Reader submitted links for July 17 – 2015

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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

59 Replies to “Reader submitted links for July 17 – 2015”

  1. WikiLeaks Shows a Saudi Obsession With Iran

    BEIRUT, Lebanon — For decades, Saudi Arabia has poured billions of its oil dollars into sympathetic Islamic organizations around the world, quietly practicing checkbook diplomacy to advance its agenda.

    But a trove of thousands of Saudi documents recently released by WikiLeaks reveals in surprising detail how the government’s goal in recent years was not just to spread its strict version of Sunni Islam — though that was a priority — but also to undermine its primary adversary: Shiite Iran.

    The documents from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry illustrate a near obsession with Iran, with diplomats in Africa, Asia and Europe monitoring Iranian activities in minute detail and top government agencies plotting moves to limit the spread of Shiite Islam.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/world/middleeast/wikileaks-saudi-arabia-iran.html?_r=0

    • Given the history between Shiite and Sunni I wouldn’t call the Saudi interest an obsession, it is a survival tactic.

      • Exactly.
        They’re not going to sit on Iran’s nukes just making goo-goo eyes at the US of A, either.

        This deal has prompted Japan to jump a huge psychological hurdle too. They’re putting together their own sharp little military. With a little help from their new best friend in the Mideast.

        • Not so little, retired Air Force people who have flown over their Naval bases say there is a very large number of ships waiting for crews.

  2. o.0

    (Wonder what Obummer would say. After all, that deranged guy could have been his son.)

    Teen Arrested in Rape, Kidnapping of 82-Year-Old Woman in Coney Island: NYPD (nbcnews, July 17, 2015)
    http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Brooklyn-Coney-Island-Elderly-Woman-Raped-82-Sweeping-Arrest-Bedford-Stuyvesant-Asa-Robert-316114411.html?partner=nbcnews

    “An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the robbery, kidnapping and rape of an 82-year-old woman inside her home in Brooklyn, the NYPD says.

    Asa Robert was cuffed early Friday in Bedford-Stuyvesant, days after the violent episode inside an elderly woman’s home in Coney Island, according to the NYPD.

    The woman was raped after a suspect slipped into her home while she was sweeping outside early on Monday. The man waited until the woman came inside, then tried to rob the woman at knifepoint, authorities say.

    When the woman said she didn’t have any money, the suspect allegedly held her hostage for more than two hours before raping her.

    After the attack, police say the suspect allegedly stole an umbrella and bag full of clothes before leaving.

    The woman was taken to Kings County Hospital after the attack. It’s not clear how badly she was injured.

    Charges against Robert are pending. Police say that he was previously arrested on robbery charges, though it’s not clear if the case ended in a conviction.

    Attorney information for the man wasn’t immediately available.”

  3. Syria air strikes conducted by UK military pilots (BBC, July 17, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33562420

    “UK pilots embedded with coalition allies’ forces have been conducting air strikes over Syria against the Islamic State group, it has emerged.

    This is despite UK MPs voting in 2013 against military action in Syria.

    About 20 personnel, including three pilots, have been embedded with other coalition nations’ forces, including the US and Canada, the BBC understands.

    Tory MP John Baron said the personnel should be withdrawn as Parliament “said no to military intervention”.

    The MoD said personnel embedded with the US, French and Canadian armed forces had been authorised “to participate in coalition operations” and were under those forces’ chain of command.

    UK pilots are not currently taking part in the region, the MoD said, but ministers would have been aware of their recent role and the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman confirmed David Cameron had known.

    The MoD said the pilots flew intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike missions against IS.

    Only the US and Canada are operating in Syrian airspace, it said.

    The information emerged following a Freedom of Information request submitted by the human rights group Reprieve….”

  4. Egypt: Six killed in clashes amid Brotherhood protest (BBC, July 17, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33567024

    “At least six people have been killed in clashes between Islamist protesters and police in Egypt’s capital Cairo.

    The violence broke out during demonstrations in support of ousted President Mohammed Morsi and the banned Muslim Brotherhood after prayers at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

    The authorities blamed unknown assailants for firing on the march.

    But the Muslim Brotherhood said the deaths occurred when the police broke up the protest.

    Supporters of the Brotherhood have faced a crackdown since mid-2013, with thousands jailed and hundreds, including Morsi, sentenced to death.

    Demonstrations have dwindled under a law that requires a police permit.

    But there were street rallies on Friday following morning prayers for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month….”

  5. Yemen: Aden ‘liberated’ from rebels, exiled leader says (BBC, July 17, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33563190

    “Yemen’s southern province of Aden has been “liberated” from Houthi rebel forces, the country’s exiled vice-president has declared.

    Khaled Bahah, who is in Saudi Arabia, said his government would work to restore basic services there.

    Aden has for months seen heavy fighting between rebels and loyalist forces backed by Saudi-led air strikes.

    The government fled from its stronghold in Aden in March as the Houthis pushed towards the provincial capital.

    A major offensive to drive the Houthis out of Aden was launched earlier this week and made successive advances.

    However fighting was continuing in parts of Aden on Friday, and rebels still held the northern and eastern entrances to the city, witnesses said….”

  6. Suicide Bombs Kill 64 in Northeast Nigeria on Muslim Holiday (abcnews, July 17, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/multiple-suicide-bombs-kill-64-northeastern-nigeria-32513701

    “Suicide bombs have killed at least 64 people in multiple blasts in the northeastern towns of Gombe and Damaturu, officials said Friday, scaring people into staying home during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebration.

    Police say two women suicide bombers killed 12 people at two prayer grounds in Damaturu on Friday morning as people were preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

    Hours earlier two bombs killed 50 people buying goods for the holiday at the market in Gombe, according to National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Sani Datti. Another 75 wounded are being treated in two hospitals there, he said.

    The blasts are blamed on Nigeria’s home-grown Boko Haram Islamic extremist group which has launched a string of attacks that have killed hundreds during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ended Friday.

    The upsurge in attacks followed a directive to create more mayhem during Ramadan from the Islamic State group, to which Boko Haram has sworn allegiance. It also followed the May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has sworn to defeat the insurgents.

    Nigeria’s new army chief, Maj. Gen. Tukur Buratai, was in Damaturu on a visit to boost troops’ morale Friday and prayed at the town’s Central Mosque. He was appointed last week when Buhari fired the entire top echelon of the military that he has accused of corruption that prevents what was once Africa’s mightiest armed force from curbing the insurgency centered in Nigeria’s northeast.

    Recent attacks also have included the central city of Jos and the northern cities of Kano and Zaria.”

  7. All 10 South Africans detained in China heading home

    Johannesburg – All 10 South Africans detained in China a few weeks ago will soon be home, the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) said on Friday.

    Five of the South Africans will be landing on Friday night while the rest will fly out of China on Saturday, said the department’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, in a tweet.

    Monyela called it a “victory for diplomacy”.

    The 10 South Africans were part of a group of 20 on a 47-day tour through China. They were arrested at Erdos Airport on Friday morning.

    On Thursday, a Chinese official told news agency AFP that a group of foreigners had been detained for distributing “terrorist” materials.

    http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/All-10-South-Africans-detained-in-China-heading-home-Dirco-20150717

      • Revolt against migrants intensifies in Rome

        Just a day after homeowners in Treviso protested against migrants moving into their building, residents of a northern Rome suburb have taken to the streets in a bid to block the planned arrival of 100 refugees.

        Local residents are up in arms over the projected arrival of the migrants into a refugee center Casale San Nicola that has been set up in an old school.

        With the support of fascist group CasaPound, the residents have blocked the street leading to the school in an attempt to stop the migrants arriving.

        “We won’t let them pass,” one resident told La Repubblica. “Casale San Nicola needs to remain Italian,” added Andrea Antononi, the vice president of CasaPound Italia.

        On Friday morning a number of police officers and an armoured car arrived on the scene but for the moment those taking part in the roadblock are standing firm and singing the national anthem, the newspaper said.

        According the newspaper, the driver of a Mini tried to breach the roadblock by driving through, but failed.

        But in doing so, the car knocked an elderly woman to the floor. “I was scared because it came at me from behind,” she was quoted as saying.

        The local authorities first announced that 100 migrants would be transferred to the old school last week, and not all local citizens opposed the plans.

        Alberto Meoni, a resident, told La Repubblica of his hope, saying: “The site is perfect and this is going to be the most beautiful welcome city in Italy.”

        However, fascist group CasaPound immediately opposed the prefecture’s decision and announced plans to protest against it.

        “The arrival of 100 migrants into a community of 400 people is a complete invasion,” they stated in a note last week.

        The scenes on the outskirts of Rome match similar protests held on Wednesday and Thursday in a suburb of Treviso, and suggests that animosity towards refugees is spreading as numbers rise.

        http://www.thelocal.it/20150717/rome-rivolts-against-migrants

  8. NORTHERN ITALY – TREVISO –

    Italy residents set fire to beds in anti-migrant protest

    Rome (AFP) – Residents in Treviso in northern Italy set mattresses on fire Friday in a bid to stop the local government from housing some 100 migrants, media reported.

    Authorities plan to accommodate 101 migrants in empty apartments in the village of Quinto, but several angry residents broke into one of the buildings, removed camp beds, mattresses and televisions intended for the newcomers and set them on fire outside.

    The protesters then put up tents, with the Corriere della Sera newspaper quoting them as saying: “We aren’t going home until they leave — this is an invasion.”

    Italy is currently hosting more than 80,000 migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean fleeing war, persecution or poverty in the Middle East and Africa. The arrivals include many Africans, particularly Eritreans, as well as Syrians.

    Luca Zaia, the president of Italy’s Veneto region and a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, told Italian television he agreed with the protesters, and complained about the ‘Africanisation’ of his own region.

    But Treviso prefect Maria Augusta Marrosu said: “They are staying, because they don’t have the choice.”

    Graffiti sprayed on the side of a building in Quinto said in large red letters: “Prefect Marrosu, take them home.”

    Italy’s resources are being severely stretched by the influx of migrants. The interior ministry wants to share the burden across regions, but in many cases local governments do not have adequate facilities to host them, particularly in the north.

    Lombardy, Italy’s richest region, is hosting nine percent of the migrants, while Veneto is hosting four percent and Liguria two percent. Sicily is currently accommodating 22 percent of the arrivals, according to official figures released in June.

    http://news.yahoo.com/italy-residents-set-fire-beds-anti-migrant-protest-002603521.html
    ————————————————————————–
    VIDEO – TREVISO – July 15 201 5

  9. DAILY MAIL – ISIS film a CHILD carrying out a beheading for the first time: ‘Cub of the Caliphate’ is the first seen executing a prisoner by decapitation as the terror group increasingly use boys to kill

    Depraved jihadis forced a boy no older than 10-years-old to commit murder
    Child is seen executing a Syrian army officer near the city of Palmyra
    Approaches the victim from behind and uses a small knife to behead him
    It is the first time ISIS has used a child to carry out a brutal beheading
    However the terror group is increasingly using boys in its filmed murders

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3164999/ISIS-film-CHILD-carrying-beheading-time-Cub-Caliphate-seen-executing-prisoner-decapitation-terror-group-increasingly-use-boys-kill.html

    Now on youtube : Child beheading a Syrian army captain

  10. WSJ – Al Qaeda Fights on Same Side as Saudi-Backed Militias in Yemen

    Special forces from United Arab Emirates said to have joined battle

    Local militias backed by Saudi Arabia, special forces from the United Arab Emirates and al Qaeda militants all fought on the same side this week to wrest back control over most of Yemen’s second city, Aden, from pro-Iranian Houthi rebels, according to local residents and Houthi forces.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-fights-on-same-side-as-saudi-backed-militias-in-yemen-1437087067

  11. UK – BRISTOL – Leading Bristol Muslim and former government adviser, Farooq Siddique, charged with rapes

    A former government adviser on tackling radicalisation will appear in court charged with a string of offences including rape and assault.

    Police confirmed leading Bristol Muslim, Farooq Siddique, will appear in front of the city’s magistrates later this month to face six allegations, including three of rape.

    The 46-year-old has also been charged with two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of making a threat to kill.

    Mr Siddique of Moorhill Street in Easton is due to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court on July 28.

    No further details of the allegations against the former Muslim chaplain at Bristol University have been made public.

    Mr Siddique was born and raised in Bristol and a former pupil of Bannerman Primary and Whitefield Boys School.

    He worked his way up from the manager of the Save Service Station in Easton to a management consultant.

    He became the south west manager for the Government’s Prevent strategy, aimed at tackling radicalisation and extremism, and held that position until 2012.

    He is well known within the Muslim community of Bristol and has been outspoken on issues such as terrorism and radicalisation on both a national and city-wide stage.

    Prior to his work with the government, Mr Saddique, had a long association with the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society, being both the spokesman and the community development officer for the organisation.

    He has been a voluntary Sunday school teacher at Islamic institutions across the city and worked with most of the city’s mosques.

    He was heavily involved with the making of a BBC docu-drama about the radicalisation of Bristol bomber Isa Ibrahim.

    A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We can confirm that Farooq Siddique, 46, of Moorhill Street in Easton, has been charged with three counts of rape, one count of threats to kill and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

    “He is currently on bail and is due before Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, July 28.”

    It is understood that the ex-Bristol Post columnist is set to deny all the allegations against him.

    http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Leading-Bristol-Muslim-government-adviser-Farooq/story-26913566-detail/story.html

  12. India First:
    “Hindu Rashtra is a vision to make Bharat. The realization of the expressions of social arrangement and spirituality based on Vedic principles and Sanatan Dharma. Its is also making it possible to have active participation of Hindus in traditions and culture of Bharat which is core foundation for the existence of Hindu people.”

    “16) When all non-Vedic practices are publicly banned. Anti-Hindus and non-Vedic can pray at their closed homes but not address it publicly.
    17) When all loudspeakers are banned in anti-Vedic, non-Hindu structures.
    18) When all such anti-Hindu, anti-Vedic dresses are banned which are veiled so no one misuses the veils for terrorism activities.
    19) When voting rights are given only to Hindus.”

    http://www.haribhakt.com/how-bharat-will-become-hindu-rashtra/

    At least they don’t have to carry heavy white crosses when they march in the streets.

    • More colorful, anyway.

      They’ve got so much going for them, it’s a shame they have to define themselves by what they’re against.

  13. Why did Italian Prime Minister wear body armor to meet with Kenya’s President? (CNN, July 17, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/homepage2/renzi-body-armor-kenya/index.html

    “We expect an Italian prime minister to wear a well-cut suit in a meeting with a world leader. But not accessorized with body-armor.

    Prime Minister Matteo Renzi raised eyebrows among Kenya’s social media users this week when he appeared to be sporting a bulky flak-jacket in a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta in his visit to Kenya’s State House on Wednesday.

    The images became a parlor game of ‘did he or didn’t he?’ with red circles highlighting the unusually bulky suit jacket.

    Kenyans mockingly asked whether Renzi took the adage ‘security starts with you’ a step too far.

    In recent years, Kenya has been hit by a series of horrific terror attacks, mostly blamed on Somali militant group Al-Shabaab.

    But the colonial-era presidential palace is arguably one of the safest places in the country.

    State House is barricaded by fences, guarded by heavily armed paramilitary officers and surveillance cameras are always keeping a watchful eye.

    Speaking from experience, it is not even wise to attempt a u-turn in front of the gate.

    At first, Italian Prime Ministers’ office would not comment on the matter.

    But an Italian government official later confirmed to CNN that Prime Minister Renzi wore a bullet proof vest during his visit to Kenya because of security concerns….”

  14. Iraq violence: Dozens killed in car bombing (BBC, July 17, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33577817

    “A car bomb has killed at least 40 people at a busy market in an Iraqi town, officials have said. Some reports from Khan Bani Saad, near Baghdad, put the toll much higher. Children were among the dead. The explosion came as people celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was so powerful that it brought down buildings, police said.

    The Islamic State (IS) group, who control swathes of the country, has said it was behind the attack. A statement from the group said one of their members drove three tonnes of explosives into a crowd.

    Police major Ahmed al-Tamimi, told the agency the damage was “devastating”. “Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect body parts of kids’ bodies,” he said. The Diyala provincial authorities have declared three days of mourning and cancelled Eid al-Fitr festivities.

    IS militants are battling government forces in the north and west of the country. The group captured parts of Diyala last year, and although it was later driven out it still has a presence there.”

  15. Islamic State video threatens Algeria and Spain

    Entitled “A Message to the Algerian People”, the five-and-a-half minute video was posted to IS’s Isdarat.tv website

    In the video, two purported Algerian IS fighters vow the group will conquer Algeria and Andalusia in southern Spain. “We won’t be satisfied until we reach Andulusia,” say the two Algerian militants, promising a “massacre”

    http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/islamic-state-video-threatens-algeria-spain-115071600072_1.html

    • Defeating ISIS is just part of the answer we will have to defeat Iran and several other Islamic groups and nations.

  16. IRAQ – BAGDAD – Isis car bomb kills at least 100 including children in Iraqi town of Khan Bani Saad

    Isis militants claim to have killed at least 100 people, including children, with a car bomb in the Iraqi town of Khan Bani Saad, where people had gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

    In one of the deadliest attacks since Isis extremists seized large swathes of the country, several buildings were brought to the ground.

    A number of people who had gathered together to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan were crushed in the collapse, according to police officers and medics.

    Police major Ahmed al-Tamimi described the scene as “devastating”.

    “Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect children’s body parts,” he said.

    Isis tweeted in a statement that the attack was to avenge the killing of Sunni Muslims in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija, and that the suicide car bomber was carrying around three tonnes of explosives.

    The group said the attack in the province of Diyala, which is not its first, was aimed at “rejectionists” – the derogatory term the group uses to refer to Shia Muslims.

    Crowds consumed by grief and anger over the attack smashed the windows of cars parked in the street.

    It is feared the death toll could yet climb, as rescue teams worked to retrieve the remains of the victims from under the rubble, an officer from the Diyala police command told Reuters.

    Ramadan is an important time of celebration for Muslims, and marks the end of a month of fasting.

    The occasion sees families and loved ones wear their best clothes and gather to give thanks and to eat their first daylight meal in a month.

    However, Diyala provincial government declared three days’ mourning and ordered all parks and entertainment places to close for the rest of the Eid ul-Fitr holiday to avoid further attacks.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/car-bomb-kills-at-least-80-including-children-in-iraqi-town-of-khan-bani-saad-10398064.html
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k23DOsS8y7s

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/car-bomb-kills-at-least-80-including-children-in-iraqi-town-of-khan-bani-saad-10398064.html

  17. IRAQ – BAGDAD – Isis car bomb kills at least 100 including children in Iraqi town of Khan Bani Saad

    Isis militants claim to have killed at least 100 people, including children, with a car bomb in the Iraqi town of Khan Bani Saad, where people had gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

    In one of the deadliest attacks since Isis extremists seized large swathes of the country, several buildings were brought to the ground.

    A number of people who had gathered together to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan were crushed in the collapse, according to police officers and medics.

    Police major Ahmed al-Tamimi described the scene as “devastating”.

    “Some people were using vegetable boxes to collect children’s body parts,” he said.

    Isis tweeted in a statement that the attack was to avenge the killing of Sunni Muslims in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija, and that the suicide car bomber was carrying around three tonnes of explosives.

    The group said the attack in the province of Diyala, which is not its first, was aimed at “rejectionists” – the derogatory term the group uses to refer to Shia Muslims.

    Crowds consumed by grief and anger over the attack smashed the windows of cars parked in the street.

    It is feared the death toll could yet climb, as rescue teams worked to retrieve the remains of the victims from under the rubble, an officer from the Diyala police command told Reuters.

    Ramadan is an important time of celebration for Muslims, and marks the end of a month of fasting.

    The occasion sees families and loved ones wear their best clothes and gather to give thanks and to eat their first daylight meal in a month.

    However, Diyala provincial government declared three days’ mourning and ordered all parks and entertainment places to close for the rest of the Eid ul-Fitr holiday to avoid further attacks.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/car-bomb-kills-at-least-80-including-children-in-iraqi-town-of-khan-bani-saad-10398064.html

    • ISIS claims responsibility for Iraq bombing that killed more than 80 (CNN, July 18, 2015)
      http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/middleeast/iraq-violence/index.html

      “At least 86 people were killed and 116 others were wounded Friday evening when a truck loaded with explosives exploded at a busy outdoor market in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq, police and health officials in Baquba said.

      Ali al-Tamimi, the general director of the Diyala Health Directorate, confirmed the death toll. He and two police officials in Khan Bani Saad blamed the attack on a suicide bomber.

      ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, one of the deadliest in recent months in Iraq, in a post on Twitter.

      The Islamist terror group said it had targeted a gathering of Shiite militias in the town, which is in Diyala province. Most of the residents are Shiites.

      Hundreds of people were shopping at the main outdoor market as they readied for Eid al-Fitr, a joyous Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Saturday is the first day of Eid for Shiites.

      Videos posted on social media show a large swath of fire at the scene, with bodies and debris over a wide area. Several multistory buildings appeared to have been heavily damaged by the blast.

      Khan Bani Saad is about 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Baghdad.”