Reader posted links for Aug. 19 – 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

40 Replies to “Reader posted links for Aug. 19 – 2015”

  1. What Is This UNICEF Commercial Really Trying To Tell Us?

    UNICEF is an international program under the United Nations that “provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.”

    Their chapter in Chile recently put out a video on their Facebook page, which they cryptically titled “To meet someone different is a great opportunity to live valuable experiences. Let’s say yes to integration!” While the message of the video is important (universal acceptance and love for ALL), we can’t help but wonder what they may really be trying to tell us?[…]

    http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/08/15/what-is-this-unicef-commercial-really-trying-to-tell-us/

  2. Gunfire heard at Turkey tourist site (BBC, Aug 19, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33985045

    “Gunfire has been heard around Turkey’s iconic Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, a major tourist attraction, reports say.

    One witness said she heard a blast and then shooting.

    Unconfirmed reports say two armed people have been detained at the scene.

    Ambulances have been sent to the area and the roads have been sealed off by police, media reports say.”

  3. Syrian archaeologist ‘killed in Palmyra’ by IS militants (BBC, Aug 19, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33984006

    “The archaeologist who looked after ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria for 40 years is reported to have been killed by Islamic State (IS) militants.

    Khaled al-Asaad had been held for about a month by the group, which seized the Unesco World Heritage site in May.

    The 81-year-old’s family informed Syria’s director of antiquities Maamoun Abdul Karim that he had been beheaded.

    He described Mr Asaad as “one of the most important pioneers in Syrian archaeology in the 20th Century”.

    IS has demolished several ancient sites in Iraq, and there are fears that it will destroy Palmyra, one of the archaeological jewels of the Middle East…”

  4. German Asylum Applications More Than Double Through July (abcnews, Aug 19, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-asylum-applications-double-july-33174028

    “Germany says the number of migrants entering the country has increased dramatically this year, with more than 360,000 arriving to date.

    Because of the influx, the Interior Ministry says it is taking longer for new arrivals to apply for asylum. Through the end of July, Germany has seen 218,221 asylum applications, an increase of nearly 125 percent.

    The ministry said Wednesday Germany remains the top destination in Europe for refugees, with 43 percent of a total of 400,000 asylum applications through the end of June.

    Germany is struggling to provide housing for newcomers, with room for 45,000 in temporary facilities while awaiting the outcome of their applications. It estimates it needs at least 100,000 to 150,000 places total to cope with the influx.”

  5. Turkey – 8 soldiers killed in PKK bomb attack in Turkey

    Turkey’s state-run news agency says Kurdish rebels have detonated a bomb on a road in southeast Turkey, killing at least eight soldiers.

    The Anadolu Agency says the bomb exploded Wednesday on a highway in the mainly-Kurdish province of Siirt as their military vehicle was passing by.

    The attack comes amid renewed violence between the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and Turkey’s security forces. Dozens of people, most of them police and soldiers, have died in the violence since July.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_TURKEY_KURDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

  6. [ Last month Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul was attacked by Uighurs …. ]

    ————————————————————
    Hunt for Bangkok bomber – what we know so far

    […]On Wednesday the authorities released a detailed digital sketch of the suspect gleaned from higher quality CCTV footage which has not been released.

    The portrait shows a young man with black-rimmed glasses, a full head of dark hair and a light complexion.

    A court Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for an unnamed foreign man.

    Police have not said how they reached the conclusion that the main suspect is a foreigner.

    […]– Is the bomber acting alone?

    Police are increasingly confident the man seen on Monday night must have had accomplices, both to build the devices and plan the attack.

    “It’s a network,” national police chief General Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters on Wednesday. “We believe there must be people helping him, Thai people.”

    […]Uighurs:

    Some Thai media outlets have pointed a finger of suspicion at militants from China’s Uighur minority. Chinese authorities have blamed Uighurs for a series of attacks inside China, most of which have been knife assaults.

    Last month Thailand forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighur refugees to China.

    But Uighur groups are not known to have ever carried out an attack outside China while their domestic assaults have shown none of the technical sophistication of the Bangkok bombing.

    […]The Islamic State group:

    Militants from the so-called Islamic State have made it clear they wish to export or inspire militant attacks outside of Iraq and Syria.

    “They’ve done a good job of recruiting Malaysians and Indonesia, so it’s possible,” Zachary Abuza, an expert on Southeast Asian militants groups told AFP.

    But Abuza said IS networks usually claim credit swiftly for their attacks while Thailand’s Muslim militant groups have been resistant to overtures from global jihadis.

    Someone with an anti-China grudge:

    The attack on the shrine itself, in a nation where spirituality and respect for faith is assumed, has baffled experts.

    But the shrine’s popularity with ethnic Chinese visitors — and the fact that a second attack on Tuesday took place near Bangkok’s Chinatown — has led to speculation the blast may have specifically targeted that demographic.

    https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hunt-bangkok-bomber-know-far-055838214.html#eQnuQEd

    ——————————————————————————–

    Thai First Army release full-length mock-up of Bangkok bomber’s description, including pixelated head of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev –

    PIC :

    https://twitter.com/1st_Army_Area/status/633982269087027201

    • Reward offered for Bangkok bombing suspect; sketch released

      Bangkok (dpa) – Thai police Wednesday offered a reward of 1 million baht (28,000 dollars) for information helping them capture the suspect behind the blasts in Bangkok this week, and said he was helped by a local network.
      The police released a sketch to the public showing a spectacled man with mid-length curly hair.

      “I believe there is more than one person behind this. There is a network,” Police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said.

      “A foreigner couldn’t commit this act alone. There has to be Thai people helping this guy commit the act.”

      Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha warned the suspect on Wednesday to “quickly turn yourself in otherwise you might be killed by security forces.”

      “People who know him, relay this message.”

      Police revealed late Tuesday that they had narrowed their search to a suspect seen on closed-circuit footage before the blast.

      The man carried a black backpack to the site, and was seen leaving without it shortly before the blast.

      Pic on the page :

      http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Reward-offered-for-Bangkok-bombing-suspect;-sketch-30266975.html

  7. VICE – 10 Years in Jail & 1,000 Lashes: In Conversation with Ensaf Haidar ( 10 min 53 )

  8. Netherlands: Geert Wilders attacks PM and establishment for Greek deal

    Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte should choose to support the Dutch, not for the “corrupt Greeks,” the leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders said as he spoke in the debate about the third Greek aid programme in the Dutch parliament in The Hague, Wednesday.

  9. Planned Parenthood Clinic Cut Through Dead Baby’s Face to Get His Intact Brain

    In the latest video produced by the Center for Medical Progress, Holly O’Donnell describes a medical technician using scissors to cut through the face of a newly aborted but nearly fully developed baby boy at a Planned Parenthood facility so that his intact brain could be extracted.

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/19/planned-parenthood-cut-through-babys-face-to-get-his-intact-brain/

  10. Saudi closes emergency ward after spike in MERS virus cases

    A Saudi medical official says authorities have temporarily closed an emergency ward in one of the kingdom’s largest hospitals after at least 46 people, including hospital staff, contracted the potentially fatal Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as MERS.

    Dr. Hanan Balkhi says that of that of the 46 infected at King Abdulaziz Medical City in the capital, Riyadh, 15 were medical staff.

    Thursday’s statement says the ward will remain closed for two weeks and that the patients are being transferred to other hospitals.

    Before the latest report, Saudi Health Ministry said that 480 people have died of the coronavirus since it was first identified in 2012.

    A ministry statement Wednesday said about 1,115 cases have been registered nationwide. Of those, 590 have recovered and the rest are being treated.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/138231/World/Region/Saudi-closes-emergency-ward-after-spike-in-MERS-vi.aspx

    ———————————————————————-

    Typhoid hits Palestinians from Syria’s Yarmuk camp: UN

    Typhoid has broken out among Palestinian refugees from the besieged Yarmuk camp in the Syrian capital Damascus, a UN agency said Wednesday.

    The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA said it had been able to confirm the outbreak after gaining access to residents of the camp sheltering in the nearby Yalda neighbourhood.

    “UNRWA has had its first access to civilians from the besieged Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk, Damascus, since 8th June,” UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said in a statement.

    “We can now confirm a typhoid outbreak among this UN-assisted population with at least six confirmed cases,” he added.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 21 million people are infected with typhoid every year, and an estimated 216,000 to 600,000 die.

    The disease is caused mainly by Salmonella typhi bacteria in food or water contaminated with the faeces or urine of infected people.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/138218/World/Region/Typhoid-hits-Palestinians-from-Syrias-Yarmuk-camp-.aspx

  11. Egypt’s new anti-terrorism bill would impact basic freedoms: Washington

    The United States has criticised Egypt’s newly passed anti-terror law, voicing concerns about the legislation’s possible impact on human rights and basic freedoms.

    The bill, signed off by president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi late Sunday, has been denounced by rights campaigners and pro-democracy advocates who say it is designed to stifle dissent and broaden the powers of its enforcers, including the military and police.

    “We are concerned that some measures in Egypt’s new anti-terrorism law could have a significant detrimental impact on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including due process safeguards, freedom of association, and freedom of expression,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday in a press briefing.

    Egyptian authorities say the law will help them stem an increasingly brazen Islamist insurgency that has mainly targeted police and troops with deadly attacks over the past two years.

    The government sought to pass the law after El-Sisi pledged a tougher legal system in July, following the assassination of the country’s top public prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, in a car bombing, the highest ranking state official to be killed in years.

    The spokesman reaffirmed that despite its dissatisfaction with the law, Washington “stand[s] with Egypt in its fight against terrorism.”

    Kirby reiterated remarks made by Secretary of State John Kerry during strategic talks in Cairo earlier in August that called for creating a sense of balance between combating terrorism and preserving citizens’ right to disagree with authorities.

    “Defeating terrorism requires a long-term, comprehensive strategy that builds trust between the authorities and the public, including by enabling those who disagree with the government’s policies to express those views peacefully and through participation in the political process,” Kirby quoted Kerry as saying.

    Ties between Cairo and Washington, long-time close allies, soured following the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Tensions have now eased with the US resuming last March its $1.3 million annual military aid to Cairo that was partly suspended in the aftermath of the ouster. The aid is intended to boost Cairo’s ability to combat threat by extremists.

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/138227/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-new-antiterrorism-bill-would-impact-basic-f.aspx

  12. BREITBART – Number Of Syrian Refugees To U.S. Expected To Quadruple

    The State Department is anticipating that the U.S. will admit up to 8,000 Syrian refugees in Fiscal Year 2016.

    In written responses to the Senate Judiciary Immigration and the National Interest Subcommittee Republicans obtained by Breitbart News, the State Department reveals that it is expecting the U.S. will accelerate its acceptance of Syrian refugees next year.

    “As of July 30, the United States has admitted 1,042 Syrian refugees in FY 2015 and anticipates admitting a total of 1,500-1,800 Syrians this fiscal year. We anticipate admitting 5,000-8,000 Syrian refugees in FY 2016,” the State Department wrote.

    The Obama administration’s effort to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees into the U.S. has come under fire as a potential national security risk.

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/18/number-of-syrian-refugees-to-u-s-expected-to-quadruple/

  13. BREITBART – Globe and Mail: Amid ISIS, Canada Must Fight Bigger Threat of ‘Islamophobia’

    The Globe and Mail’s William A. MacDonald implores Canadians not to express “Islamophobia” in response to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) or “homegrown extremists,” stating: “We cannot let 0.003 percent of the Muslim world speak for the other 99.997 percent.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/08/18/globe-and-mail-amid-isis-canada-must-fight-bigger-threat-of-islamophobia/

    —————————————————————-

    Overcoming Islamophobia: Fear is never the best basis for action

    […]There is no valid reason for Islamophobia, no matter what Islamic State or homegrown extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam do in Canada, the United States or other countries. We cannot let 0.003 per cent of the Muslim world speak for the other 99.997 per cent. Canada must avoid this error – and it can. The answer is simple. It requires a willingness by us all to think for ourselves, to be open with others, and, most importantly, to engage in conversation. Fortunately, that conversation is already under way.

    […]The numbers tell their own story. There are about a million Muslims in Canada, and 1.6 billion around the world, one-quarter of whom reside in India and Indonesia. Despite the current problems particular to Islam, there is no irresistible link between Islam itself and terrorism. No Muslim country is in the world’s top 20 in terms of homicides per capita, nor is Islam associated with any of the 10 largest genocides in history.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/overcoming-islamophobia-fear-is-never-the-best-basis-for-action/article25968316/

  14. DAILY MAIL – SLOVAKIA – ‘We can’t take any Muslims, we haven’t got any mosques!’ Slovakia agrees to accept 200 Syrian migrants – as long as they’re Christian

    Slovakia has agreed to take in 200 Syrian migrants to help with the growing crisis – but only if they are Christian.

    Bratislava officials claim Muslim refugees wouldn’t feel at home because the country has such a tiny Islamic population.

    An Interior Ministry spokesman said: ‘In Slovakia, we don’t have mosques… we only want to choose the Christians.’

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3203530/We-t-Muslims-haven-t-got-mosques-Slovakia-agrees-accept-200-Syrian-migrants-long-Christian.html#ixzz3jGqF8SSo

  15. Iraq: Fists, chairs and accusations fly at counter-IS conference

    A brawl broke out between several Sunni tribesmen at a conference in Baghdad, Wednesday, after several sheiks accused certain attendees of supporting the so-called Islamic State

  16. BREITBART – Facebook Mod Says ‘Tone Down the Sarcasm’ After REMOVING an Anti-ISIS Post

    Social networking website Facebook has apologised to the nationalist Britain First group after removing a critical post about ISIS involving a roll of toilet paper made up of the black flag used by the terrorist group.

    Earlier this week, Britain First – which has been criticised by Britain’s mainstream media for its direct action tactics in opposing radical Islam – reported that one of its Facebook posts had been removed by Facebook due to a ‘Community Standards’ violation.

    The group reported that its leader, Paul Golding, was “logged out of his Facebook account and given a slap on the wrist by Facebook moderators” for posting a picture of an ISIS flag-themed toilet roll with the accompanying comment, “Soon to be stocked in the Britain First shop!”

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/08/19/exclusive-facebook-mod-says-tone-down-the-sarcasm-after-removing-an-anti-isis-post/

    Facebook issue full apology for removing Britain First ISIS toilet roll post

    https://www.britainfirst.org/facebook-issue-full-apology-for-removing-britain-first-isis-toilet-roll-post/

    • ‘Side Deal’ Allows Iran to Inspect Its Own Military Site (nbcnews, Aug 19, 2015)
      http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iran-nuclear-talks/side-deal-allows-iran-inspect-its-own-military-site-n412786

      “Iran will inspect itself at its most sensitive known military complex to clear up suspicions of past military activity, NBC News has confirmed.

      Iran is required to “close the file” on past military dimensions of its nuclear program before it can get sanctions relief and proceed with the long-term nuclear deal negotiated in Vienna.

      But, Wednesday night, two senior U.S. officials told NBC News that the unusual arrangement between the IAEA and Tehran relates only to past military activity and that UN inspectors, including IAEA Director Yukiya Amano, would be on site to supervise the Iranians at every step of the way.

      Now that claim is being disputed by a senator who opposes the deal and attended classified briefings on the IAEA’s role at the Parchin complex southeast of Tehran.

      The Senate opponent told NBC News tonight it is “categorically untrue that IAEA inspectors will be inside the Parchin facility while soil samples are being taken” – contrary to the administration’s claims.

      The senator, who would not permit his name to be used because of the classified nature of the briefing, says the IAEA will be outside the facility where the soil samples are being taken – a concession to save face for Iran….”

  17. Tunisian police officer killed in beach resort of Sousse (BBC, Aug 19, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33998002

    “A Tunisian police officer has been shot dead in the beach resort of Sousse, where 38 people, mainly British tourists, were killed in June.

    Officials said three officers were attacked by two men on a motorcycle.

    The interior ministry said police in the city, 140km (90 miles) south of the capital Tunis, had launched a vast search for the gunmen.

    Tunisia’s tourism industry has suffered badly since the Sousse beach killings and an attack in Tunis in March.

    “Three policemen were the target of gunshots fired by two men on a big motorcycle,” a statement from the interior ministry said.

    “One of them died during transport to the hospital, the other two were not affected,” it added.

    Sousse is still trying to recover after a gunman killed 38 tourists on a beach in the city on 26 June in an attack later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group….”

  18. GM plans to sell Buicks made in China to Americans

    DETROIT — Most Buick vehicles sold in the United States after 2016 could be imported from China and Europe, according to two sources familiar with parent General Motors Co.’s plans.

    Only two of Buick’s future US models, replacements for the mid-size LaCrosse sedan and the large Enclave crossover, are expected to be built in North America, according to the sources, who did not want to be identified because their companies work with GM.

    The increasing tendency of US carmakers, including Ford Motor Co., to shift more vehicle production to plants outside the United States is a hot-button topic in current contract talks with the United Auto Workers.

    “We do not comment on future product speculation,” a Buick spokesman said Tuesday.

    Buick is planning to shift production of the compact Verano sedan from Michigan to China in late 2016, the sources said. Production of the mid-size Regal sedan is likely to shift from Canada to either China or Europe in 2017, they added.

    Buick is also planning to add two new US models from overseas plants: the compact Cascada convertible, which will be imported early next year from Europe, and the compact Envision crossover, which will be imported from China in late 2016.

    News of the US arrival of the Buick Envision, which went into production last year in China, was reported Monday by Automotive News. Buick unveiled the Cascada earlier this year at the Detroit auto show.

    The subcompact Encore crossover is currently imported from Korea. Production is eventually expected to shift to China, the sources said.

    In Detroit, Cindy Estrada, head of the United Auto Workers’ GM department, said the automaker would be “tone deaf” to import vehicles from overseas “after the sacrifices by US taxpayers,” as well as union concessions, to create a profitable GM after a government-funded bailout in 2009.

    The LaCrosse is being redesigned next spring, with production moving to Hamtramck outside Detroit.

    The Enclave is slated to be redesigned in early 2017. Production is expected to remain in Lansing, Michigan.

    China is the largest market for the Buick brand, with sales last year of 919,582 vehicles, more than four times the 228,963 vehicles that Buick sold in the United States.

    http://nypost.com/2015/08/18/gm-plans-to-sell-buicks-made-in-china-to-americans/

  19. Yemen conflict: Country on brink of famine, says UN official (BBC, Aug 19, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33998006

    “Months of conflict in Yemen has pushed the country to the brink of famine, according to a top United Nations official.

    Ertharin Cousin, head of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), said markets in the country do not have enough food to feed the population.

    Aid agencies are also unable to reach areas of need because of the ongoing violence, she added.

    The WFP estimates that nearly 13 million people urgently require help…”

  20. Calais migrant crisis: UK-French centre to fight people smugglers (BBC, Aug 20, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33992952

    “British police are to work with French officers and the UK Border Force at a new “command and control centre” in Calais, the government has announced.

    The centre will target the criminals who try to smuggle migrants into northern France and across the Channel, the Home Office said.

    It will be led by two senior officers, one English and one French, who will each report to their own government.

    The Home Office said the arrangement would enable greater collaboration.

    The new centre is part of a deal between the UK and France to co-operate over the ongoing problem of illegal migration.

    The deal will be signed by Home Secretary Theresa May and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazenueve in Calais later….”

  21. Egyptian security building in Cairo rocked by bomb blast (BBC, Aug 20, 2015)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33998536

    “A state security building in northern Cairo has been hit by a car bomb, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior says, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

    State media said at least six people were injured by the explosion in the northern Shubra district of the city. There were no reports of any deaths.

    Residents across Cairo reported hearing and feeling a large blast just before 02:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

    There have been several bomb attacks by Islamist militants in Cairo this year….”