Check comments for reader’s links for Aug. 10 – 2015

Daily Links Post graphic

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

54 Replies to “Check comments for reader’s links for Aug. 10 – 2015”

  1. U.S. consulate in Turkey targeted as wave of attacks kills nine

    ISTANBUL/DIYABAKIR (Reuters) – Two women shot at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Monday and at least eight people were killed in a wave of separate attacks on Turkish security forces, weeks after Ankara launched a crackdown on Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants.

    The NATO member has been in a heightened state of alert since starting its “synchronized war on terror” last month, including air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq. It has also rounded up hundreds of suspected militants at home.

    A far-left group that killed a Turkish security guard in a 2013 suicide bombing of the U.S. embassy in Ankara claimed it was involved in Monday’s attack.

    The Revolutionary People’s Liberation Army-Front (DHKP-C), considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Turkey, said one of its members was involved in the attack, and called Washington the “arch enemy” of the people of the Middle East and the world.

    Police with automatic rifles cordoned off streets around the U.S. consulate in the Sariyer district on the European side of Istanbul, following the gun attack there.

    Ahmet Akcay, a resident who witnessed the attack, told Reuters that one of the women fired four or five rounds, aiming at security officials and consulate officers.

    “Police were shouting ‘drop your bag, drop your bag’. And the woman was saying: ‘I will not surrender’,” Akcay said.

    “The police warned her again: ‘Drop your bag or we will have to shoot you’, and the woman said: ‘Shoot’.”

    One of the two women was later captured wounded, the Istanbul governor’s office said.

    The Dogan news agency said the injured woman was aged 51 and had served prison time for being a suspected member of the DHKP-C. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

    “We are working with Turkish authorities to investigate the incident. The Consulate General remains closed to the public until further notice,” a consulate official said.

    On the other side of Istanbul, a vehicle laden with explosives was used to attack a police station, injuring three police officers and seven civilians, police said.

    One of the attackers was killed during the bombing, while two others and a police officer died in a subsequent firefight, the Istanbul governor’s office said. Broadcaster CNN Turk said the officer was a senior member of the bomb squad who had been sent to investigate the attack.

    Shooting continued into Monday morning in the Sultanbeyli district on the Asian side of the Bosphorus waterway, which divides Istanbul, as police carried out raids.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either of the attacks, but U.S. diplomatic missions and police stations have been targeted by far-left groups in Turkey in the past.

    The DHKP-C, whose members are among those detained in recent weeks, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the U.S. embassy in Ankara in 2013 which killed a Turkish security guard.

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/attackers-open-fire-u-consulate-istanbul-cnn-turk-051821080.html

  2. Turkey: Police engage in fierce gun battle with Sultanbeyli shooters

    Police exchanged gunfire with unidentified persons after being shot at while investigating a bomb attack at a police station near Istanbul, Monday

        • Angry Afghan leader assails Pakistan as haven for deadly Taliban attacks

          KABUL —In an abrupt shift from his fence-mending outreach with Pakistan, a visibly angry Afghan President Ashraf Ghani lashed out at Pakistani leaders Monday for allegedly harboring Islamist insurgents carrying out deadly cross-border attacks.

          Speaking to journalists in his palace — just hours after a suicide bomber struck outside Kabul’s international airport and days after a 24-hour blitz of attacks in the capital — Ghani all but declared that Pakistan was behind the Taliban-linked assaults and many others before them.

          “Since I took office, Afghans have been waiting for Pakistan to show their tangible commitment” to peace, Ghani said, speaking in Afghan Pashto. “But attacks in the past two months and now in Kabul have shown us that it is still the same as the past .?.?. the sanctuaries of the suicide attackers are still in Pakistan.”

          Ghani, who spoke by phone Sunday night with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said his message to Sharif was “clear and positive .?.?. the continuation of this situation is not acceptable.”

          Pakistan originally backed the Taliban and later sheltered many of its leaders after their repressive Islamist regime in Kabul was overthrown in 2001. When the militants regrouped, Afghan leaders repeatedly accused Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies of abetting their bloody campaign. Pakistan has always denied the charges.

          Ghani, who took office last August in a U.S.-brokered deal with his top rival, had spent an enormous amount of political capital by reaching out to Pakistan in hopes of bringing Taliban leaders to peace negotiations. Up until two weeks ago, that effort seemed to be paying off.

          But in an abrupt turn of events, the Taliban revealed the 2013 death of their founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and cancelled the round of peace talked scheduled in Pakistan. Then they hastily chose a new leader, during a secret meeting in Pakistan, who immediately denounced the peace talks and vowed to continue waging against the Western-backed Afghan state.

          On Friday, in a brazen challenge to the Ghani government, the insurgents launched a flurry of attacks in the capital, including a truck bomb that destroyed several city blocks, a suicide bombing at the national police academy and a ground assault on a coalition base. At least 40 people were killed, almost all of them Afghan civilians, and another 200 were injured.

          Then on Monday, a suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives up to a busy roundabout at the entrance to Kabul’s international airport, detonating it just outside a police checkpoint. The blast killed five civilians and wounded at least 16 others, Kabul police officials said.

          A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the bombing in a tweet to journalists. He said the bomber had “targeted occupying foreigner forces” and that all of those killed were foreigners.

          The airport is adjacent to a military base that includes coalition forces aiding Afghan troops. Official details on casualties were not immediately killed.

          The wave of violence appeared triggered by a power struggle within the Taliban between factions who favor negotiating with the Afghan government and those who want to continue fighting.

          Ghani had previously defended Pakistan as a new partner in fighting terrorism and even signed a controversial cooperation agreement with its intelligence officials. But he accused Pakistan on Monday of doing little — if anything — to stop such attacks from being launched across the border.

          With the prospects for revived peace talks now in grave doubt, Ghani shed any pretense of diplomatic rapprochement with Pakistan.

          Referring to an Afghan delegation scheduled to visit Pakistan shortly to discuss the suspended talks, Ghani said: “The reason we want to talk to Pakistan is that they have given sanctuary to [the insurgents]. This is why we are compelled to engage in talks. If Pakistan cannot bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, at least they can shut down their centers and not take their wounded to hospitals.”

          When the delegation reaches Islamabad, he added with a stern glare at the cameras: “There will be no cultural talk, no political talk. Our only priority is security.”

          Pakistani officials have denied fomenting the insurgency against Afghanistan, and they have been waging a protracted military campaign against Pakistani Islamist militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. But many Afghans are convinced that Pakistan has played a double game and seeks to keep Afghanistan unstable and vulnerable.

          “The safety of our people and the interests of Afghanistan are the only criterion of our relationship with Pakistan,” he said. “If our people are dying and getting killed, then the relationship makes no sense.”

          Despite his stern tone, though, Ghani seemed somewhat at a loss for concrete prescriptions or plans — either for countering the new Taliban assaults or for finding a way to resume peace talks. When asked at the news conference which faction in the divided insurgency he hoped to negotiate with, he did not answer.

          In discussing the recent attacks in Kabul, the president seemed especially disturbed by the high number of civilian casualties, which he said was the result of the Taliban changing tactics. A recent U.N. report said civilian casualties in Afghanistan since January were at record-high levels.

          “The main issue is that Afghan civilians are being killed,” Ghani said, referring to one of the Friday blasts. “Everyone was sleeping, and something happened. It was not an earthquake or a storm. It was a human action. We want to know about the centers that sent these persons to kill innocent people.”

          But the president’s only specific proposal was to take tough legal measures against insurgents and terrorists who are caught and imprisoned. He said he had ordered judicial authorities to be tough in prosecuting them, and “not to show mercy on people who answer our peace demands with fire.”

          https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/car-bomb-strikes-near-kabul-airport-amid-wave-of-taliban-violence/2015/08/10/78106f28-3f4b-11e5-8d45-d815146f81fa_story.html

  3. SWEDEN – Man arrested after triple Ikea store stabbing

    The three victims were stabbed early on Monday afternoon inside the Västerås branch of the global furniture giant, which is inside a large shopping centre.

    A man and a woman have died and another is seriously injured following a stabbing inside an Ikea store in Västerås, just outside Stockholm.

    In an interview with regional Swedish newspaper VLT, store manager Mattias Johansson said that the victims were “three seemingly ordinary visitors” and said that an attack had taken place in the store’s kitchen accessories department.

    Officers disclosed no other information about the identities of the attacker nor the victims. But one witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the dead man appeared to have been aged around 25.

    http://www.thelocal.se/20150810/triple-stabbing-at-swedish-ikea-store

  4. CANADA – Conservative campaign promise would bring in 10,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees

    The Conservatives are promising to bring 10,000 additional refugees from Syria and Iraq if re-elected — despite refusing to say whether thousands of others from the war-torn region have already been resettled.

    Stephen Harper says the party would meet the new commitment over four years by targeting refugees from religious minority groups in the region who face persecution or the threat of extremist violence.

    In 2013, the Conservative government promised to resettle 1,300 Syrian refugees by end of 2014, but took until this past March to do it.

    Then in January, the government committed to a further 10,000 resettlements over the next three years, but has steadfastly refused to say how many have actually arrived in Canada.

    As for Iraq, Harper says the government is on track to resettle 23,000 Iraqis by the end of the year. The Tories had committed to resettle 20,000 in 2009.

    Harper’s announcement includes a multimillion-dollar pledge to fund groups that are trying to protect places of worship and religious artifacts targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

    The Conservatives want to spend $9-million over three years on the project through a fund overseen by the Office of Religious Freedom that the Conservatives created in 2013.

    The proposal would boost the office’s budget by 60 per cent.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conservative-campaign-promise-would-bring-in-10000-iraqi-and-syrian-refugees/article25902909/
    ——————————————————————————–
    Stephen Harper pledges to launch program to support Middle East’s persecuted religious minorities

    Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has promised to launch a new program to support religious minorities in the Middle East, which would bring 10,000 more refugees from Iraq and Syria to Canada.

    At a campaign stop in Markham, Ont., on Monday morning, Harper said a re-elected Conservative government would launch a three-year program to support persecuted religious minorities in the region, and organizations working to protect religious monuments and artifacts threatened with destruction.

    The Conservatives would also bring an additional 10,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria to Canada, Harper said.

    “We live in a world which is becoming ever more dangerous, a world for which this country, Canada, is a haven for some and an inspiration for all people,” Harper said during the press conference.

    On Sunday, Harper announced a plan to restrict Canadians’ ability to travel to regions of the world controlled by terrorist groups.

    That would apply to “a very small number of areas in the world, obviously parts of Iraq and Syria,” he said on Monday.

    At a campaign stop in Montreal Monday morning, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau called the Conservatives’ plan “nothing more than electoral posturing.”

    Trudeau said Harper has failed to justify what would amount to limitations on Canadians’ rights.

    NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair was in the GTA Monday to launch his autobiography, Strength of Conviction.

    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/08/10/stephen-harper-pledges-to-launch-program-to-support-middle-easts-persecuted-religious-minorities.html

  5. Pregnant Swedish teen captured by IS in Syria: Media

    A 15-year-old Swedish girl has been captured in Syria by IS after running away from her Swedish foster home with her boyfriend, Swedish media reported Monday.

    The Swedish foreign ministry remained tight-lipped about the case, confirming only minimal details.

    “We have been informed that a Swedish minor is in Syria. We are in contact with family members,” ministry spokesman Gabriel Wernstedt told AFP, refusing to disclose any other details in the case.

    Swedish daily Expressen and local paper Boras Tidning reported that the 15-year-old girl, whose name was not disclosed, disappeared from her foster home in Boras, near the southwestern town of Gothenburg, on May 31.

    She and her 19-year-old boyfriend reportedly travelled to Syria via Turkey, and were recruited on arrival by a Al-Qaeda-linked group.

    The couple were captured by IS troops in Aleppo in early August, the media reports said.

    The couple were married in a Muslim ceremony in Stockholm earlier this year, without their parents’ knowledge.

    The daughter has called her parents twice while in captivity, after a woman secretly loaned her a cell phone, the reports said.

    She told her parents the couple was waiting to have their marriage confirmed by IS.

    “It is really a critical situation. She said IS would decide whether their marriage was legitimate or not, and he had to swear allegiance to IS,” the girl’s father told Boras Tidning.

    “If they approved the marriage they would be moved to Raqqa, which is an even worse place than Aleppo. Otherwise she would probably end up with a group of women in Manbij (a town north east of Aleppo),” he said.

    According to Expressen, the girl is six months pregnant.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/137496/World/Region/Pregnant-Swedish-teen-captured-by-IS-in-Syria-Medi.aspx

  6. Phoenix’s Jon Ritzheimer Plans Global Anti-Islam Protest

    Phoenix resident and de facto leader of the Arizona anti-Islam movement Jon Ritzheimer is planning another protest against radical Islam — so big, he claims, that it’s going to span the globe.

    “I got contacts in Canada, Australia, and all across Europe — everybody’s on board,” he says in a video posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon about his plans. “It’s going to be a two-day event so we’ll all be protesting at the same time.”

    There’s no specific date set yet, but he anticipates the rally being “a few months out” so that as many people as possible can prepare and join his movement.

    Attendees are encouraged to rally in front of any nearby mosque and to invoke their Second Amendment rights and come armed “in case [they] come under that much anticipated attack.” (He did not clarify who he worries might attack them.)

    Ritzheimer, who organized “The Rally for Free Speech” outside a Phoenix mosque earlier this summer, has made a name for himself these past few months with his strong views about the inherent “evils of Islam.”

    Ritzheimer may be an avowed atheist, but as he states in Sunday’s video, he wants people of all religions to join his global protest and “spank this shit in the ass” because there is, according to him, only “one religion out there that’s continuing the attack against humanity: Islam.”

    And “I want warriors by my side,” he adds.

    Hello, my fellow patriots. Wanted to let you all in on a little something. We’re planning a global rally to protest against radical Islam. I got contacts in Canada, Australia, and all across Europe – everybody’s on board. We’re gonna get these dates set, a few months out so we can let the word spread. It’s going to be a two-day event so we’ll all be protesting at the same time.

    We’re not going to make you travel, alright. If you’ve got a mosque in your city, a mosque in your state, you go there, you voice your opinion there. Out here in Arizona, we may be a little safer. We still live by the Constitution. And of course I’m going to tell everybody to utilize your Second Amendment [rights] incase we come under that much anticipated attack.

    For those of you who want to criticize me for cussing in my videos, I have one thing to say to you: FUCK! My messages are probably not for you. If you’ve got these little pussy virgin ears that can’t handle my vulgar language, you’re not the person I want next to me because your little pussy virgin ears probably can’t handle it when a bullet cracks next to your head. You’ll probably tuck tail and run the other direction. I don’t want you by my side. I want warriors by my side.

    For those of you who criticize me because I’m an atheist, look this protest, it doesn’t matter what religion you are. Okay? Christians, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus. There’s one religion out there – I’m an atheist, but there’s one religion out there that’s continuing the attack against humanity: Islam.

    So that’s why we’re all going to unite, and we’re going to spank this shit in the ass. We’re going to let them know that it’s time to be civil. You want to coexist with the rest of us, you need to act appropriate. Be ready for the dates, my brothers and sisters. We’re going to push it out, like I said, a few months out so we can spread the word.

    Please like, share the video, and let’s the word out there and get people ready. Love you all.

    video on the page :

    http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenixs-jon-ritzheimer-plans-global-anti-islam-protest-7554126

  7. Australian television personality defends calling Muslim MP a ‘Mussie’

    Eddie McGuire, a powerful Australian sporting figure and television personality known for his controversial off-hand comments, has been criticised for describing a state MP as a ‘soccer loving Turkish-born Mussie’

    The Islamic Council of Victoria said it regarded the term “Aussie Mussie” as a typically Australian abbreviation which could help to make Muslims more acceptable to mainstream Australians.

    “I personally don’t think that this should be an issue of debate, it’s really not a problem,” Kuranda Seyit, from the council, told Fairfax Media.

    “We often shorten names, just like Aussie or ‘sanga’ for sandwich or ‘cuppa’ for cup of tea.”

    Jessica Rowe, a television presenter who worked for Mr McGuire when he was head of Channel Nine, said his latest comment was typical of his lack of intelligence and poor social skills. Famously, Mr McGuire once claimed he wanted to “bone” Ms Rowe, apparently referring to wanting to sack her.

    “The way he has allegedly used language against me in the past and the way he has used language to describe Adam Goodes [is] highly, highly inappropriate,” she told Channel Ten.

    “If he is not smart enough — and I don’t think he is — to moderate his language depending on the sort of forum he is in, he has to take the flak for it. I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of good to say about that man because he made my life hell.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11793575/Australian-television-personality-defends-calling-Muslim-MP-a-Mussie.html

  8. Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood condemns arrest of its leaders

    The branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen condemned on Sunday what it described as the “continuing barbaric and aggressive criminal actions” against its leaders and members by Shia Houthi rebels. “The Houthis’ actions have exceeded all norms and values inherent in the Yemeni people,” said the Islah Party, “including the arrest of women.”

    According to the statement, the Houthis have arrested Dr Abdul Razzaq Al-Ashwal, Dr Muhammad Edeil, Dr Abdullah Al-Samawi, Dr Mohammed Bakri, Ali Hadmah and Hamid Alqaada. Prominent women who have been detained include Ummat Essalam Haj, Samira Al-Sho’ur, Thekra Sneidar, Fatimah Harbah and Yousra Mqarmi.

    The party called on Houthi militants and the security agencies working with them to release the kidnapped individuals immediately. Islah also urged human rights groups as well as local, regional and international organisations and civil society to stand united against “Houthi tyranny” and to act quickly to release the detainees.

    Houthi gunmen apparently arrested three female leaders of the Islah Party, and held them in a police station in the capital, Sanaa, only hours after they arrested Minister of Technical Education Al-Ashwal.

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/20326-yemens-muslim-brotherhood-condemns-arrest-of-its-leaders

  9. UK – Birmingham mosque teachers admit beatings

    Two Islamic school teachers have admitted beating a child at a mosque in Birmingham.

    Mohammed Siddique, 60, and his 23-year-old son Mohammed Waqar had previously denied slapping and hitting a boy with a stick at Sparkbrook’s Jamia Mosque.

    They changed their pleas on what was due to be the opening day of their trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

    The hearing was adjourned for pre-sentence reports until 7 September and the two men were released on bail.

    Siddique and Waqar were charged with wilful cruelty to a child under 16. The court heard the pair had attacked a boy on four separate occasions between May and June 2014.

    Matthew Brook, prosecuting, said the case had been brought to prevent the men from teaching in the future and to show the wider community that this behaviour was “unacceptable and criminal”.

    He told the court Siddique and Waqar were “of some standing in the community”.

    Judge Mark Wall QC told the two men, both of Olton Boulevard, Tyseley, that their conduct had been “serious” and the sentencing judge would have “all options open to him or her”.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-33855346

  10. Iraq Officials: Bombs in Diyala Province Kill Over 40 People

    Security officials in Iraq say two bombings have torn through different neighborhoods in the country’s eastern Diyala province, killing at least 42 people.

    Officials say the deadlier of the two attacks happened near the provincial capital, Baquba, where a car bomb tore through a marketplace, killing 35 people and wounding at least 72.

    The second took place in the province’s Kanaan district. Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up in a residential area, killing seven people and wounding 15.

    Hospital officials corroborated the casualties. All spoke anonymously as they are not authorized to speak with the media.

    Residents in Diyala have been calling for greater protection from security forces after the Islamic State group bombed a crowded marketplace last month, killing 115 people, including women and children.

    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-bombs-diyala-province-kill-40-people-32994402

  11. SWEDEN – IKEA – TWO ARRESTED –

    One of the suspects was apprehended at the scene and the second, who was seriously injured, was picked up at a hospital a few hours later, commanding police officer Per Agren said at a press conference. How he was injured was not clear.

    The suspects were two men born in 1992 and 1979 who probably knew each other, Agren said. They had no connection with the victims and the motive for the attack was not known, he said.

    Vasteras newspaper VLT posted a video on its website it said was of police wrestling the suspect to the ground in a bus shelter.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/10/us-sweden-ikea-attack-idUSKCN0QF1BM20150810

    VTL video on this page :

    http://vlt.se/nyheter/vasteras/1.3102912-tv-polisen-griper-misstankt-utanfor-ikea

  12. Aug 10 2015 – DRESDEN Germany: Thousands of PEGIDA supporters march through Dresden

  13. CEI leader says some politicians making ‘silly’ comments

    Rome, August 10 – Msgr Nunzio Galantino, head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), on Monday denounced politicians peddling anti-migrant ideas solely to win votes. He told Vatican Radio that “these salesmen” were making comments which Galantino said were “extraordinarily silly” and designed only to pander to some voters. He spoke amid controversy over the arrival of migrants in Italy, as Pope Francis has said that not welcoming migrants was an act of war and violence, a position rejected by Northern League leader Matteo Salvini.

    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/vatican/2015/08/10/galantino-scorns-anti-migrant-peddlers_62f7733f-e31b-42f7-a1de-38df7c5aa6a3.html

    Church clashes with Italy’s right over boat migrants

    High-ranking members of the Italian Church on Monday slammed politicians who peddle anti-immigrant ideas to win votes — sparking a heated row with Italy’s right wing.

    “We here hear talk of the ‘unbearable’ number of asylum seekers, an attitude that is unfortunately fed by these salesmen” who are merely pandering to voters, Nunzio Galantino, secretary general of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), said in an interview on Vatican Radio.

    The head of the anti-immigration Northern League party, Matteo Salvini, was quick to lash out at the Roman Catholic Church, saying “those who defend this illegal invasion, which is ruining Italy, either don’t understand or are making money” from the migrant arrivals.

    Tempers have been fraying in recent weeks over the reception of migrants and would-be refugees in Italy, with Pope Francis intensifying his pleas for those fleeing war or persecution to be taken in — despite increasing anger over the numbers being rescued.

    With the Italian coast guard reporting new operations daily, Salvini asked if those picked up at sea “will be taken to Brussels or the Vatican?”

    The League insists those who urge Italy to save migrants should also shoulder the responsibility for looking after them.

    Italy’s anti-establishment Five Stars (M5S) party has also called for greater controls over asylum seekers and a “tightening up” of permits.

    The CEI’s head, Angelo Bagnasco, denounced “the indifference shown to the exodus of desperate people forced by poverty, war and persecution to take their chances elsewhere”.

    Over 1,500 migrants were rescued Monday from seven boats which had run into trouble off Libya, according to the Italian coast guard.

    The UNHCR said last week that some 224,000 migrants have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean since the start of the year — 98,000 in Italy and 124,000 in Greece — and over 2,100 people have died during the crossing.

    http://news.yahoo.com/church-clashes-italys-over-boat-migrants-203601145.html

  14. Lavrov to have negotiations with Saudi foreign minister in Moscow Aug 11

    MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. Foreign Ministers of Russia and Saudi Arabia Sergei Lavrov and Adel al-Jubeir will discuss in Moscow on August 11 closer coordination of actions in international energy markets and cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy, as well as the situation in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

    The foreign ministers will continue the exchange of opinions “on a wide range of issues on the bilateral and international agendas, which they began during a meeting in Qatar on August 3.”

    They will discuss “implementation of the agreements on the Russia-Saudi business cooperation, reached during the recent visit to this country of successor to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

    Lavrov and al-Jubeir “will discuss most promising directions of the bilateral cooperation – bigger cooperation in the investments, closer coordination of actions in the international energy markets, detailed activities in cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, in agriculture and civil construction,” the Russian diplomatic authority said.

    “The foreign relations’ part of the talks will be devoted to the complicated situation in the Middle East and under the conditions of degradation of the security situation, of great growth of power of various extremist groups and, first of all, the so-called Islamic State, of humanitarian crises affecting several countries in the Arab World, the general chaos and instability, caused, among others, by unwise outer interference in affairs of the Middle East countries, aimed at quick results,” the ministry said. “With those aspects in mind, the ministers will discuss possible cooperation in fighting terrorism, which is in line with interests of the two countries.”

    “They will continue the discussion on ways to settle the crisis in Syria, which began at the trilateral Russia-U.S.-Saudi Arabia consultations in Doha on August 3,” the Russian foreign ministry said. “They will exchange opinions on the Russian initiative regarding establishment of a wide international coalition to fight the Islamic State militants in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.”

    The foreign ministers will also pay close attention to the situation in Yemen, “where continues the bloody domestic conflict with the outer, including Saudi, involvement.”

    “As yet, unfortunately, all attempts undertaken by the international community, including the UN and Russia, have not succeeded in stopping the armed confrontation, in easing life of the civilians in Yemen, who have to live in conditions of a humanitarian catastrophe, or in resuming the inner-Yemen dialogue,” the foreign ministry said. “Thus, the foreign ministers will discuss possible actions to find options for soonest settlement of that crisis.”

    “During the talks they will analyse the situation in the Persian Gulf area, which has changed following the recent nuclear deal with Iran,” the ministry said. “The suggestion from the Russian side is to continue working on improvement of stability in the region in the framework of the security concept, which we have suggested for that part of the world.”

    Lavrov and al-Jubeir will also discuss the situations in the Middle East’s “hot spots” like Iraq and Libya, as well as the complicated situation in the stuck Middle East peace process, the Russian foreign ministry said.

    http://tass.ru/en/russia/813283

    Saudi FM discusses Yemen, Syria with German counterpart

    Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir held talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday, and Syria and Yemen were among the discussed topics.

    Jubeir said he discussed the crises in Yemen and Syria and addressed ways to combat terrorism and Iran’s nuclear agreement with the West.

    During a joint press conference, he added that Saudi Arabia is looking to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Germany in the future.

    On Tuesday, Jubeir will visit Moscow to discuss the conflict in Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, according to a statement issued by the Russia’s foreign ministry and confirmed by the Saudi Press Agency.

    “The ministers will discuss the possibility of Russia-Saudi cooperation in fighting terrorism, which is in the interests of both countries,” the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday.

    During their meeting in Moscow, Jubeir and Lavrov will also discuss a resolution to the conflict in Yemen, where a coalition of Arab countries are carriying out a campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/08/10/Al-Jubeir-to-visit-Russia-for-Syria-and-Yemen-talks.html
    ——————————————————————————–
    Germany: Assad must be removed soon to save Syrian infrastructure – Saudi FM al-Jubeir

  15. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11794720/Pentagon-under-fire-for-guidelines-that-liken-war-reporters-to-belligerents.html

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-10/russian-economy-shrinks-4-6-as-oil-slump-risks-deeper-recession

    You don’t normally think of Russia as being one of the big oil producers but they are, in fact their economy is normally standing on two legs, Gold Production and Oil Production. While the fall of communism has improved their agricultural production as well as their gold production they are still subject to market swings. The fall in oil prices (US gas prices should be down about a $1.05 a gallon right now) should be moving the US economy into full swing but when you economy depends on high oil prices any fall as large as the one we just experienced devastates the economy. And the falling world economy is dropping the price of the other commodities so Gold is taking a big hit also, this despite a massive buying spree by the people who are wealthy enough to buy gold and silver, and they are asking for physical possession of their precious metal. If I was rich enough to buy precious metals I would want a lot of silver, if we go back to a precious metal currency it will be easier to get change for silver then for gold.

  16. China Moves to Devalue the Yuan

    People’s Bank of China decides to devalue its currency

    In a potentially major move for trade and relations with the U.S., China’s central bank has decided to devalue its currency.

    The U.S. has long accused Beijing of manipulating its currency, keeping its value artificially high so as to boost China’s exports and discourage imports.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/10/china-devalue-yuan/

    CHINA DEVALUES THE YUAN

    China’s central bank has just devalued its currency.

    The PBOC set the yuan midpoint at 6.2298 against the US dollar, 1.85% weaker than the 6.1162 level of Monday.

    In statement posted on its website, the PBOC noted that effective today, the midpoint for will now be determined by market maker quotes along with the closing level.

    They also stated that the move is a one off depreciation, reflecting the midpoint reforms.

    The size of China’s trade surplus, along with the yuan’s relative strength relative to other currencies, allows room to adjust the exchange rate, they added.

    While the decision is being portrayed as part of ongoing market reform by the PBOC, the move to weaken the yuan will be seen by many as an attempt to make Chinese firms more competitive given persistent weakness in the nation’s trade-exposed sectors.

    Upon the resumption of trade the USD/CNY exchange rate has risen to 6.317, the highest level seen since September 18, 2012.

    http://www.businessinsider.com.au/china-devalues-the-yuan-2015-8

    • If the worlds economy was in better shape this would be good move for them, they have been holding the Yaun down below where its real value is for a long time, this helped them and at the same time hurt the dollar. Now the Yaun is falling on its own and they are scrambling to save it, I don’t think this is going to work.

  17. Nasty little Islamofascist propaganda piece… Indeed, dont call the police, call in the bunker busters instead…

    I’m pledging allegiance to the Caliphate – and no, before you call the Police, I don’t mean Isis (independent, Aug 10, 2015)
    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/im-pledging-allegiance-to-the-caliphate–and-no-before-you-call-the-police-i-dont-mean-isis-10448621.html?icn=puff-9

    “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll soon be packing my bags and leaving Birmingham to pledge allegiance to the Caliphate. Thousands more, mostly from Europe, will be doing the same.
    As you react with horror, contemplate alerting the police and (worse) consider blocking me on social media, rest assured: I’m not referring to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Rather, I’m talking about a Caliph you may never have heard of – and who certainly doesn’t get near as much publicity – but is the head of a global spiritual community, described as a champion of human rights and who stands firmly against terrorism. He lives in London too.

    This Caliph will be the centre of attention at the UK’s largest international gathering of Muslims. Thirty thousand people from 90 countries and 100 cities across the land will be there, with millions more tuning in via satellite TV screens and internet streams.

    Like me, they will be affirming their loyalty to him and vow to live by a simple maxim: Love for all, hatred for none. This is sure to raise some eyebrows, and probably startle those who equate caliphate with something closer to a barbaric totalitarian theocracy. And you’d be forgiven for thinking so.

    A Caliphate is a system of successorship as old as humankind. But in Islamic theology, it refers mainly to the “rightly-guided” leaders (caliphs) appointed after the Prophet’s death for the protection and progress of the Muslim community. That caliphate came to an end following the assassination of Ali, the fourth successor of Muhammad.

    Since then, various declarations have arisen throughout history, with Isis’ being the most recent. Yet divinely-mandated authority is much more sophisticated than any random Tariq, Daud or Hamza taking over a piece of land and proclaiming themselves ruler of the believers. According to the Koran, a caliphate restores Islam to its original purity, purged of the corruptions that have crept into it. It should also replace fear with peace and security. Clearly, al-Baghdadi and Isis fail on both fronts here.

    The leader of the Caliphate I’m referring to is Mirza Masroor Ahmad – the head of tens of millions of Ahmadiyya Muslims who have joined the community from every denomination and religion you can imagine. He travels extensively and is welcomed by heads of state, and has spoken at Capitol Hill, the European Parliament and the House of Commons. Prime Minister David Cameron is among many who have praised him as “a man of peace”.

    When caricatures of the Prophet were published, he counseled Muslims to write articles promoting the real character of Muhammad. When Pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn the Koran, he called on faith leaders to respect each other’s holy scriptures. And when his own followers were massacred in Pakistan, he urged his community to exercise patience and offer prayers.

    By rejecting violence, inspiring service to one’s country and defending freedom of conscience, this is a Caliph who is a living example of real Islamic values.

    Why should any of this matter? It’s because this is a Caliph everyone needs to know more about, and deserves the platform world leaders also want “strong, positive Muslim voices” to be given.

    If extremism is the “struggle of our generation”, here is a Caliph who offers hope and a solution. And that’s why millions including me are pledging allegiance to him.

    Waqar Ahmad Ahmedi is Head of RE at Kings Norton Girls’ School, Birmingham. He is also an A level and GCSE Religious Studies examiner and writer on faith and education….”

    • “Like me, they will be affirming their loyalty to him…”

      The love object.

      “…and vow to live by a simple maxim: Love for all, hatred for none.”

      Where have we heard this before? Oh, The State. The State of committee members as the worshipped and unopposed dispensers of equality, wisdom and Hope, Not Hate.

      And Sir John’s Gospel agrees:
      “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”
      https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15%3A+16-17&version=NIV

      Yes We Can.

      Nothing here about the truth that will set you free within this meaning: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2014:26

      Hate and Love. You need both.

      And on the oposite side of the coin… The abrogated koranic life to hate/not love… is the other way to use only one half-brain to squint and you just might see it.
      cctv-africa.com/2015/08/03/the-miracle-wall-in-mali-that-has-attracted-many-people/

      Doing the opposite of your oppressor’s kingdom, is no salvation either, just running into the other hand of the devil that controls you.

      Communism/Socialism.

      (And we will later hear stories of child abuse unimmaginable from parents did not know what they were letting their children in for when they left them with these kind and peaceful new imams).

      • “If extremism (of Islam) is the “struggle of our generation”, here is a Caliph (of Islam) who offers hope and a solution”

      • I laughed reading the article because I just knew you were going to riff on it.
        And done especially well.
        Maybe I'm getting to understand more of he writes. Does that mean I'll see sex in everything everywhere too?!