Reader’s links for April 8 – 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

62 Replies to “Reader’s links for April 8 – 2016”

  1. A Christian health worker in the NHS has lost her appeal against a ruling which suspended her for giving a religious book to a Muslim colleague.
    Victoria Wasteney, 39, was found guilty in 2014 by her employer, the East London NHS Foundation Trust, of “harassing and bullying” a work friend.
    She had given her a book about a Muslim woman’s encounter with Christianity and asked her to church.
    Miss Wasteney said she had “no idea” she was upsetting her.
    Working as a senior occupational therapist at the time, Miss Wasteney, who also prayed with her colleague, was suspended for nine months and given a written warning.
    Appeal dismissed
    Her colleague had reportedly been happy to discuss faith with her and had not given evidence about her allegations to the NHS.
    She challenged the decision at an employment tribunal last year, but it ruled her employer had not discriminated against her.
    A judge gave her the chance to appeal against that decision, saying it should consider whether the original ruling correctly applied the European Convention on Human Rights’ strong protection of freedom of religion and expression.
    But Judge Jennifer Eady QC dismissed the appeal on Thursday.
    Following the decision, Miss Wasteney, from Epping, Essex, said: “What the court clearly failed to do was to say how, in today’s politically correct world, any Christian can even enter into a conversation with a fellow employee on the subject of religion and not, potentially, later end up in an employment tribunal.
    “If someone sends you friendly text messages, how is one to know that they are offended?”
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35988115

  2. Migrant crisis: Deportations resume from Greece to Turkey (BBC, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35993767

    “A second group of deported migrants has arrived by ferry in Turkey from Greece as part of an EU deal to reduce the numbers reaching Europe.

    The boat carrying 45 Pakistanis left Mytilene on Lesbos for the short journey to the Turkish port of Dikili.

    Three demonstrators who dived into the harbour were fished out by coastguards.

    Some 200 mainly Pakistanis were deported on Monday under an EU deal with Turkey, the main transit route for undocumented migrants.

    However, the returns process was interrupted as asylum applications surged in Greece…”

    • Greece: Greek Imam holds Friday prayers for refugees at Idomeni camp

      Imam Jihad Demirli, an Imam in the Greek town of Komotini, visited the Idomeni refugee camp on Friday to lead Friday prayers. The prayers were conducted in a makeshift mosque constructed next to railway tracks in the middle of the camp, with dozens of men attending the service.

      The Imam later walked through the camp and talked to the refugees.

    • LIVE – Greece -Anti-refugee protest held in Piraeus

      The far-right Golden Dawn party has called for supporters to attend a demonstration against refugees in Piraeus on Friday, June 7.
      The group will protest against the arrival of migrants and refugees to Greece and are asking the Greek government to secure public places, ports and highways.
      A counter-demonstration organised by an anti-racism movement is expected to take place close to the Golden Dawn protest.

  3. Pakistan, India peace talks ‘suspended’ (BBC, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35994599

    “Pakistan’s ambassador to India has said the peace process between India and Pakistan is currently suspended.

    Abdul Basit said no meetings were currently scheduled between the foreign secretaries of the two countries.

    Diplomatic talks were postponed after an attack on an Indian air base in January which Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants…”

  4. Two Swedes killed in attacks on Isis by US (thelocal, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20160408/two-swedes-killed-in-us-attacks-on-isis

    “The pair had travelled to the Middle East to fight alongside the radical Islamist group, US media have reported.

    The Swedish Isis fighters were killed in US bombings in Lebanon and Iraq on March 16th according to Pentagon sources which only revealed the details late on Wednesday.

    “During the air attacks, Isis lost highly motivated terrorists who had demonstrated leadership skills,” spokesperson Steve Warren told US news network CNN.

    “We target the cells, groups and and individuals who we believe are planning to carry out terror,” he continued.

    The news comes amid growing concerns about the number of Swedish residents choosing to leave the Nordics for the Middle East…”

  5. Lebanon ex-minister jailed for 13 years on ‘terror’ charges (france24, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160408-lebanon-ex-minister-jailed-13-years-terror-charges

    “BEIRUT (AFP) –
    A Lebanese military court sentenced former information minister Michel Samaha to 13 years in prison with hard labour on Friday for attempting to carry out “terrorist acts”, a judicial source told AFP.

    Samaha was convicted of transporting explosives to carry out attacks and assassinations of political and religious figures in Lebanon with the help of Syrian security services.”

  6. Two dead in Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes despite ceasefire (france24, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160408-two-dead-armenia-azerbaijan-clashes-despite-ceasefire

    “YEREVAN (AFP) –
    Two ethnic Armenian troops died in fighting with Azerbaijani forces Friday as the archfoes accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that halted the worst outbreak of violence in decades over a disputed breakaway region.

    The latest clashes are the first serious violation of a Moscow-mediated ceasefire that ended Tuesday the worst outbreak of fighting over the disputed mountainous region of Nagorny Karabakh since it was captured from Azerbaijan by Armenian separatists in the early 1990s.

    “Azerbaijan violated a ceasefire overnight… using mortars” to shell ethnic Armenian rebel positions in Karabakh, the separatist defence ministry said in a statement.

    “One (Karabakh) soldier was killed in the northern sector (of the frontline) near Talysh, another one was fatally wounded at the northeastern sector,” it said.

    The Armenian defence ministry said Azerbaijan shelled both military and civilian targets on the border.

    “The Armenian villages of Karmir, Ttudjur, and Baganis came under Azerbaijani fire,” ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a statement.

    Azerbaijan said it returned fire after Armenian forces shelled its positions in Karabakh.

    “Azerbaijani armed forces responded to Armenian artillery strikes,” defence ministry spokesman Vagif Dargahly said.

    “Civilian targets (in Azerbaijan) were also shelled by the Armenian forces.”

    At least 77 people from all sides, mainly servicemen, have been reported killed since a simmering feud exploded into the worst outbreak of violence in decades on April 2, prompting both Russia and the West to call on the warring sides for an immediate truce.

    Azerbaijan’s army claimed to have wrested back control of several strategic locations inside Armenian-controlled territory, effectively changing the frontline for the first time since an inconclusive truce ended a three-year war in 1994.

    Armenia dismissed the claims as “untrue”.

    Armenia-backed separatists seized control of Nagorny Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian region inside Azerbaijan, in a war that claimed some 30,000 lives.

    Despite a 1994 ceasefire the two sides have never signed a peace deal and sporadic violence along the line of contact regularly claims the lives of soldiers on both sides.

    Energy-rich Azerbaijan, whose military spending exceeds Armenia’s entire state budget, has repeatedly threatened to take back the breakaway region by force.

    But Moscow-backed Armenia has vowed to crush any military offensive.”

  7. Moroccan who wanted to ‘chop Italian heads’ expelled (ansa, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2016/04/08/moroccan-who-wanted-to-chop-italian-heads-expelled-2_23c3b155-e92c-4bcc-9dd0-224f7260b4e5.html

    “(ANSA) – Rome, April 8 – Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said Friday that the a Moroccan national who said he was an ISIS supporter and wanted to chop off the heads of Italians had been ejected from Italy. “Another expulsion for the security of the State was conducted overnight,” Alfano said. “It was a 32-year-old Moroccan who entered Italy in 2013 and was legally residing in Potenza. “After a series of investigations we have clearly established that he was in the process of religious radicalization. “In December he attacked a minor and he told the Carabinieri (police) who intervened that he was close to IS and shouted that he wanted to “cut the heads of the Italians'”.”

  8. Egypt: ISIS bombs in Sinai, 18 casualties (ansamed, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2016/04/08/egypt-isis-bombs-in-sinai-18-casualties_895c9481-574c-4edd-a59d-e0eeea0b4a92.html

    “The Egyptian branch of ISIS carried out a bomb attack as army vehicles and troops were driving through northern Sinai, killing or injuring at least 18 members of the military.

    The army has not issued a statement, but a local security source said ”four simultaneous explosions” last night killed six Egyptian soldiers (one officer and five recruits) while 12 others were injured. The source added that the bombs were planted along a highway that goes through Sheikh Zuweid and Islamic terrorists are being hunted down.

    ISIS claimed the attack on the internet, saying it has killed ”more than 18” soldiers in the explosion of five bombs. The claim of responsibility names the places, including ”south-west of Sheikh Zuweid” and claims two vehicles of the ”apostate army” were struck: one ”mine clearing” vehicle and an ”armored car” that went on fire and ”all the occupants died”.

    In northern Sinai a guerrilla carried out by the Egyptian branch of ISIS over the past three years has killed hundreds (reliable tolls are difficult to obtain although attacks with as many as 30 soldiers killed have been reported).”

  9. Protests in Lesbos against explusions to Turkey (ansamed, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2016/04/08/protests-in-lesbos-against-explusions-to-turkey_09ae7ee8-aec8-46be-8ed1-fe1fa23be76f.html

    “Protests resumed on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday against migrants being sent to Turkey as part of the deal between the EU and Ankara to address the asylum-seeker crisis. The agreement entails, among other things, the expulsion of economic migrants to Turkey in exchange for the EU receiving Syrian refugees currently in Turkey. On Friday several protestors threw themselves into the water at Lesbos port in a bid to stop the ejections.

    Nevertheless a ferry carrying 45 Pakistani asylum seekers managed to depart and arrived later at Dikili, in Turkey.

    Another two ships with around 100 migrants are expected to depart from Chios and Samos later in the day. Expulsion operations were suspended after the first 202 migrants were sent from Lesbos and Chios to Turkey on Monday.”

  10. Karachi on high alert after circular by intelligence agencies (tribune, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1081042/intelligence-agencies-warn-of-major-terror-attack-in-karachi/

    “Intelligence agencies have warned of a major terrorist activity in Karachi within the next 48 to 72 hours.

    According to a terror alert issued by intelligence agencies on Friday, militants are likely to use water bowsers filled with liquid explosives for the attack. No further details have been given.

    Law enforcers in the metropolis have also been directed to remain vigilant and take measure to avoid such an attack….”

  11. ISIS massacres 175 cement plant workers captured near Damascus – reports (RT, Apr 8, 2016)
    https://www.rt.com/news/338886-isis-massacre-cement-plant/

    “Islamic State militants have killed 175 workers who were captured at a cement factory situated to the east of Damascus, Sputnik Arabic reported, citing its sources.

    Reuters had earlier cited the Syrian military as saying that 175 workers from the Badiyah cement factory had been killed by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants.

    However, the agency retracted its report shortly afterwards, saying that the sourcing on the story “was misattributed” and the report is “unconfirmed.”

    Sputnik Arabic’s sources said at least 75 plant workers managed to escape during the IS attack, while 175 others were reportedly killed…”

  12. Militants Near Syria’s Aleppo Given 85 Heat-Seeking Missiles – Source (sputniknews, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160408/1037687540/militants-syria-aleppo-missiles.html

    “According to a source, an armed group of militants in Syria has received no less than 85 heat-seeking missiles capable taking down aviation.

    DAMASCUS (Sputnik) – An armed group of militants in Syria has received no less than 85 heat-seeking missiles capable taking down aviation, a source in Aleppo told Sputnik on Friday.

    The source said the information comes from a conversation overheard between militants.

    “They have received 85 missiles, 85 heat-seeking missiles have been brought into Syria,” the source said after providing a recording of the conversation.

    It is unclear from the recorded conversation where the rockets came from or their specifics, but is clear that the group is based outside Aleppo.”

  13. Hundreds of jihadis are planning to strike Western Europe, warns Israel (
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/659265/Hundreds-jihadis-planning-strike-Western-Europe-warns-Israel

    “HUNDREDS of jihadis are ready to attack Western Europe, a leading Israeli political has warned, claiming Paris and Brussels was “just the start”.

    Defence minister Moshe Ya’alon has raised concerns that the devastating terror attacks in Paris and Brussels are the start of things to come.

    Crazed terrorists fresh from war in Syria are also stockpiling weapons in Europe poised to strike using knowledge they have learnt on the battlefield.

    The defence minister said there are “hundreds of jihadists planning to strike Western targets on European soil,” already present on the continent.

    He said: “We are concerned that what we saw in Paris and Brussels is just the start, and that attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe will continue.

    “We do not expect there to be stability and an end to the bloodshed in Syria anytime soon…”

  14. Iraq claim law firm ‘misled court on witnesses’: Public Interest Lawyers accused of wasting tax payers’ money over hounding our troops (dailymail, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3529272/Iraq-claim-law-firm-misled-court-witnesses-Public-Lawyers-accused-wasting-tax-payers-money-hounding-troops.html

    “A Law firm hounding British soldiers over their role in the Iraq War ‘misled the court’ and failed to observe ‘essential ethical standards’, the High Court ruled yesterday.

    Public Interest Lawyers, which is run by Phil Shiner, tried to sue the Ministry of Defence over the death of a 13-year-old boy killed in an explosion near Basra in 2003.

    But the firm – which has been referred to a disciplinary tribunal – submitted two different accounts of the death.

    On Wednesday PIL were referred to a disciplinary tribunal over ‘serious allegations of professional misconduct’.

    Solicitors at the law firm – including its boss Phil Shiner – could be struck off as a result.

    The referral by the solicitors’ watchdog came after it reviewed allegations – revealed by the Mail – that an agent hired by PIL touted for business in the aftermath of the Iraq War.

    Other claims included that the Birmingham-based firm hired an agent to hand out questionnaires to potential clients which were then turned into witness statements by Mr Shiner back in the UK.

    Following an 18-month investigation, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) passed the allegations – which specifically refer to Mr Shiner and another individual – to a tribunal.

    If found guilty, solicitors could be struck off or the firm could be fined tens of thousands of pounds…”

  15. Swiss Magazine: Europe Is Abolishing Itself Through Mass Immigration (breitbart, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/04/08/swiss-magazine-europe-abolishing-mass-immigration/

    “Europe is abolishing itself and “it is an illusion” to think the continent can cope with the recent wave of mass migration, the editor of a Swiss magazine has warned.

    In an editorial in Die Weltwoche, Roger Köppel argues that the terrorist attacks in France and Brussels are “acute symptoms” of Europe’s ill-conceived immigration policies and “just a taste” of things to come.

    Many of the observations by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) MP will shock liberals, as Köppel condemns the mass movement of people entering Europe “under the guise of asylum” as “shock therapy” and “a human experiment” on European societies by politicians with no mandate.

    He also points out that attempts by European countries to integrate Muslim populations have failed and cautions that the more “refugees” Europe accepts the more likely terrorist attacks on the continent become.

    Köppel warns that terrorists hide among the people arriving in Greece and Italy to seek asylum, echoing Europol’s warning in February that as many as 5,000 Islamic State-trained jihadis could have entered the continent in this way.

    The editorial outlines Islam as a danger to European nations cautioning that, as an ideology, this religion is “particularly at risk of being abused by death-seeking fanatics and madmen.”

    Köppel’s warning is in stark contrast to comments by European Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini — who last year raised eyebrows upon declaring in a speech that “Islam belongs in Europe. It holds a place in Europe’s history, in our culture, in our food and – what matters most – in Europe’s present and future.”

    Köppel posits that the vast majority of migrants are from areas where “tribal feuds and vendettas” are commonplace and where “Medieval concepts of male honour” are lived with “holy, even fatal zeal.”

    Due to this he is pessimistic about their prospects of successfully integrating to European society, believing it likely they will instead import their “pre modern notions of politics, law, women and religion” becoming “hordes of malcontents” whose disaffection with life in Europe will be in danger of becoming explosive.

    Köppel’s prognosis for the outcome of the European political establishment’s “refugees welcome” attitude is antithetical to that of Ms Mogherini who, in the wake of the terrorist attacks that last month rocked Brussels stated that “It is not diversity that is destroying our society but the fear of diversity.””

  16. ‘Suicide drone’ used for first time in fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia (telegraph, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/08/suicide-drone-used-for-first-time-in-fighting-between-azerbaijan/

    “The first known use of a “suicide drone” is believed to have taken place during the recent fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

    Azerbaijani forces are thought to have deployed an Israeli-made drone that is tipped with explosives and crashes into its target rather than firing a missile.

    The drone slammed into a bus carrying Armenian volunteer soldiers and killed seven people, according to the Armenian defence ministry….”

  17. Channel 4 – Child Refugees: Juliet Stevenson says she would take in refugee family

      • The war protesters during Nam have the blood of millions on their hands, that is going to be a small stain compared to what the politicians who support open borders are going to end up with. Tens of millions of people are going to die in Europe over the next few years and this will be a drop in the bucket to the number who will die world wide.

  18. Kerry visits Bahrain for first time in six years

    US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday visited the tiny Gulf country of Bahrain for the first time in six years.

    Kerry told authorities in Manama who have been accused of discriminating against the country’s Shia majority that respect for human rights is “essential”.

    Kerry urged authorities to adopt an “inclusive political system”.

    “Here, as in all nations, we believe that respect for human rights and an inclusive political system are essential,” Kerry said.

    “We all welcome steps by sides to create conditions to provide for greater political involvement for the citizens of this great country,” he added.

    In 2011, the tiny but strategic island state, which is dominated by a ruling family drawn from the Sunni minority, crushed a Shia-led uprising calling for a full constitutional monarchy with an elected prime minister.

    Kerry also urged Iran to help end wars raging in Yemen and Syria, and criticised the Islamic republic’s “destabilising actions” in the Middle East.

    Kerry later held a meeting with his Gulf Arab counterparts, two weeks before President Barack Obama is scheduled to attend a summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh where Washington’s Middle East policy is likely to come under the microscope.

    Speaking during a joint news conference with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, the top US diplomat condemned “the destabilising actions of Iran, which the United States takes very seriously”.

    Kerry said the US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, last week interrupted a shipment of weapons destined for Houthi rebels in Yemen.

    “We call on Iran to constructively join in the efforts to make peace and to help us to resolve Syria and rather than to continue to send weapons to Houthis, join in the effort… to make peace and to work toward a cessation of hostilities,” Kerry told reporters.

    Tehran and the Gulf states back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen.

    During the GCC meeting, Kerry defended the historic accord between Iran and major Western powers under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

    After the meeting, Kerry said that the US and GCC nations “remain united in our opposition to Iran’s missile activities”.

    http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/kerry-visits-bahrain-first-time-six-years-2122486195

    • Kerry: We Do Not Trust Iran… Cooperating with GCC States is Indispensable

      Manama-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Gulf state ministers on Thursday in Manama where the parties discussed latest developments and challenges in the region.

      Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir said that the meeting tackled US assurances on responding to any external aggression, means of ending Iran’s interventions in the region and the challenges in the Middle East whether in Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Iraq or Yemen.

      Jubeir added that all parties discussed the peace process and the Palestinian cause in addition to the joint efforts to end terrorism and extremism.

      Speaking during a joint news conference with his US counterpart John Kerry in Manama, Adel al-Jubeir said that GCC ministers reaffirmed their support for Morocco’s stance regarding the Moroccan Western Sahara’s and its suggestion for autonomy for the region and its rejection to any unilateral measures that could destabilize the region.

      Al-Jubeir pointed out that the GCC condemned Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to the Yemeni Houthi rebels by the time other countries are putting efforts to restore peace and stability in Yemen.

      “At a time when we try to advance the political process in Yemen, Iran attempted smuggle weapons and explosives to Yemen and the GCC member states,” he said.

      He also said the Kingdom reiterated that Iran needs to abide by the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of GCC states if it wanted to normalize its relationship with his country.

      For his part, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that discussions were a reflection of common interest between USA and GCC States.

      Kerry added that USA had been extremely active with the GCC in their consultations over the past couple of years, and the Camp David meetings were a very significant starting point for this broadened relationship. The meeting discussed the summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, which will be attended two weeks later by President Barack Obama. Kerry said he and the foreign ministers of Arab states in the Persian Gulf were in the early stages of assessing whether a partnership between NATO and the six GCC nations would contribute to regional security.

      “The meeting also discussed transformation taking place not just in the region but globally with the price of oil and other challenges economically to have a major new component of this dialogue, which is economic transformation,” Kerry said.

      The U.S. Secretary of State also said that President Obama believes very much, as he does, that in this critical period a very close and constructive communication between USA and GCC states is more than essential.

      “It is critical for everyone’s ability to meet the security and economic challenges of the region, and that’s why President Obama is very much looking forward to the GCC summit to underscore America’s commitment to our Gulf friends and also to supporting greater peace and stability throughout the region, which has seen its challenges over the course of the last few years,” he said.

      Kerry said that the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, last week interrupted a shipment of weapons destined for Houthi rebels in Yemen.

      “We call on Iran to constructively join in the efforts to make peace and to help us to resolve Syria and rather than to continue to send weapons to Houthis, join in the effort… to make peace and to work toward a cessation of hostilities,” Kerry told reporters.

      Moreover, Kerry confirmed that his country and Gulf States are prepared to work a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution to Iran’s missile program.

      He said that they are looking for Iran to make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intention.

      Referring to Bahrain, Kerry criticized the Bahraini opposition, saying its boycott of a 2014 election had a “polarizing” effect.

      Kerry, appearing with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, praised reforms Bahrain has made to open its political system but said more steps were needed to counter violent extremism. He suggested that the opposition had played a role in preventing more reforms.

      “Regrettably, I think a great mistake was made when the opposition chose to boycott an election,” said Kerry. “I think that polarizes things rather than helps them.”

      http://english.aawsat.com/2016/04/article55349419/kerry-we-do-not-trust-iran-cooperating-with-gcc-states-is-indispensable

  19. Three years after Boston bombing, film shows distress of attacker’s friends

    BOSTON (Reuters) – For days after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Americans were glued to the news, eager to know who had planted the homemade devices that ripped through the crowd at the finish line, killing three people.

    The world got its first look at the suspects three days after the April 15 attack, when the FBI released surveillance photos showing two men identified only by their baseball caps as “black hat” and “white hat.”

    The 12-minute film “Jahar” tells a fictional story of how three friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev reacted when they realized he was the man in the white hat. It was written by two high-school classmates of Tsarnaev, who was convicted last year of carrying out the attacks and sentenced to death.

    Debuting next week at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival, the film shows three teenagers trying to understand how the friend they knew by the nickname “Jahar” could have been involved in an attack that wounded more than 260 people, more than a dozen of whom lost legs.

    http://www.oann.com/three-years-after-boston-bombing-film-shows-distress-of-attackers-friends/

    • Once again the terrorists are the victims. What is scary is the number of liberals and low information voters who will believe this bull.

  20. Greece: Clashes erupt as Piraeus Port is sold to Chinese company

    Clashes erupted between striking Piraeus Port Authority workers and police in Athens near the Zappeion building, Friday, as the sale of Greece’s biggest port to the China COSCO Shipping Corporation was confirmed. It is the second major privatisation since the end of 2015 and comes as part of Greece’s €86 billion bailout deal that was agreed in August.

    Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras campaigned against the sale when his government was re-elected in January 2015.

  21. AUSTRALIA – Anti-Islam vandals scrawl slogans on University of Melbourne campus

    ONE of Australia’s most prestigious universities has condemned vandals who scrawled anti-Muslim messages including “Stop the Mosques” around its Parkville campus today.

    The University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis has decried the offensive chalk slogans, saying they caused distress and were at odds with its diverse and inclusive community.

    The graffiti, which also included “Islam is not a race” and “Freedom of Speech”, surfaced this morning at seven sites around the campus, and was quickly removed by maintenance staff.

    The university said it was working to identify those responsible and did not know if it was linked to the “Stop the Mosques” banner unfurled at an AFL game last Friday.

    In a statement on the university’s Facebook page, Prof Davis wrote that the “offensive slogans” were unacceptable.

    “While the University community moved quickly to identify and remove offensive messages, they still have caused distress,” he said.

    “The University is proud of its diverse community, of the great respect that our staff and students have not just for each other, but for the campus as well.

    “The University condemns action intended to vilify students and colleagues.

    “Such slogans, chalked anonymously and intended to hurt, run counter to the vision of a safe, inclusive, connected and respectful University community, one that embraces diversity.

    “Sadly, it seems, we have more work to do.”

    The messages were also denounced by the university’s student union, which said Muslim students had a right to feel safe and welcome.

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/antiislam-vandals-scrawl-slogans-on-university-of-melbourne-campus/news-story/e7128dd4c17ecc9c1ba2cf5a2589a699

    • So, chalk is apparently the new instrument of terror; after all, weren’t college students intimidated by chalked “TRUMP” lettering somewhere in the USA?

      Ann Corcoran at Refugee Watch recommends using Post-Its with your penned terror-words as a non-destructive way of inflicting “Thoughtcrimes” upon the unsuspecting in their usual venues.

  22. Officials: White House says U.S. military leaders baiting China; gags brass on South China Sea

    At the outset, let us stipulate here that there’s nothing scandalous about the president’s inner circle differing with military leaders on national security policy.

    Nor is there a scandal in White House officials telling military leaders what they can talk about in public, when it comes to national policy issues.

    Those things are within the president’s purview. So the purpose here is not to debate that point. The purpose is to lay out what the difference in policy is.

    The bottom line is that the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, is very concerned about China’s aggressive moves to expand her national territory into the South China Sea. He recognizes it as a major, global-strategic game-changing effort, one that would (my words here) effectively turn the South China Sea from an international seaway into Chinese territory. (He calls it a “Great Wall of sand.”) And he wants to take more robust measures to demonstrate U.S. opposition to that.

    The Obama administration doesn’t seem to see it that way. China’s moves alarm everyone in or bordering East Asia, from Russia to Australia to India and all points in between, but Obama has reacted tepidly, when he reacts at all, and doesn’t do anything that actually counters China’s moves

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/04/07/officials-white-house-says-u-s-military-leaders-baiting-china-gags-brass-south-china-sea/

    • Obama has created a situation that can only end in a massive disaster, either the US stands up to China and leads the nations China is trying to steal from of we back off and the other nations lead by Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and India will lead a coalition of nations in a war with China. Despite China’s size the other nations have the wealth and personal to win the war but it will probably go nuclear before it is over. Especially if Pakistan decides to repay China’s help on building nukes by striking India.

  23. Germany Charges 2 Iranians With Spying on Opposition Members (abcnews, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/germany-charges-iranians-spying-opposition-members-38248058

    “German prosecutors have filed espionage charges against two Iranian men accused of spying on exiled opposition members for Iranian intelligence.

    Federal prosecutors said Friday that the indictment against 31-year-old Maysam P. and 33-year-old Saied R. was filed March 22 at a Berlin court. The two men’s full names weren’t given in keeping with German privacy rules.

    Prosecutors say both men once belonged to the opposition group known as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, or MEK.

    However, they say that Maysam P. was working by January 2013 and Saied R. by August 2014 for an Iranian intelligence service and that they were tasked with obtaining information on members of the MEK and its National Council of Resistance arm in Germany and other European Union countries.”

  24. Bernie Sanders Is Going to the Vatican

    At the invitation of none other than Cool Pope Francis himself, Bernie Sanders will be taking a trip to the to speak at the Vatican just four days before the New York primary.

    More specifically, Sanders will be speaking at the Church’s annual Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences conferences, where he’ll be discussing “an issue that is very dear to my heart, which is how we create a moral economy that works for all of the people rather than just the top one percent.” Oh good. Something new.

    Sanders also plans to touch on the “planetary crisis of climate change,” which may or may not exist depending on whether or not you’re Ted Cruz.

    It’s still unclear whether or not the presidential candidate will actually have an opportunity to meet the Pope. But Francis is notorious for being a bit of a Jew fanboy—Jesus Christ’s, specifically. In which case, noted Jew Bernie Sander’s chances look good.

    http://gawker.com/bernie-sanders-is-going-to-the-vatican-1769833379

    NYT – Bernie Sanders Accepts Invitation From Pope Francis to Meet at the Vatican

    Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican next Friday to discuss environmental sustainability and the global economy.

    The Sanders campaign made the announcement on Friday as the senator made the rounds of the morning television news programs. Mr. Sanders will take a break from campaigning in New York, just days ahead of the April 19 primary there, to meet with the pope, then attend a conference hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on social, economic and environmental issues.

    “I am delighted to have been invited by the Vatican to a meeting on restoring social justice and environmental sustainability to the world economy,” Mr. Sanders said in a statement. “Pope Francis has made clear that we must overcome ‘the globalization of indifference’ in order to reduce economic inequalities, stop financial corruption and protect the natural environment. That is our challenge in the United States and in the world.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/08/bernie-sanders-accepts-invitation-from-pope-francis-to-meet-at-the-vatican/

  25. FSB busts ISIS-linked cell with explosives planning terror attack in southern Russia

    Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained the members of a radical Islamic group, which recruited fighters for Islamic State and planned a terror attack in the southern Volgograd Region.

  26. From Plunn Tenets

    We are submitting already;

    1. not publishing cartoons of Mohammed after CH – submission
    2. changing the dates of exams to avoid Islamic religious festivals – submission
    3. suspension of critical thinking on Islam and ignoring Political Islam – submission
    4. Religious hatred act – submission
    5. instigation as aspects of Sharia Law in the UK – submission
    6. Calling Rotherham abusers ‘Asian’ – submission
    7. Calling Islam a religion of Peace and allowing Islamic preachers to enter churches and further tell us Islam is a religion of Peace – submission
    8. Not teaching the history of Political Islam in our schools – submission

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/04/08/swiss-magazine-europe-abolishing-mass-immigration/

  27. BELGIUM – Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini arrested

    Mohamed Abrini, a 31-year-old Belgian wanted in connection with November’s terrorist attacks in Paris, has been arrested, Belgian public broadcaster VRT said on Friday.

    He has been on Europe’s most wanted list since being identified on CCTV video in a car with Salah al-Abdeslam, the recently arrested prime surviving suspect, two days before the Nov. 13 attacks in the French capital.

    Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels two weeks ago, four days before Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) suicide bombers struck in the city.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/08/paris-attacks-suspect-mohamed-abrini-arrested/

    Last remaining Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini ‘is arrested’

    The only Paris attacks suspect still at large has been arrested, it was reported today.

    Mohamed Abrini, 31, is believed to have played a major role in the November massacre that killed 130 and the Brussels bombings in which 32 people died last month.

    He has been on Europe’s most wanted list since being identified on CCTV video in a car with Salah Abdeslam, the recently arrested prime surviving suspect, two days before the Paris atrocities.

    Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels two weeks ago, four days before Islamic State suicide bombers struck in the city.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3530186/Paris-attacks-suspect-Mohamed-Abrini-arrested.html

  28. Reuters – YEMEN – How Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen has made al Qaeda stronger – and richer

    One unintended consequence of the war in Yemen: Al Qaeda now runs its own mini-state, flush with funds from raiding the local central bank and levying taxes at the local port.

    […]In a recent statement issued by the Saudi embassy in Washington, Saudi officials said that their campaign had “denied terrorists a safe haven in Yemen.”

    And yet, AQAP’s strength is growing.

    […]A senior Yemeni government official said the war against the Houthis “provided a suitable environment for the … expansion of al Qaeda.” The withdrawal of government army units from their bases in the south, allowed al Qaeda to acquire “very large quantities of sophisticated and advanced weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and armed vehicles.”

    […]“The group is experiencing a period of obscene, unprecedented wealth and luxury,” one resident of Mukalla told Reuters.

    A current official in the transport ministry estimate AQAP’s daily revenue at $2 million a day. Some local traders put it as high as $5 million a day from customs duties and smuggled fuel, according to Basalmah, Yemen’s former transport minister.

    “You will find hundreds of oil trucks there smuggling fuel from one area to another where they are selling it,” said Basalmah.

    Abdallah al-Nasi, governor of neighbouring Shabwa province, where AQAP controls some territory, said the group has become the de facto fuel supplier. “They sell the fuel to whoever buys it,” Nasi told Reuters by phone “The government-run petrol stations buy from them and sell it on to the citizens.”

    Tribes who work with al Qaeda now control much of the country’s oil infrastructure. Six white oil tanks on a beach between Mukalla and Ash Shihr are linked by pipeline to the Masila oilfields which are estimated to hold more than 80 percent of Yemen’s total reserves.

    http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/

    • By terrorists they mean non Moslems and non Sunni’s that are resisting the Islamic takeover.

  29. Germany: Female-only carriages introduced by train company

    Women are using the new female-only carriages that Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn is now providing on trips between Chemnitz and Leipzig as shown by footage shot on Friday. Women can be seen departing and boarding the gender segregated carriages at the Belgershain train station.

    The train company introduced the female-only departments, situated between the quiet compartment and the service compartment, making the move in an effort to make women feel safe on their trains. Male passengers up to the age of ten are also allowed to travel in the carriages assigned for female-only use.

    • Germany: See inside a female-only train carriage

      A German railway company Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn (MRB) has recently introduced female-only carriages between Chemnitz and Leipzig. Footage filmed at the Belgershain train station on Friday shows a six-seater compartment located in the central carriage next to the quiet zones and the train conductor.

      The scheme has been implemented in order “to help female passengers feel safer while traveling by rail,” said an MRB spokesperson.

  30. euronews – Misery for migrants amid Italian reception swindle

    One could almost believe that it is a holiday resort. But the place is known to have packed up to 4000 asylum seekers. And this centre in Mineo is also at the heart of a huge corruption scandal.

  31. Montreal teen gets three-year sentence for terror-related offences

    Comments closed

    A Montreal teen convicted on two terrorism-related charges for attempting to join up with Islamic State militants was handed a three-year sentence Wednesday.

    The boy, now 16, was found guilty in December on two charges: committing a robbery in association with a terror organization and planning to leave Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group abroad.

    Despite some reservations, youth court Judge Dominique Wilhelmy agreed to a joint recommendation of two years of supervision, with 16 months in a detention centre and another eight served in the community.

    The final year would be 12 months probation with stringent conditions: refraining from social media activity; consulting an imam or theologian on a regular basis; undergoing a psychological follow-up; staying in Canada; and avoiding people who have terror links.

    Three years is the stiffest sentence that can be doled out under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

    “Despite the worry and the questions that exist … I will sign off on the common suggestion,” Wilhelmy told the boy.

    The case stems from an October 2014 convenience store robbery by the teen, then 15, who had hatched a plan to go to Syria to help ISIL.

    His father found out about the robbery and turned him in. Subsequently, terrorism charges were laid and the boy has since served a sentence for the hold-up.

    Wilhelmy said the recommendation by the Crown and defence was based on reports on the boy’s considerable progress.

    Five experts, working independently, came up with largely similar views about his chances of reforming.

    The defence argued at trial the teen was confused and just wanted to help fellow Muslims.

    The Crown argued he was radicalized, as shown in Twitter conversations with jihadist sympathizer Martin Couture-Rouleau and in the accused’s references to the convenience store loot as “war booty” when he spoke to police investigators.

    Wilhelmy noted one expert said the risk of recidivism couldn’t be evaluated and another suggested the length of the deradicalization process would be equivalent to the time it took to radicalize him in the first place.

    The court heard the teen has reconciled with his family and that his rigid views on Islam and radical views have changed thanks to the help of an unnamed imam.

    His father told the court his son has changed considerably but is not yet 100 per cent reformed.

    Wilhelmy praised the boy’s parents for intervening and likely saving his life.

    “We cannot predict the future, I wish you good luck,” she told the teen. “I hope your decision to modify your perception of things, of life and society will hold.”

    The boy’s lawyer, Tiago Murias, said his client shows “enormous potential” academically and wants to pursue studies in mathematics.

    Murias still believes the accused fell prey to radical propaganda.

    “You cannot say that a young man of 15 years old, who is subject to heinous propaganda, isn’t a victim at some point,” he said.

    The case is described by prosecutors as the first involving someone charged under a 2013 law that made it illegal to leave or attempt to leave the country to participate in terrorism-related activities.

    As such, prosecutor Lyne Decarie told the court there was little jurisprudence to work with.

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/montreal-teen-gets-three-year-sentence-for-terror-related-offences/article29539379/

    CBC – Montreal teen sentenced to 3 years for terror-related charges

    Lachine teen first in Canada to be convicted for trying to leave Canada to join terror group

    A Montreal teenager has been sentenced to three years on two terrorism-related charges.

    The 16-year-old was found guilty in December of committing a robbery in association with a terrorist organization and of planning to leave Canada to participate in the activities of a terrorist group abroad.

    The Lachine teenager is the first Canadian to be convicted of attempting to leave the country to participate in terrorism-related activities – one of the federal anti-terror laws passed in 2013.

    He will serve 16 months in youth detention, followed by eight months of community service and one year of probation.

    Teen with ‘enormous potential’

    The teenager’s lawyer, Tiago Murias, said his client had “evolved enormously” since the case first came to light when the boy was turned over to police by his worried parents, when he was just 15.

    “He is a very bright youth with enormous potential to be reintegrated into society,” Murias said, adding that the judge and Crown prosecutor, along with the teen and his parents, agreed on the sentence.

    “He is a young man with a future, who has accepted his sentence with serenity, finding it fair and reasonable.”

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-teen-terrorism-charges-sentencing-1.3523166

  32. IHS Jane’s 360 – US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed

    Simplified packing list for December 2015 arms shipment

    [- 7.62×39 mm 134,188 ]

    [- 7.62×54 mm 67,404 ]

    [ -12.7 mm 118,181 ]

    [- 14.5 mm 369,681 ]

    [ -82 mm 53,885 ]

    [ – PG-7VM 68,600 ]

    [ – PG-7VT 125,019 ]

    [ – 9M111M 21,693 ]

    [ – AK-47 & DShK 12,250 ]

    [ – AK-47 & PKM 6,540 ]

    [ – PKM 6,340 ]

    [ – DShK & RPG-7 3,585 ]

    [ – RPG-7 4,120 ]

    [ – Faktoria launchers 2,720 ]

    Documents released by the US government’s Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website have provided an indication of the types and numbers of Eastern European weapons and ammunition the United States is providing to Syrian rebel groups as part of a programme that continues despite the widely respected ceasefire in that country.

    The FBO has released two solicitations in recent months looking for shipping companies to transport explosive material from Eastern Europe to the Jordanian port of Aqaba on behalf of the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command.

    Released on 3 November 2015, the first solicitation sought a contractor to ship 81 containers of cargo that included explosive material from Constanta in Bulgaria to Aqaba.

    The solicitation was subsequently updated with a detailed packing list that showed the cargo had a total weight of 994 tonnes, a little under half of which was to be unloaded at Agalar, a military pier near the Turkish town of Tasucu, the other half at Aqaba.

    The cargo listed in the document included AK-47 rifles, PKM general-purpose machine guns, DShK heavy machine guns, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and 9K111M Faktoria anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) systems. The Faktoria is an improved version of the 9K111 Fagot ATGW, the primary difference being that its missile has a tandem warhead for defeating explosive reactive armour (ERA) fitted to some tanks.

    http://www.janes.com/article/59374/us-arms-shipment-to-syrian-rebels-detailed

    https://twitter.com/JeremyBinnie/status/718456819128131585/photo/1

    • He is doing this and doing it deliberately, he was raised to hate the US and is working to destroy us. I don’t think he will succeed but he is doing a lot of damage and will get a lot of people killed.

  33. BOMBSHELL BRUSSELS ADMISSION: EU chief drops HUGE gaffe which shows why we need a Brexit (express, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/659481/European-Union-Brussels-finance-ECB-central-bank-poorer-Cameron-Merkel-Brexit

    “THE European Union is actively making workers across the continent POORER, a top Brussels finance chief admitted today.

    German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel dropped the stunning gaffe whilst discussing the policies of the European Central Bank (ECB).

    He conceded that the EU’s policies are depressing the earnings of low-paid workers and pensioners, who he patronisingly dubbed “the little people”.

    The jaw-dropping admission will anger eurosceptics across the continent, and comes just days after the Dutch people gave Brussels a bloody nose in an EU referendum.

    It will also add further to the assertion of Brexit campaigners that the EU project is having a negative impact on Europe’s economy.

    Although the bank’s decisions do not directly affect British people, the Remain camp has made the importance of the EU economy to our own jobs and prosperity a key point in its argument for sticking with Brussels….”

  34. Now even MIGRANTS turn on Merkel: Refugees say German leader lured them to EU with lies (express, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/658803/Migrants-Angela-Merkel-German-Europe-Lies-Borders-Refugees-Serbia-Balkans

    “FURIOUS migrants have turned against Angela Merkel en masse and are now BLAMING her for risking the lives of their children by luring them to Europe on false pretences, Express.co.uk can exclusively reveal today.

    Stranded refugees launched a stinging tirade against the beleaguered German leader, saying she sold them a pack of lies during her infamous speech when she rolled out the red carpet to migrants from across the Middle East.

    Today they launched a desperate plea for her to be held accountable for the ongoing migrant chaos, telling Expresscouk that they “risked their children’s lives” on the back of her supposed warm welcome.

    Migrants who believed that they were being welcomed with open arms by Mrs Merkel have actually encountered barbed wire fences, riot police and increasingly hostile publics turning against them.

    One disconsolate refugee gave this website his personal message to the German chancellor, pleading: “Why couldn’t you say no from the beginning?”….”

    • If the “refugees” actually believe this, the EU should offer free shipping back to Syria, which of course they won’t accept because invading white “racist” countries IS the Grand Plan all along. (Why do all the “refugees” want to go to a cold, white country when they are surrounded by warm countries inhabited by people whom they are nominally genetically related too, one asks.)

  35. New TERROR SUPERGROUP forms in Africa as Islamists pledge allegiance to ISIS chief (express, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/659433/New-TERROR-SUPERGROUP-Africa-Islamists-pledge-allegiance-ISIS-chief

    “A TERROR group in East Africa has pledged allegiance to Islamic State’s commander in chief in a terrifying harbinger of the rise of the extremist group in the region.

    The new organisation, calling itself Jahba East Africa, told its recruits to “leave al-Shabaab and their sponsor groups” and back ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

    A statement published online declared “bayah” – an oath of allegiance – to Baghdadi, hailing him as the “rightful Khalifa [leader] of all Muslims”.

    The group criticises rival Islamist cell al-Shabaab, which has refused to join ISIS, revealing a split among the jihadi groups that have infected East Africa.

    The statement reads: “Al-Shabaab has forgotten the resolved needed to work for the establishment of the rule of Allah.

    “Al-Shabaab has now become a psychological and physical prison.

    “The pledge bayah to caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is freedom for the mujahideen in East Africa and opportunity to wage jihad according to the Sunnah [traditions of the Prophet Mohammed] against the enemies of Allah.”…”

  36. Thousands of migrants break through EU borders – but officials have NO IDEA where they are (express, Apr 8, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/659401/Thousands-migrants-break-through-Europe-borders-Turkey-Syria-Serbia

    “HUNDREDS of migrants are making it to Europe every day as border guards turn a blind eye and smugglers ramp up the effort to help them reach countries like France, Britain, Germany and Sweden.

    Aid agencies and governments across the EU are reporting an end to refugees taking the route between Turkey and Greece to reach European nations, but Express.co.uk can reveal the flow remains steady.

    Every day around 200 Syrians, Afghanis and Iraqis manage to escape the squalid Idomeni camp and make it to Serbia.

    They are skipping registration in camps and heading straight over borders.

    Despite the borders being ‘closed’ they are easily smuggled through countries like Macedonia and later Hungary, to the heart of Europe….”