Reader’s links for July 30 – 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

59 Replies to “Reader’s links for July 30 – 2016”

  1. CIA director: ‘I don’t know if Syria can be put back together’ (itv, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.itv.com/news/update/2016-07-30/cia-director-i-dont-know-if-syria-can-be-put-back-together/?

    “The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, has said that he doesn’t know whether Syria can be “put back together again” because there are so many different groups and interests in the country.

    He suggested that a future Syria may be a “confederal structure” with the different factions governing their regions.

    He also said that there will not be “tranquility in Syria until you’re also able to address the Iraq issue”, and that there needs to be a clear transition period where it is clear that Assad is “not part of Syria’s future”.”

      • If hundreds of terrorists leave Syria and travel to the US and Europe they will join the thousands that the open border fools have let into our nations.

      • He must take pride in having ensured we’re protected by the most highly skilled intelligence professionals. Every agent under his command knows that Countering Violent Extremism has nothing to do with Islam.

        His name is on the next attack. Let his child or grandchild be at Ground Zero.

    • Hillary Clinton will reset Syria policy against ‘murderous’ Assad regime

      Hillary Clinton will order a “full review” of the United States’ strategy on Syria as a “first key task” of her presidency, resetting the policy to emphasise the “murderous” nature of the Assad regime, foreign policy adviser with her campaign has said.

      Jeremy Bash, who served as chief of staff for the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency, said Mrs Clinton would both escalate the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and work to get Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, “out of there”.

      “A Clinton administration will not shrink from making clear to the world exactly what the Assad regime is,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph. “It is a murderous regime that violates human rights; that has violated international law; used chemical weapons against his own people; has killed hundreds of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of children.”

      Mr Obama has been roundly criticised by top experts and members of his own administration for instating an approach to the Syrian war – which has seen estimates of more than 400,000 people killed – that is riven with contradictions.

      The White House remains notionally committed to removing Mr Assad, whilst at the same time, working in alliance with Russia, Damascus’ top champion.

      The new agreement it was setting out with Moscow earlier this month would see US forces join Russia in a bombing campaign against Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist group that includes cells who are allied with Al-Qaeda, but whose focus has been combatting the Syrian government.

      As America switches its focus to destroying Isil and creating alliances with Moscow, the White House has quietly dropped its rhetoric against the Assad regime.

      Critics warn that this approach will only foster anti-American sentiment among Syrians, who feel abandoned by the United States following its failure to take decisive action against Damascus.

      A source with access to White House officials said the administration sees the dangers that partnering with Russia could have in terms of worsening the dynamics on the ground, but that the president is trying to cover his bases until he steps down in November.

      The source said the White House feels it cannot not be seen to be doing nothing against an Al-Qaeda affiliate at a time of heightened national security in America. Were there to be an attack in the US that was claimed by Al-Qaeda the president’s legacy would be destroyed, they fear.

      Speaking on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention, Mr Bash, who is advising the party’s presidential nominee, said a Clinton administration would seek to bring ” MORAL CLARITY ” to the US strategy on the Syrian crises.

      “I predict that a Syria policy review will be one of the first items of business for the national security team,” he said.

      Mr Bash refused to say what specific action the Clinton administration may take, saying it was not possible to plan the “granular detail” whilst still waging an election campaign.

      The Clinton campaign strategy as listed on its website revives a long proposed, but never implemented, plan to create “safe zones” on the ground for civilians.

      This would require a de facto no fly zone to prevent air strikes in the area. It is a strategy that has been passionately opposed by Damascus, which sees this is a safe haven for rebel opposition groups.

      “This creates leverage and momentum for a diplomatic solution that removes Assad and brings Syria’s communities together to fight ISIS,” the policy on Mrs Clinton’s website reads.

      Mr Bash describes a foreign policy more hawkish than that of the current administration. He said there were a “lot of clues” to how Mrs Clinton will behave as commander-in-chief from her time as secretary of state. During that time she championed the intervention in Libya and advocated the arming of Syrian rebels against the regime.

      “She sees the importance of American leadership as a first principle,” he said. “Mrs Clinton believes that problems around the world can more easily be solved when America is involved and in each of those problems or crisis. We always try to work with coalitions of people and countries and leaders who are willing to tackle the problems in the same way we are.”

      Jamie Rubin, the former US diplomat and close Clinton ally, separately told The Telegraph that Mrs Clinton, who supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, would not feel “constrained” as many in the Obama administration have been in the wake of its disastrous legacy.

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/29/hillary-clinton-will-reset-syria-policy-against-murderous-assad/

      • What did Assad ever do to the USA that earned this hatred from Obama & Hillary Clinton? That he was defending the religious diversity of his state?

        • Defending religious diversity was and is one of his sins, but the main one was and is n ot listening to Obama and obeying his orders.

        • Obama sees Erdogan’s as his mentor.

          Erdogan’s has a personal grudge against Assad.

          Also, Added is not a Sunni…

          That is why Erdogan’s, Obama and ISIS teamed up against him.

    • USA: State Dept. reacts to Russian plans for safe corridors for Aleppo civilians

      • Because ISIS doesn’t want them evacuated, they want the propaganda when one or more civilians are killed.

      • Are these the same “Moderate Opposition” groups that are willingly giving ISIS all of their weaons.

    • ‘Dozens of families’ leave besieged Aleppo: Syria state news

      Dozens of families left the besieged opposition-held east of Syria’s Aleppo city on Saturday through a “humanitarian corridor” to the government-held west, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

      The evacuations came 48 hours after regime ally Russia announced that three humanitarian passages would be opened to allow civilians and surrendering fighters to cross from the besieged rebel-held districts of the city to government territory.

      “This morning dozens of families left via the corridors identified… to allow the exit of citizens besieged by terrorist groups in the eastern neighbourhoods,” SANA reported.

      “They were welcomed by members of the army and taken by bus to temporary shelters,” it added.

      It also said “a number” of women over the age of 40 had left the rebel-held east and had been taken to shelters.

      The agency carried photos showing dozens of people, mostly women and children, walking past soldiers and boarding buses.

      State television also broadcast footage it said showed residents crossing from the east to the west.

      SANA added that “armed men from eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo” had turned themselves in to army soldiers in Salaheddin district, without giving figures or showing pictures of the incident.

      The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, confirmed that “a number” of civilians had left the east of the city through a passage in the Salaheddin neighbourhood.

      It had no exact figures for the number of people who had evacuated.

      Aleppo has been roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012, and the frontline runs through several neighbourhoods, including Salaheddin.

      The rebel-held side of the city has been effectively under government siege since July 7, when regime forces advanced to within firing range of the only remaining supply route to opposition neighbourhoods.

      The encirclement has led to food shortages and spiralling prices in the east, with fears of a humanitarian crisis for the estimated 250,000 still living there.

      https://www.yahoo.com/news/dozens-families-leave-besieged-aleppo-111850979.html

    • Syria: Militants in Aleppo surrender after humanitarian corridors open

      Footage released by RT Arabic on Saturday shows Syrian militants leaving a dilapidated building in Aleppo, before surrendering and laying down their arms.

      It is estimated that dozens of militants in Aleppo’s east have laid down arms in the past two days alone, according to a militia source based in the city.

  2. Terror attacks dismay Afghan migrants in Istanbul (BBC, video, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36918210

    “The latest terror attacks in Germany and France have left migrants in Turkey worried about their chances of reaching northern Europe.

    They fear hostility towards Muslim asylum seekers, amid heightened anxiety about jihadists in Europe.

    The BBC’s Nick Thorpe met an Afghan family in Istanbul.”

  3. Afghan Official: Taliban Capture District in Helmand (abcnews, July 29, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-official-taliban-capture-district-helmand-41010728

    “An Afghan official says an important district in Helmand province has fallen to Taliban control after heavy fighting that killed or wounded up to 20 police officers.

    Abdul Majeed Akhonzada, deputy director of the provincial council, said Saturday that Kanashin district has “fallen into Taliban hands.”

    Kanashin borders Pakistan and major poppy-producing districts, and is an important drug smuggling route.

    Akhonzada says the district police chief and deputy head of the intelligence agency were critically wounded in clashes late Friday.

    Precise casualty figures can’t be confirmed, he says, as bodies litter the ground and fighting is ongoing.

    The fall of Kanashin follows a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction concluding that government forces have lost five percent of the territory they held at the end of January.”

  4. We feel Erdogan’s need to get to the bottom of this failed coup. 29 July 2016

  5. US & Saudi Arabia ‘Involved in Turkey’s Downing of Russian Su-24’ in Syria

    German former CDU politician and Vice-President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Willy Wimmer told Sputnik Deutschland that he fears NATO involvement in the downing of Russia’s Su-24 bomber over Syria last November.

    NATO was involved in last year’s downing of Russia’s Su-24 bomber in Syrian airspace, Willy Wimmer, former Vice-President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), told Sputnik Deutschland on Friday.

    On November 24 2015 Turkish jets downed a Russian Su-24 bomber carrying out anti-terror operations in Syria. The plane’s two co-pilots parachuted from the plane but one of them, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, was shot and killed by suspected Turkmen militants operating in Syria.

    The incident caused a major diplomatic dispute between Turkey and Russia; the former said the bomber was shot for infringing Turkish airspace, but Russia maintains the Su-24 did not enter Turkish airspace, and was carrying out an anti-Daesh mission in Syria when it was downed.

    The downing had been interpreted as a unilateral decision by Turkey, but Willy Wimmer contends that in fact, NATO and Saudi forces were involved in the incident.

    “Aircraft like that Russian Su-24 bomber are not that easy to just shoot out of the sky. You need to take aim, and you can only do that with AWACS aircraft.”

    The two AWACS planes involved in the incident took off from a NATO base on Cyprus, and an airbase in Saudi Arabia respectively, Wimmer said. He explained that according to NATO guidelines, if a plane is believed to be violating another country’s airspace then contact should made with the appropriate flight control center to draw the pilot’s attention to the error.

    In peacetime, the most a military aircraft is allowed to do is to force a stray aircraft to make an emergency landing.

    “What happened there does not comply with international regulations in any way. They brought the Russian plane down because they wanted to,” Wimmer said.

    Wimmer believes that the motivation for enabling the otherwise inexplicable attack, was a desire on the part of Turkey’s allies to spoil diplomatic relations between Turkey and Russia.

    “Last year the construction of the South Stream pipeline (from Russia) through the EU was stopped because of American pressure. A few weeks later, Russia and Turkey successfully created a replacement, the Turkish Stream. Of course, that was diametrically opposed to the Americans’ sanctions politics against Russia. The reaction of the Americans can be interpreted accordingly,” Wimmer believes.

    Last month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter of apology to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the downing of the Su-24. The Turkish President said that Turkey “never had a desire or a deliberate intention to down an aircraft belonging to Russia,” and expressed his deep sympathy and condolences to the relatives of the deceased Russian pilot.

    http://sputniknews.com/world/20160729/1043762151/su24-downing-nato-saudi-involvement.html

  6. (Venezuela’s communist government is moving to become more like North Korea and Cambodia, They are now forcing everyone into slave labor to try and fix the food crisis they caused. This is the future for all Western Nations if the leftist domination of our governments isn’t stopped)

    Venezuela’s new decree: Forced farm work for citizens

    A new decree by Venezuela’s government could make its citizens work on farms to tackle the country’s severe food shortages.

    That “effectively amounts to forced labor,” according to Amnesty International, which derided the decree as “unlawful.”

    In a vaguely-worded decree, Venezuelan officials indicated that public and private sector employees could be forced to work in the country’s fields for at least 60-day periods, which may be extended “if circumstances merit.”

    “Trying to tackle Venezuela’s severe food shortages by forcing people to work the fields is like trying to fix a broken leg with a band aid,” Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas’ Director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

    President Nicolas Maduro is using his executive powers to declare a state of economic emergency. By using a decree, he can legally circumvent Venezuela’s opposition-led National Assembly — the Congress — which is staunchly against all of Maduro’s actions.

    http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/29/news/economy/venezuela-decree-farm-labor/

    • Venezuela’s socialist dictator announces forced-labor law

      Karl Marx famously said that history repeats itself first as tragedy, and second as farce.

      It may be necessary to revise that formulation. In Venezuela, in July 2016, history is repeating itself as something more like a cable-channel reality show. Not exactly farce – which is well and tightly plotted, even when it’s unintentional – but full-frontal, open-ended whoa-dude banality.

      Nicolas Maduro, the pale copy of Hugo Chavez who took over Chavez’s socialist-tyrant duties in 2013, signed a new law last week informing able-bodied, working-age Venezuelans that they would be forced into agricultural labor in order to boost national production. The shelves are empty and people can’t find enough to eat. So Maduro is ordering them to present themselves at the farms and till the soil, for wages that he is (hilariously) directing their current employers to cover.

      Many commentators rightly invoke the images of forced socialist collectivization from the 20th century’s darkest hours, in the Soviet Union and China, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.

      But while those terrible episodes were assuredly tragedies, what Maduro is doing is something beyond farce. Farce in this case would pay some homage to the ideological framework of its preceding tragedy, socialist collectivization. Marx’s specific case of farce, indeed, did pay such homage to its preceding tragedy.

      http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/07/30/venezuelas-socialist-dictator-announces-forced-labor-law/

  7. Merkel MUST go! Germans plan ‘huge’ demonstration over leader’s open door asylum policy
    GERMAN activists are planning to hold a “huge” protest in Berlin today against Angela Merkel’s open door asylum policy.

    Thousands are expected to gather in the capital’s historic Washington Square for an anti-immigration rally, where they will be addressed by right-wing politicians.

    News of the gathering is being spread under the hashtag #Merkelmussweg – meaning Merkel must go – which has been used more than 1,500 times in 24 hours reaching hundreds of thousands of people.

    Police are preparing for crowds of around 5,000 people from across the country to gather in the capital city from 3pm, with counter-demonstrations by anti-fascist groups also expected.

    The march is being organised by a coalition of anti-immigrant groups in Germany, where fears have been stoked by a succession of terrorist attacks carried out by refugees.

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/694786/Merkelmussweg-protest-Berlin-Angela-Merkel-refugee-policy-immigration-Germany

  8. Turkey cancels 50,000 passports as President Erdogan tightens noose around suspected dissidents after failed coup

    It is the latest stage in President Erdogan’s clampdown on alleged dissidents in the country, and signals his regime’s increasingly authoritarian policies

    Turkey has cancelled the passports of almost 50,000 people following coup attempt.

    It is the latest stage in President Erdogan’s clampdown on alleged dissidents in the country, and signals his regime’s increasingly authoritarian policies.

    It comes after the Turkish Government shut down 130 media outlets in a mass purge of the media following the coup attempt.

    President Recep Erdogan has responded to the apparent coup attempt by clamping down on alleged dissidents since the failed bid to oust him from power rocked the country.

    The increasingly authoritarian regime has purged the media, universities, schools, the police, judiciary and military of potential opponents.

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/turkey-cancels-50000-passports-president-8524161

    • According to Mark Steyn, under new IRS rules, the IRS can prevent you from traveling abroad. So in the USA, a government bureaucrat can block you. This is “Freedom” under the Obama regime.

      • That sounds like the Dems, they want total control of everyone and everything.

  9. Erdogan tells West ‘mind your own business’ over crackdown criticism

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the European Union and United States to “mind your own business” after the West expressed alarm over the growing crackdown against suspected accomplices in the failed coup.

    “Some people give us advice. They say they are worried. Mind your own business! Look at your own deeds,” Erdogan said at the presidential palace, complaining no senior Western official had visited Turkey in the wake of the coup.

    “Not a single person has come to give condolences either from the European Union… or from the West,” said Erdogan.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/29/erdogan-tells-west-mind-your-own-business-over-crackdown-critici/

  10. Russia says spyware found in state computer networks

    MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s intelligence service said on Saturday that the computer networks of 20 organizations, including state agencies and defense companies, have been infected with spyware in what it described as a targeted and coordinated attack.

    The Federal Security Service, the FSB, said the malware and the way the networks were infected were similar to those used in previous cases of cyber espionage found in Russia and other countries. The agency did not say who it suspected of being behind the attacks.

    “Information technology resources of government agencies, scientific and military institutions, defense industry companies and other entities involved in crucial infrastructure have been infected,” the FSB said in a statement on its website.

    The FSB’s announcement follows reports of cyber attacks on the U.S. Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the fundraising committee for Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Cyber security experts and U.S. officials have said there was evidence that Russia engineered the DNC hack to release sensitive party emails in order to influence the U.S. presidential election. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the incident.

    http://www.oann.com/russia-says-spyware-found-in-state-computer-networks/

  11. Dutch heighten security at Amsterdam airport, citing threat `indications’

    AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch police conducted security searches around Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Saturday in response to “indications” of a threat, an official said, causing traffic jams during the busy summer holiday season.

    The National Coordinator for Counter-terrorism and Security Policy (NCTV) provided no details of the possible threat, but it said extra security measures were implemented, including vehicle searches.

    “There was a (threat) indication related to the airport,” said spokesman Edmond Messchaert. “The increased measures are intended to ensure the safety of people working at the airport and travelers.”

    The national threat level in the Netherlands was unchanged at “substantial,” or one notch from the highest.

    After attacks by Islamist radicals in France, Belgium and Germany, the Netherlands is considered a prominent target, because it supports U.S.-led military operations against Islamic State in the Middle East.

    The last major attack in the Netherlands was the killing by a Muslim radical of Theo van Gogh, the outspoken, film maker and grandson of the famous painter, in 2004.

    http://www.oann.com/dutch-heighten-security-at-amsterdam-airport-citing-threat-indications/

  12. Teen Syrian refugees in Germany murder man and dump his body in bathtub after buying ‘death kit’

    Two teenage Syrian refugees have confessed to the murder of a man found bound with cable ties and strangled in a bath tub.

    The 19-year-olds were arrested in the towns of Puch bei Hallein and Thalgau, close to the murder scene in the Austrian city of Salzburg.

    According to a report by the Salzburg Nachrichten , the victim was a Serbian national who worked as a toilet cleaner at the Salzburg railway station who had befriended the two young men, who have not been named, and invited them back to his house.

    It appears that they accepted the invitation with the intention of committing the crime, as before the two Syrians went to the victim’s home, they bought a ‘death kit’ of disposable gloves and tape at a nearby gas station, according to local media.

    According to Salzburg police Superintendent Franz Ruf, they then attacked the man after a short conversation.

    The refugees are said to have tied the 30-year-old Serb up using cable ties before repeatedly beating him in an attempt to force him to hand over his bank card PIN code .

    Reports say that one of the offenders then admitted to having strangled the victim. It is not yet known if the refugees managed to get the code and were able to withdraw money using the victim’s card.

    They are said to have left the victim’s body in the bathtub which they filled up with water and to cover their tracks, they added detergent, shampoo and shower gel to the water.

    Because the plug was leaking, police officers found the body in an empty bathtub after the victim’s father sounded the alarm when he did not hear back from his son.

    Police Colonel Karl-Heinz Pracher from the State Criminal Police Office said the whole apartment of the victim had been ransacked by the two refugees.

    He said: “It was a huge mess, they had thrown everything on the floor.”

    The duo took clothes, shoes, a razor, a hair dryer and two phones with them in a bin bag. One of the refugees had distinctive curly hair according to witnesses who spotted the perpetrators and later described their appearance to police.

    After he was identified police confirmed that he had already been granted refugee status and had been living in Austria since 2014.

    After his arrest, his fingerprints and the fingerprints of his friend were taken and police confirmed they had also been linked with numerous other crimes, ranging from property crimes to violent attacks with bodily injuries.

    The Syrian was caught after he was arrested in Germany on 13th July at the border railway station of Freilassing and he was deported back to Austria.

    While processing the paperwork, police realised that he was wearing the victim’s clothes.

    Both of the men have confessed to the crime, according to the police who said that when the Syrian was asked why he was wearing the clothes of his victim, he reportedly said: “I don’t see why I should not, I washed them before I put them on.”

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/teen-syrian-refugees-germany-murder-8512567#ICID=sharebar_twitter

  13. Turkey-PKK conflict: Dozens killed in south-east clashes (BBC, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36932941

    “The Turkish military has killed 35 Kurdish militants who tried to storm a base in the south-east, officials say.

    The overnight attack, in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province near the Iraqi border, came hours after clashes between soldiers and militants left eight soldiers dead in the area.

    A ceasefire between Turkey’s military and the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) broke down in July last year.

    The army is reeling from a huge purge following a coup attempt two weeks ago.

    In the latest incident in the south-east, PKK fighters were spotted by aerial reconnaissance as they were advancing on the base overnight, the military said.

    An air operation was launched, killing 23 militants. Twelve more were killed in later clashes on the ground, the statement added.

    The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, alleging widespread abuse and discrimination against Kurds by Turkish authorities.

    Since the ceasefire broke down a year ago, military operations in the south-east and retaliatory attacks by the PKK have left hundreds of people dead…”

  14. Dozens Suspended From Turkey’s Highest Court in Coup Probe (abcnews, July 30, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/istanbul-court-releases-hundreds-conscripts-arrest-41011851

    “Dozens of employees at Turkey’s highest court have been suspended from their jobs as part of the government crackdown in the wake of a failed military coup, authorities said Saturday.

    Sixty-four employees at the Constitutional Court were suspended until an assessment could be made on any possible links they have to the July 15 attempted coup, the court said in a statement. Eight other employees had already been dismissed and were detained on July 18, it said.

    Nearly 70,000 people in Turkey have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs, according to the latest figures cited by the state-run Anadolu news agency, affecting workers in the judiciary, the education system, media, health care and other sectors. It’s part of a broad crackdown by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government on those suspected of ties to a U.S.-based cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who the government says was behind the attempted coup…”

  15. Belgium charges man with planned terror attack (BBC, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36932227

    “One of two brothers arrested in Belgium in an anti-terror operation has been charged with attempting to commit “terrorist murder”.

    Prosecutors said the 33-year-old man, named as Nourredine H, is also accused of being part of a terrorist group.

    He and his brother, named as Hamza H, were arrested on Friday after searches in the Mons area and the city of Liege.

    Hamza H was released on Saturday without charge. No weapons or explosives were found in the searches…”

  16. France church attackers ‘smiled’ and spoke of Koran (thelocal, July 30, 2016)
    http://bit.ly/2aEQHV6

    “One of the jihadists who murdered an elderly French priest smiled as he carried out the attack, and nuns who witnessed the grisly murder said the killers spoke about the Koran…”

  17. Poll: Germans pessimistic on refugees (DW, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/poll-germans-pessimistic-on-refugees/a-19438754

    “A minority of Germans have confidence in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “We can do it” promise of accepting refugees. The YouGov online poll recently surveyed more than 2,000 people on refugees and fear of terror attacks.

    Merkel coined the motivational slogan “Wir schaffen das” (We can do it) last August during the height of the crisis as thousands of refugees were making their way to Germany on a daily basis.

    But now, a year later, the internet pollster YouGov found that when 1,017 Germans were asked: “How do you feel about Merkel’s statement ‘We can do it,’ repeated several times in relation to the high number of refugees in Germany and the country’s ability to accept them and look after them?” some 48 percent said they did “not agree at all” and a further 18 percent said they “slightly disagree,” with an overall negative answer topping 66 percent.

    Those who “slightly agree” were 18 percent and 8 percent were in total agreement, meaning little more than a quarter of respondents had confidence in Merkel’s promise.

    That means the numbers of those who agree with Merkel’s optimism on refugees are at their lowest point since August 15, 2015, with her center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party facing a general election next year.

    The online poll was conducted between July 26 and 29.

    Fears of more attacks on German soil

    Quizzed about the perceived threat of Islamist attacks in Germany, most said they are likely but few planned to alter their lifestyle out of fear.

    The separate YouGov poll found 75 percent think an attack is likely. But only 14 per cent said they had avoided getting onto a bus or a train because of those worries in the last three months.

    The survey showed that about half of Germans surveyed online use public transportation on a regular basis. Additional survey returns showed that 14 percent of respondents said they were so worried about terrorism they would skip attending a concert or festival.

    However, significantly more than half said they wouldn’t let such worries influence them.

    Tellingly, some 26 percent said they didn’t like going to large-scale events anyway and, overall, 67 percent said they would continue moving freely in open spaces.

    These views are drawn from a survey commissioned for the DPA news agency, polling 2,061 people online between July 27 and 29.”

  18. Far-right anti-Erdogan protest allowed to go ahead in Cologne on day of demonstrations (DW, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/far-right-anti-erdogan-protest-allowed-to-go-ahead-in-cologne-on-day-of-demonstrations/a-19438684

    “A court in Münster has given permission for a far-right protest against Turkish President Erdogan to take place on Sunday in Cologne. Erdogan supporters will also be taking to the streets of the western German city.

    A spokesman for the Higher Administrative Court in Münster confirmed on Saturday that it had rejected an appeal by Cologne police to ban an anti-Erdogan demonstration called by the far-right political party Pro NRW for Sunday.

    The court upheld an earlier decision by a Cologne court to allow the demonstration to go ahead, despite police fears that violent members of the HoGeSa (Hooligans Against Salafists) group could join in the protest.

    The demonstration is to take place under the motto “No tributes to Erdogan in Germany: Stop the Islamist autocrat from the Bosporus” in response to a planned rally by up to 30,000 Erdogan supporters in the city on the same day.

    No Erdogan live presentation

    The Münster court, which is responsible for administrative disputes, also rejected an appeal by the organizers of the pro-Erdogan demonstration to be allowed to show the Turkish president live on a large screen during the event.

    Police have voiced fears that such a presentation could cause participants to become over-excited…”

  19. ‘We’ll freeze Turkey talks’ warns EU as arrests continue (thelocal, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.thelocal.de/20160730/well-freeze-turkey-talks-warns-eu-as-erdogan-crushes-opposition

    “As Turkish authorities on Friday widened their sweeping post-coup crackdown to the business sector, the European Union’s enlargement commissioner implicitly warned that the bloc would freeze Turkey’s accession talks if the crackdown violated the rule of law…”

  20. Egypt’s Conservatives Party urges government to consider asylum request from Gulen if presented (ahram, July 30, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/236421/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Conservatives-Party-urges-government-to-con.aspx

    “Egypt’s Conservatives Party urged the government to consider giving political asylum to exiled Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gulen should he submit an official request.

    According to the party’s deputy chairman Mohsen Fawzi, “if Gulen decided to submit an official political asylum request to Egypt, the government should consider it and it has the right to approve or reject it.”

    The Conservatives Party is an Egyptian opposition party with six MPs in parliament led by business tycoon Akmal Qortam.

    “Egypt’s historical, regional, and international standing should force it to adopt certain positions, but these positions must go in line with international laws,” said Fawzi.

    “Political asylum can’t be granted to Gulen unless he submits an official request.”

    However, Fawzi said that “until Gulen decides whether he wants to seek political asylum in Egypt or elsewhere, there should not be a special debate on this issue in parliament at the moment.”

    “The Gulen affair is the last thing Egypt needs at the moment because it Erdogan might exploit it, as he exploited the failed coup against him to impose his dictatorship, to portray it as a battle [waged by] Egypt against the Turkish people,” said Fawzi.

    “Our battle for improving the economy and rebuilding the state should get the government’s paramount attention and it should not be distracted by any other battles.”

    Fawzi added that “we should not care too much about the Muslim Brotherhood regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan’s hostile attitude towards Egypt.”

    “This regime will leave power one day, but the Turkish people will stay and we have historically strong relations with this people,” said Fawzi.

    The Conservatives Party’s statement comes after Egypt MP Emad Mahrous demanded last week that the government grant political asylum to Gulen.

    Mahrous accused Erdogan of exploiting the failed coup ?against him this month to detain hundreds ?of his political opponents and turn Turkey ?into a Muslim Brotherhood dictatorship.

    The statement also comes after 337 MPs – more than half of deputies – called on parliament last week to approve a draft resolution in favour of recognising the death of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman state in 1915 as a “genocide.”

    MPs said parliament must hold a special session on this subject because it was a crime of mass extermination that should be condemned by all world parliaments.

    Prime minister of Egypt Sherif Ismail said last week that Egypt has not received political asylum request from Gulen, whom Erdogan and his government accuse of orchestrating the attempted coup of 15 July, though he denied having any connection with the incident.

    Turkey has officially asked the United States to extradite Gulen, some Western media speculating that Gulen may leave the US to avoid extradition.

    Egypt Prime Minister Ismail said that if Gulen submits any asylum request, Egyptian authorities would consider it.”

  21. Austrian anti-migrant group LEAD first election poll as anger at open borders increases (express, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/695027/Austria-Freedom-Party-lead-first-election-poll-as-anger-at-open-borders-increases

    “THE far-right Austrian Freedom Party candidate is leading the first opinion poll ahead of the re-run of the presidential election as tensions escalate over the migrant crisis.

    Eurosceptic Norbert Hofer has been given another chance to become the first far-right head of state in the EU after losing out in May by just 31,000 votes.

    According to early opinion polls Mr Hofer has a four per cent lead over main rival Alexander Van der Bellen.

    Mr Hofer received the support of 52 per cent of respondents to a Gallup poll and Mr Van der Bellen got 48 per cent.

    The poll was carried out on behalf of Austrian tabloid Oesterreich.

    Pro-European former Green Party leader Mr Van der Bellen, 72, controversially won the presidency with 50.3 per cent of the votes.

    Following an investigation into voter fraud and irregularities at some of the counts and an appeal by Mr Hofer’s party, a re-election has been called for October 2.

    Support for Mr Hofer, 45, and the Freedom Party has surged in the wake of the migrant crisis…”

  22. ‘See you soon!’ Terror panic as Arabic threats sent to Argentina’s leader (express, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/694987/Terror-panic-Arabic-threats-twitter-sent-Argentina-leader-president-Mauricio-Macri

    “TWO men have been arrested in Argentina after terrorism threats were sent to the nation’s president Mauricio Macri.

    The 21-year-olds posted a series of tweets in Arabic threatening to obliterate the South American country.

    The authorities were alerted after an image of explosives was tweeted to the Argentinian president saying “See you soon”.

    Messages were sent late last night as Mr Macri was due to appear at a series of high-profile events in Buenos Aires attended by thousands of people.

    Police raided a house in Buenos Aires where the men were arrested. They are accused of “public intimidation”.

    All the electronic devices found in the home have been seized by the cybercrime division of Policia Metropolitana.

    The head of the division, Carlos Rojas, told Todo Noticias: “We’ll need to figure out the motives behind these messages. Whether it was out of boredom, political views or religious ideology….

    The account @HassanAbuJaaf was created on Friday and tweeted pictures of the Argentinian Capital with the hash tags #PrayForArgentina and #OpenFireInArgentina.

    Many images feature sights such as the government house, Casa Rosada, as well as shopping centres and tube carriages….

    Some tweets mention Pope Francis as well as threatening jewish populated neighbourhoods saying ‘mercenaries Zionists’ will be the focus of their attacks.

    National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich has said the men do not seem to pose a real threat, but added the government is waiting for the investigation to bring answers to light…”

  23. Botched kidnap duo spotted YARDS from RAF base where they attempted Isis-inspired attack (express, July 30, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/694975/terror-RAF-base-kidnap-attack-wanted-Isis

    “A PAIR of terror suspects wanted for a botched kidnap attempt on an airman have reportedly been spotted around the RAF base they targeted.

    RAF Marham has been on high alert after two suspected jihadis tried to snatch the armed services member in broad daylight.

    The foiled fanatics are feared to have been plotting a Lee Rigby-style attack.

    Police released e-fits of the two suspects in a bid to track them down, and sightings have been reported around the base.

    It is thought the pair have gone into hiding after the botched attempt.

    Their target was out jogging when they struck, with the stockier, bearded man trying to bundle him into a dark-coloured people carrier.

    He managed to fight the pair off, despite the second man threatening him with a knife, and raised the alarm.

    Since the incident last week around 70 officers – including 20 anti-terror officers – have been sweeping the area around the base.

    Colonel Richard Kemp, 57, ex-commander of UK forces in Afghanistan and ex-member of the Cobra crisis committee, said he thought the attempted attack was terror-related.

    He said: “The description of the individuals is of either Middle Eastern or Asian origin which would certainly suggest the profile that’s most common to Islamic terrorists operating here in the United Kingdom.

    “So, I think it’s highly likely that with somebody in the vicinity of a base — obviously a military person out running — attempted abduction is almost certainly going to be terrorism.”

    They are thought to be holed up near the scene in Norfolk, after being spotted by members of the public nearby on two separate occasions.

    Officers have been scouring CCTV footage and have yet to find their getaway vehicle, also fuelling suspicions they are close by.

    A source said: “Police are taking any possibility this was a terror attack very seriously indeed…”

  24. ‘She was a gift’ – Afghan priest, 60, arrested after marrying six-year-old girl

    A CLERIC has been arrested after marrying a six-year-old girl in Afghanistan.

    The 60-year-old Muslim priest claimed the child was a “religious offering” and sent to him as a “gift”.

    He claimed the child bride’s parents were aware of the marriage that took place in a village on the Ghor province of central Afghanistan.

    But the child’s parents claim their daughter was kidnapped from Herat province in western Afghanistan in June.

    Cleric Sayed Mohammad Karim defended the marriage in a radio interview.

    He said: “The girl was given to me as a gift and we were married so I could raise her.

    After the parents gave their daughter to me, they said, ‘you can take her wherever you want.’”

    The wedding took place during Ramadan in front of 40 guests.

    Deputy police commander of Ghor, Mohammed Zeman Azami, said: “This man has said his wedding to this girl was approved by her mother and father.

    “We spoke to her parents and they strongly deny they attended the wedding. On the phone, the parents told me their daughter was kidnapped.”

    The girl has been rescued and placed in a woman’s shelter in Ghor.

    Masoom Anwar, head of the women affairs department in Ghor, said: “This girl does not speak, but repeats only one thing: ‘I am afraid of this man’.”

    Hospital officials say the girl has not been physically harmed and shows no sign of psychological harm.

    The legal age of marriage in Afghanistan, under civil law, is 16 years for women and 18 years for men.

    But under Sharia law children can be married, with the permission of their father or grandfather.

    Poor families have been known to marry their daughters off at a young age to secure their futures.

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/695012/Afghan-priest-aged-60-arrested-after-marrying-six-year-old-girl

  25. 7,000 Police SHUT DOWN Incirlik air base in Turkey with U.S. troops amidst COUP rumors

    Turkish Police Block Access to NATO’s Incirlik Air Base – Home of US Nukes

    All inputs and outputs to the Incirlik Air Base located in Adana have been closed as Turkish Minister of European Affairs cautions that it is just a “safety inspection” while local newspapers speculate that a second coup attempt may be underway.

    Some 7,000 armed police with heavy vehicles have surrounded and blocked the Incirlik air base in Adana used by NATO forces, already restricted in the aftermath of a failed coup. Unconfirmed reports say troops were sent to deal with a new coup attempt.

    According to the Turkish Minister for European Affairs, Omar Celik, this is just a routine “safety inspection.” Hurriyet, by contrast, reports that anti-terror police received reports of a second attempt by Gulenists to overthrow the Erdogan regime.

    Incirlik Air Base, located in the province of Adana, is a critical NATO base in Turkey. The US maintains 50 to 90 tactical nuclear weapons at the base.

    Local media has focused on the base after the failed coup in Turkey occurred the night of July 15. Although the main scenes of the events were Istanbul and Ankara, Incirlik was shut down for a time by local authorities shortly after the putsch, and several Turkish soldiers from the base were deemed by Turkish officials to be involved in the overthrow attempt.

    The lockdown at Incirlik follows a massive wave of protests on Thursday when pro-Erdogan nationalists took to the streets yelling “death to the US” and called for the immediate closure of the Incirlik base. Security personnel dispersed the protesters before they were able to make it to the base.

    The massive presence of armed police supported by heavy vehicles calls into question the Turkish government’s official line that the lock down at the Incirlik base is merely a “safety inspection.”?

    The situation continues to develop in front of NATO’s Incirlik Air Base as more heavy trucks have been dispatched to surround and block access to the critical military facility that is at the heart of the defense alliance’s air campaign to combat terror in Syria.

    http://sputniknews.com/news/20160731/1043797161/incirlik-turkey-erdogan-nato-nukes.html

    • Reports Turkish troops have sealed off Incirlik US/NATO nuclear air base

      TURKEY has sent police to surround the Incirlik air base it operates with the United States — and where a large stockpile of NATO nuclear weapons is held — ahead of a visit by a senior US official tomorrow.

      Unconfirmed reports out of Turkey suggest all entrances to the air base have been blocked by heavy vehicles and police sent to secure its peremiter.

      The unusual nigh-time move sparked rumours of a second coup attempt on Turkish social media, with concerned citizens rushing to the air base to join the blockade.

      The move comes less than a week after a top US Army general was accused by Turkish media of ‘leading’ the uprising against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month.

      But Turkish Minister for European Affairs has since reportedly sought to reassure local media, stating the mission was just a “safety inspection”.

      Regional Governor Ahmet Cina has told Turkish news services: “Everthing is normal and controlled. There is no movement of our troops.”

      US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford is due to fly in for an inspection of the air base later today. He is also expected to hold talks with the Turkish government in Ankara.

      Last week, General Dunford labelled Turkish claims that a retired US general was behind the coup as “absurd”.

      The Middle Eastern Hurriyet news service reported Turkish authorities had responded to “intelligence reports” by ordering the move about 11pm Turkish time.

      It states ‘riot police’ and armed vehicles have ‘taken precautions’ around the base.

      The air base has been a central facility in US and NATO efforts against Islamic State. It also houses a stockpile of nuclear weapons as part of NATO’s deterrence force.

      Several of the aircraft used by coup forces during the failed uprising flew out of the Incirlik air base, which then had its power supply cut off for several weeks.

      http://www.news.com.au/world/reports-turkish-troops-have-sealed-off-incirlik-usnato-nuclear-air-base/news-story/4d7bb16e4e86842218b5b0d7d70f582b

  26. MALAYSIA – NGOs lodge reports over Namewee video for disrespecting Islam

    Representatives from 20 local NGOs had lodged a total of 10 reports at Jalan Patani police station in George Town today regarding the allegedly disrespectful music video produced by Namewee titled ‘Oh My God’.

    The NGO coalition representative, Azdy Mohd Arshad, said that the four-minute music video had shown great disrespect towards Islam.

    “We had lodged the report based on five characters that were used in the music video which had mentioned the word Allah to expel evil spirits from the surrounding, had uttered the word ‘Allah’ before drinking, the azan ( call to prayer ) had been insulted repeatedly, it showed that Muslims were terrorist and Muslims wearing religious attire were gambling,” he said during a press conference outside the police station.

    Azdy stressed that the actions of the singers in the music video were immoral and had caused anger among Muslims in the country.

    The video was allegedly shot at Tanjung Bungah mosque and several other places of worship of other religions.

    After lodging the police report for some 40 minutes, the group had torn apart Namawee’s image and had stepped on top of it as a sign of anger.

    Yesterday, state police chief Abdul Ghafar Rajab had warned the group not to do anything against the law such as burning the images of Namewee.

    Abdul Ghafar said that the police had also initiated investigation regarding the music video under Section 295 of the Penal Code.

    http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/350534

  27. ‘Radical’ Muslim cleric tells young British Muslims it is ‘ACCEPTABLE’ to keep sex slaves (express, July 31, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/695042/ali-hammuda-al-manar-mosque-young-british-muslims-cardiff-sex-slaves

    “A MUSLIM cleric from a Cardiff mosque where three British jihadis are believed to have been radicalised has told young worshippers it is “permissible” to keep sex slaves.

    Ali Hammuda is an Imam at the Al-Manar mosque in the Welsh city, and has been at this post since Nasser Muthana and Reyyad Khan, then 20, and teenager Aseel Muthana left for Syria in 2014.

    Now the preacher has been secretly filmed telling a group of young Muslims it is acceptable to keep sex slaves and that the “end of days” is near…”