Reader’s links for March 2 – 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.

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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

79 Replies to “Reader’s links for March 2 – 2016”

  1. Study: British Need to Retire at 81 to Get Parents’ Standard (abcnews, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/study-british-retire-81-parents-standard-37333756

    “A new study by pension provider Royal London suggests some British workers will have to work until they are 81 if they want to build up savings that guarantee their parents’ standard of retirement.

    The research released Wednesday comes as the British government embarks on a review of pensions that has prompted speculation it will raise the retirement age to compensate for a burgeoning older population. The retirement age for men and women is already set to rise to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020.

    Royal London says changes in workplace pensions mean workers aren’t saving enough to ensure they have the same kind of retirement their parents expected.

    The report says “without significantly higher levels of engagement in pensions, we may be witnessing the death of retirement.””

      • It is not enrichment that is the problem it is getting old. We have to stop getting old. Immigrants dont get old so they are the answer and all the children they have dont get old either. Only white native populations get old ….you know that silly!
        The real answer is to get rid of the old and just have young third world people who are young. It is so obvious.

  2. This is the dirty secret of the socialist economic programs, the rich get much richer, the poor get much poorer and the middle class gets destroyed.

  3. ‘No asylum in Austria’ adverts in Afghanistan

    Austria is to launch an advertising campaign in Afghanistan telling residents they will not get asylum if they migrate to Austria for economic reasons.

    http://www.thelocal.at/20160302/no-asylum-in-austria-adverts-in-afghanistan

    Bring refugees from Greece yourself, Austria tells Merkel

    Germany “should set up a daily quota and then bring these refugees directly from Greece, Turkey or Jordan,” Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told the Kurier newspaper on Wednesday.

    “Austria cannot and must not become a distribution hub [for refugees]. There must be an end to that,” Faymann went on.

    http://www.thelocal.de/20160302/just-bring-refugees-straight-from-greece-austria-tells-merkel

  4. Coalition forces make progress near Sana’a (emirates247, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.emirates247.com/news/coalition-forces-make-progress-near-sana-a-2016-03-02-1.623005

    “The legitimate forces in Yemen have made fresh progress to the east of the capital Sana’a after engaging in confrontation against militias of the ousted president and Houthis in Naham directorate.

    A source said this advancement is coming in conjunction with arrival of new military equipment.

    Major General Mohsen Khser of the Yemeni army told the Arabic newspaper Al Bayan that the decision to liberate Sana’a has been taken and there is no retreat in it. The legitimate forces are advancing towards the directorate of Al Baka’a in Sa’adah governorate.

    He said Yemeni military forces in Naham had reached regions of Al Dabouah and Bait Qatran and added that and they are only a few kilometres from Al Sama military base in Arhab directorate.

    He added that coup troops have suffered tremendous casualties as a result of air raids of the Arab coalition which targeted their sites in Sana’a and Ta’aiz, Sa’adah and Jawf.

    It is believed that military experts from Iran and Hezbollah were killed in coalition raids on militia sites and positions in Sa’adah in the past few days.

    Brigadier Ahmed Asiri stressed the Arab coalition forces do not differentiate between forces of ousted President Ali Saleh and Al Qaida and Houthi militias.”

  5. 12-15,000 migrants need immediate aid (ansa, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2016/03/02/12-15000-migrants-need-immediate-aid_6c38f957-24e7-4244-9e54-c5b31dfd548b.html

    “(ANSA) – Brussels, March 2 – European Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner Christos Stylianides said Wednesday there are “between 12,000 and 15,000 people who urgently need immediate humanitarian aid” in Greece. He called on the EU to swiftly adopt financial tools to face the emergency. Thousands of migrants have been flooding into Greece and there have been incidents at the Macedonia border. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Greece cannot be left to cope with the crisis alone.”

  6. Moscow child beheading: Uzbek nanny says ‘ordered by Allah’ (BBC, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35705924

    “A nanny in Russia accused of murdering and then decapitating a little girl in her care has said that “Allah ordered” her to carry out the act.

    Gulchekhra Bobokulova, a 38-year-old mother of three, spoke to reporters on her way into a Moscow court.

    Bobokulova, a Muslim and a citizen of Uzbekistan, also replied “yes” when asked if she accepted her guilt.

    CCTV appeared to show her, dressed in a hijab, walking near a metro station with a head in her hands.

    Russian media reported that she pulled the head out of a bag and began screaming that she would blow herself up after a police officer asked to see her identity documents…”

  7. Migrant crisis: Russia and Syria ‘weaponising’ migration (BBC, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35706238

    “Russia and Syria are “weaponising” migration as an aggressive strategy towards Europe, the senior Nato commander in Europe has said.

    US Gen Philip Breedlove also said criminals, extremists and fighters were hiding in the flow of migrants.

    Migrants are continuing to accumulate in Greece, after Macedonia stopped allowing more than a trickle through.

    New figures suggest last year’s total of one million seaborne migrants could be reached this year months beforehand.

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said nearly 129,500 migrants had arrived by sea so far in 2016, plus another 1,545 by land – and 418 had drowned or were missing.

    The European Commission has now adopted plans to disburse €700m (£543m; $760m) of emergency humanitarian funding between 2016-18 to help tackle the crisis, says humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides.

    The crisis has caused tensions to surge, with Greece struggling to cope with the influx and the European Commission criticising Macedonia for using tear gas on a crowd of migrants on Monday morning.

    “The scenes we just saw are not our idea of managing the crisis,” said EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas….”

    • I problem with his testimony is that it is ISIS and the Brotherhood that are hiding fighters among the “refugees” and not Russia and Syria. Obama and company think that if they lie about this people will believe them. The scary thing is the LSM will repeat this lie ad nauseum and the low information voters will believe them. The problem with using the big lie like this is that once it is proven to be a lie no one will believe you anymore.

      • once it is proven to be a lie no one will believe you anymore

        Unfortunately some lies do take hold and just won’t die.
        All the blood-libels about Jews resurface because they appeal to primitive, superstitious hate.

        I’m afraid some of the leftist-generated LSM fabrications may have similar staying power. You can hear old commies in Russia repeating Stalin-era garbage even when it’s been proven manifestly false.*
        _____
        *Courtesy of my Russki, too shy to write here in English. I wish I could read the blogs he loves in Russian. They’re great even second-hand.

        • To a certain type of person just having ten guys standing there shouting the same lie in unison is sort of the same thing as telling the truth because, even though they know they are lying, they also believe that their cause is so righteous that their lying is justified. The thing is that such people have no respect or even belief in the entity known as the “truth” because they see their use of lies as nothing but a clever tactic in the furtherance of their just and honorable cause.

          What these people are really communicating is that they are not interested in talking because there is nothing you could ever say that would make the slightest impression on them, no matter how “true” it happened to be. In other words, they are spoiling for a fight…

          • A fight they can accuse you of starting, look at how they distort what was done in Nam, and in all of the various campaigns in the Gulf and Afghanistan.

        • You are right some lies to take hold and can’t be destroyed, but even those have their disbelievers who no longer trust the groups that do believe them.

            • Death to the blasphemer, both say the same thing and have the same end result. This is what the anti-free speech protesters are saying as I say on a periodic bases Marxism is a theology disquieted as an ideology.

  8. Afghanistan militants dead in Jalalabad attack (BBC, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35705774

    “An attack near the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Jalalabad has left five militants dead, including a suicide bomber whose device killed only himself, police have told the BBC.

    They say the gunmen were shot dead by the security forces soon after the bomber detonated his device.

    Medics told the BBC that at least nine people were injured. Consular officials said none of their staff were hurt.

    Jalalabad is often targeted by Taliban militants…”

  9. Jordan raid: Eight killed in Irbid as forces ‘foil IS plot’ (BBC, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35701841

    “Jordan says a raid in the city of Irbid that left seven suspected jihadist militants dead foiled attacks being plotted by so-called Islamic State.

    Those killed were planning to blow up civilian and military targets in the country, according to the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).

    A security officer was also killed and five were injured during the overnight raid, which triggered armed clashes.

    Jordan is part of a US-led coalition battling IS fighters in Syria and Iraq…”

  10. Indonesian Police Arrest 4 More Suspected Militants (abcnews, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesian-police-arrest-suspected-militants-37333753

    “Indonesia’s anti-terror squad arrested four more people suspected of being connected to deadly attacks in the capital in January, police said Wednesday.

    National police spokesman Maj. Gen. Anton Charliyan said the four knew about the plot one month before the Jan. 14 bombings that killed eight people, including four attackers.

    Two of the suspects were arrested in the Central Java town of Kroya on Monday, while two others were apprehended in Patok Picis village in the hilly city of Malang in East Java.

    A total of 43 suspects have now been arrested in connection with the attack…”

  11. First on CNN: U.S. Special Ops team captures first ISIS operative (CNN, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/01/politics/special-ops-captures-isis-detainee-iraq/index.html

    “U.S. Special Operations forces have captured their first suspected ISIS operative in Northern Iraq as part of a highly secretive targeting team led by the Army’s elite Delta Force, CNN has learned.

    The detainee is being interrogated by the U.S. and is expected to be turned over to Iraqi officials in the coming days, two U.S. officials confirmed. They provided details to CNN but asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, and they did not identify the location of the interrogation.

    The mission was carried out by the Pentagon’s expeditionary targeting force. Defense Secretary Ash Carter acknowledged the expeditionary targeting force has been sent to Iraq to conduct raids against ISIS and to capture or kill suspects….”

  12. White House: ISIS extermination of Christians can’t be called genocide yet (RT, Mar 3, 2016)
    https://www.rt.com/news/334270-us-genocide-christians-unreached/

    “The Obama administration says Islamic State’s persecution of Christian minorities in Iraq and Syria is not genocide. The point where it is accurate to term it as such “has not been reached,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a press briefing.

    Asked whether Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) is practicing genocide in its extermination of Christians in Syria and Iraq, Earnest said: “My understanding is the use of that word involves a very specific legal determination that has at this point not been reached.

    “We have long expressed our concerns with the tendency of – well, not a tendency – a tactic employed by ISIL to slaughter religious minorities in Iraq and in Syria,” he added.

    “But we have been quite candid and direct exactly about how ISIL’s tactics are worthy of the kind of international, robust response that the international community is leading. And those tactics include a willingness to target religious minorities, including Christians.”

    The 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, says genocide is “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group,” including by means of “killing members of the group.”

    In March 2015, a report from the United Nations Committee on Human Rights stated: “The acts of violence [by IS in Iraq and Syria] perpetrated against civilians because of their affiliation or perceived affiliation to an ethnic or religious group … may constitute genocide.”

    According to a European Parliament resolution adopted in April 2015, “Christians are the most persecuted religious group; whereas extremism and persecution of this nature is emerging as a significant factor in the growing phenomenon of mass migration; whereas according to data the number of Christians killed every year is more than 150,000.”…”

      • No matter what that man does, it’s always the thing that leaves the top Jihadi planners rubbing their hands together and saying, “Excellent, excellent…”.

        Where exactly is Mr. Soweto going to hide when President Trump has the proof that he is a bonafide enemy agent in his hands – like Kim Philby only ten times worse?

        Honestly, I think Barry and Hillary are both drifting along in their canoes, oblivious to the sound of Niagara Falls slowly getting louder and louder in front of them.

        • Obama knows what he is doing and in a lot of ways doesn’t care what happens to him since that would make him a martyr for Allah. Hillary on the other hand is expecting the LSM to support her to the extent that it will be all but impossible for anyone to prosecute her. Either that or she expects that if she isn’t elected President (God forbid) that Obama will pardon her before he leaves office.

          Given what his administration has done he will need to issue blanket pardons to everyone who has worked for him.

    • search site:whitehouse.gov genocide
      and
      site:whitehouse.gov genocide anniversary
      ==> genocide is in the past

  13. Right-wingers skewered over ‘obligatory pork’ plan (thelocal, Mar 3, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.de/20160302/north-germans-skewered-over-obligatory-pork-plan

    “Some conservatives fear that canteens could be upending German culture by trying too hard to cater for Muslims and vegetarians.

    State parliamentarians in Germany’s northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein called on the state government to ensure that pork “should remain part of the food on offer in public canteens as well as schools and kindergartens”.

    “More and more canteens, kindergartens and schools are taking pork out of their menus so as to cater for religious custom,” said Daniel Günther, CDU leader in the state parliament in Kiel.

    “We insist on a healthy and balanced diet. In our culture, eating pork is a part of that,” Günther continued.

    It’s a move that may have been inspired by northern neighbour Denmark, where the city of Randers has required public institutions to serve pork.

    But while the CDU insist that they didn’t want to make pork obligatory, the mockery had already taken off online.

    “No, it’s not the first of April,” Green Party MP Konstantin von Notz wrote on Twitter.

    “Vegetarians, vegans and Muslims are in a Holy Trinity: taking over power in Schleswig-Holstein canteens,” Social Democratic Party (SPD) deputy leader Ralf Stegner snarked.

    “First Vegetarian Day, now obligatory pork,” Free Democratic Party leader Christian Lindner wrote. “Diversity tastes better than rules. Time for peace on our plates!”

    Fortunately for canteen workers all over Schleswig-Holstein, the SPD-Green Party state government rejected the plan.

    “I see no need for the state to act,” state agriculture minister Robert Habeck said.

    “I don’t share the idea of abrogating our constitutional rights in favour of the duty to eat chops or mince,” he added.”

  14. Another teen jailed for trying to marry ISIS fighter (thelocal, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.at/20160302/another-austria-teen-jailed-for-wanting-to-marry-isis-fighter

    “An 18-year-old girl has become the latest teenager in Austria to receive a jail sentence for trying to marry an Isis fighter and travel to Syria.

    The Chechen-born teenager was sentenced to six months out of a possible three year sentence on Tuesday by the Vienna Provincial Court due to her involvement in a terrorist organisation.

    The teen had been arrested on the July 4th 2014 as part of a large group who were seized at the border between Romania and Bulgaria.

    She told the court that she had planned on travelling to Turkey, rather than Syria, and marry a young man there, although she could not provide information about his identity….”

  15. Danish police investigate asylum centre rape (thelocal, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.dk/20160302/danish-police-investigate-asylum-centre-rape

    “A woman was reportedly raped on Tuesday night at Denmark’s largest asylum centre.North Zealand Police believe that a woman was raped at Center Sandholm, an asylum centre in northern Zealand, just after midnight on Wednesday.

    According to Ritzau, the Danish Red Cross, which operates the centre, reported the rape to police.

    A 24-year-old man was arrested and will make a preliminary court appearance in Hillerød later on Wednesday.

    “During the initial [police] hearing, he declared himself not guilty,” police spokesman Kent Rømer told Ritzau.

    The female victim was described as being slightly older than the suspect and both individuals are foreign nationals, although the police did not explicitly say if they were asylum seekers. …”

  16. Man murders sisters in latest ‘honour killings’ in Sahiwal (tribune, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1057716/man-murders-sisters-in-latest-honour-killings-in-lahore-police/

    “Pakistani police were Wednesday hunting a man who shot dead both his sisters in an apparent “honour killing”, days after a Pakistani director won an Oscar for a documentary on such murders.

    Mohammad Asif had previously murdered his mother four or five years ago, according to police, before being pardoned at the time by his family and set free.

    The latest killings occurred in the village of Noorshah in Sahiwal district, in the central province of Punjab

    “Mohammad Asif, who is in his late twenties, shot his two sisters late last night because he doubted their characters and was against their lifestyle,” local police official Allah Ditta Bhatti told AFP.

    He said the sisters died on the spot while Asif fled.

    “He had killed his mother around four or five years ago and was set free after his family pardoned him,” Bhatti said….”

  17. 42 Pakistanis deported from UK arrive in Islamabad (tribune, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1057732/at-least-42-pakistanis-deported-from-uk-arrive-in-islamabad/

    “A special flight carrying 42 Pakistanis deported from the United Kingdom arrived at Islamabad’s Benazir International Airport on Wednesday.

    Sources say 30 of the 42 people left the country on exit permits, while the remaining 12 had regular Pakistani passports.

    “Three of them had no previous travel recording, thus implying they must have left the country before Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) was imposed or through land routes.”…”

  18. 2 Daesh militants killed, 3 wounded by own bombs in Nangarhar (khaama, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/five-militants-killed-wounded-in-nangarhar-explosion-4614

    “Two loyalists of the terrorist group of Islamic State (IS) which is also known by its Arabic name Daesh have been killed by their own explosives in eastern Nangarhar province.

    According to a statement released on Wednesday by the spokesperson of Nangarhar police, the incident took place in Mazdaki village of Achin district…”

  19. ‘Taliban support and want peace, but there are issues’: Zakhilwal (khaama, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-support-and-want-peace-but-there-are-issues-zakhilwal-0224

    “The Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal has said the Afghan Taliban support and want peace, expressing optimisms that the group will likely participate in peace negotiations with the Afghan government in the near future.

    Citing persistent issues the Afghan peace process is facing, Zakhilwal said “I am confident we will soon be talking to the Taliban and other opposition groups.”

    “Soon we will kick off negotiations toward an agreement for peace,” Zakhilwal quoted in a report by Gandhara/Radio Free Europe said.

    He did not disclose further information regarding the obstacles creating barriers for the peace talks to kick off…”

  20. Atmar discuss TAPI gas pipeline security with Turkmenistan officials (khaama, Mar 2, 2016?
    http://www.khaama.com/atmar-discuss-tapi-gas-pipeline-security-with-turkmenistan-officials-0225

    “The Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar met with the Turkmenistan officials to discuss the regional security, specifically measures for the multi-billion dollar TAPI gas pipeline project.

    The Office of the National Security Adviser said Mr. Atmar met with his counterpart Ya Berdiev, Minister of Defense of Turkmenistan Gudogdyev, Minisster of Border, and Director of National Intelligence of Turkmenistan.

    Tawab Ghorzan, spokesman to National Security Adviser, said the security officials of Turkmenistan were briefed regarding the security situation in Afghanistan and Afghan peace process.

    Ghorzang further added that the National Security Adviser shared the Afghan government’s suggestions for border security between the two nations, expressing concerns regarding the militant groups posing threats to Afghanistan and the region.

    He said Mr. Atmar shared the Afghan government’s comprehensive security plan for the security of TAPI gas pipeline and other economic projects.

    The long delayed $10 billion Trans-Afghanistan gas pipeline was formally inaugurated last year with the state-run gas company – Turkmengaz, named project consortium leader for TAPI Pipeline Company Limited in August, working on the construction of the pipeline.

    The United States government and Asian Development Bank will support the mega project that will run more than 700 km across Afghanistan on its way to Pakistan and India.

    The pipeline is expected to last for 30 years with a proposed annual capacity of 33 bcm of gas which would be filled with gas from Turkmenistan’s mammoth Galkynysh field.

    It is estimated that the gas pipeline will become operational once the construction work has been completed in December 2018.”

  21. Security forces release 10 civilians from Taliban custody in Herat (khaama, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/security-forces-release-10-civilians-from-taliban-custody-in-herat-4615

    “Security forces have released 10 civilians from the custody of Taliban militants in Adraskan district of western Herat province.

    A spokesperson for the Governor House said the civilians were released on Tuesday during military offensive ‘Operation Azm’.

    Jailani Farhad added that Operation Azam was launched against militants a few days before and concluded on Tuesday.

    17 villages of Adraskan district have been cleared of militants, Farhad said.

    According to him, a shootout occurred between security forces and Taliban which left one militant killed and two others wounded.

    Taliban have not yet commented on the report.

    Herat was among the comparatively secured provinces of Afghanistan but now it is going through some of its worst security.”

  22. Sartaj Aziz admits Pakistan has influence on Afghan Taliban (khaama, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/sartaj-aziz-admits-pakistan-has-influence-on-afghan-taliban-0227

    “Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has admitted that Islamabad has influence on the Afghan Taliban leaders based Pakistan and that the country could use certain leverages to bring the Taliban leaders to negotiations table with the Afghan government.

    Speaking at an event organised by the Council on Foreign Relations, Aziz said the leadership of the group is based in Pakistan along with their families who are using certain facilities, including health centers in the country.

    Aziz further added that Islamabad can put pressure on the Taliban leadership to sit-in for peace talks but it can’t negotiate on behalf of the Afghan government…”

  23. 19 militants killed in counter-terrorism operations led by Afghan army (khaama, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/19-militants-killed-in-counter-terrorism-operations-led-by-afghan-army-0228

    “At least 19 insurgents were killed in the latest counter-terrorism operations led by the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in various provinces of the country.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the operations were conducted in the past 24 hours to suppress the activities of the terrorist groups.

    A statement by MoD said at least 5 insurgents were also wounded and 7 others were detained by the security forces during the same operations.

    The statement further added that 7 militants were killed and a vehicle along with a motorcycle was confiscated by the security forces in Char Chino district of Uruzgan province.

    At least 5 militants were killed in Dand-e-Shahabuddin district of Baghlan province, MoD said, adding that 5 others were wounded.

    MoD also added that 3 militants were killed in a separate operation in Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz province, while 4 others were killed in Alisheng district of Laghman province.

    The statement said various types of weapons, ammunition and explosives were seized by the Afghan forces during the same operations.

    The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the operations so far.”

  24. EU unveils huge migrant aid plan for Greece (france24, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160302-eu-unveils-huge-migrant-aid-plan-greece

    “The EU on Wednesday unveiled a 700-million-euro emergency aid plan for Greece and other states hit by the migrant crisis, in what would be the first time humanitarian aid has been used within Europe instead of outside the bloc.

    The United Nations has warned of a looming humanitarian crisis as thousands of refugees are stuck in wintry misery at the Greece-Macedonia border after a domino effect of Balkan border closures.

    Greece is the main entry point for the 1.13 million migrants who have landed since the start of 2015 in the European Union, which has been divided and weakened by the biggest wave of refugees since World War II.

    “No time can be lost in deploying all means possible to prevent humanitarian suffering within our own borders,” EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides said as he announced the aid plan.

    The funds would be allocated over three years, with 300 million euros ($325 million) in 2016, and 200 million euros in each of the following years under the plan, which must be approved by member states and the European Parliament.

    The EU would also work directly with the UN and other aid agencies in Europe, in another first…”

  25. Egyptian Facebook admin sentenced to 5 years in jail for ‘inciting murder against police’ (ahram, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/189857/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-Facebook-admin-sentenced-to–years-in-jai.aspx

    “Ismailiya Misdemeanor Court sentenced Mohamed Magdy Ibrahim, an administrator of “Ismailia-2020” Facebook page, to five years in jail on Monday on charges of “inciting murder against police officers.”

    In May 2015, Ibrahim was arrested along with seven others who were later acquitted, after an officer at an Ismailiya police station filed a report against him, accusing him of publishing threats to police officers and pictures of their families, inciting the page’s followers to kill them.

    The sentence can still be appealed.

    The Facebook page is a pro-Muslim Brotherhood group which publishes news and has over 47,000 followers.

    On Monday, the page reported the arrest of the administrator of another group called “Live from Ismailiya.”

  26. Gulf Nations Declare Lebanon’s Hezbollah a Terrorist Group (abcnews, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/gulf-nations-declare-lebanons-hezbollah-terrorist-group-37332515

    “A Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, ramping up the pressure on the Lebanese militant group fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria.

    The move by the Gulf Cooperation Council comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces. The kingdom and other Gulf states followed up that move by urging its citizens to leave Lebanon, dealing a blow to the tiny nation’s tourism industry.

    A statement from GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the bloc decided to implement the terrorist designation because of hostile acts by Hezbollah within its member states. It said the designation applies to the militant group as well as all its leaders, factions and affiliates.

    Al-Zayani accused Hezbollah of charges including seeking to recruit members within the GCC to carry out terrorist acts, smuggling weapons and explosives, and incitement to sow disorder and violence.

    Those activities within GCC member states and in Syria, Yemen and Iraq “are incompatible with the values ??and moral and humanitarian principles and international law, and pose a threat to Arab national security,” he said.

    The GCC includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

    Lebanon’s main political divide pits a Sunni-led coalition against another led by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, which includes both political and military wings. The Mediterranean country has weathered a string of militant attacks in recent years linked to the war in neighboring Syria.

    The GCC’s designation brings it in line with the United States, which is closely allied with the Gulf states and has long considered Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization. The European Union only lists the military wing of Hezbollah on its terrorist blacklist.

    Wednesday’s move against Hezbollah reflects deeper regional divisions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite powerhouse Iran, Hezbollah’s patron. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran earlier this year after protesters angry over the kingdom’s execution of influential Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr set fire to the Saudi Embassy and another diplomatic mission inside Iran.

    Saudi Arabia in 2014 designated a Saudi affiliate of Hezbollah a terrorist group along with the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, Yemen’s Shiite Houthis and other groups. The Emirates previously labeled regional Hezbollah affiliates with similar designations.

    The GCC announcement came a few hours after a televised speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in which he harshly criticized Saudi Arabia for punitive measures that targeted Lebanon recently, including the halt in aid and Gulf travel warnings.

    He repeated his accusations that Saudi Arabia was directly responsible for some of the car bombings in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq and denounced Saudi “massacres” in Yemen.

    “Who gives Saudi Arabia the right to punish Lebanon and its army and Lebanese people living in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf just because Hezbollah is speaking out? We urge Riyadh to settle accounts with Hezbollah and not all the Lebanese,” he said.

    He also accused Saudi Arabia of seeking to cause strife between Sunnis and Shiites everywhere in the world and said its execution of al-Nimr in January came in that context.”

  27. NATO general: Europe migration causing ISIS to spread ‘like a cancer’ (CNN, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/02/europe/nato-general-migrants-terror/index.html

    “NATO’s top general said that the current exodus of migrants to Europe is providing cover for terrorists and that the mass migration is allowing ISIS to spread “like a cancer.”

    Following testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Supreme Allied Commander Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Tuesday that mass migration spurred by the ongoing conflict in Syria and the threat of ISIS in the Middle East was allowing terrorists seeking to harm the West to have free movement into the continent.

    He said the migration “masks the movement of criminals, terrorists and foreign fighters (into Europe).”

    “Within this mix, (ISIS) is spreading like a cancer, taking advantage of paths of least resistance and threatening European nations, and our own, with terrorist attacks,” he said….”

  28. Italy increasing exposed to terror risk, says intelligence report (ansa, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2016/03/02/italy-increasing-exposed-to-terror-risk_00b7f9b6-3fb7-4abd-a13e-31fec1602623.html

    “Italy “appears increasingly more exposed” to the threat of jihadist terrorism, even though no specific terror plans have been detected, the country’s intelligence services said in their annual report to parliament on Wednesday. The report said there were numerous references in extremist Islamist propaganda to Italy being an enemy for its relations with the United States and Israel and its commitment to fighting terrorism. It said that the greatest potential threats were linked to the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Mercy and to the potential activation of new generations of aspiring jihadists joining ISIS campaigns.

    Italy’s intelligence services also said Wednesday that there is a high risk of Europe suffering another major terrorist attack by Islamist extremists like those staged in Paris in November. “The risk of new actions on European territory is considered high,” the intelligence services said in their annual report to parliament. The report said these could be “sensational attacks in the style of the Paris ones”. It added that the Paris attacks had probably “inaugurated a strategy of attack on the West that is destined to increase”. It said there was a two-fold risk of both actions by ISIS foreign fighters trained in conflict zones and by secret militants living in Europe, both lone wolves and small sleeper cells. It said the terrorists were increasingly likely to attack soft targets and that the threat posed by al-Qaeda had not disappeared with the rise of ISIS. On the contrary, the report said, “the competition with Daesh could reinforce al-Qaeda’s determination to intervene on the global scene with sensational acts”.

    Italy’s intelligence services said that there was a risk of Islamist terrorists infiltrating the flows of asylum seekers trying to enter Europe via the Balkans.

    It said that no evidence had been found of infiltration of migrants and refugees reaching Europe from North Africa, but added that there was a “more concrete” risk with the Balkans route. The report said the Balkans was the region of transit favoured by foreign fighters, with over 900 leaving from it to reach theatres of war, and an area of “consolidated extremist situations”.

    The “proliferation of the international terror funding network is polluting financial systems and markets and consequently requires particular attention,” Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan told a money-laundering conference at Rome’s LUISS University Wednesday. Padoan called for greater cooperation at a national and international level to tackle the emergency. Matteo Renzi’s government has taken several moves to tighten up regulations against money-laundering and help close international tax havens.”

  29. Some parts of K-P domestic violence bill against spirit of Islam: CII chairman (tribune, Mar 2, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1057760/some-parts-of-k-p-domestic-violence-bill-against-spirit-of-islam-cii-chairman/

    “Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani on Wednesday expressed concern over the domestic violence bill tabled recently in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly.

    “Some clauses of the bill are against the spirit of Islam,” the JUI-F Senator who is the chairman of the 20-member body, which only has only one woman member, said.

    Sheerani further said that the country’s top religious body will decide tomorrow (Thursday) whether to accept it or not.

    The K-P government sent the much-delayed bill to the advisory council to seek its opinion as the matter involves interpretation of Islamic injunctions. The government claims the proposed law has been pending with the CII for the past two months.

    The CII chairman also criticised the government and incumbent lawmakers for repeatedly passing resolutions calling for the abolition of the religious body. “I am appalled at the workings of the government and the Parliament,” Maulana Sheerani said.

    Regarding the execution of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer’s killer, the CII chairman said, “Qadri’s act was laudable but he took the law into his own hands which is not right.

    The CII is a constitutional body which advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is compliant with Sharia.”

  30. Magyar TV:
    -472 migrants allowed into Croatia from Serbia but the same amount were sent back to Turkey.
    -from Greece the newest way to get to Europe is now through Albania.

  31. TURKEY -Justice Ministry allows prosecution of 1,845 people over ‘insulting’ Erdogan

    Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has announced that the Justice Ministry has allowed the prosecution of 1,845 people for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    Speaking in Parliament during the 2016 budget meeting held on Tuesday, Bozdag answered the questions of some deputies and said it was “shameful” to even read what the people who are allegedly insulting Erdogan say about him.

    Addressing the deputies, Bozdag said: “I don’t think you could read these [alleged insults against Erdogan] without blushing [due to embarrassment]. Nobody should have the freedom to swear.”

    Cases of “insulting” Erdo?an are based on Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which states that anyone convicted of insulting the president should serve a prison term of between one and four years. Article 125 of the TCK also mandates that anyone who acts with the intention to harm the honor, reputation or dignity of another person through concrete acts or giving the impression of intent to do so can be sentenced to a period of three months to two years in prison or be given a fine.

    http://www.todayszaman.com/national_justice-ministry-allows-prosecution-of-1845-people-over-insulting-erdogan_413774.html

    • Erdogan says Turkey ‘ready’ to fight terrorism in Nigeria

      Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he was ready to help combat terrorism in Nigeria, where Boko Haram fighters have killed thousands of people in a bloody campaign for a hardline Islamic state.

      He also signed a memorandum on trade and economic cooperation, which Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said was “just the beginning of what we have in the pipeline.”

      Speaking after talks with Buhari in Abuja, Erdogan commiserated with Nigerians fighting insurgents, saying he felt their pain.

      “As a country combating terrorism for a long time now, every reprehensible terrorist attack that takes place here in Nigeria deeply hurts our heart,” Erdogan said to reporters at the presidential villa.

      “We are always ready to cooperate with Nigeria when it comes to combating terrorism.”

      […]On Tuesday, Erdogan told Ghana’s parliament that Turkey can “contribute tremendously to the establishment of global peace and security.”

      http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/190012/World/Region/Erdogan-says-Turkey-ready-to-fight-terrorism-in-Ni.aspx

  32. In jab at Iran, Persian Gulf Arab states declare Hezbollah a terrorist group

    BEIRUT — A Saudi-dominated political bloc on Wednesday formally designated Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia a terrorist organization, a move that signals dangerously escalating tensions between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

    The Gulf Cooperation Council’s decision against the Iranian-allied group comes two weeks after Saudi Arabia canceled a $4 billion aid package for strengthening Lebanese security services.

    The move was rooted in anger over the Hezbollah’s dominance of Lebanese security and political institutions. Saudi Arabia and other GCC member states quickly followed it by advising their citizens to leave Lebanon.[…]

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-led-bloc-declares-iran-backed-hezbollah-terror-group/2016/03/02/7f660092-e06f-11e5-9c36-e1902f6b6571_story.html

    GCC declares Lebanon’s Hezbollah a ‘terrorist’ group

    Gulf countries announce the decision amid an ongoing row with the Lebanese group over involvement in regional conflicts.

    Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, known as the GCC, have classified Lebanese movement Hezbollah as a “terrorist” organisation, citing “hostile actions” by the armed group.

    GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said on Wednesday that the six Gulf monarchies undertook the move because “the [Hezbollah] militia recruited young people [from the Gulf] for terrorist acts”.

    Hezbollah, a Shia political organisation with an armed wing, fights in neighbouring Syria to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

    The Sunni-dominated GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

    Gulf nations have taken a series of measures against Hezbollah since Saudi Arabia last month halted a $4bn programme funding French military supplies to Beirut.

    Hezbollah is backed by Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year. The two nations are on opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.[…]

    http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/gcc-declares-lebanon-hezbollah-terrorist-group-160302090712744.html

  33. France: Refugees sew lips shut in protest against camp demolition

    Dozens of refugees predominantly from Iran sew their lips shut in protest against the demolition of the so-called “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais, Wednesday.

    The refugees sew their lips shut to represent their voicelessness while holding banners reading “where is our democracy? Where is our freedom?” and “We are Humans.”

    Construction workers began dismantling the tents and makeshift shelters, with an estimated 20 shelters having been demolished at the time of writing. Riot police was on-site, to oversee the process as some refugees sat on the roof of their shelters in an attempt to halt the demolition.

  34. P O P E – “Yes, we can speak today of an Arab invasion [of Europe]”

    In his interview with French religious periodical La Vie, Pope Francis was asked about the current situation in Europe, and this was his response:

    “The only continent that can bring about a certain unity to the world is Europe,” the Pope adds. “China has perhaps a more ancient, deeper, culture. But only Europe has a vocation towards universality and service.” … “If Europe wants to rejuvenate, it is necessary for it to find anew its cultural roots. Of all Western countries, the European roots are the strongest and deepest. By the way of colonization, these roots even reached the New World. But, by forgetting its history, Europe weakens itself. It is then that it risks becoming an empty place.”

    ]La Vie:] Europe, an empty place? The expression is strong. … Because in the history of civilizations, emptiness always calls fullness to itself. Incidentally, the Pope becomes clinical [in his diagnosis]:

    “We can speak today of an Arab invasion. It is a social fact.” … “How many invasions Europe has known throughout its history! It has always known how to overcome itself, moving forward to find itself as if made greater by the exchange between cultures.”

    http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.ca/2016/03/pope-yes-we-can-speak-today-of-arab.html

    =======================================

    “France must become a more secular state,” said Pope Francis

    “France must become a more secular state,” said surprisingly Pope Francis, in an interview with Catholic French left, reported Wednesday by the weekly La Vie.

    “Your secularism is incomplete. France must become a more secular country” because its secularism “sometimes results too much Enlightenment philosophy, for which religions were a subculture. and France has not managed to overcome this legacy, “ruled Jorge Bergoglio.

    the pontiff received Tuesday for half past one delegation roses Fish movement Christian-based political affiliated to the Socialist Party (PS). The interview was reported in the weekly La Vie by the managing editor, Jean-Pierre Denis.

    The concept of secularism introduced into the French democracy is “healthy”, insisted the pope, because “today, a state must be secular”. But “a healthy secularism has an opening to all forms of transcendence, according to the different religious and philosophical traditions. The search for transcendence is not only a fact, but a law.”

    Pope denounced the “poison” of ideologies. “We have the right to be left or right ideology But she, takes away freedom.”

    -. “Universal vocation” –

    He also expressed concern for Europe, which “weakens and risk becoming an empty place (…) forgetting its history.”

    “the only continent that can bring some unity to the world this is Europe. China has perhaps a more ancient culture, deeper, but Europe alone has a vocation of universality and service, “he said.

    speaking of immigration, François believes that “one can speak of Arab invasion today,” but he immediately notices positively, “how many invasions of Europe has known! and she always knew excel itself, moving forward to find then as enlarged by the exchange between cultures “.

    Francis, whose trip to France announced in the last year did not yet been programmed, admits unfamiliar with the French reality: “I went only three times in France (…) I do not know your country. I would say that it exercises some seduction. (…) In any case, France has a very strong humanist vocation. “

    ” My spirituality is French. My blood is Piedmont, it is perhaps because of a certain neighborhood, “he said citing the French Jesuit Michel de Certeau (1925-1986) as” the greatest theologian of today. “

    the pontiff praised the French Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International monetary Fund (IMF), whom he met twice: “An intelligent woman. She senses that the money must be in the service of humanity and not the opposite. “

    Thirty-two Catholic personalities left, including Philippe Roux, founder pink fish, were present at this maintenance.

    http://archyworldys.com/france-must-become-a-more-secular-state-said-pope-francis/

  35. Greece: Riot police deployed at Idomeni border crossing as refugees grow

    Riot police were deployed at the Idomeni border crossing between Greece and Macedonia on Wednesday, as hundreds of refugees amassed at the crossing awaiting entry.

    Several women reportedly fainted at the scene during the crush as more refugees and migrants continue to arrive at the Idomeni border crossing. According to local reports, Macedonian authorities allowed around 350 only people to cross, however hundreds are still awaiting entry.

  36. Greece: Greeks protest against “imperialist war” and welcome refugees

    Thousands of activists, most of them members of leftist political groups including Antarsya and Popular Unity, marched across the streets of Athens, Wednesday, to condemn the “imperialist war in the Middle East” and to show their solidarity with refugees arriving to Greece.

    The protesters rallied outside the European Union offices in Athens before heading to the United States embassy. The activists condemned NATO and Frontex policies, as well as the European Union and the United States for provoking war and poverty.

    Protesters chanted anti-imperialist slogans including “Greeks and foreign workers united,” “this is the face of capitalism,” and “we will always fight poverty and fascism,” while holding banners reading “NATO, USA, European Union-Governments create wars, poverty, uprooting. Refugees welcome.”

  37. TURKEY – Water cannons & teargas: Turkish forces clash with protesters in Diyarbakir

  38. REBEL MEDIA – What happens when Muslims in Cologne are asked about New Year’s rape riot?

  39. UK – EAST LONDON MOSQUE: Muslim spits in Jayda Fransen’s face! Policeman mocks Christianity!

  40. Tunisia kills 5 militants near Libyan border

    Tunisian security forces killed five Islamist militants after they infiltrated across the border from neighboring Libya, authorities said on Wednesday.

    The expansion of ISIS militants in Libya is worrying the country’s North African neighbors Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, who fear violent spillover from the chaos there.

    Tunisia has already suffered two major militant attacks last year by gunmen who officials say were trained in militant camps inside Libya. Western governments are now offering aid for Tunisia to better protect its Libyan frontier.

    “The army killed five terrorists during a raid on a house close to Ben Guerdan, after they crossed over the frontier from Libya,” army spokesman Belhassen Ouslati said, according to local state news agency TAP.

    A security source told the agency the five militants were part of a group of 10 who had crossed the border with Libya in three vehicles. It was not immediately clear what happened to the other suspects.

    Tunisia has been held up as a model for democratic transition since the 2011 uprising against Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. But the militant attacks have battered its economy, particularly its tourist industry.

    More than 3,000 Tunisians have also left to fight with ISIS and other militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Increasingly, Tunisians are also forming part of ISIS ranks in Libya.

    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2016/03/03/Tunisia-kills-5-suspected-militants-near-Libyan-border.html

  41. Justice Dept. grants immunity to staffer who set up Clinton email server

    The Justice Department has granted immunity to the former State Department staffer who worked on Hillary Clinton’s private email server as part of a criminal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information, according to a senior law enforcement official.

    The official said the FBI had secured the cooperation of Bryan Pagliano, who worked on Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign before setting up the server in her New York home in 2009.

    As the FBI looks to wrap up its investigation in the coming months, agents will likely want to interview Clinton and her senior aides about the decision to use a private server, how it was set up, and whether any of the participants knew they were sending classified information in emails, current and former officials said.

    The inquiry comes against a sensitive political backdrop in which Clinton is the favorite to secure the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

    So far, there is no indication that prosecutors have convened a grand jury in the email investigation to subpoena testimony or documents, which would require the participation of a U.S. attorney’s office.

    Spokesmen at the FBI and Justice Department would not discuss the investigation. Pagliano’s lawyer also declined to comment.

    In a statement, Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Clinton campaign, said: “As we have said since last summer, Secretary Clinton has been cooperating with the Department of Justice’s security inquiry, including offering in August to meet with them to assist their efforts if needed.”

    He also said that the campaign is “pleased” that Pagliano, who invoked his Fifth Amendment rights before Congress, is now cooperating with prosecutors.

    As part of the inquiry, law enforcement officials will look at the potential damage had the classified information in the emails been exposed. The Clinton campaign has described the probe as a security review. But current and former officials in the FBI and at the Justice Department have said investigators are trying to determine whether a crime was committed.

    “There was wrongdoing,” said a former senior law enforcement official. “But was it criminal wrongdoing?”

    Clinton has since apologized for what had happened: “Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I’m sorry about it, and I take full responsibility.”

    Any decision to charge someone would involve Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, who told Congress when asked earlier this month about the email inquiry: “That matter is being handled by career independent law enforcement agents, FBI agents, as well as the career independent attorneys in the Department of Justice. They follow the evidence, they look at the law and they’ll make a recommendation to me when the time is appropriate.

    “We will review all the facts and all the evidence and come to an independent conclusion as how to best handle it,” she added.

    Current and former officials said the conviction of retired four-star general and CIA director David H. Petraeus for mishandling classified information is casting a shadow over the email investigation.

    The officials said they think that Petraeus’s actions were more egregious than those of Clinton and her aides since he lied to the FBI, and classified information he shared with his biographer contained top secret code words, identities of covert officers, war strategy and intelligence capabilities. Prosecutors initially threatened to charge him with three felonies, including conspiracy, violating the Espionage Act and lying to the FBI. But after negotiations, Petraeus pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information.

    He was fined $100,000 and sentenced to two years of probation. FBI officials were angered by the deal and predicted it would affect the outcome of other cases involving classified information.

    Petraeus “was handled so lightly for his offense there isn’t a whole lot you can do,” said a former U.S. law enforcement official who oversaw counterintelligence investigations and described the email controversy as “a lesser set of circumstances.”

    The State Department has been analyzing the contents of Clinton’s correspondence, as it has prepared 52,000 pages of Clinton’s emails for public release in batches, a process that began in May and concluded Monday. The State Department has said 2,093 of Clinton’s released emails were redacted in all or part because they contained classified material, the vast majority of them rated “confidential,” the lowest level of sensitivity in the classification system.

    Clinton and the State Department have said that none of the material was marked classified at the time it was sent. However, it is the responsibility of individual government officials to properly handle sensitive material.

    The email investigation is being conducted by FBI counterintelligence agents and supervised by the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

    In a letter filed earlier this month in federal court as part of ongoing civil litigation over Clinton’s emails, the FBI confirmed that it was “working on matters related to former Secretary Clinton’s use of a private email server.” The agency declined to publicly detail the investigation’s “specific focus, scope or potential targets.”

    On Tuesday, FBI Director James B. Comey said he was “very close” to the investigation.

    Former federal prosecutor Glen Kopp said it is not surprising that agents want to interview Clinton and her aides.

    “They are within the zone of interest of the investigation,” he said.

    A request to interview her would have to be reviewed by top level officials at both the FBI and the Justice Department, a former official said.

    As part of those interviews, the FBI would also seek to establish that Clinton and her aides understood the policies and protocols for handling classified information, former officials said.

    It’s unclear whether Clinton and her aides would agree to an interview with the FBI because of the potential legal risks. However, if Clinton refused to cooperate with FBI investigators, the issue could become a political flashpoint in the campaign.

    Her lawyer, David Kendall, declined to comment.

    Kendall, who also has represented President Bill Clinton and Petraeus, has navigated similar issues in other cases. During the investigation of President Clinton by independent counsel Ken Starr, for instance, Kendall rebuffed several requests for interviews.

    The president was then subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. In a deal brokered by Kendall, the subpoena was withdrawn and Clinton testified voluntarily in 1998.

    Former prosecutors said investigators were probably feeling the pressure of time because of the election. Take action before the election, they said, and you risk being perceived as trying to influence the result. Take action after and face criticism for not letting voters know there was an issue with their preferred candidate.

    “The timing is terrible whether you do it before or after,” Kopp said.

    The issue of Clinton’s use of a private email server was referred to the FBI in July after the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community officials determined that some of the emails that traversed Clinton’s server contained classified material.

    Emails that contain material now deemed classified were authored by Clinton but also by many of her top aides, including Jacob Sullivan, who was her director of policy planning and her deputy chief of staff. He is now advising Clinton’s campaign on foreign policy and is thought to be a likely candidate for national security adviser if she is elected.

    The State Department has said that, at the request of intelligence agencies, it has classified 22 Clinton emails as “top secret” and will not release those emails, even in redacted form. “Top secret” is the highest level of classification, reserved for material whose release could cause “exceptionally grave damage to the national security.”

    I. Charles McCullough III, the inspector general of the intelligence community, has indicated that some of the material intelligence officials have reviewed contained information that was classified at the time it was sent; the State Department has indicated it has not analyzed whether the material should have been marked classified when it was sent, only whether it requires classification before being released now.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-clinton-email-investigation-justice-department-grants-immunity-to-former-state-department-staffer/2016/03/02/e421e39e-e0a0-11e5-9c36-e1902f6b6571_story.html