Reader’s links for March 11 – 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

98 Replies to “Reader’s links for March 11 – 2016”

  1. US Official: Iran Responsible for Cyberattack at NY Dam (abcnews, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-official-iran-responsible-cyberattack-ny-dam-37568457

    “A probe by the Justice Department has determined that Iran was responsible for a 2013 cyberattack on a dam in the suburbs outside of New York City, and an indictment is expected soon, a U.S. official told The Associated Press Thursday.

    The official, who was briefed on the investigation, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing criminal investigation.

    In 2013, hackers accessed the control system at the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small structure in Rye Brook, about 20 miles north of New York City, that’s used for flood control.

    The intrusion allowed the hackers to probe the system, prompting a federal investigation.

    The official told the AP that investigators have determined Iran was responsible for the cyberattack and that an indictment is expected to be handed down in the case from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan. It wasn’t clear whether the indictment would charge specific people within the Iranian government or publicly name Iran as being behind the attack. A formal announcement was expected to be made as soon as mid-April, the official said….”

  2. Bid to ban Muslims from replacing UK law with Sharia courts to be put before MPs TODAY (express, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/651613/Sharia-courts-Uk-law-MPs-vote

    “A BID to ban Muslims from replacing British law with Sharia courts is to be put before MPs today.

    A private members bill due to be voted on today would stop religious organisations from pretending to be able to act as a court when they have no legal.

    Around 85 Sharia courts are thought to exist in Britain and the

    Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill, first introduced by Baroness Caroline Cox, which has already been passed in the Lords, will also force them to stop discriminating against women.

    The bill comes amid growing concern over the way Sharia courts are being used by many in the Muslim community as an alternative legal system in Britain and how they are systematically discriminating against women in civil cases such as divorce.

    The bill was first introduced by humanitarian campaigner Baroness Caroline Cox amid concerns over “systematic” discrimination against women in these quasi-legal systems including Sharia courts.

    She said: “Today MPs get the opportunity to help women whose suffering would make the suffragettes turn in their graves. Countless victims of religiously-sanctioned gender discrimination are being treated as second class citizens, no better than the chattels of their husbands.

    Baroness Cox added: “While the Bill respects the fundamental principle of freedom of religion and belief, we cannot allow rulings which are incompatible with the laws, values, principles and policies of our country.”

    The legislation comes before MPs in a week where International Women’s Day has been marked.

    There are serious concerns over the way Sharia Courts are making rulings on marriage law and divorce with Muslims but not having any legal status.

    Despite having no legal status they are also providing families with official marriage and divorce certificates.

    It is also understood that the all-male courts are rigged against women fuelled by “a toxic mix of religious fundamentalism, culture and tight-knit communities” according to a book published last year.

    Writer and researcher Machteld Zee, a Dutch academic, said: “Sharia councils uphold the theory and practice of the strong hold men have over women.”….”

  3. Barack Obama says David Cameron allowed Libya to become a ‘s*** show’
    Unprecedented attack by serving US President claims UK was ‘distracted’

    Barack Obama has sharply criticised David Cameron for the UK’s role in allowing Libya to become a “shit show” after the fall of the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in an unprecedented attack on a British leader by a serving US President.

    Mr Obama said that following a successful military intervention to aid rebels during the 2011 Arab Spring revolt, Libya was left to spiral out of control – due largely to the inaction of America’s European allies.

    In a candid US magazine interview, Mr Obama said: “When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong… there’s room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya’s proximity, being invested in the follow-up.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/barack-obama-says-david-cameron-allowed-libya-to-become-a-s-show-a6923976.html

    • It is always someone else s fault, since he can’t blame this on Bush and isn’t desperate enough to blame Hillary he had to find a different scapegoat.

  4. North Korean leader orders further nuclear tests

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered further nuclear tests, state media said Friday, as military tensions surge on the Korean peninsula with South Korean and US forces engaged in large-scale joint exercises condemned by Pyongyang.

    Since the joint drills began Monday, the North has issued daily warnings and statements, talking up its nuclear strike capabilities and threatening to turn Seoul and Washington into “flames and ashes.”

    Just days after he was photographed posing in front of what state media described as a miniaturised nuclear warhead, Kim said the weapon required further testing.

    Overseeing a ballistic missile launch on Thursday, Kim ordered “more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads,” the North’s official KCNA news agency said.

    http://news.yahoo.com/north-korean-leader-orders-further-nuclear-tests-kcna-223737780.html;_ylt=AwrC0CNCG.JWoEsAXgbQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBydWNmY2MwBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg–

    • There are 3 strong possibilities here that are not mutually exclusive, 1: Kim is in trouble with his military leaders and is trying to focus them on the South and the US. 2) Iran is up to something and wants the worlds attention on Korea. 3) China is up to something and wants the worlds attention on Korea.

      In the readers posts yesterday there was a discussion about how Russia is upset with Korea and China because they are causing trouble when Russia wants the rest of the world staying quiet while they take out Iraq and Turkey.

      People tend to look at all incidents as isolated incidents that are not related, in international politics it is safer to look on events as if they are all related. This is called the big picture but this isn’t mentioned much any more since the left doesn’t want us connecting the dots that will show their involvement in fomenting most if not all of the worlds crises.

    • This may be why Kim is trying to draw attention to Korea, and is probably the reason Russia is upset with China over them seeking the ability to close off the South China Sea.

      China able to project ‘substantial offensive power’ from Spratlys in months: U.S.

      WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China will be able to project “substantial offensive military power” from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said.

      In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese land reclamation and construction work in the Spratlys had established infrastructure needed “to project military capabilities in the South China Sea beyond that which is required for point defense of its outposts.”

      “Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016,” Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard.

      “Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region,” Clapper added.

      The United States has voiced concerns about China’s assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea. The sea is one of the world’s busiest trade routes and regional countries have rival claims, creating a potential flashpoint.

      Asked about Clapper’s comments on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China has merely been exercising its right of self-defense.

      http://www.oann.com/china-able-to-project-substantial-offensive-power-from-spratlys-in-months-u-s/

      • Starting around the turn of the Century China started pushing the idea that because it is named the South China Sea they should have the ownership of all islands in that sea and should control who travels there, and control what cargo they carry. This would cut Taiwan and Singapore off from all sea trade that China doesn’t approve of which will cripple their economies.

      • China to start civilian flights from disputed South China Sea island

        BEIJING (Reuters) – China will begin civilian flights to and from a disputed South China Sea island within a year, state media reported on Friday, as the government expands infrastructure on islands and reefs also claimed by other countries in region.

        The flights will be to Sansha city, on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, China’s administrative base for islands and reefs it controls in the South China Sea.

        China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

        The United States has voiced concerns about China’s assertive pursuit of territory in one of the world’s busiest trade routes.

        Two passenger ships and a police vessel are base stations for mobile communications in Sansha, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing an interview with Mayor Xiao Jie.

        The airfield in Sansha and a newer one on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago are expected to boost air traffic services in the region, Xiao added, aiding navigation and surveillance while providing weather and aeronautics information.

        U.S. and Taiwan officials confirmed in February the “very recent” placement of surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, the site of the largest Chinese presence on the Paracels, criticizing the move as contrary to China’s commitments not to militarize its claims in the South China Sea.

        http://www.oann.com/china-to-start-civilian-flights-from-disputed-south-china-sea-island/

        • Read the article and pay close attention to the other nations with claims on the disputed Islands, this is a major land grab and with the US military forces so reduced our former allies in that region are left on their own. Japan is rearming and changing their Constitution and laws so they can use force outside of Japanese waters. The Philippines are arming as quickly as they can. Nam was becoming more friendly with the US until Obama and are now reaching out to Russia. Combine this with India quietly getting ready for a war with Pakistan and Afghanistan.

          This region is prime for a major outbreak of international violence (war) and it will be a full scale Naval and Air war.

  5. Migration fears not racist – Archbishop of Canterbury (BBC, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35781613

    “It is “outrageous” to describe people who are worried about the impact of migration as racist, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said.

    There was “genuine fear” of the impact on housing, jobs and the NHS, he told Parliament’s The House magazine.

    But he said Britain’s pledge to take 20,000 Syrian refugees did not compare well with the efforts made by Germany.

    He also called for a “visionary debate” on the EU referendum and said there was no “correct Christian view” on it.

    The archbishop said he felt the referendum debate was not yet addressing questions about the UK’s role in the world.

    Archbishop Welby called on those who want to leave the EU to set out what Britain would be like after leaving in a variety of respects, including its international “attitude” and its values.

    “And from those who want to stay, how would we change the European Union? How would we make it more effective if we remained in it? What’s our vision?” he said.

    The UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU or leave on 23 June…”

  6. Dubai Official Warns of ‘Clash of Civilizations’ Over Trump (abcnews, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dubai-official-warns-clash-civilizations-trump-37571897

    “A top security official in Dubai warned Friday of a “clash of civilizations” if U.S. Republican candidate Donald Trump becomes president, the latest sign of disquiet across the Middle East over the businessman’s comments about Muslims.

    Trump refused to back away from his recent statement that “Islam hates the West” during a Republican debate Thursday night in Miami, which came after he called in December for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.

    Trump said he wouldn’t stoop to being “politically correct” by avoiding such statements.

    Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, the deputy chairman of police and general security in Dubai, took to Twitter to respond. Referencing political scientist Samuel P. Huntington’s theory that future wars would be fought between cultures, Tamim warned that a Trump win could see him face Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

    “If Trump beats Hillary (Clinton), that means that the scenario of the clash of civilizations created by Samuel will come to light at the hands of the candidate and al-Baghdadi,” Tamim wrote.

    Trump has for years looked to do business in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf and the emirate of Dubai. Trump has lent his name to two high-profile Dubai golf course projects and an ongoing real estate development, and sought for years to expand his hotel chain into the region.

    Since his comments in December, a Mideast company, the Dubai-based Landmark Group, said it would pull all Trump home decor products at its 180 Lifestyle stores in the region as it “values and respects the sentiments of its customers.”

    Newspaper columns and editorials in the region roundly have criticized his comments.

    An editorial published by the Lebanese English-language Daily Star newspaper, said the thought that “a man whose knowledge of geography, history and theology is nonexistent may reach the Oval Office is terrifying and deeply concerning.”

    “A Trump White House would be detrimental to the American people, but as commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful country, his reach will affect hundreds of millions more,” the newspaper said.

    “It is no wonder that the world recoils from this prospect, and one can only hope that the United States will do too,” it added.”

    • As opposed to the current civilizational suicide? Trump is willing to fight for Western Civ, that is more then the vast majority of our leaders are willing to do.

  7. Syrian army aims for eastward advance with Palmyra attack

    BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army backed by Russian air strikes is aiming to capture the historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State to open a road to the eastern province of Deir al-Zor in an offensive that got under way this week, a source close to the Syrian government said.

    The Russian air force has hit Palmyra with dozens of air strikes since Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Syrian government forces were on Friday battling Islamic State some 7 km (4 miles) from the ancient site that fell to the jihadists last May.

    Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman described it as a large-scale assault, calling it a “real operation to retake control”. The source close to Damascus said the aim was to “seize the road from Tadmur (Palmyra) to Deir al-Zor”.

    Islamic State has blown up ancient temples and tombs since capturing Palmyra in what the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO has called a war crime. The city, located at a crossroads in central Syria, is surrounded mostly by desert.

    The Islamic State group is not included in a cessation of hostilities agreement that took effect on Feb. 27 and has brought about a lull in fighting between the government and rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad in western Syria.

    http://www.oann.com/syrian-army-aims-for-eastward-advance-with-palmyra-attack/

  8. Turkey’s Erdogan warns top court after ruling on detained journalists

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday a constitutional court ruling that led to the release of two detained newspaper editors was a step against the country and warned the court that repeating such actions could bring its very existence into question.

    The constitutional court ruled last month that the detention of Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, editor-in-chief and Ankara bureau chief of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, was “unlawful” and had violated their individual freedom and safety.

    The two, who had been arrested in November on charges of intentionally aiding an armed terrorist organization and publishing material in violation of state security, were subsequently released.

    “This institution, with the involvement of its president and some members, did not refrain from taking a decision that is against the country and its people, on a subject that is a concrete example of one of the biggest attacks against Turkey recently,” Erdogan told a rally in the southwestern city of Burdur.

    “I hope the constitutional court would not again attempt such ways which will open its existence and legitimacy up for debate,” he said in a speech broadcast live on television.

    Cumhuriyet published photos, videos and a report last May that it said showed intelligence officials transporting arms to Syria in trucks in 2014. Erdogan, who has cast the newspaper’s coverage as part of an attempt to undermine Turkey’s global standing, has said he will not forgive such reporting.

    http://www.oann.com/turkeys-erdogan-warns-top-court-after-ruling-on-detained-journalists/

  9. Whoa: Russia sends major signal with nuclear-armed sub off France
    By J.E. Dyer

    Ballistic missile submarines are considered the quintessential element of the “silent service,” because their purpose is to lurk undetected in the world’s oceans for months at a time, ready to launch their arsenal in the service of their nations’ most urgent strategic objectives.

    The point of the nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines of the elite navies – known as SSBNs – is to be unfindable. Their navies have worked for decades to make them quieter, and give their strategic missiles greater range, so that the subs can patrol silently in little-traveled areas far from their targets.

    So when one is found, deliberately operating close to the coast of another nation, its presence is unquestionably meant to send a signal.

    That’s what reportedly happened in January, off the coast of France. And it’s an even bigger event than it may sound like at first.

    According to the Nouvel Observateur, a top French official disclosed recently that a Russian SSBN was detected in January operating in the Bay of Biscay (or the Golfe de Gascogne – “Gulf of Gascony” – as the French refer to it). (H/t: Reuters/Yahoo)

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/03/11/whoa-russia-sends-major-signal-with-nuclear-armed-sub-off-france/

    • This is a must read and then we need to take a good hard think on what this means for the future, the initial thought that springs to mind is that Putin is telling Europe and the US to Back the F off from Syria and let him do what he wants. But I suspect there is a lot more there then a simple warning that he is upset over the idea of European troops killing Russian Troops.

      We need the full three phase missile defense President Reagan wanted and we need it as of 2010 if not earlier. The cancelling of the increased missile defense system for Europe and the East Coast is another crime of Obama;s that should be punished.

    • Aw, gee Richard, here I was gonna relax, knock-off this weekend altogether.

      ~~ about to sink into a very special gift: poppyseeds ground and cooked to a paste with cardomon, honey, raisins and almonds. set to eat myself comatose ~~
      Then this-
      There’s a lot to take in here, I’ve got to back-fill. Unfamiliar aspect maps. Shocking on the face of it, for one who knows as little as I.

        • Clearly, these are aimed directly at _ME_!!_
          Gee, talk about provocative!

          When the East Coast is sighted in the crosshairs, and you’re shown a selfie of it, you can’t just let it pass. It was a deliberate jab, so you can say, “You’re just kidding, Uncle Vlad, aren’t you?”

          He’s showing the world how no-account we’ve become. It isn’t true, of course, but we’d better smarten-up to avoid tempting ignorant bullies.

          It’s hard to believe that the coast is stark NAKED! Is that what I’m reading?

          • The only protection on the east coast was some Aegis destroyers which could have stopped a limited strike. Like so many other ships, planes and personnel they were mothballed or possibly sent to the breaker yards (scrap yards). It was the Soviet agents in place that formulated and pushed the mutually assured destruction doctrine. We followed it until President Reagan but the Soviets didn’t. After Reagan the Republicans kept establishing missile defense positions and the Dems would stop the building of bases and activating them. Obama hasn’t gone to the extent of shutting down activated positions but he did stop the building of several and stopped the deployment of the systems in Eastern Europe that would have protected the East Coast.

            Most people refuse to accept the idea that Obama would leave the US unprotected so they think we are lying when we talk about the lack of protection.

            Welcome to the world the liberal Democrats build for us, there is violence, corruption and extrnal enemies who are no longer held in check by a strong and vigorous military. Pray that the attacks on the US hold off until the next President manages to reactivate ships and military units.

      • You got your revenge, I think I gained a couple of pounds reading the description, I got hungry enough that I had to get a snack to eat.

  10. Germany: Refugees cast their ballots to challenge German voting laws

    Refugees and migrants in Magdeburg staged their own election on Friday, to challenge the German voting system, which disallows them from taking part in local and federal elections.

    SOT, Susi Moebbeck, Integration Commissioner of Saxony-Anhalt (German): “I think that if we want people to feel as a part of our society, if we want them to accept and adopt our values, we must inform them, we must include them and we have to offer them opportunities to participate in our society. This is the only way integration can work. And therefore we start as early as possible to inform, to give orientation and to share our values. However, eventually this has to result in participation in society and politics.”

    SOT, Susi Moebbeck, Integration Commissioner of Saxony-Anhalt (German): “The fact that those people [Nazis] have blocked the voting in Halle today in order to prevent migrants from participating in this political education project is an indicator for the political climate we are currently facing. Nazis feel supported by the AfD’s poll results during their actions. I believe that every responsible citizen should be aware where those responsible for this background [blocking of the polling station] stand.”

  11. RAW: Turkish military destroy Kurdish town Cizre

    RT was the first TV channel given access to the mainly Kurdish city of Cizre in Turkey, which has been subjected to curfews and blockades for several months.

    Local Kurds claimed to RT that the Turkish military burned alive more than a hundred people trapped in basements during Turkey’s operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

    • Turkey: Cizre left devastated following heavy fighting

      The city of Cizre lies in ruins following months of fighting between Turkish government forces and militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Many buildings were left devastated following the clashes and government bombardments. Residents sifted through the wreckage, Friday, following the lifting of a government curfew imposed during the fighting.

      One local resident recounted the violence, telling an RT reporter “I would not wish this on anyone, Erdogan has destroyed our world.”

      SOT, Local resident (Turkish): “I would not wish this on anyone, Erdogan has destroyed our world. He has burnt us. Come here and take a look at the blood.”

      SOT, Local resident (Turkish): “This was a residential building, women and children lived here. Erdogan killed all of them with heavy artillery, he destroyed this home. They claimed they are fighting terrorists but where are the terrorists? All of the victims here are civilians. Three, four maybe 500 people. They were all people, women and children, some as young as 10 years old. They killed a heavily pregnant woman.”

  12. Russia: At least two injured in blast outside mosque in Nazran

    A powerful blast occurred outside a mosque in the city of Nazran, in the Republic of Ingushetia, on Friday. At least two people were injured in the incident, according to initial reports.

    The blast reportedly occurred when a gas cylinder went off in a car. However, contradicting media reports cited sources from Ingushetia’s law enforcement saying that the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.

    At the time of the explosion, Friday prayers at the mosque were over and most people had already left the building and immediate area.

    • Greece: Refugees continue to flow into Idomeni camp despite border closure

      Buses provided by UNHCR were leaving the Idomeni refugee camp en route to Thessaloniki on Friday, as part of the relocation program. Large groups of refugees are moving in both directions; refugees are leaving the Idomeni refugee camp, tired of waiting too long in inhumane conditions, and there are refugees arriving at the camp in hope to cross over to Macedonia, despite the country’s closed borders.

  13. ‘We’ll take Merkel to court over migrant chaos’ Furious Sweden hits out at Germany (express, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/651801/Angela-Merkel-Germany-Sweden-migrant-crisis-EU-court-refugee-policy

    “ANGELA Merkel faces fresh migrant crisis turmoil with Sweden now threatening to take Germany to court over Berlin’s controversial refugee policy.

    The Nordic country has lashed out against its fellow EU member claiming it is breaching a convention which says countries can send migrants back to where they were originally registered.

    Stockholm says Germany is refusing to cooperate and has threatened to take Merkel’s government to the European Court of Justice over the issue.

    It is also claiming it is suffering as a result Merkel’s open door migration policy, which has seen over a million arrive in Germany, and many then heading north to Scandinavia.

    Swedish immigration minister Morgan Johansson said: “Not accepting the asylum seekers who registered in the country [Germany] would be breaching the Dublin Regulation.

    “If they [decide to implement this policy] we will turn to the European Court of Justice.”

    He said: “We have officially contacted the German government and we are not alone, other member states are also affected by this.”

    The Dublin Regulation states an asylum application should be processed in the country where the applicant first registered.

    Currently there are 700 asylum seekers who will have to have their application considered in Sweden instead of in Germany and the minister said the figure would rise in the future.

    He said: “Of the 500-600 who come to Sweden every week many are already registered in Germany.

    “If we don’t return them to Germany there will be more in our asylum system.”

    The minister added Germany’s new refugee policy enforced Sweden’s need to maintain border controls and ID checks.

    He said: “There are several hundred thousand asylum seekers in Germany that could move north to Sweden and Denmark. It would place high pressure on us when our asylum centres are full.””

  14. Norwegian teens play refugees for a day

    In a dark snowy forest, teenagers scramble with their backpacks as soldiers bark orders. This is the scene in Norway, one of the richest countries in the world, where a group of young people are spending 24 hours on the road, living as refugees.

  15. US To Accept More Syrian Refugees Says Nuland

    Following a meeting with top Greek diplomats, US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland says the United States is increasing the number of Syrian refugees being accepted.

      • Should have a bullseye on her forehead, foul-mouthed witch.
        She’s the one taped plotting the overthrow of the government of Ukraine.

    • National health services will be called on to perform FGM.
      Those doctors who refuse will be prosecuted to the full extention of the law sharia.

      Heil Hitler.

  16. Algerian army kills three suspected militants, seizes anti-aircraft missiles

    Algeria’s army said on Friday it had killed three Islamist militants near the eastern city of El Oued and seized a large quantity of weapons including six anti-aircraft missiles.

    One of those killed in the operation late on Thursday was Kamel Arabiya, a senior militant and veteran of Algeria’s conflict in the 1990s, the defense ministry said in a statement.

    Arabiya led the local brigade of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and according to news reports may have recently pledged allegiance Islamic State.

    The military said it had recovered six Stinger surface-to-air missiles, two explosive belts, three rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, and more than 20 guns.

    Following the raid, a security source said the army was on high alert because of the risk from neighboring Libya, where militants have taken advantage of a security vacuum to build their presence in the region.

    Algeria has slowly emerged from a conflict with armed Islamists in the 1990s that left as many as 200,000 dead, but still sees occasional militant violence in parts of the country.

    It is considered a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist extremism in North Africa.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-algeria-security-idUSKCN0WD1ZB

  17. Turkey may not actually be hosting 2.7m Syrian refugees as it claims

    The figure underpins tough negotiations with the EU, which could see Turkey receive €6bn to look after Syrians – some of whom have already moved on

    Turkey may be hosting far fewer than the 2.7 million Syrian refugees declared in official figures, according to a controversial new claim.

    An article in an online magazine by an aid worker and a former aid worker argues that many of those registered as living in Turkey may already have left for Europe, while others may have been registered several times. The claim comes as European leaders prepare to thrash out the final details of a deal with Turkey designed to prevent a repeat of the influx of people who arrived in Europe last year.

    Ankara drove a hard bargain at an emergency summit in Brussels this week. In return for agreeing to allow all refugees and migrants arriving in EU countries to be sent back to Turkey, the nation’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, asked EU leaders to double a package of aid for Syrians in his country to €6bn (£4.7bn).

    Questions about the actual numbers were raised in an article published on The Balkanist website under the headline “Turkey’s mysterious disappearing refugees”.

    Written by an aid official based in southern Turkey, who works for an unnamed organisation, and a former humanitarian worker, it cites figures showing that 880,000 people arrived in Greece last year after crossing by sea from Turkey. In the same period, the number of Syrian refugees reported as living in Turkey rose from 1.5 million to 2.5 million. The current total claimed by Ankara stands at 2.7 million.

    For that increase to be accurate, the authors say, 80,000 refugees must have crossed into Turkey from Syria every month last year, excluding anyone who went straight to Europe. However, from about March last year it has become much harder for Syrians to cross into Turkey, as large sections of the border have been closed.

    The article notes that the numbers of Syrians living in official government camps rose slightly in 2015 from 230,000 to 270,000.

    The authors warn that the official Turkish figures are “being accepted uncritically by aid groups and government officials” when they should be treated with more caution – especially when they form the basis of frantic EU negotiations.

    A senior Turkish official did not deny that the figure for Syrians in Turkey could be too high, but said that it was “difficult to tell”.

    He told The Independent: “We don’t know if 100 per cent of Syrians currently in Turkey are registered, even though the authorities have been trying very hard to register everyone. At the same time it is unclear how many people left – how many people drowned, or ended up in Europe.” He suggested that the numbers in Europe could also be inaccurate because people who travelled to Germany or Sweden crossed many national borders and were re-registered and reported every time they did so.

    All those arriving in Greece from Turkey are supposed to be registered, raising the prospect that they could, in theory, be crossed off against the list of names of refugees in Turkey. Frontex, the EU border agency, has sent hundreds of officers, seconded from police forces across Europe, to help the Greek authorities record all new arrivals.

    However, a spokesman for the agency said that information about individuals was passed only to the Greek authorities and could not be shared more widely because of data protection laws.

    The numbers crossing the Aegean Sea have shown few signs of declining. More than 130,000 people have reached Europe from Turkey this year alone. Yesterday, two children and a six-month-old baby were among five Afghans who drowned trying to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-may-not-actually-be-hosting-27m-syrian-refugees-as-it-claims-a6923871.html

  18. GERMANY – FRANKFURT – Kurdi graffiti erected in Frankfurt to highlight refugees’ plight

    A gigantic image of Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler whose pictures stirred global sympathy for refugees fleeing war, has been put up in Frankfurt. The artists hope it will make Germans rethink their fears about refugees.

    Thousands of commuters using the Main river walkway and bridge will now confront a 120-square-meter image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who was drowned along with his mother and brother in September as the family tried to reach Europe. The artwork will stay on the wall until autumn, according to the artists.

    “We are very sad about the children dying, and we are angry,” said graffiti artist Justus Becker, who worked on the image with another artist, Bobby Borderline. “We want to work with issues facing our society,” he added.

    The artists have used 50 liters of wall paint and some 80 cans of spray paint to create the image of Kurdi’s corpse, which has already become an iconic image representing the plight and misery of those fleeing conflict and war in countries like Syria, Iraq and Libya.

    […]”We hope to have people emotionally rethink their selfish fears of refugees coming to Germany,” 38-year-old Becker, who is known as COR, told Reuters news agency.

    “It is a memorial piece representing all children who died fleeing from war to Europe,” Becker said. “Their lives matter.”

    http://www.dw.com/en/kurdi-graffiti-erected-in-frankfurt-to-highlight-refugees-plight/a-19110935

    http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/frankfurt-graffiti-fuer-ertrunkenen-aylan-kurdi-14117844.html

  19. Fox News – Source: Clinton IT specialist revealing server details to FBI, ‘devastating witness’

    Former Hillary Clinton IT specialist Bryan Pagliano, a key witness in the email probe who struck an immunity deal with the Justice Department, has told the FBI a range of details about how her personal email system was set up, according to an intelligence source close to the case who called him a “devastating witness.”

    The source said Pagliano told the FBI who had access to the former secretary of state’s system – as well as when – and what devices were used, amounting to a roadmap for investigators.

    “Bryan Pagliano is a devastating witness and, as the webmaster, knows exactly who had access to [Clinton’s] computer and devices at specific times. His importance to this case cannot be over-emphasized,” the intelligence source said.

    The source, who is not authorized to speak on the record due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation, said Pagliano has provided information allowing investigators to knit together the emails with other evidence, including images of Clinton on the road as secretary of state.

    The cross-referencing of evidence could help investigators pinpoint potential gaps in the email record. “Don’t forget all those photos with her using various devices and it is easy to track the whereabouts of her phone,” the source said. “It is still boils down to a paper case. Did you email at this time from your home or elsewhere using this device? And here is a picture of you and your aides holding the devices.”

    A source close to Pagliano did not dispute the basic details of what was provided to the FBI, but said the highly skilled former State Department IT specialist had met with the bureau on a “limited basis” and was at best a “peripheral” player in the investigation.

    At a Democratic debate Wednesday evening, Clinton brushed off the question when asked by the moderator whether she would withdraw from the presidential race if faced with criminal charges.

    Univision’s Jorge Ramos asked, “If you get indicted, will you drop out?” Clinton responded, “My goodness. That is not going to happen. I’m not even answering that question.”

    She then added her now standard explanation that nothing she sent or received was marked classified at the time. While technically correct, the distinction appears misleading. The January 2009 classified information non-disclosure agreement signed by Clinton says she understood that classified information could be marked and unmarked, as well as verbal communications.

    Classification is based on content, not markings.

    The intelligence source said the FBI is “extremely focused” on the 22 “top secret” emails deemed too damaging to national security to publicly release under any circumstances, with agents reviewing those sent by Clinton as well her subordinates including former chief of staff Cheryl Mills.

    “Mrs. Clinton sending them in this instance would show her intent much more than would receiving [them],” the source said. “Hillary Clinton was at a minimum grossly negligent in her handling of NDI [National Defense Information] materials merely by her insisting that she utilize a private server versus a [U.S. government] server. Remember, NDI does not have to be classified.” According to the Congressional Research Service, NDI is broadly defined to include “information that they have reason to know could be used to harm the national security.”

    It was emphasized to Fox News that Clinton’s deliberate “creation” and “control” of the private server used for her official government business is the subject of intense scrutiny. Pagliano knows key details as to how the private server was installed and maintained in her home.

    The 22 “top secret” emails are not public, but in a Jan. 14 unclassified letter, first reported by Fox News, Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III notified Congress of the findings of a recent comprehensive review by intelligence agencies identifying “several dozen” additional classified emails — including specific intelligence known as “special access programs” (SAP).

    That indicates a level of classification beyond even “top secret,” the label previously given to other emails found on her server, and brings even more scrutiny to the presidential candidate’s handling of the government’s closely held secrets.

    Pagliano’s lawyer offered no on-record comment for this report. Clinton recently told CBS, “I’m delighted that [Pagliano] has agreed to cooperate, as everyone else has. And I think that we will be moving toward a resolution of this.”

    The FBI has not commented beyond the public statements of FBI Director James Comey, who recently told Congress: “I can assure you is that I am very close personally to that investigation to ensure that we have the resources we need, including people and technology, and that it’s done the way the FBI tries to do all of its work: independently, competently and promptly.”

    The intelligence source described the morale of agents as “very good and nobody is moping around which is the first sign a big case is going south.”

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/11/source-clinton-it-specialist-revealing-server-details-to-fbi-devastating-witness.html

  20. Turkey’s Erdogan threatens court over freed journalists

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hits out at the country’s top court Friday over the release of two journalists, saying its existence could be in doubt if it did the same thing again.

    • Ukraine: Protesters rally against opening of refugee shelter in Yagotin

      Anti-refugee protesters rallied against the opening of a refugee shelter in Yagotin, Friday.

      The civil wing of Azov Battalion and Right Sector representatives joined the public hearing. Natalia Gus, deputy of the local council addressed the protesters saying, “we do not have such an opportunity to invite foreigners to learn their Arabic language, someone said that we will learn English? You and I will have to learn Arabic to be able to sell a loaf of bread in the store.”

  21. Two 10-year-old schoolgirls molested and a woman’s trousers ripped off: Inside the sleepy Swedish town rocked by EIGHT sex attacks in three weeks by migrant men (dailymail, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3485473/The-small-Swedish-town-terrorized-string-sex-attacks-eight-assaults-past-three-weeks-leaves-women-terrified-walk-dark.html

    “The streets are deserted after dark in a sleepy Swedish town which is a now no-go zone for women after eight sex attacks in three weeks.

    Women have been warned by police not to walk alone at night after the once peaceful town of Östersund was shaken to its core by a string of vicious attacks on females and even children by groups of young men of ‘foreign origin’.

    First, two 10-year-old girls were groped at a bus stop by a gang of men who threatened to rape them.

    The following day, a woman told police she was punched in the face, splitting her eyebrow, by a man who threatened to kill her after he made a rude comment to her.

    Just five days later a woman walking on her own was attacked by three men, beaten and pushed to the ground.

    They held her down and forced their fingers into her mouth while saying offensive, sexual words to her.

    And in the latest incident just five days ago, a woman had to use martial arts to elbow her would-be rapist in the head and escape after three men surrounded her and punched to the ground and tried to pull her trousers down.

    Police in Östersund, with a population of 45,000, say they have never seen anything like this before.

    They took the unprecedented move of calling a press conference on Monday to warn women to stay indoors.

    Stephen Jerand, the county police commissioner, admitted police in the town are struggling to cope – adding that the surge in attacks ‘seem unreal’.

    He told MailOnline: ‘We called the press meeting this Monday because we have seen an accelerating development here….”

  22. Leaked ISIS application papers reveal wannabe British actor who dreamed of Hollywood stardom fled to Syria and appeared in jihadi videos (dailymail, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3487500/Leaked-ISIS-papers-reveal-wannabe-British-actor-dreamed-Hollywood-stardom-fled-Syria-appeared-jihadi-videos.html

    “A British wannabe actor who fled to Syria and starred in two ISIS videos and posed with bodies of decapitated Syrian prisoners is identified in the leaked cache of jihadi files.

    The documents, which reveal the real names of hundreds of fighters, include that of 21-year-old Fasil Towalde, a student from Camden, north London, who was killed fighting in Kobane in 2014.

    Towalde, of Eritrean heritage, was raised in a Christian family. He converted to Islam when he was 16 and later travelled to Syria to join ISIS in December 2013.

    The leaked ISIS documents confirm that Towalde entered Syria on 28 December 2013 and adopted the name Abu Abdullah al-Habashi. He had previously spent time in Australia.

    Towalde’s mother, Himan Haile, broke down in tears yesterday when she confirmed that her son was indeed Abu Abdullah al-Habashi.

    ‘Fasil was not too much good, not too much bad. In my home he was a nice boy,’ she told The Telegraph, hinting of her son’s past problems with gangs and the police.

    ‘He died for what? I don’t know. Every day I cry, in the morning, in the night,’ his mother said.

    It is understood Towalde, 21, was killed fighting during the failed ISIS siege of Kobane on the edge of the Syrian-Turkish border.

    In his final tweet, the former student wrote: ‘Many Somali brothers from the west are gaining Shahadah (martyrdom) in kobane make dua (prayers) I’m the first Eritrean.’…”

  23. Arab League labels Hezbollah a ‘terrorist’ group (aljazeera, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/arab-league-labels-hezbollah-terrorist-group-160311173735737.html

    “The move, which was not backed by Lebanon and Iraq, comes after the Gulf Cooperation Council adopted the same stance.

    The Arab League has declared Lebanese movement Hezbollah a “terrorist” group, only days after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) adopted the same stance.

    The move came during the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting at the organisation’s seat in Egypt’s capital Cairo on Friday.

    Nearly all 22 Arab League members supported the decision, except Lebanon and Iraq which expressed “reservations”, the bloc said in a statement read out at a news conference by Bahraini diplomat Wahid Mubarak Sayar.

    “The resolution of the League’s council [of foreign ministers] includes the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group,” the statement said.

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

    Explaining Lebanon’s position, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said in a Twitter message: “We voiced reservations because the resolution was not in line with the Arab anti-terror treaty … Hezbollah enjoys wide representation in Lebanon and it is a main component in the country.”

    Earlier in the day, the Saudi delegation briefly withdrew from discussions to protest against Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s refusal to label Hezbollah as a “terrorist” group.

    This Arab League decision came a day after Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leadar, accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Lebanon to silence his group.

    “Saudi Arabia is angry with Hezbollah since it is daring to say what only a few others dare to say against its royal family,” he said on Thursday.

    The Arab League and the six-member GCC have been ramping up the pressure on Hezbollah, which 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.

    n late February, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain urged their citizens to leave Lebanon or avoid travelling there.

    The travel warning came after cut $4bn in aid to Lebanese security forces in response to “hostile” positions linked to Hezbollah.

    The US, Canada and Australia have listed Hezbollah as a “terrorist” group. The EU has also blacklisted its military wing.”

  24. France: Fire rages through Calais refugee camp

    Panic took hold as fires raged in the Calais refugee camp, Friday. The huge blaze started this afternoon, the exact is cause of the fire is still unknown.

    • Calais Jungle mosque set ON FIRE as migrants build barricades to block authorities (express, Mar 11, 2016)
      http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/651898/Calais-Jungle-France-migrant-crisis-Europe

      “SEVERAL shelters in the Calais Jungle including a makeshift mosque have been set on fire in the Calais jungle as migrants refusing to leave the shanty town build barricades in a bid to block authorities from dismantling the camp.

      Plumes of smoke could be seen from Calais town centre as several shelters, restaurants and a mosque were set alight, according to witnesses.

      The huge blaze started at around 4.30pm local time after a series of fires were started yesterday in the makeshift shanty town which is currently being dismantled by authorities.

      A witness posted on Twitter: “Stuck between the Jungle which is on fire and the ring road. Migrants don’’t know where to go and are running towards the road.”

      Tensions have been mounting in the Calais Jungle today, with migrants and volunteers confronting riot police as authorities pushed ahead with destroying the southern part of the camp.

      One witness claimed the fires were started by French riot police “to accelerate the destruction of the Jungle”.

      Several shelters were also set on fire by groups refusing to leave the camp.

      French firemen accompanied by riot police were forced to intervene during the evening as the blaze raged in the squalid shanty town.

      Migrants formed barricades, set a fire and “wanted to throw a gas canister on it”.

      French authorities are encouraging migrants to move into accommodation kitted out with heating and showers provided by the government.

      However, many migrants have been reluctant to move into the shipping containers because they fear it will ruin their chances of reaching the UK.

      Migrants and No Borders anarchists have been setting shelters and tents on fire in protest after the French government pushed ahead with dismantling part of the camp in Calais.

      The unrest came as France asked UK border guards to make weekly tours of the Calais migrant camp to tell its residents that Britain plans to make it much harder for asylum seekers to live or work in the country.

      French politicians have blamed Britain’s generous welfare system for the influx of migrants desperate to reach ‘El Dorado’ UK.

      Xavier Bertrand, president of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, said he expects the shanty town to close completely in the foreseeable future as security is tightened and Britain is expected to pass a new immigration bill.

      The politician’s call for tougher measures came after the French government launched an official website for the Calais Jungle.

      French interior ministry Bernard Cazeneuve said the website aims “to establish the truth” about the notorious migrant camp and show the work French authorities are carrying out in Calais. …”

  25. IRAQ – Sadr supporters rally in Baghdad, press Abadi to form new cabinet

    Tens of thousands of people rallied on Friday in Baghdad, heeding a call from Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to put pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to proceed with his plan to form a cabinet of independent, professional ministers.

    As the demonstrators were gathering in central Baghdad’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square, state TV said Abadi had asked political blocs in parliament and “influential social figures” to nominate technocrats as ministerial candidates.Several demonstrators were disappointed with the announcement, saying Abadi was caving in to the politicians by asking them to put forward their proposed names.

    “I don’t think Abadi can do the reforms he promised,” said Ammar Salman, a 37-year-old taxi driver, carrying the red, white and black Iraqi flag. “The political blocs won’t let him.”

    Corruption is eating away at Baghdad’s resources even as it struggles with falling revenue due to rock-bottom oil prices and high spending due to the costs of the war on Islamic State.A year and a half into his four-year term, Abadi said last month that he wanted to replace his ministers with technocrats to challenge the system of patronage that encourages graft by distributing posts along political, ethnic and sectarian lines.

    “Your credit is about to finish,” said a banner carried by demonstrators in Tahrir Square, apparently addressing the nation’s politicians in general without naming anyone.

    The banner was put on a frame in the form of gallows with ropes tied as hanging nooses dangling underneath.

    The number of those who rallied at Sadr’s call this week was far less than last Friday when an estimated 200,000 people gathered outside the Green Zone, a heavily fortified district that houses government ministries and embassies.

    It is the third consecutive Friday that Sadr’s followers have rallied in Baghdad to demand the replacement of Abadi’s ministers by technocrats not affiliated with political parties.

    The cleric on Wednesday said Abadi “should be given a chance to proceed with his reforms”, cautioning the prime minister at the same time against yielding to pressure and appointing ministers vetted by the political parties.

    “If we feel that the reforms are real and not just media noise, there will be more measures in support” of Abadi, Sadr said.

    Four weeks ago Sadr, heir to a Shi’ite clerical dynasty persecuted under Saddam Hussein, gave Abadi 45 days to deliver on his pledged change or face a no-confidence vote in parliament.

    The demonstration he addressed on the previous Friday was held at an entrance to the Green Zone, raising concern of violence with security forces.

    Sadr said he changed the location to Tahrir Square as a goodwill gesture to Abadi. A bridge over the Tigris river separates the square from the Green Zone.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-politics-cabinet-idUSKCN0WD1JO

    Iraq: Thousands stage anti-government protest in central Baghdad

  26. London Uni Islamic Society leader planned drive-by murder of soldiers, court told (express, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/651544/physics-student-Suhaib-Majeed-murder-Alan-Henning-justify-plan-drive-by-shooting

    “A PHYSICS student accused of plotting drive-by shootings of servicemen used the murder of aid worker Alan Henning to justify his plans under Sharia law, a court heard.

    Nathan Cuffy, 26, Nyall Hamlett, 25, and Suhaib Majeed, 21, from west London, are on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly planning to kill soldiers, police officers and civilians in a series of attacks.

    Majeed, 21, a former chairman of the King’s College Islamic Society, said references to Mr Henning were just “heated debate” about the legitimacy of Islamic State (ISIS).

    Aid worker Mr Henning was kidnapped in Syria in December 2013 and held hostage for 10 months before he was brutally murdered by ISIS.

    The Old Bailey heard Majeed had exchanged dozens of messages with his associates about the hostage situation and whether his execution would be legal under Sharia law.

    Majeed referred repeatedly to ‘The Covenant of Protection’ – a protocol under which a Muslim does not kill a non-Muslim in an Islamic country if they have been offered protection from that state.

    He said he was just debating whether the protection given by one Muslim could ever be legally withdrawn by another.

    But in his closing speech, prosecutor Brian Altman, QC, said he was trying to justify his own murderous plot.

    Mr Altman said: “He told you that he hadn’t committed to ISIS but he was involved in a great deal of debate about its legitimacy – debates in which he was fully prepared to stand his ground.

    “Majeed had been saying he wanted Thaleel evidence that it was legitimate, and that the protection given by one Muslim could be withdrawn by another.

    “But we don’t see any expression of regret or disgust, what we do see is really telling, what we do see is devastating for him and his case.”

    The day before he received a handgun, Majeed allegedly messaged a friend: “Whatever I say or do is upon me and if it is not allowed in Sharia then obviously I am accounted for it.

    “I just want some evidence from a scholar that I can follow and feel comfortable.”

    Mr Altman said: “He wanted scholarly evidence for the rejection of the Covenant of Security – he knew what he was embarking on, a plot to kill.

    “The reassurance he was seeking was that murdering people in this country was permissible.”

    Majeed and medical student Tariq Hassane, 22, known as ‘The Surgeon’, are said to have been the ringleaders in the terror plot.

    The plan is believed to have developed after Hassane, who was studying in Sudan, pledged his allegiance to ISIS in July 2014, with Majeed carrying out his orders in Britain.

    Nathan Cuffy, 26, is accused of supplying a gun, while Nyall Hamlett, 25, is said to have been the middleman for the transfer of the weapon and ammunition.

    Hassane, of Dalgarno Way, North Kensington has since pleaded guilty conspiracy to murder between July 8 2014 and September 25 2014 and preparation of terrorist acts between the July 8 2014 and the October 7 2014.

    Majeed, of Church Street Estate, St John’s Wood, Hamlett, of Great Western Road, Paddington and Cuffy, of Dartmouth Close, Notting Hill, deny conspiracy to murder between July 8 2014 and September 25 2014 and preparation of terrorist acts between the July 8 2014 and the October 7 2014.”

  27. FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple

    Home Lead Stories FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple
    FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple
    Guardian Web March 11, 2016 at 11:47 am 3 Lead Stories, News
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    If the FBI wins in its case against Apple to help it unlock the San Bernardino killer’s iPhone 5C, it won’t be long before the government forces Apple to turn on users’ iPhone cameras and microphones to spy on them, according to the company’s head of services Eddy Cue.

    The FBI has demanded that Apple creates custom software that bypasses certain security features of the company’s iOS to allow law enforcement to brute force the passcode of the gunman’s iPhone 5C.

    But according to Apple, making the modifications necessary in this case would set a dangerous precedent in offering backdoors into users’ smartphones.

    Cue said to Univision : “Someday they will want [Apple] to turn on [a user’s] camera or microphone. We can’t do that now, but what if we’re forced to do that?

    “Where will this stop? In a divorce case? In an immigration case? In a tax case? Some day, someone will be able to turn on a phone’s microphone. That should not happen in this country.”

    The FBI is trying to access the locked iPhone of one of the San Bernardino killers and insists it needs Apple’s due to the software protections built into iOS, which require Apple’s unique signature.

    http://www.gopusa.com/?p=6993?omhide=true

  28. How US Taxpayers Funded the Murder of an Iraq Vet in Israel

    Taylor Force had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, he had served at Fort Hood in the year of the infamous Islamic terrorist attack on the base, but a Jihadist finally caught up to the veteran, whose father and grandfather had also served their country, in civilian life during a visit to Israel.

    Bashar Masalha, the Islamic terrorist who murdered Force, was shot dead by Israeli police around the time that Biden was hanging out a mile away at the Peres Center for Peace. But Biden and his boss signed the checks to Iran and the Palestinian Authority that motivated and rewarded Force’s killer.

    Masalha came from Qalqilya which is under the civil control of the Palestinian Authority. Its mayor, Othman Dawood, is a member of Fatah, the core political organization behind the PLO and the Palestinian Authority. Fatah celebrated the murder of Taylor Force and other victims of the attack, praising Masalha as a “heroic martyr”. It named him and two other terrorist attackers as “the pride of all of the young Palestinians” and urged future terrorists to go on killing in their name.

    Palestinian Authority television called the terrorist who murdered an American, a Shaheed, a martyr for Islam. And the Palestinian Authority’s support for the murder of Taylor Force doesn’t just end there.

    The Palestinian Authority pays terrorists based on the amount of harm they caused and the resulting jail sentence. Had Masalha survived his attack on Taylor Force and the other victims, he would have likely been paid $2,000 a month for his act of terror. That’s pretty good money in a place where $2,000 is more like an annual income. It’s so good that that there’s no shortage of terrorists eager to kill for cash.

    And the Palestinian Authority has no shortage of money to pay Muslim terrorists to kill Americans and Israelis because the terror organization which claims to be a state is subsidized by the United States with billions of dollars. In 2014, the PA spent $144 million on payments to convicted terrorists. Its terror budget benefited from Obama boosting 2014 foreign aid to the PA to $440 million. For “peace”.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262115/how-us-taxpayers-funded-murder-iraq-vet-israel-daniel-greenfield

  29. How Immigration Reform Would Re-Form America
    The devastating truth that’s not being discussed by politicians or journalists.

    Failures of the immigration system have a profound impact, exacerbating nearly every challenge and threat that America and Americans confront on a day-to-day basis. However, the true significance of immigration is rarely, if ever, discussed by politicians or by journalists upon whom we depend for information.

    Unbridled greed and hunger for power lead the list of factors that motivate many politicians to ignore this side of the immigration debate. Journalists may be ideologues or may be controlled by the executives of their news organizations who are impacted by greed as well.

    On June 18, 2015 FrontPage Magazine published my article, “Theft By Deception: The Immigration Con Game: How politicians are robbing citizens of access to the American Dream” in which I laid out some of the ways that so many profit from the failures of border security and failure to enforce our immigration laws from within the interior of the United States.

    The premise of my November 29, 2015 article for the Daily Caller, “Immigration: A Matter Of Integrity – Or A Lack Thereof,” was that the immigration system’s lack of integrity simply parallels the lack of integrity of all too many of our politicians who write our laws, provide or deny funding for programs and devise strategies to either effectively carry out various governmental missions or seek to obstruct missions — often while providing the false illusions that everything that can be done is being done.

    Organizations such as the United States Chamber of Commerce seek to flood America with a virtual army of cheap foreign workers, and not only the illegal aliens who do the lowest paying jobs that require little in the way of formal education and training, but, increasingly, highly skilled foreign workers who may, in fact, have advanced degrees.

    The Chamber of Commerce also seeks to greatly increase the number of foreign tourists and foreign students. My September 3, 2015 FrontPage Magazine article, “Keeping Track of Visa Violators,” exposed how the Chamber of Commerce is a major force behind the continual expansion of the dangerous and ill-logical Visa Waiver Program that should have been terminated after the attacks of 9/11.

    The 9/11 Commission Staff Report on Terrorist Travel detailed numerous examples of instances where terrorists not only made use of visa and immigration benefit fraud to enter the United States, but to also embed themselves in the United States. Page 47 of this report noted:

    Once terrorists had entered the United States, their next challenge was to find a way to remain here. Their primary method was immigration fraud. For example, Yousef and Ajaj concocted bogus political asylum stories when they arrived in the United States. Mahmoud Abouhalima, involved in both the World Trade Center and landmarks plots, received temporary residence under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers (SAW) program, after falsely claiming that he picked beans in Florida.

    Page 54 contained this excerpt under the title “3.2 Terrorist Travel Tactics by Plot”:

    Although there is evidence that some land and sea border entries (of terrorists) without inspection occurred, these conspirators mainly subverted the legal entry system by entering at airports.

    In doing so, they relied on a wide variety of fraudulent documents, on aliases, and on government corruption. Because terrorist operations were not suicide missions in the early to mid-1990s, once in the United States terrorists and their supporters tried to get legal immigration status that would permit them to remain here, primarily by committing serial, or repeated, immigration fraud, by claiming political asylum, and by marrying Americans. Many of these tactics would remain largely unchanged and undetected throughout the 1990s and up to the 9/11 attack.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262093/how-immigration-reform-would-re-form-america-michael-cutler

  30. Reagan Era Ends at Last?
    But “Red Scare” myth endures

    As First Lady, Nancy Reagan was something of a target for the left, but when Nancy passed away on March 6, praise rang out from the White House and even the Clintons. For his part, Mitt Romney said Nancy’s passing marked a final goodbye to the days of Ronald Reagan. That may be well be, but one thing is certain. Left-wing mythology from Reagan’s Hollywood days remains alive and well.

    In a nearly 4,000-word obituary of Nancy Reagan in the New York Times, Lou Cannon wrote: “In the late 1940s, Hollywood was in the grip of a ‘Red Scare,’ prompted by government investigations into accusations of Communist influence in the film industry.” There was a bit more to it.

    In the late 1940s Stalin expanded his grip on Eastern Europe, escalated espionage abroad, and on August 29, 1949, exploded the USSR’s first atomic bomb. Stalin also stepped up repression against writers, artists and national minorities. He swung the USSR back to its traditional anti-Semitism, dubbing Jews “rootless cosmopolitans.”

    In 1943, the first Soviet Jewish delegation to the United States assured Americans that tales of anti-Semitism in the USSR were no more than malicious rumors. Samuel Ornitz, who would later join the Hollywood Ten, organized a reception for Soviet actor-director Solomon Mikoels and writer Itzak Feffer. In 1948, Stalin had Mikoels murdered, his mutilated body signaling the dictator’s personal touch. Three years later an executioner’s bullet claimed Itzak Feffer. Many more Jews would have been killed had not Stalin died in 1953.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262110/reagan-era-ends-last-lloyd-billingsley

  31. The Fourth Strategy
    Time to fight our enemies rather than empowering them

    This week we learned that Lebanon is no more. It has been replaced by Hezbollah’s Iranian colony in Lebanon.

    Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and canceled its $3 billion aid package to the Lebanese military. The Gulf Cooperation Council followed suit. Rather than support the move by his sponsors and allies, Saad Hariri, the head of the anti-Hezbollah March 14 movement, flew to Syria to meet with Hezbollah leaders.

    Saudi Arabia’s decision to end its support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) doesn’t mean that Saudi Arabia is making peace with Hezbollah.

    It means that the Saudis are no longer willing to maintain the fiction that with enough support, the LAF will one day challenge Hezbollah’s effective control of Lebanon.

    Hezbollah and its bosses in Tehran don’t seem too upset about the Sunnis’ decision to acknowledge that Hezbollah is a terrorist group. And they are right not to care. In essence, the Saudi move is simply an admission that they have won. Lebanon is theirs.

    Hezbollah’s isn’t the dominant force in Lebanon because it has better weapons than the LAF.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262127/fourth-strategy-caroline-glick

  32. Muslim fasting for Ramadan who ‘fell asleep’ at wheel and killed dad-of-eight avoids jail (express, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/651938/Fasting-Muslim-fell-asleep-at-wheel-kills-dad-avoids-jail

    “A MUSLIM who “dozed off” at the wheel before he ran over and killed a dad-of-eight after fasting for over 10 hours for Ramadan has escaped jail.

    Sajid Hussain, 36, nodded off behind the wheel moments before he ploughed into David Hinton, 47, as he strapped his baby into a child car seat.

    Mr Hinton’s wife and two of their young children, aged two and five, were treated for minor injuries and shock after the fatal collision.

    The youngest child was “thrown into the air” by the impact and was found upside down in the car.

    The father was given CPR in Dudley, West Midlands, by local residents who rushed to the scene after hearing the horror smash.

    His wife Nadine and children Christopher and Oliver were cut free by firefighters after the collision on 2pm on June 20 last year.

    Mr Hinton was taken to A&E but tragically died in hospital two days later on June 22.

    The court heard Hussain, a postman, had been working since 4.30am that morning and had not eaten since 3.30am because he was fasting for the Islamic holy month Ramadan.

    Hussain was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after a judge ruled he had shown “genuine remorse”.

    The postman was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work, banned from driving and ordered to retake his test if he wished to regain his licence.

    Sentencing, Judge James Burbridge said: “David came back from the house carrying his son Oliver on his shoulders and went around by the rear road-side seat to make sure he was safely seated in the back of his car.

    “Nadine was seated in the front passenger seat.

    “As he was ensuring Christopher was safely strapped in, Mrs Hinton described there being a bang like an explosion going off.

    “The force was such that the Peugeot ended up on the other side of the road and facing the other way round.”

    Judge Burbridge added: ”Mrs Hinton has the trauma of seeing her husband lying face down on the road.

    “Their baby had been thrown in the air and was upside down.

    “Mr Hussain was described as standing with his head in his hands, screaming, ‘No! No!’

    “Witnesses driving behind said Mr Hussain’s break lights did not come on.”

    Appearing in a black suit and black jacket, Hussain bowed his head and wept tears from his eyes throughout the hearing.

    Addressing Hussain, Judge Burbridge added: “You told the police that you must have blacked out.

    “All of the medical signs showed you were fit and well and there was no evidence that you blacked out.

    “The damage you have done to the Hinton family is immeasurable harm by your carelessness.

    “You had a momentary loss of attention but with a devastating effect.”

    Samantha Powis, defending, said: “There are no words of regret or apology that Mr Hussain can say that are sufficient to heal the pain that he has caused, and he knows that.

    “But in so far as he can apologise he does through me.

    “What he has done is pleaded guilty at the first opportunity so the family can have the peace of mind that he has accepted what he did.”

    Mrs Powis added: ”It is impossible to say for sure that he dozed off, as the prosecution state, or whether he just had an episode.

    “He has said that he cannot remember what happened, and it is not possible to say what did happen.””

    • A judicial result like this is already almost fully sharia complaint. Next step of course should allow that “another Sajid” to keep all their privileges without fuss and quibble…

  33. French Police Arrest Teenagers Suspected of Plotting Attack (abcnews, Mar 11, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/french-police-arrest-teenagers-suspected-plotting-attack-37586292

    “Two teenage girls suspected of plotting an attack against a Parisian concert hall have been arrested and presented to an anti-terrorism judge, Paris prosecutors said Friday.

    The Paris prosecutors’ office confirmed in a message to the AP that the girls aged 15 and 17 were arrested Wednesday by counterterrorism agents as part of an investigation for criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist enterprise that had been opened a day before.

    BFMTV channel first reported the news.

    Both girls are now facing preliminary charges of criminal association linked to terrorism, prosecutors said.

    No details about where the teenagers live, their identities, or where the arrests were made, have been given.

    Prosecutors said early investigations indicate the girls’ project appears to have still been in the thinking stage as no weapon or explosives were found. They have requested that the youngest girl be placed in temporary custody and the other under judicial control…”

  34. No space for Allah as German unis close prayer rooms

    Three leading German universities have closed down pray rooms used by Muslims, sparking accusations they are singling Muslims out for unfair treatment.

    …The university says that Muslim men had tried to take it over by imposing gender segregation (with a prayer space for men larger than that for women) and storing prayer mats inside.

    “The attempt to create a pan-religious meditation space has failed,” said a spokesperson.

    http://www.thelocal.de/20160311/no-place-for-allah-as-german-unis-close-prayer-rooms

  35. Spain: Protesters in Madrid rally against EU-Turkey draft deal on refugees

    Around 1,000 protesters gathered in Madrid, Friday, to rally against the draft agreement on the refugee crisis between the European Union (EU) and Turkey.

    Protesters waved an EU flag covered in fake blood and held signs reading “no more innocent deaths.” European leaders are still to finalise and seal the agreement during a European Council summit due to take place in Brussels on March 17-18.

    The deal stipulates that one Syrian refugee be resettled in the EU for every Syrian refugee returned to Turkey, while aid from the EU to Turkey for handling the refugee crisis will be doubled from three to six billion euros (from $3,345,300 to $6,690,600). The EU also agreed to accelerate the visa liberalisation deal with Turkey from November to June, 2016, as well as speeding up Turkey’s EU accession negotiations.

    The United Nations has expressed its concern over the legality of the deal and the potential damage to human rights the deal may entail.

    SOT, Protester (Spanish): “This agreement [with Turkey] infringes on European law and international treaties, allowing collective expulsions and violation of international protection and not allowing the identification of vulnerability profiles.”

    • Surviving One of the Deadliest Routes to Europe: Refugees at Sea

      Desperate to escape conflict and poverty, thousands of migrants and refugees attempt the perilous journey to Europe each year, with many crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa in rubber dinghies and wooden boats.

      In the wake of the decommissioning of Mare Nostrum, a search and rescue operation run by Italy, the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), launched their own vessel, named the Bourbon Argos, to find those stranded at sea and save those in trouble on one of the deadliest routes to Europe.

      On board the vessel, refugees and migrants are provided with medical aid, food, and shelter, then brought safely to Italian shores. Having survived life in Libya, ruthless treatment by smugglers, and horrific conditions aboard flimsy boats, once aboard the Bourbon Argos they face yet more uncertainty as they approach Europe.

      VICE News teamed up with MSF to document these search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean and speak to rescued refugees and migrants, hearing about the suffering they have endured in their attempts to reach a new life.

      ( 31 min 39 )

  36. Liberal Fascists shut down Trump rally in Chicago, one FOX reporter kept talking about how peaceful things were but the mob I saw on the screen was close to exploding.

    Trump cancels Chicago rally, says he didn’t want to see anyone hurt

    CHICAGO – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled one of his signature rallies Friday, saying he didn’t want to see “people get hurt” after protesters packed into the Chicago arena where it was to take place.

    The announcement that the billionaire businessman would postpone the rally until another day led a large portion of the crowd inside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion to break out into raucous cheers. Meanwhile, supporters of the candidate started chanting “We want Trump! We want Trump!”

    There were isolated physical confrontations between some members of the crowd after the event was canceled.

    Speaking later with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, Trump said he had arrived in Chicago two hours earlier and about 25,000 people were trying to enter the arena.

    After meeting with law enforcement authorities, he said, “I didn’t want to see people get hurt (so) I decided to postpone the rally…

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/11/trump-calls-off-chicago-rally-due-to-security-concerns.html

    • This was the first big protest and it was in Cold Weather, wait until spring and summer, there will be riots. We can expect more violence from the liberal fascist as the election heats up and since actions like this are driving voters to Trump next year will be when the real violence starts.

      My aching back has a date with a heat pad, will return tomorrow.

    • RT – USA: Trump cancels Chicago rally after 1000s of protesters swamp venue

      Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was forced to cancel a campaign rally at the University of Illinois Chicago Pavilion, Friday, due to security concerns after thousands of protesters packed the arena and fights and scuffles broke out between protesters and Trump supporters.

      Thousands of protesters both inside and outside the Pavilion reportedly broke out into chants of “We stopped Trump” after hearing the news that the rally was cancelled.

      A Trump rally in St. Louis, Missouri, also ended in violent clashes between protesters and Trump supporters on Friday, leading to 32 arrests including a third-degree assault charge.

  37. David Wood Fact-Checking “10 Lies You Were Told about Islam” (Part One)

    Recently, AllTime10s posted a video titled “10 Lies You Were Told about Islam” ( www dot youtube ( dot ) com/watch?v=kq4BFIoPCLI ). The video attempts to respond to various false claims made about Islam and Muslims. However, the “research” for the video was incredibly sloppy, and a number of false statements were made. For instance, “10 Lies You Were Told about Islam” insists that Pew Research has found that only .006625% of Muslims “identify with extremism.” This claim, however, doesn’t come from Pew Research. It comes from the blog of Dave Cecil, who clearly didn’t understand the CNN article he was reading. Ironically, the link provided by AllTimeTens refutes the claim in the video. With such shoddy video research, it’s clear that the video makers need to be more careful.

  38. Philippines -Three foreigners held by Abu Sayyaf militants appeal for help in video

    MANILA: Three foreigners kidnapped by militants in the Philippines nearly six months ago have appealed to their governments for help to secure their release, as their Al-Qaeda-linked captors issued a one month deadline for their demands to be met.

    The three foreign men, who Philippine authorities have identified as two Canadians and a Norwegian, were shown in a video clip, along with a Filipino woman kidnapped with them, crouching on the ground with gunmen standing over them.

    “To the Canadian prime minister and to the Canadian people in the world, please, do as needed to meet their demands, within one month or they will kill me, they will execute us,” said one of the men who identified himself as Mr John Ridsdel, a Canadian mining consultant.

    The three men were handcuffed and were thin, bearded and shirtless. The video clip of about a minute and a half was posted on a Facebook page linked to Philippine Islamists.

    The four were kidnapped from a beach resort on a southern island last September. They are believed to be held in the jungle on Jolo island, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

    Another of the men, who identified himself as Mr Robert Hall, another Canadian, said he did not know how much money their captors were demanding but he appealed for help quickly.

    A spokesman for Canada’s foreign minister said the government was aware of the video but did not want to comment or provide new information in case it endangered the captives.

    Calgary-based TVI Pacific, where Mr Ridsdel was a semi-retired consultant, declined to comment.

    The third man, who identified himself as Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, made a similar appeal.

    It was the third time the militants had released such video appeals from the captives.

    In November, Mr Ridsdel said in a video that the militants were demanding one billion pesos (S$29 million) for each of them.

    A militant spokesman appeared in the latest video to issue a one-month ultimatum though he did not specify demands.

    “We will do something terrible against these captives,” said the masked spokesman, who gave the date as March 8.

    The September raid on the resort was a reminder of the precarious security in the resource-rich southern Philippines despite a 2014 peace agreement with the largest Muslim rebel group that ended 45 years of conflict.

    Abu Sayyaf militants are holding other foreigners including one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, and an Italian missionary. – Reuters

    http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2016/03/11/three-foreigners-held-by-abu-sayyaf-militants-appeal-for-help-in-video/

    video ( narration in Portuguese )

  39. CANADA – Shooting at Muslim cemetery in Alberta hospitalizes three

    A shooting at a Muslim cemetery that sent four people to hospital was not racially motivated, Alberta RCMP said Friday.

    The shooting occurred Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Cochrane cemetery following the funeral for a 21-year-old male.

    “They are all of the same race. We do not believe it is racially motivated,” Cpl. Sharon Franks, spokesperson for the RCMP in Southern Alberta, told reporters.

    She said it appeared the shooting was not a random incident, but rather that a fight had broken out between a group of young men between the ages of 16 and 20. They are believed to have attended the funeral and remained afterwards in the parking lot.

    At some point shots were fired.

    “Obviously they were there to mourn a friend and a family member and this is one of those things that are hard to understand,” Franks said.

    The four male victims were taken to hospital in nearby Calgary with non-life threatening injuries, and are all expected to make a full recovery.

    The victims are said to be co-operating with investigators.

    Police are asking to speak with anyone who attended the funeral or who drove the shooting victims to hospital.

    Police believe there is no danger to the public, however the shooter or shooters remain at large and there was a heavy police presence at Foothills Hospital in Calgary Friday evening, said CTV Calgary’s Kathy Le.

    Tactical police officers were posted at the hospital’s entrances and inside the building with guns drawn, Le said.

    Cochrane is located 18 kilometres west of Calgary.
    ctv news video on the page :

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/four-taken-to-hospital-after-shooting-at-alberta-cemetery-1.2814273

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    • CBC – Muslim cemetery shooting not racially motivated, police say

      4 adult males in hospital expected to survive, police believe shooting was targeted

      RCMP say a shooting incident at a Muslim cemetery near Cochrane, Alta., that sent four adult men to hospital Friday afternoon was the result of an altercation following a funeral and not racially motivated.

      “It looks as though all the parties involved were at this funeral. And at this point we are not exactly sure what the relationship is between the shooters and the victims,” said Cpl. Sharon Franks.

      “They were there to mourn a friend and family member,” she said. “This is one of those things that is hard to understand.”

      Franks said police are treating the investigation as targeted, not random or a racially motivated attack.

      Four men were transported to Calgary hospitals following the shooting, which happened at about 3:35 p.m. MT.

      All were taken by drivers from the funeral, not by ambulance. One was initially taken to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, but due to his age was transferred to Foothills Hospital with the other three.

      There was initial confusion over the number of victims police reported.

      The cemetery manager said the funeral was for a 21-year-old man who died of a heart attack.

      “You don’t know what to do, you don’t know what to think,” Zouheir Osman said.

      There was a large police presence at the cemetery and several officers at the entrance of Foothills Hospital late Friday.

      Police said there is no risk to the public, but are urging any witnesses to contact the Cochrane RCMP.

      Cochrane is just northwest of the Calgary city limits.

      CBC video on the page :

      http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cochrane-shooting-muslim-cemetery-1.3488230

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