Reader’s links for October 18 – 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

106 Replies to “Reader’s links for October 18 – 2016”

  1. Migrant arrested in Germany after 90-year-old grandmother rape while returning from church (express, Oct 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/722188/Migrant-arrested-Germany-90-year-old-grandmother-raped-church

    “GERMAN police have arrested a 19-year-old Moroccan migrant on suspicion of raping a 90-year-old woman who had been attending a church service.

    Dusseldorf police announced on Sunday that they had arrested the man after they had launched a search for the assailant after the daylight attack on the grandmother.

    The elderly woman had left in the church in the heart of the German city centre on October, 2, when the assailant pushed her into a narrow alley between two pubs.

    In the alley, which is usually closed off to the public and used for storing rubbish from the pubs, the perpetrator is said to have demanded money from the woman before sexually assaulting her.

    Dusseldorf police were able to construct a likeness of the suspect after a police officer recognised the man at a trains station.

    Local media reported that the DNA of the man, a Moroccan migrant who had previously lived in Spain, matched the traces found at the crime scene.

    According to reports the man had been previously arrested for robbing a teenager in May this year…”

  2. ‘You should learn Arabic in order to speak to migrants’ blasts outspoken German politician (express, Oct 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/722237/Migrants-refugees-asylum-seeker-Germany-Volker-Beck-Green-Party-politics-Arabic-Merkel

    “WORRIED Germans who are struggling to come to terms with the volume of immigrants arriving in their country should learn Arabic so they can communicate with the refugees, claims outspoken Green Party politician Volker Beck.

    Mr Beck said people should not fear neighbourhoods where the vast majority of inhabitants do not speak the native language.

    The 55-year-old, the Green Party’s spokesman on migration issues, has been blasted by other German politicians for “undermining integration”.

    Mr Beck told German broadcaster n-tv: “Other countries are more relaxed about the fact that in some areas a community with a migration background speaks another language.

    “It creates a discomfort, because people have the feeling that they don’t understand everything.

    “But if it’s really important to people, they should learn the language, then they would understand what’s going on.”

    He was criticised by centre-right politicians who said his comments did little to quell tension in the country following the influx of more than a million migrants in response to Angela Merkel’s open door policy…”

  3. TERROR WARNING: ISIS likely to launch wave of suicide attacks after Mosul, warns expert (express, Oct 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/722187/ISIS-Islamic-State-Mosul-Iraq-Natasha-Underhill-Nottingham-Trent-suicide-bomber

    “A TERROR expert has warned Islamic State extremists are likely to increase the number of deadly suicide attacks in a desperate bid to prove to the world they are still a militant powerhouse, despite being on the brink of total annihilation.

    Dr Natasha Underhill, an expert on terrorism in the Middle East at Nottingham Trent University, claims ISIS’s impeding defeat in the Iraqi city of Mosul could actually make them more dangerous in the short term.

    But the academic believes the jihadi cult is now weaker than ever before and the potential wave of suicide assaults would represent nothing more than a bluff to try an convince the international community that they remain a force to be reckoned with…”

  4. Child bride forced to marry at 14 dies in Turkey after giving birth a year later (express, Oct 18, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/722295/Child-bride-Dunya-Turkey-giving-birth-15-years-old-Aydan-Biri

    “A CHILD bride who was forced into an arranged marriage at just 14 has died after giving birth a year after her wedding.

    Derya B, who gave birth a week ago at the age of 15, died due to complications during labour, according local media.

    The teenager passed away in a private hospital in Batman, east Turkey, on October 17, after receiving treatment in an intensive care unit for two days.

    Police are now investigating the circumstances of her death.

    Gynecology expert Professor MD Aydan Biri told Turkish paper Huriyet daily news: “It is dangerous for a child bride to get pregnant. The mortality rate is higher in adolescent pregnancies.

    “The risks of high blood pressure, early birth or an intervention in the birth are higher.

    “The pregnancies of children who have not completed their physical development and whose organs have not yet completely developed often end in death.”…”

  5. Iraqi Government, Militia Violate Rights of Nationals Fleeing From Daesh (sputniknews, Oct 18, 2016)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610181046435362-iraq-militia-liolate-rights/

    “Iraqi government forces and militia are engaged in torture, kidnapping, killings and illegal detention of citizens fleeing from the Islamic State jihadists, a report by an international watchdog revealed Tuesday.

    MOSCOW (Sputnik) — “After escaping the horrors of war and tyranny of IS, Sunni Arabs in Iraq are facing brutal revenge attacks at the hands of militias and government forces, and are being punished for crimes committed by the group. Iraq is currently facing very real and deadly security threats from IS, but there can be no justification for extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture or arbitrary detention,” Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International Philip Luther said as quoted in the report, entitled “Punished for Daesh’s crimes.”…”

  8. syrian invader with finnish passport celebrated by media as “the toy smuggler” revealed to have connections with jihadist groups in syria

    Syrian with finnish passport and celebrated by the media as “the toy smuggler” revealed to have ties with several jihadist groups, now quit political party he belonged to.
    Adham caught the attention of the media earlier this year for transporting toys into war-torn parts of Syria to distribute to children. The international media dubbed him the “toy smuggler of Aleppo” while reporting on the 28 visits he has made to hand over toys to Syrian children.
    According to finnish media besides his connections with radical movements in Syria, Adham has also several convictions in Finland for assault, received a suspended prison sentence for involvement in a doping ring, and has been named in a case that is pending which involves assault and illegal substance charges
    http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/a1476582694176

    in english
    http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish-syrian_toy_smuggler_quits_sdp_after_paper_reports_jihadi_ties/9235974

    here before they found out the truth about him
    http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/aleppos-children/toy-smuggler-rami-adham-brings-smiles-syria-s-children-n652501

  9. Un enseignant frappé devant ses élèves à Argenteuil

    Alors qu’il réprimandait une élève, l’instituteur a été roué de coups, lundi, par deux hommes l’accusant de racisme. Le même jour, au Tremblay-en-France, la proviseur d’un lycée a été frappée. «L’État poursuivra sans relâche les auteurs», a réagi Manuel Valls, alors que d’autres cas d’agressions sont signalés à Calais ou Toulouse.

    Un enseignant a été violemment agressé lundi aux environs de 11h30 par deux jeunes hommes alors qu’il ramenait sa classe de CE2 d’un cours de sport à Argenteuil (Val-d’Oise), a confirmé mardi une source policière, après que l’information a été révélée par Le Parisien.

    «L’enseignant était en train de sermonner une élève indisciplinée quand une voiture s’est arrêtée à la hauteur du groupe. Ses deux occupants s’en sont pris à l’instituteur», a détaillé cette source. Selon Le Parisien, le professeur grondait une fillette qui disait des gros mots. Un des deux hommes lui aurait alors dit «Tu lui parles pas comme ça, raciste!». À quoi l’enseignant aurait répondu: «Mais je suis leur maître.» L’un des deux agresseurs aurait répliqué: «Le seul maître c’est Allah». Les deux hommes l’ont ensuite fait chuter à terre avant de lui asséner des coups de poing au visage.

    http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2016/10/18/01016-20161018ARTFIG00152-un-enseignant-frappe-devant-ses-eleves-a-argenteuil.php

    The teacher has been badly beaten, the two who beaten him said “the only master** is Allah” That was the second attack on teacher in France in 24 hours.

    **(maitre = schoolmaster, lecturer, master )

  10. L’interprète d’un journaliste TV violée aux abords de la “Jungle” de Calais

    Une interprète en pachtoune qui accompagnait un journaliste freelance de télévision dans la “Jungle” de Calais a été violée dans la nuit de lundi à mardi “a priori” par un migrant, a-t-on appris auprès du parquet de Boulogne-sur-Mer.

    Entre 02H00 et 03H00, ces deux personnes réalisaient un reportage pour France 5 dans la “Jungle” de Calais lorsqu’ils ont été pris à partie par trois Afghans “a priori trois migrants selon les déclarations des victimes” aux abords du camp, qui ont d’abord voulu voler leur matériel, selon cette source judiciaire.

    Puis, l’un de ces trois individus a obligé l’interprète à avoir un rapport sexuel sous la menace d’un couteau tandis que les deux autres maintenaient à distance, également avec un couteau, le journaliste de 42 ans.

    Lorsque les trois personnes les ont laissé partir, le journaliste et son interprète se sont rendus au commissariat de Calais et l?interprète de 38 ans, originaire d’Afghanistan, a été prise en charge par le CHR de Calais.

    Cette “équipe chevronnée préparait pour France 5, depuis plusieurs mois, une enquête sur les mineurs isolés de Calais”, a confirmé une porte-parole de la chaîne, qui a apporté son soutien aux victimes.

    Les trois agresseurs sont toujours recherchés, selon le parquet qui précise qu’une enquête a été ouverte confiée à l’antenne locale de la PJ.

    https://fr.news.yahoo.com/linterpr%C3%A8te-dun-journaliste-tv-viol%C3%A9e-abords-jungle-calais-084005434.html

    Pashtun interpreter who accompanied the freelance TV journalist was raped on the outskirts of Calais “jungle”

  11. Poll: Millennials desperately need to bone up on the history of communism

    The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, citing survey results released on Monday, blames widespread ignorance for the relatively positive views millennials have toward socialism and communism.

    Of the 2,300 Americans polled by YouGov, 80% of baby boomers and 91% of the elderly agree with the statement that “communism was and still is a problem” in the world today. Millennials? Only 55%.

    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/poll-millennials-desperately-need-to-bone-up-on-the-history-of-communism-2016-10-17

    • The left stopped teaching history and now the kids don’t know the evils of the left, they are so ignorant in historical knowledge most of them can’t tell you who the good guys were in WWII.

  12. Robot journalists to start writing news and sports stories for Britain and Ireland’s national news agency

    Robot journalists are set to start working at Britain and Ireland’s national news agency.

    Non-human hacks will be rolled out to cover sports, football and elections for the Press Association in the next few months.

    The cybernetic scribes will be “more accurate” than flesh and blood journos in some cases, according to PA’s editor in chief Pete Clifton.

    Addressing the Society of Editors conference in Carlisle this morning, Mr Clifton said: “This won’t be replacing any of our fantastic journalists, it will be more a case of offering an extra level when it comes to short market reports, election results and football reporting.”

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/robot-reporters-replace-journalists-one-9069938

  14. Six people found alive with severed hands in Mexico
    [AFP]
    October 18, 2016

    Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) – Five men and a woman have been found alive on a road in western Mexico with their hands amputated and their foreheads marked with the word “I’m a thief.”

    The victims were mutilated by a criminal group linked to drug trafficking, which also left a dead man on the road and two bags with the severed hands in Tlaquepaque, near Guadalajara, Mexico’s second biggest city, police said.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/six-people-found-alive-severed-hands-mexico-061930329.html

    • Reports about large numbers of Jihadists in Mexico, reports that ignored (at least publicly) by those in power. I say at least publicly because nothing seems to be done and the Border Patrol keeps leaking info asking someone to do something..

  15. Bill Clinton’s Secret Service Agent Did IT Work for Hillary’s Server and Clinton Foundation

    A Secret Service agent assigned to protect former President Bill Clinton performed “network assessments” and information technology troubleshooting for the Clinton Foundation and also provided research on security issues for Bill and Hillary Clinton’s email server in Chappaqua, New York. These revelations are included in FBI interview transcripts released Monday.

    Although the time period the agent (whose identity is redacted) was assigned to Bill Clinton’s detail is redacted, as well as the dates the agent worked for the Clinton Foundation, “he… assisted the Clinton Foundation in a case related to theft of information on the Clinton Foundation Information systems.” Yet while Reuters reported in August that the Clinton Foundation was concerned about possible hacking this year, there are no other media reports in prior years regarding stolen information from Foundation computers. The Clinton Foundation did not respond to a request for more information about the work conducted by the Secret Service agent.

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/bill-clintons-secret-service-agent-did-it-work-for-hillarys-server-and-clinton-foundation/article/2004935

  16. For U.S. and Obama, Mosul campaign is calculated risk

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq and the United States have launched a crucial battle to liberate the city of Mosul without determining how its volatile region will be governed once Islamic State militants are ejected, U.S. and other officials said.

    U.S. officials acknowledge gaps and risks in the plan for Mosul, amid worries that defeat of Islamic State in its de facto Iraqi capital could give way to sectarian score-settling and land grabs in the country’s ethnically mixed north.

    But they argue that the alternative — waiting to first sort out Iraq’s fractious sectarian politics — is unrealistic. With Islamic State hurting militarily, now is the time to strike, they say.

    Plans for administering Mosul itself, and aiding hundreds of thousands of civilians who could flee the fighting are in place, Western and Iraqi officials say.

    But being left for later, they say, are fundamental issues likely to determine Iraq’s future stability. Among them are bitterly contested territorial claims in the country’s north, including the divided city of Kirkuk and the disputed borders of the Kurds’ autonomous region.

    http://www.oann.com/for-u-s-and-obama-mosul-campaign-is-calculated-risk/

  17. Exclusive: China may give Filipino fishermen access to Scarborough

    BEIJING (Reuters) – China will consider giving Filipino fishermen conditional access to disputed waters in the South China Sea after the presidents of the two countries meet in Beijing this week, two Chinese sources with ties to the leadership said.

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to raise the plight of Filipino fishermen when he meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, a Philippine official told Reuters.

    Duterte is due to arrive in Beijing from Brunei on Tuesday.

    China seized Scarborough shoal – claimed by Beijing as Huangyan island and by Manila as Panatag – in 2012, denying Philippine fishermen access to its rich fishing grounds.

    http://www.oann.com/exclusive-china-may-give-filipino-fishermen-access-to-scarborough/

  18. What did China get out of this move?

    Are they working to destroy the new alliance in that region?

  20. Vietnam gives thumbs-up to U.S. regional role as pivot stumbles

    HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam supports U.S. “intervention” in the Asia-Pacific if it helps keep peace and stability, the defense ministry said, in a timely endorsement of a continued U.S. presence amid uncertainty over Washington’s faltering “pivot”.

    Vice defense minister, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, met on Monday with Cara Abercrombie, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, and told her Vietnam backed a positive U.S. role.

    The general’s words of support, conveyed by a normally reclusive defense ministry, come when the United States most needs them, with its “rebalance” – aimed at boosting its Asian foothold and tempering China’s rise – now under strain in the run-up to a U.S. presidential election.

    Vinh “affirmed that Vietnam will support the U.S and other partners to intervene in the region as long as it brings peace, stability and prosperity”, it said in a statement.

    At the dialogue, Abercrombie said the United States would not change its rebalance strategy, the statement added.

    Uncertainty lingers in Asia over changes ahead at the White House and whether a new leadership would give less priority to keeping China in check as it grows increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, a waterway vital to global trade.

    http://www.oann.com/vietnam-gives-thumbs-up-to-u-s-regional-role-as-pivot-stumbles/

  21. Richard: This fits the pattern, when the Clintons left the White House they took around $180,000 dollars worth of furniture and antiques that they were forced to return.

    FBI report: Upon exiting State Dept., Hillary Clinton took furniture with her

    I have wondered lately whether there will be widespread buyer’s remorse among the plurality of American women voters who plan to cast their lot with Hillary Clinton come Nov. 8. Yes, if elected, Clinton will become the first woman President of the United States. But she will be bringing with her plenty of baggage — and not just the contents of her mongrammed Kate Spade luggage. She will carry with the stain of unanswered questions still swirling around her private emails and the failure of the Justice Department to bring an indictment.

    The certainty that she will win has dimmed a little with the release Monday of transcripts of her interviews with the FBI, which confrim not that Clinton lies and cheats; she also steals.

    In a seeming reprise of her 2001 actions, when she and her president hubby walked off with several hundred dollars in furnishings from the White House, Hillary appears to have done the same thing when she stepped down as secretary of state in 2015. “Hillary Clinton and her staff may have lifted furniture from the State Department and moved it to her Washington, D.C., residence,” writes Jim Stinson at Lifezette, adding:

    • Government furniture isn’t my first decorating choice at home. I imagine this was special furniture supplied for Hillary by generous taxpayers and Hillary liked it too much to leave it behind.

  22. reuters – Syria says U.S. plans safe passage for militants from Mosul into Syria

    The Syrian army on Tuesday accused the U.S.-led coalition of planning to allow Islamic State militants to flee Iraq’s city of Mosul across the Syrian border, saying it would confront this attempt with all its means.

    A statement by the army command said the plan entailed securing roads and safe passages into Syria to allow the militants to consolidate their presence and create “new battleground realities” in eastern Syria.

    “Any attempt to cross the border is an attack on the sovereignty of Syria… and would be dealt with with all forces available,” the army statement released on state media said.

    http://news.trust.org/item/20161018133442-l8z3s/

    farsnews -ISIL’s 30-Vehicle Military Convoy Destroyed Near Mosul, Iraq-Syria Border Under Full Gov’t Control

    A long ISIL convoy was destroyed as the terrorists were fleeing from the city of Mosul to Raqqa, a military source said, adding that the border is under the full control of Syria, Iraq and Russia now.

    “The ISIL is left with not much option in case of trying to exit Mosul city because the Iraq-Syria border is being fully monitored and controlled by the two countries’ border guards and also the Russian air force,” a military source said.

    He noted that an ISIL military convoy that was escaping from Mosul to Raqqa in Syria was completely destroyed by the Iraqi fighter jets.

    “The destroyed ISIL convoy comprised of 30 military vehicles packed with Arab and foreign terrorists; all terrorists inside the vehicles were killed in the Iraqi airstrike,” the military source added.

    He reiterated that the Syrian and Russian military forces are in full control along Iraq-Syria border to prevent the ISIL’s escape from Mosul.

    “If the ISIL wants to exit Mosul and move towards the Syrian territories, it will be left with the option of facing the Syrian and Russian troops,” the source added.

    Meantime, the Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) commanders announced that they will not let the ISIL terrorists to escape to Syria and will turn Mosul into ISIL graveyard.

    Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi announced early on Monday that the country’s armed forces and popular troops had started large-scale operation to take back the ISIL’s self-proclaimed capital, Mosul.

    Prime Minister Al-Abadi appeared on the state TV an hour after midnight to declare that his country’s army, security and mobilized volunteer troops have started the long-awaited offensive to take back the country’s second-largest city.

    “The hour has come and the moment of great victory is near,” Al-Abadi said early on Monday in a speech on state TV, flanked by the armed forces’ top commanders.

    Al-Abadi vowed that the military troops will take maximum caution to save civilian lives and avoid collateral damage in the city that is believed to still be home to over a million people.

    The premier asked the civilian population to raise white flags over their buildings and contact the government troops for any kind of helpful information that they might have about ISIL militants.

    “We urge you, the heroic people of Mosul, to cooperate with our security forces to rescue you,” the Prime Minister added.

    Mosul in Nineveh province that is ISIL’s last stronghold in Iraq was occupied by the terrorist cult on June 10, 2014 and its liberation marks an era of demise for ISIL in Iraq.

    Mosul was the first city taken by the terrorist group and it was there that ISIL Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared his so-called caliphate on June 29, 2014.

    ISIL could stretch control over 40 percent of Iraq after it took Mosul over two years ago, but now holds only 10 percent of the country after losing battles in such major cities as Beiji, Tikrit, Fallujah and Ramadi in the last one year.

    Mosul is of paramount importance both to Iraq and the ISIL as it is in an oil-rich region close to the borders with Syria and Turkey, while it has been a regional trade hub for the last several centuries. In addition to smuggling crude stolen from the oil wells of Nineveh, ISIL also levied forceful taxes for various reasons from the over 1-million-strong population that is still believed to be living in the city. Loss of Mosul will inflict a major blow to the terrorist cult as it will lose a major source of its revenues.

    Iraqi army troops and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) had been deployed 15 kilometers from Mosul two days ago.

    “The reconnaissance operation in Mosul ended; we are waiting for the operations to kick off,” Hashd al-Shaabi announced in a statement on Saturday.

    Iraq’s military forces have been bringing in a large number of troops, weapons, ammunition, armored vehicles, personnel carriers, tanks and other types of military equipment in preparation for the operation for the last several weeks, but many military and state officials and popular forces’ commanders were slamming the US for pressurizing Baghdad to delay the operation for the last several months, a view that was even supported by US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

    In his second televised debate with Hillary Clinton, Trump asked why the US has been hindering the operation for such a long time to give ISIL commanders and top brass to escape to Syria.

    ISIL has also been preparing for the operation for the last several weeks. The terrorist group has reportedly used thousands of prisoners to dig a complicated network of tunnels and trenches around the city and filled the wide trench dug around the city with oil to put it on fire as it expects the city to go under siege by Iraq’s joint military troops. The terrorist group has opened multiple fronts to confront the government troops.

    Meantime, many ISIL top commanders, including Al-Baghdadi himself and his deputies, as well as their family members have left the city for Raqqa, the terrorist cult’s second self-proclaimed capital.

    Al-Baghdadi and his top aides left the city last week, while local sources in Nineveh disclosed on Sunday that the families of the ISIL terrorists that had left Mosul just arrived in the town of Merkedeh in Syria’s Hasaka province.

    “The ISIL commanders, including al-Baghdadi, are escaping Mosul to Syria,” Iraqi Kurdistan Democrat Party’s media director Saeed Mamouziti said last week.

    He said that al-Baghdadi has also ordered his followers to completely destroy Mosul if they are defeated in the war against Iraq’s joint military forces.

    Later Mamouziti said that the ISIL militants were fleeing the city since the long-awaited large-scale operation to free Mosul was expected to be launched in the following days.

    Meantime, local sources revealed that “ISIL commanders’ families, including over 25 foreign families, escorted by military convoys reached the town of Merkedeh” on Sunday.

    Earlier on Sunday, local sources in Nineveh province disclosed that the ISIL has brought to a halt all activities of its security offices in the city of Mosul.

    “The ISIL has recently issued a circular in Mosul city according to which all its offices will halt operation until further notice,” a local source said.

    The source noted that the ISIL has already evacuated its security offices in several districts of Mosul in recent days, while many ISIL members seem confused to see the rush in their commanders’ actions.

    The US has also been pressuring Baghdad to keep the Hashd Al-Shaabi away from the operation, but they are now deployed to the battlefield after Prime Minister al-Abadi, the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, personally approved their participation in the Mosul operation last week.

    The Iraqi media had earlier reported that the Mosul operations would start from several directions, the most important of which are al-Qayyara axis located 60 kilometers to the South of Mosul and Sahl Nineveh some 20 kilometers to the East of the city.

    • Iraq: Followers of Shia cleric al-Sadr protest Turkish intervention in Iraq

      Followers of Prominent Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protested outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad, Monday, against Turkey’s military involvement inside Iraq, including the occupation of a military base close to Mosul.

      Protesters waving Iraqi flags decried Turkey’s military involvement in the Kurdish-majority north of the country, slamming the Turkish military deployment at a military base in Bashiqa, close to Mosul, which Turkey argues is for training Kurdish Pashmerga and Arab fighters to battle against so-called Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants.

    • Iraq urges U.S.-led coalition to prevent Islamic State escape to Syria (reuters, Oct 18, 2016)
      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-syria-idUSKCN12I21B

      “Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday it was the duty of the U.S.-led coalition to prevent Islamic State militants from escaping into nearby Syria from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

      The coalition is providing air and ground support to Iraqi government and Kurdish forces that launched an offensive on Monday to retake Mosul, Islamic State’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq which it captured in 2014.

      “It is the responsibility of the coalition to cut the road to Syria for Daesh,” Iraqi state television quoted Abadi as saying, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused the coalition earlier on Tuesday of planning to allow safe passage into Syria for IS militants fleeing the battle for Mosul.”

  23. ISIS’ Big Defeat: The Loss of Dabiq
    Dabiq is much, much more than another town lost by ISIS fighters. This is the very heart of ISIS ideology – its belief in an end-times prophecy.

    While mainstream media attention is laser-focused on the battle for Mosul, the Islamic State (ISIS / ISIL) has suffered its biggest defeat yet by losing Dabiq – a small town in Syria upon which ISIS’ basis its claims of prophetic legitimacy.

    Ever since ISIS began dominating our TV screens, the Clarion Project has educated about the apocalyptic, prophecy-centric ideology that sets ISIS apart from other Islamist extremist groups. We reported in June 2016 that various anti-ISIS forces, unfortunately including al-Qaeda, were closing in on Dabiq.

    Although all Islamists reference End-Times prophecies to varying degrees, ISIS’ claims of fulfilling specific prophecies has been one of its main growth mediums, with the capturing of Dabiq being the most emphasized.

    In so doing, ISIS became dependent upon its holding of Dabiq as a life-sustaining vertebrae in its ideological spine. As we’ve explained in greater detail previously, ISIS’ claims of prophetic fulfillment required there to be a big, bloody battle with the infidel in Dabiq. That’s why Dabiq was until very recently the title of its English-language publication.

    http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/isis%E2%80%99-big-defeat-loss-dabiq

  24. GERMANY – Shooting incident in Dueren, Germany, part of city center on lockdown

    Shooting has been reported in the town of Dueren in northwest Germany. German media report that there is a “heavy police presence” at the scene, adding that the Old Town has been closed off.

    The shooting occurred at a hairdressing salon, DPA reports, citing police. There has been “at least one shot,” a police spokeswoman told journalists, adding that it’s still unclear if there are any casualties.

    Germany’s Focus magazine reports that a man has barricaded himself in an apartment located not far from the shooting scene, and that he may have taken at least one person hostage.[…]

    Meanwhile, another shooting incident happened in the town of Hagen, located about 100km away from Dueren, German N-TV reports.

    There, a man armed “with a sword or a long knife” was shot dead by police, DPA reports. The man was chasing another man, who was already injured.

    Police officers demanded that the man drop his weapon. After the armed suspect ignored a warning shot, an officer shot him. The motives of the armed man are still unclear. Hagen police have not yet issued any official statement concerning the incident.

    https://www.rt.com/news/363185-germany-dueren-shooting-police/

    • HAGEN – Polizei erschießt Angreifer: Ein Toter und ein Verletzter nach Schwertangriff in Hagen

      Ein Angreifer geht in Hagen mit einem Schwert auf einen Mann los – die Polizei erschießt ihn. Der Ablauf ist nach Angaben der Polizei aber noch nicht vollständig geklärt.

      Das berichtet die “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung”. Demnach soll der Mann mit einem Schwert in ein Versicherungsbüro in der Schwerter Straße in Hagen gegangen sein und den Leiter des Büros bedroht haben.

      Dieser soll daraufhin in einen nahegelegenen Dönerladen geflüchtet sein, wo der Angreifer mehrmals auf ihn eingestochen haben soll. Das Opfer soll sich daraufhin wieder aus dem Dönerladen auf die Straße geschleppt haben. Dort soll der Angreifer nicht aufgehört haben, den Mann zu bedrohen. Außerdem soll er sich geweigert haben, seine Waffe niederzulegen. Die eingetroffenen Einsatzkräfte sahen sich daher gezwungen, ihn zu erschießen.

      http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/polizei-erschiesst-angreifer-ein-toter-und-ein-verletzter-nach-schwertangriff-in-hagen_id_6086566.html
      ————————————————————————–
      Polizei erschießt Mann nach Schwertangriff in Hagen

      Hagen. Die Polizei in Hagen hat am Dienstagnachmittag einen Mann erschossen, der mit einem Schwert auf einen Versicherungsmakler losgegangen war und ihn schwer verletzte.

      Die Polizei in Hagen hat am Dienstag gegen 14.50 Uhr einen Mann an der Einmündung der Steinhausstraße in die Schwerter Straße im Stadtteil Kabel erschossen. Der Mann war zuvor mit einem Schwert und einem Messer bewaffnet in ein Versicherungsbüro an der Schwerter Straße gegangen und hatte den 49-jährigen Leiter der Agentur bedroht und schwer verletzt.

      Der Versicherungsmitarbeiter flüchtete nach ersten Informationen zunächst in Richtung eines Dönerladens wenige Meter auf der anderen Straßenseite. Dabei wurde er von dem Mann mit dem Schwert verfolgt und weiter attackiert: Er schlug und stach auf den 49-Jährigen ein, wobei er den Versichungsmitarbeiter schwer verletzte.
      Döner-Imbiss-Inhaber konnte Täter ablenken

      Dieser suchte zunächst im Kiosk „Schnuckerlädchen“ Schutz, flüchtete dann aber weiter in den Dönerladen „Hacibaba“, wo er schließlich blutend zusammenbrach. Der Inhaber des Dönerladens verband den verletzten Mann und lenkte den wütenden Verfolger in eine andere Richtung.

      Schließlich traf die Polizei ein und forderte den Bewaffneten auf, Schwert und Messer fallen zu lassen. Als der Täter stattdessen in Drohgebärde auf die Beamten losgegangen sein soll, wurde er von einer Polizistin erschossen.

      Die Schwerter Straße war auch am Abend noch gesperrt. Die Beamten haben mit den Ermittlungen begonnen, überall auf der Straße sind Markierungen, die eine Blutspur kennzeichnen, die sich vom Versicherungsbüro bis zum Dönerladen zieht. Der verletzte Mann wurde ins Krankenhaus gebracht, er soll schwer verletzt sein. Ortskundige werden gebeten, das Gebiet weitläufig zu umfahren.
      ———————————————————————-
      Sehr geehrte Nutzer,

      aufgrund mehrfacher Verstöße gegen unsere Nutzungsbedingungen haben wir die Kommentarfunktion für diesen Artikel deaktiviert….

      ————————————————————————————–
      http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/hagen/polizei-erschiesst-mann-an-der-steinhausstrasse-in-kabel-id12285835.html#

  25. Germany: Fight against IS won’t pose a threat to national security – De Maiziere

    Following the recent internationally backed offensive against Islamic State forces in the Iraqi city of Mosul, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said he believes that combating the militants won’t increase the risk of attacks in Germany, speaking in Berlin on Tuesday.

    De Maiziere was holding a press conference on EU security alongside the newly appointed European Commissioner for Security, Julian King.

    SOT, Thomas de Maiziere, German Interior Minister (German): “I don’t think that the fighting against the IS on the ground poses an additional threat to Germany. The danger is already high. And it is good that we are combating the IS.”

    SOT, Thomas de Maiziere, German Interior Minister (German): “There certainly will be refugee movements in the region. Of course, we stick to our general stance in taking our humanitarian responsibility, in wishing to keep the number of refugees low and not wanting to create an escape route through Turkey.”

    SOT, Thomas de Maiziere, German Interior Minister (German): “We need an international cooperation between the intelligence services and the police authorities. We need Europol to become stronger – which has recently happened – and we will soon present a bill to adjust the data of flight passengers.”

    SOT, Julian King, European Commissioner for Security (English): “Member states are very often in the frontline on security, but in today’s world the security of one member state is the security of all. And so there is a lot that we can do at the EU level to help and support the efforts of member states.”

  26. Obama Quietly Empowers Iran’s Military

    Iranian leaders have become cognizant of the fact that their hardball political tactics pay off very well with President Obama. They continue to obtain concessions from President Obama even in his last few months in office. They see that intransigence works with the White House, and that threatening the U.S. will lead to Obama offering more concessions to Iran. For Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), giving concessions means weakness.

    After a series of anti-American statements and lashing out at the U.S. by Ayatollah Khamenei, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif, the Obama administration eased more critical sanctions on Iran through new regulatory measures by the Treasury department.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9128/obama-empowers-iran-military

  28. India: Hindu Trump supporters rage against Clinton in New Dehli

    Dozens of Hindu nationalists rallied at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar monument to show their support for US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Tuesday.

    The protesters shouted slogans against Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and burned photos of her, while others held signs in support of Trump such as “Trump is our only hope” and “Trump is our hero”.

  30. <A must read article, a long and complicated article that really requires a big flow chart to show how interconnected the people and companies are.

    Reddit joins Anonymous and WikiLeaks in the WAR Against Hillary Clinton!
    By Onan Coca October 17, 2016

    http://constitution.com/reddit-joins-anonymous-wikileaks-war-hillary-clinton/

    Reddit joins Anonymous and WikiLeaks in WAR Against Hillary Clinton!

    Over the last week an incredible scenario has been unfolding as the generally liberal online “hacktivist” community has come together with one goal – to stop the corrupt Hillary Clinton from becoming President. With this goal in mind, the denizens of the web at #Anonymous, Reddit, and 4Chan have joined forces with their friends at WikiLeaks to unleash retribution upon the Clinton campaign. They have been combing the digital universe searching for every skeleton in every Clinton closet, and while they’ve already dug up some devastating material (see here, here, here, here, and here), it’s beginning to look like they’ve barely scratched the surface. New damning material is uncovered each day, and if Hillary Clinton can survive this political maelstrom… she’ll have proven to truly be made of Teflon.

    One of Reddit’s contributors to the fight, a user named “Emperor Worf,” did his part by “following the money” and mapping out the long Clinton history of corruption dating back to the 1970’s.

    If you know anyone who doubts the Clinton family’s corruption, criminality, and immorality – please share this article with them. This is information that every American needs to see and needs to understand. The Clintons aren’t just another American family of politicians… they are the most dangerous and deadly crime family in American history.

    From Reddit Contributor Emperor Worf

    Follow the Money: A Step-by-Step Guide Detailing Clinton Corruption

  32. Wikileaks Busts Chelsea Stealing From The Clinton Foundation?

    According to reports, Chelsea Clinton may have been busted stealing from the Clinton Foundation…

    “The Hillary Clinton campaign was blindsided Thursday by another round of leaked emails from WikiLeaks. Email #7136 is particularly interesting as it raises a lot of questions about how the foundation distributes money. The leaked email in question was sent by Laura Graham, Chief Operating Officer of the Clinton Foundation & Chief of Staff to President Clinton and appears to show Chelsea Clinton using funds from the nonprofit foundation to pay for her for profit work.”

    The email says:

    “Matt McKenna has requested via Bari and HR an increase of 1500 monthly in his foundation consultant work to cover what he claims and Bari claims is work he is doing on behalf of CVC as it relates to her role with CF. The new breakdown of his total compensation would be as follows if we approve this:4000 Foundation (2500 Non CVC + 1500 CVC)2500 CESC1500 CVC Office (For profit work)I have no idea how they achieved what is a 50/50 split on his CVC work between her for profit and CF activities. I think it’s more heavily weighted toward her for profit and would think it would be closer to a 75/25 split. I have pushed back on Matt via HR several times asking for written justification and job responsibilities.”

    http://conservativeintel.com/2016/10/14/wikileaks-busts-chelsea-stealing-clinton-foundation/?utm_source=Intel&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=House

  34. Seven Clinton Policy Priorities That Would Devastate America
    Staring at years 9 to 12 of the Obama administration.

    If Hillary Clinton is elected president, she will seek to move the country in the same hard-left direction as Barack Obama. This article focuses on seven Clinton policy priorities that will have the most devastating impact on the American people.

    1. Importing 65,000 Syrian “Refugees”

    In order to address “the worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II,” Mrs. Clinton has explicitly called for bringing some 65,000 refugees from Syria into the United States as quickly as possible. This represents a 550% increase over Barack Obama’s 2016 goal of 10,000 Syrian refugees, which Clinton describes as merely a “good start.”

    Clinton is committed to this reckless policy even though ISIS has vowed to infiltrate the flow of Syrian refugees with its own bloodthirsty operatives; even though more than 30,000 illegal immigrants from “countries of terrorist concern” entered the United States through America’s Southwestern border with Mexico in 2015 alone; and even though high-ranking officials like FBI Director James Comey, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, CIA Director John Brennan, and FBI Deputy Assistant Director Michael Steinbach have all made it clear that it is impossible to reliably screen out terrorists who could be posing as refugees.

    2. Amnesty & Open Borders

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/264540/seven-clinton-policy-priorities-would-devastate-john-perazzo

  36. UNESCO ratifies Jerusalem resolution, Mexico withdraws support
    UNESCO Director-General criticizes ‘harmful’ drive to erase Jewish ties to Temple Mount Arab bloc foils Israeli attempt to delay UNESCO motion on Jerusalem
    Under pressure from Western states, Mexico backed away from its initial intention to call for a new vote on the resolution so that it could withdraw its support from the resolution.

    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Mexico-to-withdraw-support-for-UNESCOs-Jerusalem-resolution-470325

  39. https://www.rt.com/news/363217-belgium-brussels-supermarket-hostage/

    The armed attacker, who took people hostage in a supermarket in the Forest suburb of Brussels, has given himself up to the police, local television channel VRT has reported.
    Eyewitnesses told the channel that the hostage-taking unfolded at about 7 p.m. local time, in a Carrefour chain store, after what they claimed was a robbery attempt gone wrong. Those who managed to leave the supermarket said the suspect was armed with a knife, and forced shoppers to lie down on the floor.

  40. Wow – it seems now that Saudi Arabia is less corrupt than the USA: not even a prince gets away with murder….

    A statement from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed on Tuesday it has carried out the execution orders on Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir.

    The prince was found guilty three years ago by a Saudi court for murdering a young Saudi man following a group fight in al-Thumama region in the outskirts of Riyadh.

    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/10/18/Saudi-Arabia-Prince-executed-for-murder-crime.html

  41. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-czech-china-dalailama-idUSKCN12I1H8

    Czech ministers and senior parliamentarians held a private meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, risking upsetting China just as the government is trying to boost ties with Beijing.

    The Dalai Lama met Culture Minister Daniel Herman, Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Belobradek, and deputy speakers of both houses of parliament while on a trip to an annual conference set up by the late Vaclav Havel, the country’s first president, who had close personal links with the 80-year old monk and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

  42. I really don’t know how he can pull this off: a terror-free zone would have to be Erdogan-army-free zone, as a pre-condition….

    http://www.dailysabah.com/war-on-terror/2016/10/18/turkey-to-establish-5000-square-kilometer-terror-free-zone-in-syria-president-erdogan-says

    Ankara has restated its goal of establishing a terror-free zone in northern Syria along Turkey’s southern border through supporting the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear Daesh terrorists as part of Operation Euphrates Shield.

    Speaking at the opening ceremony of the academic year at the presidential complex in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said yesterday that a “terror-free zone” will be established for Syrian refugees in the areas cleared of the Daesh terror group in northern Syria. “Manbij will be cleansed of PYD [Democratic Union Party] elements. We have no tolerance on this issue and we expressed our position to our partners in the coalition. Our goal is to form a 5,000-square-kilometer terror-free zone,” Erdo?an said, also underscoring FSA’s success in clearing Daesh from Jarablus and Dabiq and that the Turkey-backed group will also move toward Raqqa and Manbij to clear the areas of PYD, People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Daesh terrorists.

  44. https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-justice-system-to-reintroduce-forced-labor-in-2017-55589

    The Russian prison system is to reintroduce forced labor in 2017, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday.

    Speaking in an interview with the news agency, Deputy Director of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service, Valery Maximenko, said that four new correctional centers and seven other facilities, hosting almost 900 prisoners in total, would open on Jan 1 next year.

    Correctional labor was included in the Russian criminal codex as an applicable form of punishment in December 2011 with its implementation being postponed due to delays in the building of the facilities.

  45. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/18/third-of-students-abducted-by-boko-haram-unwilling-to-leave-captors

    More than a third of almost 300 female students abducted by Islamic militants from a school in Nigeria two-and-a-half years ago appear unwilling to leave their captors, a community leader has said.

    Nigeria’s government is negotiating the release of 83 of about 190 girls from the the remote town of Chibok who are still held by Boko Haram in remote camps in the north-east of Africa’s most populous country. Twenty-one were freed last week as a “goodwill gesture” by the group.

  46. Central America families cross US border in record numbers (gulfnews, Oct 18, 2016)
    http://gulfnews.com/news/americas/usa/central-america-families-cross-us-border-in-record-numbers-1.1914700

    “Washington: A record number of Central American families fleeing violence crossed the US-Mexico border in the most recent fiscal year and total apprehensions were up, according to figures released by the US government.

    While the exodus is smaller than two years ago, when an influx of unaccompanied Central American children stunned unprepared officials, the number of youngsters accompanied by relatives was the highest ever, the data released on Monday showed.

    That’s an indication that the administration’s strict policy of raiding homes and deporting migrants, while also attempting increased levels of diplomacy in Central America, isn’t entirely working.

    Apprehensions by US Customs and Border Protection in the year ended September 30 totalled almost 409,000, up 23 per cent over fiscal 2015.

    “Unaccompanied children and families have presented new challenges in our immigration system,” said Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in a statement.

    “We are determined to treat migrants in a humane manner. At the same time, we must enforce our immigration laws consistent with our enforcement priorities.”

    Immigration has been a flash point in the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who are both fighting to woo Hispanics, a critical voting bloc comprising 27 million voters…”

  48. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37697098

    There has been fierce fighting near the Somali capital Mogadishu after fighters from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab overran a key town.
    Reports say at least four policemen and several civilians were killed when militants stormed Afgoye on Tuesday.
    A spokesman with the African Union mission to Somalia later said the gunmen had been forced out, but this was not confirmed.
    Witnesses said gunshots could still be heard into the night.

  49. Who could have thunk it? That’s just so out of character for Muslims…

    https://www.rt.com/news/363223-germany-christian-refugees-persecuted/

    Christian asylum seekers as well as members of other religious minority groups living in refugee shelters across Germany face systematic persecution from both Muslim refugees and Muslim staff, a recently published survey shows.
    As many as 743 Christian refugees and 10 Yazidis living in refugee centers in various German states have reported religiously motivated attacks between February and September 2016, a survey conducted by several charitable NGOs says, stressing that collected data should be “considered … as the tip of the iceberg,” as “there are a high number of unreported cases.”

  50. Interpreter raped at knifepoint near Calais migrant camp (thelocal, Oct 18, 2016)
    https://www.thelocal.fr/20161018/interpreter-raped-near-calais-jungle-migrant-camp

    “A female interpreter was raped at knifepoint on Monday night near the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, according to local French prosecutors.

    The interpreter, aged 38, was working with a freelance journalist who was making a documentary about unaccompanied children in the sprawling camp for refugees on the outskirts of Calais.

    According to reports the journalist and the interpreter, who speaks Pashto language that is spoken in Afghanistan, were filming when they were approached by three Afghan men near the entrance to the Jungle camp between 2am and 3am.

    AFP news agency reports that the men first attempted to rob them of their camera equipment.

    Then one of the men who was armed with a knife forced the woman to engage in a sexual act with him, while the other two men, also armed with knives, held the journalist away and prevented him from intervening.

    Once they were able to get free from their attackers they immediately went to the police station in Calais to report the rape.

    The interpreter, an Afghan national who lives in Paris, was admitted to hospital where she was examined by a specialist doctor, who confirmed that she had been raped.

    DNA samples were taken in the hope they will help police find her attacker,” the local prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer told the local Voix du Nord newspaper.

    The three attackers were still on the run on Tuesday.

    Crimes committed against journalists working in the Jungle are not uncommon, but most have revolved around theft or attempted theft of their equipment…”