Reader’s links for October 12 – 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

122 Replies to “Reader’s links for October 12 – 2016”

  1. Hungary wants to press charges against the smugglers responsible for the deaths of 71 migrants who were found suffocated in a truck in Austria.
    1 Afghan with refugee status in Hungary , 1 Lebanese with Bulgarian passport and 7 Roma from Bulgaria were arrested. The migrants entered the truck in Hungary, and had passed through other safe countries before reaching it.
    This case contributed to opening the borders and more than a million migrants from all over the world invading Europe.
    http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/murder-smuggling-charges-advised-against-austria-truck-suffocations-suspects-35125366.html

  2. Russia, US move past Cold War to unpredictable confrontation

    Washington (CNN)It’s not a new Cold War. It’s not even a deep chill. It’s an outright conflict.
    US-Russia relations have deteriorated sharply amid a barrage of accusations and disagreements, raising the stakes on issues ranging from the countries’ competing military operations in Syria, disputes over Eastern European independence and escalating cyber breaches.

    “This is a conflict, there should be no doubt,” said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, on the US-Russia confrontation.

    http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/politics/us-russia-tensions-cold-war/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29

  3. Donald Trump “I Love WikiLeaks” Discusses Hillary Leaked Emails, First Rally After Debate

  4. Turkey: Clinton remark on arming Kurds shows ‘political inexperience’

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton of “political inexperience” during a speech from Ankara on Wednesday. Erdogan was responding to remarks made by Clinton that she would consider arming Syrian Kurds as part of the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL/ISIS) if she wins the US elections.

    SOT, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey (Turkish): “It is an unlucky statement. I think the definition of this kind of statement in politics is simply political inexperience. It shouldn’t have been done. Because the sensitivities of the region is different. This kind of step can not be taken when there are this sort of sensitivities in the region. It is too wrong. Aren’t you aware that you caused the death of 600,000 people through the weapons you provided? Where is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Where is law? Where is the importance of human life? No one cares about those. Anyhow I have my weapons, let the bombs pour from the skies, Muslims dying, so what? let them die.”

  5. Great product, the Matamoros silver cross.
    Beautiful detail and heavy weight
    I bought 2 and are very pleased with prompt delivery of a real nice product. Vendor is top quality also. I highly recommend his service.
    Tom @ Lake Worth, Fl

  6. ITALY – 3 Pakistani asylum seekers held for rape

    Three Pakistani asylum seekers were jailed Wednesday on suspicion of the gang rape of an Italian woman in the Lombardy town of Chiari. The victim, 22, reported the men after being allegedly raped Monday night in the town’s public park. The three suspects are aged between 23 and 26. They are being held in prison pending an investigation.

    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2016/10/12/pakistani-asylum-seekers-held-for-rape-2_f3e3679e-8297-4775-bdae-785ee3de3c71.html

    Brescia, 22enne violentata nel parco: arrestati tre richiedenti asilo

    http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/brescia-22enne-violentata-nel-parco-arrestati-tre-1318426.html

  7. Germany: Undocumented Moroccan nationals to face deportation – De Maiziere

    German Minister of Interior Thomas De Maiziere announced that Germany would deport undocumented Moroccan nationals residing in Germany, speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.

    SOT, Thomas De Maiziere, German Minister of Interior (German): “Germany and Morocco will close the security agreement between our countries within the next few days so we can sign it quickly. In this agreement the cooperation in the fight against international terrorism is of particular importance.”

    SOT, Thomas De Maiziere, German Minister of Interior (German): “In addition, the issue of deportation is a matter in our discussions. We have 10,000 Moroccans, who live legally [in Germany] and are welcome to live in Germany. And we don’t want them to be affected by those who are here illegally. I’m grateful that the Kingdom of Morocco recognises those people that don’t have residence status here, in case they are Moroccans, and [agrees] to take those people back.”

    SOT, Thomas De Maiziere, German Minister of Interior (German): “I don’t want to comment on the current results of the investigations. I can only say, what was already known, that the explosive mixture that was found there had been produced, which is a sign that is was to be used soon.”

    • Democrats Say WikiLeaks Is a Russian Front, U.S. Intelligence Isn’t So Sure

      Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC accuse Julian Assange of working with Moscow to elect Donald Trump by leaking embarrassing emails. Are they getting ahead of U.S. intelligence?

      The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee are publicly accusing WikiLeaks of being a front for the Russian government and an ally in efforts to help elect Donald Trump, but U.S. intelligence officials aren’t so sure.

      On Monday, Clinton’s spokesman called WikiLeaks “a propaganda arm” of the Kremlin and accused the site’s founder, Julian Assange, of “colluding with [the] Russian government to help Trump” by leaking embarrassing emails taken from the Democratic National Committee and from the account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. That statement went further than an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies and the Homeland Security Department last week that stopped short of explicitly naming WikiLeaks as a Russian agent. (It also made no mention of Trump or his campaign.)

      Then, on Tuesday, the interim chair of the DNC tied WikiLeaks to an ongoing campaign to meddle with the U.S. elections. “Our Intelligence Community has made it clear that the Russian government is responsible for the cyberattacks aimed at interfering with our election, and that WikiLeaks is part of that effort,” Donna Brazile said in a statement.

      But four U.S. military and intelligence officials told The Daily Beast that the relationship between Russia and WikiLeaks is not so clear cut. Undoubtedly, the group has benefited from the work of Russian hackers, who passed purloined emails to WikiLeaks. But does that mean that WikiLeaks is taking orders from Vladimir Putin and doing his bidding?

      “For Russia, WikiLeaks is more like a useful idiot because they [WikiLeaks] are too cowardly and dumb to be in on the master plan,” one U.S. official told The Daily Beast, describing the website as essentially giving cover to Russian hackers.

      Military and intelligence officials are convinced that WikiLeaks is an ongoing threat to U.S. national security and privacy owing to its leaks of classified documents and emails. But its precise relationship with Russia has been a subject of internal debate. Some do see the group as being in cahoots with the Kremlin. But others find that WikiLeaks is acting mainly as the beneficiary of stolen documents, not unlike a journalistic organization.

      The intelligence agencies’ carefully worded statement last week about Russia’s role in hacking the DNC and other organizations suggests that there’s no consensus on precisely how WikiLeaks and Russia work together. Referring to two other outfits that have disclosed stolen emails, the statement read, “The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts.”

      But there was no suggestion that any of those groups conducted hacking themselves—and many experts believe they haven’t—nor was there any elaboration on how “Russian-directed efforts” involved WikiLeaks. Experts have said that the Guccifer 2.0 persona is acting on behalf of Russia, but it appears mainly to be a conduit of information, and WikiLeaks insists that it has an independent process of vetting the information it receives.

      The group “has a perfect, decade long record for the accuracy of its vetting process,” a WikiLeaks spokesperson told The Daily Beast, without responding to allegations that it was working to help Russia and Trump.

      The uncertainty about the site’s allegiances—if any—is unnerving as a steady flow of stolen emails comes from WikiLeaks, including several batches from Podesta’s email that show Clinton spoke more favorably about free trade in paid speeches than she has on the campaign trail. Earlier, the DNC emails posted by WikiLeaks led to the resignation of the committee’s chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and revealed committee staff trying to undermine the campaign of Clinton’s then-rival for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

      WikiLeaks has undeniably had an effect on U.S. politics. But, when asked how they how they categorize the group, two of the officials contacted by The Daily Beast responded with the same long pause. “Hmm, that is an interesting question,” they said.

      Is it a media organization? Not exactly.

      “I don’t treat them as a press entity since they don’t follow any journalistic ethics code,” one official said. (The WikiLeaks spokesperson rejected that idea, and noted that the group “has won a great many journalism awards,” including a prestigious award in Australia, where Assange is from.)

      But those facts don’t mean WikiLeaks isn’t acting at Russia’s behest. And that’s not a trivial matter. If the United States were to determine that WikiLeaks is an agent of a foreign power, as defined in U.S. law, it could allow intelligence and law enforcement agencies to spy on the group—as they do on the Russian government. The U.S. can also bring criminal charges against foreign agents.

      So, is WikiLeaks a criminal organization? “I wouldn’t go that far,” one U.S. official said. How about a facilitator to a crime? “Absolutely,” said another. “A purveyor of leaks that solicits others to commit criminal activity on its behalf.”

      “We have never tried to define them. We’ve only spoken to the implications of their release,” another offered.

      Privately, some officials are gleeful that, as the group has increasingly released the private information of ordinary citizens, public opinion has appeared to swing against the organization. Earlier this month, for instance, WikiLeaks released nearly 300,000 emails from Turkey’s AK Party, including information about every female voter in 79 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, which WikiLeaks critics said could put the women in danger.

      To these government officials, the public is starting to see WikiLeaks as they have have for a decade: agenda-driven agitators, not journalists carrying the mantle for whistleblowers.

      “We never viewed them as legitimate,” one U.S. official explained. “These are data dumps designed to embarrass the United States.”

      Everyone seems to be in agreement about one point, however: WikiLeaks wants to play a role in the U.S. election and have an influence on American politics.

      Assange “is trying to influence the machine of politics in this nation. This is a huge change,” Arun Vishwanath, a University of Buffalo communications professor specializing in cybersecurity, told The Daily Beast. And though there’s no evidence WikiLeaks has engaged in hacking, it’s clearly benefiting from it—along with all other American news organizations.

      But those hacks have done more than expose private communications. U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is trying to undermine confidence in the integrity of the elections, an especially dangerous maneuver given that Trump has repeatedly warned that the only way he could lose in November is if the elections were “rigged” by government officials or voter fraud.

      “Just two election cycles ago, we were not talking about cyber attacks. Now they threaten the very foundation of our political system,” said Vishwanath.

      Into that strange new world, WikiLeaks has plunged headlong. Last week, Assange, has said the group hopes to publish new information for the next 10 weeks, well after the presidential election.

      Until then, debates about how exactly to characterize the group will be overshadowed by secrets it exposes—much to the Clinton campaign’s chagrin.

      http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/12/democrats-say-wikileaks-is-a-russian-front-u-s-intelligence-isn-t-so-sure.html

  8. Syrian Jaber Albakr, arrested in Germany last week for an alleged terror plot, has committed suicide in prison – Der Spiegel
    ========================================================
    Der terrorverdächtige Syrer Jaber Albakr hat in der Justizvollzugsanstalt Leipzig Suizid begangen. Das erfuhr der SPIEGEL aus Justizkreisen.

    Albakr soll sich im Hungerstreik und wegen akuter Suizidgefahr unter ständiger Beobachtung befunden haben, erfuhr der SPIEGEL weiter.

    Laut Nachrichtenagentur dpa hat sich Albakr in seiner Zelle erhängt.

    Wie sich ein inhaftierter Terrorverdächtiger, der als suizidgefährdet gilt, das Leben nehmen konnte, ist unklar. Die sächsische Polizei wird sich vielen Fragen stellen müssen.

    Am Samstagmorgen hatte die Polizei eine Wohnung in Chemnitz gestürmt, in der sie den tatverdächtigen Jaber Albakr vermutete. Dabei hatten die Beamten 1,5 Kilogramm des hochgefährlichen Sprengstoffs TATP gefunden. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen konnte der Verdächtige nur ganz knapp fliehen.

    Dem 22-jährigen Syrer wird vorgeworfen, einen Sprengstoffanschlag geplant und bereits weitgehend vorbereitet zu haben. Laut Informationen des Bundesamts für Verfassungsschutz wollte er wohl einen Flughafen in Berlin attackieren. Die Polizei ging angeblich von einer engen Verbindung zur Terrormiliz “Islamischer Staat” (IS) aus.

    Am Montag konnte der Terrorverdächtige in Leipzig festgenommen werden, nachdem er von drei Landsmännern erkannt, überwältigt und der Polizei übergeben worden war. In seinen Vernehmungen hatte er nach dpa-Informationen die drei Syrer der Mitwisserschaft bezichtigt. Inwieweit diese Aussage als glaubhaft eingestuft wurde, blieb zunächst unklar.

    Die Bundesanwaltschaft in Karlsruhe, die die Ermittlungen führt, wollte die Angaben nicht bestätigen. Unklar blieb zunächst, ob die Ermittler die Aussage Albakrs für glaubhaft halten oder ob es sich um eine Schutzbehauptung handeln könnte. Auch die Frage, ob die drei Syrer, die ihn überwältigt hatten, noch als Zeugen oder Verdächtige in dem Ermittlungsverfahren behandelt würden, blieb in Karlsruhe unbeantwortet. Den Angaben zufolge gab es aber keine weiteren Festnahmen.

    Zuletzt wurde bekannt, dass sich der Terrorverdächtige vor seiner Festnahme in der Nacht zum Montag mehrere Monate in der Türkei aufgehalten haben soll.

    Albakr war Anfang 2015 als Flüchtling nach Deutschland gekommen. Laut Bundesinnenminister Thomas de Maizière (CDU) wurde Albakr 2015 von den Sicherheitsbehörden überprüft. “Allerdings ohne Treffer. Es steht ja auch noch gar nicht fest, wann es dort zu einer Radikalisierung gekommen ist”, sagte er am Mittwoch in Berlin.

    Am Donnerstag sollen in einer Pressekonferenz um 11 Uhr Einzelheiten zum Fall Albakr bekannt gegeben werden.

    http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/jaber-albakr-hat-sich-in-der-jva-leipzig-umgebracht-a-1116366.html

    • “How an imprisoned terror suspect, who is regarded as suicidal, can take his life, is unclear. The Saxon police will have to ask many questions.”
      YES. Isn’t it strange?

  9. UVA Prof Suspended For Comparing Black Lives Matter to the KKK

    The liberal thought police have kicked into overdrive. A lecturer in science, technology, and society at the University of Virginia (UVA) posted one insensitive Facebook comment, and the fallout has proven tremendous. The lecturer has taken leave from the university, a local city councilman has called for a boycott of his restaurants, and he also urged for the university to suspend the professor until he has been re-educated.

    Douglas Muir, a successful businessman in Charlottesville who teaches entrepreneurship at UVA and who owns the Bella’s Restaurants chain in Virginia, responded to a Facebook post about an upcoming event featuring “Black Lives Matter” co-founder Alicia Garza. Last Tuesday, he posted the offending comment from his personal account, which is not affiliated with the university in any way.

    Black lives matter is the biggest rasist [sic] organization since the clan. Are you kidding me. Disgusting!!!

  10. Wikileaks: Hillary Clinton Bragged About Being Invited to Putin’s ‘Inner Sanctum’

    Shortly after being relieved of her duties as Secretary of State, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reportedly gave a series of speeches in which she described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “very interesting conversationalist” who she had gotten to know, including a visit to his “private inner sanctum” to discuss wildlife conservation.

    http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/10/11/wikileaks-clinton-bragged-putin-taking-private-inner-sanctum/

  11. Another Missile Fired at US Navy Ship Off Yemen (abcnews, Oct 12, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/missile-fired-us-navy-ship-off-yemen/story?id=42758399

    “For the second time in four days, a cruise missile has been fired at the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

    The missile fell into the sea short of the destroyer, which was in international waters in the Red Sea. No one was injured. The Pentagon said it would respond “at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner” to the attack.

    “At about 6 p.m. local time today (11 a.m. EDT), the ship detected at least one missile that we assess originated from Houthi-controlled territory near Al Hudaydah, Yemen,” said Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary.

    “The ship employed defensive countermeasures, and the missile did not reach USS Mason,” said Cook, who added that there was no damage to the ship and it will continue its operations.

    “Those who threaten our forces should know that U.S. commanders retain the right to defend their ships, and we will respond to this threat at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner,” said Cook.

    Earlier, a U.S. official characterized the missile as a coastal-defense cruise missile…”

    • All waiting does is make the Yemeni rebels and Iran muck bolder, it won’t be long before the missiles start hitting the ships.

  12. Lal Masjid warns government against release of Aasia Bibi (tribune, Oct 12, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1198015/lal-masjid-warns-government-release-aasia-bibi/

    “As the top court is set to hear Aasia Bibi’s appeal against her death penalty on Thursday, Islamabad’s Lal Masjid has warned against her ‘possible’ release. Bibi, a Christian woman, is on death row for committing blasphemy.

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear Aasia’s appeal against the execution on Thursday, her defence lawyer Saiful Mulook has been quoted as saying.

    The top court in July 2015 had stayed Aasia’s execution, admitting her appeal for hearing.

    The charge against Bibi dated back to June 2009, when she was labouring in a field and a row broke out with some Muslim women she was working with. Later, the women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Bibi in her petition has denied making any blasphemous remarks.

    In 2010, a local judge Muhammad Naveed Iqbal awarded her a death penalty, which was subsequently upheld by the Lahore High Court.

    The “Shuhada Foundation”, which was formed after the security forces raided the Lal Masjid in 2007, said its supporters would take to the streets and will not allow the government to function if Aasia was released.

    “Lal Masjid will become a centre for the anti-government movement if Aasia Masih is released,” the foundation said.

    “We are seriously concerned at the efforts for the release of blasphemous Asia Masih and will consider those blasphemous who defend her, whoever they are and on whichever position they are working,” Hafiz Ehtesham Ahmad, spokesperson for the foundation said.

    Ahmad in a statement also threatened of “serious consequences” if the convict was allowed to go abroad. He claimed that some ambassadors have also lobbied for the release of Aasia. He said the mosque will mobilise public opinion and will seek the support of all schools of thought….”

  13. Clinton speaks like a political apprentice: Erdo?an (hurriyetdailynews, Oct 12, 2016)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/clinton-speaks-like-a-political-apprentice-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104877&NewsCatID=510

    “Hillary Clinton must be a political novice for suggesting that she would arm Syrian Kurdish groups in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) if she is elected president next month, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has said.

    “This is a very unfortunate statement,” Erdo?an said. “I regard this as political inexperience.”

    Democrat nominee Clinton suggested that she would arm Kurds in Syria and Iraq if she beats Donald Trump for the White House on Nov. 8.

    Emphasizing that this region had different sensitivities and that providing weapons to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) would be a very wrong move, he said: “Aren’t you aware that you caused the death of 600,000 people through the weapons you provided? Where is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Where is law? Where is the importance of human life?”

    At the same time, Erdo?an also said Turkey would not immediately hand over suspects demanded by the United States but would instead proceed to dispatch them to the Turkish judiciary until Washington extradites the Pennsylvania-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen…”

  14. US supports Iraqi territorial integrity (hurriyetdailynews, Oct 12, 2016)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-supports-iraqi-territorial-integrity.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104873&NewsCatID=352

    “Washington has reiterated its support for Iraq’s territorial sovereignty amid a spat between Turkey and Iraq before an operation on Mosul to liberate it from jihadists. “As we have repeatedly made clear, the United States supports Iraqi unity and sovereignty,” the U.S. State Department said Oct. 11.

    “To that end, we believe all international forces in Iraq should be there with the approval of and in coordination with the government of Iraq, under the umbrella of the coalition,” it said.

    “It is imperative for all parties to coordinate closely over the coming days and weeks to ensure unity of effort in defeating Daesh and to provide for the lasting security of the Iraqi people,” it added, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

    The presence of Turkish troops in Iraq has resulted in diplomatic tension between Iraq and Turkey, with the Iraqi parliament sending a diplomatic note to Turkey’s ambassador on Oct. 4 that declared the troops’ presence there to be illegal, after which Turkey summoned Iraq’s ambassador in Ankara the following day.

    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi called on Turkey to withdraw troops deployed near the northern city of Mosul and said they would not play a role in the operation to retake it from ISIL.

    U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said during a daily press briefing on Oct. 11 that the operation would be led by Iraq and that it was a matter for Baghdad which forces should be deployed on its sovereign territory.

    “The Turkish forces that are deployed in Iraq are not there as part of the international coalition and the situation in Bashiqa is a matter for the governments of Iraq and Turkey to resolve,” he said.

    Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis said he urged the Turkish and Iraqi governments to solve the issue among each other.

    “Certainly, we are aware of the Turkish presence in northern Iraq, in Bashiqa. This is a bilateral matter between government of Iraq and government of Turkey to determine what role they [Turkey] may have. And we would just encourage all parties to focus on the common enemy of them which is ISIL,” Davis said.

    Al-Abadi hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an on Oct. 11 following the latter’s harsh criticism, needling the Turkish leader for resorting to FaceTime during the failed July 15 coup attempt.

    “To @RT_Erdogan: we are not your enemy and we will liberate our land through the determination of our men and not by video calls,” al-Abadi’s official Twitter account said Oct. 11 in response to Erdo?an’s words.

    Erdo?an, during a speech in Istanbul, addressed al-Abadi earlier in the day, saying the Iraqi leader should “know his place” and adding that he was “not on my level.”

    Erdo?an made an appeal via the video call application FaceTime to private broadcaster CNN Türk on the night of July 15, calling on citizens to resist an attempted coup to overthrow the government. The call was successful, as many rallied to take to the streets, resist against military vehicles and thwart the coup.

    Al-Abadi’s spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, told AFP that Erdo?an, with his latest remarks, was “pouring oil on the fire,” adding that Turkey’s responses had made an issue of law and security into a “problem of a personal nature.”

    “It seems that Turkey is not serious about solving the problem with Iraq,” al-Hadithi said.”

  15. Tunisia sentences 76 over soldier killings (ahram, Oct 12, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/245666/World/Region/Tunisia-sentences–over-soldier-killings.aspx

    “A Tunisian court Wednesday handed jail and death sentences to 76 people for killing eight soldiers in a jihadist hideout near the Algerian border in 2013, the prosecution said.

    Only seven accused, all Tunisian, appeared in court during the trial that started in late 2014 over the killings in the mountainous area of Chaambi, prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti said.

    Four received seven years in jail, one was handed a 13-year term and another was condemned to death, while the seventh was cleared of all charges.

    The remaining 69 accused, all on the run and mostly Algerian, were given sentences ranging from 40 years to the death penalty, Sliti said, but did not give a total number of death sentences.

    They were found guilty of charges including “terrorist crimes”, he said.

    Tunisia has faced a rise in jihadist attacks since the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

    The army has been tracking jihadists in the Chaambi area since 2012.

    Jihadist attacks in Tunisia have cost dozens of lives among security forces as well as civilians, and 59 foreign tourists were also killed in 2015.

    Tunisia has executed more than 100 people since independence from France in 1956, but has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 1991.”

  16. Eight face charges over Austria migrant truck deaths (thelocal, Oct 12, 2016)
    https://www.thelocal.at/20161012/austria-migrant-truck-deaths-probe-complete

    “Hungarian police will seek charges against eight suspects after completing a probe into the deaths of 71 migrants and refugees found in a truck in Austria last year, in a case that sent shockwaves through Europe…

    In total, seven Bulgarians and an Afghan — considered the ringleader — have been remanded in custody over the gruesome tragedy…”

  17. They’re coming: French mayor’s ‘sick’ migrant posters (thelocal, Oct 12, 2016)
    https://www.thelocal.fr/20161012/theyre-coming-french-mayors-sick-anti-migrant-poster

    “A notorious French mayor has sparked outrage among rights groups after putting up anti-migrant posters warning that “they’re coming”. Some 40 migrants are due to be relocated in the town.

    A notorious French mayor sparked outrage among rights groups Wednesday after putting up anti-migrant posters and calling for
    a local referendum ahead of the arrival of asylum seekers in his town.

    Under the headline “That’s It, They’re Coming”, is an image of a crowd of migrants, all of them men, outside the cathedral of the southern town of Beziers.

    “The state is imposing them on us,” the poster reads. “Migrants in our town centre.”

    The poster put out by Mayor Robert Menard, an ally of the far-right National Front, is a reaction to government plans to relocate thousands of migrants from the north coast to dozens of sites around France.

    It is reminiscent of a controversial poster created by leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, former head of Britain’s anti-immigration UK Independence Party (UKIP), showing a vast queue of migrants under the slogan “Breaking Point”.

    People naturally took to Twitter to condemn Menard…”

  18. Denmark unveils new anti-radicalization measures (thelocal, Oct 12, 2016)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20161012/denmark-unveils-new-anti-radicalisation-measures

    “The Danish government on Tuesday presented a list of measures to combat radicalization, including a “corps of digital voices of reason” to challenge extremist views on the internet.

    Part of the new plan was for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) to form a “national alliance against online radicalization” including authorities and people from civil society, to which the new “voices of reason” project would be linked.

    “A civil society-driven corps of digital voices of reason will be established,” the Ministry of Justice said in a presentation of the anti-radicalization plans.

    The group would “systematically be present in social media and engage critically in relevant forums, take part in dialogue and challenge extremist views,” it said.

    A new unit would also be formed within PET to identify and remove extremist material from the internet. The government would also seek to introduce a filter against “violent extremist online material”, modelled on the filter against child pornography used by the country’s major internet service providers.

    But experts said such a filter could easily be circumvented by using a VPN connection.

    “Those who are dedicated and really want to will always find a way around,” Justice Minister Søren Pind told public broadcaster DR, adding that the filter was aimed at young people who were easily influenced.

    The new rules would also make it easier to prosecute those spreading “extremist material” online.

    Other proposals included making it harder for foreign fighters to claim social benefits and requiring religious sermons to be held in Danish.

    Earlier this year Denmark banned travel to conflict zones where terror groups operate, and since last year authorities have been able to seize passports and issue travel bans if a person is suspected of planning to participate in armed conflict abroad.

    The Danish city of Aarhus has drawn international attention for its “soft-hands” approach to battling religious radicalization with social techniques used in gang exit strategies, but Justice Minister Pind has said that it is unclear if the method really works.”

  19. Investigator Claims ‘No Agent Working The Case’ Agreed With Comey’s Decision to Let Clinton Off Hook

    The decision to let Hillary Clinton off the hook for mishandling classified information has roiled the FBI and Department of Justice, with one person closely involved in the year-long probe telling FoxNews.com that career agents and attorneys on the case unanimously believed the Democratic presidential nominee should have been charged.

    The source, who spoke to FoxNews.com on the condition of anonymity, said FBI Director James Comey’s dramatic July 5 announcement that he would not recommend to the Attorney General’s office that the former secretary of state be charged left members of the investigative team dismayed and disgusted. More than 100 FBI agents and analysts worked around the clock with six attorneys from the DOJ’s National Security Division, Counter Espionage Section, to investigate the case.

    “No trial level attorney agreed, no agent working the case agreed, with the decision not to prosecute — it was a top-down decision,” said the source, whose identity and role in the case has been verified by FoxNews.com.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/12/fbi-doj-roiled-by-comey-lynch-decision-to-let-clinton-slide-by-on-emails-says-insider.html

  20. “Louis Smith has revealed that he received death threats from Jihadi supporters after a video emerged of him drunkenly mocking Muslims at a friend’s wedding.

    Apologising for his actions – which saw himself and fellow gymnast Luke Carson ridicule the way in which Muslims pray – the 27-year-old Olympian confessed that he now fears for his life.”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3835467/I-blame-Louis-Smith-reveals-s-death-threats-JIHADISTS-apologises-mocking-Muslims-drunken-video.html

    “He wrote in a post: ‘I am deeply sorry for the recent video you may have seen. I am not defending myself, what I did was wrong.

    ‘I want to say sorry for the deep offense I have caused and to my family who have also been affected by my thoughtless actions.

    ‘I recognise the severity of my mistake and hope it can be used as an example of how important it is to respect others at all times.

    ‘I have learnt a valuable life lesson and I wholeheartedly apologise.’ ”

    Socialism has convinced him he has no right to express his feelings.