Reader’s links for April 16 – 2016

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

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

About Eeyore

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

65 Replies to “Reader’s links for April 16 – 2016”

  1. Afghan army moves into Helmand schools rebuilt with UK aid (theguardian, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/16/afghan-army-moves-into-helmand-schools-rebuilt-with-uk-aid?

    “Two schools in Helmand that were refurbished using British aid money are now being used as bases for the Afghan army, the Guardian has learned.

    In another sign that intensified fighting between the resurgent Taliban and government forces threatens to reverse some of the most significant gains of the past 15 years, the Helmand schools are now occupied by Afghan national army soldiers.

    Pupils still attend one of the schools, in Sayedabad, Nad Ali district, which received about £100,000 from the British Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Soldiers have built a rudimentary watchtower on the roof and walk heavily armed through the schoolyard.

    The other school, in Chahe Anjir, also in Nad Ali, was renovated by the British government for £450,000. It was abandoned six months ago and turned into an outpost for the army….”

  2. Islamist militants seize four Indonesians in southern Philippines (reuters, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-philippines-militants-idUKKCN0XD05Y?rpc=401

    “Islamist militants seized four Indonesian crew of a tugboat in the southern Philippines on Friday night, the third attack on slow moving vessels in about a month, a military spokesman said on Saturday, as troops battled Muslim rebels on a nearby island.

    Major Filemon Tan said seven gunmen in a blue speed boat attacked two Indonesian flagged tugboats off the Philippines’ southernmost island of Sitangkay in Tawi-tawi, near the border with Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state, and took the four crew.

    “We don’t exactly know who took them but the only lawless group operating in that area is the Abu Sayyaf,” Tan said, adding 10 Indonesians and four Malaysians were also abducted in two separate incidents early this month in the south…”

  3. It’s not racist to worry about immigration, top Tory Priti Patel says ahead of EU vote (express, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/661566/priti-patel-not-racist-immigration-vote-leave

    “WORRYING about immigration is “not racist”, according to Britain’s only Asian female Cabinet minister.

    Work and Pensions minister Priti Patel made the comments on the first day of official EU referendum campaigning.

    She said: “I don’t subscribe to this view that it is racist to speak about immigration and I say that as a daughter of immigrants from decades ago.

    Our job is to articulate and represent the concerns of the British public – and we should be doing that whatever our backgrounds are.”…”

  4. TERROR WARNING: Public could ‘fail to spot’ suspicious behaviour, police chief says (express, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/661569/terror-warning-isis-police-chief-fail-spot-suspicious-behaviour

    “THE public may risk “failing to spot” suspicious behaviour due to “vigilance fatigue”, according to a top police chief.

    Police have increased the number of undercover officers on public transport amid fears commuters are no longer spotting suspicious behaviour.

    The stark warning came from Paul Crowther, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police.

    Last night he said: “We can keep saying ‘remain vigilant’, but what does that mean?

    “We have to try to ensure that the public does not experience vigilance fatigue.”

    He added: “The eyes and ears of five million passengers who travel on the network every day and the staff that work in the environment are a very rich resource for us.

    “They often of the same journey every day and so they know what is normal and what stands out as different.”

    Mr Crowther also stressed the importance of the lessons that have been learned since the 7/7 terrorist atrocities, where 52 people died.

    He told the Telegraph: “There is a lot of training that has gone on post-7/7 in how we spot suspicious behaviour…”

  5. This is for the ‘who would ever have thunk this’ file:

    The refugee crisis in Europe is likely to turn into an “intercivilizational” conflict between Christians and Muslims if European leaders fail to abandon their liberal policy on migration, according to a communique of a forum dedicated to the issue of refugees.

    The Christian Perception of the Refugee Problem in Light of the Current Reality conference took place in the Serbian city of Pirot on April 11-14. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, as well as representatives of religious organizations, scientists, political and social figures from 24 countries participated in the event.

    http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160414/1038029253/europe-refugees-conflict.html

  6. Since the official refugee reception centre in the French town of Calais closed in 2002, undocumented migrants hoping to cross the Channel to Britain have found shelter in a number of squatted migrant camps, locally known as “the jungles”.

    Consisting largely of tents and self-built shacks, the two largest in Calais and Dunkirk now have some 8,000 residents between them. Many are refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan and surviving in extremely poor living conditions.

    For the most part, this is a humanitarian disaster. But the jungles of Northern France are also giving rise to a new political movement, which draws in new supporters every day.

    http://theconversation.com/a-political-movement-is-rising-from-the-mud-in-calais-53758

  7. WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

    The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bill’s passage, according to administration officials and congressional aides from both parties, and the Saudi threats have been the subject of intense discussions in recent weeks between lawmakers and officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. The officials have warned senators of diplomatic and economic fallout from the legislation.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-warns-ofeconomic-fallout-if-congress-passes-9-11-bill.html

    • What assets and who will they sell them too? With the right buyers and the right assets this could help the US.

      • Maybe something we should look at very closely.
        I don’t like threats.
        Chinese wisdom looks at ‘challenge’ as the flip-side of ‘opportunity’.

        • We should look at it real close, but I still say it depends on the assets being sold and the price. I doubt if they are going to sell any of the real estate they own over or the stocks they own. This leaves US Bonds and they can’t be called before their due date, besides who would be buying? China, they are busy selling, Japan? They would if they could. The Europeans? Their countries are broker then we are.

    • Saudi Arabia could sell off billions in American assets if bill passes: NYT (reuters, Apr 16, 2016)
      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arabia-congress-idUSKCN0XD10S

      “The Saudi Arabian government has threatened to sell of hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets should the U.S. Congress pass a bill that could hold the kingdom responsible for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the New York Times reported on Friday.

      The newspaper reported that Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told U.S. lawmakers last month that “Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in Treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.”

      The bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, would take away immunity from foreign governments in cases “arising from a terrorist attack that kills an American on American soil.”…”

  8. Four soldiers were killed and two wounded when a bomb hit a military vehicle traveling in the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin on Friday, security sources said.

    The vehicle was on patrol between the villages of Yazdir and Taslikli in Mardin’s Savur district when a handmade explosive was detonated, the security sources said. The two wounded soldiers were being treated in hospital, they said.

    In another attack in Sirnak, east of Mardin, one police officer died and seven security force members were wounded by a bomb during the search of a house by security forces, security sources said.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-blast-idUSKCN0XC2B8

  9. Some 30,000 Syrians fleeing intensifying fighting between ISIS and other opposition groups were trapped near the border with Turkey on Friday, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

    “Fierce battles continue between ISIS and the (Free Syrian Army),” Gerry Simpson, a senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch, told NBC News by phone from the Turkish side of the border. Many of the civilians, who could not cross the border, were being forced to sleep in the open and dig ditches to hide, he said.

    According to the New York-based rights group, ISIS advances on Wednesday and Thursday had forced out the residents of six displaced person camps, with three of the camps standing empty on Friday.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-fighting-traps-30-000-civilians-syrian-border-turkey-n556606

  10. The Philippines has dismissed as “purely propaganda” Islamic State’s claim that its militants killed scores of government troops in ambushes and said there was no evidence directly linking southern Muslim rebels to the group.

    The Philippines has reported 46 people killed in battles this week between troops and rebels from a group known as Abu Sayyaf on the island of Basilan. Fighting raged for a sixth day on Thursday.

    SITE Intelligence, a U.S.-based group that tracks online activity of jihadi organizations, reported Islamic State had claimed responsibility for killing nearly 100 Philippine soldiers and had blown up seven trucks transporting them.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-islamic-state-idUSKCN0XA21K

  11. A female member elected to Iran’s parliament has been banned from her post for allegedly shaking hands with a man unrelated to her during a trip to China, according to local reports.

    Newly-elected Minoo Khaleghi, a so-called ‘reformist’ politician who was elected to Iran’s 290-seat Majlis, or parliament, in February denies the allegations.

    Iran’s strict Islamic law forbids touching someone of the opposite sex who is not family.

    http://www.foreigndesknews.com/breaking-news/iran-bans-female-politician-shaking-mans-hand/

  12. KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed a police commander and seven other people, including three women, in Afghanistan on Thursday, two days after the insurgents announced the beginning of their spring offensive.

    The Taliban insurgency has gained strength since the withdrawal of international forces from combat at the end of 2014 and the Taliban are stronger than at any point since the were driven from power by U.S.-backed forces in 2001.

    http://www.foreigndesknews.com/news/politics/taliban-kill-top-police/

  13. Sadiq Khan has said a question should be asked about “what is going on” in families with Muslim women who wear hijabs and niqabs.

    In an interview with the Evening Standard, Labour’s London mayoral candidate said that he questioned why young Muslim women in London are choosing to keep their heads and bodies covered – a sight that Mr Khan said he did not see growing up in the capital or when visiting Pakistan.

    The MP for Tooting, said: “When I was younger you didn’t see people in hijabs and niqabs, not even in Pakistan when I visited my family.

    “In London we got on. People dressed the same.

    “What you see now are people born and raised here who are choosing to wear the jilbab or niqab. There is a question to be asked about what is going on in those homes.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sadiq-khan-question-to-be-asked-about-why-muslim-women-wear-hijabs-a6985511.html

  14. Hamas leader Haniyeh vows ‘Jerusalem intifada’ will continue

    “There are those who try to bury the al-Quds (Jerusalem) intifada, but this intifada will continue and it is the option of the people, the nation and the entire generation,” he said at a rally in Gaza ahead of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Day.

    In the address to Hamas’s military wing, the Izzadin Kassam brigades, Haniyeh stressed that the issue of releasing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails has been a top priority for the terrorist group since the 2006 capture of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit and until the end of the last escalation with Israel during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge.

    http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-leader-Haniyeh-vows-intifada-against-Israeli-will-continue-451352

  15. Canadian hostages in Philippines plead for their lives

    A video has emerged of two Canadians who are being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the Philippines, appealing to the Canadian government to pay their ransom.
    Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall warn they will be beheaded if their ransom is not paid within the next 10 days.
    The two men are among four hostages who speak directly to the camera in the troubling video.

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-hostages-in-philippines-plead-for-their-lives-1.2861005

  16. DAILY MAIL – Ferocious battle involving hundreds of rioters erupts at migrant camp under Paris Metro as terrified residents film the clashes from their windows above

    A mass brawl broke out under the Stalingrad Metro in the centre of Paris
    Rioters armed with planks and wood and metal bars attacked each other
    Residents from a building next door film the horrifying scenes from up high
    Police finally managed to disperse the group after Thursday night clashes

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3543237/Video-Stalingrad-Metro-Paris-shows-violent-clashes-erupt-migrant-camp.html#ixzz45zv957Yv

    • Left wing protests almost always end in violence, after all how else can they get our attention to causes the rest of us looked at and turned down a long time ago.

  17. The OIC’s 10-year strategic plan for the Muslim world

    […]The Heads of State were tough on extremism and tough on the causes of extremism. The largest exporters of extremist recruits tend to be states whose citizens face the greatest socio-economic difficulties . Many so-called ‘revolutions’ and examples of civil unrest in the Muslim world have begun not with political demands per se, but with demonstrations about food prices or cost of living. That is why the OIC Heads of State committed to further increase intra-OIC trade, which has already been growing by 4% annually. OIC member states include some of the wealthiest, and some of the poorest nations on earth – mutual trade will create safety and security for all Muslim countries. The Conference also welcomed the establishment of the Islamic Organization for Food Security, a new specialized institution of the OIC. National and global security starts with food security.

    […]The Conference invited member states to join the Islamic Military Coalition to combat terrorism. Since Muslims are the biggest victims of terrorism, it is Muslims who should be motivated to do the most to fight it. At the Summit, an ‘Islamic Interpol’ was also agreed upon to fight terrorism, headquartered in Istanbul. At the intersection of Europe and Asia and with input from various member states, this will be a game changer in fighting the roots and branches of terrorism.

    The roots of terrorism inevitably lie in its financing, which is often disguised as charitable activity. The Conference welcomed the hosting of a workshop on this problem. It is essential to entice charities towards the official financial sector so that financial regulations can protect against their abuse by extremists

    The other side of extremism is Islamophobia – each problem feeds off the other. The OIC holds annual Islamophobia observatories, and the Conference called on member states to be proactive in fighting Islamophobia through both mainstream and social media. It is on unregulated social media that the enormity of the danger of Islamophobia is most evident – for example in the hashtag #stopislam trending recently.

    Many anti-extremism efforts ultimately lie in working with Muslim youth – the majority of ISIS recruits are aged 15-24. This why the OIC has a dedicated youth wing which held its first ever Young Leaders Summit this week – all its recommendations were welcomed by the Conference.

    All these OIC efforts towards solidarity, development and counter-extremism crystallized in positions on resolving conflicts and preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states including Palestine, Syria, Kashmir, Libya, and Yemen – and protecting Muslim minorities in Myanmar and the Philippines.

    The Conference is committed to a 10-year strategic plan for the Muslim world – and it is working to ensure that there will be more security, development and – above all – unity, for the Muslim world in the next decade than there has been in the previous one.

    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/04/16/The-OIC-s-10-year-strategic-plan-for-the-Muslim-world.html

  18. German comic in Erdogan satire row suspends TV show

    Berlin (AFP) – A German comedian whose satirical poem about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unleashed a bitter row about freedom of speech has decided to suspend his own TV show, he announced on his Facebook page Saturday.

    Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday authorised criminal proceedings sought by Turkey against the popular comic Jan Boehmermann who could be convicted under the rarely-enforced section 103 of the criminal code — insulting organs or representatives of foreign states.

    Merkel’s decision has appalled rights bodies such as Human Rights Watch which on Saturday called on the German authorities to defend freedom of speech “even if the contents of the speech are offensive to some”.

    In light of the swirling controversy Boehmermann said he was taking a “televisual” pause “to allow the public “to concentrate again on really important matters such as the refugee crisis, videos of cats or the love life of (German actress and model) Sophia Thomalla”.

    German prosecutors have opened a preliminary probe against Boehmermann over his so-called “Defamatory Poem”, recited with a broad grin on public television, accusing Erdogan of bestiality and watching child porn.

    During the broadcast on March 31, Boehmermann gleefully admitted the piece flouted Germany’s legal limits to free speech and was intended as a provocation.

    Merkel is said to have called the poem “deliberately insulting” during a telephone call with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davotoglu.

    Boehmermann said in his online comments that he felt a “great solidarity” from the German people.

    “But it also puts me in a difficult situation,” he added, with the xenophobic far-right taking his side “who can I still make jokes about?”

    The incident has soured German-Turkish relations at a time when Ankara is vital to the European Union’s plans to tackle its current refugee crisis.

    The EU and Ankara in March agreed a deal to ensure so-called economic migrants who travel to the Greek islands on boats operated by people smugglers are quickly sent back to Turkey, which has agreed to take them in return for billions in EU cash.

    Some media commentators have suggested that given the geopolitical situation Merkel has no wish to upset Turkey.

    The TV comic has meanwhile received vocal support from numerous media and culture figures.

    “The authorities should not afford heads of state greater privilege against provocative speech,” Human Rights Watch said.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/german-comic-erdogan-satire-row-suspends-tv-show-152738175.html

    Pic :

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgE0b0yWQAAsnNu.jpg

    • I think he is discovering that the right isn’t xenophobic but is instead taking a hard look at things and discovering the danger that is Islam.

  19. Pope Francis says decision to bring 12 Syrian refugees to Italy not political act but humanitarian gesture

    Pope Francis says his brief meeting with Bernie Sanders not political meddling – Reuters

    Pope Francis on meeting with Bernie Sanders: ‘When I came down, I greeted him, I shook his hand and nothing more. This is called good manners and it is not getting involved in politics. If anyone thinks that greeting someone is getting involved in politics, I recommend that he look for a psychiatrist’ – Reuters

    =======================================
    Pope brings 12 Syrian refugees to Italy in lesson for Europe

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/pope-makes-provocative-trip-greece-eu-deports-migrants-040525942.html

  20. LIBYA – RAW: Smoke rises over Benghazi as Libyan army & militant forces continue fighting

  21. A Belgian minister says that many Muslims “danced” after the attacks

    Belgian interior minister, the Flemish nationalist Jan Jambon, says that foreign policy integration in Belgium was unsuccessful, seeing it as evidence the fact that “a significant part of the Muslim community danced on the occasion of the attacks” in an interview Saturday with the Flemish daily de Standaard.

    And Jan Jambon chaining. “They threw stones and bottles at the police and the press at the time of the arrest of Salah Abdeslam That’s the real problem “.

    “The terrorists, we can stop the spread of society. But they are only a pustule. Underneath is cancer more difficult to treat. We can do it, but not overnight ‘, still provides the minister, who claims to exceed “politically correct thinking” and “call a spade a spade.”

    http://archyworldys.com/a-belgian-minister-says-that-many-muslims-danced-after-the-attacks/
    =================================================================
    ‘Dansen na de aanslagen. Stenen gooien naar de politie. Dát is het echte probleem’

    http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160415_02240440

    • Jambon: “Significant deel van moslimgemeenschap danste na aanslagen”

      Bij een volgende regeringsvorming droomt Jan Jambon (N-VA) van het Nederlandse model, “met een minister van Justitie, Veiligheid en Politie”. Dat zegt hij in een interview met De Standaard. Maar het echte probleem is het gebrek aan integratie. “Een deel van de moslimgemeenschap danste naar aanleiding van de aanslagen.

      In het interview zegt Jambon dat er bij een volgende regeringsvorming moet er worden nagedacht om zo veel mogelijk veiligheidsbevoegdheden samen te brengen. “Het Nederlandse model, met een minister van Justitie en Politie, vind ik verdedigbaar. Cybersecurity zit bij de premier, staatsveiligheid bij de minister van Justitie… Hetzelfde geldt voor de politiezones. België telt er 189, Nederland 10. Momenteel spreekt het regeerakkoord van faciliteren, maar we moeten evolueren naar een verplicht karakter waarbij we eerst de optimale grootte van zo’n politiezone bepalen.”

      Ook de Brusselse ‘lasagne’ is aan vereenvoudiging toe, volgens Jambon. “Negentien burgemeesters, zes politiezones, de hogere ambtenaar, de instelling Preventie en Veiligheid bij minister-president Rudi Vervoort, de federale instanties… Dat aantal moeten we reduceren. Makkelijk is dat niet. Als we Brussel fusioneren, zal het zijn alsof we achttien kalkoenen naar het kerstdiner brengen.”

      Jambon geeft ook aan dat er de voorbije jaren ‘knipperlichten’ miskend zijn. Knipperlichten “die suggereerden dat de aanpak leidde tot miserie, dat het in bepaalde wijken helemaal fout liep. We overschreden daarbij een grens, waardoor het gevaar te diep wortel schoot. Daardoor hebben de noodzakelijke maatregelen, die we nu nemen, niet onmiddellijk effect.”

      “Een significant deel van de moslimgemeenschap danste naar aanleiding van de aanslagen. Ze gooiden met stenen en flessen naar politie en pers bij de arrestatie van Salah Abdeslam. Dat is het echte probleem. Terroristen kunnen we oppakken, uit de samenleving verwijderen. Maar zij zijn slechts een puist. Daaronder zit een veel moeilijker te behandelen kanker. We kunnen dat aan. Maar niet van vandaag op morgen.”

      http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160416_02240874

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

      March 30 2016 – Jan Jambom –

      CIDI Symposium 30-04-2016: Jan Jambon

      CIDI Internationaal Symposium: Terrorisme, Israël & Internationaal Recht op 30 maart 2016.
      Gastspreker: Jan Jambon, Belgische vicepremier en minister van veiligheid en binnenlandse zaken.

      Enkele quotes:
      – “De terroristen zijn, net als onze veiligheidsdiensten, professioneel. Dit maakt het een moeilijke vijand”.
      – “Onze levensgewoonten zullen we niet wijzigen en niet laten beïnvloeden door angst”.
      – “We moeten een afweging zien te vinden tussen het garanderen van vrijheid en het bieden van veiligheid”.
      – ‘Er bestaat in onze maatschappij steun voor dit soort terreurdaden. Zo waren er straatfeesten in bepaalde Brusselse wijken na de aanslag op Zaventem. Deze steun keert zich tegen de fundamentele waarden van onze maatschappij’.
      – ‘In de straten van Brussel moeten weer law and order gebracht worden en het Jihadisme worden bestreden, zowel reactief als proactief’
      – “Terroristen zijn niet het slachtoffer. Zij hebben de kansen in eigen hand om iets in deze maatschappij te bereiken”.

    • Belgian minister says many Muslims ‘danced’ after attacks

      BRUSSELS (AFP) –

      Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Saturday that a “significant” part of the Muslim population celebrated attacks, blaming the country’s policies for failing to integrate migrants into society.

      He did not explicitly refer to last month’s jihadist attacks on Brussels’ airport and metro system that killed 32 people

      “A significant section of the Muslim community danced when attacks took place,” Jambon said in an interview with the Flemish-language De Standaard newspaper.

      The Belgian minister also accused Muslim residents of Brussels’ largely immigrant Molenbeek neighbourhood of attacking police during an operation last month to arrest a suspect in connection with the deadly attacks in Paris last November.

      “They threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest of Salah Abdeslam. This is the real problem. Terrorists we can pick up, remove from society. But they are just a boil. Underneath is a cancer that is much more difficult to treat. We can do it, but it won’t be overnight,” he said.

      Jambon, whose New Flemish Alliance party has been a key part of Belgium’s ruling centre-right coalition since 2014, previously offered to resign in the wake of the Brussels attacks.

      In Saturday’s interview he said that the danger linked to the radicalisation of youth from third and fourth generation families is “too deeply rooted” in some areas because Belgium “have for many years ignored the warning signs”.

      Following the November 13 attacks in neighbouring France, Jambon sparked controversy when he promised to “clean Molenbeek” when it emerged that several of the attackers had links to the impoverished district of the Belgian capital.

      http://www.france24.com/en/20160416-belgian-minister-says-many-muslims-danced-after-attacks

  22. A former boyfriend of the victim in the Bells Corners Easter Sunday shootout that killed Christina Voelzing was arrested without incident on Friday in the Greater Toronto Area.

    Police had issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Behnam Yaali, 23. He was wanted on a charge of second-degree murder.

    Yaali is to appear in Ottawa court on Saturday.

    http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/former-boyfriend-of-easter-sunday-shooting-victim-arrested-without-incident

  23. Creeping Sharia: The ISLAMIZATION of the WEST
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hueHtOM5dTY

    “Black Pigeon Speaks” is my favorite youtube blogger.

    Question: Why does this jewish conspiracy that they’re the cause of the Islamization of the west gaining traction? This is bothersome. They have no evidence.

    • That’s a good question. Same as why is 9-11 a Jewish conspiracy while the current white house fiasco on 9-11 points to the Saudis? It isn’t good enough that 9-11 was an act of war perpetrated by Islam. The left msm must obscure what seems obvious.

  24. NYT – 9 Guantánamo Prisoners From Yemen Are Sent to Saudi Arabia

    WASHINGTON — The United States on Saturday transferred nine Yemeni detainees from its wartime prison at Guantánamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, completing a long-sought diplomatic deal ahead of a planned visit to Riyadh by President Obama in the coming week.

    The effort to persuade the Saudi government to take the prisoners began in the Bush administration and finally resulted in an agreement in February. Current and former officials familiar with the negotiations called the timing of the transfer, which reduced the population at Guantánamo to 80 prisoners, a coincidence.

    “There have been a lot of discussions with the Saudis over the last few years, and they have been emphatic that it was very important to close Guantánamo,” said Cliff Sloan, who served as the State Department envoy for negotiating detainee transfers in 2013 and 2014. “They wanted to help with that. But the one thing they weren’t willing to do for a long time was actually accept Yemenis. That’s why this is a major breakthrough.”[…]

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/us/politics/9-guantanamo-prisoners-from-yemen-are-sent-to-saudi-arabia.html

  25. Saarland minister wants intelligence tests to pick out talented refugees: report (DW, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/saarland-minister-wants-intelligence-tests-to-pick-out-talented-refugees-report/a-19193515

    “Saarland’s interior minister has said he wants the intelligence tests to speed up integration. The report comes amid efforts to improve integration in Germany.

    In an interview with the German newspaper Rheinische Post on Saturday, Klaus Bouillon said the government of the southwestern state of Saarland was considering implementing intelligence tests for refugees.

    “We also want to start a pilot project in which we use an intelligence test to find where [a refugee’s] talent lies and in which occupation we can put them or educate them,” Bouillon said.

    When asked who would participate in the program, the interior minister said anywhere between 600 and 700 refugees would voluntarily take part in the beginning.

    “It’s in cooperation with the Federal Employment Agency and other renowned labor experts,” Bouillon said.

    A ‘high-risk situation’

    During his interview with the newspaper, he also discussed the threat of terrorism that comes with the taking in so many people, saying that there are many dangerous people who enter the country disguised as refugees.

    “Let’s face it: We do not know exactly how many troublemakers in the country there are,” he said. “We in Germany find ourselves in a high-risk situation.”

    Bouillon emphasized the need for more Muslim sources within Germany to help locate potentially threatening individuals.

    German officials recently touted a draft law designed to help improve the integration process in Germany. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel called the legislation a “historic step.””

  26. Europe can’t take in millions of migrants: ex-chancellor Kohl (france24, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20160416-europe-cant-take-millions-migrants-ex-chancellor-kohl

    “BERLIN (AFP) – Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl has warned that Europe can’t become “a new home” for millions of migrants, in a veiled criticism of incumbent Angela Merkel’s liberal asylum policies.

    His comments, published in Sunday’s Tagesspiegel daily, come as the ex-chancellor is set to meet Tuesday with Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a fierce opponent of Merkel’s open-door stance towards migrants.

    “Europe cannot become a new home for the millions of people in need throughout the world,” Kohl was quoted as saying.

    Germany’s liberal refugee policy last year ushered in 1.1 million asylum-seekers from Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

    Orban — whose country has erected razorwire border fences to deter migrants — earlier this year said that an uncontrolled influx exposes Europe to the risks of “terrorism, criminality, anti-Semitism and homophobia”.

    Kohl’s own warning is contained in a preface to the new Hungarian-language version of his book “Aus Sorge um Europa” (Out of concern for Europe).

    The solution to the migrant crisis, he argues, lies not in Europe but has to come from the regions that are seeing the exodus.

    “National policies of the lone-knight variety must be left in the past,” said Kohl, considered the father of German reunification, without mentioning Merkel or her policies directly.

    Many migrants “come from different cultural environments,” he added.

    “For the most part they have a belief which is different from the Judeo-Christian beliefs which form part of the foundations of our social order and our values.”

    Kohl, 86, is very rarely seen in public these days.

    He left active politics in 2002. Since a fall in 2008, followed by a stroke, he has suffered from impaired speech and uses a wheelchair.”

  27. Swedish minister ‘had dinner with Turkish fascists’ (thelocal, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.se/20160416/swedish-minister-photographed-with-turkish-fascists

    “The Swedish Minister of Housing, Mehmet Kaplan, has sparked controversy after a photograph of him emerged having dinner with members of the far-right Turkish organization, Grey Wolves, according to Swedish daily newspaper, Aftonbladet.

    In the photographs leaked to the Swedish media, Kaplan, a member of the Green Party which forms part of the coalition administration with the Social Democrats, can be seen sitting at the same table as notorious extremist Barbaros Leylani and Ilhan Senturk, the president of the Swedish branch of the Grey Wolves.

    According to Aftonbladet, the pictures were taken at a dinner last year.

    Leylani caused controversy last week by making inflammatory remarks when speaking to a small crowd of Turks in Stockholm’s central square. Leylani urged Turks to “awaken”, and to kill what he branded “the Armenian dogs.”

    Leylani also said, “Let us show Sweden, Scandinavia and Europe what Turkey stands for. We do not like blood, but we can let the blood flow when it is needed,” the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported.

    The Grey Wolves organization has been accused of participating in thousands of politically and racially motivated murders over the past few decades, said Aftonbladet.

    Kaplan came under immediate heavy criticism from the Iranian-born Moderate member of parliament, Hanif Bali.

    “It is very inappropriate. I do not understand why the Green Party associates with these kinds of organizations”.

    Kaplan has denied having extremist links, insisting he was a guest at the event and held no responsibility. Speaking through a press officer, he accused the Swedish media of “low journalism”.

    This is not the first time that Kaplan has been in embroiled in controversy.

    In 2014 Social Democrat politician Nalin Pekgul accused Kaplan of having a hidden Islamist agenda.

    And earlier that year Kaplan compared Swedish jihadists in Syria to Swedish freedom fighters in Finland during World War Two.

    He later apologized and said his comments had been misinterpreted.”

  28. Afghan forces engaged in offensive operations in 12 provinces: MoD (khaama, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-engaged-in-offensive-operations-in-12-provinces-mod-0670

    “The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are engaged in offensive operations in at least 12 provinces.

    MoD spokesman, Dawlat Waziri, said currently 15 offensive operations are being conducted by the Afghan security forces to suppress the militants who are looking to estabilize the country with their spring offensive.

    Waziri further added that the Taliban militants launched a major attack in Kunduz but it was repulsed by the Afghan foces, causing heavy losses to the militants.

    According to Waziri, at least 40 militants were killed and 50 others were wounded during the gun battle triggered as a result of the attack.

    The Afghan forces have increased counter-terrorism operations against the militant groups amid rampant Taliban-led insurgency.

    Waziri said Friday that the Afghan Air Force (AAF) flew 83 missions in the past 24 hours to provide close-air support to Afghan forces who are suppressing the militant activities across the country.

    said at least 34 militants were killed and 7 others were wounded in the airstrikes carried out in the
    areas falling under the control of 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army.”

    • 87 militants killed, 91 wounded in ANSF air and ground raids: MoD (khaama, Apr 16, 2016)
      http://www.khaama.com/87-militants-killed-91-wounded-in-ansf-air-and-ground-raids-mod-0677

      “At least 87 anti-government armed militants were killed and 91 others were wounded in air and ground raids of the Afghan National Security Forces, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.

      A statement by MoD said the raids were conducted in the past 24 hours in different provinces to suppress the activities of the insurgent groups.

      The statement further added at least 39 of the militants were killed and 53 others were wounded in Dasht-e-Archi, Khanabad and outskirts of Kunduz city.

      At least 13 more were killed in Dand-e-Ghori and Dand-e-Shahabuddin districts of Baghlan province where 10 other were also wounded, MoD added.

      MoD also added that 14 militants were killed and 10 others were wounded in a joint operation in Bala Bolok and Posht-e-Rod districts of Farah, while 5 others were killed and 12 were wounded in Ghaziabad district of Kunar.

      According to MoD, at least 16 militants were killed and 6 others were wounded in separate raids conducted in Tagab district of Kapisa, Zurmat district of Paktia, Aqacha district of Jawzjan, Ghani Khel district of Nangarhar and Sangin district of Helmand province.

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

  29. 3 female Chechen militants among 10 killed in Logar operations (khaama, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/3-female-chechen-militants-among-10-killed-in-logar-operations-0672

    “At least seven Chechen militants including three women were killed during an operation in central Logar province of Afghanistan.

    According to the local security officials, the women were killed during an operation that triggered gun battle in Kharwar district.

    Provincial governor’s spokesman Salim Saleh said three commanders of the militants were also killed along with 7 militants from Chechnya….”

  30. EU ‘turns page’ in relations with Iran (BBC, Apr 16, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36061664

    “The European Union and Iran have “turned a new page” in their diplomatic relations, the EU’s foreign policy chief said on a visit to Tehran.

    Federica Mogherini said they had agreed to work on closer ties in a number of areas, including the economy, energy, education, migration and transport.

    The visit follows last year’s historic nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

    She said the results of their talks would “make a real difference” to the lives of Iranians and Europeans.

    Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been holding talks with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential palace in Ankara.

    They agreed to increase banking and economic co-operation and boost trade to $30bn (£21bn) within two years.

    Mr Erdogan said they also agreed to “reduce our differences” over Syria and other issues, to “work together to overcome the problems of terrorism and sectarianism and the related humanitarian crises that are shaking our region”….”