Reader’s links for Jan. 15 – 2016

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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

34 Replies to “Reader’s links for Jan. 15 – 2016”

  1. Islamic Extremists Attack African Union Base in Somalia (abcnews, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/islamic-extremists-attack-african-union-base-somalia-36306407

    “Heavily armed fighters from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab attacked a base for African Union peacekeepers in southwestern Somalia on Friday, blasting their way into the compound and exchanging fire with peacekeepers, a Somali military official said.

    Dozens of al-Shabab fighters started a complex attack on the military base which is run by Kenyan troops who are part of the African Union force in the town of El-Ade, not far from the Kenyan border, Ahmed Hassan told The Associated Press by phone from Elwak, a town near the scene of the latest attack.

    The attack started with a suicide car bomb, and then heavy gunfire was heard as militants stormed into the base, he said.

    Fighting is still going on inside the base, he said. He had no details about any casualties.

    Al-Shabab reported on its online radio that its fighters had managed to penetrate the base and were fighting African Union troops.

    Despite being pushed out of Somalia’s major cities and towns, al-Shabab continues to launch deadly guerrilla attacks across the Horn of Africa country.

    The group, which has ties with al-Qaida, has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya.”

  2. 12 Turkish Academics Detained for Signing Declaration (abcnews, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/12-turkish-academics-detained-signing-declaration-36307142

    “Turkey’s state-run news agency says police have detained 12 people who are among a group of more than 1,000 who signed a declaration denouncing military operations against Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey.

    Anadolu Agency says the 12 detained by police Friday are lecturers at Kocaeli University in northwestern Turkey. Police were still processing the paperwork for nine other academics who also face arrest.

    Prosecutors launched an investigation the academics over possible charges of insulting the state and engaging in “terrorist propaganda.”

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has severely criticized the signatories, including linguist Noam Chomsky, and called on the judiciary to act against the “treachery.””

  3. Shell to lose $1billion contract as Qatar offers Pakistan lower price (tribune, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1027664/short-term-lng-supply-shell-to-lose-1b-contract-as-qatar-offers-lower-price/

    “Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is going to lose a five-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply contract worth over $1 billion as a Qatari company has agreed to provide the commodity at a lower price to Pakistan.

    Gunvor and Royal Dutch Shell had won supply contracts in response to the two tenders floated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) a few weeks ago for bringing 120 LNG cargoes over a period of five years.

    Gunvor offered to bring 60 cargoes at 13.37% of Brent crude price whereas Shell quoted 13.8% of Brent crude price for another 60 cargoes.

    During negotiations after the opening of bids, Qatargas agreed to match the price offered by Gunvor, which was the lowest, prompting the government to consider scrapping the contract with Shell and award it to the Qatari company.

    This was disclosed in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday this week, which approved a long-term LNG supply agreement worth $15 billion.

    The ECC was told that the government would save a substantial amount by transferring the contract won by Shell to Qatar at a lower price. However, Gunvor’s contract will remain intact.

    In the tenders, nine trading firms including commodities giant Vitol, Glencore, Trafigura, Marubeni and US-based Excelerate Energy had submitted bids but all were rejected.

    Owing to the plunge in crude oil prices, Shell is focusing on LNG business in the world market. During the previous Pakistan Peoples Party government too, Shell had tried to strike an LNG deal with Pakistan, but failed due to a controversy over the Mashal LNG project, which landed in the Supreme Court.

    Pakistan produces 4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (bcfd) against demand for over 6 bcfd. The government considers LNG as a fast-track source to bridge the growing energy shortfall…”

  4. Afghan Air Force to receive 4 light attack aircraft from U.S. today (khaama, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/afghan-air-force-to-receive-4-light-attack-aircraft-from-u-s-today-1993

    “The Afghan Air Force (AAF) will receive the first batch of light attack aircraft from United States today, the defense officials said.

    The first batch will include 4 light attack A-29 Super Tucano aircraft which will join the Afghan Air force (AAF) fleet amid critical need for close-air support to the Afghan security forces.

    Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan (MoD), told reporters in Kabul that the aircraft will further bolster the capabilities of the Afghan Air Force, being a well-equipped close-air support light attack aircraft.

    The A-29 is a multi-role, fixed-wing aircraft that will provide the Afghan air force with an indigenous air-to-ground capability and aerial reconnaissance capabilities to support the country’s counterinsurgency operations.

    Eight Afghan Air Force pilots completed their training late last year and graduated from a program hosted by the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in United States and will return to Afghanistan for combat.

    The Afghan Air Force (AAF) officials are also optimistic to receive additional close-air support combat choppers and fixed-wing close-air support aircraft during the year.

    According to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) will receive a total of 28 MD-530F helicopters that would be outfitted with military equipment.”

  5. Key ISIS leader hailing from Pakistan killed in Nangarhar drone strike (khaama, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/key-isis-leader-hailing-from-pakistan-killed-in-nangarhar-drone-strike-1992

    “At least eleven fanatics of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed in an airstrike in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, local officials said.

    The airstrike was carried out in Achin district of Nangarhar with the help of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

    The district administrative chief Ghaleeb Mujahid confirmed that eleven loyalists of the terror group including one of their key commanders were killed in the raid.

    He said another key commander of the terror group was also among those killed…”

  6. Taliban-Daesh clashes leave eight militants killed in Nangarhar (khaama, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-daesh-clashes-leave-eight-militants-killed-in-nangarhar-4493

    “Eight militants have been killed in newest clashes of militants loyal to the terrorist group of Daesh and Taliban in eastern Nangarhar province.

    Colonel Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, spokesperson for the police headquarters of Nangarhar said the clashes erupted in Chahar Darwazi and Chaghar areas of Haska Mina District on Thursday.

    According to Col. Mashriqiwal, six fighters of Daesh and two others from Taliban side were killed in these clashes. Two Taliban also sustained injuries in the gun battles.

    This comes as 10 fighters of Daesh were killed in two drone strikes in Achin District yesterday afternoon.

    The Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) targeted two vehicles in which the terrorists were traveling.
    Four militants were killed after a ‘Saracha’ vehicle came under attack and six others in a ‘Corolla’ vehicle.

    Different types of weapons and the two vehicles were also destroyed in the airstrikes.”

  7. Austria says to turn away migrants aiming to pass through Germany (reuters, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-austria-idUSKCN0UT0PL

    “Austria will deny entry to migrants who intend to pass through Germany rather than apply for asylum there, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said in a radio interview broadcast on Friday.

    Germany has been turning away a growing number of migrants at its border with Austria, sending hundreds back into Austria every day, the Austrian police said this week.

    Hundreds of thousands of migrants have streamed through Austria and into Germany since September, when the two countries threw open their borders to a wave of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

    Only about 90,000 have applied for asylum in Austria last year but fears about migrants have nevertheless contributed to a rise in support for the far right.

    Government ministers from the Social Democrats and their junior coalition partner, the Austrian People’s Party, have said more must be done to reduce the number of people arriving, though they have disagreed on how to achieve that…”

  8. Pakistan PM vows to eradicate honour killings after Oscar nod (france24, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160115-pakistan-pm-vows-eradicate-honour-killings-after-oscar-nod

    “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed Pakistan would eradicate “evil” honour killings as he congratulated director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on her Oscar nomination for a harrowing documentary on the practice.

    “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”, which follows the story of a rare survivor, was nominated in the documentary short category of the Academy Awards on Thursday.

    Hundreds of women are murdered by their relatives in Pakistan each year on the grounds of defending family “honour”.

    Their male murderers are then “pardoned” by relatives under the country’s controversial Islamic blood money laws that allow murderers to escape punishment.

    A statement from the prime minister’s office late Thursday offered Chinoy, who made history in 2012 when she won Pakistan’s first Oscar for the another documentary, Sharif’s congratulations.

    “Honour killings, the theme of the film, afflict several segments of Pakistani society,” it quoted Sharif as saying.

    He “expressed the government’s commitment to rid Pakistan of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation”, the statement continued, adding that Chinoy’s “insights” could prove helpful.

    Chinoy said on Twitter that she was “delighted” that Sharif had made the commitment.

    “Next step is to push all the politicians to call a joint session & get the anti honor crime bill passed that has lapsed in parliament!” she said in another tweet.

    “There is no Honor in Honor Killing- It is not part of our religion or culture- It is a stain on our society,” she said.

    Chinoy was feted across Pakistan in 2012 when she won the country’s first Oscar for “Saving Face”, a 40-minute documentary that exposed the horrors endured by women who survive devastating acid attacks.

    It focuses on two women, Zakia and Rukhsana, as they fight to rebuild their lives after being attacked by their husbands, and British Pakistani plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad who tries to help repair their shattered faces.

    Acid attacks, which disfigure and often blind their overwhelmingly female victims, have long been used to settle personal or family scores in Pakistan, with hundreds of cases reported each year.

    The attacks along with honour killings fit a wider pattern of eroding women’s rights in the conservative Muslim nation, where women are frequently treated as second-class citizens and there is no law against domestic violence.”

  9. DAILY MAIL – LONDON – Terrifying moment a [ Muslim ] woman attacked a 15-year-old boy with an 8in kitchen knife on a London bus before she was disarmed by his grandmother

    Teenager was attacked by a woman on a route 133 bus on Brixton Road
    Grandmother managed to disarm the suspect before she left the bus
    Met Police said the schoolboy suffered a minor slash to his stomach
    Police have released footage of the incident as they hunt the suspect

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400718/CCTV-shows-moment-woman-wearing-kangaroo-headscarf-attempted-stab-15-year-old-boy-London-bus.html

    • I wonder if Samuel L Jackson can be crowd-sourced to do, “Muhammadans on a Bus.”

  10. GERMANY – MIGRANT SEX ATTACK ‘COVER-UP’: Welcome party for Cologne refugees turned into mass groping

    FURY was growing in Germany tonight over mounting evidence of a cover-up of migrant sex crimes after it emerged a welcome party for refugees held two months before the Cologne rapes descended into a mass groping session.

    Police and victims have furiously demanded to know why organisers did not warn them that refugees had committed abhorrent sexual harassment amid speculation such information could have helped avert the sickening attacks on New Year’s Eve.

    Young women had to flee the welcome event in terror after being groped by gangs of migrant men, even though organisers repeatedly interrupted the music with messages in Arabic urging them to stop their harassment.

    The appalling incident, on November 7, 2015, only became known of at all because one of the victims bravely decided to go to the police in the aftermath of the Cologne sex attacks.

    She told the city’s Express newspaper how she and her friend were surrounded by migrants at the party, which was held on a boat, and were repeatedly groped despite asking the men to stop.

    […]the council official responsible for integration matters, Coletta Manemann, who helped organise the ‘Refugees Welcome’ event, did not report the incidents and has now been accused of a cover-up attempt.

    Admitting that she knew about the incident “shortly before Christmas” after talking to students who had been assigned to helping the refugees, she said: “I can’t remember any more if I told them that they needed to go to the police or not.”

    Amazingly she said she later concluded that “the student organisers had learned from the situation” and felt there was no need to make a fuss. […]

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/634815/Cologne-attacks-fury-migrant-sex-cover-up-refugee-event-groping-Germany

  11. Bornheim erteilt Flüchtlingen Schwimmbadverbot (n24, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/7915622/bornheim-erteilt-fluechtlingen-schwimmbadverbot.html

    “Männliche Flüchtlinge dürfen in Bornheim nicht mehr ins Hallenbad. Immer mehr Frauen hätten sich über sexuelle Belästigung beschwert. Die Stadt hofft auf einen erzieherischen Effekt….”
    ——————–

    Male refugees in Bornheim (Germany) prohibited from entering the indoor aquatic center. Ever more women complained about sexual harassment. The city hopes for an educational effect (to take place). (They really wrote it like this…)

    • DAILY MAIL – German leisure centre becomes the first to ban all migrants after a schoolgirl was sexually assaulted in a public swimming pool by Syrian teenagers

      Three Syrian teenagers arrested in Munich for attack on girls at public pool
      The three boys, all aged under 15, circled the two girls then groped them
      Leisure centre in Bornheim has now barred all migrants as a precaution
      It comes as concerns grow over the New Year mass assaults in Cologne

      A German leisure centre has become the first in the country to ban all migrants after a schoolgirl was sexually assaulted in a public swimming pool by Syrian teenagers.

      Three Syrian boys were arrested earlier this month over the attack at a leisure centre in Munich as the country grapples with growing concerns about sex crimes perpetrated by asylum seekers.

      In response to growing concerns, a leisure centre in Bornheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, has now barred all migrants.

      The ban also follows an attack by an 18-year-old refugee on a 54-year-old woman in Bornheim, where he had grabbed her by the private parts and tried to kiss her.

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400842/German-leisure-centre-ban-migrants-schoolgirl-sexually-assaulted-public-swimming-pool-Syrian-teenagers.html

  12. Chilling CCTV captures the moment a woman wearing a kangaroo headscarf tried to stab a 15-year-old boy on a London bus with an eight-inch kitchen knife

    Teenager was attacked by a woman on a 133 bus in Brixton, south London

    Grandmother managed to disarm the suspect before she left the bus

    Met Police said the schoolboy suffered a slash wound to his stomach

    Police have released footage of the incident as they hunt the suspect

    The suspect is described as an “Asian” (MUSLIM) woman, aged about 20 to 30 years.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400718/CCTV-shows-moment-woman-wearing-kangaroo-headscarf-attempted-stab-15-year-old-boy-London-bus.html

    The migrants Angela Merkel DID turn away: Syrians sent to German leader’s offices by ‘desperate’ Bavarian governor are put on a coach straight back the next day

    Migrants sent from Landshut on 340-mile bus journey to outside the Chancellor’s office in the German capital

    Bavarian politician had told Merkel he would send refugees to her office after warning her: ‘We can’t manage’

    Peter Dreier said last year he would carry out the threat if district received more than 1,800 migrants

    Berlin said they would shelter the refugees last night, but they were sent back on a coach to Landshut this morning

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400762/Syrians-sent-German-leader-s-offices-desperate-Bavarian-governor-coach-straight-day.html

  13. Switzerland follows Denmark’s lead to seize assets from refugees to pay for upkeep (RT, Jan 15, 2016)
    https://www.rt.com/news/329055-switzerland-seize-refugees-assets/

    “Switzerland says it will introduce legislation which will force refugees to hand over cash and valuables to the authorities to help pay for their upkeep. The move by the Swiss follows a similar plan implemented by Denmark.

    Refugees arriving in the Alpine nation will have to turn over any assets they possess which are worth more than 1,000 Swiss francs ($997).

    “If you have property worth more than 1,000 Swiss francs when you arrive at a reception center you are required to give up these financial assets in return for a receipt,” an information sheet for refugees states, as cited by Reuters.

    However, the move has been met with condemnation by human rights groups, who have called it “undignified.” Stefan Frey from refugee aid group Schweizerische Fluechtlingshilfe said that the practice “has to change.”…”

  14. German leisure centre becomes the first to ban all migrants after a schoolgirl was sexually assaulted in a public swimming pool by Syrian teenagers

    The ban also follows an attack by an 18-year-old refugee on a 54-year-old woman in Bornheim, where he had grabbed her by the private parts and tried to kiss her.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400842/German-leisure-centre-ban-migrants-schoolgirl-sexually-assaulted-public-swimming-pool-Syrian-teenagers.html

    Group of Syrian and Afghan migrant boys sexually assaulted three girls at Austrian school for MONTHS before police were notified

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3400783/Group-Syrian-Afghan-migrant-boys-sexually-assaulted-three-girls-Austrian-school-MONTHS-police-notified.html

  15. Al-Shabab seizes African Union base in Somalia (BBC, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35321522

    “Al-Shabab militants have overrun an African Union military base outside the southern Somali town of el-Ade.

    The Islamist group says it has taken “complete control” of the AU camp and killed more than 60 Kenyan soldiers.

    Residents told the BBC that al-Shabab had raised its flag at a camp for Kenyan troops and said insurgents had paraded bodies through the town.

    But Kenya’s army spokesman said it was a nearby Somali base that was stormed and Kenyan troops counter-attacked.

    The number of casualties on both sides was not known, Kenyan military spokesman Col David Obonyo said in a statement.

    He told the BBC that reports of high Kenyan casualties were “normal propaganda from al-Shabab”.

    Kenya contributes more than 4,000 troops to the 22,000-strong AU force that is in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda.

    An el-Ade resident told the BBC by phone that he had heard a loud explosion at about 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT), followed by heavy gunfire.

    “We then saw an al-Shabab fighter in the town. We also saw Kenyan soldiers who were fleeing from the camp.

    “At the moment the camp is in the hands of al-Shabab. We can see military cars burning and dead soldiers all over the place. There are no civilian casualties but most people have fled the town.”…”

  16. France: Calais ‘Jungle’ camp clean-up continues as refugees prepare to relocate

    Refugees and migrants packed up their belongings at the refugee camp in Calais on Friday as French authorities prepared to relocate them to new containers on the site.

    Bulldozers were expected to start demolishing the makeshift camp, known as “The Jungle,” on Friday after the French government gave residents a deadline of Thursday to pack up their things. However the demolition was delayed after authorities granted the refugees a grace period until Monday.

    The containers installed in “The Jungle,” where approximately 5,000 refugees are currently living, are fitted with electricity and heating and intended to eventually house 1,500 people. During the next few days, it is expected that more refugees will move into the covered shelters. The containers are one of the solutions brought forward by the French government to respond to the very poor conditions in this refugee camp on their northern coast.

  17. Al-Azhar facing ‘smear campaign’ from critics: Grand imam

    There is an ongoing campaign to smear Al-Azhar by quoting selectively from books published by the university that purport to show links with terrorist ideas, Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb told state TV on Friday.

    “They want to show that Al-Azhar’s curriculums spread terrorist ides and views although our heritage books have been in place since long ago…so why they are doing this now? For sure, to demolish Al Azahr,” El-Tayyeb added without pointing his finger at any particular groups or persons.

    Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islam, has been criticised by some for failing to combat extremist ideas.

    In December controversial TV presenter Islam El-Beheiry was sentenced to five-year in prison on charges of “contempt of religion.”

    El-Beheiry was a harsh critic of Al-Azhar, and the institution requested the Egyptian authorities stop airing his show, describing him as “leading a fierce campaign against the foundations of Islam and Islamic heritage.”

    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/181085/Egypt/Politics-/AlAzhar-facing-smear-campaign-from-critics-Grand-i.aspx

  18. euronews –The forgotten victims of Syria: foreign fighters’ mothers speak out – reporter

    ( 8 min 28 )

  19. NETHERLANDS – A Native Moroccan at the Helm of Dutch Parliament

    A Moroccan native Khadija Arib became Wednesday Speaker of the Dutch Parliament after she was elected by 83 MPs out of the 134 qualified to vote.

    The election of a speaker of Moroccan origin is seen as a little dig at populist and anti-Islam deputy Geert Wilders who did not miss the opportunity to criticize her election saying that it was “a dark day in the history of the Dutch Parliament.”

    Wilders, known for his anti-migrant stands, criticizes Arib for her dual Dutch and Moroccan nationality.

    Arib is a politician of the labor party and has been sitting in Parliament since 1998. Before her successful election, Arib has been in the seat of the Speaker of the Parliament as care-taker since December 2015 after Speaker Anouchka van Miltenburg stepped down following a scandal.

    Khadija Arib, born in Morocco in 1960, migrated to the Netherlands when she was a teenager.

    Khadija Arib is not however the only public figure of Moroccan origin in the Netherlands. Her countryman, Ahmed Aboutaleb, is the mayor of Rotterdam, the second largest Dutch city.

    http://northafricapost.com/10512-a-native-moroccan-at-the-helm-of-dutch-parliament.html

  20. Interesting conversation in the comments section
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/police-search-for-missing-markham-woman-1.3403753?__vfz=profile_comment%3D7803700002260#vf-6525400002396
    A young woman whose father encouraged her to study Islam as an alternative to medication to treat her bipolar disorder and schizophrenia is missing.

    Taneesha Brown’s struggle with mental illness has caused her family concern on several occasions in recent years, but those who know and love the 25-year-old now fear for her life after she walked out into the cold from her aunt’s Markham home Tuesday night.

    “She told my sister she just wanted to go outside for fresh air and she just took off,”… » more

    2 hours ago
    alie v
    @Delme Evans I’ve known this family for decades and taught the youngest daughter swimming lessons. When she was 12, she confided some very shocking things to me about her dad. Before any of this religion as an alternative to meds thing was outted, I just knew that Mr. Brown was behind it. Mrs. Mazerolle (their mum) has always advocated for her children’s health. Mr. Brown has refused to accept the very real challenges Taneesha faced.

  21. Growing number of police chiefs, sheriffs join call to arms

    It’s Florida Sheriff Grady Judd’s duty to protect the citizens of Polk County — but he figures it’s their job, too.

    One of a growing number of rural and big-city law enforcement officials who openly encourages responsible gun ownership, Judd believes guns allow citizens to defend themselves when police cannot.

    “If you are foolish enough to break into someone’s home, you can expect to be shot in Polk County,” Judd said in a statement after a homeowner shot a would-be home invader earlier this month. “It’s more important to have a gun in your hand than a cop on the phone.”

    Such full-throated embrace of the Second Amendment as a crime-fighting tool isn’t confined to red states like Florida.

    “I want as many law-abiding citizens to arm themselves in this county as we can get.”

    – Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke

    One California police chief is backing teachers in his district packing heat. Detroit Police Chief James Craig has been a leader in urging his community to arm itself. A Maryland sheriff is working with the state’s general assembly to try to make it easier for citizens to obtain handgun permits.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/15/growing-number-police-chiefs-sheriffs-join-call-to-arms.html

  22. Iranian armed forces chief sure sounds like the Persian Gulf incident was deliberate
    By J.E. Dyer on January 13, 2016 at 8:35 pm

    148 Share Tweet Pin

    Readers will all have seen by now that the U.S. Navy boat crewmen – 10 sailors, 9 men and 1 woman – have been released by Iran. That’s the only good news from the whole incident.
    Our finest hour. (Image: IRIB News)

    Our finest hour. (Image: IRIB News)

    For those with strong stomachs, I’ve included tweets below with Iranian media video footage, crowing over the opportunity to depict uniformed Americans in humiliating postures. The Navy officer apologizing to Iran is particularly affecting.

    The story the White House and media have been telling, about the operational details of the incident, continues to not pass the smell test. More on that here.

    But a little snippet from the Iranian media is illuminating. It’s not about a statement of fact regarding the incident, which might or might not be believable coming from an Iranian news outlet. It’s a quote from the Iranian armed forces chief, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi. Ynet passed it along to English-language readers (h/t: Yochanan Visser):

    Iran’s army chief said on Wednesday the seizure of two US navy boats and their 10 sailors should be a lesson to members the US Congress trying to impose new sanctions on Tehran.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/01/13/iranian-armed-forces-chief-sure-sounds-like-the-persian-gulf-incident-was-deliberate/

  23. Denmark Jails 2nd Person in Purported Extremism Case (abcnews, Jan 15, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/denmark-jails-2nd-person-purported-extremism-case-36322041

    “A day after a court hearing that was shrouded in secrecy, a Danish court has jailed another person until Feb. 9 in a case believed to be linked to the first suspect, reportedly a 15-year-old girl with Muslim extremist sympathies.

    Friday’s hearing in Holbaek, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Copenhagen, also was held behind double closed doors, which means that no information can be made public. That is customary in terror-related cases in Denmark.

    Local media say the new suspect was man who had been in Syria. Police in eastern Denmark confirmed that a person had been arrested Thursday but declined to disclose details, citing the investigation.

    Danish media said the teenager was a Danish girl who recently converted to Islam. She was jailed Thursday until Feb. 9.”