Reader’s links for April 27 – 2017

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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.

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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

91 Replies to “Reader’s links for April 27 – 2017”

  1. Biggest Wad of Bullshite

    China, Sending a Signal, Launches a Home-Built Aircraft Carrier

    This copy-cat piece-of-crap is merely a knock-off of the Soviet rust bucket that China re-purchased from their Commie buddies several years ago.

    Notice the ski-jump runway? Try pointing that against countervailing winds.

    Wake me up when someone other than the USA actually manages to build a Nimitz-Class nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Until then, please fµ¢? off with yo mamma.

  2. As if the hand of God himself is designing demographic divisions into fractal designs portending civil wars. Where there are deep divisions (every western country) there is the risk of break up. Where there are not YET deep divisions (central/eastern europe) we have George Soros strategically prying open the clenched fists of Nationalism with NGOs one finger at a time. Is the hand of God a clenched fist? Yes, it is. Will it be pried open by soulless wizards of finance and manipulation? It cannot be, for when examined under an electron microscope, at the subatomic level, the fractal geometry of the human condition finds a simple heart.

    https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2017/04/the-great-divides/

    • Country v Urban, the elites live in the suburbs and look down on all who don’t like in locations similar to theirs. this division can also be stated as the self proclaimed elite v the ordinary people. as history shows in the vast majority of the western nations once they decide to move the people will win.

  3. Tom Fitton discussing tax dollars for Soros, the IRS scandal, the Obamacare website, & Bob Rosebrock
    Judicial Watch
    Judicial Watch

  4. North Korea puts out new video showing the White House in crosshairs and carriers exploding

    SEOUL — A North Korean propaganda outlet Thursday released an inflammatory video clip showing a simulated attack on the White House, declaring “the enemy to be destroyed is in our sights.”

    The video comes at a particularly tense time in relations between North Korea and the United States, with the Trump administration sending warships to the region in a show of force against Kim Jong Un’s regime.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/north-korea-puts-out-new-video-showing-the-white-house-in-crosshairs-and-carriers-exploding/2017/04/27/6b6a9596-2b2b-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html?utm_term=.d9811f02daa2

      • Not duplicates, I guess…there’s just so much, maybe 70 good pieces from 2015 alone. Some extremely detailed maps, more, more.
        ==> All available before Congress voted in favor of the Iran Deal.

  5. The global elite are headed for a fall. And they don’t even know it.

    The global elite think they’re sitting pretty. How wrong they are.

    Democrats keep telling themselves that Hillary Clinton “really” won the 2016 election (or would have, had it not been for interference by Vladimir Putin and James Comey). Republicans keep patting themselves on the back about how much power they now wield at all levels of government. And centrists throughout the West are breathing a sigh of relief about Emmanuel Macron’s likely victory over the National Front’s Marine Le Pen in the second round of the French presidential election on May 7.

    You can almost hear the sentiments echoing down the corridors of (political and economic) power on both sides of the Atlantic: “There’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s fine. No need for serious soul searching or changes of direction. Sure, populism’s a nuisance. But we’re keeping it at bay. We just need to stay the course, fiddle around the edges a little bit, and certainly not give an inch to the racists and xenophobes who keep making trouble. We know how the world works, and we can handle the necessary fine tuning of the meritocracy. We got this.”

    http://theweek.com/articles/694923/global-elite-are-headed-fall-dont-even-know

      • There is a large element of truth in there also, look at how they keep obstructing Trump from doing the things people voted to have done, They think that if they obstruct enough the voters will blame Trump and not them, you can tell this from their actions.

  6. Berkeley braces for unrest despite Ann Coulter cancelation

    BERKELEY, Calif. (Reuters) – Police at the University of California at Berkeley braced for potential clashes between militant left-wing and right-wing activists on Thursday, despite conservative commentator Ann Coulter dropping plans to address students at the campus.

    Coulter, one of America’s best-known and most provocative pundits on the political right, said on Wednesday that she no longer intended to defy university officials by addressing UC Berkeley students on campus this week.

    But Coulter left open the possibility of paying a visit to her supporters at the school, long a bastion of liberal student activism and a center of the Free Speech Movement protests of the 1960s.

    UC Berkeley officials said classes would be held as scheduled.

    But campus police Captain Alex Yao told a news conference late on Wednesday that his department would maintain “a highly visible presence” on Thursday, pointing to continued threats of violent protests.

    http://www.oann.com/berkeley-braces-for-unrest-despite-ann-coulter-cancelation/

  7. Russian intelligence ship sinks off Turkey’s Black Sea coast: authorities

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Russian naval intelligence ship sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast on Thursday after colliding with a vessel carrying livestock and all 78 personnel on board were evacuated, Turkey’s coastal safety authority said.

    The ship, identified as the Liman, collided with the Togo-flagged Youzarsif H, the authority said on its website.

    The collision was caused due to fog and low visibility, the Turkish shipping agency GAC said. It occurred 18 miles (29 km) from Kilyos village on the Black Sea coast just north of Istanbul, broadcaster NTV said.

    Turkish authorities dispatched a tugboat and three fast rescue vessels, the coastal safety authority said.

    Advisers to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim conveyed his sadness over the incident to Russian counterparts, according to sources in his office.

    No information was immediately available about the state of the Youzarsif H, or its crew or cargo. The Togo-flagged livestock carrier was built in 1977 and has a capacity of 2,418 tonnes, according to Thomson Reuters shipping data.

    http://www.oann.com/togo-flagged-ship-collides-with-russian-vessel-78-evacuated-turkish-official/

        • A Russian spy ship sank off the coast of Turkey, supposedly it collided with a fishing boat in the fog. Question 1) why didn’t both ships have their radar on? 2) why weren’t there crewmen watching the radar screens? Translation, WTF really happened?

  8. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-execution-apostasy-idUSKBN0LS0S620150224

    An Islamic court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Muslim faith, the English-language daily Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday.

    The man, in his 20s, posted an online video ripping up a copy of Islam’s holy book, the Koran, and hitting it with a shoe, the newspaper reported.

    Saudi Arabia, the United States’ top Arab ally and birthplace of Islam, follows the strict Wahhabi Sunni Muslim school and gives the clergy control over its justice system.

    Under the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia Islamic law, apostasy demands the death penalty, as do some other religious offences like sorcery, while blasphemy and criticism of senior Muslim clerics have incurred jail terms and corporal punishment.

  9. Lesbian couple from London vanish after ‘disapproving father tricks them into flying to Dubai’ where gay people face the death penalty
    Maria Jimena Rico Montero and her Egyptian girlfriend Shaza Ismail are missing
    They left London for Middle East thinking Shaza’s mother was on her deathbed
    But having arrived in Dubai, they realised they had been duped and flew home
    As they waited for connecting flight to London, Shaza’s dad stole their passports
    Couple boarded bus to Istanbul where they booked a hotel, but never arrived
    Maria sent her mother a message on WhatsApp indicating she was in danger

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4451368/London-lesbian-couple-vanish-bust-father.html#ixzz4fSXwccZG
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  10. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/27/2-officers-shot-on-french-island-reunion-bomb-materials-found-at-islamist-suspects-home.html

    A man suspected of links to radical Islam and of glorifying terrorism shot two police officers on the French island of Reunion during an arrest Thursday — and police found bomb-making materials at his home, officials said.

    Officers detained the unnamed suspect and his mother. Police also found weapons in his apartment in the town of Saint Benoit de la Reunion, according to the Interior Ministry.

    The two officers, from a special national police intervention force, were hospitalized but were expected to survive. The man was wanted for “glorifying terrorism,” the ministry said in a statement, without elaborating. The shooting came just a week after a police officer was killed in Paris in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

  11. https://redice.tv/news/un-utterly-horrified-by-video-appearing-to-show-murder-of-two-experts-in-congo

    The United Nations has said it was horrified by a grisly video screened by the government of Democratic Republic of Congo that appeared to show the murder of two UN investigators.

    Congo’s government showed the film to reporters in Kinshasa on Monday, saying it showed members of an anti-government militia carrying out the act.

    Government spokesman Lambert Mende did not explain how authorities obtained the video, but said they were showing it to rebuff suggestions that Congo authorities were complicit in the killings.

    American Michael Sharp, Swedish-Chilean dual national Zaida Catalán and their interpreter Betu Tshintela were kidnapped on 12 March while on a mission to the Kasai Central province, where rebels have intensified an anti-government insurgency in recent weeks that has left dozens dead on both sides. Their bodies were found two weeks later.

  12. Russia: 12 Jihad Mujahideen members arrested in FSB raid in Kaliningrad

    Footage released Thursday showed Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) arrest 12 alleged members of the Islamic Jihad Mujahideen Jamaat group, deemed a terrorist organisation by the Russian Federation in Kaliningrad.

    Those arrested included the groups leader in an operation conducted by the FSB, National Guard (Rosgvardia) and the Interior Ministry.

  13. Palestinians: This is How We Intimidate Journalists

    by Bassam Tawil
    April 27, 2017 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10116/palestinians-journalists-intimidation

    Seven Palestinian journalists are the latest victims of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) continued crackdown on the media.

    The repressive measures are aimed at silencing critical voices among the journalists and deterring others from reporting stories that reflect negatively on the Palestinian leadership in particular and Palestinians in general.

    In the view of President Mahmoud Abbas and his PA, Palestinian journalists exist to write stories slamming Israel or praising PA leaders. Media, for them, is defined as a mouthpiece for Abbas, the PA leadership and the Palestinian cause.

    Any journalist who dares to think outside this checkpoint is subject to severe punishment. Under Abbas and the PA, there is no room for an independent media.

    The three major Palestinian newspapers — Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam and Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda — are controlled, directly and indirectly, by the PA.

    Although Al-Quds, the largest Palestinian daily, is privately owned and published in Jerusalem, it too serves as a mouthpiece for the PA. The newspaper’s publisher and editors know that if they publish any story that is critical of Abbas or the PA leaders, they will face punitive measures, such as banning the distribution of Al-Quds in PA-controlled territories. As such, the editors and journalists have long resorted to self-censorship. This forced silencing explains the absence, for example, of any news items about Palestinian corruption or human rights violations in Al-Quds and the two other newspapers.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10116/palestinians-journalists-intimidation

  14. France: Clashes erupt during Paris anti-Le Pen and Macron protest

    Several hundred protesters clashed with police at a demonstration against the final candidates in the upcoming presidential elections, in Paris on Thursday.

    The protesters, many who were students, gathered in Place de la Republique and marched towards the Bastille and further to Place de la Nation, ending the demonstration at Porte de Vincennes.

    Along the route, protesters smashed bank windows and recycling containers of glass bottles, which they then threw at the police. The gendarmerie responded to the demonstrators’ offensive by firing teargas and charging the demonstrators.

    The National Front’s (FN) Marine Le Pen and independent centrist Emmanuel Macron will face off in the second round of the French elections, scheduled for May 7. During the first run-off in the presidential race, Le Pen gained 21.3 percent, trailing behind Macron, who secured 24 percent.

    • France: ‘Neither Macron nor Le Pen’ – Students barricade school entrance in protest
      High school students in Paris used bins and metal parts to barricade the entrance of their school early Thursday morning, in protest at the choice of final candidates in the upcoming presidential elections.

      Protesters sprayed graffiti messages against both presidential candidates – Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Student, Marie, explained the discontent: “The results of the first round don’t suit us. We want neither Macron nor Le Pen.”

      SOT, Marie, high school student (French): “The results of the first round don’t suit us. We want neither Macron nor Le Pen. It might not change anything but we just hope to have an impact of something, anything, to make ourselves heard. It just absolutely doesn’t suit us, we don’t agree. So we protest by blocking our high schools because it is the only way to make ourselves heard when we are young. We convey a message on the placards, we do what we can to be understood at least a minimum.”

  15. Sanction Iran’s Regime, Add IRCG to Terrorist List

    by Majid Rafizadeh
    April 27, 2017 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10285/iran-ircg-terrorists-sanction

    A subtle, but dangerous force is spreading throughout the West. It has been seeping into the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, the United States, South America and much of Europe.

    Who are they?

    They are pro-Iran regime advocates. They appear to be Westerners, but pursue a unique agenda. Under the guise of being average Western citizens, they have been infiltrating the social, political, economic and religious sectors of most Western societies.

    These are not my words. They came directly out of the mouth of Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, Mahmoud Alavi. In a rare, recent interview on Iran’s state media, he stated that many Westerners with a dual citizenship “have a lobby group for the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

    • They certainly have a powerful lobby in Washington and plenty of agents in academe. They amplify the usual complaints against Saudis – corrupt degenerates, sponsors of terror, etc. – so it’s hard to pin the Iranian agenda on them. But it’s there.

      As is the distinct anti-American edge, which is easily confused with ordinary leftist grousing. Criticism of our foreign policy, especially the build-up and projection of military force, is formulated as opposition to ”neocon warmongers”. That’s a Jew-hating tell.

      Everybody’s into demonizing Israel, so they just pile on.

      These are agents of influence you couldn’t pick out of a crowd in university and policy think-tank circles. They’re just as nefarious as Soviet communists of a different era.

  16. euronews -The EU’s war of words with Hungary intensifies as Verhofstadt slams Orban in Parliament rant

    • BBC – London: Arrest after incident in Whitehall –

      A Muslim has been arrested by armed officers after an incident in Whitehall, near Parliament, police have said. A witness described seeing two knives on the ground, one of which he described as a large bread knife. A Metropolitan Police statement said there were no injuries.
      Security remains tight outside Whitehall buildings following the terror attack on Westminster Bridge and the entrance to Parliament on 22 March.

    • DAILY MAIL – ANOTHER ‘terror attack’ in Westminster: Armed police ‘swarm like bees’ to tackle man, 27, carrying ‘a rucksack full of knives’ yards from Parliament as it’s revealed he was ‘known to security services’

      Armed police flooded Whitehall this afternoon and tackled a terror suspect ‘armed with rucksack of knives’
      Pictures show man pinned against the floor with blades strewn across the pavement outside the Treasury
      Scotland Yard confirms man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife and preparing terrorism
      The arrest was made as part of an ongoing operation and it is believed the man was already known to police
      Witnesses say a team of officers appeared ‘like a swarm of bees’ and the man did not resist as he was arrested
      It comes just 36 days after five people were killed in a terror attack by an Islamic extremist in the same area

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4451870/Armed-police-seal-Parliament-Square.html

  17. Germany: Gunman shot and injured by police outside Berlin hospital

    Police shot and injured an armed suspect at a Berlin hospital, Thursday. Officers were called to the Vivantes Klinikum Am Urban Berlin in the Kreuzberg district of the city where the suspect reportedly threatened officers with a firearm.

    Thomas Neuendorf, a Berlin Police Spokesperson, told press that the suspect was a 27-year-old male, from Munich who had previously been known to authorities.

  18. German Army officer disguised as Syrian refugee arrested over suspected attack plot (RT, Apr 27, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/news/386322-german-officer-disguise-refugee/

    “A German Army officer arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack had procured a firearm and registered himself as a Syrian refugee, prosecutors said. He may have attempted to put the blame for the possible assault on migrants, local media reported.

    The arrest was accompanied by searches at 16 locations across Germany, Austria, and France, according to the prosecutor’s office. The officer is stationed in France but was assigned to a military facility in Hammelburg for qualification courses, where he was arrested.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Nadia Niesen of the Hessen prosecutor’s office said the suspect also had a potential accomplice – a 24-year-old student who might have been involved in the alleged plot.

    “It is understood that the accomplice was aware of the [prime suspect’s plan] to register as an asylum seeker,” she added…”

  19. Trump rejects push to help solve Puerto Rico debt crisis (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/trump-rejects-push-solve-puerto-rico-debt-crisis-47061511

    “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is opposed to a push to help Puerto Rico resolve its $70 billion debt load as the U.S. territory faces looming austerity measures amid a deep economic crisis.

    Trump issued a Twitter blast aimed at efforts to help the island cover its Medicaid costs — an issue that’s entangled in Puerto Rico’s last-minute debt negotiations.

    “The Democrats want to shut government if we don’t bail out Puerto Rico and give billions to their insurance companies for OCare failure. NO!” he tweeted…”

  20. British teen admits planning London bomb attack (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/british-teen-admits-planning-london-bomb-attack-47053882

    “A British teenager accused of planning a bombing in London pleaded guilty Thursday to preparing terrorist acts.

    Prosecutors say Haroon Syed tried to buy weapons and explosives online from an extremist named “Abu Yusuf.” The contact was actually a series of British intelligence agents.

    The 19-year-old told his contact he needed a machine gun and an explosive vest so he could “after some damage with machine gun do martyrdom.”

    He said he was considering targeting London’s busy Oxford Street and searched online for potential locations, including an Elton John concert in Hyde Park on Sept. 11, 2016 — the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks…”

  21. Kashmir civilian killed, 7 injured during anti-India protest (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indian-soldiers-suspected-rebels-killed-kashmir-47047941

    “A 70-year-old civilian was killed and seven people were injured during an anti-India protest that erupted Thursday following a gunbattle that killed three Indian soldiers and two suspected rebels in disputed Kashmir, police said.

    A group of militants stormed a military camp close to the heavily militarized Line of Control dividing the Himalayan region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, army spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said. They hurled grenades and fired automatic weapons at the highly guarded camp in Panzgam, northwest of Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.

    Two militants were killed in an ensuing gunfight, while another was believed to have escaped, the officer said.

    He said three soldiers, including an army officer, were killed and five soldiers were wounded in the attack. The injured soldiers were airlifted to the Indian army’s main base in Srinagar for specialized treatment…”

  22. Belgium sorry it helped get Saudi Arabia on UN rights panel (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/belgium-helped-saudi-arabia-rights-panel-47056237

    “Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says it was a mistake for his nation to help vote Saudi Arabia onto a United Nations women’s rights committee, arguing that the country does not respect gender equality.

    Michel told parliament that last week’s vote came unexpectedly and that a diplomat was forced into a hasty decision without proper consultations with the government in Brussels.

    “If we could do it again and if we would have the chance to discuss it at government level, I of course would have argued that we not approve this,” Michel said.

    Saudi Arabia was backed by 47 of 54 nations.

    “I regret the vote,” Michel said.

    The Geneva-based human rights organization UN Watch called Saudi Arabia “the world’s most misogynistic regime.””

  23. The Latest: French candidate Macron visits immigrant suburb (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-le-pen-fishing-votes-literally-47050120

    “French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron has visited a sports complex in a working-class immigrant suburb of Paris.

    Macron, shaking hands with inhabitants of Sarcelles who came to welcome him, has told reporters “there are two projects facing each other. There’s Marine Le Pen’s project of a fractured, closed France.”

    Macron said: “On the other hand, you have my project which is a republican, patriotic project aiming at … reconciling France.” He called Le Pen’s National Front party “xenophobic.”

    The centrist Macron faces far-right, anti-immigration candidate Le Pen in a May 7 runoff.

    Macron went into a gymnasium to meet with members of an association that helps with the integration of local youths into society through sports, assistance in setting-up businesses and finding them jobs…”

  24. Pakistani Taliban say detained militant used for propaganda (abcnews, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/militant-group-pakistani-isi-prisoner-propaganda-47049136

    “The Pakistani Taliban say the country’s top intelligence service is using a captured senior militant to spread propaganda that the militant group is beholden to spy agencies in India and Afghanistan.

    Pakistan’s army released a video late Wednesday showing Ahsanullah Ahsan, a longtime media spokesman for the Taliban and another extremist group, saying he surrendered to Pakistani forces after he saw militant leaders receiving aid from the two neighboring countries.

    It was unclear if the confessional video released by the army was made under duress.

    Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, denied the claims, saying Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence was using a “prisoner” for propaganda against the group…”

  25. “Chaffetz Potentially Out For Weeks Due To Medical Emergency”
    by Juliegrace Brufke – April 26, 2017
    http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/26/chaffetz-potentially-out-for-weeks-due-to-medical-emergency/

    “DID EXTORTION 17 COVER-UP SINK REP. CHAFFETZ?”
    by Larry Klayman – April 21, 2017
    http://www.wnd.com/2017/04/did-extortion-17-cover-up-sink-rep-chaffetz/

    “Extortion 17 Tragedy Covered Up By Obama Administration And Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz” – Freedom Watch – April 24, 2017

  26. France: ‘Neither Macron nor Le Pen’ – Students barricade school entrance in protest

  27. Congress Panel Wants Charges for Hillary’s Server Corp

    I know that most of you are thinking, “It’s about time” and “Why not Hillary”. But these charges wouldn’t relate to what the firm did for Hillary’s server, but what it did in obstructing the investigation into the server. As is often the case in cases at this level, it’s not about the crime, it’s about the cover-up. And Platte River Network’s response to the investigation relied on extraordinary chutzpah.

    The private internet company hired by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton to maintain her private email server has been obstructing a congressional investigation into its actions for more than a year, prompting a leading lawmakers to refer the case to the Trump administration’s Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.

    Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, has asked the DOJ to prosecute Platte River Networks CEO Treve Suazo for obstructing a congressional investigation into his company’s role in providing security for Clinton’s home brewed email server, which became the subject of widespread debate following revelations that it had multiple security vulnerabilities.

    Smith, whose committee has jurisdiction over the investigation, said the Congress would not tolerate Platte River’s failure to comply with the investigation.

    “The Committee is referring Mr. Treve Suazo, CEO of Platte River Networks, to the Department of Justice for prosecution under federal laws pertaining to failing to produce subpoenaed documents, making false statements to Congress regarding possession of documents, and obstructing Congress,” Smith said in a statement.

    Now Platte River was in a difficult situation. Providing information about a future president who is notorious for maintaining a list of enemies is a scary idea. But Platte’s response landed it in far more hot water.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/266530/congress-panel-wants-charges-hillarys-server-corp-daniel-greenfield

    Richard: They are probably trying to back into charging Hillary, once they bring charges on one crime it is probably going to lead to more charges and eventually to charges on other people.

  28. Les “cadenas d’amour” de Paris vendus aux enchères au profit d’associations venant en aide aux réfugiés

    Plusieurs centaines de kilos de “cadenas d’amour”, ces cadenas gages de fidélité que les touristes accrochent aux grilles des ponts et que la Ville de Paris enlève, seront vendus aux enchères à des fins caritatives le 13 mai. 45 tonnes de métal avaient ainsi été enlevées lors du nettoyage du Pont des Arts.

    Quinze grilles portant des centaines de cadenas, pesant jusqu’à 500 kg, et 150 grappes de cadenas de tailles diverses, seront proposées à la vente. Les bénéfices iront à trois associations mobilisées dans l’accueil et l’accompagnement des réfugiés accueillis par la Ville : Solipam, l’Armée du Salut et Emmaüs Solidarité.

    Cette “vente au profit des associations qui accompagnent les réfugiés, c’est notre façon de respecter le geste de tous ceux qui ont choisi de venir célébrer leur amour dans une ville ouverte et généreuse”, a assuré Bruno Julliard, premier adjoint de la maire PS de Paris Anne Hidalgo.

    Les lots seront exposés à partir du 10 mai au Crédit Municipal de Paris jusqu’au samedi 13 mai, 13h, avant le début de la vente à 14h.

    Plusieurs centaines de milliers de cadenas portant les prénoms ou les initiales des amoureux, étaient accrochés aux grilles des ponts de Paris, “engendrant deux problèmes majeurs : une dégradation du patrimoine et un risque pour la sécurité des visiteurs”, selon la Ville. La Ville de Paris avait lancé leur retrait définitif en juin 2015.
    Sur le Pont des Arts, dont des grilles avaient ployé sous le poids du métal, comme le Pont de l’Archevêché, près de Notre-Dame de Paris, la Ville a remplacé les grilles par des plaques de verre.

    http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/en-direct/a-chaud/36352-paris-cadenas-amour-paris-vendus-encheres-profit.html
    (padlocks which were hung by lovers on the Paris’ “bridge of love” will be sold out. The proceeding from the sale will go to pro-immigrant organizations.

  29. Human Rights Tribunal rules Brampton landlord must pay Muslim couple $12,000

    Michele Mandel

    It didn’t help his case that he shared a joke about a devout Muslim on his Facebook page.

    Now the small landlord who rented out the main floor of his Brampton home to an Arab Muslim couple must pay them $12,000 for failing to accommodate their religious practices when showing their apartment to prospective tenants.

    The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario also found that he “harassed them and created a poisoned housing environment.”

    His sins? John Alabi refused to remove his shoes when showing the bedroom where the couple prayed and while he always gave them the mandated 24-hour notice before showings, he didn’t always provide the five-minute heads-up they’d requested to ensure the wife was modestly dressed and they weren’t in the midst of their five daily prayers.

    “There was absolutely no evidence that the applicants’ requests for additional notice and for the removal of shoes in this case were an attempt by them to impose their way of life on the respondent or anyone else,” ruled vice chair Jo-Anne Pickel. “(They) were merely making simple requests for the accommodation of their religious practices … their requests easily could have been met without any hardship to the respondent, let alone any undue hardship as that term is used in human rights law.”

    In December 2014, Walid Madkour and his wife Heba Ismail moved from Montreal into Alabi’s ground-floor apartment. Following several disputes, including the couple allegedly wanting their landlord to be quiet after 10 p.m., they agreed to terminate the lease on Feb. 28, 2015.

    In the meantime, Alabi tried to rent out the unit. Madkhour wanted a one-hour notification of any showing in addition to the 24-hour notice.

    Alabi told him that by law, only 24 hours was necessary. Madkhour accused him of “racism and violation of our civil rights:” Since his landlord was well aware that Ismail was unemployed and always home, “he considered it harassment for (Alabi) to continue to say that he would enter the premises without permission.”

    Alabi texted back: “Welcome to Ontario, Canada.”

    The landlord told the hearing that he meant that apartment viewing rules were different in Ontario than in Quebec where the couple had last lived. The human rights tribunal saw it as another example of discrimination.

    That same evening, Ismail heard loud pounding on the steps outside their door; Alabi said he was just shovelling the snow; she said it was intimidating and frightening.

    The couple called police.

    They were told that contrary to their understanding, their landlord had a right to show the apartment when they were home. As a “courtesy,” Alabi agreed to give them five minutes notice in addition to the 24 hours. But that negotiated detente ended two days later after Ismail videotaped Alabi refusing to remove his shoes when entering their bedroom. “She said it was disrespectful and an act of racism.”

    Alabi told the hearing that his shoes had never been an issue before and accused his tenants of trying to set up roadblocks to his renting their flat. He also accused them of trying to impose their way of life on him and said “the fact that someone belongs to a religion does not permit them to inconvenience others.”

    The tribunal didn’t see it that way — especially after the tenants introduced their landlord’s Facebook page that had a “joke” about a devout Arab Muslim that they found offensive. Alabi told the hearing “he had freedom of speech and could post what he wanted on his Facebook page … He did not share the post to attack anyone. He said he shared it only because it made him laugh.”

    Be careful what you post online — Pickel saw it as further evidence of his bias.

    “When considered together, I find that the comment ‘welcome to Ontario, Canada,’ the making of loud pounding noises outside the applicants’ door shortly after making that comment, and (Alabi)’s refusal to remove his shoes when entering (their) prayer space amounted to harassment under the Code.”

    In addition to paying them $6,000 each for injury to their dignity, feelings and self-respect, Alabi must also take an e-learning course on “Human Rights in Rental Housing.”

    http://m.torontosun.com/2017/04/26/human-rights-tribunal-rules-brampton-landlord-must-pay-muslim-couple-12000

  30. Obama scores another $400K speaking fee amid criticism

    Even as President Obama faced criticism for getting $400,000 for a speech to a Wall Street bank, he pocketed the same amount of money for a second speech, The Post has learned.

    Obama made another $400,000 on Thursday when he appeared at the A&E Networks advertising upfront at The Pierre Hotel. He was interviewed over 90 minutes at the Midtown Manhattan event by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in front of the cable network’s advertisers.

    Out of office just 98 days, Obama caught some flack earlier this week when it was learned that he had agreed to speak in September at a health care event sponsored by Wall Street bank Cantor Fitzgerald.

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she was “troubled” by the big-ticket talk.

    At the A&E event, Obama, who got a standing ovation when he entered the room, asked about what he missed most about the White House, said it was sitting on the Truman balcony on summer nights and gazing at the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, a source in attendance said.

    Obama also told the crowd that in his three months out of office he has not yet been behind the wheel of a car and he’s learning how to use the coffee machine in the Obamas’ new home in Washington DC.

    The event, called a History Makers lunch and put together by A&E’s History Channel, was hosted by A&E chief Nancy Dubuc.

    Goodwin asked Obama how, while president, he handled frustrating moments. She mentioned Lincoln would write angry letters and then put them in a desk and not mail them.

    Obama responded: “For starters, by not having a Twitter account.”

    Among the luminaries were; Harvey Weinstein; Anna Wintour; Bob Sauerberg; Janice Min and Penske Media CEO, Jay Penske.

    http://nypost.com/2017/04/27/obama-scores-another-400k-speaking-fee-amid-criticism/

    • L Dobbs -Sen. Elizabeth Warren is ‘troubled’ by Obama’s $400k Wall Street speech

      Fox News Contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy and Washington Times opinion editor Charlie Hurt on President Barack Obama’s $400,000 paid Cantor Fitzgerald speech.

  31. DAILY MAIL – London -Heavily armed police shoot woman in her 20s and arrest four in anti-terror raid as five shots ring out on quiet north London street
    Heavily armed police stormed a north London house in an anti-terror raid today
    Five shots could be heard ringing out on Harlesden Road, Willesden, before 7pm
    A woman in her 20s was shot by police and was taken to hospital
    Four people have now been arrested and are currently in custody

    Dramatic video footage has showed the moment heavily armed police swooped on a north London house in an anti-terror raid today.
    Armed police could be seen approaching the terraced house in Willesden, north London, before pointing their guns towards the windows.
    Five shots could be heard ringing out on the quiet London street just before 7pm this evening.
    A woman in her 20s was shot by police and taken to hospital, where she remains under police guard.
    Due to her condition she has not yet been arrested.

    Four people have now been arrested and are currently in custody at a south London Police station.
    The first, a 20-year-old man was arrested near the address in Harlesden Road.
    A male, 16, and woman, 20, were arrested at the address. A 43-year-old woman was arrested in Kent a short while later.

    All four have been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts under Section 41 of the terrorism act 2000.
    They had been under observation by counter terrorism officers as part of an ongoing intelligence led operation.
    Searches at the address are continuing, as well as further searches at linked addresses across London.
    Witness Hanna Szabo, 86, told the Sun: ‘There were lots and lots of police – around 20 I would say. I went out to see what was going on but the police just said they had it all under control. I was worried.’
    This incident is not connected to the arrest in Whitehall earlier today, the Met Police said.

    The arrests came just hours after heavily armed officers arrested a suspected Islamic extremist as he crossed Whitehall, just yards from Downing Street and Parliament.
    Witnesses described how knives tumbled from the 27-year-old bearded man’s rucksack as he was forced to the ground.
    Scotland Yard later confirmed the man had been at the centre of a surveillance operation, apparently after police were tipped off by his family.
    The arrest came only five weeks after five people were killed nearby in a terror attack in Westminster.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4453700/Heavily-armed-police-shoot-woman-raid.html

  32. The president of Macedonia has made an appeal to the nation for calm, after scores of protesters, many wearing masks, stormed the country’s parliament late on Thursday night.

    Shouting and throwing chairs they attacked lawmakers in protest of the election of an Albanian parliament speaker, despite there being a months long stalemate preventing the formation of a new government.

    Gjorge Ivanov, the country’s president said in a televised address that the election had “violated” the constitution, but nonetheless called appealed for “for reasonable and responsible behaviour”.

    Police used flash grenades in clashes with protesters outside the parliament building after the assault.

    Authorities say 77 people have been injured in the clashes inside and outside parliament.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/27/protesters-storm-macedonia-parliament-social-democratic-leader/

  33. reuters -Germany to ban civil servants, judges, soldiers from wearing full-face veil

    Germany’s Bundestag lower house of parliament agreed to a draft law on Thursday that will prevent civil servants, judges and soldiers in Germany from wearing full-face veils at work.

    The move comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel called in December for a ban on full-face Muslim veils “wherever legally possible”. There are five months to go before a federal election, and her conservatives lost some support to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) during the migrant crisis..

    More than a million migrants, many of them Muslims from the Middle East, have arrived in Germany over the last two years, and concerns about integration are widespread.

    “Integration also means that we should make clear and impart our values and where the boundaries of our tolerance towards other cultures lie,” German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. “The draft law we have agreed on makes an important contribution to that.” 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    In February, the southern state of Bavaria, ruled by the Christian Social Union (CSU) – the Bavarian sister party to Merkel’s conservatives – said it would ban the full-face veil in schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-burqa-germany-idUSKBN17T3A7
    ==============================================
    German Parliament Bans Soldiers, Civil Servants From Wearing Muslim Veils

    A bill on partial ban of Muslim face veils, such as niqab and burqa, was passed on Thursday by German parliamentarians.

    MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The lower house of the German parliament agreed a bill that will ban soldiers and civil servants from covering their faces while performing their duties.

    The draft legislation, published on the Bundestag website, said wearing full-face veils ran counter to the responsibility of state employees to remain neutral in their interactions with one another and other citizens.

    Wearing a religious or ideologically-motivated face cover while on service… violates this mandatory neutrality,” the text read.

    The decision comes months after Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a nationwide ban on full-face Muslim veils where it was legally possible. France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have similar restrictions in place.

    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201704281053088808-germany-muslim-veils-ban/

  34. reuters – Exclusive: Trump says ‘major, major’ conflict with North Korea possible, but seeks diplomacy

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute.

    “There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.

    Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple U.S. presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasizing by preparing a variety of new economic sanctions while not taking the military option off the table.

    “We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult,” he said.

    Trump lavished praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping for Chinese assistance in trying to rein in North Korea. The two leaders met in Florida earlier this month.

    “I believe he is trying very hard. He certainly doesn’t want to see turmoil and death. He doesn’t want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well.

    “With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps it’s possible that he can’t,” Trump said.

    Trump spoke just a day after he and his top national security advisers briefed U.S. lawmakers on the North Korean threat and one day before Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the United Nations Security Council on sanctions to further isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

    The Trump administration on Wednesday declared North Korea “an urgent national security threat and top foreign policy priority.” It said it was focusing on economic and diplomatic pressure, including Chinese cooperation in containing its defiant neighbor and ally, and remained open to negotiations.

    U.S. officials said military strikes remained an option but played down the prospect, though the administration has sent an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in a show of force.

    Any direct U.S. military action would run the risk of massive North Korean retaliation and huge casualties in Japan and South Korea and among U.S. forces in both countries.

    Trump, asked if he considered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be rational, said he was operating from the assumption that he is rational. He noted that Kim had taken over his country at an early age.

    “He’s 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age.

    “I’m not giving him credit or not giving him credit, I’m just saying that’s a very hard thing to do. As to whether or not he’s rational, I have no opinion on it. I hope he’s rational,” he said.

    Trump, sipping a Coke delivered by an aide after the president ordered it by pressing a button on his desk, appeared to rebuff an overture from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who told Reuters a direct phone call with Trump could take place again after their first conversation in early December angered Beijing.

    China considers neighboring Taiwan to be a renegade province.

    “My problem is that I have established a very good personal relationship with President Xi,” said Trump. “I really feel that he is doing everything in his power to help us with a big situation. So I wouldn’t want to be causing difficulty right now for him.”

    “So I would certainly want to speak to him first.”

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-exclusive-idUSKBN17U04E

  35. Jihadist Haroon Syed admits planning to ‘bomb Elton John concert’ on 9/11 anniversary (express, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/797552/haroon-syed-admits-planning-to-bomb-elton-john-concert-on-9-11-anniversary

    “A JIHADIST who plotted a nail bomb attack at an Elton John concert is facing a life sentence.

    Haroon Syed, 19, also planned to target crowds outside Buckingham Palace and shoppers in Oxford Street.

    The teenager wanted to cause carnage on the scale of the 2005 London bombings which claimed the lives of 52 innocent victims.

    Syed first opted for a devastating machine gun attack, the Old Bailey heard. But he switched to a homemade bomb with “lots of nails inside” when he failed to raise the cash to buy automatic weapons…”

  36. Briton who ‘fled Syria’ held in Turkey on suspicion of terror offences (express, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/797303/Briton-fled-Syria-held-Turkey-suspicion-terror-offences

    “A BRITON suspected of fleeing Syria after spending two years in Islamic State-held territory has been arrested in Turkey.

    The man, understood to be Stefan Aristidou, from Enfield, Middlesex, is reportedly being held on suspicion of terror offences after surrendering to authorities near the Turkey/Syria border.

    The 23-year-old had been missing since flying to Cyprus in April 2015 and was arrested in Kilis, a Turkish town three miles from the Syria border and 43 miles from Aleppo last week.

    Aristidou, who is of Greek heritage, told police he had travelled to Syria to settle rather than fight.

    He reportedly told investigators he had lived in Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS, and al-Bab, a city formerly under IS control…”

  37. Pakistan wants Trump admin to help resolve Kashmir issue: Dar (tribune, Apr 27, 2017)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1394492/pakistan-wants-trump-admin-help-resolve-kashmir-issue-dar/

    “Pakistan wants the Trump administration to help resolve its decades-old conflict with India over Kashmir and has offered to help the US stabilise the region as Washington ramps up its fight in Afghanistan.

    “We expect the US as a common friend to facilitate, encourage the [Kashmir] issue is resolved amicably, in accordance with UN Resolutions ASAP [as soon as possible],” Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

    In an interview published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Dar said Kashmir is a key request for Pakistan…”

  38. Muslim, Christian clerics call for peace and coexistence during Al-Azhar international gathering (ahram, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/266738/Egypt/Politics-/Muslim,-Christian-clerics-call-for-peace-and-coexi.aspx

    “Senior local and international clerics underlined on Thursday the role of religious authorities in combating violence and terrorism and promoting coexistence during an international gathering in Cairo hosted by Egypt’s Al-Azhar.

    The two-day Al-Azhar International Peace Conference opened on Thursday with around 300 Muslim and Christian clerics and scholars and political figures from around the world.

    Roman Catholic Pope Francis is expected to attend the conference on Friday and deliver a speech at the closing ceremony after a meeting with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb.

    The first session of the conference addressed obstacles to achieving world peace and challenges faced by religious authorities, state news agency MENA reported.

    Speakers on the first day called on followers of different faiths to work together to denounce extremism and promote peace…”

  39. Traffickers may pay some NGOs, Catania prosecutor (ansamed, Apr 27, 2017)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/libya/2017/04/27/traffickers-may-pay-some-ngos-posits-catania-prosecutor_d0b8d1dc-3ef6-4e91-9d9d-612e6aaa1489.html

    “Catania prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro said Thursday on state broadcaster RaiTre that ”in my opinion, some NGOs could be financed by traffickers and I know of contact (between them). This trafficking is currently bringing in as much money as the drug trade”. He was speaking on the issue of an inquiry opened recently by his office. ”Perhaps it could be even more disturbing,” he added, positing that some NGOs might ”have different ends, such as destabilizing the Italian economy in order to benefit from it”…”