit city beaches that are currently shared by men and women. “As not everyone can afford a trip abroad, and we consider it necessary to open additional recreation zones for the residents of the capital city who cannot stay on common beaches for religious or moral reasons,” Krganov wrote in his letter.

    The activist added that countries like Israel, Turkey, and Germany have separate beaches for men and women and that the effect from this is positive. In the Russian Federation such beaches exist in the city of Kazan, the capital of predominantly Muslim republic of Tatarstan.

    […]However, State Duma deputy Valery Rashkin (Communist Party) urged caution in putting the separate beaches project into reality. “I am convinced that the society must not adjust itself in accordance with some religious or moral values of its separate members. There are dedicated places – like churches and mosques where people can unite in accordance with their ideas about the world and the rules of life. We should limit ourselves to these sites,” Rashkin told Izvestia.

    http://rt.com/politics/265216-russia-beaches-moscow-muslims/

  7. UK – MANCHESTER – Police officer sacked over ‘offensive and racist’ comments about Muslims on Facebook

    A police officer who posted “offensive and racist” comments about Muslims on Facebook has been dismissed from Greater Manchester Police force.

    The officer, whose identity has not been revealed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), made the vile slurs under a news article posted on the social network.

    The story concerned the number of Muslim and Christian children in Birmingham, reports the Manchester Evening News.

    The officer, referred to as Officer A, commented: “That’s because we have allowed them to settle into their own communities and they have no desire to mix, they would rather take over areas and breed like rabbits.

    “If you look at the way they take over certain areas it’s not unlike what the Germans did in Europe, they get a stronghold and then go for broke.

    “We have already had 2 Muslim-related beheadings in this country in a year.”

    A GMP disciplinary panel, chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett, heard how the officer’s Facebook comments had “disgusted” a colleague.

    The comment has since been deleted but Officer A was charged with breaching professional standards for equality and diversity and discreditable conduct.

    He admitted gross misconduct during only the second hearing of its kind ever to be heard in public.

    GMP bosses said the outburst came at a time when the force is “at the heart of tackling hate crime and defying racism” and dismissed him with immediate effect.

    ACC Wiggett said the panel noted Officer A’s remorse and good service record – which included several commendations – and accepted the comments were made off-duty on a private Facebook account.

    But he said the officer should have been aware of the sensitive nature of race as a debate and of GMP’s work to tackle racism.

    He said the “very concerning” comments “seriously undermined” confidence in Officer A among the public and his GMP colleagues.

    He said: “It’s clear to us the message was both offensive and racist in nature.”

    Mark Alberry, defending the officer, admitted the comments made online last September were “clumsy and crass”.

    But he said he had been making a point that “segregation is not a good idea”.

    He said Officer A held a number of manual labour jobs before his 14-year career at GMP and was not well educated.

    He insisted: “He is not a racist individual who has entrenched views.”

    The panel heard character references from colleagues who described Officer A as “professional and enthusiastic” with a good understanding of diversity and equality issues.

    One gay colleague said he was “one of the most open minded people on the division,” while a Muslim colleague said he was “considerate”.

    Mr Alberry said the policeman was mourning the death of a close friend and was depressed when he made the comments.

    But GMP barrister Jennie Ferrario said the force could not simply regard the comments as “clumsy and crass”.

    She said his continued employment would “make a mockery” of GMP and added: “The authority has lost all confidence in Officer A and asks for him to be dismissed.”

    Police bosses say opening up police misconduct hearings to the public will increase transparency within Greater Manchester Constabulary.

    Speaking about the decision not to name the officer involved, ACC Wiggett said: “In the past we’ve not had anything to hide.

    “The panel reports were published internally and we never used to name the officer and we would only talk about the misconduct.

    “It is good that the public can see how the hearings will take place now.

    “It really helps with transparency.

    “But we need to also make sure the officer can have a fair hearing and you’re not under public pressure.

    “They need to still be fair and correct.”

    Referring to the officer’s conduct, he added: “This was quite specific for this case.

    “A one-off heat-of-the moment action means we now have an officer half-way through his service dismissed.

    “That will stay with him for the rest of his life.

    “We need to have a diverse workforce policing a diverse community.

    “We need a force that has the respect and trust of the community.

    “This is about basic respect.

    “That’s what we ask all our officers to do and the vast majority do.”

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-officer-sacked-over-offensive-5832289

  8. DAILY MAIL – Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 World Cup vote as fresh letter emerges implicating South African officials in $10m bribe scandal

    – German newspaper Die Zeit say the German government sent Saudi Arabia a shipment of arms to persuade them to support 2006 World Cup bid
    – Then Chancellor Gerhard Schroder allegedly authorised shipment of rocket-propelled grenades week before vote back in 2000
    – Germany beat South Africa 12-11 in final round of voting
    – New letter implicates leading South African officials in $10m payment scandal at heart of FBI investigation into FIFA corruption
    – Supports evidence $10m was channelled to FIFA executive committee vice-presidents Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3112217/Germany-sent-rocket-propelled-grenades-Saudi-Arabia-swing-2006-World-Cup-vote.html

  9. Qatar to be stripped of 2022 World Cup, according to country’s whistleblower (dailymail, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3113870/Qatar-stripped-2022-World-Cup-according-country-s-whistleblower.html

    “Qatar are likely be stripped of the 2022 World Cup, according to a former senior figure in their bid team, who turned whistleblower to expose corruption.

    Phaedra Almajid says the weight of evidence of wrongdoing from her and others will be so overwhelming that FIFA will be left with no option but to find another host.

    Almajid has been under protective custody of the FBI and she fears her safety will be compromised further if the tournament is taken away from the tiny oil-rich state, who shocked the world by winning the right to stage the 2022 event in 2010.

    While hoping justice is done, Almajid admits that the prospect ‘scares me a lot’ because some ‘extremists’ may feel she played a role in that happening.

    She said: ‘There are people who are p***** off with me [for speaking out], and what really p***** them off is that I’m a female, Muslim whistleblower.’

    Another consequence of recent events, Almajid believes, is that outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter may try to take 2022 from Qatar as part of a radical reform agenda designed to win him praise ‘and save his skin.’

    Speaking for the first time since Blatter announced he wants a new election to pick his successor Almajid said: ‘I just don’t think Blatter actually intends to quit. Everything he does is very calculated. He’ll try very hard to save himself, I’m sure of it.’

    Almajid, an Arab-American now based in the US, worked for Qatar’s 2022 bid team until early 2010.

    She told the Mail on Sunday last year that a subsequent retraction of her allegations was coerced. In fear of her safety for herself and her family – she has two children, one of them severely disabled – she was taken into the protective custody of the FBI.

    The FBI are leading the investigation which has led to 14 arrests, with even more expected. ‘The FBI have everything,’ she said.

    Almajid also co-operated fully with a FIFA-funded probe led by Michael Garcia, a former US attorney for New York.

    When another FIFA official, Hans-Joachim Eckert, released a summary of Garcia’s findings last November, Eckert claimed there were ‘serious concerns’ about Almajid’s credibility.

    She had been guaranteed anonymity by Garcia. Instead she saw Eckert’s summary as a clear attempt by FIFA to smear her.

    ‘I’m still furious with the way I was portrayed,’ she says. ‘I was stupid enough to trust that FIFA wanted to find the truth.’

    Almajid insists that her anger today, however, is most intense on behalf of others who have been victims of human rights violations in Qatar, across many different sectors of society. This anger in turn is also aimed at FIFA, a body that handed Qatar the 2022 World Cup….”

  10. Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 World Cup vote as fresh letter emerges implicating South African officials in $10m bribe scandal (dailymail, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3112217/Germany-sent-rocket-propelled-grenades-Saudi-Arabia-swing-2006-World-Cup-vote.html

    “The German government sent a shipment of rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia in order to secure support for their bid to host the 2006 World Cup, according to the latest sensational claims in the FIFA scandal.

    German newspaper Die Zeit say the country’s Football Association arranged for then Chancellor Gerhard Schroder’s administration to supply the arms in order to swing the Saudi vote from Morocco to Germany ahead of the vote in 2000.

    It helped tip the knife-edge vote in Germany’s favour as they defeated South Africa 12-11 in the final round and duly hosted the World Cup finals six years later….”

  11. This is big. Really, really big… At least the Americans have the NSA protecting them from themselves… 😉

    How China’s Night Dragon cyber army has infiltrated every corner of Britain: Forget Edward Snowden… a chilling new book by the BBC’s top security expert lays bare the biggest internet hack in history (dailymail, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3113736/How-China-s-Night-Dragon-cyber-army-infiltrated-corner-Britain.html

    “Back in May 2004, Shawn Carpenter, a computer intrusion expert at Sandia National Laboratories – which work on the USA’s nuclear weapons programme – began investigating a cyber security breach.

    He had seen similar attacks on defence giant Lockheed Martin, which controls Sandia. Whoever was behind them was good – grabbing what they wanted in moments and always leaving a backdoor open so they could return.

    Carpenter used a technique called ‘back-hacking’ to pursue the attackers online, all the way through Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea where they stashed their stolen files to their source – Guangdong in southern China.

    Carpenter installed code on the hackers’ machine which sent an email every time they were active. Two weeks later, he had 23,000 messages. This was much more than one individual. It was a huge team working all hours.

    Carpenter had uncovered Titan Rain – the biggest cyber espionage campaign in history, and part of a programme which allowed China to plunder priceless military and commercial secrets from the West.

    Special units of the People’s Liberation Army stole secrets ranging from America’s stealth bomber blueprints and Coca-Cola’s business strategy to British Government briefings and BP geological reports.

    Titan Rain’s reach was vast. Terabytes of data on the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter had been stolen from companies including BAE.

    There were at least 500 significant intrusions into the US military. The blueprints for planes, space-based lasers, missile navigation and nuclear submarines had all been stolen. One American said there was not a defence contractor that had not been penetrated.

    And it was not just America. An email arrived in the London inbox of a Foreign Office diplomat in October 2003 purporting to come from a Tibetan group campaigning for autonomy from China. An attachment hid a malicious Trojan horse virus that allowed access to parts of the Foreign Office network.

    Never revealed before, this was the first serious known intrusion into British Government systems. Officials won’t name who they think was responsible, but the email came from Beijing.

    The more analysts began to look, the more they found. Britain’s cyber security watchdog at the time, the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC), warned in June 2005 that the Government and nearly 300 critical businesses – in defence, telecoms and national security – had been hit. But the Foreign Office forbade it from mentioning China for fear of the diplomatic impact.

    At the same time a vast Chinese company – which the US had kept out for fear of espionage – was entering into the heart of Britain’s technological infrastructure. Fears that it could be a secret information gateway to Beijing led to a secret centre being set up in Oxfordshire to make sure our network remains secure.

    Old-school espionage involved breaking into an office to steal files, but modern spying has adapted. The first step is emailing someone at the target organisation, perhaps posing as a colleague, and tricking them into downloading an attachment that allows hackers into the system.

    One specialist will search for likely targets, another remotely copies and removes files to an anonymous electronic ‘safe house’. Information is then retrieved by spies in Shanghai, Moscow, Tel Aviv or even Cheltenham, home to GCHQ.

    The beauty is that this can be done from the other side of the world – and if you are lucky, no one will ever know you were there.

    The most notorious group of cyber-spies was code-named APT1 – investigators found evidence of them in the systems of 141 companies in the English-speaking world.
    Once inside, APT1 hackers stayed for an average of 356 days – and in one case roamed for a remarkable four years and ten months.

    A new drug or aircraft engine costing millions in research can be siphoned off in a few moments.

    Western experts started talking about heavily protected Chinese research institutes and the companies linked to them suddenly making huge leaps forward. US experts point out that China achieved the advanced skill of making a submarine move quietly far faster than the US or Russia.

    The Chinese J-20 stealth aircraft arrived around a decade after Chinese hackers compromised a US research facility. And when Coca-Cola was negotiating the multi-billion-dollar purchase of a Chinese company, the APT1 group is believed to have got hold of its negotiating strategy. The bid failed.

    A different campaign by a group called Night Dragon targeted BP, Shell and Exxon in search of highly valuable geological data about gas and oil prospects – gold-dust to resource-hungry China.

    The language was apocalyptic: ‘The greatest transfer of wealth in history’ is how Keith Alexander, then-director of America’s National Security Agency, described cyber espionage in 2012. Others feared as much as a trillion dollars worth of damage. But by following the data trail left by APT1, investigators tracked them to a door in a down- at-heel part of Shanghai that housed Unit 61398 of the People’s Liberation Army. Inside, hundreds worked in a 130,000 sq ft building….”

  12. Islamic State magazine Dabiq sold on Amazon (BBC, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33035453

    “Copies of Islamic State’s English-language propaganda magazine, Dabiq, are available to buy on the website of online retailer Amazon, it has emerged.

    The author of the publications is listed as al-Hayat Media Centre, which is IS’s Western-focused media arm, producing videos and newsletters.

    Islamic State is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.

    Four different volumes are available in paperback. The magazine can be downloaded for free elsewhere.

    The books are available on Amazon’s sites in the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

    Dabiq is described on Amazon as “a periodical magazine focusing on issues of tawhid (unity), manhaj (truth-seeking), hijrah (migration), jihad (holy war), and jama’ah (community)”.

    The publication, named after the small Syrian town of Dabiq for symbolic reasons, was launched in 2014.

    Amazon’s websites list the publisher of the magazines as “CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform”, which is an Amazon-owned self-publishing company.

    Amazon did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.”

  13. EU anger over expulsion of top diplomat from The Gambia (BBC, June 6, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33035570

    “The European Union (EU) has summoned the Gambian ambassador for an explanation after its representative to the country was expelled.

    The EU is astonished by the move, which appeared to have no justification, a spokeswoman said.

    Agnes Guillaud has 72 hours to leave the country, without getting a reason.

    The EU has been critical of The Gambia’s human rights record, particularly regarding its laws penalising homosexuality.

    Last year the EU blocked nearly $15m in aid to The Gambia.

    President Yahya Jammeh, 50, has governed the small west African nation with a firm hand since he came to power in a coup 20 years ago.

    He has crushed dissent and faces mounting international criticism over issues ranging from human rights to his stated belief that he can cure Aids.

    The president has also implemented tough measures against Gambia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. He has called gay people “vermin” and has threatened to slit their throats.

    Homosexual acts are illegal in The Gambia. MPs passed a bill last August imposing life sentences for “aggravated homosexuality”.

    The EU summoned the Gambian ambassador on Saturday to seek an explanation for the expulsion, officials said.

    “There appears to be no justification for the decision by the Gambian authorities. We are astonished by this announcement which came with no explanations,” a spokeswoman said.

    The Gambia has accused both the US and the EU of conducting a campaign to besmirch the image of the country because of its position against homosexuality.

    “The government reminds all that homosexuality is totally against the religious, cultural and traditional values of The Gambia and would thus not be tolerated,” a statement from President Jammeh’s office said on Friday.”