Reader’s links for December 2 – 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

96 Replies to “Reader’s links for December 2 – 2016”

  1. Militia groups clash in Tripoli, seven reported dead (france24, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.france24.com/en/20161202-militia-groups-clash-tripoli-seven-reported-dead

    “Rival militias clashed in Tripoli leaving at least seven people dead, Libyan media said, as AFP journalists reported hearing gunshots and explosions in the south of the capital.

    Tanks, trucks and heavy weapons were seen on the streets but the cause of the conflict was not immediately clear.

    It was not immediately possible to confirm the death toll.

    Tripoli is controlled by a loose alliance of militias of different political and religious factions, and clashes between them are an almost daily occurrence…”

  2. Why Nawaz-Trump phone call set world media abuzz (tribune, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1250996/nawaz-trump-phone-call-set-world-media-abuzz/

    “Many might have thought it satire initially, but it was not. In a rare development, a telephone conversation between a Pakistani leader and an American one became a headline the world over.

    Such was the exchange between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President-elect Donald Trump that even the entire western media had to cover it prominently.

    At the heart of the first-ever telephone contact between Nawaz and Trump is the official readout issued by the Pakistani government. In what can be described as a remarkable and unprecedented conversation, Trump heaped praise on Pakistan and its prime minister.

    Telephone conversations between world leaders are usually reported carefully using diplomatic language. But in this case, the Prime Minister’s Office released the transcript showing how Trump was all praise for Pakistan and its people.

    It appears that Premier Nawaz was not even expecting such warmth from Trump. His office apparently was so overwhelmed by the ‘flowery language’ purportedly used by the president-elect that it released the official statement in a hurry, only to issue a revised version later after correcting the typos and other mistakes in the first version.

    The Trump office, in a separate statement, would not say if the president-elect used all these words. But it did confirm that he had ‘productive conversation’ about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future. “President-elect Trump noted that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif,” it said.

    Pakistan’s handling of the telephone conversation, however, was not taken well by the mainstream American media, which insisted that Islamabad breached protocol by releasing the transcript. CNN said readouts of phone calls between world leaders are usually summarised in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash – like the one the Trump team put out. They’re dry and diplomatic statements recapping conversations using carefully chosen buzzwords.

    And political insiders say the calls themselves are usually quite formal. “A president wouldn’t gush over a foreign leader the way that Donald Trump did. He wouldn’t volunteer to do all these things,” said CNN political analyst David Gergen, who has served as an adviser to four presidents.

    But former ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi said the Trump office would have contested the Pakistani version if it was not reported accurately. Although Naqvi agreed that normally telephone conversations are not reported like this, he added that a transcript can be released if the discussions are not confidential or the other side has no issue with it.

    Trump’s unexpected praise for Pakistan and its prime minister has also attracted attention globally because the president-elect had previously taken a tough stance on some of the policies Islamabad had pursued.

    For example in 2011 he tweeted “Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend” after Osama bin Laden was killed in a secret US raid in Abottabad. “When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some ‘ally’,’” he tweeted in 2012.

    Trump’s pledge to work closely with Pakistan’s premier will certainly not go down well with India. In October, Trump said the US and India would be ‘best friends’ if he was voted to power.

    An American national currently working with an international NGO in Pakistan said Trump had no experience in foreign policy. “I doubt if he is even aware of the complexities of this part of the region. So, his flip flop is not shocking,” the American national told The Express Tribune without being quoted on the record because of the nature of his job doesn’t permit him to do so.

    Moeed Yousaf, a Washington-based commentator, described the Trump-Nawaz phone talk as positive development. Moeed said it was too early to assume that US under Trump would be tough on Pakistan and closer to India.

    Asked to comment on the unusual telephone talk, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan attaches high importance to its relationship with the US and would like to see it strengthen further.

    “We look forward to closely working with the new administration. The president-elect’s intention to visit to Pakistan would be warmly welcomed,” he told reporters here at the weekly news briefing. “Pakistan welcomes Mr Trump’s willingness to play a role in resolving the outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir,” Zakaria further said.

    Contrary to public perception, foreign policymakers of Pakistan are not that pessimistic about the future of Pakistan-US ties under the Trump administration.

    But, Ambassador Naqvi has a word of caution saying the government must not read too much into the warmth shown by Trump towards Pakistan. “These are still early days and we cannot predict what policies he will ultimately follow,” Naqvi stressed.”

    • Xanthippa, you need to lighten up a bit- go outside and watch some real snow. It really relaxing, then maybe you won´t be so EASILY distracted or foul mouthed.

      With kind regards,
      MissPiggy

      • I thought there was a problem with my eyes ….
        I can’t take people who swear on the internet seriously – unless they have hit their thumb with a hammer whilst posting a comment.
        Even then ‘ouch’ is usually sufficient.

          • Its just a bit of fun till Christmas. Some love it, some seem to love it less so.

            The first year it actually drove me nuts too.

  6. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-indonesia-politics-protests-idUKKBN13R051

    Tens of thousands of Muslims poured into central Jakarta on Friday to protest against the city’s governor, a Christian accused of insulting the Koran, fuelling tension that has alarmed Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

    Widodo has blamed “political actors” for exploiting the popular fury over Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama to destabilise his government. Underlining those concerns, police announced on Friday that 10 people had been detained for alleged treason.

    A sea of white-clad protesters had built up around the National Monument by mid-morning and, with no more room there, the roads around it filled up with protesters chanting, praying and carrying banners demanding that Purnama be jailed.

    Police officials estimated that at least 150,000 people, including many who travelled to Jakarta from towns and cities across the island of Java, had gathered under quickening rain.

    • Scary anti-freedom demonstrators – the EU may see similar protests when non-muslims are elected to high office.

    • Indonesia: Hundreds of thousands rally against Jakarta govenor Ahok

      At least 200,000 Muslims gathered on the streets for Friday prayers in Jakarta, as part of a wider protest demanding that the Governor of Indonesia Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as ‘Ahok’, be arrested for blasphemy.

      SOT, Abu Tiar (Bahasa): “This action is to show the world that Muslims love peace. But we also do not want to let a blasphemer off without getting a proper punishment.”

  7. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/wikileaks-releases-over-2000-files-german-inquiry-into-nsa-spying-scandal-1594441

    Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has released a 90GB-sized trove of data relating to the ongoing German parliamentary inquiry into the relationship between the county’s foreign intelligence agency – the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – and the National Security Agency (NSA).

    According to WikiLeaks, the disclosure consists of 2,420 documents from “various agencies” of the German government submitted as exhibits to the inquiry last year. The probe was set up after the Edward Snowden revelations in 2013 which exposed close surveillance links between the agencies.

    Read more on IBTimes UK Technology
    WikiLeaks website suffers mysterious outage sparking Rule 41 hacking conspiracy
    WikiLeaks releases 500 files allegedly showing US ‘arming and funding’ Yemeni forces
    NSA chief: WikiLeaks US election disclosures were ‘conscious effort by a nation-state’
    The leak reportedly includes 125 documents from the BND, 33 from the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) and 72 from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), and more. In a release, WikiLeaks said it features “admin documents, correspondence, agreements and press reactions.”

  8. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38172940

    About 350 victims have reported child sexual abuse within UK football clubs, police chiefs have said.
    The National Police Chiefs’ Council said a “significant number of calls” had been received after several former players alleged past abuse by coaches.
    Its figures are also based on details from existing investigations as well as referrals from a new NSPCC helpline.
    Greater Manchester Police said it was investigating reports from 35 people, and had identified 10 suspects.
    Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford said the force had received calls on a daily basis from victims as well as people with concerns.
    “We are currently in the process of speaking to victims in person and providing them with specialist support,” she added.

  9. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/01/magic-mushroom-ingredient-psilocybin-can-lift-depression-studies-show

    A single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient of magic mushrooms, can lift the anxiety and depression experienced by people with advanced cancer for six months or even longer, two new studies show.

    Researchers involved in the two trials in the United States say the results are remarkable. The volunteers had “profoundly meaningful and spiritual experiences” which made most of them rethink life and death, ended their despair and brought about lasting improvement in the quality of their lives.

    The results of the research are published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology together with no less than ten commentaries from leading scientists in the fields of psychiatry and palliative care, who all back further research. While the effects of magic mushrooms have been of interest to psychiatry since the 1950s, the classification of all psychedelics in the US as schedule 1 drugs in the 1970s, in the wake of the Vietnam war and the rise of recreational drug use in the hippy counter-culture, has erected daunting legal and financial obstacles to running trials.

  12. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/dec/01/haiti-cholera-outbreak-stain-on-reputation-un-says

    The United Nations has admitted for the first time that its peacekeepers were directly responsible for bringing cholera to Haiti, bringing to an end a six-year delay in which the world body consistently ducked responsibility for importing the disease that has potentially killed up to 30,000 people.

    In a 16-page report released on Thursday setting out what is being billed as a new approach to fighting cholera in Haiti, the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, cites expert opinion about the cause of the deadly outbreak. It found that “the preponderance of the evidence does lead to the conclusion that personnel associated with the [UN’s peacekeeping] facility were the most likely source”.

    UN’s own expert calls its actions over Haiti cholera outbreak ‘a disgrace’
    Read more
    The comment marks the first time that the UN chief has admitted that the devastating disease was brought to the country by the organization’s own peacekeepers when they were transferred from Nepal to assist with emergency rescue work in the wake of the 2010 Haitian earthquake.

  14. http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/isis-snipers-killed-15-children-migrants-mosul/

    Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State snipers killed 15 children while they were attempting to flee towards locations taken over by Iraqi security forces in Mosul, according to a security source.

    “ISIS snipers killed 15 kids belonging to Mosul refugees who were heading to security forces,” the source told Alsumaria News, but did not clarify the time frame for the alleged killings.

    “ISIS gangs have used the most horrific means of killing with the migrating people of Mosul, targeting them with IEDs, sniping their children to prevent them from leaving town and using them as human shields,” the source said.

    • “ISIS snipers killed 15 kids belonging to Mosul refugees…”

      Perhaps the essential wrongness of such an act might be brought home by ensuring that 150 children of ISIS terrorists joined the children of those “Mosul refugees”.

      Please do not think that I cheerfully suggest this. Rather, it is with a sense of prevailing dread that I speculate as to what it will require for these ISIS maggots to regain even a slight sense of perspective about the sanctity of human life.

      • I am afraid that you are right, meeting atrocities with worse atrocities is one of the few tactics that are capable of stopping barbarian savages. That is what we are facing, 7th Century savages whose religion prevents them from maturing and entering the modern world.

        • Redoubled repayment in kind is the very least starting point. These scum will not notice until their gene pool starts drying up. Time for some shock chlorination.

  15. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/12/1/saudis-furious-after-egyptian-diplomat-says-assad-should-remain

    Former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Monday that the Syrian strongman could stay in power if the Syrian people agreed, prompting Saudi Arabia to reportedly call for him to step down.

    “I mean if the people elect him he can run in elections, however, there first must be a ceasefire and acceptance of his presence as a part of a reconciliation deal because it is highly likely that groups would refuse to work with him,” Aboul Gheit told Egyptian talk show host Ahmad Moussa.

    His position is a departure from many Gulf and Western powers who have repeatedly called on the embattled Syrian leader to step down.

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently expressed support for the Syrian military during a recently aired interview with Portuguese state media.

    His government had been supported by billions of dollars in aid from Saudi Arabia, but ties appear to have cooled between the two countries amid disagreements over Syria.

    Saudi Arabia backs rebels trying to oust Assad, while Russia and Iran are supporting him militarily.

    Egyptian and Saudi sources told The New Arab on Thursday that Aboul Gheit’s comments on Assad remaining in power have angered Saudi officials and prompted them to send an “angry letter” to the General Secretariat of the Arab League.

    • Italy: Creation of ‘Army of Aleppo’ may just be al-Nusra rebranded – Lavrov

      Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that opposition forces standing behind the creation of the so-called “Army of Aleppo” in the eastern part of the city could seek to “rebrand” al-Nusra terrorists, while speaking at a press conference with his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni in Rome on Friday.

      SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Italian): “According to our intelligence, which is quite authoritative, practically all armed opposition groups in eastern Aleppo report to al-Nusra. Nusra has some 1,500 militants there, while other groups, who have under their command up to 6,000 militants, report to Nusra. And as it has been announced about the creation of ‘Army of Aleppo’ I don’t rule out that this is just another attempt to rebrand al-Nusra Front and shield it under the new name from righteous retaliation.”

      SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Italian): “Unfortunately, for more than half a year the talks are being blocked by those who, in violation of the UN Security Council resolution, put forward ultimatums in the form of an absolute precondition to remove President Assad, which is, certainly, unacceptable, because nobody has made such agreements.”

      SOT, Paolo Gentiloni, Italian Foreign Minister (Italian): “On the economic level we do feel the weight of the sanctions; the trade turnover between Russia and Italy has decreased. However, despite that we are sure and I have seen it on my own during my visits to Moscow that our [Italian] business system keep on staking on the importance of this country [Russia].”

      SOT, Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister (Italian): “As Paolo has just said, we are concerned about decline in bilateral trade; Italy has gone down from 6th place to 4th in the list of Russia’s economic and trade partners; although it used to be on the 4th or even 3rd place. I hope that Russian-Italian Council for Economic, Industrial and Financial Cooperation led by co-chairmans Dvorkovich, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, and Paolo Gentiloni, will improve the dynamic of the bilateral trade and economic relations.”

    • Syrian rebels and families leave another town near Damascus

      Hundreds of Syrian rebels and their families left al-Tal near Damascus on Friday under a deal with the government, the latest in a number of such evacuations as the army and its allies consolidate their control over the outskirts of the capital.

      While the fiercest recent battles in Syria’s civil war have taken place in the northern city of Aleppo, the government and allied forces have also been steadily advancing in the area around Damascus.

      The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group, said around 2,000 rebels and family members had left al-Tal on Friday in more than 40 buses and some ambulances.

      Syrian state television put the number at nearly 1,000, including fighters and their family members.

      Those leaving will travel to northern Syria, local sources and the Observatory said.

      Rebels in the town of Khan al-Shih, southwest of Damascus, were allowed to leave for Idlib province this week, and similar deals have also been implemented since the summer for the nearby towns of al-Mouadamiya and Daraya.

      Al-Tal is 10 km (six miles) north of central Damascus.

      Rebel groups retain a significant pocket of territory in Eastern Ghouta, an area of towns and farms east of the capital, but the enclave has been shrinking under army advances, intense bombing and a prolonged siege.

      Local sources had estimated that there were about 1,500 rebels in al-Tal, about a third of them from the hardline Islamist group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly the Nusra Front.

      http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-al-tal-idUSKBN13R27A

  16. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/01/503985473/uber-now-tracks-passengers-locations-even-after-theyre-dropped-off

    Uber’s latest update allows the ride-hailing app to track user location data even when the application is running in the background. The change in location data gathering is quite apparent — after the update is completed, Uber prompts users to accept the new policy by enabling their phones to make the change.

    Previously, Uber only collected data from the user if the rider had the application open. Now, if a rider calls for an Uber and closes the app, Uber says it will continue to collect location data up until five minutes after the ride ends. That means Uber can see where you end up after you leave the car.

  17. SHOCK POLL: Four in ten British Muslims want some aspect of Sharia Law enforced in UK (express, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/738852/British-Muslims-Sharia-Law-enforced-UK-Islam-poll

    “MORE than four in ten British Muslims want to see at least some aspects of Sharia Law in force in the UK, an opinion poll revealed last night.

    Forty-three per cent of followers of the religion living in the country believed that parts of the Islamic legal system should replace British law while only 22 per cent opposed the idea.

    Researchers also found “deeply worrying” levels of belief among British Muslims in conspiracy theories such as blaming the US government or “Jews” for the 9/11 terror attacks on America.

    The findings were revealed last night in one of the biggest surveys of opinion among Muslims ever carried out in the UK. Data from the polling firm ICM showed very similar views to the rest of the UK population on a range of key issues including the NHS, unemployment and immigration.

    But the research commissioned by the Westminster-based think tank Policy Research found stark differences with other sections of society on the issues of Sharia Law and some aspects of the terrorist threat.

    The findings were set out in the report “Unsettled Belonging: Britain’s Muslim Communities” published by Policy Exchange last night.

    More than 3,000 Muslims living in Britain were quizzed for the research.

    When asked whether “particular aspects” of sharia law should be introduced “instead of British law” in the survey, 16 per cent of respondents “strongly” supported the idea while 25 per cent said they “tend to support” the idea.

    A total of 13 per cent were inclined to oppose the idea while 9 per cent “strongly” opposed it.

    Questions in the survey suggested sharia law could relate to civil law cases “such as financial disputes, divorce or other family matters” but could also cover other issues.

    When it came to 9/11, 31 per cent of Muslims quizzed in the survey thought the US Government was to blame while 7 per cent blamed “the Jews”.

    In contrast, only 4 per cent thought the terror group Al Qaeda was behind the attacks on New York Twin Towers and other targets.

    Writing a foreword for the report, Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said: “This readiness to believe in conspiracy theories and the mentality of victimhood to which it speaks is having a pernicious effect on British Muslims and the way they see the world.

    “It is holding us back – as a community – and ensuring that we remain locked in a paranoid and at times fearful worldview.”

    Dr Martyn Frampton, co-author of the report, and Head of Security and Counter Extremism at Policy Exchange, said the evidence of belief in “conspiracy theory” was “deeply worrying”.

    He said: “In nearly every walk of life, British Muslims are no different in their views and priorities to their non-Muslim neighbours.

    “They believe the NHS, jobs and immigration to be the most pressing issues facing the country and worry deeply about the effect of drugs and drinking on their communities.

    “However, the research found a deeply worrying belief in conspiracy theories such as 9/11.

    “Unlike the general population, nearly a third of British Muslims believe the American government was responsible for the attacks on the Twin Towers, while a surprisingly tiny number attributed blame to al-Qaeda.”

    David Goodhart, co-author of the report and Head of Policy Exchange’s Demography, Integration and Immigration Unit, said: “British Muslims as a whole continue to live somewhat more separately than other large ethno-cultural minorities—in neighbourhoods and schools, in terms of women not working, and in terms of attitudes and religiosity.

    “However, the promising news from this survey is that when it comes to everyday life British Muslims, and their concerns and interests, are increasingly part of the mainstream, and to a much greater extent than one would assume listening to many of the organisations that claim to speak for Muslims.”

    The report said found that 26 per cent of Muslims did not believe in extremism and 48 per cent would not turn to the police if someone close to them became involved with people linked to Syrian terrorism.

    It found 93 per cent of respondents had a fairly strong or very strong attachment to Britain and more than half wanted to fully integrate with non-Muslims in all aspects of life.

    More Muslims condemned terrorism than the rest of the population – 90 per cent to 84 per cent – and 55 per cent wanted to see extra police on the streets.

    The report found that the Muslim Council of Britain enjoys little support in the community, with just 9 per cent of respondents backing it.

    It also suggested the Government should not be “spooked” into abandoning or apologising for its controversial Prevent agenda, which tries to stop people being drawn into terrorism, because Muslim communities are “generally relaxed” about intervention to tackle extremism.”

    • “It found 93 per cent of respondents had a fairly strong or very strong attachment to Britain and more than half wanted to fully integrate with non-Muslims in all aspects of life.”

      What does that even mean… Besides, we are getting similar numbers from France or Germany, yet “on the ground” things look totally different with respect to actual attachment or actual integration…

      • What does that even mean… Besides, we are getting similar numbers from France or Germany, yet “on the ground” things look totally different with respect to actual attachment or actual integration…

        Welcome to the wonderful world of hijra taqiyya.

  18. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/01/503985473/uber-now-tracks-passengers-locations-even-after-theyre-dropped-off

    The most senior Chinese Catholic has slammed a potential rapprochement between the Vatican and Beijing, saying it would be “betraying Jesus Christ”, amid a thaw in more than six decades of bitter relations.

    Talk of a deal between the two sides has been building for months, with some saying the diplomatic coup for Pope Francis would be resolving the highly controversial issue of allowing China’s Communist government to have a hand in selecting bishops.

    But Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 84-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong, has been an outspoken critic, saying any agreement where Beijing would have a hand in approving clergy would be “a surrender”.

    ‘We did nothing wrong’: banned Hong Kong politician on oath-taking protest
    Read more
    “Maybe the pope is a little naive, he doesn’t have the background to know the Communists in China,” Zen said at the Salesian school in Hong Kong where he still teaches. “The pope used to know the persecuted Communists [in Latin America], but he may not know the Communist persecutors who have killed hundreds of thousands.”

  19. POPULATION BOOM: Parts of London see 85% of children born to foreign parent (express, Dec 1, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/738746/population-boom-baby-foreign-parents-UK-migrants

    “A RECORD number of babies born have at least one foreign-born parent as immigration fuels a population explosion, according to recent figures.

    The UK Statistics Authority revealed one in three children born in the UK last year had at least one parent from overseas, a figure which has been steadily increasing over the years.

    The total children whose mother or father, or both, were born abroad in England and Wales was 33 per cent last year, which has risen by more than a third when compared to 2000, when it stood at just 21 per cent.

    And it has been steadily creeping up, rising from 31.4 per cent in 2013.

    In total, four London boroughs saw more than eight out of 10 children born to families where at least one parent was themselves born abroad.

    In Newham, some 86.4 per cent of children – 5,378 – had both or one parent who was born abroad in 2015.

    Brent had a figure of 4,408 babies, equating to 84.7 percent, Westminster came third with 83.5 per cent, or 2,261, and Kensington and Chelsea had a rate of 83.2 per cent, which works out to 1,502 newborns.

    The average for the capital was 69 per cent, with the total number of newborns with at least one parent from overseas standing at 89,444 last year.

    And the Government was dealt a further blow today when the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration into the UK was at record levels.

    The year to June saw 335,000 migrants had come into the country, just below its peak of 336,000 the previous year.

    The numbers shatter former Prime Minister David Cameron’s pledge to reduce net migration to the ‘tens of thousands’.

    Tory MP, Philip Hollobone, blasted the changing demographic of the UK.

    He said: “Immigration is changing the face of our country.

    “Immigrants have more children than indigenous people that the make-up of the country is changing in front of our eyes.

    “We have to get control over immigration and Brexit is the best way to achieve that.”.

    The ONS predicted the UK’s population could swell to nearly 80 million within 20 years – a rise of 20 per cent – partly due to rampant immigration.

    Over the past two decades the population of foreign-born residents has surged from 3.8 million to 8.3 million.

    And since 2000, Migration Watch claims that immigrants and births to foreign-born parents is responsible for 85 per cent of population growth.

    Alp Mehmet, vice chair of Migration Watch, said: “These figures make clear yet again, that rapid population growth continues to be driven by immigration…”

  21. Two years ago the Obama administration sought out to tackle a “crisis” that involved minors seeking out “human smugglers” to help with transportation across the U.S. – Mexico border. So, with a swipe of the pen, Obama signed an executive order allowing minors of certain Central American countries to flee to the U.S. under a “refugee/parole program.”

    Two years later, there’s just one problem: 70% of the people admitted under the program are actually adults. According to MRC TV, official data from the State Department indicates that of the 1,600 aliens that have traveled to the U.S. under the CAM program to date, only 480 of them are actually under the age of 18.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-01/70-immigrants-admitted-under-obamas-minor-refugee-program-are-adults

  23. Strictly for the LOLZ:

    New Chrome Extension Changes ‘Alt-Right’ to ‘White Supremacy’
    by PHIL HELSEL
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    A group opposing what it called normalization of white nationalism under the term “alt-right” has created a Google Chrome extension that changes the phrase to “white supremacy.”

    The phrase “alt right” or “alternative right” came to the fore during the presidential election, and Donald Trump’s chief strategist Steven Bannon has said he wanted the news site he once managed, Breitbart.com, to be “a platform for the alt-right.”

    “This gentle sounding name is the rebranding of White Supremacy and White Nationalism, and its normalization must be stopped,” the group “Stop Normalizing” says on its website.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/new-chrome-extension-changes-alt-right-white-supremacy-n689881

    • Perhaps it’s time for a “Cyber Death Penalty”.

      As in: (for convictions for willfully coding or knowingly disseminating computer viruses)

      1.) First conviction involves 6-12 month isolation from all Internet activity
      2.) Second conviction mandates 1-5 year isolation from all Internet activity
      3.) Third conviction voids a DECADE of all Internet access at home or on-the-job*
      4.) Fourth conviction bans all further Internet activity under threat of lifetime imprisonment
      5.) Fifth conviction implies execution or permanent incarceration without any parole

      There is no Sixth conviction. In reality, there should be no third conviction.

      *Such jobs cannot involve any computer access whatsoever (e.g., ditch-digging and cleaning toilets). Convicts must wear ankle bracelets that are triggered by prolonged lingering in a WiFi enabled zone or staying in an Internet cafe. Yes, this means that such convicts cannot work in buildings that have wireless LANs (Local Area Networks) or even be employed at a site that is within sufficient proximity to an active WiFi zone.

      This is what “Black Hat” hackers deserve and must be confronted with so that they no longer pose such a threat to law-abiding computer users.

      All comments and suggestions are welcome.

  26. https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/33398806/torture-appeared-widespread-after-turkey-coup-un-expert/#page1

    Ankara (AFP) – Measures taken in Turkey after the July 15 coup attempt created an “environment conducive to torture”, and ill treatment appears to have been widespread immediately after the failed putsch, a UN expert said Friday.

    Turkey is under a state of emergency, extended for 12 weeks in October, after a rogue military faction tried to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power on July 15.

    “Some recently passed legislation and statutory decrees created an environment conducive to torture,” UN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer told reporters in Ankara.

    Melzer’s visit, the first by a UN torture expert to Turkey since 1998, comes a month after US-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Turkish police of torturing detainees.

  27. http://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2016/12/02/pkk-supporters-attack-turkish-mosques-and-shops-in-germany

    PKK terrorist organization supporters attacked Turkish businesses, community centers and mosques in the German states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

    The PKK supporters used Molotov cocktails to attack a Turkish cultural center, a Turkish newspaper, the FC Türkiye sports club and the Ali Pasha mosque in Quickborn.

    The attacks reportedly caused serious damage to the buildings.

    The terrorist organization’s sympathizers accepted responsibility for the crimes, and even published the videos of the FC Türkiye attack on the internet.

  28. Returning Jihadis: A Generational Threat

    It was a mistake to believe that with the killing of Osama Bin Laden and the elimination of al-Qaeda’s leadership, the threat of jihadism had ceased to exist. It returned ferociously only two years later with ISIS. It is possible that ISIS will disappear, but I am convinced that in five years, we will still be talking about a jihadist movement that is a threat that will keep us preoccupied for a generation.

    Over the past four to five years we have seen an unprecedented mobilization of people in the name of that movement – more than 30,000 people from a hundred different countries. For the first time we have seen the mobilization of over 5,000 Western Europeans who have gone to Iraq to join jihadist groups. Around 50% have already died and more will do so in the final battles. The writer, Professor of Security Studies at the Department of War Studies at Kings College London, is the author of Radicalised: New Jihadists and the Threat to the West.

    http://fathomjournal.org/returning-jihadis-a-generational-threat/

  29. The Lesson of the Arson Jihad in Israel

    Of the 39 largest fires in Israel last month, 29 were ignited by Palestinian arsonists. “We have also identified an additional 10 sites where arson was attempted but didn’t succeed,” Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told me in an interview Thursday. “In some cases we were able to catch the suspects by camera or drone. In others we found Molotov cocktails at the scene.” He added: “All the big fires were in Israel or in Jewish towns or near Jewish towns.”

    Having tried and failed to destroy Israel through other means, Palestinians are now literally setting the Holy Land on fire. The message, evident to all but their friends in Washington and Brussels, is that they would sooner see the land go up in flames than coexist with a Jewish state.

    “I would love to be able to be the one that made peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” president-elect Donald Trump told the New York Times last week. But treating Arab-Israeli peace like a real-estate deal – as a matter of offering just the right inducements to the parties – is precisely the failed approach that has disappointed successive American presidents for half a century, since it doesn’t take the Palestinian ideology into account. Such bargaining leads nowhere with a people willing to risk burning down the land their future state would inherit.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lesson-of-the-arson-jihad-in-israel-1480627358

  30. Britain’s Muslim Brotherhood Whitewash

    The governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organization and want Britain to ban the Muslim Brotherhood’s ability to operate in the UK.

    These Arab countries insist that Muslim Brotherhood activists are taking advantage of Britain’s tolerant attitude toward Islamist groups to plot terror attacks in the Arab world.

    Yet a British government inquiry into Muslim Brotherhood activities was ambivalent.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/britains-muslim-brotherhood-whitewash-1480536404

  32. TRANSGENDER CONFORMITY

    How can our nation, so proud of its allegiance to science, have fallen prey to an ideology founded on the false claim that a human being is free to choose whether to be a man or a woman? The transgender crusade is closely linked to the recent crusade for same-sex marriage. Both spring from the same philosophical source—a decisive shift in our society’s idea of the nature of the human person.

    The Judeo-Christian vision . . . holds that God created man—body and soul—with purpose and meaning in an ordered universe. But the post-Christian worldview fast replacing it has no place for God, and perceives no purpose in nature. Christian man has become “psychological man” and the soul has become the self, in the words of Philip Rieff. The free-floating self—unconstrained by reality—is now believed to forge its own “identity” through a creative assertion of will.

    Post-Christian man views his body as a tabula rasa—a canvas on which to express his identity and exert his will. In fact, the more contrary to nature one’s new self is, the more “authentic” it can claim to be. The recent mania for tattoos and piercings is a case in point. . . .

    Today’s transgender crusade can be seen as the latest manifestation of this denial [of nature]. It is inherently authoritarian, . . . because it has to be. . . . Soviet authorities silenced dissenters with late-night knocks on the door. In the U.S., the tool of choice is weaponized civil rights. Critics of transgender ideology are denounced as bigots—guilty of the only sin left in our post-Christian world.

    https://www.firstthings.com/article/2016/12/transgender-conformity

    • BBC NEWS – Why Turkey has the highest transgender murder rate in Europe –

      As part of the BBC’s 100 Women season, we meet a woman risking her life to take a stand.

  33. Muslims ‘ordered to LEAVE Christmas market after setting-up Islam information stall’ (express, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/738955/muslim-christmas-market-germany-islam-R-desheim-danger-concerns

    “MUSLIMS who set up an information stand at a Christmas market have been asked to shut it down after worried locals concerned about security complained to the town hall.

    The Christmas market in the town of Rüdesheim on the Rhine, Germany, is a popular tourist destination famed for its festive atmosphere, which traditionally features stalls selling mulled wine, frankfurters and gifts.

    But members of the Ahmadiyya Islamic community set up an information booth this year which has offended locals who complain that the stand is not in-fitting with the spirit of Christmas…”

  34. ITALY MIGRANT FIRE: Huge blaze destroys 50 homes after tearing through refugee camp (express, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/739222/Italy-migrant-camp-refugee-asylum-seeker-Foggia-fire-Calais-Jungle

    “A MASSIVE fire has ripped through a makeshift migrant camp in Italy, hospitalising refugees and displacing hundreds of people.

    The inferno, which began overnight in the Foggia camp, quickly turned into a tinderbox as the 500 wooden and cardboard shanties set alight within minutes.

    Two migrants were rushed to hospital, one suffering from smoke inhalation and another from a broken leg, which shattered after he fell as he tried to flee the flames.

    Italian authorities are not treating the incident as arson because they believe the fire was sparked by a stove…”

  35. A third of French ISIS fighters were born CHRISTIAN and converted to Islam, expert reveals (express, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/739167/France-Christian-Islam-ISIS-immigrants

    “APPROXIMATELY one third of French Islamic State militants were born to working class Christian parents before converting to Islam, a jihad expert has sensationally claimed.

    War reporter David Thomson also revealed 70 per cent of the depraved fanatics were born to immigrant parents.

    Mr Thompson, who has spent the past two years interviewing French jihadists, said radical extremists are not mentally disturbed and that most were in fact immigrant youths who feel they do not belong to French society.

    He told Le Figaro: “They are not damned souls. They are outsiders driven by both politics and religion. Most grew up in France’s sensitive urban areas. Seine-Saint-Denis, one of Paris’s poorest suburbs, for example, is the epicentre of French jihad. More than 100 Seine-Saint-Denis locals have fled to Iraq or to Syria since 2012.”

    The French jihad expert added that there was a direct link between a youth’s inability to integrate into French society and ISIS’ growing popularity among disgruntled French Muslims.

    Mr Thompson said: “ISIS propagandists tell recruits that life in Syria and Iraq is amazing. A jihadist I once interviewed compared life in the Islamic caliphate to a theme park, he said it was a ‘Disneyland for mujahideens’.”

    He said the radicalised youths are often thrill seekers who lead a colourless, listless existence in France.

    He added: “All the jihadists I have spoken with left because they felt frustrated and humiliated. Most belong to a minority group and have an inferiority complex. ISIS gives wounded egos a confidence boost by promising them pride and protection.”….”

  36. Houthis recruit more than 2,000 child soldiers (memo, Dec 2, 2016)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161202-houthis-recruit-more-than-2000-child-soldiers/

    “Houthis and militias loyal to Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have recruited more than 2,000 children to within their ranks in the Dhamar province, according to Aden Ghad.

    The child recruitment operation was led by Ahmed Al-Washly, well known for his ability to recruit and radicalise children into fighting for the militia forces…”

  37. AUSTRIA

    Flüchtlinge: Presserat bietet “Checkliste” für Berichterstattung

    Für “verantwortungsvollen Journalismus” zum Thema

    Wien – Der Presserat hat eine “Checkliste” zusammengestellt, die Medien als Anleitung bei der Berichterstattung über das Flüchtlingsthema dienen soll. Dieses werde in der Bevölkerung, aber auch in den Medien “emotional und kontrovers” diskutiert. Mit der Liste möchte man “Selbstreflexion” ermöglichen sowie eine “Orientierungshilfe für die Praxis” bieten”, ließ das Selbstkontrollorgan der Presse verlauten.

    Grundlage waren Beratungen der drei Senate des Presserats darüber, “wie man verantwortungsvoll über Flüchtlinge und Asylwerber berichtet”. Grundlage für Entscheidungen des Presserats, den das Thema seit Monaten stark beschäftige, sei aber weiterhin der Ehrenkodex für die österreichische Presse.

    Die Checkliste des Presserat (“Verantwortungsvoller Journalismus in der Flüchtlingsberichterstattung”) im Wortlaut:

    Würde ich über ein Fehlverhalten auch dann berichten, wenn es nicht von einem Ausländer/Asylwerber/Migranten gesetzt worden wäre?
    Habe ich das Thema ausreichend recherchiert, gehen meine Quellen über bloße (Internet-)Gerüchte hinaus?
    Habe ich jene Fakten präsentiert, die für eine umfassende und ausgewogene Darstellung meines Themas notwendig sind?
    Habe ich geprüft, ob durch meine Berichterstattung/meine Wortwahl/meine Fotoauswahl Vorurteile verstärkt werden?
    Habe ich geprüft, ob ich Informationen, die Vorurteile schüren könnten, weglassen kann, ohne den Sinn und den Wahrheitsgehalt der Geschichte zu verändern oder das Verständnis der Leserinnen und Leser zu beeinträchtigen?
    Habe ich geprüft, ob bestimmte Informationen nicht andere Absichten konterkarieren (z.B. keine Nennung von Herkunft, aber Nennung eines auf einen Ausländer deutenden Vornamens)? Anmerkung: Die bloße Nennung der Herkunft eines (mutmaßlich) straffällig gewordenen Ausländers/Asylwerbers/Migranten ist nach der gängigen Praxis der Senate des Presserats kein Ethikverstoß. Dennoch sollten Journalisten abwägen, ob es im konkreten Fall für das Verständnis der Leserinnen und Leser erforderlich ist, die Herkunft anzuführen.
    Habe ich überlegt, ob durch meine Berichterstattung/meine Wortwahl/meine Fotoauswahl jemand gekränkt oder beleidigt werden könnte?
    Bin ich mir im Klaren darüber, welche Absichten meine Hinweisgeber/Recherchequellen verfolgen?
    Kann ich zu dem Thema ein Internet-Forum eröffnen, ohne befürchten zu müssen, dass die Diskussion entgleist?
    Bin ich sicher, dass ich keine außerjournalistischen Gründe habe, ausgerechnet dieses Thema aufzugreifen?

    (APA, 29.11.2016)
    http://derstandard.at/2000048430258/Fluechtlinge-Presserat-bietet-Checkliste-fuer-Berichterstattung

  38. Austria: France must choose between ‘Assad and Islamists’ in Syria – Marion Le Pen

    The niece of FN leader Marie Le Pen welcomed France’s decision to join the international coalition in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), adding that other countries, “especially European ones,” should do the same.

    The niece of FN leader Marie Le Pen welcomed France’s decision to join the international coalition in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), adding that other countries, “especially European ones,” should do the same.

    SOT, Sophie Shevardnadze, RT journalist (French): “France responded to the terrorist attacks by bombing ISIL in Syria. Should France continue its active involvement in this campaign?”

    Marion Marechal Le Pen, MP for Vaucluse’s 3rd constituency (French): “I think France’s decision to join the international coalition was the right one. I would like to see as many countries as possible, especially European ones, upholding the need to participate in the war on Islamic State, because the latter is a serious threat to all of us. I think it was also right because French politics is, sadly, partially responsible for the present situation. The Front National talked about it during the Afghanistan and Libya campaigns when France was supplying weapons to the Islamists opposing Gaddafi – and at first, they wanted to do the same in Syria by giving arms to the Syrian opposition fighting Assad. That policy was so inconsistent that our French soldiers fighting Islamists in Mali, on our president’s orders, found those Islamists fighting back with the French weapons supplied to them by the other countries’ opposition groups we were supporting. It is time to acknowledge these mistakes and make peace with the fact that the only choice in today’s Syria is between Bashar Assad and Islamists – because as sad as it is, there is no one else there. If we really care about France’s interests, we must realise that Islamists pose a real threat to our security, while Bashar Assad does not. Today is the time to be pragmatic and to think logically until the end.”

  39. Sweden: Cars blaze in Stockholm outskirts, as arson attacks continue

    The car fire epidemic sweeping across Stockholm continued to rage in the areas of Skarholmen and Ostberga on Thursday. Emergency services soon arrived on scene to put out the blaze.

    Similar incidents occurred on Saturday and Sunday, in the nearby area of Hallunda and in the suburb of Norsborg on Monday. Over the last year, around 70 cars have been burned in the region near the Swedish capital.

  40. Austria To Ban Migrants From Buying Guns (breitbart, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/02/austria-ban-migrants-purchasing-firearms/

    “The Austrian government is set to amend the laws which govern the use and possession of firearms so that illegal immigrants and asylum seekers will no longer have access to purchasing them.

    The new changes to the extant amendment to the Weapons Act, which was approved Thursday by the Internal Committee of the National Council prohibits asylum seekers and migrants living in Austria illegally from access to firearms. The bill, which will take effect in March of next year, also looks to manage the use of arms by security agencies and police, a press release from the government stated.

    The amendment will not only prohibit illegal migrants and asylum seekers from procuring weapons but also looks to ban legal migrants and accepted refugees until a residency period of five years has passed. Those who have European Union citizenship are not affected by the new law, nor are tourists…”

  41. Populist MP Fined For Linking Terrorism and Islam (breitbart, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/02/populist-mp-fined-e450-linking-terrorism-islam/

    “A member of Finland’s True Finns party is unrepentant after having been sentenced to pay a fine for the crime of agitating against an ethnic group in a blog post.

    True Finns local chapter leader Terhi Kiemunki has rejected the ruling that a blog post she wrote was defamatory, and said despite the €450 fine she was the true victim of the case and had been miscast and been unfairly convicted due to public interest in the case.

    The case came to the attention of Finnish police after Ms. Kiemunki reported herself to them for investigation, as she had grown tired of accusations online that her writings were slanderous.

    Instead of being cleared as she hoped, the court found her comments about Islam could be “liable to cause contempt and hatred towards Muslims”, reports the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).

    Following her sentencing about the blog post, which asserted that the perpetrators of recent terror attacks in Europe had been Muslims and lambasted a “repressive, intolerant and violent religion and culture”, she said: “I am still of the view that declaring statistical facts or even sharing an opinion is not a crime if someone doesn’t like it.

    “In these times, specifically in the recent past and today, all of the perpetrators of terrorist acts have turned out to be Muslim.

    “I wrote the blog because the actions of the media, Greens and Left caused me to be condemned as a criminal, an instigator of hatred and someone who could be insulted and slandered at will publicly and in private messages; someone whose life and even family were threatened”.

    Criminal cases surrounding disobliging remarks on Islam and immigrants are becoming a more common feature of European courtrooms, as laws banning the giving of offence are used to tackle the expressed opinions of opponents of mass migration. While ordinary citizens are pursued by police for social media postings, prominent politicians are facing severe penalties for expressing their views…”

  43. Study: Migrants Insulating Themselves From European Culture, Not Integrating (breitbart, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/02/migrants-becoming-insulted-germany/

    “Migrant communities in Germany, especially those in poverty, are becoming more insular and rejecting western society and values in larger numbers according to a new study.

    The biggest challenge of the migrant crisis has been the ability of the German government to properly integrate migrants from the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere into German society. A new study by the German Association for Housing and Urban Development (VHW) shows that migrants, especially those of a lower income bracket, are becoming less integrated and some outright reject the culture of Germany entirely reports Die Welt.

    The study, named “immigrant worlds in Germany 2016,” looks at migrants within the major cities and municipalities of the country shows that many migrant groups are choosing to isolate themselves rather than establish links with those of other backgrounds. Bernd Hallenberg, who works for the VHW, said, “The migrant milieus are developing apart,” noting that many migrant communities retreat into themselves on a social and cultural level.

    The study shows a trend of migrants, who once saw themselves as Germans, identifying more with the ethnic and cultural background of their origin. A similar study was carried out in 2008 by the VHW that when compared to the current study shows a large shift toward isolation, rather than integration.

    One person who was questioned as a part of the study even said, “We are not Germans, we are now Turks,” and added, “my friends are mostly religious and mostly foreigners, not just Turks. I believe we have more common things with them than with Germans.”…”

  46. Michigan board considering election recount deadlocks on using machines to recount 4.8 million ballots, paving way for hand recount of paper ballots –

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

    Board considering halting Michigan election recount deadlocks at 2-2; recount likely to begin next week if courts don’t intervene –

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

    The Latest: Michigan Board Deadlocks, Removes Recount Hurdle

    Michigan’s elections board has deadlocked on President-elect Donald Trump’s request to prevent a recount, which means it will start next week unless the courts intervene.

    Two Republicans voted Friday to prevent the recount, while two Democrats said it should proceed. A state spokesman says the statewide recount requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein will begin Tuesday or Wednesday barring a court order.

    Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, asked the state Supreme Court on Friday to intervene and stop the recount. That motion is pending.

    A Wisconsin recount is underway, though his supporters have filed a federal lawsuit trying to stop in. In Pennsylvania, Trump is asking a court to dismiss Stein’s recount request.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/latest-wisconsins-walker-expect-vote-43927472

    First Day Of Wisconsin Recount Nets Hillary One Vote

    […]The first day of Wisconsin’s presidential recount narrowed the gap between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President-elect Donald Trump by precisely one vote.[…]

    http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/02/first-day-of-wisconsin-recount-nets-hillary-one-vote/

  47. Dana Loesch and Nomiki Konst Full Interview with Megyn Kelly

    …..OSU Cop ‘Rushed To Judgement’ By Shooting Attacker

  48. France 24 – “Marine Le Pen will be the next French President”

    « … she has a “National-Socialist” program….» [ I guess they mean... "Nationalsozialist " ....]

  50. Donald Trump ASSASSINATION fears: ISIS threatens to kill President-elect in chilling video (express, Dec 2, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/739268/isis-donald-trump-assasination-kill-threat-video-indonesia

    “ISLAMIC State (ISIS) fighters have threatened to kill Donald Trump in a chilling new video.

    Jihadis reportedly belonging to the terror group in Indonesia released footage called “Incite the Believers to the Fight 2”.

    The video features scenes of the President-elect being rushed off stage by security guards during a rally in Reno, Nevada…”