Reader’s links for May 4 – 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.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

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

About Eeyore

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

106 Replies to “Reader’s links for May 4 – 2017”

  1. ISIS designing their own social media apps to evade security services, Europol warns (express, May 4, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/800018/ISIS-terror-social-media-war-Syria-Iraq-Rob-Wainwright-Europol-Donald-Trump

    “BLOODTHIRSTY ISIS militants are creating their own social media platform in order to evade security services and spread their sickening message, the EU police chief has revealed.

    Rob Wainwright, the Europol Director, revealed that the new online platform had been discovered during a 48 hour sting operation against internet extremism last week.

    Mr Wainwright said: “Within that operation it was revealed ISIS was now developing its very own social media platform, its own part of the Internet to run its agenda…”

    • They don’t want to do this, they have no idea on the hell they are going to unleash if they elevate this to the level of guns. They don’t know what they are doing, have no idea about the proper tactics, no idea about how to survive a firefight. They are getting their tactical training from Hollywood and are going to suffer massive causalities when our side starts reacting in self defense.

      • I finally watched the embedded video and am now wondering if this is real or a hoax? The video starts out by saying this is a redneckrevolt.org video and using country music, I have trouble with both being done by antifa. I saw some good and bad things being done on their improvised range,

      • I have done some more research and this seems to be an anarchist group that has been around for a while, The big question is how deeply embedded with antifa are they? The next big question is when will they start showing up at the antifa riots?

  3. Macron Is A Psychopath –

    Prof. Adriano Segatori is an Italian psychiatrist and psychotherapist. His analysis of the profile of Emmanuel Macron, based in particular on his biography and his campaign images, leads him to conclude, in a very argumentative way: “Macron is a psychopath who works only for himself. ”

    (Italian w/French subtitles)

      • Hee-Hee, yep, takes one to know one. One narcissistic psychopath endorsing the other.

    • French Prosecutors Open Probe Into “Slur” Macron Hid Offshore Bank Account

      As reported overnight, documents leaked online appeared to show that French Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Macron entered into an operating agreement for a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in the Caribbean island of Nevis, and that the company may have had a business relationship with a bank which has been previously involved in tax evasion cases in the Cayman Islands. The anonymously released PDF files purported to show corporate records of a company named La Providence LLC apparently created by Mr. Macron in Nevis, a noted offshore tax haven. La Providence is the name of Mr. Macron’s high school in his hometown of Amiens.

      In April, the establishment’s favorite candidate denied that he was concealing assets or hiding offshore accounts or inheritances from French authorities, even as his opponent Francois Fillion became mired in similar allegations. If confirmed as authentic, the documents would prove these claims to be untrue and provide important clues as to where the hidden funds might be located. It could also have an impact on this weekend’s election.

      And since the alleged documents appear to have caused quite a stir in France, this morning French prosecutors opened a probe into what the WSJ said was “a suspected attempt to tar presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron” after Marine Le Pen’s suggestion during Wednesday night’s live TV debate which echoed the contents of the leaked documents, saying that Emmanuel Macron had a hidden offshore bank account in the Bahamas.

      Macron said her suggestion was “defamation” and Le Pen’s remark prompted Macron to later issue a vigorous denial and file a complaint with prosecutors against unknown persons over “the spreading of false information” and for attempting to manipulate the election. Prosectors said they opened their investigation in response to Mr. Macron’s complaint.

      According The Local, during one particularly heated exchange in a debate marked by insults and invective the pair argued about the legal issues they faced. After Macron said it wasn’t him that was under investigation by police, referring to the fake jobs allegations facing Le Pen, the far right candidate replied: “I hope we don’t discover you have an offshore account in the Bahamas.” Macron warned her that her suggestion was “defamation”.

      Judicial sources told AFP prosecutors in Paris had opened a probe following the complaint from Macron, which comes three days before Sunday’s presidential run-off vote. A source close to the case told AFP, the complaint targets “information that circulated Wednesday night on the internet” alleging tax evasion in the Bahamas.
      On Thursday morning, Marine Le Pen admitted on French radio that she had no proof of any account in the Bahamas. Later on Thursday a member of his entourage said “we will not hesitate to launch defamation proceedings against anyone who repeats this false information.” They also released an eight page document in a bid to demonstrate the rumours were just fake news.

      Furthermore, according to the WSJ, the Financial Services Regulatory Commission of Nevis has no record that a company named La Providence had ever been registered in the tiny Caribbean island, Ercil Dore, a corporate registration officer with the commission, told The Wall Street Journal in a telephone interview.

      For his part Macron also took to French radio to rubbish the rumours.

      “I have never had accounts in any tax havens whatsoever, firstly because it is not in my nature and secondly because I have always wanted to return to the public domain,” the former minister of the economy told France Inter radio.

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-04/french-prosecutors-open-probe-after-allegations-macron-hid-offshore-bank-account

  4. President Obama’s team sought NSA intel on thousands of Americans during the 2016 election

    WATCH | The Obama administration distributed thousands of intelligence reports with the unredacted names of U.S. residents during the 2016 election.

    During his final year in office, President Obama’s team significantly expanded efforts to search National Security Agency intercepts for information about Americans, distributing thousands of intelligence reports across government with the unredacted names of U.S. residents during the midst of a divisive 2016 presidential election.

    http://circa.com/politics/president-obamas-team-sought-nsa-intel-on-thousands-of-americans-during-the-2016-election

  5. Susan Rice declines to testify before Senate subcommittee

    Former Obama administration National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Wednesday declined a request to testify next week before a Senate subcommittee, citing separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches and the fact that the invitation was not bipartisan.

    Rice’s decision to decline the invitation to testify on Russia’s election meddling came in a letter from her lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/03/susan-rice-testify-237947

    • Lt. Gen. McInerney: U.S. intel agencies ‘absolutely’ used for political gain

    • John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., on Susan Rice refusing to testify before a Senate subcommittee about Russian activities during the 2016 election campaign.

  6. Armored Car Hits Crowd as Venezuela Riots Leave 300 Injured

    A Venezuelan national guard armored vehicle careened into a crowd of anti-government demonstrators in Caracas on a day of furious protests that left more than 300 people injured.

    The newspaper El Nacional published videos Wednesday showing the vehicle backing up as a gasoline bomb burst on its windshield. Crowds raced toward the vehicle and then suddenly fled as it advanced, and masked soldiers battled protesters in a chaotic melee. Rocks, bottles, shots and tear gas filled the air. One person was confirmed dead in Caracas.

    Injuries throughout the city included 134 traumas and 17 cases of people overcome by gas, Mayor Ramon Muchacho of the opposition-dominated Chacao municipality said in a post on his Twitter account. Those hurt included lawmakers Freddy Guevara and Julio Montoya. The opposition coalition, known as MUD, said in a statement that more than 300 people were injured in today’s clashes.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-03/armored-car-hits-crowd-as-venezuela-protests-leave-71-injured

  7. Flames, fatality at Venezuela demo over leader’s crisis maneuver

    Caracas (AFP) – Venezuelan police fired tear gas and hooded protesters hurled Molotov cocktails as thousands rallied in anger at President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution.

    Flames erupted in the latest of more than a month of clashes that prosecutors say have killed 32 people in the oil-rich nation, stricken by food shortages.

    Government forces used tear gas against demonstrators in las Mercedes, on Caracas’ east end, the prosecutor’s office said.

    At least one protester caught fire and two opposition lawmakers were among various people injured, AFP reporters at the scene said.

    It was not clear if that person was the man who died.

    “The (deceased) young man sustained serious neck trauma that sent him into shock and then heart failure,” Gerardo Blyde, mayor of the capital’s Baruta district, said without specifying what struck the victim.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelans-block-roads-presidents-crisis-move-140052747.html

  8. TSA Report Warns Against Truck Ramming Attacks By Terrorists

    by Robert Windrem and William M. Arkin

    Truck owners and truck rental agencies in the U.S. must be “vigilant” about the increasing frequency of “ramming attacks” by terrorists using vehicles as killing machines, according to a new Transportation Security Administration report obtained exclusively by NBC News.

    The unclassified report warns owners, operators and rental agencies to protect their vehicles from theft. Entitled “Vehicle ramming attacks: Threat landscape, indicators and counter measures,” the report was sent Tuesday to local law enforcement agencies and private companies working with the Department of Homeland Security.

    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tsa-report-warns-against-truck-ramming-attacks-terrorists-n754576

  9. (Richard: This story has a lot of implications for the future, if we (the US and Mexico) can stabilize the governments in South and Central America the number of people moving up to enter the US illegally will drop drastically. This is a policy to watch closely and if/when it is a success (big or little) will be a major topic in the 2020 election.)

    U.S. coaxes Mexico into Trump plan to overhaul Central America

    EXICO CITY (Reuters) – The United States is plotting an ambitious attempt to shore up Central America, with the administration of President Donald Trump pressing Mexico to do more to stem the flow of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in the region, U.S. and Mexican officials say.

    The U.S. vision is being shaped by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly, who is due to give a speech about his goals for Central America in Washington on Thursday.

    Kelly, who knows Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador well from his time as chief of the U.S. Southern Command, helped the administration of former President Barack Obama design his Alliance for Prosperity. That $750-million initiative sought to curtail Central American migration through development projects as well as law-and-order funding to crack down on the region’s dominant gangs.

    Kelly aims to re-tool the Obama-era alliance without a large increase in American funding by pressing Mexico to shoulder more responsibility for governance and security in Central America, and by drumming up fresh private investment for the region, U.S. and Mexican diplomats say.

    “What we’re going to see is … greater engagement directly between the Central Americans and Mexican government … (and) a more intense effort to integrate the economic side of this effort with the security side,” William Brownfield, the U.S. assistant secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told Reuters.

    http://www.oann.com/u-s-coaxes-mexico-into-trump-plan-to-overhaul-central-america/

    • I’ll rest easier once the US military engages. Last I recall, DEA lacks the framework for co-ordinating a surprise offenseive attack.

      • If the US military does get involved it will probably be Green Berets, you won’t hear that they are involved, they learned their lesson about publicity during Nam and are now very quiet about what they do.

  10. After North Korea criticism, China says wants to be good neighbor

    BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Thursday it wants to be good neighbors with North Korea, after the isolated country’s state news agency published a rare criticism of Chinese state media commentaries calling for tougher sanctions over the North’s nuclear program.

    The United States has urged China, North Korea’s only major ally, to do more to rein in the North’s nuclear and missile programs, which have prompted an assertive response from the Trump administration, warning that an “era of strategic patience” is over.

    A commentary carried by North Korea’s KCNA news agency referred to recent commentaries in China’s People’s Daily and Global Times newspapers, which it said were “widely known as media speaking for the official stand of the Chinese party and government”.

    In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China’s position was consistent and clear.

    “China’s position on developing friendly, good-neighborly relations with North Korea is also consistent and clear,” Geng told reporters, in response to a question about the KCNA commentary.

    China was unswervingly devoted to the denuclearization of the peninsula and maintaining peace and security and resolving the issue through talks, Geng added.

    http://www.oann.com/after-north-korea-criticism-china-says-wants-to-be-good-neighbor/

    (Richard: Once again I will ask if this is real or an act?)

    • This is – or was – pretty shocking stuff.
      After a recent post about Baby Doc, one can expect the worst.

        • All North America better pray they do.

          Canadian Deplorables will have to organize politically. Door-to-door, Tea Party-style meetings in community centers and ordinary living rooms. Pound the pavement, raise money and consciousness. Get out the truth, then get out the vote.

          It may not be the Canadian way, but it can work miracles. We won and Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead!

  12. In French presidential debate, Le Pen is the one who spoke to France
    By J.E. Dyer May 3, 2017

    If ever body language defined a moment, it was in the French presidential debate on 3 May 2017.

    I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. The candidates said pretty much what you’d expect them to say (although Emmanuel Macron, the all-purpose leftist heading his sudden En Marche! party, surprised me with his tone-deafness a few times). But the body language told a story about political confidence and experience – chops – that simply could not be missed.

    Throughout the debate, Marine Le Pen had to wrangle with the moderators as well as with her opponent. She was combative, certainly, and often sarcastic and trenchant where a mainstream politician would observe the conventions of more collegial discourse.

    But she had humor as well, and quickly came off as a confident debater who knew how to wage this fight. She looked like an old warrior with experience in the arena. The moderators didn’t slow her down very much – although they were trying to.

    And Le Pen did two things Macron never did. She addressed the national audience – literally, by frequently turning her head toward the “audience view” camera and framing her words to reach the voters – and she stayed on message.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/05/03/french-presidential-debate-le-pen-one-spoke-france/

  13. We need to have a talk about black mob violence
    By Benny Huang May 3, 2017

    It wouldn’t be Saturday night in Jacksonville without a good old-fashioned brawl. On Apr. 23, the city witnessed a 60-person royal rumble at the Orange Park shopping mall that ended with five “youths” being arrested. And of course when I say “youths,” I’m using the common journalistic euphemism for black kids.

    This reluctance to use racial labels is really quite odd because reporters don’t usually beat around the bush when it comes to race. The Fourth Estate loves a story with a racial angle, so much so that they will invent such an angle if one doesn’t already exist. (George Zimmerman, anyone?)

    Journalists are quick to affix racial labels when the story is an officer-involved shooting — “White cop kills unarmed black man!” Sometimes the reporters don’t even bother to confirm that the cop really is white, as happened last September when a Charlotte police officer, Brentley Vinson, shot and killed a black ex-con who was armed with a gun. According to Associated Press reporters Tom Foreman, Jr. and Seanna Adcox, “[A] white police officer shot and killed a black man, Keith Scott…” — which must have been news to Officer Vinson, who is black and reportedly has been his entire life. (The story was later corrected.)

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/05/03/need-talk-black-mob-violence/

    • Because “White on Black killing” is such a trigger issue, we cannot expect the MSM-whores not to place it into their headlines – true or not – if it gets the readership. Job done, advertising that day sold.

      Which is why as the Forth Estate, the media has been consistently abysmal. It cannot lose it’s fascination to its viewers. It panders to egos addicted to pain and pleasure. Those who judge and condemn to feel superior whenever placed into a state of anxiety. The Left, The Right, and those with Oral and Genital Comforts are a reliable source of income. Muslims are Muhammad’s actual Mecca.

      The media then simply generates the next outrage. Take it or fake it. Factual News is just the pallet for opportunity to stampede the cattle into your direction. There is no reward for magicians who demystify the tricks of life, for this entertainment value cannot be repeated. The disciple is no longer a slave. Debunking celebrities – the fascination with corporate-designed personalities – building them up and then knocking them down is all we will get. Fighting shadows for upset and reassurance. Grooming.

      Unlocking Islam, Homosexuality and Socialism therefore becomes Islamophobia, Homophobia and Fascism. Because they are the comforts for their respective hells ruled by demons they cannot face: the Bastard, the Pedophile and the Bitch. Their Narcissists who demand constant peace and not a breath of dissent. Now you see them, now you don’t.
      https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/04/barack-obama-backs-macron-in-last-minute-election-intervention

  14. https://www.rt.com/news/387114-hong-kong-isis-alert/#.WQs0ZGlVPvs.twitter

    Hong Kong faces real dangers of lone wolf-style attacks, with some extremists possibly already having sneaked into the city and planning attacks, the South China Morning Post reports citing the security units.
    Law enforcement stated on Wednesday, that the terrorists, inspired by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), could be already lurking among the 7 million people of the city, the newspaper reports. Despite there being no specific intelligence data on possible attacks, anti-terrorism police are on alert to “prevent lone wolf-style attacks.” They are also to devote special attention to suspicious individuals and organizations listed by the UN Security Council.

  15. A false flag fake chemical attack against civilians has recently been filmed by al-Jazeera stringers in Syria, and it was ordered from a European country, a military and diplomatic source revealed on Thursday.

    “The “effectiveness” of the White Helmets’ TV-spectacle of accusing Syrian authorities of attacking civilians in Khan Shaykhun with sarin inspired terrorists to continue filming the fake ‘series’. According to info confirmed via several channels, al-Jazeera television channel stringers have recently filmed a staged, fake scene of an alleged chemical attack against civilians by the Syrian Army,” the source told Sputnik.

    The source said around 30 fire engines and ambulances, as well as 70 local residents with children transported from a refugee camp were used in the filming across three locations in Idlib province, including Jisr Shughur.

    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705041053273158-syria-chemical-attack-civilians-fake/

    • strong>zero hedge – Al-Jazeera Said To Film False Flag Chemical Attack Against Syrian Civilians

      One month after Trump flip-flopped on his Syrian position, launching cruise missile strikes on a Syrian airfield as “after dinner entertainment” during Trump’s meeting with the Chinese president, just days after declaring he would allow the Syrian people to decide the fate of Assad when another “chemical attack” video emerged at the end of March, a false flag chemical attack against civilians in Syria was reportedly filmed recently by al-Jazeera stringers in Syria.

      Around 30 fire engines and ambulances, as well as 70 local residents with children transported from a refugee camp were used in the filming of the Al Jazeera clip across three locations in Idlib province, including Jisr Shughur.

      “The “effectiveness” of the White Helmets’ TV-spectacle of accusing Syrian authorities of attacking civilians in Khan Shaykhun with sarin inspired terrorists to continue filming the fake ‘series’. According to info confirmed via several channels, al-Jazeera television channel stringers have recently filmed a staged, fake scene of an alleged chemical attack against civilians by the Syrian Army,” the source told Sputnik.

      “A multiple simultaneous uploading of filmed fake footage with ‘screaming’ social media comments was due to take place in the next few days (by Sunday) at the separate command of a mastermind and sponsor of the film in one of the European countries.”
      This filming was said to have been ordered from a European country.

      It wouldn’t be the first time – in December 2016, Egyptian police arrested 5 men for making staged “wounded children” photos, which they planned to use to misrepresent on social media as photos of destruction and injured people in Syria’s Aleppo.

      As a reminder, on April 4, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces claimed that 80 people were killed and 200 injured in a suspected chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun, blaming the Syrian government. Damascus vehemently rejected the accusations and said militants and their allies were responsible. That video served as a the basis for Trump to launch 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Syrian military airfiled in Ash Shairat. Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria’s Idlib, which Washington has blamed on the Syrian government.

      Meanwhile, Russia described the attack as an aggression against a sovereign state, while the Russian Foreign Ministry reminded the Trump administration that all chemical weapons had been taken out of Syria in mid-2014 as John Kerry infamously declared in 2014. Discussing the attack, Syrian President Assad said in an interview with Sputnik that Western states were blocking attempts to investigate the Idlib chemical incident because in the event of a probe it will be established that the “attack” was a false flag and lie.

      In January 2016, the OPCW announced that Syria’s weapons arsenal had been destroyed in accordance with an agreement reached after the 2013 Ghouta attack.

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-05-04/al-jazeera-films-false-flag-chemical-attack-against-syrian-civilians

      • Syria government ‘producing chemical weapons at research facilities’ (BBC, May 4, 2017)
        http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39796763

        “Syria’s government is continuing to make chemical weapons in violation of a 2013 deal to eliminate them, a Western intelligence agency has told the BBC.

        A document says chemical and biological munitions are produced at three main sites near Damascus and Hama.

        It alleges that both Iran and Russia, the government’s allies, are aware.

        Western powers say a Syrian warplane dropped bombs containing the nerve agent Sarin on an opposition-held town a month ago, killing almost 90 people.

        The United States launched a missile strike on a Syrian airbase in response to the incident at Khan Sheikhoun, which President Bashar al-Assad says was faked.

        The intelligence document obtained by the BBC says Syria’s chemical weapons are manufactured at three sites – Masyaf, in Hama province, and at Dummar and Barzeh, both just outside Damascus. All three are branches of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), a government agency, it adds.

        Despite monitoring of the sites by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the document alleges that manufacturing and maintenance continues in closed sections.

        It says the Masyaf and Barzeh facilities both specialise in installing chemical weapons on long-range missiles and artillery.

        The OPCW mentioned Barzeh and Dummar – also known as Jamraya – in its latest official progress update on its work to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons programme.

        The watchdog says inspectors visited them between 26 February and 5 March and that it is still awaiting laboratory analysis of the samples that were taken.

        The US imposed economic sanctions on 271 SSRC employees three weeks after the Khan Sheikhoun incident, accusing the agency of focusing on the development of non-conventional weapons and the means to deliver them.

        It is promoted as a civilian research institute by the Assad government.

        A source familiar with weapons inspection protocols says it is plausible that a government might only declare certain facilities on any given site to the OPCW and therefore only give inspectors access to those areas.

        The intelligence document also accuses Syria of falsely declaring the work of one of its research branches as defensive – when it really continues to develop offensive capabilities.

        In addition, it names senior official Basam Hassan as a key figure in authorising the use of chemical weapons.

        He was previously described on a 2014 US sanctions list as President Assad’s representative to the SSRC, with the rank of brigadier-general.

        In a statement emailed to the BBC, the OPCW said it had asked the Syrian authorities to “declare the relevant parts” of the SSRC sites, as per their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty prohibiting their use.

        Although the authorities have declared sections of those sites, the statement said that was “not yet sufficient”.

        The watchdog said it was “not yet in a position to confirm that the [Syrian] declaration is complete and accurate”

        Countries signed up to the CWC would soon get a report on the recent inspections, the statement added.

        Syria was obliged to give up its stockpile of chemical weapons following an agreement brokered by the US and Russia in 2013, when Mr Assad signed up to the CWC.

        The deal was agreed in the aftermath of a chemical attack that killed hundreds of people in opposition-held areas in the Ghouta agricultural belt around Damascus.

        The United Nations said Sarin had been used in that incident – the same nerve agent the OPCW, the French government and others say was used in Khan Sheikhoun.

        At least 87 people were killed in Khan Sheikhoun, according to the UK-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

        Video posted in the hours following the alleged air strike showed people struggling to breathe and foaming at the mouth – some of the classic symptoms of poisoning by Sarin and other nerve agents.

        The pressure group Human Rights Watch released a report on Monday alleging that Khan Sheikhoun was part of a wider pattern of chemical weapon use by Syrian government forces, including three other attacks involving nerve agents since December.

        US President Donald Trump cited the pictures of children in distress as one of the reasons he decided to reverse previous policy on Syria and launch a cruise missile strike.

        The missiles struck an airbase at Shayrat, which the US says was the place from which the chemical attack was launched.

        The intelligence information about the suspected weapons manufacturing sites was shared with the BBC on condition the agency providing it would not be named.

        It does not give detail about how the alleged evidence was gathered.

        The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons, with President Assad saying the accusations against his forces on 4 April were “100% fabrication”.

        In an interview last month with AFP news agency, he maintained that the entire arsenal had been dispensed with under the terms of the 2013 deal.

        “There was no order to make any attack, we don’t have any chemical weapons, we gave up our arsenal a few years ago,” he said. “Even if we have them, we wouldn’t use them, and we have never used our chemical arsenal in our history.”

        The Russian defence ministry meanwhile says deadly chemicals were released in Khan Sheikhoun when a militant warehouse containing chemical munitions was hit in a government air strike.

        The area is controlled by groups including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which incorporates fighters formerly affiliated to al-Qaeda.

        Both Russia and Iran have called for a “thorough and unbiased” investigation into what happened at Khan Sheikhoun, and insisted that only rebel and jihadist groups in Syria have access to chemical weapons.”

    • There’s at least one notable exception.
      People who worked to free the Refusniks from Soviet oppression – or whose parents did – are the most fierce critics of the Left. Off the top of my head, Dan Greenfield is the best example.

      For us, calling someone a “communist” was the ultimate insult, literally fighting words. I had no idea of what it meant, except that it was the worst possible insult.

      I was also around a lot of veterans of the Korean War. They were reticent, but there was a rare “ChiComs” or “the Communist Enemy”. All the more powerful because of the silence around it.

      • You weren’t a vet so they didn’t want to take about things you probably wouldn’t accept as normal, to them and to many of my generation the only good commie is a dead commie. God knows that even as a martyr they can’t do as much damage when dead as they cause alive.

  18. SRINAGAR: Two army personnel and a civilian were injured as terrorists ambushed an army patrol in south Kashmir’s Shopian this afternoon. A huge anti-terror operation was in progress in the area after a series of attacks took place. Videos from the area showed large groups of terrorists moving freely.

    The attack took place as the troops were withdrawing from the area, sources said. The soldiers returned fire. The encounter is still on, sources said.

    “The cordon has been strengthened to prevent the militants from escaping. So far, there have been no
    casualties,” news agency Press Trust of India quoted an un-named official as saying.

    http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/terrorists-ambush-patrol-in-kashmirs-shopian-2-soldiers-civilian-injured-1689661?pfrom=home-topstories

      • Watch the following video, he has some connection to Soros.

        Faith Goldy: Fire Jared Kushner!

        • I don’t trust media sources on the goings-on in the WH. Who knows whether rumors about back-stabbing and factions are true?

          That said, I’m not a fan of the Kushners. Why claim to be Orthodox Jews when they’re so obviously not? It’s the kind of unnecessary exaggeration that makes me suspicious of everything else.

          Whatever. Better than the Witch.

    • The Justice Department Under Trump Is Fighting To Keep Records About Hillary Clinton Secret

      Conservative advocacy groups are still pursuing public records lawsuits about Hillary Clinton and other Obama-era officials’ use of private email and mobile devices for official business. DOJ has carried on the previous administration’s fight against releasing certain information.

      Six months after Hillary Clinton lost the election, the Trump Justice Department is carrying on the Obama administration’s fight to block access to records about her use of private email and mobile devices when she was Secretary of State.

      A handful of lawsuits seeking Clinton’s emails or government records related to the controversy are still ongoing, and DOJ has continued to argue that some information — redacted sections of Clinton’s emails with David Petraeus, for instance, and records of discussions at the State Department about Clinton and her staff’s use of personal devices for government business — should stay secret.

      These cases put the Justice Department at odds with Judicial Watch, a conservative government watchdog group that has aggressively pursued public records cases against the State Department in connection with the Clinton email controversy. Judicial Watch attorney James Peterson told BuzzFeed News that they had hoped the Trump administration would take a different approach in handling the remaining cases, but they haven’t seen any change so far.

      “We were hopeful that there would be improvement — as of yet, there has not,” Peterson said. “But we’re still hopeful.”

      A Justice Department spokeswoman did not return a request for comment. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said during his confirmation hearing in January that he would recuse from any investigation into Clinton’s emails, in light of his criticism during the campaign of her use of a private server. His response didn’t explicitly address whether he’d recuse from civil cases related to the email issue. If Sessions is recused, that would put Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in charge of the public records cases.

      Clinton isn’t the only Obama-era official whose use of private email is now the Trump administration’s problem in the public records arena. DOJ is still litigating over access to former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson’s private email account, and the Department of Defense earlier this month got hit with a new case seeking information about former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s use of private email.

      At a hearing in federal court in Washington earlier this week, a DOJ lawyer argued that Judicial Watch’s request for records relating to Johnson’s use of private email for official government business wasn’t specific enough, and would prove burdensome to fulfill. The lawyer said Johnson found emails in his account that were likely federal records, and the government hoped to negotiate a resolution with Judicial Watch, but he reiterated the department’s opposition to the group’s request.

      The continuity in the Justice Department’s handling of the Obama-era Freedom of Information Act cases could be explained, at least in part, by the fact that the Trump administration hasn’t issued new guidelines about how agencies should handle public records requests, said Margaret Kwoka, a FOIA expert and professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

      Previous attorneys general set the tone on FOIA at the start of new administrations by issuing a memorandum outlining their approach, Kwoka told BuzzFeed News. Obama’s first attorney general Eric Holder did that in March 2009, and President George W. Bush’s first attorney general John Ashcroft did it in October 2001. Sessions has yet to issue such a memo.

      Aaron Caplan, a FOIA expert and professor at Loyola Law School, said in an email to BuzzFeed News that DOJ’s position in these cases may also be driven by a desire to “maximize governmental privacy,” even if it aligns the Trump administration with the interests of the president’s former opponent; chants of “lock her up” at Trump rallies last year were rooted in Trump’s criticism of Clinton for using a private email server.

      “In this particular instance, the instinct for greater governmental secrecy benefits a political opponent of the administration, but the instinct against releasing requested information seems consistent with the administration’s overall approach to information policy,” Caplan said.

      The Justice Department has filed court papers in several cases since Trump took office in January opposing efforts by Judicial Watch and other groups to get information about Clinton’s emails and the broader controversy.

      On April 24, lawyers for the government asked a federal judge in Washington to dismiss a case brought by Judicial Watch and another conservative group, Cause of Action, trying to force the Justice Department to take legal action to recover all emails sent to or from Clinton when she was secretary of state. The case was moot, the government said, because there was no reason to believe any additional action would uncover more emails.

      DOJ disputed that there were still potential gaps in information that previous searches would have missed, such as emails sent to or from Clinton’s BlackBerry before she started using the private clintonemail.com domain; the FBI already tried to search for those, DOJ said. Peterson told BuzzFeed News that Judicial Watch will oppose the motion to dismiss the case.

      In March, the Justice Department filed papers defending the State Department’s decision to redact information in copies of emails between Clinton and Petraeus that were otherwise made public. DOJ claimed that the deliberative process privilege shielded information in the emails about possible appointees to the State Department and interactions with foreign heads of state.

      The Justice Department in that case also defended withholding records about a security clearance investigation of Bryan Pagliano, the former State Department employee who set up Clinton’s private email server.

      And in February, a few weeks after Trump’s inauguration, the Justice Department filed papers continuing to defend the State Department’s decision to redact information from documents about Clinton and her staff’s use of mobile devices for government business.

      Judicial Watch had argued that because the information related to possible government misconduct, it shouldn’t be exempt from public disclosure. DOJ countered in its February filing that the fact that State Department officials discussed what electronic devices Clinton and her staff could or could not use wasn’t misconduct that could overcome the privilege that shields some records about governmental decisionmaking from the public.

      “Plaintiff has provided no evidence that demonstrates that the redactions were related to discussions about violations of the law as opposed to general discussions about secure use of mobile devices,” a DOJ lawyer wrote.

      Peterson said that even though Clinton lost the election, Judicial Watch will continue to pursue the FOIA cases that are still pending.

      “From our perspective, there’s no reason for the Trump administration, any more than the Obama administration, to refuse to take action on releasing Clinton emails or Jeh Johnson emails or anything else,” he said.

      https://www.buzzfeed.com/zoetillman/justice-department-under-trump-is-fighting-to-keep-records

  21. Polish TV presenter says she was detained in Pakistan
    04.05.2017 16:26
    Popular Polish presenter, traveller and writer Martyna Wojciechowska said on Thursday that she was detained several days ago by Pakistani military intelligence while filming a TV series in that country.
    Wojciechowska, the former editor in chief of National Geographic Poland, said on Facebook she is currently in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
    “In the north-western part of Pakistan, close to the border with Afghanistan, where we were filming another episode of the ‘Woman at the Edge of World’ program, we were detained by the Inter-Services Intelligence,” Wojciechowska said in her post.
    “Our equipment was forcibly confiscated and we were prevented from working. We spent the next days under house arrest under constant police and military supervision.”

    http://thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/305444,Polish-TV-presenter-says-she-was-detained-in-Pakistan

    • Interesting.
      Pakistan cultivates “war tourism”. One friend of India explains how Pakis lavish Americans with moonshine, says that India might profit from their example:

      “The Pakistanis cultivate American sympathies for the difficulties they face in their neighborhood by taking scholars, think tank analysts, state department officials, congressional delegations, journalists and anyone else they want to groom on tours of its warzones and conflict fronts.

      During my decades visiting the country, I was regaled with a trip to the border with Afghanistan and an amazing excursion through the Khyber Pass. Our entourage was equipped with an enormous security detail, with loads of Toyota Hiluxes zooming about, festooned with armed young men, and sirens blaring.

      The Frontier Scouts delighted us with their dances and we ate piles of kebobs in their mess hall. We also received mugs with the Frontier Scout logo. We were given a scenic overview at a forward operating base where our Pakistani military briefer explained the dangers of this frontier. I had similar tours in North and South Waziristan and Swat. Who doesn’t feel important under such circumstances?”

      How Pakistan beguiles the Americans: A Guide for Foreign Officials
      https://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-americans-a-guide-for-foreign-officials/

  22. TURKEY -Alleged Islamic State connection of Erdogan’s son-in-law behind Wikipedia ban?

    ?It has been alleged that the Wikipedia entry on Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s Minister of Energy and the son-in-law of President Erdo?an, may be the cause of Wikipedia ban in Turkey

    Turkish government blocked access to Wikipedia on April 29, without any exact reason given by Information and Telecommunications Authority of Turkey (BTK).

    Yet, the content of a previous e-mail to Wikipedia editor in chief by BTK raises a suspicion as to the cause of Wikipedia ban in Turkey. The e-mail in question is about the removal of Wikipedia entry on Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s Minister of Energy and the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    The Wikipedia entry on Berat Albayrak contains allegations of Albayrak’s connections to Islamic State (IS) oil trade. The entry in question is based on Wikileaks reports about the minister.

    In December 2016, Wikileaks released more than 57,000 personal e-mails from the account of Albayrak, spanning sixteen years period from 2000 to 2016. The e-mails had been obtained by Redhack, a Turkish hacktivist group. Redhack placed the archive on Google Drive and Dropbox. The Turkish government then censored normal internet access to Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft Cloud and Github, and arrested a number of alleged Redhack suspects.

    Albayrak’s e-mails were said to reveal his connections to Powertrans, the company behind Islamic State oil smuggling. It had been alleged that Berat Albayrak was the “unofficial” owner of the oil company Powertrans, smuggling oil from Islamic State-controlled northern Iraq to Turkey.

    http://news.sol.org.tr/alleged-islamic-state-connection-erdogans-son-law-behind-wikipedia-ban-172153

  23. BRAZIL – An anti-immigration rally in Brazil turns violent

    Several Palestinian activists were arrested in downtown Sao Paulo on Tuesday night after clashing with members of a far-right group who were protesting a new immigration bill, according to police.

    Four of the men were charged with assault, criminal association, causing an explosion and resisting arrest and as of Wednesday afternoon were awaiting custody hearings.

    Protests over immigration and refugees are a rarity in Brazil, which has generally welcomed immigrants.

    The immigration bill — which was passed by Brazil’s Senate last month and needs approval from President Michel Temer to become law — has not been controversial. It eliminates some of the red tape involved in getting legal documentation and joining the workforce, removing discriminatory language adopted by the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985.

    Brazil is home to 1.5 million to 2 million immigrants, including as many as 600,000 in Sao Paulo. They come from nearly every nation.

    Brazil has open-door policy when it comes to Syrian refugees. In 2013, it created a special humanitarian visa for those escaping the war there and as of last June issued 8,450 of them.

    Many Syrian refugees in Brazil say they feel comforted by its long-standing Syrian and Lebanese communities, which arrived in two waves of migration — first in the 19th century, then after World War I — and today are concentrated in downtown Sao Paulo.

    Significant numbers of refugees also come from Angola, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Catholic charity Caritas, which provides services to them.

    The anti-immigrant protest Tuesday was organized by two groups — the Free Brazil Movement and Right Sao Paulo — to urge Temer not to sign the bill.

    Protesters appear in videos posted on social media calling Palestinians and other immigrants “lazy-ass communists” and saying “communists have to die” and “those rats hit women” while cheering on police officers breaking up fights and making arrests.

    Right Sao Paulo posted a video on its Facebook page purporting to show “a terrorist attack” in which someone of Arabic descent threw a homemade bomb. But it is unclear from the video what was thrown or who threw it.

    The protest took place on Sao Paulo’s main business stretch, Paulista Avenue, the same place where Right Sao Paulo held a rally in November to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.

    Local media reported that one man was taken to a hospital with a possible nose fracture and other injuries after the violent confrontation.

    Among those arrested was Hasan Zarif, leader of the Palestine for All Movement and owner of Al Janiah, a restaurant run by refugees and known for supporting activism in favor of immigration from the Middle East. In a show of solidarity, 50 people spent the night in front of the police station where the detainees were taken.

    None of those who organized the anti-immigration protest were detained.

    http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-brazil-immigration-20170503-story.html

  24. San Francisco State U: Supporting Terror, Suppressing Free Speech
    “My Heroes Have Always Killed Colonizers.”
    May 4, 2017
    Sara Dogan

    Editor’s note: The Freedom Center continues its report on the “Top Ten College Administrations Most Friendly to Terrorists and Hostile to the First Amendment” by naming San Francisco State University to the list. It joins the campuses of Brooklyn College (CUNY), Tufts University, Brandeis University, UCLA, UC-Berkeley and Vassar College. These campuses provide financial and institutional support to terrorist-linked campus organizations such as the Hamas-funded hate-group Students for Justice in Palestine while actively suppressing speech exposing the truth about Israel’s terrorist adversaries and their allies in the United States.

    The San Francisco State administration has ignored outright threats of terrorism originating from its General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) but labeled Freedom Center posters critical of Hamas “bullying behavior.” Last night, the Freedom Center again placed posters exposing the links between the terrorist group Hamas and SJP on SFSU’s campus. It remains to be seen whether the SFSU administration will again order them torn down or whether they will uphold the First Amendment on campus.

    San Francisco State University: Leslie E. Wong, President

    San Francisco State University cultivates its reputation as one of the most radical campuses in the nation, known for its disruptive protests and extremist student movements. The anti-Israel movement at SFSU, led by an SJP-surrogate group called the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) fits into this tradition. Even in the radicalized world of anti-Israel student organizations, GUPS stands out for its brazen and public Jew hatred.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266601/san-francisco-state-u-supporting-terror-sara-dogan

  25. As Promised: YAF Sues Berkeley for Free Speech Violations
    Students at Berkeley have the right to hear diverse viewpoints.
    May 4, 2017
    Young America’s Foundation

    On Monday, April 24, 2017, Young America’s Foundation (YAF) fulfilled its promise to file a lawsuit, in federal court, against the University of California, Berkeley for the University’s unconstitutional suppression of free speech on campus. Last week, YAF warned officials at the state university that if administrators did not stop violating the rights of conservative students, then YAF would be left with no choice but to seek legal action in order to restore students’ rights.

    Young America’s Foundation, in coordination with the Berkeley College Republicans and BridgeCal, invited 12-time New York Times best seller, Ann Coulter, to speak to students at Berkeley on the topic of immigration. The lecture was planned for April 27, 2017, until the University abruptly cancelled it.

    The University cites, as its reason for canceling the lecture, its “high-profile speakers” policy. In recent weeks, administrators have used this unwritten policy to cancel events featuring two conservative speakers for YAF—Ms. Coulter and David Horowitz. During the same time period, administrators permitted events featuring leftists Vicente Fox Quesada, former President of Mexico, and Maria Echaveste, former advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff to President Clinton, to proceed without interference.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266592/promised-yaf-sues-berkeley-free-speech-violations-young-americas-foundation

  26. Iran’s Forward Operating Base against the U.S.

    by Thomas Quiggin
    May 4, 2017 at 4:30 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10223/iran-canada-us

    Iran and its Islamist regime is currently making a major effort to expand its footprint in Canada. Their aim is to use American’s northern neighbour as a “forward operating base” for influence operations against the American government. In a recent video, Hassan Abbasi, a leadership figure in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was boasting about a “guerilla movement of Iranian agents living and working in the United States.” Iran, he says, is leading a clandestine army of potential martyrs within the US.

    This does not seem to be an isolated event. Iranian diplomat Hamid Mohammadi said in 2012 there were many Iranian-Canadians “working in influential government positions” and called on others to “occupy high-level and key positions.”

    Given Iran’s history of exporting violence and terrorism, that Iranians on both sides of the border are discussing how they are infiltrating North America should be of concern.

    Iran has been forced to recalibrate its efforts during the past decade due to the shifting views of Canadian and American governments. The Obama Administration (2009-2017) gave virtual free rein to Iranian agents of influence. They were supported by a variety of Administration insiders such as Valerie Jarrett. When the Iranian Navy seized ten US Navy sailors and photographed them in humiliating positions, Vice President Joseph Biden described this as “just standard nautical practice”. Predictably, Iran forced a US Navy female sailor to wear a hijab , possibly as a way of showing male dominance over an American female.

      • That would be nice, although making her live the rest of her life under Sharia law has a lot of appeal.

  28. A toy gun shut down an entire university Wednesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

    It all started when an engineering class at Saint Louis University (SLU) asked its students to create a rubber band gun as an assignment. One of the toys apparently fooled one student who thought there was a gunman loose on campus. After a brief moment of panic, authorities issued a lockdown order that affected the entire campus.

    The university issued the “shelter in place” order at about 5 p.m. after the report of a potential shooter and a second — again mistaken — report of gunfire.

    http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/04/entire-college-campus-shut-down-over-rubber-band/

  29. ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ Kids should be taught how to deal with terror attacks, police chief says (express, May 4, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/800036/run-hide-tell-children-taught-how-to-deal-terror-attack-lucy-d-orsi-police

    “CHILDREN should be given lessons on what to do in the event of a terror attack in the same way they learn to be wary of strangers, a top police chief has claimed.

    After the Government relaunched a campaign in 2015 to teach the public how to stay safe if they are affected by a terror attack, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said the advice should also be taught to children.

    Ms D’Orsi, the National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman for protective security, said a terrorist attack in a busy public place is likely to affect young people as well as adults, and children should be aware of how to deal with the situation.

    Speaking at the World Counter Terror Congress in London, Ms D’Orsi said: “When I was at school, everybody used to talk about stranger danger and that was the sort of buzz phrase and it’s still a thing I remember today.

    “Run Hide Tell, for me that messaging needs to be to children as well as to the broader public. If we take a lot of our crowded places, and some of the places that you will work in, we know that at key times they are a hub that attracts a lot of young people to go to those places…”

  30. NEW ISIS THREAT: Jihadis ‘ADVANCING towards Jordanian border amid fears of NEW offensive’ (express, May 4, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/800033/isis-jordan-advance-border-iraq-offensive-ar-rutbah

    “ISLAMIC State militants have moved into a major Iraqi region near the border with peaceful Jordan, it has been reported.

    ISIS terrorists in armoured vehicles were reportedly spotted by residents in the Ar-Rutbah district in western Iraq, right next to the Jordanian border.

    The region is strategically important as the main link between the Iraqi capital Baghdad and Jordanian capital Amman as well as the home of a major pipeline between Mosul and the Israeli city of Haifa.

    The appearance of jihadis in the war-torn region comes just a year after the Iraqi army flushed the terrorists out of the region…”

  31. Albania court jails former imam in absentia for terrorism (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/albania-court-jails-imam-absentia-terrorism-47200246

    “An Albanian court has sentenced in absentia a former Muslim imam accused of terrorism charges including recruiting and sending men to fight with rebel groups in Syria.

    The Serious Crime Court on Thursday ordered 15 years in prison for Almir Daci, who has been imam at Leshnice village, Pogradec district, 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of the capital Tirana.

    Daci, who is believed to be fighting with rebels in Syria, has recruited some 25 men in eastern Albania.

    About two-thirds of Albania’s three million people are Muslims. Despite calls from mainstream religious leaders not to join rebel groups in Syria and Iraq, scores of Albanians are believed to have joined Islamic extremist groups there.”

  32. Iraq, US in talks to keep American troop presence after IS (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-us-talks-american-troop-presence-47202303

    “Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in talks with the Trump administration to keep American troops in Iraq after the fight against the Islamic State group in the country is concluded, according to a U.S. official and an official from the Iraqi government.

    Both officials underlined that the discussions are ongoing and that nothing is finalized. But the talks point to a consensus by both governments that, in contrast to the U.S. withdrawal in 2011, a longer-term presence of American troops in Iraq is needed to ensure that an insurgency does not bubble up again once the militants are driven out.

    “There is a general understanding on both sides that it would be in the long-term interests of each to have that continued presence. So as for agreement, yes, we both understand it would be mutually beneficial. That we agree on,” the U.S. official said.

    Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations…”

  33. ITALY -George Soros secretly rushes to Italy as NGOs activity in the Mediterranean now face political and judicial scrutiny

    In the past few weeks, the transport of migrants from the African shores has become a case of national importance for Italy, and is now under investigation from the prosecutor of Catania, who recently testified to the Defence Committee of the Italian Senate and will meet soon with the Superior Council of the Magistrates.

    Harsh criticism of the activities of the NGOs has come from opposition parties Forza Italia, Lega Nord and even Movimento 5 Stelle , normally more neutral on immigration issues, while Prime Minister Gentiloni has opted to let the judicial system run its course.

    Yet, a new element will further exacerbate the situation; George Soros, a billionaire who is incredibly active politically on both sides of the Atlantic,met in secrecy with Prime Minister Gentiloni, less than a week after the latter had commented on the NGOs activities. The meeting was not listed on the website of the Italian government as official and its timing is at the very least suspicious.

    George Soros had penned multiple arguments in favour of immigration, suggesting that Europe should welcome “at least one million refugees a year” and that the EU should create EU-bonds to support attendant expenses.

    He’s no stranger to NGOs either: one of them, MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station), facing the harshest criticism , received half a million dollars from Avaaz, another NGO, co-founded by MoveOn, an online community, receiving donations from none other than George Soros himself.

    Save The Children, another NGO involved in the Mediterranean migrant shipping, lists among its partners Open Society Foundation, George Soros’s primary NGO. Finally, even, Médicins Sans Frontiéres is listed among the partners of Open Society and the Soros network.

    Soros had already been named by Lega Nord leader Salvini as the secret financier behind the NGOs and his well-timed arrival is bound to create further controversy.

    No information has been leaked so far about the content of the meeting between Soros and Gentiloni. Is the cat out of the bag?

    https://gefira.org/en/2017/05/03/george-soros-secretly-rushes-to-italy-as-ngos-activity-in-the-mediterranean-now-face-political-and-judicial-scrutiny/

    Italian PM hails NGOs rescuing migrants

    ROME: Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Thursday hailed NGOs striving to rescue migrants off the coast of Libya, shrugging off a prosecutor’s claim that some groups are colluding with people traffickers.

    “I thank the volunteers, the coast guard and the navy for saving lives day after day. We are proud of them,” Gentiloni said in parliament.

    NGOs deny a claim Sicily-based prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro made last month that some charity boats rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean are colluding with traffickers amid Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War II.

    Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano last week added to the controversy by saying he “agreed 100 percent” with Zuccaro.

    Italian media reported meanwhile that the public prosecutor at Trapani in western Sicily had last year opened an investigation against an unnamed non-governmental organisation for “aiding illegal immigration.”

    The prosecutor’s office did not immediately confirm the allegation, reportedly based on trafficker statements, that the NGO had had contact with the people smugglers.

    At Catania in eastern Sicily, prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro has made several declarations, including Wednesday to a parliamentary commission, alleging NGO-trafficker complicity, albeit without opening an official enquiry.

    With support from Alfano as well as the anti-immigrant Northern League and the populist Five Star Movement Zuccaro has called for the monitoring of satellite telephone conversations and for the Italian navy to shadow ONG vessels.

    Another Sicilian prosecutor, Francesco Paolo Giordano, for his part told a parliamentary commission he had interviewed “hundreds of people” without uncovering any trace of links between traffickers and ONGs.

    Backing his view was admiral Vincenzo Melone, head of the Italian coast guard coordinating the bulk of rescue operations, who told the commission that NGOs and Italy’s marine authorities were working in concert.

    Predicting the migrant crisis would not go away soon, Gentiloni concluded that “in the long term it will be necessary to create development and growth in the countries of origin. In the short term, one must break the traffickers’ monopoly on (migrant) flows.”

    Some 550,000 migrants, making a perilous journey in barely seaworthy craft, arrived in Italy between 2013 and 2016, 37,000 since the start of the year.

    http://www.brecorder.com/2017/05/04/347027/italian-pm-hails-ngos-rescuing-migrants/

  34. Dutch court convicts asylum-seeker of raping woman (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dutch-court-convicts-asylum-seeker-raping-woman-47202559

    “An asylum-seeker in the Netherlands has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping a 17-year-old woman after attempting to strangle and drown her.

    The rape in September led one local mayor to suggest a curfew for residents of a local asylum-seekers’ center. Bort Koelewijn, mayor of the northeastern town of Kampen, told a local television station last month that such a restriction should be considered to prevent similar attacks in the future.

    The 33-year-old rapist was not identified Thursday, in line with Dutch privacy guidelines. Prosecutors said in a statement last month that he lived in an asylum-seekers’ center. Dutch media reported that he was originally from Eritrea.

    The sentence was handed down by a court in the northeastern town of Zwolle.”

    • Wow! That´s looks like some justice, but why isn´t he being deported? The tax payers shouldn’t´t have to pay for him to stay in prison.

  35. Pakistan executes 3 militants convicted by military courts (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistan-executes-militants-convicted-military-courts-47203551

    “Pakistan’s military say authorities have executed three Pakistani Taliban militants after they were convicted by military courts over links to acts of terrorism.

    In a statement, it said the latest executions were carried out Thursday.

    Pakistan has executed 428 prisoners — mostly convicted of routine murders instead of acts of terrorism — since 2014 when it lifted a moratorium on executions following a Taliban attack on a school that killed 150 people, mostly schoolchildren.

    Amnesty International and Pakistani human rights groups often question the legitimacy of these trials, saying the army does not follow due process. Pakistan’s army, however, insists that it gives convicted militants the right to appeal.”

  36. Hungarian prosecutors indict 11 men in death of 71 migrants (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungarian-prosecutors-indict-11-men-death-71-migrants-47203809

    “Eleven men have been indicted in the case of the deaths of 71 migrants who suffocated in the back of a refrigerated truck in 2015, Hungarian authorities said Thursday.

    Laszlo Nanasi, chief prosecutor of Bacs-Kiskun County, said the group includes men from Afghanistan, Bulgaria and Lebanon who allegedly smuggled some 1,200 people from the Hungary-Serbia border to Austria or Germany in 2015.

    Migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were among the victims found in the back of a refrigerated truck with Hungarian license plates abandoned in the emergency lane of the A4 highway near Parndorf, Austria, not far from the Hungarian border, on Aug. 27, 2015. The victims included 59 men, eight women and four children.

    The migrants were locked into the truck the day before near Morahalom, Hungary, near the Serbian border, and likely died within three hours, while the vehicle was still in Hungary. Despite their pleas to open the truck doors, the smugglers were told by their boss to cross into Austria as soon as possible, Nanasi said in a statement.

    Charges against the defendants include organized human smuggling and the torture of the smuggled persons.

    The four people accused of direct involvement in the deaths also face charges of homicide committed with particular cruelty.

    Prosecutors are calling for life in prison for four defendants, with shorter terms at a maximum-security facility and expulsion from Hungary for the rest. The trial will be held at a court in central Hungary, where the smugglers began the trip which ended in the migrants’ deaths.

    Nine of the alleged smugglers are in custody, while prosecutors have filed a motion to try the other two defendants in absentia.

    The alleged 30-year-old Afghan leader of operation earned some 300,000 euros ($328,000) from the group’s smuggling activities in 2015, Nanasi said. Among his alleged accomplices are Bulgarian drivers and a Bulgarian-Lebanese man who obtained the vehicles and the temporary license plates.

    Just a day after the 71 deaths, the smugglers locked a group of 67 migrants into another closed truck near Morahalom, taking them to the Austrian town of Gols. While the condition of the migrants became life-threatening, they were able to kick open the doors of the truck and no one died. Two of the defendants are facing charges of life-threatening battery in the case.”

  38. Greek court rejects extradition of last 2 Turkish servicemen (abcnews, May 4, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/greek-court-rejects-extradition-turkish-servicemen-47204589

    “Greek authorities have rejected Turkey’s new extradition bid for the last two of its eight servicemen who fled to Greece seeking asylum after last year’s abortive military coup in Turkey.

    The Greek Supreme Court has already rejected an initial extradition request for all eight men, arguing that they would not face a fair trial in Turkey, and that their lives would be in danger there.

    The ruling angered Turkey’s government, which sent a new official extradition request repeating allegations that the pilots and flight mechanics were involved in the coup.

    But an Athens court on Thursday cited the Supreme Court ruling to reject the new bid for the two men. The same court has rejected the extradition of the other six.

    All eight deny involvement in the coup.”

    • This entry immediately reminded me of the Codex Gigas for some reason.

      It is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world, which is also known as the Devil’s Bible because of a large illustration of the devil on the inside and the legend surrounding its creation.

      According to legend, the Codex was created by Herman the Recluse in the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice near Chrudim in the Czech Republic.

      In one version of a legend that was already recorded in the Middle Ages, the scribe was a monk who broke his monastic vows and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to avoid this harsh penalty he promised to create in one night a book to glorify the monastery forever, including all human knowledge. Near midnight, he became sure that he could not complete this task alone so he made a special prayer, not addressed to God but to the fallen angel Lucifer, asking him to help him finish the book in exchange for his soul. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the devil’s picture out of gratitude for his aid. In tests to recreate the work, it is estimated that reproducing only the calligraphy, without the illustrations or embellishments, would have taken five years of non-stop writing.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Gigas

  40. Boy, 10, killed in attempted blasphemy lynching in Pakistan (theguardian, May 4, 2017)
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/04/10-year-old-boy-killed-attempted-blasphemy-lynching-pakistan

    “A 10-year-old boy has been killed and five other people wounded after a mob attacked a police station in an attempt to lynch a Hindu man charged with blasphemy in south-west Pakistan, officials said. It was the third major vigilante attack linked to accusations of insulting Islam in less than a month, as law enforcement agencies struggle to deal with a surge in violence…”

  41. Hekmatyar warmly welcomed in ARG Palace by Afghan government (khaama, May 4, 2017)
    http://www.khaama.com/hekmatyar-warmly-welcomed-in-arg-palace-by-afghan-government-02718

    “The Afghan government warmly welcomed the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to ARG Presidential Palace today.

    Hekmatyar arrived in capital Kabul before noon today after almost twenty years and conclusion of the peace agreement with Afghan government.

    President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani hailed Hekmatyar for reaching an agreement with the government to accept reconciliation and insisted that the government is committed to pave the way for peace for the Afghan nation…”

    • Taliban are brothers , says HIA chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (khaama, May 4, 2017)
      http://www.khaama.com/taliban-are-brothers-says-hia-chief-gulbuddin-hekmatyar-02719

      “The leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar says Taliban are brothers despite the party is related to Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS or any other group.

      Hekmatyar made the remarks during his speech in capital Kabul and in the presence of the of the former Jihadi leader leaders including Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf and the current government leaders including the chief executive Abdullah Abdulla.

      In his speech during the gathering in ARG Palace in Kabul today, Hekmatyar said the current system in Afghanistan is Presidential and we do not believe in parliamentary system and the parliamentary system is not acceptable in Afghanistan considering the current situation.

      Hekmatyar further added that the coalition governments are failed in everywhere, insisting that the current is not suitable in the situation of Afghanistan.

      The leader of Hezb-e-Islami once again insisted that the power can not be achieved through the use of power as the Afghan nation will never accept the use of power so that one can govern on them.

      Hekmatyar arrived in eastern Laghman province over a week ago and since then he has travelled to eastern Nangarhar province.

      The Afghan officials are optimistic that the signing and implementation of peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami may help to encourage other insurgent and militant groups to join reconciliation process and end the war through negotiations.”

  42. A concealed carry holder is being heralded as a hero by Arlington police for preventing mass murder by killing an “incoherent” gunman at a sports bar Wednesday evening.
    Before he was shot about 6:15 p.m., the gunman killed the manager of Zona Caliente in the 6500 block of South Cooper Street, police spokesman Christopher Cook said.
    Police later identified the gunman as 48-year-old James Jones of Grand Prairie and the victim as 37-year-old Cesar Perez of Duncanville. The man who killed Jones has not been identified.

    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/arlington/2017/05/03/two-people-killed-third-wounded-arlington-restaurant-shooting-reports-say

  43. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4474878/Man-30-arrested-Heathrow-terrorism-charges.html?ito=social-facebook

    BREAKING NEWS: Man, 30, is arrested at Heathrow on terrorism charges after arriving on flight from Istanbul
    The 30-year-old was arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror squad
    He was travelling from Istanbul to Heathrow and was arrested when he landed
    Scotland Yard confirmed he was detained under suspicion of preparing terror
    Suspect in custody at a London police station and property is being searched
    By GARETH DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE
    PUBLISHED: 21:32 BST, 4 May 2017 | UPDATED: 21:45 BST, 4 May 2017

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    A man arriving in the UK on a flight from Turkey has been arrested on suspicion of terror-related crime.

    The 30-year-old was detained by the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terror squad as he stepped off the plane, from Istanbul to Heathrow, on Thursday evening.

    A Scotland Yard spokesman said the man had been arrested on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts and terrorist training.

  45. Let’s remember – this is the bank where Macron worked before becoming the Minister of Trade:

    Rothschild Bank Now Under Criminal Investigation After Baron David De Rothschild Indictment
    BY IWB · MAY 1, 2017
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    Countercurrentnews.com reports:
    Last year, Baron David de Rothschild was indicted by the French government after he was accused of fraud in a scheme that allegedly embezzled large sums of money from British pensioners.
    It has taken many years to bring this case against Rothschild and his company the Rothschild Financial Services Group, which trapped hundreds of pensioners in a bogus loan scheme between the years of 2005 and 2008.

    http://archive.is/4Ivbj#selection-251.0-499.214

  46. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4471372/Iraqi-refugee-35-used-asylum-seekers-stage-bus-crash.html

    Iraqi refugee, 35, ‘used asylum seeker friends he met at Christmas Island detention centre as passengers in staged minibus crash – so he could make $1.2million insurance claim’
    Thamer Ari allegedly staged bus crash to rip off insurance company $1.2 million
    The minibus crashed into a Toyota Kluger at Liverpool intersection in May 2015
    Ari was arrested on Tuesday and is facing 17 charges of dishonesty and fraud
    His lawyer argued he should be granted bail due to his kidney complications

  47. FRANCE – 7 figures de l’antiterrorisme alertent : “Le Pen fait le jeu des djihadistes”

    Dans un texte commun que publie “l’Obs”, sept personnalités de l’anti-terrorisme français, au premier rang desquelles l’ancien juge Jean-Louis Bruguière, estiment que “les surenchères sécuritaires font le jeu de Daech”. Ils apportent leur soutien à Macron.

    Les propos tenus mercredi soir lors du débat d’entre-deux-tours entre Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen ont achevé de les convaincre. Sept magistrats, préfets, policiers et diplomates qui ont exercé de hautes responsabilités dans la lutte contre le terrorisme sortent du silence ce jeudi pour dénoncer les dangers du programme de la candidate du Front national et, en conclusion, appeler explicitement à voter Emmanuel Macron.

    Ils signent ensemble un texte, rédigé la semaine dernière, pour mettre en avant leurs craintes politiques à un moment où “Daech et les autres organisations djihadistes cherchent à ébranler notre société”. Leur cauchemar, exposé sèchement, est celui d’un pacte civil rompu, des Français qui s’opposent les uns aux autres, s’en prennent aux étrangers et finissent par “détruire la démocratie”. Selon eux, “en cédant aux sirènes de l’exception et de la démesure, le risque est grand de violer sans vergogne nos valeurs fondamentales et d’alimenter la propagande de Daech”

    “Cette ligne rouge ne doit pas être franchie. En la franchissant, Madame Le Pen entre dans le jeu des organisations djihadistes, et c’est notre pays qu’elle met ainsi en péril !”

    “L’amiral” Jean-Louis Bruguière, ancien juge antiterroriste, est le signataire le plus connu du grand public de cette tribune. A ses côtés, on trouve Jean-Claude Cousserand, ancien directeur général de la Sécurité extérieure ; Michel Debacq, ancien procureur antiterroriste ; l’ancien patron du Raid Jean-Michel Fauvergue ; Jacques Fournet, ancien directeur de la surveillance du territoire (DST) ; Ange Mancini, célébrité de la police judiciaire qui fut coordonnateur national du renseignement auprès de François Hollande puis de Nicolas Sarkozy ; et le policier René-Georges Querry, ancien chef de l’Unité de coordination de la lutte antiterroriste (Uclat). Leur prise de position, inédite dans la forme, entend mettre en avant trois séries de propositions pour la lutte anti-terroriste. Elle marque aussi un soutien revendiqué au candidat Emmanuel Macron.

    Voici l’intégralité du texte :

    “C’est bien Emmanuel Macron qui montre une vraie détermination contre le terrorisme !

    Parmi les Etats du monde, la France est un des plus exposés à la menace djihadiste. Il est donc légitime, à la veille du second tour des élections présidentielles, d’attendre des deux candidats encore présents qu’ils s’expriment sur ce point clairement et complètement, sur la défense de notre pays et sur sa riposte, tenue de se développer à l’extérieur et à l’intérieur de nos frontières, pour offrir, toujours et partout, une protection véritablement efficace de nos concitoyens et de nos intérêts.

    Or, à coup sûr, les surenchères sécuritaires font le jeu de Daech et des autres organisations djihadistes, qui cherchent à ébranler notre société, à rompre le pacte civil, à opposer les français les uns aux autres, à les opposer aux étrangers, au final à détruire une démocratie qu’elles exècrent.

    Les spécialistes de la lutte contre le terrorisme le savent : en cédant aux sirènes de l’exception et de la démesure, le risque est grand de violer sans vergogne nos valeurs fondamentales et d’alimenter la propagande de Daesh en faisant accroire que ces valeurs sont à ce point si peu importantes que nous serions prêts, les premiers, à les bafouer. Cette ligne rouge ne doit pas être franchie. En la franchissant, Madame Le Pen entre dans le jeu des organisations djihadistes, et c’est notre pays qu’elle met ainsi en péril !

    Cibles de la riposte, ces organisations terroristes, leurs chefs, leurs bailleurs de fonds savent pertinemment que l’exactitude de l’analyse, une attitude responsable, une juste expression ne sont en rien antinomiques avec une détermination résolue dans cette riposte, la certitude de sa mise en oeuvre effective, l’efficience du résultat recherché.

    Emmanuel Macron veut mettre en oeuvre une stratégie globale de lutte contre le terrorisme, et c’est bien cette stratégie, dont il vient de rappeler les principaux axes, qui est la seule efficace.

    Un premier axe : réduire de partout les bases logistiques dont jouissent ces organisations, détruire leurs capacités de recrutement, d’entraînement, de combat, assécher ces marécages djihadistes au Moyen-Orient, en Afghanistan, en Afrique, qui alimentent le terrorisme sur notre sol.

    Et demander que chaque membre de la communauté internationale prenne sa part dans les coalitions nécessaires, qui ne se limitent pas d’ailleurs aux aspects militaires, diplomatiques et stratégiques, mais englobent aussi la mise en oeuvre effective de capacités de sécurité et de bonne gouvernance, notamment en matière de justice, dans les États concernés.

    Un deuxième axe : mobiliser également l’Union européenne autour de coopérations renforcées, dans le domaine de la sécurité et de la justice, pour que soient mis en place de nouveaux outils, en particulier dans la lutte contre le cyberterrorisme et le financement du terrorisme.

    Un troisième axe : assurer une fluidité constante des échanges de données et d’analyses qui vont permettre à chaque acteur du contre-terrorisme de remplir les missions que la loi lui assigne et, en même temps, d’y réussir dans le respect de celle de chacun des autres acteurs.

    Revoir l’articulation opérationnelle entre le renseignement, les services de police et l’appareil judiciaire pour mieux détecter, sur l’ensemble du territoire, le plus en amont possible, les “signaux faibles”, assurer leur remontée par des canaux sûrs, faciliter leur analyse au niveau central, accélérer la transmission des informations exploitables par la justice spécialisée dans sa mission de coercition.

    Instaurer à cette fin une coordination nationale du renseignement placée sous la tutelle effective et exigeante du président de la République, pour en faire un instrument efficace dans la réflexion stratégique comme dans l’articulation opérationnelle entre tous les services engagés dans le contre-terrorisme, une véritable task force contre Daech et les autres groupes djihadistes, en relation avec le parquet spécialisé avec lequel elle puisse évoquer à tout moment ce qui, relatif à un projet terroriste, exige une action coercitive immédiate. Voilà une colonne vertébrale solide pour l’État !

    Sur le contre-terrorisme, Madame Le Pen n’a que des propos excessifs et démagogiques, des propositions tout aussi dangereuses qu’inefficaces. Dans les siens, Emmanuel Macron expose des axes constituant pour nous, spécialistes de la lutte contre le terrorisme, le gage d’une action responsable et la marque d’une vraie détermination. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous lui apportons notre soutien.”

    Signataires :

    – Jean-Louis BRUGUIÈRE, ancien juge antiterroriste

    – Jean-Claude COUSSERAND, ancien directeur général de la Sécurité extérieure

    – Michel DEBACQ, ancien procureur antiterroriste

    – Jean-Michel FAUVERGUE, ancien chef du Raid

    – Jacques FOURNET, ancien directeur de la Surveillance du territoire

    – Ange MANCINI, ancien coordonnateur national du Renseignement

    – René-Georges QUERRY, ancien chef de l’Unité de coordination de la lutte antiterroriste”

    http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/presidentielle-2017/20170504.OBS8957/7-figures-de-l-antiterrorisme-alertent-le-pen-fait-le-jeu-des-djihadistes.html

  48. FYI
    Financial activities linked to persons from Sweden and Denmark who joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq during the period 2013-2016
    Report commissioned by Finansinspektionen

    Summary
    This report presents the results of a study of Swedish individuals suspected to have travelled or attempted to travel to the conflict area in Syria and Iraq to support the activities of terrorist groups during the period 2013 ? 2016. The aim of the study is to highlight the financial footprints and signals these foreign terrorist fighters leave behind and based on this knowledge determine the conditions in place to identify such activities in the future. The study was commissioned by Finansinspektionen with the goal of contributing to better insight and knowledge among anti ? crime authorities, supervisory authorities and national operators subject to the anti ? money laundering legislation with regard to foreign terrorist fighters.

    http://fi.se/contentassets/733cb77e383d49a98aa060a16d011392/terrorismfinansiering-fi-cats-2017-eng.pdf