Reader’s links for Aug. 2, 2017

Posted on by

Daily Links Post graphic

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

115 Replies to “Reader’s links for Aug. 2, 2017”

  2. Muslim biker gang set up to ‘protect against the growing hatred of Islam’ on police radar (express, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/835893/germany-bikers-gang-muslim-hells-angels-sven-lau-syria-protect-Marcel-Kunst-Mahmud

    “A GROUP of German Muslims has formed a vigilante biker gang aimed at protecting citizens from the “ever-growing hatred of Islam”, local authorities have declared.

    Modelled on Hells Angels the gang which calls itself “Germanys Muslims”, is based in Mönchengladbach and now has chapters in Münster and Stuttgart.

    It was founded by Marcel Kunst, who converted to Islam 14 years ago and also uses the name Mahmud Salam.

    A mission statement dated June 15, said: “Our organisation has been founded for only one purpose: To protect and support our brothers and sisters from the ever-growing hatred of Islam!…”

  3. “U.S. TOWN BANS RESIDENTS FROM CRITICIZING MOSQUE”
    By Bob Unruh – August 1, 2017
    http://www.wnd.com/2017/08/u-s-town-bans-residents-from-criticizing-mosque/

    “Court: Residents Can’t Mention “Islam” or “Muslim” At Public Hearing on Mosque Construction; Thomas More Law Center Files Federal Lawsuit” Thomas More Law Center – August 1, 2017
    https://www.thomasmore.org/press-releases/court-residents-cant-mention-islam-muslim-public-hearing-mosque-construction-thomas-law-center-files-federal-lawsuit/

    • The left always supports all groups that oppose Western Civilization, this is why we are having so many problems in prosecuting the war against the people who want to destroy us.

  6. “Sugar Mommies” for refugees: In Austria, older women are increasingly looking for young refugees – according to the magazine “Biber”. The women want affection and sex.

    This short clip describes how refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Africa are becoming victims of lonely, single, sex hungry Austrian women who demand sex up to 5 times a day. (Not satire)

    For the German Translation Team´s consideration and amusement :oP

  7. Philippines’ Duterte calls North Korea’s Kim a “fool” over nuclear ambitions

    MANILA, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a “fool” and a “son of a bitch”, just days before Manila hosts an international meeting certain to address Pyongyang’s long-range missile tests.

    Duterte held nothing back in rebuking Kim for “playing with dangerous toys”, setting the stage for next week’s rare get-together, to be attended by foreign ministers of all the countries involved in the standoff on the Korean peninsula.

    North Korea is determined to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States and officials in Washington said Saturday’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile showed it may be able to reach most of the country.

    http://news.trust.org/item/20170802103106-b8xph

  8. ‘Kim Jong-un is a chubby-faced maniac playing with dangerous toys’: Philippines President Duterte warns North Korean dictator could destroy Asia by triggering nuclear war

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4753150/North-Koreas-Kim-maniac-Philippines-Duterte.html#ixzz4obRsOjXQ
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is a ‘maniac’ who could destroy Asia by triggering a nuclear war, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has warned.

    Duterte said the tyrant is ‘playing with dangerous toys’ and that people should ‘not be fooled by that chubby face that looks nice.’

    The Philippines leader teed off against ‘crazy man’ Kim ahead of a regional security meeting in Manila where the hermit state’s ballistic missile tests will be a hot agenda item. He is due to meet the regime’s foreign minister at the regional summit.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4753150/North-Koreas-Kim-maniac-Philippines-Duterte.html#ixzz4obS3y7UP
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  9. China Carries Out Flight Test of Anti-Satellite Missile
    DN-3 missile highlights growing space warfare capabilities

    China recently carried out a flight test of a new anti-satellite missile that highlights the growing threat of Beijing’s space warfare capabilities.

    The flight test of the Dong Neng-3 direct ascent missile was tracked by U.S. intelligence agencies on July 23 from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia, in northwestern China, said U.S. defense officials familiar with reports of the launch.

    The officials said the launch was not successful and the DN-3 appeared to malfunction in the upper atmosphere after the launch at night.

    The launch took place after Chinese authorities posted a notice to airlines to avoid flying near the flight path of the missile. The missile’s flight was captured in photographs and video by several Chinese internet users near the Jiuquan facility.

    http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-carries-flight-test-anti-satellite-missile/

  10. Pentagon investigators find ‘security risks’ in government’s immigrant recruitment program, ‘infiltration’ feared

    Defense Department investigators have discovered “potential security risks” in a Pentagon program that has enrolled more than 10,000 foreign-born individuals into the U.S. armed forces since 2009, Fox News has learned exclusively, with sources on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon expressing alarm over “foreign infiltration” and enrollees now unaccounted for.

    After more than a year of investigation, the Pentagon’s inspector general recently issued a report – its contents still classified but its existence disclosed here for the first time – identifying serious problems with Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI), a DOD program that provides immigrants and non-immigrant aliens with an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for military service.

    Defense Department officials said the program is still active but acknowledged that new applications have been suspended.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/01/pentagon-investigators-find-security-risks-in-governments-immigrant-recruitment-program-infiltration-feared.html

    • Something creepy I was reading in an Australian jounal –
      ChiCom sleepers throughout the West. Ethnic Chinese, some born in country of residence, bribed or blackmailed. Working in critical positions, plus the armed forces, swimming in huge sea of ethnic Chinese everywhere.

  11. Russian losses in Syria jump in 2017, Reuters estimates show

    BELORECHENSK, Russia (Reuters) – Ten Russian servicemen have been killed fighting in Syria so far this year, according to statements from the Defence Ministry.

    But based on accounts from families and friends of the dead and local officials, Reuters estimates the actual death toll among Russian soldiers and private contractors was at least 40.

    That tally over seven months exceeds the 36 Russian armed personnel and contractors estimated by Reuters to have been killed in Syria over the previous 15 months, indicating a significant rise in the rate of battlefield losses as the country’s involvement deepens.

    Most of the deaths reported by Reuters have been confirmed by more than one person, including those who knew the deceased or local officials. In nine cases, Reuters corroborated a death reported in local or social media with another source.

    The data may be on the conservative side, as commanders encourage the families of those killed to keep quiet, relatives and friends of several fallen soldiers, both servicemen and contractors, said on condition of anonymity.

    http://www.oann.com/exclusive-russian-losses-in-syria-jump-in-2017-reuters-estimates-show/

  12. Embassy attack fuels fears ISIS bringing Iraq war to Afghanistan

    KABUL (Reuters) – An attack on the Iraqi embassy in Kabul has reinforced fears that Islamic State militants are seeking to bring the group’s Middle East conflict to Afghanistan, though evidence of fighters relocating from Iraq and Syria remains elusive.

    Islamic State said it carried out Monday’s attack, which began with a suicide bomber blowing himself up at the embassy’s main gate, allowing gunmen to enter the building and battle security forces.

    The choice of target, three weeks after the fall of Mosul to Iraqi troops, appeared to back up repeated warnings from Afghan security officials that, as Islamic State fighters were pushed out of Syria and Iraq, they risked showing up in Afghanistan.

    http://www.oann.com/embassy-attack-fuels-fears-isis-bringing-iraq-war-to-afghanistan/

  13. Go West, U.S. VP Pence tells Western Balkans

    PODGORICA (Reuters) – The future of the Western Balkans is as part of the West, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday during a visit to Montenegro two months after it joined NATO in defiance of Russia.

    Pence arrived in the tiny Adriatic republic on Tuesday on the final leg of a European tour designed to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the security of Eastern Europe in the face of an emboldened Russia.

    Montenegro, an ex-Yugoslav republic with a population of 680,000 and an army of 2,000, joined the NATO military alliance in June, eight months after it accused Russian spies of orchestrating an attempted coup to derail the accession.

    http://www.oann.com/go-west-u-s-vp-pence-tells-western-balkans/

  14. This video is being snubbed from the internet (not graphic – but was removed from live leak in under 24 hours)

    A man with a British accent warns the U.S. President, calling him ‘the new pharaoh’.
    ‘This is a message to the new pharaoh of today, Donald Trump!
    ‘You may have your eyes on Raqqa and Mosul but we have our eyes on Constantinople and Rome,’ he adds, using the pre-20th Century name for the Turkish capital of Istanbul. Bi Idhn Allah, Bi Idhn Allah [with Allah’s permission]. We will slaughter you in your own houses.’

  15. Saudi Arabia pays Iraqi Shia cleric Sadr $10 million to set up consulate in Najaf (alaraby, Aug 2, 2017)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/8/2/saudi-arabia-pays-iraqs-shia-cleric-sadr-10-million

    “Saudi Arabia has agreed to pay Baghdad an additional $10 million to help rebuild Iraq, following a meeting with the Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr.

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Sadr in a rare meeting on Monday, where the two leaders discussed “improving trade relations” via a new Saudi consulate in Najaf.

    “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [a formal title for the King of Saudi Arabia] will issue an additional $10 million to help the internally displaced persons via the government of Iraq,” a statement from al-Sadr’s office said.

    The leadership of the Iraqi militia umbrella organisation, Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilisation Forces], welcomed the visit, adding that “Iraq is an Arab country and cannot abandon its Arab (roots)”.

    “Sadr’s visit to Saudi Arabia confirms that Iraq distances itself from the regional sectarianism that has arisen amid complex conditions in the region,” said Karim Nuri, leader of Hashd al-Shaabi.

    The New Arab’s correspondent in Iraq reported that Sadr’s office had also been awarded special visas to attend this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

    By contrast, the official Saudi news agency, SPA, reported only that the two officials had met and discussed improving bilateral ties.

    Sectarianism between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq has extended to breaking point in recent years, with numerous reports emerging of pro-Shia militias murdering and forcibly removing Sunni civilians in the country’s south.

    Some academics have pointed to the use of sectarianism in Iraq, Yemen and Syria as a front for a proxy war between the two regional powerhouses, Iran, a predominantly Shia nation, and Saudi Arabia, majority Wahhabi Sunni.

    As a result of these conditions, both sides made statements distancing themselves from the reality on the ground.

    “Sadr and Bin Salman agreed to continue using a language of moderation and to get rid of this sectarian discourse,” said Sadr’s spokesperson, Salah al-Obeidi.

    The Saudi Crown Prince reportedly also “admitted mistakes were made in the former Saudi administration”, according to Obeidi, adding that these mistakes had “helped Iran dominate Iraq”.

    Iran and Saudi Arabia’s rivalry has played out in proxy wars across the region, with Prince bin Salman saying in May there was no possibility for dialogue with Iran, because of its ambitions “to control the Islamic world.””

  16. Philippine president to ask Congress for 20,000 new troops to fight extremists (reuters, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-philippines-militants-idUKKBN1AI1ID?rpc=401&

    “MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Congress for funds to recruit 20,000 new soldiers to battle rising threats from pro-Islamic State militants in the country’s restive south, senators said on Wednesday.

    Duterte called an urgent meeting with a group of senators on Tuesday night, sharing with them the latest intelligence reports on plans by Muslim extremists to attack three cities on the southern island of Mindanao.

    “He wanted to relay to us that he needs 20,000 more soldiers for the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Senate majority leader Vicente Sotto.

    “He wants to make sure that in his tenure, he will be able to resolve the problem of peace and order.”

    Three other senators said the president was serious about the scale of the security threat and asked Congress for support to fund his plan to upgrade the military’s equipment and intelligence capabilities.

    They declined to say which three cities could suffer the same fate as Marawi, where Islamist rebels have battled the military for nine weeks since laying a siege on May 23, with the intent to establish a “wilayat”, or Islamic State province…”

  17. Qatar seals 5-billion-euro navy vessels deal with Italy (reuters, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-gulf-qatar-italy-idUKKBN1AI1EY?rpc=401&

    “DOHA (Reuters) – Qatar has concluded a 5 billion euro (4.46 billion pounds) deal with Italy for seven navy vessels, the Qatari foreign minister said on Wednesday, part of a military cooperation agreement between the two countries.

    Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani made the announcement at a news conference with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano in Doha after talks about efforts to end a rift between Qatar and four Arab states.

    “I am pleased to announce the conclusion of a deal between the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces to buy 7 naval units from Italy in the context of the joint military cooperation between the two countries,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

    He said the deal was estimated at 5 billion euros but gave no further details and did not name the companies involved.

    In June last year Italy’s state-controlled shipbuilder Fincantieri (FCT.MI) said it had signed a 4-billion-euro agreement to build ships for Qatar.

    At the time Fincantieri said it would supply the Gulf Arab state with four corvette warships, two support vessels and an amphibious landing platform dock, along with support services in Qatar for 15 years after delivery.

    All the ships will be built in Italian shipyards, with construction starting in 2018, it said. Italian defence company Leonardo (LDOF.MI) would supply electronics and weapons systems for the ships and receive around a third of the value of the deal, a company official said at the time.

    Qatar is embroiled in a dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which accuse it of supporting Islamists and regional foe Iran, charges Doha denies.”

  18. Taliban suicide bomber strikes NATO convoy in Afghanistan (abcnews, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/security-tight-ahead-burial-afghan-mosque-victims-48981978

    “A suicide bomber struck a NATO convoy near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Wednesday causing casualties, the U.S. military said without providing more information.

    The Taliban promptly took responsibility for the attack, and a spokesman for the insurgents said the bombing allegedly killed 15 soldiers — a claim that appeared exaggerated as many similar Taliban claims have been in the past.

    Lt. Damien E. Horvath, a military spokesman, could not immediately say how many casualties there were, or provide their nationalities.

    The NATO mission, known as Resolute Support, “can confirm that a NATO convoy was attacked in Kandahar. The attack did cause casualties,” he said.

    In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban also said the attack destroyed two armored tanks. The insurgents’ spokesman for southern Afghanistan, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, said fighter Asadullah Kandahari was the “hero” who carried out the attack with a small pick-up truck, packed with explosives…”

  19. Boko Haram extremists storm Nigeria village, killing 7 (abcnews, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/boko-haram-extremists-storm-nigeria-village-killing-48987055

    “Authorities in northern Nigeria say Boko Haram extremists have killed at least seven people in an attack on a village where they burned homes and shops to the ground.

    Fleeing residents said the fighters stormed Mildu village late Tuesday.

    The community is not far from the Sambisa Forest, which was a Boko Haram stronghold before Nigeria’s military announced it had regained control of the area late last year.

    Muhammad Yusuf, the chairman of a local council, says seven people have been confirmed dead though the figure could rise…”

  20. Turkey: French national arrested for links to Kurdish group (abcnews, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-french-national-arrested-links-kurdish-group-48987005

    “Turkey’s state-run media says authorities have arrested a French national for alleged links to a Syrian Kurdish group that Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization.

    Anadolu Agency, quoting unnamed security sources, said Wednesday that the Frenchman was detained on July 26 after he crossed into Turkey from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. He was questioned by anti-terrorism police and later by court officials who ordered him arrested on charges of “aiding and assisting a terrorist organization.”

    Anadolu said police found pictures on a social media site showing the French national posing with Syrian Kurdish militia. Investigators also found pictures and reports that the Frenchman had made about the group’s life and weapons, it said.”

  21. 4 UK men convicted of plotting attack on soldiers, police (abcnews, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-trio-convicted-plotting-attack-soldiers-police-48983893

    “Three British men who dubbed themselves the “Three Musketeers” were convicted Wednesday of plotting a bomb attack on troops or police inspired by Islamic extremism.

    Jurors at London’s Central Criminal Court found 29-year-old Naweed Ali, 25-year-old Khobaib Hussain and Mohibur Rahman, 33, guilty of preparing terrorist acts, after a trial that was partly held in secret for national security reasons.

    A fourth defendant, Tahir Aziz, was convicted of the same charge. Prosecutors say the 38-year-old was brought into the plot in its later stages.

    Ali, Hussain and Rahman met while serving prison terms for terrorism offenses, prosecutors said. They later set up a group on a messaging app called the “Three Musketeers.”

    As they planned an attack, the men were under surveillance by Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, which created a fake courier company in the central England city of Birmingham and hired Hussein and Ali.

    In August 2016, undercover officers searched Ali’s car, and discovered weapons including an imitation handgun, a partially constructed pipe bomb and a meat cleaver with the word “kaffir” — infidel in Arabic — scratched onto the blade.

    Prosecutors said the men intended to attack police or military targets.

    Defense lawyers criticized the decision to hear from two witnesses in secret as they discussed claims by the defendants that MI5 had tried to recruit them. Rajiv Menon, attorney for Ali and Rahman, said the decision had a “crippling effect on our ability to prepare for trial.”

    The months-long trial also came close to collapse when a juror sought to find out whether a police officer in the case was single — a breach of strict jury rules. The judge dismissed one juror, but allowed the trial to continue.

    The defendants, from central England, denied the charges and accused police of planting evidence. As they were led from the dock after conviction, one shouted: “I hope you’re happy with your lies! Lying scumbags.”

    The four men will be sentenced Thursday.”

  23. Italy: German NGO migrant rescue ship blocked in Lampedusa after refusing to sign agreement

    A ship chartered by German NGO Jugend Rettet was blocked overnight during the night into Wednesday, in Lampedusa, by the coastguard as part of a “routine check,” amidst a new NGO protocol in Italy.

    The ship, Luventa, was held overnight in the port of Lampedusa. The crew’s documents were checked before the ship is able to set sail again on Wednesday, in what Lampedusa’s port authority chief Paolo Monaco described as a “routine check.”

    Italy’s new code of conduct for NGOs that run migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean was signed by just three of the nine organisations on Monday. Some of the aid groups have criticised the new rules as making it more difficult for them to save lives. Jugend Rettet was among the organisations who refused to sign the protocol.

    • ITALY – CATANIA -Italian Union members protest against the C-Star and Defend Europe

    • Italy police seize NGO rescue boat for allegedly aiding illegal migration

      TRAPANI, Italy (Reuters) – Italian coastguards seized a migrant rescue boat operated by a German aid group in the Mediterranean due to suspicions it had aided illegal immigration, the police said on Wednesday.

      Video showed the “Iuventa”, which is run by Jugend Rettet, arriving at the island of Lampedusa surrounded by several coastguard vessels after it was stopped at sea before dawn.

      The Jugend Rettet group said on Twitter its crew was being interviewed by officials, but had received no information about an investigation into its activities.

      “Our crew was guaranteed this is a standard process,” said the group, which is one of around eight humanitarian organizations whose operations Italy is trying to regulate.

      It did not give any immediate comment on the police probe.

      Rome earlier this week asked eight non-governmental groups to sign a code of conduct for when they were sailing in the southern Mediterranean, including a demand that they carry an armed policemen on board their boats.

      Jugend Rettet was one of five groups that refused to sign up, but it was not clear if that had had any bearing on the decision to seize their boat.

      Ambrogio Cartosio, chief prosecutor of the western Sicilian city of Trapani, told a parliamentary committee in May that he was investigating some members of humanitarian organizations on suspicion they may have cooperated with people smugglers.

      He did not name any of the groups, but said suspicions arose because some rescue crew seemed to know in advance where to find the flimsy boats crowded with migrants after smugglers sent them off from north African ports.

      The order to stop the “Iuventa” came from the Trapani prosecutors, police said.

      Some 600,000 migrants have reached Italy by sea from North Africa since 2014, making immigration a potent political issue and putting the country under increasing pressure to manage the new arrivals.

      Most have embarked from Libya, where people smugglers operate with impunity in the turmoil that has gripped the country since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-kuwait-iran-exclusive-idUSKBN1AH4I4

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

      Italy seizes German group’s rescue boat in immigration probe

      ROME
      Italian authorities ordered a German group’s migrant rescue vessel seized Wednesday, alleging that its crew took on migrants directly from smugglers’ boats near Libya’s coast.

      The Dutch-flagged Iuventa was ordered to remain in port in Lampedusa, a tiny fishing island off Sicily. It is operated by Jugend Rettet, a group based in Berlin mainly made up of young volunteers.

      While investigators suspect “the crime of clandestine immigration” was committed by some of the Jugend Rettet boat’s crew, prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio told reporters that “my personal conviction was that the motive is humanitarian, exclusively humanitarian.”

      The preventive seizure of the boat was based on evidence that emerged from three episodes in which crew members had contact with human smugglers operating boats crowded with migrants, Cartosio said. One happened in September 2016, two in June.

      “There were contacts, meetings, understandings,” between the group’s boat and the smugglers, the prosecutor, who is based in the Sicilian port city of Trapani, said.

      The passengers on the human traffickers’ boats “weren’t saved” by the Iuventa, he alleged. Instead, migrants “were handed over” to the German group’s 33-meter (about 110-foot) -long boat and later transferred to Italian military vessels or other nonprofit vessels to be taken to Italian ports, Cartosio said.

      Jugend Rettet’s web site says its “core team” is based in Berlin, has 11 members and consists mainly of young people.

      “Their motivation derives from the will to rescue lives and to improve the humanitarian situation on the Mediterranean,” the site states.

      Before Italian police announced the Iuventa’s seizure, Jugend Rettet tweeted that its boat had not been “confiscated” and none of the crew was arrested. It said its volunteers and staff were interviewed in Lampedusa, as they had been during previous visits to the island.

      Cartosio stressed that no individual members of the crew had been charged and the investigation was ongoing to see which of them might have made contact with smugglers at sea. His office is leading the probe because some of the migrants the Iuventa took aboard were ultimately brought to Trapani, he said.

      “There is no indication (the Iuventa crew) was paid,” by smugglers, “nor is there any element to make us thing there is a stable tie between the ship and Libyan traffickers,’ Cartosio said.

      Any allegation that contacts between Jugend Rettet’s boat and the boats transporting migrants resulted from “coordinated planning” is tantamount to “science fiction,” Cartosio said. He stressed that traffickers were motivated by financial gain while the impulses of the rescue group’s members were humanitarian.

      Police in Trapani said the Iuventa “is regularly devoted to the rescue of migrants near the Libyan coast” and that an investigation opened in October has uncovered information to suggest the vessel was used “to aid and abet clandestine immigration.”

      A judge in Trapani, Sicily ordered the preventive seizure upon prosecutors’ request.

      A few months ago, prosecutors in Trapani and in Catania, another Sicilian city, announced that they suspected some non-governmental organizations were using vessels to rescue migrants and at the same time helping the traffickers.

      http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article164950117.html

  25. Turkey: Cavusoglu warns of ‘provocations’ in E. Jerusalem amid al-Aqsa tensions

    SOT, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister (Turkish): “It is an obligation, a juristic need to show respect to the historical status of Temple Mount. We all support the reconstructing efforts of the peace process but there wouldn’t be permanent peace without fairness and justice. We should show our support to the Palestinians, who have been living under Israeli occupation for fifty years, millions of them who had to leave their home, not just with our dry words, but with our actions. We invite everbody who wants to stand against this injustice to recognise the State of Palestine. A free, independent State of Palestine, which has its capital as East Jerusalem and with the borders of 1967, should be realised as soon as possible. Valued brothers, I hope that what happened at the Temple Mount won’t be repeated. We should all be very careful against provocations. No bans or limitations, including the age restrictions to the Temple Mount cannot be accepted. As the Islamic Cooperation Organisation, we will be followers of this. We will keep supporting our Palestinian brothers in this great struggle. Almighty God help us.” *ROUGH TRANSLATION*

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on international representatives at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to recognise a fully independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, speaking from Istanbul on Tuesday.

    The Turkish diplomat’s comments came during an extraordinary OIC meeting focused on the tension over Israeli security measures put in place at the Al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem, which led to widespread clashes in the occupied Palestinian territory.

  26. CNN – GOP donor Ed Butowsky on retracted Fox News Seth Rich story (full interview) ( 22 min )

    • zero hedge – Seth Rich Investigator Accusations Debunked By Own Interviews As Seymour Hersh Leak Kills Russia Story

      […]Brennan and Russian disinformation

      Hersh also told Butowsky that the DNC made up the Russian hacking story as a disinformation campaign – directly pointing a finger at former CIA director John Brennan as the architect.

      I have a narrative of how that whole f*cking thing began. It’s a Brennan operation, it was an American disinformation, and the fu*kin’ President, at one point, they even started telling the press – they were backfeeding the Press, the head of the NSA was going and telling the press, fu*king c*cksucker Rogers, was telling the press that we even know who in the Russian military intelligence service leaked it.

      […]Awan Brothers connection?

      In a pair of odd tweets from last week, Wheeler hints that the arrest of DNC IT staffer Imran Awan is somehow connected to the Seth Rich case:[…]

      http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-08-02/seth-rich-investigator-accusations-debunked-own-interviews-seymour-hersh-leak-kills-

  27. Ben Rhodes may have exposed a ‘serious threat’ to personal liberties: Judge Napolitano

  28. Migrant crisis: Italy blocks German aid ship at Lampedusa (BBC, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40802179

    “The Italian Coast Guard is questioning the crew of a German rescue ship on the isle of Lampedusa, amid a dispute over Italy’s code of conduct for handling migrants at sea.

    The Iuventa is operated by German NGO Jugend Rettet, which called the Italian check “a standard procedure”.

    Jugend Rettet, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and some other aid NGOs reject the new Italian code of conduct.

    Italy plans to send warships close to the Libyan coast to pick up migrants.

    The Italian parliament is debating the plan, already agreed by the government, which is aimed at stopping the flow of unstable, overcrowded migrant boats across the Mediterranean to Italy.

    A tweet from Jugend Rettet (Youth Rescues) said the Iuventa “was not confiscated”. “Our crew is not arrested. What happened is a standard procedure,” it said.

    Two Syrian migrants were taken ashore from the vessel, Italian media reported. Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island near North Africa, has struggled to house boatloads of migrants in recent years.

    On Monday three aid NGOs, out of nine operating in the central Mediterranean, accepted the Italian code of conduct.

    But MSF and Jugend Rettet object to the requirement for armed police to board their ships and for rescuers to stop transferring migrants from one ship to another. They want to minimise their trips back to port, because those trips cost them precious time and money.

    Most migrants have fled poverty in Nigeria and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Many report brutality, including sexual abuse, at the hands of people-smugglers in Libya…”

  29. King Calls For Investigations of Obama, Clinton, Comey, Soros, Lynch, Abedin, and Weiner Scandals

    Congress King speaks on 7/26/17 in support of legislation that requires the Attorney General to turn over documents about former F.B.I. director James Comey’s involvement in several controversial cases. The legislation passed 16-13. King voted in favor of it.

  30. Kenya official: 3 killed in suspected al-Shabab bus attack (abcnews, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/kenya-official-killed-suspected-al-shabab-bus-attack-48990431

    “A Kenyan official says three people have been killed when suspected al-Shabab extremists opened fire on a passenger bus in the coastal county of Lamu days before national elections are held.

    Coast regional police boss Larry Kieng said Wednesday the bus was traveling from Mombasa to Kipini and was attacked in the afternoon. Kieng says the fighters shot from the bushes and fled once police escorting the bus engaged them.

    Al-Shabab in recent weeks has stepped up deadly attacks in Kenya’s border counties of Lamu and Mandera. The extremist group based in neighboring Somalia has threatened to disrupt Kenya’s elections on Tuesday.

    Al-Shabab has carried out more than 100 attacks inside Kenya, calling it retribution for Kenya deploying troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the extremists.”

  31. Awamiya: Hundreds flee clashes in Saudi town (BBC, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40800261

    “Hundreds of people have reportedly been fleeing a town in eastern Saudi Arabia after weeks of clashes between the security forces and armed men.

    The authorities have been trying since May to demolish the old quarter of Awamiya, saying Shia militants use its narrow streets as a hideout.

    Activists accuse security forces of trying to force out residents.

    It is the latest intensification of sporadic unrest in the Eastern Province, which is largely Shia.

    At least seven people, including two police officers, have been killed in the clashes, Reuters news agency said.

    Local activists say Saudi forces have been firing randomly towards homes and cars, and that buildings have been damaged or burned in the fighting.

    “No one is going out. If you go out, you will be shot by snipers,” one activist told the BBC. People in the town were running out of drinking water, he added.

    Some residents have appealed to the Saudi authorities to help them leave and families have been given accommodation in a nearby town, Saudi media reported…”

  34. Meaty article:
    Iran’s Emerging Space Program?

    According to the U.S. Strategic Command’s initial assessment, Iran’s attempt to place an operational satellite into orbit on July 27 using a Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) experienced catastrophic failure shortly after liftoff at the Imam Khomeini National Space Center, 220 km. southeast of Tehran in Semnan province. Iran’s first attempt to launch a Simorgh took place in April 2016 and was described by U.S. intelligence sources as “partly successful” although not intended for satellite orbital insertion.?   

    An SLV incorporates many common technologies with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and a Simorgh-type ballistic missile is estimated by rocket engineers to have a 7,500-km. range with a 700-kg. warhead. This range falls short of the continental U.S. but covers all of Europe and Asia.?   

    With this latest launch, Iran’s space program has emerged from a three-year dormancy initiated by President Rouhani, but probably issuing from technical and budgetary constraints as well. Further launches can be expected in the near future, a worrisome scenario considering assessments that a ballistic-missile derivative of the Simorgh could potentially achieve intercontinental range.

    http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-space-program-emerges-from-dormancy

  35. Iran Finds New Route to Arm Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

    Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have started using a new route to funnel covert arms shipments to their Houthi allies in Yemen’s civil war.
       
    Iran had been shipping weapons and military advisers to the Houthis either directly to Yemen or via Somalia. This route, however, risked contact with international naval vessels on patrol in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
       
    For the last six months, the Revolutionary Guards have begun using waters further up the Gulf between Kuwait and Iran, transferring equipment to smaller vessels in Kuwaiti waters.
       
    Gerry Northwood, a former British Royal Navy captain who has commanded warships in the region, said, “The whole Persian Gulf is a hive of small boat activity.” Hundreds of ships sail through the Strait of Hormuz every day.

    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-gulf-kuwait-iran-exclusive-idUKKBN1AH4IA

  36. Dwarf-Kinglet's booze-soaked brain?
    Jordanian Government Leaked Israeli Security Guard’s Photo to the Press ?

    The Jordanian government gave the press a copy of the official diplomatic identity card of the embassy guard involved in last week’s shooting in Amman, a high-ranking Jordanian official said. Israel was angered by the guard’s personal details being made public, believing this will endanger his life. According to a top Israeli official, this is a hostile measure that goes against what was agreed upon to resolve this crisis quietly while getting to the truth of what happened.

    Jordanian reporters have admitted on local social media the official diplomatic identity card of the embassy guard involved in last week’s shooting, Ziv Moyal, came from the highest echelons of Jordanian government.

    “We want Ziv Moyal to be compromised everywhere.
    “The leak had dual purposes. Firstly, to break Israeli censorship on the affair and its attempt to harm the credibility of Jordanian reports. Secondly, to make sure Moyal never works as a guard in any embassy anywhere in the world. With his identity made public, he’ll now be a security risk.”
    […]
    Israeli officials say leaking Moyal’s details attests to an internal squabble within the royal palace in Amman. The internal rift is being waged between those who believed this crisis should be managed quietly bilaterally with Israel and the position taken by King Abdullah himself, who was furious with the reception given to the security guard by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was exceedingly wary of the response by the Jordanian public.

    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4997372,00.html

  37. Frustrating to want Arab-Spring-2 so much, yet to dwell on the periphery. Be carefull what you wish for…

    Iran and Turkey Fueled Temple Mount Crisis ?

    While most of the Arab nations sought to defuse tensions in Jerusalem, Iran and Turkey sought to fan the flames by transferring money to Islamic organizations to continue the struggle to “defend Al-Aqsa.” But the interests of the Iranian regime and the Turkish president are not the best interests of the Palestinians or Israeli Arabs.?   

    The Palestinians would be wise to remember that Iran has always been willing to fight Israel to the last Lebanese, Palestinian or Syrian soldier.

    http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=19581

    • The ElderOfZiyon notes:
      Iran really nervous about Israeli relations with Arabs
      http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2017/08/iran-really-nervous-about-israeli.html

      From ABNA, Shia News [Iran]:
      Iran’s Zarif urges Muslim unity against Zionist expansionism, aggression

      “We should not allow any agenda or cause to compromise the main goal of this Organization to enhance the unity of the Ummah against Zionist expansionism and in support of the establishment of a viable independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the Iranian top diplomat said on Tuesday in an address to an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Executive Committee.

      http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/iran’s-zarif-urges-muslim-unity-against-zionist-expansionism-aggression_845657.html

      Of course the Canadian observor to the OIC will approve.
      But isn’t the OIC a humanitarian NGO?!

      • Arabs’ normalizing ties with Israel bound to fail

        TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) – Iranian official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said attempts by certain Arab countries to normalize ties with Israeli regime “will get nowhere” due to public opinion’s awareness and attention to the Palestinian issue.

        Parliament’s General Director for International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with Hamas activist Salah al-Arouri in Beirut on Tuesday.

        During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian voiced Tehran’s support for Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad within the framework of a united Islamic world and in the fight against the Israeli regime.

        He went to add that the recent developments concerning al-Aqsa Mosque showed that the only way to achieve victory over the Zionist regime was through unity among all Palestinian groups.

        “Today, a great part of regional security and combating terrorism is provided through the unity and strength of the Resistance Front,” the Iranian official stressed.

        The Resistance Front has achieved the expected results in the fight against terrorism and Zionism, he said.

        Al-Arouri, for his part, thanked the Islamic Republic for its support to Palestine and the resistance movement, adding “we will continue the fight until the complete liberation of all Palestinian territories is achieved.”

        “Muslim countries must not allow the regional developments to end up benefiting Tel Aviv,” he stressed.

        http://en.mehrnews.com/news/126855/Arabs-normalizing-ties-with-Israel-bound-to-fail

        Yeah, but Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah pose a far more immediate threat to the Arab states than Israel does. And if Persians presume to lead the Muslim world, they’re bound to be disappointed.

    • euronews- Muslim nations meet to discuss Jerusalem tensions

      Representatives from key Muslim nations have met in Turkey following weeks of controversy over Israeli actions at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

  38. Russian Strategic Logic

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Western observers are often astonished by Russian military decision-making, which defies the principle of waiting for full knowledge of the enemy before acting. The Russian approach holds that it is in engagement of the enemy that knowledge will emerge that can advance an ultimate strategic design.

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/russian-strategic-logic/
    …..
    The BESA Center is a safe-space for otherwise unemployable retired generals. But there are gems within that class: “[Gen. Gershon Hacohen] served in the IDF for forty-two years. He commanded troops in battles with Egypt and Syria. He was formerly a corps commander and commander of the IDF Military Colleges.”

  39. Haitian refugees flee to Quebec fearing President Trump will revoke protective status

    Montreal’s Olympic stadium in the East End is being transformed into a makeshift refuge to accommodate an influx of asylum seekers from the United States, who are fleeing to Canada to avoid President Trump’s threat to standing immigration policy.
    Many of the refugees, including families with young children, are leaving the United States because they do not have the necessary paperwork.

    Between 100 and 450 beds will be installed inside of the stadium, and commodities like showers and food will be provided to the refugees.

    An Olympic Park spokesperson said the request came in on Friday, and that the shelter was set up in the span of 24 hours.
    This is the first time the stadium has been used as a shelter in this manner. Many of the other refuges in the city are full– overwhelmed by the increasing number of refugees crossing the border daily.

    Border security agents estimate that some 200 migrants cross the border at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle every day.

    Figures compiled by the CBSA indicate that the Quebec border crossing has become the main point of entry for refugee claimants.
    A shuttle bus at the Lacolle border began transporting the first of the Haitian refugees to the Olympic Stadium Wednesday morning.
    Back in May, President Trump made threats regarding the withdrawal of protective status for Haitian refugees who fled to the U.S. in the wake of the 2010 earthquake.

    If enacted, up to 58,000 Haitian asylum seekers could face deportation back to their native country by 2018.
    Statistics show that by the end of the week of July 24, approximately 400 people left the United States to enter Canada illegally at the Lacolle border crossing in Quebec.

    In the first six months of 2017, officials noted almost 4,500 illegal border crossings—3,350 such crossings were made in Quebec.
    From January to June of this year, the top five countries of origin as listed by the Canadian Border Services Agency were — in order — Haiti, Sudan, Turkey, Eritrea, and the United States.

    The CBSA has set up a command post at the border to screen and control the influx of refugees.

    All of the people intercepted by at the border are transported to a CBSA office. If a claim is made, border officials have to review the admissibility of the application under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act– sometimes this process includes interviews, a criminal background check, as well as an immigration and security check. They are also fingerprinted and photographed.
    A spokesperson for the CBSA told CTV Montreal in an email that “no asylum seeker leaves the CBSA premises until a preliminary risk assessment and a summary assessment of the state of health are completed.”

    Many of the refugees are expected to stay at the Olympic Stadium for a number of weeks while their papers are being verified.
    Haitian Montrealers are commending the effort to make asylum seekers comfortable and safe during their stay here.
    “I’m feeling happy– half the people try to flee the Middle East, and we accept them. So now it’s our turn — Haitians — I’m feeling happy that Canada approved them, and want to try and help them get a better life,” one Montreal-born man told CTV Montreal.

    “I will salute them, and I appreciate what they are doing for my people right now,” he said.

    Mayor Denis Coderre issued a statement on Twitter, welcoming the refugees to the city, and promising full collaboration by Montreal officials.

    Quebec’s Immigration Minister, Kathleen Weil, will hold a press conference Thursday morning to discuss the rise in asylum-seekers.

    http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/haitian-refugees-flee-to-quebec-fearing-president-trump-will-revoke-protective-status-1.3529687
    =========================================
    ‘We’re close to the limit’: Big O becomes a shelter as refugees flow from U.S.

    […]The CBSA figures show that of the 4,345 people who either sought asylum at border stations or were intercepted by police while trying to enter Canada in the first six months of 2017, 3,350 were recorded in Quebec.

    Francine Dupuis, who oversees PRAIDA, a government-funded program to help seekers get on their feet in Quebec, said the numbers are unprecedented.

    “It’s unheard of,” Dupuis said. “In 30 years, I’ve never seen this kind of volume or intensity.”

    Dupuis said about 90 per cent of the “increasing wave” of refugees coming into Quebec are now Haitian.

    […]

    http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreals-big-o-used-to-shelter-haitian-refugees-flowing-from-u-s-to-canada

  40. Man critically hurt in terror stabbing in Yavneh
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/man-injured-in-yavne-supermarket-stabbing-motive-unclear/

    A Palestinian teenager stabbed an Israeli man, critically wounding him, at a supermarket in the central Israeli city of Yavneh on Wednesday morning, police said. After initially saying the motive was unclear, police eventually said the stabbing appeared to have been a terror attack.

    The stabber was captured by civilians, who held him down until police arrived. He was later identified by the Shin Bet security service as Ismail Ibrahim Ismail Abu Aram, 19, from the West Bank village of Yatta.

    Graphic security camera footage from inside the Shufersal supermarket in Yavneh, south of Tel Aviv, showed the moments leading up to the attack and the stabbing itself.

    The 43-year-old victim, who worked at the supermarket, was stocking shelves with paper towels on one of the aisles, paying no mind to the teenager who walked past him.

    Suddenly the attacker turned around, took out a knife and began viciously stabbing the supermarket employee in the upper body. Though injured, the victim fought off the terrorist and tried to run away from him, blocking the aisle after him with a handcart.

    The victim could then be seen running to a nearby aisle, and out of frame, with the assailant chasing him.

    He suffered stab wounds to the chest, neck and head and was in unstable condition, according to medical officials.

  41. WATCH — BBC Promotes Niqab with Terror Jokes, Admits Coverings Are Islamic(breitbart, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/08/02/watch-bbc-promotes-niqab-with-terror-jokes-admits-coverings-are-islamic/

    “A new video from the BBC features slang-talking, hijab and niqab-clad women waxing lyrical on how empowered they feel as a result of obscuring their identities from the outside world.

    The BBC Three clip — titled “Things Not to Say to Someone Who Wears a Burqa” — gives an insight into the Jafaican speakers’ mindsets, as they declare fealty towards Allah as a reason for covering up, despite protestations from Islamic sources that head coverings are “cultural” rather than religious.

    The women in the video proceed to ridicule questions that articulate concerns about coercion over the wearing of the garment, and oppressive practices within Islam. At one point early in the video, one woman sardonically comments: “Ninja is not the trend at the moment, it’s more of the terrorist one.”

    The ladies laugh amongst one another, occasionally pausing to lecture the viewer.

    “I like curiosity, that’s a nice thing, but the element of ignorance just really winds me up,” one says, when reflecting upon an oft-heard question regarding forced veil-wearing.

    Another “common” comment provided to the women by the BBC (it is unclear if they wrote these or acquired them elsewhere) was: “Go back to your country.”

    The women laugh, stating they are from Britain. But one counter-intuitively responds: “I’m Pakistani, but I’ve never been to Pakistan.”

    Blurring the lines between religious and cultural imports, and nearly touching upon subjects perhaps too dark for a cheerful BBC Three clip aimed at teenagers, one said: “Yes there are some cultural practices that maybe, oppresses women, but it’s cultural. This has never been Islamic.”

    On the other hand, the piece establishes the Islamic credentials of the coverings, with one woman robotically reciting: “I am wearing it for God… it’s an act of worship. I love doing it.”

    The short video is part of a series of discussions published by the BBC aiming to set the boundaries around where conversation surrounding particular minorities should, and should not, be allowed to go. Others in the series include: ‘Things Not to Say to a Non-Binary Person’, ‘Things Not to Say to Someone of Mixed Race’, and ‘Things Not to Say to Someone Who’s HIV Positive’…”

  42. Fight for life of Yavneh stabbing victim continues

    Doctors at the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot are continuing efforts Wednesday evening to save the life of the 43 year old victim of the terrorist stabbing attack in Yavneh.

    The surgeon, Dr. Doron Schindel, the head of the Head and Neck Surgery Unit at the hospital, provided an update on the victim’s condition.

    “The patient arrived at the emergency room with multiple stab wounds in the neck and upper body and also in the back. He was bleeding from many wounds when he arrived. Initial efforts were made to stabilize him in the emergency room ,and then he was taken to the operating room where they continued to work to stop the bleeding and to close the affected organs,” Dr. Schindel said.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/233346

  43. Nation’s Leading Broadsheet: ‘Culture of Tolerance’ Is Destroying Germany (breitbart, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/08/02/broadsheet-tolerance-destroying-germany/

    “Writing after the latest deadly knife attack by an Islamist migrant who, it has been revealed, was known to authorities, veteran journalist Dirk Schümer has said Germany’s ‘culture of tolerance’ leaves the nation defenceless against those who would do it harm.

    “As long as a culture of tolerance is held above the law in Germany, the country will continue to see murderous acts like the one just seen in Hamburg,” he writes in bestselling broadsheet Die Welt, referring to a supermarket attack by a Palestinian illegal immigrant who killed one and injured several more.

    The prize-winning journalist notes that a large proportion of people working in politics, the judiciary, the media, NGOs, and the Church hold the view that migrants who make it to Germany “should be allowed to remain, at any cost”.

    For this reason, he said the country is effectively operating without any border controls, and so the police and intelligence services have been overwhelmed with an unmanageable volume of “threats” to monitor…”

  44. Islamist Who Had Trial Delayed for Ramadan Found Guilty of Disseminating Terrorist Propaganda (breitbart, Aug 2, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/08/02/islamist-trial-ramadan-guilty-disseminating-terrorist-propaganda/

    “The Islamist whose trial was put on hold so he could fast during Ramadan has been found guilty of terrorism offences for sharing Islamist propaganda online.

    Taha Hussain was found guilty of seven terror charges for disseminating Islamist propaganda images (above) and other files on WhatsApp, Youtube, and the favoured encrypted messaging service of Islamic State sympathisers Telegram.

    He was cleared of two other similar charges and of encouraging terrorism on Twitter, reports the Windsor Observer.

    The Old Bailey heard that over a period of 11 months, the 21-year-old from Slough distributed electronic files and videos such as “Paris Outrage: A Muslim Perspective”, and “Charlie Hebdo to Jagrity”.

    Hussain shared on his YouTube channel videos of Jihadists in battle, and material promoting that “no-one should feel sorry for the deaths of non-Muslims and the wrong kind of Muslims”…”

  45. MKs demand investigation into Iran’s involvement in Temple Mount crisis

    [T]ens of thousands of Muslim protesters received prepackaged meals along with notes citing a famous quote attributed to 1979 Iranian Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: “With the help of Allah, Palestine will be liberated!

    Jerusalem is ours.” The notes also depicted the Dome of the Rock and the Palestinian flag.

    According to reports in the Palestinian media, a nongovernmental organization run by Iranian youth movements was in charge of distributing the meals. Arabic news sites affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also pointed to Iranian NGOs as being behind the “supply of food to the heroes fighting for the liberation of the besieged Al-Aqsa mosque until victory is achieved over the Zionist occupier.”

    A number of ministers and MKs said they would demand an investigation into how an organization funded and supported by Tehran and affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards was able to operate in Jerusalem, under the nose of security forces.

    One former senior defense and intelligence official told Israel Hayom that the report of Iranian efforts to fuel the Temple Mount crisis “exposed a serious security and intelligence failure.”

    “It is inconceivable that representatives of the Revolutionary Guards are operating undisturbed in Jerusalem and the intelligence and security establishment is unaware of it.” According to the official, this would be a more serious failure if the intelligence bodies were aware of Iranian involvement and did not prevent it.

    http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=44295

  46. Infamous Assassinated Hezbollah Terror Mastermind Imad Mughniyeh Revealed as Founder of Iran-Backed Shia Militias in Iraq

    One of the most historically-feared architects of Iran’s terror network in Lebanon has been named as a key contributor to the growth of the Tehran-backed Shia militias that now wield decisive power in Iraq.

    In an interview with Iraqi newspaper Al-Akhbar that was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis – the deputy commander of the Iranian-backed PMU militia – paid fulsome tribute to the late Hezbollah terrorist leader Imad Mughniyeh’s role with Iraqi Shia organizations stretching back to the 1980s.

    Together with his Hezbollah comrade Mustafa Badr Al-Din, Mughniyeh “trained the first armed jihad groups of the Iraqi opposition in 1982, as well as the first resistance units that opposed the [American] occupation in 2003,” Al-Muhandis said.

    Before his assassination in Damascus in February 2008 in a car bombing widely assumed to have been the work of a joint CIA-Mossad team of agents, Mughniyeh was renowned as one of Hezbollah’s most ruthless and effective operatives – spending nearly thirty years at the helm of a regional and global terror network that thrives more now than at any time in the past.

    Mughniyeh, 45 at the time of his death, was personally responsible for the murder of hundreds of people in various terrorist outrages. As Hezbollah’s chief of international operations, Mughniyeh masterminded several deadly terror attacks – among them the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63, and the subsequent bombing in the same year of military barracks in the Lebanese capital in which 241 American and 58 French service members lost their lives.

    https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/07/31/infamous-assassinated-hezbollah-terror-mastermind-imad-mughniyeh-revealed-as-founder-of-iran-backed-shia-militias-in-iraq/

  47. Qatar announces €5bn order for warships from Italy

    Qatar announced on Wednesday it had placed an order with Italy for seven warships in the midst of a nearly two-month diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Saudi Arabia and its allies.
    “We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy for €5 billion ($5.9 billion),” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said at a joint news conference with his visiting Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano.

    Saudi Arabia and its allies including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5th, accusing Doha of backing extremist groups and being too close to Riyadh’s arch-rival Iran.

    It follows the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016 for the deal between the Italian group Fincantieri and Qatar for four corvettes, an amphibious vessel and two patrol boats.

    In June this year, the United States agreed a $12-billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Qatar, re-affirming support for the emirate in the throes of the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in decades.

    Saudi Arabia and its allies including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of backing extremist groups and being too close to Riyadh’s arch-rival Iran.

    Qatar denies the allegations and accuses the Saudi-led bloc of imposing a “siege” on the tiny emirate.

    The Qatari minister said Wednesday that the four Arab states had “showed no intention to resolve the crisis peacefully” at their last meeting on Sunday in Bahrain.

    Alfano called for a de-escalation and a solution that shows “respect for international law”.

    The Saudi-led bloc has demanded that Qatar close regional news giant Al-Jazeera and a Turkish military base, and downgrade its ties with Iran.

    Doha has dismissed the demands as a violation of its sovereignty.

    https://www.thelocal.it/20170802/qatar-announces-5bn-order-for-warships-from-italy

    http://news.kuwaittimes.net/website/qatar-italy-ink-e5bn-deal-seven-warships/

  48. Procter & Gamble’s Identity-Politics Pandering
    by: Michelle Malkin
    August 2, 2017

    Once upon a time, brothers-in-law William Procter and James Gamble sold candles and soap. Their 19th-century family business grew into the largest consumer goods conglomerate in the world — launching the most recognizable brands on our grocery shelves, including Tide, Pampers, Crest, Nyquil and Old Spice.

    Now, Procter & Gamble want to conquer a new market: identity-politics pandering.

    Industry marketers aren’t satisfied with selling useful products people want and need. They’re hell-bent on transforming successful businesses into social justice busybodies.

    P&G’s “My Black is Beautiful” campaign released a new video last week called, “The Talk.” It “depicts the inevitable conversations many Black parents have with their children about racial bias to prepare, protect and encourage them” across the decades. The ad plays as a kinder, gentler version of Black Lives Matter propaganda, but the underlying themes are the same:

    http://www.theconservativeinsider.com/procter-gambles-identity-politics-pandering/?roi=echo3-45744317818-43573620-67e9ff5be0100bc929445195f986e597

  49. RT -Pentagon should declassify report on ‘child sex abuse’ by Afghan forces’ – Govt watchdog

    The US government’s Afghanistan watchdog has urged the Pentagon to declassify a report detailing allegations of child sexual abuse by Afghan forces. The watchdog also cites the State Department as saying that the Afghan government has failed to meet human-rights standards and that Afghan officials are complicit in the sexual abuse of children by Afghan security forces.

    • Abusing Muslims Online

      This is why people can get away with sharing vile things about Muslims online. We need a change in legislation.

    • ‘They prefer boys in Afghanistan’: Dancing bachas recruited for sex (RT Documentary)

      In Afghanistan women are forbidden to dance in public. Local men suffer – they want entertainment and sex at any cost. RT talked to “bachas”, boys dressed as women who dance for older men at male-only parties, and “playboys”, the bosses who recruit them. A private party usually ends up with guests bidding for a night with the ‘bacha’

  50. Trump admin argues it already has ‘sufficient’ authority to use military force in Middle East

    The Trump administration is arguing it already has “sufficient” authority to use military force in the Middle East without a new authorization from Congress, according to a letter obtained by Fox News.

    “The United States has sufficient legal authority to prosecute the campaign against al-Qa’ida and associated forces, including against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” a State Department official wrote in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker on Wednesday.

    The letter cites the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which was passed by Congress after the September 11th attacks, saying it “authorizes the use of military force against these groups.”

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/02/trump-admin-argues-it-already-has-sufficient-authority-to-use-military-force-in-middle-east.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail&&roi=echo3-45744317818-43573623-593f1942709e78b5facff1c7313d5f50