Reader’s links for March 26 – 2017

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Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

57 Replies to “Reader’s links for March 26 – 2017”

  1. In France they even kill dead Jewish people by the “nothing-to-do-with-islam” method. At least that’s the new “excuse” for destroying Jewish cemetaries:

    http://www.europe-israel.org/2017/03/exclusif-des-dizaines-de-tombes-juives-detruites-et-vandalisees-au-cimetiere-parisien-de-pantin/#comments

    Translation:

    Sandra Wildensteinfrom the Europe Israël News reports:
    Dozens of Jewish graves were destroyed and / or vandalised in the Parisian cemetery of Pantin.
    The incident reportedly took place in the night from Thursday to Friday, according to a source close to the cemetery.
    Only Jewish squares and Jewish graves were targeted. There are at least 20 tombstones destroyed and / or vandalised, tombstones have been broken or fallen to the ground.
    According to an “official” official of the cemetery we contacted on the telephone, it was a “car accident” … But, knowing the configuration of the cemetery it is impossible for a car to do this much damage.
    A car could strike 2 or 3 graves but not several dozen … This is an excuse of circumstance that must be confirmed or reversed by the investigation.
    Last update: According to a new version circulating on social networks, it was the accident was caused by a Paris Council truck that had hit the graves … This explanation is far from convincing.
    Anti-Semitic act or accident? No [French]media reported this incident.
    http://static.europe-israel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/IMG_7366-1-768×1024.jpg

  2. Erdogan says Turkey may hold referendum on EU accession bid

    President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Turkey may hold a second referendum on whether to continue with European Union accession talks, following a planned vote on April 16 that could give him sweeping new powers.

    “Right now we are holding a referendum on April 16 and after that we could choose to do a second one on the (EU) accession talks and we would abide by whatever our people would say there,” Erdogan told a joint forum with Britain in the southern city of Antalya.

    His comments came a day after he vowed to review all political and administrative ties with the EU, including a deal to curb illegal migration, but it would maintain economic relations with the bloc.

    Turkey’s relations with the EU countries have soured over the past few months after Germany and the Netherlands canceled planned campaign rallies on their territories by Turkish officials seeking to drum up support among expatriate Turks for a “yes” vote in the April referendum.

    Both countries cited security concerns for their decisions, but Erdogan has accused them of using “Nazi methods” and trampling on free speech, comments infuriating several EU governments and deepening the row.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-referendum-eu-idUSKBN16W0R2

  3. Wills cheats death: Prince’s helicopter horror as a lethal drone comes within HALF A SECOND of his air ambulance in dramatic near-miss – but was it reckless or deliberate?

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4349456/Drone-hits-Prince-William-s-helicopter-near-miss.html#ixzz4cR4wbkuD
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    Prince William’s air ambulance has come within half a second of a catastrophic mid-air collision with a remote-controlled drone.

    Medics on board reacted with horror when they spotted the device within feet of potentially downing their helicopter.

    An official report, seen by The Mail on Sunday, said that ‘a collision had only been narrowly avoided’ and disaster was averted by pure ‘chance’.

    Last night aviation experts said the drone could have downed the helicopter, killing those on board and potentially causing more casualties on the ground.

    The report reveals that the terrifying near-miss happened at 1,900ft when the helicopter, with three medical staff and two pilots on board, was flying almost directly over a McDonald’s restaurant filled with families.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4349456/Drone-hits-Prince-William-s-helicopter-near-miss.html#ixzz4cR5B3DtM
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    (Richard: It seems he flys that copter on a regular basis but wasn’t on board when the incident occurred. Now was this near miss an accident or was someone trying to crash the copter? If someone was trying to bring down the copter were they going after a random copter or trying for Wills?)

  4. Trump Supporters Kick Out ANTIFA From The MAGA March in Huntington Beach California

    • BEACH CLASH – Antifa Attempt to Cheap Shot President Trump Supporters at MAGA March in CA

    • This confrontation was inevitable. Everyone saw what happened in San Jose, Berkeley and DC. But… These were not college students or senior citizens. Oh no. These were grown men and they would not be rolled.
      If the fascist “black block” wants to keep this up they better think twice because the priorly peaceful have had enough and are going to fight back.
      If you think you want to pepper spray a middle aged woman in the face you better look around to see if you want to take on her husband…
      Glad to see that at least a few were arrested.

      • The antifa idiots will up the violence by using more clubs, then they will stupidly do that in a state that allows its citizens to go armed and will discover why the US Army is feared by all foes.

  5. France’s Fillon ‘very likely’ wiretapped, ally says

    PARIS (Reuters) – It is “extremely likely” that French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has been the subject of wiretapping in the course of a judicial investigation, a campaign aide said on Sunday, in the latest accusations to be made by the Fillon camp against the authorities.

    Fillon, a former front-runner who is now lagging in polls following a financial scandal, had earlier this week accused Socialist President Francois Hollande of orchestrating a plot against him.

    In comments reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump’s accusations against former president Barack Obama, Fillon and his team are now raising allegations of wiretapping.

    “It’s extremely likely,” lawmaker Eric Ciotti, a close campaign aide, told Europe 1 radio and CNEWS television in an interview on Sunday, asked about reports that Fillon himself on Saturday said he was likely to have been wiretapped in the course of the probe into accusations of misuse of public funds.

    “It wouldn’t be illegal but that would, once more, be a democratic scandal,” Ciotti said.

    As with other accusations made by the Fillon camp in recent weeks, the wiretapping comments triggered some criticism.

    “I don’t believe at all that there is any orchestrated operation there,” centrist Francois Bayrou, an ally of poll frontrunner Emmanuel Macron said.

    “Conspiracy theories … keep one from looking at one’s own responsibilities,” he said of Fillon.

    Fillon, the 63-year-old former prime minister, had looked sure of winning the presidency after he won the candidate-selection contest in his Republicans party last November.

    http://www.oann.com/frances-fillon-very-likely-wiretapped-ally-says/

  6. Police: At least 15 shot, 1 fatally, at Cincinnati nightclub

    Shooting happened inside Cameo, police say

    The shooting was reported just after 1 a.m. at Cameo Night Club on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati’s East End.

    At least one person is still at large, Cincinnati police said.

    Officials said that one person was killed, and at least 14 others were injured. Some of the victims were taken to area hospitals via ambulance, and others arrived via their own conveyance, police said.

    Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate said that several of the victims have life-threatening injuries.

    “We are in the middle of a very horrific situation that occurred at the nightclub with multiple victims,” Neudigate said. “It’s going to be a long night for our homicide units to investigate.”

    Neudigate said that police do not suspect that this was an act of terror.

    Neudigate added that hundreds of people were inside of the nightclub at the time of the shooting, and called it a “chaotic crime scene.” Police initially said multiple shooters fired shots inside of the nightclub. However, Neudigate has said there is “only one reported shooter at this time.”

    http://www.wlwt.com/article/police-at-least-15-shot-1-fatally-at-cincinnati-nightclub/9186538

  7. Japan: The Grateful Generation

    by Amir George
    March 26, 2017 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10114/grateful-japan

    People may be familiar with the term “The Greatest Generation,” now almost past, who fought World War II and rebuilt America in the shadow of the Great Depression.

    Now there is “The Grateful Generation” — those who were touched by “The Greatest Generation,” their kindness and love in rebuilding the world after World War II. We in Asia and parts of the Middle East have a special place in our hearts for America.

    From the graves of brave Americans at Normandy to freeing East Germany from Soviet domination, the United States has been the major force in leading the world for good.

    After the end of World War II, General Douglas McArthur put out a call for 10,000 young men and women to help rebuild postwar Japan. Decades of abuse under a terrible dictator began slowly to heal.

    My parents came to Japan, separately, from the West, met in Japan, married there, had their family and served the country for nearly 60 years.

    When I was growing up in Japan, a strange event seemed to happen almost every day: Someone would stop, bow deeply and say “Arigato” (“thank you”) sometimes accompanied by an awkward handshake or hug.

    One day at a noodle shop, the owner said, “What nationality are you?”

    “American”, I said.

    “Son”, he said, “everything we have is because of Americans. We fought against them and instead of harming us, they fed, clothed and rebuilt us. If it had been the Russians who had won the war instead, we would now be like North Korea.”

    Throughout the world, particularly in Japan, Korea, Europe, the islands of the Pacific and so many other places, there were, and still are, people scattered throughout the world who were loved and cared for by the Americans.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10114/grateful-japan

  8. Self-described ‘antifascists’ clash with police, Trump supporters in Philly
    Milo Yiannopoulos March 26, 2017

    Antifa protesters have allegedly waged war on Trump supporters in Philadelphia this afternoon, prompting police to step in.

    Popular conservative personality Jack Posobiec appears to be at the scene and is reporting on the clashes via his Twitter page.

    Images shared by Posobiec show members of Antifa – clad in their trademark black hoodies and face masks – burning American flags and attacking both police and peaceful rallygoers by setting fires and throwing smoke bombs.

    Antifa protesters have allegedly waged war on Trump supporters in Philadelphia this afternoon, prompting police to step in.

    Popular conservative personality Jack Posobiec appears to be at the scene and is reporting on the clashes via his Twitter page.

    Images shared by Posobiec show members of Antifa – clad in their trademark black hoodies and face masks – burning American flags and attacking both police and peaceful rallygoers by setting fires and throwing smoke bombs.
    “Things could get ugly Philadelphia this weekend, and maybe that’s the point,” it reads.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/03/26/self-described-antifascists-clash-police-trump-supporters-philly/

  9. Marion Le Pen blasts EU for taking sovereignty French soldiers died for as she vows Frexit (express, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/784004/Marion-Le-Pen-vote-Front-National-defend-France-sovereignty-EU-referendum

    “THE French presidential election is “a choice between civilisations” – with Marine Le Pen the only candidate willing to protect the country’s cultural heritage, according to the Front National leader’s niece…”

    • Pentagon: An al-Qaida leader killed in Afghanistan airstrike

      WASHINGTON — A U.S. counterterrorism airstrike earlier this month in Afghanistan killed an al-Qaida leader responsible for a deadly hotel attack in Islamabad in 2008 and the 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team, the Pentagon said Saturday.

      In confirming the death of Qari Yasin, U.S. officials said Yasin was a senior terrorist figure from Balochistan, Pakistan, had ties to the group Tehrik-e Taliban and had plotted multiple al-Qaida terror attacks. The airstrike that led to his death was conducted March 19 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.

      Yasin plotted the Sept. 20, 2008, bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed dozens, officials said. The victims included two American service members, Air Force Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez of El Paso, Texas, and Navy Cryptologic Technician 3rd Class Petty Officer Matthew J. O’Bryant of Theodore, Alabama, U.S. officials said.

      The bus attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore killed six Pakistani policemen and two civilians and wounded six members of the cricket team.

      Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in the statement: “The death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape justice.”

      http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pentagon-an-al-qaida-leader-killed-in-afghanistan-airstrike/ar-BByMmIL?li=BBnbfcL

  10. ‘Afghan national smashes 59-year-old cyclist on the head with a HAMMER in random assault’ (express, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/783964/Afghan-national-cyclist-hammer-assault-crime-Germany-Hamburg

    “AN AFGHAN national has been arrested after allegedly bashing a cyclists skull with a hammer in a random assault.

    The 59-year-old cyclist was attacked early Friday morning as he traveled to Bergedorf, a south eastern district of Hamburg, Germany.

    The alleged attacker is believed to have briefly addressed the cyclist before suddenly hitting him on the head with the weapon.

    Stunned by the attack, the cyclist was able to flee and alert the police.

    The 31-year-old suspect was later found in at home with clothes his smeared in blood…”

  11. Two people stabbed on Swedish subway sparks manhunt for attacker (express, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/783701/Sweden-subway-stabbed-Stockholm-Stureby-south-police-manhunt

    “TWO people have been stabbed after a knife attack on a subway train in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Witnesses said the attacker assaulted the victims after a brief altercation in the Stureby district, south of the Swedish capital, according to reports.

    The authorities are reportedly still searching for the assailant, who fled the scene.

    A witness at the scene said the attacker appeared to be highly intoxicated…”

  12. Terror fears mount as up to ‘SEVENTY terrorists set for release from British prisons’ (express, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/783959/Terror-seventy-terrorists-release-British-prisons-fears-Westminster-attack-Khalid-Masood

    “UP TO 70 al-Qaeda jihadis imprisoned in Britain jails are due to be released.

    The convicts, all jailed between 2004-2006, are set for release, prompting fears over potential threats to national security.

    Security chiefs believe they could form a terror alliance with around 400 battle-hardened radical Islamists across the UK who have returned from Syria and Iraq after fighting for ISIS.

    The news comes just days after deranged jihadist Khalid Masood savagely ploughed down four people on Westminster Bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death.

    Former Labour Cabinet minister Liam Byrne warned about the potential risks of “lone wolf attacks” from ISIS terror cells.

    He told the Mirror: “Put all this together and it’s the perfect storm…”

  13. ‘We reached our limits’: Greece to stop taking back refugees – migration minister (RT, Mar 26, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/news/382334-greece-refugees-stop-resettlement/

    “Greece will cease taking back refugees under the controversial Dublin Regulation, as the country’s limited capacities to host people are already on the brink of collapse, the Greek migration minister announced in an interview.

    As the European Commission pressures Athens to re-implement the Dublin Regulation – stipulating that refugees can be returned to the first EU state they arrived in – the Greek migration minister told Spiegel his country is not in a position to do so. The agreement was put on hold for Greece back in 2011 over problems in the country’s asylum system.

    “Greece is already shouldering a heavy burden,” Ioannis Mouzalas, the migration minister, said.

    “We accommodate 60,000 refugees… and it would be a mistake to make Greece’s burden heavier by the revival of the Dublin agreement,” he said, also adding that Germany, the primary destination for most refugees, “wants countries where refugees arrive first to bear a large portion of the burden.”

    Under the Dublin Regulation, the European state where the asylum-seeker first arrives in the EU is responsible for examining an asylum claim. Refugees are fingerprinted in their first country of arrival to ensure irrefutable evidence of their entry.

    However, rights groups warn that imminent transfers from other EU countries back to Greece in line with the regulations are likely to cause more refugees than ever to go underground in western European countries, as many are desperate to stay there because of family links or successful attempts to start a new life. The scheme also adds even greater pressure to existing refugee facilities in Greece and beyond.

    Asked if Athens is ruling out implementation of the Dublin Regulation, Mouzalas answered in the affirmative, adding, “I want the Germans to understand that this is not because of political or ideological reasons, or failure to appreciate Germany’s assistance.”

    “Greece simply has no capacities to cope with additional arrival of refugees,” he said. “We’ve just pulled ourselves together, so please, don’t make us falter again.”…”

  14. ‘Motive still unknown’: Grenade explosion kills 4, injures 15 in the Philippines (RT, Mar 26, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/news/382341-grenade-philippines-sulu-explosion/

    “A grenade attack has killed four people and injured around 15 others at a store in Jolo, an area in the southwest Philippines.

    The incident happened on the island of Jolo, capital of the Sulu province, when a grenade was thrown near a bakery on Saturday evening.

    Four people perished and scores more were wounded in the explosion, which, according to daily newspaper the Philstar, is suspected of being part of an escape attempt by a fleeing robber.

    However, the Northbound Philippines News Online report that the blast may be in retaliation to a shooting in which a child injured on Friday…”

  15. the guardian –Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

    Extensive inquiries find no motive for Khalid Masood and senior officer says there is no intelligence to suggest more attacks are planned

    […]Police investigating the Westminster attack have concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known.

    […]After four days of intensive inquiries across England and Wales, involving hundreds of officers, the Metropolitan police said they had so far failed to establish the reason for the attack.

    […]The security services do not like the term “lone wolf”, feeling that it glamorises an attacker, and instead prefer “lone actor”.

    […]The police statement confirming that he was a lone actor does not appear to support suggestions that he had been in touch with an accomplice.

    […]“We must all accept that there is a possibility we will never understand why he did this. That understanding may have died with him.”

    […]“Terrorists have tried to tear this city apart before and they have never succeeded. A very small minority of people have tried to use this as an opportunity to stir up hate, but once again we stand together in calm defiance.

    […]As the police and security services piece together Masood’s background, the Saudi Arabian government confirmed that he had worked in the country as an English teacher between 2005 and 2009. It is common for converts to Islam such as Masood to seek work in Saudi Arabia.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/25/westminster-attack-khalid-masoon-acted-alone

    • the sun – ‘NOT A PROPER MUSLIM’ Westiminster terror attack killer Khalid Masood loved marathon crack sessions with hookers and slashed pal’s face after paranoid row

      Former pals tell of violent mood swings and unpredictable behaviour of Westminster terrorist, dubbing it the last act of a man who terrorised others

      TERRORIST Khalid Masood was a party animal who loved marathon crack sessions with hookers, a pal revealed last night.

      Masood, 52, went on drug binges for 72 hours at a time — then robbed pushers at knifepoint for his next fix.

      The Islamic fanatic — then plain Adrian Elms — also blew thousands on hookers while staying at a rented pad and on pals’ sofas.

      His vice obsession in the early 2000s saw landlady Cassie Havard, 43, and mates kick him out.

      Cassie revealed he often got violent after benders on everything from crack cocaine to acid.

      […]The ex-housemate wept as he recalled: “He never got off his computer and never let anyone look at it. He was addicted to it.

      “He had a small room downstairs. There were often Arab guys coming in and out.

      “I confronted him after I got suspicious.

      “But he claimed they were paying him £8,000 a time to write their university theses.

      “At the time I believed him but looking back maybe he was plotting something.
      […]

      https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3179739/westiminster-terror-attack-killer-khalid-masood-loved-marathon-crack-session-with-hookers-and-slashed-pals-face-after-paranoid-row/

  16. WhatsApp must not be ‘place for terrorists to hide’ (BBC, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39396578

    “There must be “no place for terrorists to hide” and intelligence services must have access to encrypted messaging services, the home secretary has said.

    Khalid Masood killed four people in Westminster this week. It is understood his phone had connected to messaging app WhatsApp two minutes earlier.

    Amber Rudd said she would be meeting technology firms this week to ask them to “work with us”.
    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said authorities already had “huge powers”.

    There had to be a balance between the “right to know” and “the right to privacy”, he said.

    Speaking to BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, Ms Rudd said: “It is completely unacceptable, there should be no place for terrorists to hide.

    “We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don’t provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.

    “It used to be that people would steam open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warranty.

    “But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.”

    All messages sent on WhatsApp have end-to-end encryption.

    This means messages are unreadable if they are intercepted by anyone, including law enforcement and WhatsApp itself.

    The Facebook-owned company, which has a billion users worldwide, has said protecting private communication was one of its “core beliefs”.

    Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple which also uses end-to-end encryption, has previously said it would be “wrong” for governments to force Apple to “build a back door” into products.

    But Ms Rudd said: “I would ask Tim Cook to think again about other ways of helping us work out how we can get into the situations like WhatsApp on the Apple phone.”

    Europol director Rob Wainwright echoed Ms Rudd’s call for changes.

    “I would agree something has to be done to make sure that we can apply a more consistent form of interception of communication in all parts of the way in which terrorists invade our lives,” he told Andrew Neil on Sunday Politics…”

  17. 2 militants killed in Bangladesh raid; death toll now 8 (abcnews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/blasts-kill-troops-battle-militants-east-bangladesh-46380494

    “Two suspected militants were killed Sunday in an ongoing military raid on a building where armed militants were holed up in eastern Bangladesh, police and army officials said. Six people, including two policemen, were killed in explosions near that building a day earlier.

    Brig. Gen. Mohammad Fakhrul Ahsan told reporters that the government operations were not yet over and that one or more militants were still inside the building Sunday evening. Army and paramilitary troops have been trying since Friday to flush out Islamist radicals who have holed up in a building in the city of Sylhet with a large cache of ammunition.

    The six people killed Saturday died after a series of explosions took place on a road near an Islamic religious school and close to the building under siege. At least 25 people have been wounded in the attacks and 78 civilians have been rescued from the building after troops broke a section of the compound wall where the building is located.

    Several explosions have occurred in the area, including a large blast Sunday afternoon. Police have barred civilians, including journalists, from the area.

    The gunbattle with suspected militants comes after a man killed himself on Friday by detonating explosives near a police post on a busy road near the airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. No one else was hurt.

    The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Sylhet and Dhaka, according to the SITE Intelligence group, citing the Islamic State news agency Amaq. SITE monitors terror group activity online.

    The blast near the airport was the second suicide attack in a week in the Dhaka area. On March 17, a suspected bomber died in a blast near barracks of the elite Rapid Action Battalion anti-terror police force.

    Bangladesh has experienced a renewed level of Islamic militancy in recent years. Dozens of atheists, liberal writers, bloggers and publishers, as well as members of minority communities and foreigners, have been targeted and killed…”

  18. zero hedge – Trump “Endorses” Jeanine Pirro’s Call For Paul Ryan To Step Down

    Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro, whose show President Trump urged his followers on Twitter to watch earlier in the day, opened her program at 9pm on Saturday by calling for Speaker Paul Ryan’s resignation.

    “Ryan needs to step down as Speaker of the House. The reason, he failed to deliver the votes on his healthcare bill, the one trumpeted to repeal and replace ObamaCare, the one that he had 7 years to work on; the one he hid under lock and key in the basement of Congress; the one that had to be pulled to prevent the embarrassment of not having enough votes to pass.” Pirro said in her opening statement.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-26/trump-endorses-fox-news-host-call-paul-ryan-resign

  19. German minister: Erdogan rhetoric causing significant damage (abcnews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-minister-erdogan-rhetoric-causing-significant-damage-46381525

    “A senior German official says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rhetoric in the standoff with European countries ahead of his country’s April 16 referendum is causing damage that will take years to repair.

    Erdogan has accused Germany, and Chancellor Angela Merkel, of “committing Nazi practices” after some local authorities blocked appearances by Turkish ministers hoping to campaign in Germany for a presidential system at home.

    He has aimed similar accusations at the Netherlands. Both countries have large Turkish minorities.

    German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that “Erdogan’s rhetoric leaves me speechless.”

    He was quoted Sunday as saying that Erdogan is “willfully destroying in a short time” years of progress on integration.

    Schaeuble added that “repairing the damage that is being done now will take years.””

  20. zero hedge – Colonel Shaffer: “I Believe This is Much Worse Than Watergate”

    The noose is tightening Obamafags. While you occupy yourselves by injecting heroin into your scrawny arms at one of your Antifa meetups, AG Sessions is preparing the groundwork to end the legacy of King Obama — sending him barreling towards a scandal far greater than anything Nixon ever did — crushing and poleaxing any hopes of rejuvenating the broken status of the democratic party.

    Here’s Tony Shaffer, former senior intelligence officer at the CIA, saying that the wiretapping scandal against Trump is ‘orders of magnitude’ worse than Watergate — alluding to Bob Woodward’s comments made earlier this week describing the offenses as being ‘felony level’ crimes that might wreak havoc throughout the former Obama administration.

    “This incidental, it’s accidental on purpose.’

    The unmasking of Trump and his cohorts means they specifically targeted him and his team. The political appointees at the CIA, aka black hats, aren’t laughing anymore.

    Meanwhile, continue to bask in your Obamacare victory. I’m certain the people will appreciate it going forward — as it cascades and cracks asunder amidst financial failure in the near term.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-25/colonel-shaffer-i-believe-much-worse-watergate

  21. Qatar Foundation looks at job cuts amid low oil, gas prices (abcnews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/qatar-foundation-job-cuts-amid-low-oil-gas-46381390

    “The Qatar Foundation says it is looking at possible job cuts, the latest Gulf entity to acknowledge being hurt by low global energy prices.

    The foundation says in a statement Sunday it is “examining our existing operational costs,” when asked if it was cutting jobs. It declined to elaborate.

    News of the cuts was first reported by the website Doha News, which suggested the layoffs could affect hundreds of workers.

    The Qatar Foundation, once widely known for its placement on the jerseys of the Spanish football club Barcelona, is chaired by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser al-Missned, the most high-profile wife of former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

    Qatar, which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is a major natural gas producer that also pumps crude oil.”

  22. Pakistan to build fence along disputed Afghan border (abcnews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistan-starts-building-fence-afghan-border-46380292

    “Pakistan says it has started building a fence along the Afghan border in areas where it says militants have launched cross-border attacks, a move that could worsen tensions with Afghanistan, which has never accepted the colonial-era frontier.

    Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the head of Pakistan’s armed forces, announced the construction of fencing in “high threat zones” Saturday during a visit to tribal regions along the border, saying it was in the interest of both countries.

    The two countries share a 2,400-kilometer (1,500-mile) internationally recognized border known as the Durand Line, which was drawn in the 19th century, when the British dominated South Asia.

    The Afghan government has never recognized the border, which runs through the Pashtun heartland, diluting the power of Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group on both sides.

    Najib Danish, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said authorities had not yet seen any signs of construction along the frontier but would move to prevent any such project.

    “Building fences or any construction is not acceptable for us and we won’t allow anyone to do it,” he said.

    Pakistan and Afghanistan have long accused each other of turning a blind eye to Islamic militants operating along the porous frontier, and Pakistan recently closed the border for more than a month

    Bajwa said Pakistan is trying to develop a bilateral border security mechanism with Afghanistan.”

  23. Islamic State warns Syrian dam at risk of collapse (reuters, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-dam-idUKKBN16X0L6?rpc=401&

    “Islamic State has warned that the Tabqa dam, which a U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab militia is trying to capture from the militant group, is at imminent risk of collapse because of airstrikes and increased water levels.

    It also said in messages carried on its social media channels that the dam’s operations had been put out of service and that all flood gates were closed…”

  24. Egyptian court jails 56 people over boat disaster that killed 200 (theguardian, Mar 26, 2017)
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/egypt-court-56-people-jailed-boat-sinking-capsized-200-killed

    “A court in Egypt has sentenced 56 people to prison terms of up to 14 years over a boat that capsized last year, killing more than 200 onboard.

    The incident occurred off the Egyptian coast on 21 September 2016 and about 170 passengers were rescued.

    Fifty-seven people faced charges including causing the accidental death of 202 passengers, not using sufficient rescue equipment, endangering lives, receiving money from the victims, hiding suspects from the authorities and using a vessel without a licence. One woman was acquitted.

    The boat sank in the Mediterranean off Burj Rashid, a village in Beheira province, northern Egypt, where the sea and Nile river meet. It had been carrying Egyptians, Sudanese, Eritreans and Somalis, and was believed to be heading for Italy…”

  25. the rebel – Why some UK mosques get HALF their income from govt, EU

    Sam Westrop, Director of Islamist Watch, tells Ezra Levant that antisocial Islamic groups have been “subsidized” by various UK governments since the riots over Salman Rushdie’s book, The Satanic Verses

  26. Bulgaria: voters bussed in for free from Turkey

    “Bulgaria’s caretaker government has received reports of buses being organized to bring voters in from Turkey for the March 26 parliamentary elections, Stefan Yanev, the deputy prime minister said. Yanev was speaking a day after Bulgarian nationalist coalition the United Patriots blocked border checkpoints with Turkey, to prevent the entry of buses carrying voters likely to support the Movement for Rights and Freedoms or Dost.”

    It is now known that the Turkish municipalities(i.e. the Turkish state) paid for the transport. The “electoral tourists” were also given 11 days leave and were even allowed to import up to 20 kg of meat (which is generally forbidden in Turkey)

    Turks were even bussed to Greece so that they could vote there, then go back in Turkey and vote again.
    http://www.ansa.it/nuova_europa/en/news/sections/news/2017/03/23/bulgaria-voters-bussed-in-for-free-from-turkey_61f33967-012f-4fc8-a452-b92c67203221.html

  27. jihad watch –Obama loyalists replaced “radical Islamic terrorism” with “violent extremism” in Trump’s immigration executive order

    This was caught in time, but who did it? Have the responsible parties been fired? If not, why not?

    Obama Admin Loyalists, Government Insiders Sabotage Trump White House,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, March 22, 2017:

    The Obama administration worked in its final weeks in office to undermine the incoming Trump White and continues to do so, according to multiple sources both in and out of the White House….

    “We have members of the former administration at the highest levels who through their actions after January 20 have demonstrated their refusal to recognize the results of the general election,” one senior administration official told the Free Beacon. “They have pursued, organized, and managed a comprehensive subversion of the new administration.”

    In one instance, Trump administration officials found evidence that the administration’s executive order banning travel from certain Muslim-majority nations had been selectively altered to bring it more in line with Obama-era talking points.

    Several hours before the orders were set to be signed by Trump, officials noticed that language concerning “radical Islamic terrorism” had been stripped from the order and replaced with Obama-era language about countering violent extremism.

    West Wing staffers quickly scrambled to rewrite the order to bring it back in line with Trump’s rhetoric, sources told the Free Beacon. The alteration of these directives is said to have spooked some senior officials working on the issue….

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/03/obama-loyalists-replaced-radical-islamic-terrorism-with-violent-extremism-in-trumps-immigration-executive-order

    http://freebeacon.com/politics/obama-admin-loyalists-government-insiders-sabotage-trump-white-house/

  28. Baghdadi hides at Syrian borders: Operations Commander (iraqinews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/baghdadi-hides-syrian-borders-commander/

    “Islamic State supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is likely to be hiding at al-Jazeera area, close to the Syrian borders, said We are Coming Nineveh Commander of Operations, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah on Sunday.

    Baghdadi is not at areas where security troops are fighting, he added, stressing that he doesn’t have any significance as his role in the region came to an end, as he put it.

    Speaking to Youm 7 news website, Yarallah said, “the information we have show that Baghdadi is not at places where we are fighting but at al-Jazeera area, near to the Syrian borders, especially at areas that were not liberated.”

    “Some information indicate his injury in the wake of airstrikes and that he was taken to Raqqa,” Yarallah added. “According to other information, he is hiding at Baaj,” Yarallah said, referring to a region west of Mosul.

    Baghdadi, according to Yarallah, “totally lost control on the ground. Those with him are fighting without leadership. They fight through decentralized control at areas where we are fighting at. His role there is over anyway.”…”

  29. Yesterday’s link to that Angela Merkel video about Israel belatedly reminded me of an excellent video of a presentation given by Northwestern University law professor Eugene Kontorovich on what international law actually is and what it says with regards to Israel’s borders:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwB7LyPhzr0&t=1452s
    None of its contents will really be news to most of the people who frequent this site, but it’s a great video nonetheless. Kontorovich is an excellent lecturer and it serves as an eloquent rebuttal to claims that Israeli suburban sprawl is somehow a violation of international law.

  30. =======================================
    AUSTRIA – VIENNA –
    IDENTITÄRE
    =======================================

    Far-right group hangs banner on Turkish embassy in Vienna reading ‘Erdogan, pull your Turks back’

    According to information gathered from diplomatic sources, two suspects jumped over the roof from a neighbouring building.

    After realizing that they were detected, the two suspects immediately fled the scene.

    Sources also stated that Turkish embassy is in close touch with Austrian officials for capturing the two suspects.

    https://www.dailysabah.com/europe/2017/03/22/far-right-group-hangs-banner-on-turkish-embassy-in-vienna-reading-erdogan-pull-your-turks-back

    Turkey calls on Austria to arrest attackers of Turkish Embassy

    Turkey expects Austrian authorities to arrest the perpetrators of an attack against the Turkish Embassy and ensure the security of the Turkish diplomatic missions in the country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on late March 22.

    According to the ministry, some people passed to the roof of the Turkish Embassy in Vienna from the roof of the neighboring building, unfurled to the exterior side of the embassy a banner with racist and threatening expressions in German, targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish people living in Austria.

    “The banner in question was immediately taken down by our embassy officials; and the police, upon being informed, ensured security in the area but they failed to catch the perpetrators. As the investigation was ongoing, an extreme right-wing group named ‘Identitare Bewegung’ [The Identitarian Movement] announced on the internet that it claimed responsibility for the action,” it said.

    “The security of the Turkish Embassy in Vienna, where our diplomats were martyred in the past, and the Turkish representations in Austria are under the responsibility of the Austrian authorities. This act perpetrated against our embassy, unfortunately, reveals a serious security and intelligence deficiency. We expect from the Austrian authorities to arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible and punish them accordingly as well as ensure adequately the security of our missions in Austria,” the ministry said.

    “It is clear that this act is an inevitable consequence of the Austrian government’s negative and provocative understanding based on internal political considerations, which irresponsibly targets Turkey and the Turkish community,” it added.

    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-calls-on-austria-to-arrest-attackers-of-turkish-embassy-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=111147&NewsCatID=510

  31. Pakistan arrests 100 Indian fishermen (gulfnews, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/pakistan/pakistan-arrests-100-indian-fishermen-1.2000818

    “Pakistan has arrested at least 100 Indian fishermen for illegally fishing in its waters, officials said on Sunday.

    The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) made the arrests Saturday night, and also impounded 19 wooden boats, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

    “The 100 men would be taken to the court on Monday,” senior police official Adeel Chandio said after the fishermen were handed over to the police by MSA officials.

    Every year dozens of Indian and Pakistani fishermen are picked up in the Arabian Sea after straying across maritime borders.

    They often languish in prison even after serving their sentences, as poor diplomatic relations between the bitter nuclear foes hamper the bureaucracy.

    Pakistan released 219 Indian fishermen as a “goodwill” gesture in January.

    But overall relations have plummeted since a deadly attack on an Indian army base in the disputed region of Kashmir in September, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

    There have since been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries.

    Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.”

  32. India to seal border with Pakistan by 2018: Rajnath (tribune, Mar 26, 2017)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1365662/india-seal-border-pakistan-2018-rajnath/

    “India is planning to seal its border with Pakistan by 2018, its union home minister Rajnath Singh announced on Saturday.

    “India is planning to seal the international boundaries with Pakistan and Bangladesh as soon as possible. This could be India’s major step against terrorism and the problem of refugees,” The Times of India quoted Singh as saying.

    Speaking at the Border Security Force passing out parade, the home minister assured that the border with Pakistan would be sealed by 2018…”

  33. Claim: Mass Migration Will Not Help Solve Skilled Worker Shortage (breitbart, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/26/german-labour-chief-migrants-will-not-help-skilled-worker-shortages/

    “Head of the Federal Agency for Labor, Frank-Jürgen Weise has said that new migrants and asylum seekers have little chance of filling Germany’s skilled worker problem because very few of them meet the needed qualifications.

    Frank-Jürgen Weise has had a long career in the German government and is now retiring at the age of 65. Mr Weise, who also briefly managed the Federal Agency for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) admits that despite the unemployment rate being lower than when he first took office as head of the Labour agency, migrants will not be able to meet the increasing demand for skilled work in Germany RP Online reports.

    Speaking to the site Weise said, “ only ten to 15 percent of the refugees are well qualified and find a job within a year. A large group has practical experience, but no recognised training.” He added, “And 20 percent have neither school nor vocational training. This makes it clear: refugees are not an answer to our professional deficit.”

    Many politicians in Germany are keen on the idea of one euro an hour jobs for asylum seekers which are said to give them work experience and allow employers to hire them for far less than a German worker, others have called for giving them minimum wage. Weise commented on the subject saying, “if you want the minimum wage policy, we must not allow any exceptions. ”

    Weise said that job centres around the country cater to around 455,000 migrants. Among them are 178,000 unemployed of which 143,000 are recognised with refugee status. Many of the migrants are likely in integration and language classes as reports have revealed that very few major companies have hired migrants over the course of the migrant crisis.

    Despite German Chancellor Angela Merkel telling companies to hire unqualified migrants in September of last year, the figures for migrant employment have been disappointing at best. Figures released in December of 2016 showed that of the 1.2 million migrants who had poured into Germany only 34,000 had full-time work and many were on temporary or zero-hour contracts.

    The comments from Weise are in line with previous comments he made last year when he recognised that skills shortages were not being filled by asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa and called on the government to focus more on migration from other parts of Europe.

    Over the last year, several economists have also noted that migrants will likely be a drain on the German system, rather than a boon to the welfare system and harm long-term economic growth.”

  34. Italian Public Prosecutor Accuses NGOs of Abetting Illegal Immigration into Italy (breitbart, Mar 26, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/26/italian-public-prosecutor-accuses-ngos-of-abetting-illegal-immigration-into-italy/

    “An Italian public prosecutor has called for monitoring of the funding of NGOs engaged in rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, noting that “the facilitation of illegal immigration is a punishable offense regardless of the intentions.”

    The remarks of Carmelo Zuccaro, the chief prosecutor of Catania (Sicily), followed closely on the release of a report last week by the border control agency of the European Union (EU), suggesting that NGOs have been complicit with human traffickers by providing a shuttle service from North Africa to Italy.

    In point of fact, the report stated, NGOs engaged in maritime rescue operations “help criminals achieve their objectives at minimum cost, strengthen their business model by increasing the chances of success.”

    In an interview with the Italian daily Il Giornale Saturday, Zuccaro said that whether or not the organizations in question are operating out of philanthropic motives, “the facilitation of illegal immigration is a punishable offense regardless of the intention.”

    “As of September-October 2016, we became aware of a sudden proliferation of NGOs sea vessels that were picking up the work that the organizers used to do: accompanying migrant vessels into our territory.”

    Moreover, he said, a serious question has arisen regarding the provenance of funding for the rescue missions.

    “We are aware of huge transaction costs,” Zuccaro said. “In some cases we are talking about 400,000 euros a month, as in the case of a MOAS ship (the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station).” Another ship called the Aquarius, he noted, from yet another organization, “has a cost of 11,000 euros a day.”

    “We could carry out an incisive inquiry into financing,” he said. “Yet at the moment we have suspicions but insufficient evidence to open a criminal investigation, so we can only try to understand indirectly who is funding the operations.”

    Zuccaro also underscored the irregular procedures adopted by the rescue organizations in transporting migrants all the way to Italy rather than to the nearest safe port of call, as established by international agreements.

    “It’s not a crime to invade the waters of a foreign country to pick them up,” he said. “What is punishable is bringing them to Italy without respecting the rules of engagement, which establish that vessels should take migrants to the nearest port, which is certainly not Italy.”

    The chief prosecutor also noted that the State is investigating the phenomenon of Islamic radicalization occurring in prisons and camps where immigrants are hired off the books.

    “We have received very specific reports of recruitment activities and radicalization in prisons,” he said. “Regarding camps where foreign laborers are hired off the books, such as in Ragusa, we are in the midst of ongoing investigations.”

    “They are radicalized individuals who attract foreigners in order to incite them to fundamentalism,” he said.”