Reader’s links for June 4 – 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

43 Replies to “Reader’s links for June 4 – 2016”

  1. U.S. says has information on plans for terrorist attacks in South Africa

    JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The U.S. government has received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out attacks against places where its citizens congregate in shopping areas in South Africa, its embassy said on Saturday.

    “This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan,” it said in a statement posted on its website. http://1.usa.gov/1UkdY8R

    It singled out up-market shopping areas and malls in the commercial hub of Johannesburg and Cape Town, widely regarded as South Africa’s tourism capital, as the main target areas.

    South African police declined to comment and said they were studying the U.S. embassy statement.

    Last September, the U.S. also warned its citizens of a possible attack by “extremists” against its interests in South Africa, a stable democracy seldom associated with Islamist militancy.

    The embassy and consulates in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town closed for several days in 2009 after what U.S. officials described as a “specific” threat to diplomatic missions in South Africa.

    http://www.oann.com/u-s-embassy-says-has-information-on-planned-terrorist-attacks-in-south-africa/

  2. Austria’s Freedom Party likely to challenge presidential election result

    ZURICH (Reuters) – Austria’s anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPO) is very likely to formally challenge the result of last month’s presidential election and is calling for postal ballots to be abolished, its leader said on Saturday.

    Asked how likely it is the FPO will formally challenge the result of the vote, which its candidate Norbert Hofer narrowly lost, Heinz-Christian Strache said in an interview with radio station OE1: “It is very likely … over 50 percent.”

    He said the party would make its decision by Wednesday, the deadline for challenges.

    “If the irregularities are confirmed by legal experts … then we have a responsibility to democracy,” Strache said.

    The FPO has said it is examining several irregularities that have come to light in individual polling stations, ranging from postal ballots having been counted too early to the number of votes having been overstated.

    http://www.oann.com/austrias-freedom-party-likely-to-challenge-presidential-election-result/

  3. ‘Mexican is not a race’: Leftist race-card-wavers annoyed when pedant points out they’re idiots

    What is the “race” of a Mexican?

    Since many Mexicans are the descendants of Europeans who came to the Western hemisphere 150, 200, or more years ago, and many are the descendants of both Europeans and indigenous peoples — and quite a few are the descendants of Europeans, Asians, and non-Mexican indigenous peoples from Central and South America who came to Mexico in the last century — it’s safe to say that being Mexican is not about being a member of a particular race.

    Mexico has an ancient, highly developed cultural legacy from her indigenous peoples. But there was no “Mexico” until Spain colonized the region. The history of Mexico’s borders was written by Spain — especially where it involved the United States. The national language today is Spanish. The population is mostly Christian. Is Mexico Spanish, or Aztec? If Mexico is both, and her people are, in fact, racially diverse, what does it actually mean to call it “racism” when someone criticizes an American judge of Mexican descent, suggesting that his ethnic background makes him biased?

    The truth is, it means only that the person yelling “racism!” just wants to use the most effective buzzword he can to silence his political target.

    Pull the string on most cries of “racism” today, and it turns out they make no sense. They’re not even supposed to make sense. They’re just supposed to end all rational debate.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/06/04/leftists-annoyed-pedant-points-theyre-idiots/

    • Remember she isn’t a Trump fan, she is an honest patriot who is working to save the US from the far left.

      • OT:
        Candy for Richard!
        Mosaic Essay of the Month celebrates Bernard Lewis’s 100th Birthday. There’s the extended main essay by Martin Kramer, then responses from established scholars till the end of the month.

        There are tributes to Prof. Lewis all over the place. I haven’t watched them yet, but there’ve been interviews with him over the years on YT.

        That said, the only way to savor his work is the old-fashioned way: hardcover, handy on the bookshelf. Bit-by-bit, “good-condition”-used from Amazon, I’m collecting his works.

        http://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/2016/06/the-return-of-bernard-lewis/

        • Since I hit 60 the weather fronts going through give me a headache, since they are going through every other day my spring has been painful.

  4. Police union leader calls a spade a spade: ‘Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization’

    The verdict is in on the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old Minneapolis man who died at the hands of police on Nov. 15, 2015. A federal investigation concluded on Wednesday cleared officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze of any wrongdoing.

    But Lt. Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis Police union, had some choice words following the announcement vindicating the officers.

    CBS Minneapolis affiliate WCCO notes that Kroll “blasted Mayor Betsy Hodges and Minneapolis City Council members Alondra Cano, Cam Gordon and Lisa Bender for creating what he called a ‘dangerous and unproductive atmosphere.’”

    He was referring to a weeks-long protests that culminated with an 18-day occupation of the area outside the city’s 4th Precinct, where the two officers are stationed. During the time, crowds grew out of control and violence ensued.

    But Kroll’s harshest criticism was of Black Lives Matter, which he described as a “terrorist organization.”

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/06/03/police-union-leader-calls-spade-spade-black-lives-matter-terrorist-organization/

  5. Why History Matters: The 1967 Six-Day War – David Harris (Huffington Post)
    49 years ago this month, the Six-Day War broke out. In June 1967, there was no state of Palestine. It didn’t exist and never had. Its creation, proposed by the UN in 1947, was rejected by the Arab world because it also meant the establishment of a Jewish state alongside.

    The West Bank and eastern Jerusalem were in Jordanian hands. Violating solemn agreements, Jordan denied Jews access to their holiest places in eastern Jerusalem, and they desecrated and destroyed many of those sites.

    Meanwhile, Gaza was under Egyptian control, with harsh military rule. And the Golan Heights, which belonged to Syria, were regularly used to shell Israeli communities below.
    The Arab world could have created a Palestinian state in the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza any day of the week. They didn’t. There wasn’t even discussion about it. And Arab leaders, who today profess such attachment to eastern Jerusalem, rarely, if ever, visited. It was viewed as an Arab backwater.

    The 1967 boundary at the time of the war was an armistice line dating back to 1949 – known as the Green Line. That’s after five Arab armies attacked Israel in 1948 with the aim of destroying the Jewish state.

    In the weeks leading up to the Six-Day War, Egyptian and Syrian leaders repeatedly declared that war was coming and their objective was to wipe Israel off the map. 22 years after the Holocaust, another enemy spoke about the extermination of Jews. The record is well-documented.

    Today, there are those who wish to rewrite history. They want the world to believe the 1967 war was a bellicose act by Israel. It was an act of self-defense in the face of blood-curdling threats to vanquish the Jewish state, not to mention the maritime blockade of the Straits of Tiran, the abrupt withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces, and the redeployment of Egyptian and Syrian troops. The aggressors have failed to take responsibility for the actions they instigated.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-harris/why-history-matters-the-1_b_10247628.html

  6. Turkish man sentenced to 108 years for sexual assaults on boys at Nizip refugee camp

    A male cleaner at a Syrian refugee camp in Turkey was sentenced to 108 years in prison for sexually abusing children. The man, identified only as Erdal E, said he paid the children five Turkish liras (£1.18) before taking them to the toilets and assaulting them.

    The 29-year-old did not deny the charges, but said managers and other employees at the camps were also involved. He was convicted of assaulting boys between the ages of 8-12 for three months at the beginning of 2016 at the Nizip Refugee Camp in the Gaziantep province of south-eastern Turkey.

    He was caught when the families of the Syrian boys made complaints, according to the local bar association. Other victims, believed to number around 30, had remained silent for fear of being deported, Dogan news agency reported.

    The cleaner’s defence lawyer had asked for his acquittal, arguing that an early confession obtained by the police was made under duress. This was rejected by the judge who then sentenced Erdal E to 108 years of jail time.

    He was then led away to cells to start his prison sentence. The prosecution had previously asked for a prison sentence of 289 years.

    During the trial, the convicted man said he was a “scapegoat” to cover up a wider scandal. “I know very well the names of many managers and camp workers guilty of abuse… but I will not say them so as not to hurt my own family.”

    http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/turkish-man-sentenced-108-years-sexual-assaults-boys-nizip-refugee-camp-1563679

  7. Germany: Hundreds protest against multiculturalism and refugees in Erfurt

  8. 15yo teenager held without charge in Saudi prison for 2 years, may be executed

  9. C N N – Alabbar: World’s tallest tower breaking ground in July

    Erin Burnett speaks with Emirati business man Mohamed Alabbar about the world tallest building and his view about Donald Trump.

  10. Saudi Supreme Court calls on Muslims to sight Ramadan crescent tomorrow

    Ramadan moon sighting committees to meet in UAE, Saudi tomorrow

    The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has called on all Muslims across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to sight the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan tomorrow, Sunday evening, Shaaban 29, 1437 AH, corresponding to June 05, 2016.

    Saudi Press Agency, SPA, reported that in an announcement, the Supreme Court also called on whoever sees the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan by naked eyes or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or report to the authority of the region’s centre in his area where he sighted the crescent in order to facilitate his reaching to the nearest court.

    Moon-sighting committees to meet

    The moon sighting committees of the UAE and Saudi Arabia will meet in on Sunday, June 5 (Shaban 29, Hijri calendar), to witness the Crescent for the holy month of Ramadan.

    The committees will meet around sunset time at 7pm and the announcement is expected around 9pm after collecting all the evidences from different corners of the country.

    The UAE on Wednesday formed a moon-sighting committee to determine the beginning of Ramadan. To be chaired by Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi, Minister of Justice, the committee will convene on June 5 (Shaban 29, Hijri calendar) after Maghrib prayer to witness the first sighting of the crescent moon.

    The authorities urge residents to inform the moon sighting committee officials about any evidence they have with regarding to witnessing Crescent on Sunday.

    As reporter by Emirates 24l7 last month, normal working hours for the public and private sectors during Ramadan this year in the UAE will be reduced by two hours.

    This will cover all private sector institutions in the state during the month of Ramadan for the year 1437 Hijri, (2016), without the remuneration of workers being affected.

    While temperatures during the fasting month of Ramadan will average as high as 45-50 Celsius ( 113° – 122° F ) in the Gulf, one of the highest temperate levels through the year.

    “Maximum temperatures in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries will average 45-50 degrees ( 113° – 122 ° F ) during Ramadan,” Khalid Al Zuak, an AUASS member said, quoted by the Saudi Arabic language daily ‘Ajel’.

    http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/saudi-supreme-court-calls-on-muslims-to-sight-ramadan-crescent-tomorrow-2016-06-04-1.631888

    • 42-45° Celsius temperature this Ramadan (saudigazette, June 4, 2016)
      http://saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/42-45-celsius-temperature-ramadan/

      “JEDDAH — The General Commission for Meteorology and Environmental Protection has announced that the holy month of Ramadan this year coincides with a rise in temperature.

      The weather will be hot to extremely hot at midday, but it will be moderate at night.

      Daily maximum temperature in the shade will be in the range of 42 to 45 degrees Celsius.

      There will be cloud formations on the eastern highlands from Makkah toward Taif and the southern highlands.

      Sight crescent tonight

      The Supreme Court has asked all Muslims in Saudi Arabia to sight the crescent indicating the advent of the holy month of Ramadan on the evening of Sunday (June 5). Any Muslim who sights the crescent should approach the nearest court so as to register his/her testimony, the court said.

      If it is difficult to reach the court, then the nearest police station can be approached.”

  11. The Latest: UN Urges Probe After Syrian Drowns in Hungary (abcnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-urges-probe-syrian-drowns-hungary-39611853

    “… The UN refugee agency is urging authorities to investigate the death of a 22-year-old Syrian man reported to have drowned while trying to cross a river from Serbia to Hungary.

    The UNHCR said Saturday that others in the group claimed they were pushed back into the Tisza River from Hungary. The agency is also concerned about allegations of the abuse of asylum-seekers by Hungarian officials, including excessive use of force.

    Hungarian police rescued an Iraqi family, including three children, from the river Wednesday and said they had alerted their Serbian counterparts about the man in the river who was missing. His body was found Friday.

    The UNHCR said Hungarian policies, including razor-wire fences on its borders with Serbia and Croatia, “leave people with little choice but to put their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers, often with tragic consequences.”…”

  12. Syrian Troops Reach Raqqa Province, IS Fighting on 4 Fronts (abcnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrian-troops-reach-edge-province-based-39606840

    “Syrian troops reached the edge of the northern province of Raqqa on Saturday, home to the de facto capital of the Islamic State group’s self-styled caliphate, in a push that leaves the extremists fighting fierce battles on four fronts in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

    IS, which controls large swaths of territory in both countries, is fighting Syrian troops, U.S.-backed fighters and opposition militants in northern Syria and is facing an offensive by Iraqi government forces on their stronghold of Fallujah.

    The Syrian government has had no presence in Raqqa since August 2014, when IS captured the Tabqa air base and killed scores of government soldiers. The provincial capital, Raqqa, became the militants’ first city…”

    • PUTIN’S REVENGE: Russian-backed troops massing to SMASH evil ISIS in their Syrian capital (express, June 4, 2016)
      http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/676827/Islamic-State-Syrian-troops-backed-Vladimir-Putin-Assad-close-in-ISIS-capital-Raqqa

      “RUSSIAN-BACKED troops have today made a major breakthrough in their war against Islamic State (ISIS) and are now massing ready to smash the evil terrorists in the heart of their own stronghold.

      Syrian Government soldiers supported by Vladimir Putin’s armed forces have stormed into the jihadis’ key province surrounding Raqqa and are now preparing for an all-out assault on the city.

      Raqqa has become ISIS’ symbolic seat of power, and its fall could mark the final nail in the coffin for the extremists’ failing dream for a so-called Caliphate across the Middle East.

      Putin has significantly stepped up his offensive on the crazed fanatics since they claimed responsibility for blowing a Russian airliner out of the sky over Egypt last October, killing all 224 people on board.

      On Friday his bombers smashed ISIS positions as Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s troops moved in on the ground, defeating the jihadis in a fierce firefight and advancing into the villages surrounding Raqqa…”

  13. Niger’s Defense Ministry Says Boko Haram Kills 32 Soldiers (abcnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nigers-defense-ministry-boko-haram-kills-32-soldiers-39608942

    “Niger’s defense ministry says Boko Haram extremists attacked a military post near the country’s border with Nigeria, killing at least 32 soldiers.

    The ministry said Saturday that hundreds of Boko Haram fighters attacked the post Friday night, killing at least 30 Niger soldiers and two soldiers from Nigeria. It said 67 other soldiers were wounded. The military reclaimed the post Saturday morning.

    A deputy in the nearby town of Bosso, Adam Boukarna, said the extremists burned homes and stores there and remained in town until 4 a.m. Saturday before fleeing with arms and munitions. He said air and land forces have cleared the area, though many fighters fled to the nearby town of Toumour.

    Dozens gathered Saturday in Niger’s capital to march against the insecurity in the region.”

  14. 16 Congressmen Write to Obama, Hail Morocco’s Human Rights Record (moroccoworldnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/06/188153/16-congressmen-write-to-obama-hail-moroccos-human-rights-record/

    “Rabat – Americans stand strong for Morocco, hail Morocco’s human rights achievements, highlight shared values and a strong Alliance.

    Yesterday, Americans stood strong with Moroccans, as they have for decades, to commend Morocco on its progressive advancements on human rights by writing a letter to President Barack Obama.

    In the letter, sent on Thursday, a group of 16 Members of U.S. Congress recognized Morocco as America’s “strongest and oldest friend in a very important part of the world,” and urged “greater visibility” for Morocco’s role in promoting development in the region, as well as the country’s progress on human rights.

    The letter comes shortly after Morocco expressed concerns last month that the US State Department’s April 2016 human rights report on the country contained “factual errors and misrepresented Morocco’s efforts in that area.”

    In the letter, Congress noted that “Morocco is the only country in the region to have established with the United States an on-going dialogue on human rights that is intended to be an open forum for objective and constructive engagement on these issues…We commend this process and would hope that it brings a positive contribution.”

    “We are concerned that recent developments in our strategically important alliance with Morocco need to be made a higher priority and that our support for Morocco’s signal achievements, including on human rights, and the important role it is playing to enhance stability and development in the region, needs to be given much greater visibility in our public statements about this critical bilateral relationship with one of our oldest and most trusted partners.”

    Analysts say despite the current friction as a result of the US Department human rights report on Morocco and Washington lack of support to Rabat on the Western Sahara, the mutually beneficial friendship between the US and Morocco remains strong and vibrant.”

  15. Morocco Arrests ISIS Supporter in Meknes (moroccoworldnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/06/188130/morocco-arrests-isis-supporter-in-meknes/

    “Rabat – Moroccan authorities on Saturday arrested a supporter of the “Islamic State” (ISIS), who was active in the city of Meknes (150 km east of Rabat), the Interior Ministry said.

    The investigations have shown the total adherence of this man to the terrorist strategy of this extremist organization, and the long experience he has acquired in the manufacturing of explosive devices, in addition to his training in a mountainous region in order to develop his fighting skills, the ministry pointed out in a statement.

    The investigations also confirmed that he was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the kingdom or a European country, the statement added.

    This individual will be brought before justice after the end of the investigation led by the prosecutor’s office, according to the same source.”

  16. Vatican to digitalise manuscripts relating to Muslim world (gulfnews, June 4, 2016)
    http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/vatican-to-digitalise-manuscripts-relating-to-muslim-world-1.1840334

    “Vatican City: The Vatican has signed an agreement with Qatar to digitalise Vatican manuscripts relating to the Arabian Gulf and other Islamic regions.

    The agreement was signed Saturday following a private papal audience with Shaikha Mozza Bint Nasser, the president of the Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The documents are among 8,000 manuscripts in the Vatican Library that are part of a digitalisation project.

    The Vatican said the Shaikha met with Pope Francis for 30 minutes, informing him of “the grave situation of schools in the various areas of conflict.”

    She gave the pope a decorated Arabic manuscript of the Gospels produced in 18th Century Ottoman Turkey, while the pope gave her a medallion depicting the olive tree of peace and an Arabic edition of his encyclical on the environment.”

  17. Calais migrants ‘ARMED AND DANGEROUS’ say police as a dozen refugees treated for injuries (express, June 4, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/676783/Calais-migrants-armed-dangerous-gun-bullets-wounds-police-France

    “BRITAIN-BOUND migrants in Calais are becoming increasingly armed and dangerous, French police warned today, as more than a dozen were treated at local hospitals for gun wounds.

    Officials said many have come from war-torn countries where firearms are “in free circulation”, adding that police are taking “more and more risks” every time they enter the lawless Jungle camp.

    They issued the dire warning after a dozen migrants had to be treated for bullet wounds following a mass brawl between 200 Sudanese and African migrants, during which witnesses reported hearing repeated gunshots.

    One official said: “Of course there are guns in the Jungle.”…”

  18. Germany: Hundreds of far-right protesters march against refugees in Dortmund

  19. Eeyore,
    I’m guessing you want feedback?

    I’m having a miserable time adjusting the size of the font. Reading, then writing comments require separate adjustments to my screen settings.

    The font is something like Helvetica Neue? Sans serif is good. It might be easier to read if the kern was set tighter.

    And lots of open space is nice, but there’s room in this reply box for only 6 lines of text, or so. Maybe less space between the lines. A little more room to compose elegant responses would be lovely.

    I haven’t a clue how these things work, so don’t mind me putting my spoon in.

    • Yucki i hate this template and will probably switch back when i can find the strength to put it all back the way i like it.

      But the text box can be stretched to any size you want here by dragging the bottom right corner.