Reader’s links for Feb. 22 – 2016

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

About Eeyore

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

148 Replies to “Reader’s links for Feb. 22 – 2016”

  1. US drone strike leaves 3 militants dead along Durand Line (khaama, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/us-drone-strike-leaves-3-militants-dead-along-durand-line-0139

    “At least three suspected militants were killed in a drone strike along the Durand Line apparently carried out by the US forces in Afghanistan, it has been reported.

    According to the local media reports in Pakistan, the airstrike targeted the militants near Kurram Agency, a tribal area in northwest Pakistan, located along the Durand Line.

    The reports further added that two militants apparently belonging to the mlitants were also destroyed in the raid.

    According to the reports, the latest drone strike was the second of its kind since the beginning of the year, targeting militants inside the Pakistani soil…”

  2. 1 killed, 2 wounded as rocket hits governor’s compound in Baghlan (khaama, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/1-killed-2-wounded-as-rocket-hits-governors-compound-in-baghlan-0137

    “An explosion rocked the governor’s compound in northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan with the local officials said the blast was triggered as a result of a rocket which landed in the compound.

    The officials further added that one person was killed and two others were wounded in the attack which took place around 11:00 am local time.

    The rocket fired from an unknown location landed in the office of the deputy provincial governor, the officials said, adding that the deputy governor escaped the attack unhurt.

    No group including the Taliban militants has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident…”

  3. 6 militants killed in Afghan Air Force, army raids in Laghman (khaama, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/6-militants-killed-in-afghan-air-force-army-raids-in-laghman-0136

    “At least six anti-government armed militants were killed in joint operations conducted by the Afghan national security forces, involving Afghan Air Force (AAF) in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the raids were conducted as part of the ongoing Fulad 34 operations to clear parts of Laghman province from the militants activities.

    A statement by MoD said at least four suspects were also arrested during the operations and various types of weapons and explosives were confiscated…”

  4. Eight ‘terrorists’ killed in Karachi shootout (tribune, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1052295/crossfire-eight-terrorists-killed-in-police-shootout/

    “KARACHI: Eight suspected militants were killed during an alleged exchange of fire with the law enforcement agencies in the outskirts of the city on Monday evening.

    The militants were killed during a joint operation by police and the intelligence agencies, after a raid was conducted at the hideout of alleged terrorists near Pipri, Bin Qasim Town, Malir.

    The police claim they faced retaliation from the terrorists, when they were surrounding the area. More law enforcers were called at the site and after a shootout that lasted of two hours, eight terrorists were killed.

    The suspects’ accomplices managed to flee the scene, said SSP Rao Anwar. Police seized huge cache of explosives, weapons from their possession, police uniforms and suicide jackets from their possession…”

  5. Student killed, 7 injured in explosion in Al-Arish (ahram, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/188214/Egypt/Politics-/Student-killed,–injured-in-explosion-in-AlArish.aspx

    “An 18-year-old university student was killed, and seven others were injured Monday when an explosive device detonated on Al-Bahr street in North Sinai’s Al-Arish, state news agency MENA reported.

    Security sources said the bomb, which was placed by militants, was targeting security forces. The victims happened to be passing by when the bomb went off…”

  6. Slovak leader says EU agreement may not stem migrant flow from Turkey (reuters, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-slovakia-idUSKCN0VV284

    “It is likely the numbers of migrants coming to Greece from Turkey will not drop in the coming weeks despite a European Union agreement and the EU should take steps to prepare new options, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday.

    Fico, who has made a tough stance on migration the cornerstone of his policies before a March 5 election, told Reuters the government was prepared to erect mobile barriers on borders with Austria and Hungary to direct the flow of migrants he fears will rise soon.

    Slovakia has so far seen only a trickle of migrants across its territory on their way from Syria or Afghanistan to western Europe. It has taken a particularly strong stand against accepting any significant numbers of Muslims who Fico says could not integrate.

    Fico said calls by Slovakia and other central European countries of the Visegrad Four – Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland – for strict border protection were winning acceptance across the EU as it grapples with the migration crisis and a number of countries cap the numbers they are willing to accept…”

  7. Islamic State rigs currency rates in Mosul to prop up finances (reuters, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-mosul-idUSKCN0VV1FO

    “Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul are manipulating the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and Iraqi dinars to squeeze money out of local people as coalition bombers attack the group’s finances.

    The U.S-led coalition has said that in addition to attacking Islamic State’s fighters and leaders it will go after financial infrastructure too.

    Air strikes have reduced Islamic State’s ability to extract, refine and transport oil, a major source of revenue that is already suffering from the fall in world prices. Since October the coalition says it has destroyed at least 10 “cash collection points” estimated to contain hundreds of millions of dollars…”

  8. German government to use Trojan spyware to monitor citizens (DW, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/german-government-to-use-trojan-spyware-to-monitor-citizens/a-19066629

    “Intelligence agencies in Germany can now use malware to track computers of people under suspicion. The Trojan will be able to track user chats and conversations on smartphones and PCs.

    A spokesman for the German interior ministry announced on Monday that the government had approved the usage of Trojans to monitor suspected citizens.

    The interior ministry spokesman defended the government’s decision, saying “basically we now have the skills in an area where we did not have this kind of skill.” The program was already endorsed by members of the government in autumn 2015, the ministry said.

    Trojans are software programs, also known as malware, specially designed to get into users’ computers. They are often used by hackers and thieves to gain access to somebody else’s data.

    In order to use the malware, government officials will have to get a court order, allowing authorities to hack into a citizen’s system.

    The approval will help officials get access to the suspect’s personal computer, laptop and smartphone. Once the spyware installs itself on the suspect’s device, it can skim data on the computer’s hard drive and monitor ongoing chats and conversations.

    Members of the Green party protested the launching of the Trojan, with the party’s deputy head Konstantin von Notz saying, “We do understand the needs of security officials, but still, in a country under the rule of law, the means don’t justify the end.”

    Germany-based hacker association Chaos Computer Club (CCC) also expressed doubts with the government’s decision. Its spokesman, Frank Rieger, told German radio Deutschlandfunk that the technical capabilities of the software needed to be toned down. “It’s almost like you’re watching people think, if you’re reading as they type,” Rieger said.

    According to a 2008 decision by the German Constitutional Court, remote access to a citizen’s computer is permissible only if there is life-threatening danger or suspicion of criminal activity against the state.”

    • I guess this means Obama’s DOJ will demand anti-virus writers ALLOW any of government software garbage on their phones to fight “crime.” This Obama driven demand on iphones and all the Republican Presidential candidates supporting him is not going to end well for the American people. Apple needs to concentrate on connecting OBAMA with being anti-civil-liberties so that the White House can become a central figure in their attacks on privacy.

      • Check out what J.E. Dyer on liberty Unyielding is saying, then check out the blogs of other retired officers and NCOs, you will then learn what is coming.

  9. AfD overtakes center left in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt (DW, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/afd-overtakes-center-left-in-germanys-eastern-state-of-saxony-anhalt/a-19066276

    “The AfD party has pulled ahead of Germany’s traditional center-left Social Democrats in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. A new poll has come out ahead of key regional elections across the country.

    Three weeks ahead of important regional elections, a new poll published on Monday has caused some consternation amongst Germany’s established political parties.

    The survey, conducted for the popular “Bild” newspaper, has shown that the right wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is ahead of leftists the Social Democrats (SPD) in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

    The AfD now has the support of 17 percent of voters in the eastern state, a surge of 12 points since September. It’s likely no coincidence that this increase in popularity has come at the same time as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy to migrants, particularly Syrian refugees.

    Originally founded as an euroskeptic alternative to Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the AfD has changed its major policy platform in recent months, moving away from leaving the euro currency and towards opposing the chancellor’s stance on Europe’s refugee crisis. With the public divided on allowing an unprecedented number of foreign asylum seekers into the country, the AfD has capitalized on those more wary of migration, particularly in the former east.

    The “Bild” poll had the SPD at 16 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, with the CDU clearly out in front at 30 percent. Leftists in the state did not need to totally despair, however, as the more socialist Left party was still much stronger than the AfD with 17 percent support from voters.

    The western states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate were also set for regional elections that may prove to have surprising results. The newspaper poll showed that in Baden-Württemberg, the birthplace of the CDU, Chancellor Merkel’s party had only a percentage point above the Green party at 30 and 30.5 percent respectively. Rhineland-Palatinate was a close call between the two traditional parties, with the CDU at 35 points and the SPD at 33.

    In all three states, the AfD looked likely to gain seats in parliament as popularity soared past the five percent threshold needed to enter German legislatures…”

  10. In Germany, pressure mounts to handle right-wing violence against refugees (DW, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/in-germany-pressure-mounts-to-handle-right-wing-violence-against-refugees/a-19065433

    “German politicians have called for the government to take tougher action to prevent appalling right-wing incidents against refugees. The police are also facing criticism.

    German politicians on Monday responded to the fallout from two anti-refugee incidents in Saxony over the past week, calling for stronger steps to ensure refugees are protected from right-wing mobs.

    “The chancellor will have to give a statement next week on how the government plans to stop the racist mob and protect refugees,” Dietmar Bartsch, head of the opposition Left Party, told the “Tagesspiegel” newspaper Monday.

    A fire that police believe was set by an arsonist to a planned refugee accommodation in the town of Bautzen was met with cheers by onlookers who blocked firefighters on Saturday night. The fire came days after a bus carrying frightened refugees was blocked from entering nearby Clausnitz by a mob shouting anti-immigrant slogans.

    Saxony has been the center of right-wing movements, such as PEGIDA, targeting refugees.

    The two incidents, coming as Germany experiences a rise in right-wing verbal and physical violence against refugees, has put mounting pressure on the government to take additional action to protect refugees.

    “The German Bundestag must make unmistakably clear that we cannot tolerate anything like this,” said Britta Hasselmann, the Green Party’s parliamentary leader, on Monday. “Hate, discrimination or violence against people cannot be allowed.”

    Saxony’s Interior Minister Markus Ulbig, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into what she has described as “appalling and sickening” behavior.

    On Monday, police authorities established an 11-person investigative group to look into the incident in Clausnitz.

    But Ulbig defended the response from police, who have come under heat for their handling of the situation.

    Video from the bus incident appears to show police dragging frightened refugees off the bus into a building, a measure police authorities said was to protect the refugees…”

    • Screw the politicians, what are the people, police and military saying they are the important ones right now. The politicians have already lost control and don’t realize this fact.

  11. Migrants who ‘raped boy, 12, in filmed assault’ lied about their real ages (express, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/646474/Migrants-raped-boy-12-filmed-assault-lied-real-ages

    “MIGRANTS accused of raping a 12-year-old boy at a youth asylum centre in a filmed attack lied about their real ages, officials have revealed.

    Despite claiming to be 15 and 16 when they applied for asylum, according to dental records the two alleged attackers are over 18.

    The men are said to have attacked the boy at a centre in Alvesta, Smaland, and reportedly filmed the sexual assault on a mobile phone.

    On Facebook, the men claim to be born in 1997 and the other 1971, one of the men also wrote that he has previously worked as a mechanic in Dubai.

    Prosecutor, Emma Berge, said the second man was not 45 but was over 18.

    She said: “A dental examination with an age assessment had been made by the National Board of Forensic Medicine, and then there is information from Facebook and similar sources.

    “And then you also have to look at their appearance and how they are perceived.”…”

  12. ‘Stop forced evictions!’ Protesters demand halt to Calais ‘Jungle’ demolition (RT, Feb 22, 2016)
    https://www.rt.com/uk/333249-calais-jungle-demolition-protest/

    “Human rights campaigners will rally outside 10 Downing Street on Monday to protest against the demolition of refugee camps in northern France and to demand Prime Minister David Cameron take in more migrants fleeing conflict.

    Protestors, who will assemble outside Downing Street at 6pm, are demanding French authorities abandon plans to raze the southern section of the “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais.

    Campaign groups have filed a legal case against the local government in an attempt to block the forced evictions, which charity Help Refugees estimates will displace 3,500 people, including hundreds of unaccompanied children. A hearing is set for Tuesday in Lille at 2pm.

    A Facebook page for the protest, organized by campaign group Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), indicates hundreds of people will attend the demonstration.

    “Stand Up To Racism has called for a protest at Downing St 6pm next Monday 22nd February. Don’t bulldoze Calais refugees homes, let them into Britain,” the Facebook page reads.

    “It is crucial we increase pressure on Cameron to stop the demolition and open the borders to refugees in Calais and Dunkirk.”

    Joint National Secretary of SUTR Weyman Bennett said the British government has spent more money keeping refugees out than on helping them.

    “What’s driving this is racism and Islamophobia and it is coming from the highest levels. The British government and David Cameron have spent more money on razor wire rather than helping these refugee,” he said in a statement.

    SUTR’s other Joint National Secretary Sabby Dhalu said Britain’s contribution to relieving the refugee crisis is tiny compared to countries neighboring Syria.

    “The real solution is to allow refugees in the camps to seek asylum in Britain and to lead a normal human life.

    “A poorer country like Lebanon—the size of Cornwall—has taken 1.5 million refugees, equivalent to a quarter of its population.”

    Hollywood actor Jude Law and playwright Tom Stoppard visited the “Jungle” camp on Sunday to raise awareness about the upcoming evictions.

    Law is one of 150 public figures to sign an open letter calling on the British government to allow children with family in the UK to be reunited. Other famous signatories include actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Idress Elba….”

  13. The Latest: French Court Hands Down Sentences to Migrants (abcnews, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-eu-police-body-launches-migrant-smuggling-unit-37108408

    “… A court in northern France has sentenced six migrants to one month in prison and slapped 300-euro fines ($330) to two activists over an intrusion onto a British ferry in the port of Calais last month.

    But since the six migrants — four Afghans, one Syrian and one Sudanese — have been in prison for a month awaiting their trial, they were freed Monday, prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi told The Associated Press by phone after the trial in Boulogne-Sur-Mer.

    The six were arrested on Jan. 23 when between 150 and 300 people made their way to the fenced port site in Calais when a demonstration by migrants and activists was ending. A few dozen managed to get on a docked ferry before being escorted off by police….”

  14. Italy to Allow US Armed Drones for Defense Use in Libya (abcnews, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/italy-us-armed-drones-defense-libya-37119082

    “Italy has agreed to allow U.S. armed drones to take off from an air base in Sicily to defend the coalition force targeting Islamic State group extremists gaining ground in Libya.

    An Italian defense ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the government hasn’t announced the deal, said Rome and Washington reached agreement last month. Permission will have to be asked of the Italian government each time, on a case-by-case basis, for the drones to take off to defend military personnel at risk during anti-IS air operations in Libya.

    Premier Matteo Renzi has said Italy would provide support for an allied coalition including the United States against extremists in Libya. But he has said Italy’s military won’t participate in airstrikes.”

  15. Yemen conflict: Al-Qaeda joins coalition battle for Taiz (BBC, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35630194

    “The BBC has found evidence in Yemen that troops from a Saudi-led coalition force and al-Qaeda militants are both fighting Houthi rebels in a key battle.

    On a visit to the frontline near the city of Taiz, a documentary maker filmed jihadists and pro-government militiamen, supported by UAE soldiers.

    The coalition of 10 mostly Sunni Arab states is backing Yemen’s government in its war against the Shia rebels.

    But it denies co-operating with Sunni extremists also opposed to the Houthis.

    The coalition’s member states consider al-Qaeda a terrorist organisation, and the jihadist network’s local affiliates have attacked coalition forces and Yemeni government personnel…”

  16. Saudi Arabia puts Shia on trial for spying for Iran (BBC, Feb 22, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35630193

    “Saudi Arabia has put on trial 32 people, almost all of them members of the kingdom’s Shia minority, accused of spying for Iran, local media report.

    The defendants face charges including treason, establishing a spy ring with Iranian intelligence and passing on sensitive data on military zones.

    Most of the 32 are from Saudi Arabia’s restive Eastern Province, with one an Iranian national and another an Afghan.

    Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have escalated in recent weeks…”

  17. Greece: Hundreds refugees arrive at Athens’ Piraeus port

    Around 1,300 refugees, mainly Syrian nationals, arrived in Piraeus, Athens from the Greek islands of Chios and Lesbos, on Monday.

  18. France: Protesters condemn sentencing of six refugees to prison

    Dozens of people gathered outside a court in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Monday, to protest against the decision to condemn six refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria to a month in a prison for storming a ferry and attempting to stow away to the United Kingdom.

    Activists chanted slogans such as “Justice, racist!” and “refugees are welcome here” against the court’s decision. The refugees have already spent a month in prison, with prosecutor Jean-Pierre Valensi reporting that they were already released.

    • UK: Protesters demand Calais child refugees are let into Britain

      Several hundred activists attended an emergency protest was organised on Monday in Whitehall, London, ahead of Wednesday’s decision on whether or not to demolish the southern section of the Calais refugee camp. The protest was organised by ‘Stand up to Racism’ and the ‘London 2 Calais’ campaign group.

    • What do you suppose is wrong with that woman?
      If she were getting it on with that lot, they’d tear her apart. So it can’t be that.

      • It is arrogance on her part, she thinks she is smarter, better educated and more compassionate then non liberals. This is a mental health problem 90% or so of the liberals suffer from. Either that or she suffers from terminal stupidity.

    • BREITBART – UK Open Borders Activists Block Journalists Filming In Calais Migrant Camp: ‘This Is A Journalist Free Space’ … ‘Like North Korea?’

      The Dutch journalists who were attacked by Calais migrants in January have released a shocking new video displaying the censorious nature of the open borders campaigners who “help” migrants in the camps in Northern France.

      Teun Voeten, who was attacked and thrown into a tent while three men pinned him down in the Calais Jungle Camp, has revealed how ‘No Borders Solidarity Network’ campaigners attempt to stop journalists interviewing them, and migrants, and getting a full look into the camps in France.

      http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/02/16/watch-uk-open-borders-activists-block-journalists-filming-in-calais-migrant-camp-this-is-a-journalist-free-space-like-north-korea/

    • Think of this as evolution in action, the average intelligence of the human race just raised a fraction of a percentage point.

  19. Canadian Parliament passes a motion condemning BDS by a vote of 229-51

    By a vote of 229 for and 51 against, the Canadian Parliament passed a historic motion this afternoon which formally condemned the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) anti-Israel movement.

    The Conservatives (including former Prime Minister Stephen Harper who attended the session to cast his vote against BDS), as well as the Liberals voted for the motion. Tom Muclair, leader of the NDP, opposed it.

    The motion, which was brought on November 18 by Conservative MP’s Tony Clement and Michelle Rempel, called on Canada to reject BDS.

    That, given Canada and Israel share a long history of friendship as well as economic and diplomatic relations, the House reject the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which promotes the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel, and call upon the government to condemn any and all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups or individuals to promote the BDS movement, both here at home and abroad.”[…]

    http://en.cijnews.com/?p=27150

    Anti-BDS Motion Passes in Canadian Parliament With Bipartisan Support

    Motion condemns ‘any and all attempts to promote BDS’ in Canada or abroad, and notes country’s ties with Israel.

    Canada’s Parliament passed a motion formally condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

    The motion passed Monday in a 229-51 vote, CIJ News reported. Introduced last week by members of the opposition Conservative Party, the motion won support from the ruling Liberal Party as well.

    It calls on the Canadian government to “condemn any and all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups or individuals to promote the BDS movement, both here at home and abroad.”

    In addition, the motion notes Canada and Israel’s “long history of friendship as well as economic and diplomatic relations.” The motion says the BDS movement “promotes the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.”

    Speaking in favor of the motion last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said “the world will win nothing for boycotting Israel but depriving itself of the talents of its inventiveness.”

    Canadian Jewish groups have praised the motion. In a statement last week, Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said, according to the European Jewish Press, “The boycott movement does not contribute to peace and is not pro-Palestinian. It is discrimination based on nationality, and it harms both Israelis and Palestinians alike by driving the two sides further apart. The BDS movement is a fringe movement and is outside genuine peace efforts.”

    Responding to the vote in a news release, the National Council on Canada Arab Relations said the anti-BDS motion goes “against the spirit of the Freedom of Speech, a right enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

    The group described BDS as a “nonviolent campaign that supports proven methods of conscientious objection to encourage Israel to respect international law.”

    http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/1.704872

  20. Greece: Afghan refugees stranded as Macedonian authorities close border

    Thousands of refugees were left stranded at the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni, on Monday, after Macedonian authorities decided to close their frontier gates to refugees originating from Afghanistan. An identical decision was also introduced by the Serbian government.

  21. In the meantime. Last week French parliament extended state of emergency untill 26th of May.

    French parliament extends state of emergency to May 26
    France’s Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a three-month extension of the state of emergency imposed after deadly attacks in and around Paris on November 13 despite opposition from rights groups that say it undermines civic freedoms.

    The National Assembly or lower house of Parliament approved the extension Tuesday night by a vote of 212-31. The measure had already been approved by the Senate and now will remain in effect until May 26.
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160216-french-parliament-prolong-state-emergency-may-26

  22. Germany: Anti-refugee demo held in Pirmasens as Merkel arrives in town

    Around hundred supporters of the right-wing National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) staged an anti-refugee protest in Pirmasens on Monday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in town for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) campaign rally, ahead of the 2016 Rhineland-Palatinate state elections