Reader’s links for December 17 – 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

70 Replies to “Reader’s links for December 17 – 2016”

      • That person (for lack of a better word) is a major indictment of the modern educational system.

      • A snowflakes snowflake has made a video proving his ignorance and indicting the modern educational system for doing such a poor job educating him.

        He thinks magic works and that there are more then two sexes after that he is babbling about who knows what and really who cares?

          • If I can’t tell if it’s male or female, I get distracted. Something about one’s and zero’s, then witch- what?
            Bah!

            That fits.

            I wonder if he is a product of Mom and Dad doing drugs before during and after the pregnancy?

    • Sweet merciful crap! This person’s voice-over commentary comes up with the exact same sort of running dialogue that made lots of people I used to know hate viewing movies or watching television with me.

      Let’s face it, “Snowflake points” … INSTANT KEEPER!!!

      Then there’s the narrator’s hilariously derisive attitude towards Wiccanism. Hey, EFFING Morons, Wiccanism was fabricated out of whole cloth in the1940s and 1950s. But, please don’t let that annoying little fact prevent you from imbuing it with the same esteem that Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism have grudgingly managed to earn OVER THE PAST FEW MILLENNIA.

      “Non-binary people”—hokay, not male nor female—what does that leave us with (in scientifically accurate terms)? Hermaphrodites? People born without reproductive organs? Doesn’t this amount to somewhere around 0.0005% of successful human births?

      Muslims becoming “accepting” … ARE YOU FÜÇKÏNG KIDDING ME?!? Islam is so intolerant that it merits having tolerant people being entirely intolerant of Islam. What about this is unclear?!?

      “Feels before reals” … ANOTHER INSTANT KEEPER!!!

      GAH!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Imagine an inverted pyramid. The point touching the ground is made of gold. It is about the volume of an olympic-size swimming pool and represents all the gold ever produced. Dwarfing the point and rising into the clouds is the remainder of the pyramid. This portion represents every financial instrument derived from gold. Why gold, you ask? Because there is no counterparty risk. It is in and of itself money, and is the highest form of money. Why does it matter to us, you ask? Because the value of all that we own and toil for is calibrated by the value of this “barbaric reluc” (Greenspan before his found Jesus). This is why governments and Keynesians hate gold so. This is why precious metal price discovery is not permitted. Manipulation of spot prices is committed by colluding commercial banks selling paper gold and silver at massive volumes. It is done with a wink and a nod from central banks. PM manipulation is the Keynesian hole to f@$k in, so to speak. It is the tragic tales of our labours enslaved.

    http://comexwehaveaproblem.blogspot.ca/2016/12/when-gold-goes-above-1430-we-whack-it.html?m=1

    • If you can afford to buy gold and silver be sure and take physical possession of your purchase. The receipts that say you have so much Gold or Silver of such and such a weight aren’t good enough you have no way of knowing how many times that Gold or Silver have been sold and receipts issued. Physical Gold and Silver are the only way to go.

      FYI: One ounce of gold will buy as much now as it would in 1950 and 1930, the increase you pay in paper money is due to the planned inflation that the Keynesians love so much. The problem with the planned inflation is that under these policies the rich get richer the poor gets poorer and the middle class is destroyed and cast down into the poor. It is the middle class that creates the vast majority of jobs and the vast majority of wealth. The alt left hates them because they are the ones that make a nation prosperous and not the government.

    • They never talk about diamonds.
      I had a great-uncle who had his back teeth replaced by diamonds. That’s how he made it to Shanghai, survived the Holocaust.

      • Besides the article that Johnnyu linked to Diamonds rarity is artificial, DeBeers (sp?) buys up all of the non cartel diamonds to keep the number released into the market low. Also but the US and Russia produce artificial diamonds, Russia sells to the cartel and the US uses ours as industrial diamonds. If the real and artificial diamonds were all released perfect 10 caret stones would be worth about $10.00 a caret.

        • He knew a great deal about diamonds.
          He was from a diamond-cutter family in Amsterdam that had been there since the Edict of Expulsion from Spain. That side of the family had relatives in the diamond-mining industry in South Africa.
          All I remember is that he used to travel with his briefcase handcuffed to his hand.

      • Diamonds remain one of the absolute, single-most worst monetary investments there is on the face of this earth. Only the very largest and finest gems with 4C qualities (Clarity, Color, Cut, & Carats) have any intrinsic worth. The rest of this entire market is manipulated (primarily by DeBeers and) delivers marginal quality ice of totally worthless investment value.

        Untreated emeralds and rubies (i.e., no heating or neutron bombardment) are of far greater value than the vast majority of diamonds.

  3. Media blame Trump for Chinese navy stealing U.S. underwater drone off Philippines
    By J.E. Dyer December 16, 2016

    The news broke this morning that a Chinese navy warship maneuvered close to a U.S. auxiliary vessel on 15 December when it was recovering underwater drones off Subic Bay, and stole one of the drones.

    The ship in question is USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62), an oceanographic research vessel operated for the U.S. Navy by the Military Sealift Command. Bowditch routinely deploys and handles unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) used for oceanographic research. Bowditch’s UUVs collect and report observations on temperature, salinity, and pressure in the underwater environment, because collecting such data enables us to better model and predict the performance of sonar in various ocean environments.

    CNN describes the encounter:

    In the latest encounter in international waters in the South China Sea region, the USNS Bowditch was sailing about 100 miles off the port at Subic Bay when the incident occurred, according to the official.

    Bowditch had stopped in the water to pick up two underwater drones. At that point a Chinese naval ship that had been shadowing the Bowditch put a small boat into the water. That small boat came up alongside and the Chinese crew took one of the drones.

    The US got no answer from the Chinese on the radio when it said the drone was American property, the official said.

    As they turned away, the Chinese did come up on the radio and indicated they were returning to their own operations.

    [Update, as this goes to post: the USNI News post has the text of the Pentagon’s announcement now as well. – J.E.]

    CNN continues:

    Although it’s unclear what the motivation was for the Chinese, the seizing of the drone comes on the heels of other provocative incidents that have happened since President-elect Donald Trump received a congratulatory call with Taiwan’s President, a violation of the US’s agreement with China’s “One China policy”. China publicly voiced their disapproval of that incident and contacted the White House at the time.

    Let’s get real here, after all. Which one is China most likely to feel safe stealing a drone from in broad daylight? Barack Obama, or Donald Trump?

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/12/16/media-blame-trump-chinese-navy-stealing-u-s-underwater-drone-off-philippines/

    • For 8 years Obama had done nothing but run his mouth when attacks occurred on the US and our military, now as he is leaving office he and the alt left especially those in the propaganda media are trying to blame the natural result of 8 years of weakness on the President Elect answering a phone call that was probably made because of another Chinese provocation.

      • China is going to push again after Donald Trump is sworn in, we don’t know where or when they will push but we do know they will push. Given Donald Trumps history and the people he is surrounding himself with he will push back and hard. He isn’t going to be pushed and he isn’t going to let the US be pushed.

        Buckle up the Dictators overseas are going to push to find out how far they can go to when dealing with the US and the Dems are going to scream that his every move is wrong. This is a combination for a major car wreck, the good think is we have PET to handle the coming Crisis’s rather then Hillary, Hillary would have been a worse disaster then Obama and Bill Clinton combined. Welcome to the world the alt left and their propaganda media allies has made for us to live in.

        • To prove my point, look at the people Donald Trump is surrounding himself with, he is putting together a team of Alpha Males the men in his cabinet are all successful men who know how to achieve their goals and are not afraid of a fight, not even a major one. They con’t want a war but they aren’t afraid of one either, China and the other jpredator nations either already know this or are about to learn that the days when they could shove the US around are over.

  4. WSJ: Russians tried to hack RNC also, but Republicans had a better firewall
    By Jeff Dunetz December 16, 2016

    According to the CIA version of the Russian hacking story, both the DNC and RNC were hacked into but only the DNC’s info was used, making them believe that the Russians were trying to sway the election toward Donald Trump. On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that the Russians (if it was the Russians) tried to invade the Republican’s system also, but the techniques that punched into the Democratic Party’s network didn’t work on the GOP. This is additional proof that the claims that the Russians hacked in to the DNC to make Trump POTUS are simply an effort to delegitimize the President-elect.

    Until now, few details had been disclosed about the nature of the targeting of Republican organizations, especially the flagship Republican National Committee, where hackers sent so-called phishing emails last spring to an email address there. Those emails were quarantined by a filter meant to detect spam, as well as potentially malicious traffic that may carry viruses or trick recipients into divulging passwords, two officials said.

    A third person familiar with the investigation said RNC staff members didn’t realize they had been the target of spies until June, after Democratic committee leaders revealed that hackers had successfully gained a foothold inside their networks. Once inside, they reportedly were able to access a trove of DNC opposition research on Mr. Trump, then a candidate.

    We also know that it was a phishing operation that helped the Russians get into John Podesta’s email (and that password was the easily hackable “p@sswOrd”).

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/12/16/wsj-russians-tried-hack-rnc-also-republicans-better-firewall/

  5. Turkey terror- Riot breaks out after 13 killed and 56 injured in Kayseri bus bombing

    A BUS carrying off-duty soldiers has been hit by a car bomb, killing at least 13 people and injuring 56 in a deadly attack in Turkey sparking violent protests.

    The bomb hit a bus transporting off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri , one week after a similar attack targeted police outside the stadium of Istanbul soccer team Besiktas.

    Survivors were seen covered in blood as emergency services rushed to the scene.

    The bus was stopped at a red light and blew up as a car believed to be packed with explosives drove past near the campus of Erciyes University.

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was responsible for a car bomb attack on the bus.

    In a statement, he said:” The style and goals of the attacks clearly show the aim of the separatist terrorist organisation is to trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere.

    “We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria.”

    The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey and the European Union.

    The Turkish Interior Minister said the attack, which killed 13 people, left 56 people in hospital with 12 in intensive care and six in a critical condition.

    Suleyman Soylu said Turkey will retaliate in kind after the bomb exploded at around 8.45am local time.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak likened the bus attack to the Istanbul terror attack, which targeted police.

    […]Hours later a crowd stormed the local headquarters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), parliament’s second-largest opposition party. The office was vandalised and some documents set on fire, a party spokesman said.

    The HDP condemned the bus bombing and called for an end to politics and language that creates polarisation, hostility and violence.

    Thousands of Kurdish politicians, including the two leaders of the HDP, have been detained in recent months on suspicion having links to the PKK.

    The military confirmed 13 personnel were killed and 48 wounded and said civilians may also have been injured in the attack.

    Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Twitter that Turkey would redouble its efforts to fight militancy. “We will fight these cowards with a national mobilisation.”.

    Kurdish militants have previously targeted buses carrying military or security forces.[…]

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/744541/turkey-car-bomb-hits-bus-kayseri-soldiers-dead-injured

  8. Frontex: 350,000 Migrants Arrived in EU This Year So Far (abcnews, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/frontex-350000-migrants-arrived-eu-year-44253294

    “The head of the European Union border control agency says that about 350,000 migrants have arrived in the EU so far this year.

    Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of the Frontex border agency, was quoted Saturday by German daily Ruhr-Nachrichten as saying about 180,000 people arrived via Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean, while 170,000 reached the continent across the central Mediterranean route from Libya and Egypt. That’s a sharp decline from 2015, when more than 1 million people arrived.

    Leggeri said a deal between the EU and Turkey reduced the number of migrants coming from the East, but migration from northern Africa rose 30 percent.

    The International Organization of Migration said Friday that 4,812 people died on the Mediterranean this year so far. That about 1,200 more than last year between January to the end of November.”

  9. Islamic school closed down for teaching too much from the Koran (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/744314/islamic-school-closed-down-koran-france-national-curriculum

    “A PRIVATE Islamic school has been closed down after its head teacher was accused of spending too much time teaching pupils lessons from the Koran and of ignoring the national curriculum.

    The school’s headteacher, Abdelfattah Rahhaoui, has also been handed a four-month suspended jail sentence banning from from teaching at any school or educational setting again.

    Al-Badr primary school, which is located in Toulouse, southwest France, first opened its doors in September 2013. Since then, more than 100 Muslims had enrolled their children – aged two to 12 – at the controversial school…”

  10. Home office kick bogus ‘child migrants’ out – but they promise to return on back of lorry (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/744559/Home-Office-gets-tough-but-migrants-pledge-to-get-to-UK-illegally

    “MIGRANTS sent back to French reception centres by the Home Office have pledged to enter Britain illegally on the backs of lorries.

    Hundreds of child asylum seekers in France who wanted to start a new life in the UK have had their applications turned down by the Home Office.

    The children and teenagers had been holed up in the squalid Calais jungle until October when the camp was shut down.

    But the Home Office rejected their applications for a life in Britain and encouraged them to seek asylum in France instead – as many now live in French reception centres.

    The Home Office has confirmed that the transfer of children from the Calais camp and others in French reception centres has now ended.

    However, a busload of child asylum seekers were brought from France to the UK last Friday.

    Figures from the Home Office show that 750 children have already been brought to the UK, but 1,900 were registered when the Calais jungle was closed.

    Yet, while the Home Office intends to stand firm in its decision to reject the child refugees, one of the boys who had set his sights on the UK said a large number of the boys may still try to get to Britain – even if they have to do it illegally…”

  11. Hijab-wearing students activists SHOCK Christian university with Islamic protest (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/744555/Hijab-students-activists-Christian-protest

    “A GROUP of Christian university students have covered themselves with the Islamic hijab with a shock protest in support for Muslims.

    The protest at the Church-owned university has seen students don the traditional Islamic garment in solidarity with Muslims in the community.

    For the past three weeks, the student activists at the Mormon-owned Brigham Young University, in Utah, USA, have shocked campus with their newfound Islamic fashion.

    Most students at the university are members of the Christian Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    However, these activists, most of whom are majoring in Middle Eastern studies, say they want to spread diversity and fight discrimination.

    They insist the group’s effort sends a message that Muslims are not alone.

    A Facebook page called On Wednesdays We Wear Hijab organises the protest and asks other students to join them by wearing a hijab every Wednesday.

    The group say they will continue with their solidarity protest into the new year…”

  14. Government sues local officials for ‘RACISM’ after blocking mosque plan over parking issue (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/744529/Sterling-Heights-michigan-DOJ-Department-of-Justice-racism-planning-permission

    “GOVERNMENT busybodies have put pressure on local officials after denying a planning application to build a mosque, accusing them of discrimination.

    The US Department of Justice is investigating the local authority of Sterling Heights, Michigan, after they denied the application to build the place of worship, claiming they were discriminating against Muslims in the area.

    But while it was the first time Sterling Heights had rejected plans to build a religious building for a decade, they claim the reasons were a matter of practicality.

    They claim planning permission was denied because of the size and height of the building, as well as lack of “harmony” with the neighbourhood and concerns the plans did not provide sufficient parking…”

  17. 9 Years Without a Budget, But Mitch McConnell Now Scared of “Trump Deficit” – Wow!

    Trump’s inauguration day can’t come soon enough. Between all the nonsense of the Russians and all the Democrats whining, most Americans have had enough. But the crazies seem to be on both sides of the aisle.

    We haven’t had a federal budget signed into law since 2007 and suddenly Republicans are worried about a deficit. Seriously? This is the kind of stupid stuff that just drives Conservatives nuts! McConnell himself helped create this swamp were in!

    http://joeforamerica.com/2016/12/9-years-without-budget-mitch-mcconnell-now-scared-trump-deficit-wow/?utm_source=YIR&utm_medium=shr&utm_campaign=YIR

  18. Trump talks to liberals, but is nominating a conservative Cabinet

    We the Alliance. | by: Kelly Riddell | 12/09/2016

    – See more at: http://wethealliance.com/articles/trump-talks-to-liberals-but-is-nominating-a-conservative-cabinet#sthash.SUhpM1wA.dpuf

    Many conservatives nearly had a heart attack when a Politico article surfaced earlier this week about Ivanka Trump wanting to take on climate change as her pet project, and invited environmentalists such as Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio to Trump Tower to talk policies with her and her president-elect father.

    “A very powerful person has the ear of the president-elect and supports this whole climate change nonsense,” radio talk show host Mark Levin lamented, calling both Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner “liberal Democrats” and saying he was “very, very concerned” about the report.

    Rush Limbaugh had a similar reaction, but said he wanted to wait to see what was really going on before drawing any conclusions.

    Apparently, nothing. A few days after the report, Donald Trump named Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Pruitt is a climate change denier and ardent detractor of the EPA and President Obama’s abuse of power there.

    Mr. Trump is showing he’ll talk to anybody, but when it comes to policy, he’s adopting hard-line conservative activists to his Cabinet. – See more at: http://wethealliance.com/articles/trump-talks-to-liberals-but-is-nominating-a-conservative-cabinet#sthash.SUhpM1wA.dpuf

  19. Islamism in Europe

    by Khadija Khan
    December 17, 2016 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9566/islamism-europe

    German authorities and those across Europe seem finally to be strengthening their campaign against the militant far-right, including Muslim extremists, during the past few weeks.

    This awakening, however, seems to be coming after a major price that Europe had to pay in terms of death and chaos unleashed by terrorists in Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, and so on.

    Governments across the Europe seem to be switching into panic mode to prevent the rise of European radicalism through the rise of the far-right, racism and nationalism throughout the entire continent.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel sounds as if she is backing down a bit from championing the influx of migrants and her slogan of “We can do it!” in developing a multicultural society. She not only vowed to Germans in an address last week that the migrant crisis must never be repeated; she also called for an all-out ban on the full-face veil covering in Germany.

    Following Merkel’s lead, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière also proposed a partial ban on veils, and pronounced them contrary to assimilation.

    The dramatic shift in policy might be a consequence of the planned and perpetrated acts of terrorism by extremist Muslims, many of whom are the migrants on whom Merkel placed her hopes. It might also be the result of the resultant rise of European neo-Nazis. More likely, it would appear to come from an eye to re-election.

  20. ITALY BOMBSHELL: Eurosceptics thunder into poll lead as left faces collapse without Renzi (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/744683/European-Union-Italy-Five-Star-Movement-Matteo-Renz-polls

    “ANTI-BRUSSELS politicians thundered into the lead in Italy’s polls today as the country’s main left-wing party faces an uncertain future without its talisman Matteo Renzi.

    The eurosceptic Five Star Movement (M5S) edged ahead of the socialist Democratic Party (PD) in one of the latest surveys released since the former prime minister was forced to quit following his referendum defeat.

    In a result which will send shockwaves through Brussels the anti-establishment party scored between 29 per cent and 31 per cent of the vote in three bombshell polls released today.

    And the surveys also provide an indication of how fragile the PD’s support base is, with the majority of left-wing voters saying they would rather back a new party set up by Mr Renzi.

    When combined with the projected vote share for the far-right Legia Nord (LN), which would become the country’s third biggest party, the two eurosceptic movements are expected to hoover up close to 45 per cent of the electorate at the next Italian election.

    On top of that Forza Italia (FI), the centre-right party led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, has also taken an increasingly anti-EU tone this year which has seen its poll rating rebound to around 14 per cent.

    The three polls, released simultaneously, will provide further headaches for a Brussels elite desperately trying to get to grips with the populist revolution sweeping the continent…”

  21. Muslim group to SUE Germany over Quran ban after being accused of recruiting ISIS jihadist (express, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/744735/Muslim-group-True-Religion-sue-Germany-ban-free-Quran-terror-Islam-ISIS

    “THE HEAD of a German organisation has lashed out against a ban prohibiting members from distributing copies of the Quran after authorities accused it of recruiting jihadists to fight with Islamic State (ISIS).

    The group, which calls itself True Religion (DWR), began distributing free copies and translations of the Islamic religious book alongside the slogan ‘LIES’ in 2011, but have been active for as long as 11 years.

    Set up by Palestinian-preacher Ibrahim Abou Nagie, the organisation advocates a return to the “true Islam” and members have been recorded publicly denouncing democracy as the enemy to Islamic values.

    But four weeks ago, the group was banned by German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere after he accused the organisation of radicalising young members .

    True Religion has not been accused of any links to terrorism in Germany or on European soil.

    But it has faced allegations that it has deliberately set out to radicalise young German men and women, and encourage them to travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and other extreme jihadist groups.

    As many as 140 youths have already left for the Middle East to join the extremists after becoming involved with True Religion, according to the interior minister.

    Mr de Maiziere said: “We don’t want terrorism in Germany, and we don’t want to export terrorism.”

    Last month, police swooped on around 200 apartments, offices, mosques and a warehouse – where they seized numerous pieces of “evidence”, although no one was arrested during the raids.

    The interior minister stressed the ban is not a move to ban Islamic beliefs, nor distribution of the Koran.

    He said: “The ban is not for the Islam belief in general, muslim life has a secure place in German society, freedom of religion is for everyone.

    “Handing out the Koran is not banned, since it’s like handing out the bible, but misusing this practice to propagate Islamism is banned.”

    One of the places stormed during the raid’s was an apartment in a high-rise building in Bonn where the sect’s leader Mr Abou-Nagie, 52, lives.

    He was hauled out of bed and off for questioning along with hate preacher Said El Emrani 34, who goes by the name Abu Dujana.

    Now Mr Abou Nagie has announced he would be suing the German government over the ban on his Salafist organisation, which was due to have come into force on December 15.

    A spokeswoman from the ministry confirmed a lawsuit had been filed on Thursday at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.

    The religious leader – who was born in the Gaza Strip in 1964 and came to Germany in 1982 as an 18-year-old – sent a video message from Malaysia, mocking German politics.

    He said: “Only in Germany do we have barbaric politicians who simply do not have moral values ??and are playing Rambo.”

    It is unknown whether the imposition of the ban will go ahead while mr Abou Nagie’s challenge goes through the legal system.”

    • Weill, KOD protest was quite small, compared. But German & EU media talk about it as if it was very large. I also read that they, the KOD also plan protests on 24, 25 and 26th of December. Naturally, because majority of them, do not celebrate Christmas. In their view religion is an “opium for the masses”

  23. ‘Britain is source of evil’: Iran’s supreme leader reacts to British PM’s criticism of Tehran (RT, Dec 17, 2016)
    https://www.rt.com/news/370631-khamenei-evil-britain-comment/

    “The damage that the UK has caused in the Middle East over the centuries is “incomparable to others,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has said, blaming London for provoking conflicts in the region and “forcing entire nations off their homelands.”

    “For centuries, Britain has always been the source of wickedness and evil among nations of our region. The strikes that these Britons have blown against the lives of our neighbors are incomparable to others,” Khamenei said on Saturday in a statement quoted by his official website.

    Not only Iran, but also Iraq, Pakistan, and Palestine, have suffered from Britain’s “vicious act,” he said, adding that the UK aims to instigate conflict between Muslims in the region.

    “The old British policy to divide and rule is being pursued, intensely, topping the agenda of Islam’s enemies,” Khamenei said, adding that “now, the same Britain, shamelessly, claims Iran is a threat to the region.”

    The Iranian leader’s comments came after British Prime Minister Theresa May called Iran a “threat” to Middle Eastern states last week.

    “I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East,” the PM said at a summit of Gulf Arab heads of state, citing Tehran’s position on Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and other countries. She also called on the UK’s allies in the region “to push back against Iran’s aggressive regional actions.”

    Khamenei argued that it is the West that is sowing discord in the Middle East by attempting to “turn Muslims against one another.”

    Although Western nations, including Britain, have mended ties with Tehran since the nuclear deal was struck in 2015, Khamenei’s position on a number of burning issues in the region, especially the military conflicts in Syria and Yemen, stands in opposition to that of the US, the UK, and their allies.

    This week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned a top British diplomat in Tehran to protest London’s criticism, Iranian media reported.”

  24. Egypt’s army foils heroin smuggling attempt in Red Sea (ahram, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/253280/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-army-foils-heroin-smuggling-attempt-in-Red-.aspx

    “Egypt’s army foiled a bid to smuggle of 171 kilogrammes of heroin on board an Iranian ship in Red Sea waters, a statement by the Ministry of Defence read Saturday.

    Arrest were made by the navy who acted on intelligence that the suspected ship had entered into Egyptian territorial waters.

    The ministry statement said that the general command of the armed forces ordered that naval forces send a unit to the vessel for inspection purposes and that during the search they found 319 bags of “white powder”, equal to 171 kilogrammes, hidden in the floors of the ship’s toilets.

    The statement added that the ship’s name is ABADAN, and its crew included seven persons: four Iranians, two Indians, and one Pakistani.

    The crew have been all arrested and the ship seized and taken to a naval base.”

  25. At least 50 soldiers arrested over alleged links to Gülenists (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/at-least-50-soldiers-arrested-over-alleged-links-to-gulenists.aspx?pageID=238&nID=107416&NewsCatID=509

    “Over 50 high-ranking soldiers were arrested across Turkey on Dec.17 over alleged links to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed July 15 coup in Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

    The Istanbul Court issued arrest warrants for 530 high-ranking soldiers, including 280 military officers and 250 sergeants early on Dec.17.

    The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement later that 53 soldiers had been arrested so far, including 48 from the port city and five others from other provinces in the country.

    The Istanbul-based simultaneous operations are on the lookout for the rest of the suspects, some of whom used the ByLock messaging app that is said to be linked to the July 15 coup attempt.”

    • Oh yes, everybody is either terrorist or a Gulenist.
      A polish independent journalist, Mr. Witold Repetowicz, was recently put on Erdogan black list. They want to arrest him just because he is writing about Kurdish matters. He published the book “Nazywam sie Kurdystan” (My name is Kurdistan)

  26. Taliban, Haqqani network leaders freely operates in Pakistan: Pentagon (khaama, Dec 17, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-haqqani-network-leaders-freely-operates-in-pakistan-pentagon-02487

    “The top leaders of the Taliban group and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network are still freely operating from their safe havens in Pakistan, Pentagon said in its latest report.

    “Afghan-oriented militant groups, including Taliban and Haqqani Network senior leadership, retain freedom of action from safe havens inside Pakistani territory,” Pentagon said in a report provided to congress.

    Thee report “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan”, further added that “the United States continues to be clear with Pakistan about steps it should take to improve the security environment and deny safe havens to terrorist and extremist groups.”

    The report said Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from both the Afghan insurgency and extremist networks, including the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and to a lesser extent al Qaeda, and other insurgent and extremist groups, which continue to attempt to reassert their authority and prominence….”