Reader’s links for Aug. 6, 2017

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

About Eeyore

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

65 Replies to “Reader’s links for Aug. 6, 2017”

  1. France has seen 271 jihadi militants return – minister (reuters, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-france-returnees-idUKKBN1AL0SO

    “France has seen 271 jihadi militants return from war zones in Iraq and Syria and all of them are subject to investigation by public prosecutors, the country’s interior minister said in a newspaper interview.

    Some 700 French nationals are estimated to have fought in Islamic State ranks in Iraq and Syria, and like other European countries France has been wrestling with how to handle the flow of so-called returnees.

    The number of jihadis to have returned to France included 217 adults and 54 minors, with some of them currently in detention, Gerard Collomb said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

    Asked how many French jihadis had been killed in Iraq and Syria, Collomb told the Sunday newspaper that it was difficult to corroborate information.

    The head of France’s special forces said in June that his units were directly involved in street battles in the Iraqi city of Mosul but denied they were specifically targeting French-born jihadis fighting for Islamic State.

    France has participated in a U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq, and it also intervened in Mali to push back an Islamist rebellion in the west African state.

    French military interventions overseas have exposed it to attack by Islamist militants at home. Gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in and around Paris in November 2015 and over 100 were killed in other Islamist attacks in France in the past two-and-a-half years.

    Collomb said the threat of militant attacks was “very high”, citing two incidents targeting police on Paris’ Champs Elysees and seven foiled plots so far this year.

    An increasing number of people were being flagged under a preventative monitoring system for radicalized behaviour, with more than 18,500 people reported, he said.

    France has been subject to state of emergency legislation, giving police extended powers, since the November 2015 attacks, and the government plans to incorporate some of these measures into ordinary law through a counter-terrorism bill to be put before parliament in the coming months.”

    • One measure would be to have these “returnees” be obliged to carry a smart phone at all times. Being caught without that particular and specific device would result in instant jail-time. Being caught in possession of another smart phone (or even just a “burn phone”) would equate to jail-time as well. Random inspections and house visits would be part of enforcement.

      By monitoring all of the various cell phones, it would be possible to detect when (and where) groups assembled or exchanged messages.

      Basically, it’s a telecom-based ankle bracelet. Knowing how addicted these morons are to their cell phones, it’s almost a certainty that they would continue to use them.

      Of course, just not letting them back into the country would be the safest and most convenient way of solving the problem, but this is suicidal Europe and we know that such a thing is impossible.

    • correction: in mid-July
      The ynat has a reporr that a second synagogue suffered; security guards left before each attack; and “On Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the attacks against the synagogues and said it was not the behavior of true Muslims.” The comments have a link to a hurriyet article.

    • It is not just Europe, the entire world is being de-Christianized, just as the Catholic Church is being taken over by liberal Priests who preach Marx instead of Christ.

  2. “Intelligence Analyst Steven Coughlin Explains the Disturbing Roots of the Interfaith Movement”
    The American Decency – August 18, 2015
    Max the Volume

  3. FBI leads search for suspects after Minneapolis Somali mosque explosion (theguardian, Aug 6, 2017)
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/06/fbi-minneapolis-somali-mosque-explosion

    “The FBI was searching for suspects after an explosive device tore through part of a suburban Minneapolis mosque on Saturday, as people were preparing for morning prayers. A room was damaged but the blast did not cause any injuries, authorities and witnesses said.

    The blast happened at around 5am at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, according to Bloomington police chief Jeff Potts. Windows of the imam’s office were shattered, either by the blast or by an object thrown through them, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

    One worshipper saw a pickup truck speeding away shortly after the explosion, said Mohamed Omar, the center’s executive director. He said the mosque, which primarily serves people from the area’s large Somali community, occasionally receives threatening calls and emails…”

  4. Suicide bomber kills seven in northern Cameroon (reuters, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-nigeria-security-idUKKBN1AM0CF

    “A suicide bomber has killed at least seven people in a small town in northern Cameroon near the Nigeria border, a local official and a military source said on Sunday.

    The attack occurred on Saturday near Amchide in Cameroon’s Far North region, which has become a target for Boko Haram suicide bombers, many of whom are young women forced to enter populated areas with explosives strapped to their bodies.

    No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the identity of the bombers is unknown…”

    • Is the public venting its wrath on M.D.s that treated ISIS fighters?

      We can only hope.

      Fewer doctors in Baghdad = More dead Muslims. Ho hum.

  5. Lebanese Army Refuses to Coordinate with Damascus in Battle Against ISIS (aawsat, Aug 6, 2017)
    https://english.aawsat.com/p-astatih/news-middle-east/lebanese-army-refuses-coordinate-damascus-battle-isis

    “The final preparations for the upcoming Lebanese Army battle against ISIS at the eastern borders with Syria have already been triggered after the completion of a swap deal between Nusra Front and “Hezbollah” and the deportation of Nusra militants from Jurud Arsal to Idlib.

    On Saturday, the Lebanese Army intensely shelled ISIS positions in Jurud Ras Baalbek and Al-Kaa ahead of launching a military operation against the terrorist group, which observers said was just days away.

    “Army units continued Saturday to target terrorist organizations in the area of Ras Baalbek, firing rocket and heavy artillery shells, destroying a number of fortifications and vehicles and causing definite casualties among terrorists,” said a statement by the Army Command.

    Therefore, the Army counts on the intense battle against ISIS to push the terrorist organization to reveal the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers kidnapped in 2014.

    Also on Saturday, the war media of “Hezbollah” revealed the latest battle map of the Lebanese-Syrian border, showing positions controlled by each of the Lebanese Army, the Syrian forces and ISIS militants at the eastern borders…”

  6. Syrian forces make gains in energy-rich Homs province (abcnews, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrian-forces-make-gains-energy-rich-homs-province-49061962

    “A Syrian war monitoring group says pro-government forces have captured the last Islamic State group stronghold in the energy-rich Homs province in central Syria.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says 30 IS militants were killed in the last 24 hours of battle for the town of al-Sukhna. It says the Russian air force provided air support and bombed the town.

    The Observatory said al-Sukhna fell to pro-government forces on Saturday.

    Syrian military media reported capturing the town on Sunday. The advance puts pro-government forces 68 miles (110 kilometers) from reaching companion forces trapped in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour. IS militants have held the city under siege since 2015. It has depended on risky supply flights and air drops for relief and weapons.”

  7. Report: Iranian soldier opens fire at air base, wounds 10 (abcnews, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-iranian-soldier-opens-fire-air-base-wounds-49062085

    “An Iranian soldier opened fire on his colleagues, wounding 10 of them at a military air base in south Tehran, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday.

    The report offered no motive for the attack. State media did not immediately report the shooting, which Mehr said took place in Kahrizak, which is on the southern outskirts of Tehran.

    All injured soldiers were taken to an Air Force hospital in southeast of the city, the report said.

    The reported shooting is the latest to strike Iran…”

  8. Eiffel Tower: Police stop man with knife defying security (abcnews, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eiffel-tower-police-stop-man-knife-defying-security-49061587

    “A young French man who recently was discharged from a psychiatric hospital is under investigation for glorifying terrorism after he brandished a knife and tried to breach security at the Eiffel Tower, authorities said Sunday.

    No one was hurt in the incident late Saturday, though the tower was briefly evacuated, according to a statement Sunday from the company that manages the monument. The tower reopened as usual Sunday morning.

    A judicial official said the man tried to force his way into the secure zone, held out a knife and said “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great.” He was quickly surrounded by security forces and surrendered, the official said. A Paris police official said no shots were fired. Both officials weren’t authorized to be publicly named…”

    • France: Eiffel Tower on lockdown after police arrest man carrying knife

      A man reportedly carrying a knife was arrested aster he attempted to force his way through security at the Eiffel Tower, sparking an evacuation of the area.

      His motives and intentions are currently unknown.

  9. Afghan official: Taliban kill 30 locals in northern province (abcnews, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-official-taliban-kill-30-locals-northern-province-49062630

    “An Afghan official says that at least 30 people including women and children have been killed by Taliban fighters in northern Sari Pul province.

    Zahir Wahdat, the provincial governor for Sari Pul, says Sunday that the victims are mostly civilians and some local security forces. The shootings took place Saturday morning after the Taliban seized control of the strategic Mirzawalang area in Sayad district.

    Wahdat says Afghan forces retreated form the area after they couldn’t gain ground or air support from the central government.

    Earlier reports indicated that over a dozen people had been killed by the Taliban.

    Qari Yusouf Ahamdi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack, but not the civilian deaths.

    Ten Taliban fighters were also killed, according to Zabi Amani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.”

  10. ‘There will be attacks’ Secret ISIS camp trains Britons to launch attacks on UK soil (express, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/837571/ISIS-terror-attack-British-jihadis-secret-unit

    “AN ISLAMIC State unit that trained the jihadis who launched the Paris and Brussels attacks has been training British fighters to attack targets in the UK, according to a fighter captured by the Kurdish forces in Syria.

    The jihadi said that potential European suicide bombers were put through a tough training programme in Syria before being sent home to carry out attacks.

    The fighter told The Sunday Times: “It takes seven months to be trained in al-Kharsa bridge.

    “It is very hard. Every European who crosses the border to Syria, they are offered the opportunity to join.

    “If 20 start the training, only five finish it.

    “Then after that they go back to Europe and attack.”

    In the last two and a half years, the fighter estimated that 50 ISIS members from all over Europe had graduated from the programme.

    The training programme includes bomb construction, physical endurance tests and applicants must be willing to travel to Europe to kill and potentially die in the name of ISIS.

    He said: “The attacks that happened in Paris and Brussels, the attackers were trained by them and left from Syria to Europe.

    “Sometimes there are foreigners who come to Syria and have training for specific missions. Then they do the attacks alone…”

  11. Venezuelan authorities crush military rebellion -ruling official

    CARACAS, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Venezuelan authorities have suppressed a military rebellion near the central city of Valencia, a ruling official said on Sunday, days after President Nicolas Maduro formed a legislative superbody internationally condemned as a power grab.

    Socialist Party deputy Diosdado Cabello made the announcement shortly after the release of a video showing a group of men in military uniform announcing a rebellion and calling for a broad uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

    One witness in the area of a military base in the town of Naguanagua reported hearing gunshots before dawn, but Cabello said the situation had been brought under control. Officials said the rebels, whom they described as “terrorists,” were trying to steal weapons and that seven people were detained after the attack on the base.

    The Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But government allies were quick to denounce the attack as a right-wing plot aimed at bringing down the “Bolivarian revolution” started nearly 20 years ago by the late Hugo Chavez and carried on by his protege Maduro.

    CARACAS, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Venezuelan authorities have suppressed a military rebellion near the central city of Valencia, a ruling official said on Sunday, days after President Nicolas Maduro formed a legislative superbody internationally condemned as a power grab.

    Socialist Party deputy Diosdado Cabello made the announcement shortly after the release of a video showing a group of men in military uniform announcing a rebellion and calling for a broad uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

    One witness in the area of a military base in the town of Naguanagua reported hearing gunshots before dawn, but Cabello said the situation had been brought under control. Officials said the rebels, whom they described as “terrorists,” were trying to steal weapons and that seven people were detained after the attack on the base.

    The Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But government allies were quick to denounce the attack as a right-wing plot aimed at bringing down the “Bolivarian revolution” started nearly 20 years ago by the late Hugo Chavez and carried on by his protege Maduro.

    • Venezuela official reports attack at military base, arrests

      By Associated Press

      CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan ruling party chief Diosdado Cabello says Sunday that there was a “terrorist” attack at a military base controlled by troops loyal to the government and several people were arrested.

      Cabello reported via Twitter that troops acted quickly to control the situation in the early morning at the Paramacay base in the central city of Venezuela.

      The announcement came after a small group of men dressed in military fatigues, some armed with assault rifles, released a video declaring themselves in rebellion in Carabobo state, where Valencia is located.

      Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-4765494/Venezuela-official-reports-attack-military-base-arrests.html#ixzz4ozGZHP92
      Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

      • Venezuelan authorities crush military rebellion: ruling official

        CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan authorities have suppressed a military rebellion near the central city of Valencia, a ruling official said on Sunday, days after President Nicolas Maduro formed a legislative superbody internationally condemned as a power grab.

        Socialist Party deputy Diosdado Cabello made the announcement shortly after the release of a video showing a group of men in military uniform announcing a rebellion and calling for a broad uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.

        One witness in the area of a military base in the town of Naguanagua reported hearing gunshots before dawn, but Cabello said the situation had been brought under control. Officials said the rebels, whom they described as “terrorists,” were trying to steal weapons and that seven people were detained after the attack on the base.

        http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN1AM0HA?il=0

        • Venezuela slammed for firing dissenting attorney general

          Caracas (AFP) – A new assembly loyal to President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday fired the country’s attorney general, Luisa Ortega, one of his most vociferous critics, triggering a firestorm of condemnation from the US and Latin American nations.

          Ortega, who was barred by dozens of soldiers from entering her offices, has been a thorn in Maduro’s side for months, breaking ranks with him over the legality of the Constituent Assembly, which was elected last week in a vote marred by violence and fraud allegations.

          She refused to recognize her sacking, or the assembly’s swearing in of Tarek William Saab, the national ombudsman, in her place.

          “I am not giving up, Venezuela is not giving up and will not give up against barbarity, illegality, hunger, darkness and death,” she said.

          US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert tweeted that the “United States condemns (the) illegal removal” of Ortega, adding the move was aimed at tightening the “authoritarian dictatorship of (the) Maduro regime.”

          https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-top-prosecutor-says-under-siege-military-002829319.html

  12. China urges N. Korea to halt tests as global pressure mounts

    MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A global pressure campaign on North Korea propelled by sharp new U.N. sanctions received a welcome boost Sunday from China, the North’s economic lifeline, as Beijing called on the pariah nation to halt its missile and nuclear tests.

    The Trump administration cautiously embraced China’s apparent newfound cooperation, while putting it on notice that the U.S. would be watching closely to ensure it didn’t ease up on Pyongyang if and when the world’s attention is diverted elsewhere. But there were no signs the U.S. would acquiesce to China’s call for a quick return to negotiations.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NORTH_KOREA_DIPLOMACY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-06-04-56-11

  13. MISSION KIM-POSSIBLE North Korea threatens to ‘end the US’ as UK warns Kim Jong-un’s nuclear provocations could be ‘catastrophic’

    Kim Jong-un’s media slammed America’s recent decision to fly two supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula

    The B-1 bombers were escorted by South Korean fighter jets as they performed a low-pass over an air base near the South Korean capital of Seoul last month.

    But Kim Jong-un’s media branded the move a “hysteric fit” and warned against such “provocations”.

    North Korea’s KCNA news agency ranted: “The day the DPRK is provoked means the end of the US.”

    Earlier this week, government-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun declared Donald Trump was sitting on the “knife edge of life and death” and that he should brace himself for “gift packages” from Kim.

    An editorial said: “Every minute and every second, the new reality that US mainland is on the knife’s edge of life and death is forcing US administration to wave a white flag and fundamentally change her North Korea policy.

    “If the US still refuses to accept such a realistic demand and doggedly pursue hostile policy against North Korea in order to save face, she will receive unexpected ‘gift packages’ which we will continue to send.”

    It is believed the so-called “gift packages” are nuclear missiles.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4179499/north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-threat-us-uk/

  14. North Korea’s ‘No. 2’ official strengthens ties with Iran as UN hits Pyongyang with new sanctions

    Amid new international sanctions, North Korea’s “No. 2” official embarked on a 10-day visit to Iran, a move that could result in the two sides expanding their ties.

    Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported Kim Yong Nam, chairman of the Supreme Assembly of North Korea, arrived Thursday for the weekend inauguration ceremony for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

    But given the head of North Korea’s parliament is expected to stay for 10 days in Iran, the trip is being seen as a front for other purposes, including expanding military cooperation. At the same time, Pyongyang is looking for ways to counter sanctions and to boost the hard currency for the dynastic regime led by Kim Jong Un.

    “There could be very problematic cooperation going on because of the past history and because it makes strategic sense, especially for Iran now,” said Emily Landau, a senior research fellow at the Israeli-based Institute for National Security Studies and head of the Arms Control and Regional Security Program. INSS is an independent think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/04/north-korea-officials-visit-to-iran-could-signal-wider-military-ties.html

  15. France rethinks romance with Macron as his popularity sinks

    By SYLVIE CORBET
    Associated Press

    PARIS (AP) — Emmanuel Macron’s honeymoon didn’t last long.

    Less than three months after his election, France’s energetic and image-conscious president has seen his popularity drop after announcing budget cuts, launching a divisive labor reform and engaging in a damaging dispute with the military.

    A series of opinion polls last week showed the percentage of French citizens who said they were satisfied with Macron’s policies and trusted their young leader to deal with the country’s problems plunging. The reversal might not affect the visible international profile he has cut since taking office, but it could hurt Macron’s ability to secure his ambitious domestic agenda.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/APFN_EU_FRANCE_MACRONS_FADING_STAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-08-06-06-04-07

    • The reversal might not affect the visible international profile he has cut since taking office…
      Why would it? He’s a golem. Like bright and shiny Kamela Harris. Ex nihilo.

      Delenda est Soros, Inc.

  16. Man with knife arrested at Eiffel Tower

    Paris (AFP) – French police arrested an intruder brandishing a knife at the Eiffel Tower on Saturday night which led the monument to be evacuated, sources said.

    The man, who is aged around 19 and has a history of psychological problems, forced his way past security guards and then shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is Greatest”), a legal source told AFP.

    Armed soldiers who are permanently stationed at the Eiffel Tower ordered him to drop his weapon, which he did without attacking anyone, the source said, asking not to be named.

    The man, who was apparently alone, was “very quickly overpowered and arrested” and nobody was hurt, a statement from the company that runs the monument said.

    After the arrest, police at the site checked the venue and called for it to be evacuated at around 00:30, 15 minutes before the Eiffel Tower normally closes, the statement added.

    The intruder was wearing a Paris Saint-Germain football shirt. At the time of the incident the tower was lit up with the colours of the team to welcome the club’s new world-record signing, Brazilian star Neymar.

  17. Fire erupts in Dubai residential highrise

    Dubai (AFP) – A fire erupted in a residential highrise in Dubai Sunday, authorities said, days after a blaze tore through a tower across the street.

    Dubai Civil Defence said Sunday it had put out the “minor fire” that broke out on a balcony in the 78-storey Tiger Tower, which opened to residents in 2010. No injuries were reported.

    The building is across the street from The Torch, an 87-storey residential tower which was engulfed by a fire in early hours of Friday, with no reports of injuries.

    The Torch was also the scene of a 2015 fire that triggered a mass evacuation of surrounding buildings.

    In January, Dubai announced tougher rules to minimise fire risks after a series of tower blazes in the emirate mostly due to flammable material used in cladding, a covering or coating used on the side of the buildings.

    In the early hours of January 1, 2015, on New Year’s Eve, 16 people were injured when a fire broke out in one of Dubai’s luxury hotels.

    In November 2015, fire engulfed three residential blocks in central Dubai and led to services on a metro line being suspended, although no one was hurt.

    In just over a decade, Dubai has built dozens of futuristic skyscrapers which have transformed its skyline.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/fire-erupts-dubai-residential-highrise-102436583.html

  18. U.N. Approves Sanctions Against North Korea

    The U.N. Security Council unanimously approves new sanctions against North Korea, following two recent ICBM tests.

    The sanctions ban exports from the country totaling $1 billion dollars or more, a measure that is broadly expected to deeply cut into the country’s profits.

    Speaking at the meeting U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley praised the move.

    “This resolution is the single largest economic sanctions package ever leveled against the North Korean regime,” Haley said. “The price the North Korean leadership will pay for its continued nuclear and missile development will be the loss of one third of its exports and hard currency. This is the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation.”

    Haley also described North Korea as a threat that now impacts not just one country, but most of the world.

    http://www.oann.com/u-n-approves-sanctions-against-north-korea/

    • United Nations bans key North Korea exports over missile tests

      UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Saturday that could slash by a third the Asian state’s $3 billion annual export revenue over its two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July.

      The U.S.-drafted resolution bans North Korean exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood. It also prohibits countries from increasing the current numbers of North Korean laborers working abroad, bans new joint ventures with North Korea and any new investment in current joint ventures.

      “We should not fool ourselves into thinking we have solved the problem. Not even close. The North Korean threat has not left us, it is rapidly growing more dangerous,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council.

      http://www.oann.com/u-n-security-council-imposes-new-north-korea-sanctions-over-missile-tests/

      • China says dialogue vital to tackle Korean peninsula crisis

        MANILA (Reuters) – China’s foreign minister said on Sunday new U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea were the right response to a series of missile tests, but dialogue was vital to resolve a complex and sensitive issue now at a “critical juncture”.

        Wang Yi, in what he described as “very thorough” bilateral talks on Sunday with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at a regional meeting in Manila, said he had told him that North Korea should not carry out nuclear tests which would only stoke tensions and calmly assess the U.N. resolutions.

        The U.N. Security Council on Saturday unanimously imposed the new sanctions on Pyongyang over its two July intercontinental ballistic missile tests, a move that could slash by a third the Asian state’s $3 billion annual export revenue.

        Wang said diplomatic and peaceful means were now necessary to avoid tensions and an escalation of the crisis.

        http://www.oann.com/china-says-sanctions-needed-for-north-korea-but-talks-crucial/

  19. Obama’s FBI monitored social media for ‘fake news’ on Election Day 2016
    By J.E. Dyer August 5, 2017

    If you don’t recognize that the media themes of the left are intended to shape government policy – typically by creating a sense of “crisis” that trumps concern for government limits and constitutionalism – here is another example.

    Most people probably remember the theme of “fake news” building to a crescendo after the 2016 election. But the theme was effectively introduced a few weeks before Election Day, on 20 October 2016, when BuzzFeed published a widely-cited post on “hyperpartisan Facebook pages” pushing misleading stories. (BuzzFeed had announced a new focus on combating “hoax stories” in the media a few months before, but the news of that effort didn’t boost the “fake news” campaign into the stratosphere. It was the October 2016 post calling out specific web articles, and outlining the elements of the theme, that became the canonical touchstone for “fake news” themery.)

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/08/05/obamas-fbi-monitored-social-media-fake-news-election-day-2016/

  20. With all due respect, Mr. President and Attorney General Sessions, you can’t handle the truth’
    By Ben Bowles August 6, 2017

    The last part of the quote in the headline is borrowed (stolen?) from a climactic scene in the Oscar-winning film “A Few Good Man.” The words are said by a Marine colonel to an attorney grilling him over his suspected complicity in the death of a grunt.

    The irony in their choice by the author of the quote is thick enough to cut with a knife. He is a man who, like the colonel, has demonstrated that he believes that the end justifies the means.

    But unlike the colonel, who believed that potentially deadly harassment is an acceptable means to making a good soldier, the “journalist” responsible for this comment lied and falsified records not for any arguably noble cause. He committed these despicable acts with an eye toward smearing a candidate for president whose political views were inconsistent with his own.

    He is former CBS anchor Dan Rather (aka the Father of Fake News). And close to two decades after he was forced out of influential job, this pathetic soul has crept out from under his rock and returned to the public forum to instruct us hapless mortals on the difference between right and wrong.

    Here’s his latest via Facebook.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/08/06/due-respect-mr-president-attorney-general-sessions-cant-handle-truth/

    • He is former disgraced CBS anchor Dan Rather (aka the Father of Fake News)

      I sincerely hope that the “Father of Fake News” sobriquet follows Rather to his (preferably) untimely grave.

      Please let me know when they finally discover a 1970s vintage typewriter capable of proportional spacing. Until then, Rather can rot in everlasting hell. I can only suppose that Danny boy set the stage for 2016’s massive (and otherwise unprecedented) media interference with an American presidential campaign.

  21. Planned Parenthood: Teach your preschoolers ‘their genitals don’t determine their gender’
    By Ben Bowles August 6, 2017

    The trick here is the use of the word gender as something different from sex. (Language purists should heave a deep sigh here over the co-opting of a term whose original — and sole — meaning in English was a distinction among nouns by case. Talk about cultural appropriation!)

    But I digress. Planned Parenthood has come out with a set of guidelines for the parents of children that the organization was unable to abort. Not to fear, though. The group’s recommendations for parent-child interaction are every bit as appalling as their stance on killing fetuses.

    In a section of the guide titled “How do I talk with my preschooler about their [sic] body?” you find this:

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/08/06/planned-parenthood-teach-preschoolers-genitals-dont-determine-gender/

  22. Aug 05 2017 TEHRAN
    ==============================
    Federica Mogherini –

    High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission —-

    Member of the Italian Democratic Party and the Party of European Socialists.

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

    Mogherini’s attendance at Rouhani’s inauguration encourages Iranian impunity

    http://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/mogherinis-attendance-at-rouhanis-inauguration-encourages-iranian-impunity/

    EU’s Mogherini meets Rouhani, Zarif in Tehran

    http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/415653/EU-s-Mogherini-meets-Rouhani-Zarif-in-Tehran

    • VICE NEWS – IRAN – the deal

      VICE travels to Tehran to gauge attitudes about America and see the reactor that started Iran’s nuclear program, and meets with key dealmakers — and critics — in Washington, DC.

      from 1:01 to 17:50

  23. https://medium.com/incerto/something-is-broken-in-the-uk-intellectual-sphere-7efc9a1f154a
    “The BBC did some kind of educational cartoon on Roman Britain and represented “diversity” in terms of someone looking African in the show as representative of “diversity” at the time. The BBC was effectively applying quotas retroactively (I mean, really retroactively). Any dissent from the statistical errors made by the politically correct police is treated as apostasy. Effectively, scholarship is dead in the U.K.”

  24. UK: Britain First and anti-fascist protesters face-off in Belfast rallies

    Approximately 50 people gathered on Sunday for a Britain First rally in Belfast, outside Belfast city hall, where they were met by a counter anti-fascist protest.

    Protesters stood with British, Ulster and Israeli flags, which one anti-fascist protester deemed as “ridiculous because they’re all Jew haters”.

    Jayda Fransen, acting leader of the Britain First, called Northern Ireland “Britain’s last line of defence” telling demonstrators that “Islam posed the biggest threat to civilisation.”

    • CNN – Schiff: We want to meet with Trump dossier author Christopher Steele

      Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) says that he and Mike Conaway, the man leading the House investigation into Russia, would go meet Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent who compiled a dossier on President Trump, in England.

    • CNN – Schiff: Grand jury a new phase in Russia probe

      Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking member on the House intelligence committee, says it’s significant that grand jury subpoenas are being issued in the Russia probe because it signals that the investigation is closer to the beginning than the end.

    • CNN – Schiff: Flynn payments under review by House

      In an interview with Jake Tapper, Rep. Adam Schiff says the House Intel Committee is reviewing payments from Turkey to Michael Flynn

    • CNN – Schiff: Trump Jr. meeting was ‘testing waters’

      In an interview with Jake Tapper, Rep. Adam Schiff discusses Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian lawyer meeting as “testing the waters” for possible collusion

      Timmy Martling - 30 min ago - Schiff will go down in history as one of the biggest idiots in American politics. He can thank CNN for giving him all the rope he ever needed to hang himself with. And he took every inch of it happily.?

  25. Daniel Greenfield :

    THE FAKE NEWS CLAIM THAT ISRAELI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BACK MCMASTER

    The main McMaster story for me has been his refusal to acknowledge Islamic terrorism and his support for Obama holdovers.

    I don’t know his exact position on Israel. But his appointment of Kris Bauman, an apologist for Hamas, as the point man on Israel and Caroline Glick’s comments, would suggest he shares the basic animus of Obama and Bush officials toward Israel.

    But as part of the media’s full court press defense of McMaster (itself telling as anything) has been the fake news claim that Israeli government officials support McMaster.

    The sources of the Fake News claim are the Times of Israel and Haaretz.

    Haaretz is a left-wing anti-Israel paper operating in Israel. It’s the equivalent of the New York Times if the latter stopped pretending it hated America and wanted to see it gone. A single incident with its deranged former chief editor should suffice.

    Haaretz’s Chief Editor asked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to “rape” Israel, using other unsavory terminology as well in his request for American pressure.

    Landau, who was seated next to Rice, referred to Israel as a “failed state” politically, and said that a US-imposed settlement is the only thing that can save it. He asked Rice to intervene, going so far as to say that the Israeli government wanted “to be raped” and that it would bring him much satisfaction to see this happen.

    This particular piece of Fake News was promoted by the Times of Israel, another left-wing paper hostile to Israel, but one whose bias is more subtle. Subtle enough to fool plenty of people.

    Here’s the Fake News headline from the Times of Israel.

    Israeli officials say under-fire McMaster a great friend of Israel

    Well that’s interesting. Who are these officials? Where are their quotes?

    … If you know the media, you can already guess the answer. There are no officials. There’s just an anonymous source at an anti-Israel paper.

    Israeli officials responded to mounting allegations that US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is anti-Israel, saying that these were blatantly false and he was a staunch supporter of the Jewish state.

    “Anyone who meets McMaster among us and is in contact with him is constantly impressed by how pro-Israeli he is,” an unnamed Israeli security official told the Haaretz daily on Saturday. “The connection with him is excellent.”

    Not a single other Israeli official is mentioned anywhere in the article. Not one. Just this anonymous source. The next paragraph oddly references “officials”, but offers no quotes or names.

    This garbage fake news spin sets out the claim that “Israeli officials” responded. Yet it doesn’t name a single official. Its only source is one single anonymous official. Quoted by an anti-Israel paper.

    Anyone on the right peddling this fake news should really think twice.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/267491/fake-news-claim-israeli-government-officials-back-daniel-greenfield

    • Rich Higgins ( the man fired by McMaster )
      Former DoD official explains our failure to win the war on terror

  26. CBC – ‘Welcome to Canada’: Montrealers show support for asylum seekers

    New temporary shelter opens in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough

    With a surge of asylum seekers crossing into Canada from the United States this week, hundreds of Montrealers gathered to welcome them Sunday outside the temporary shelter set up at the Olympic Stadium.

    “It’s a way of saying ‘Welcome to Canada’ to people and, at the same time, ask Quebecers and Canadians for their solidarity,” said Serge Bouchereau, the spokesperson for the humanitarian group Comité d’action des personnes sans statut.

    Holding signs with welcoming messages, many in the crowd said they wanted to show their support for newcomers, and combat anti-immigration perspectives.

    “We know that in a few years there will be a net benefit because of the arrival of the folks who are here. That will be a net benefit to our society through a variety of means, through culture, through their contributions, through work, through a lot of things — we know that,” said local activist Jaggi Singh.

    “We know that previous immigrant populations have done the same thing.”

    Temporary shelters set up

    Due to a rising number of would-be refugees, between 100 and 450 cots have been set up in the Olympic Stadium to temporarily accommodate an influx of men, women and children seeking asylum and entering the country through Quebec borders.

    Earlier this week, Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen told CBC News that the number of asylum seekers, most of them Haitian, crossing illegally near the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. border crossing has quadrupled in the past two weeks from about 50 a day to 200 a day.

    A second temporary shelter for asylum seekers also opened it doors Sunday in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

    The centre, located in the Sisters of Providence building, is able to serve up to 300 people on a temporary basis, according to Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre.

    The city said in a statement released this weekend that it was also looking for other solutions to accommodate the waves of asylum seekers crossing into Quebec.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-olympic-stadium-aslyum-seekers-protest-new-shelter-1.4237420
    =====================================================
    Hundreds gather outside Montreal’s Olympic Stadium to welcome asylum seekers

    + video –

    Several hundred people gathered outside Montreal’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday to show support for the waves of asylum seekers crossing the border from the United States.

    Members of the group stood on a hill outside the stadium’s entrance, waving signs and chanting messages of welcome — “refugees welcome” and “Haitians welcome” — which they repeated in Creole.

    The event, which was organized by Solidarity without Borders and the Action Committee of Haitian Non-Status People, went on without any incidents. A counter-demonstration that was supposed to be carried out in the same location was cancelled the previous night.

    There was a significant police presence around the stadium.

    Several in the crowd said they had come to Canada as immigrants themselves and wanted to show their support for the newcomers.

    The Olympic Stadium is being used as a temporary shelter after the number of refugee claimants has more than tripled in recent weeks.

    The city of Montreal says between 250 and 300 people are now crossing the Canada-United States border every day.

    Many of those arriving are Haitians who are worried they will be deported if the Trump administration ends a program that has granted them protected status since 2010.

    Some of the people in attendance called on the federal government to increase its funding for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to ensure that asylum claims are rapidly handled.

    “The Canadian government must augment its human resources to tend to the needs of people who are arriving illegally through the border as well as those who are legally applying and waiting in their countries,” said Denis Mehdi Duchêne.

    Alexandre Boulerice, the NDP member of parliament for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, called on the Trudeau government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement.

    “It’s the cause of all these irregular border crossings that we’re currently experiencing. These irregularities are created by the fact that people in the United States cannot ask for refugee status or asylum in Canada,” he said.

    Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, asylum seekers are required to request refugee status in the first safe country they arrive in. If a claimant in the U.S. tries to legally cross the Canadian border and apply for asylum, they will be sent back. If they cross the border illegally, however, it is possible to request refugee status in Canada.

    http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montrealers-gather-outside-olympic-stadium-to-welcome-asylum-seekers

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

  27. Google Responds To Internal Diversity Memo – Tells Employees Ok To Speak If You Agree With Them

    Ranting Monkey

  28. ‘Communities under siege!’ FURY as cutbacks force four in 10 police stations to close (express, Aug 6, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/837615/police-station-cuts-number-closure-uk-four-in-10-close

    “NEARLY 400 police stations across England and Wales have closed in the past seven years as a result of brutal cutbacks, it has been revealed.

    In some parts of the country more than half a million people are served by just a handful of police stations and with violent crime and terror offences on the rise, a host of senior figures have demanded action.

    Figures for 31 police forces in England and Wales, revealed in a Freedom of Information request by the Mail on Sunday, show the number of front counters open to the public has fallen from 901 in 2010 to just 510 today.

    Some politicians have suggested the devastating cutbacks have forced people to take the law into their own hands and the lack of police officers on Britain’s streets have played a part in a 50 per cent fall in arrests over a decade.

    Despite the fact that emergency calls have hit record levels and officers are being forced to travel for hours to access custody suites following the closure of hundreds of police cells, more cuts are believed to be on the way…”