Reader’s Links, January 1, 2018

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

128 Replies to “Reader’s Links, January 1, 2018”

    • EB, thank you for such a simultaneously relaxing and (nonetheless) invigorating reprieve from this modern world’s utter lack of artistic endeavor.

      When time permits, please investigate the outstanding Philippine master, Fernando Amorsolo.

      I promise that you will not be disappointed. His works have become treasured accounts of Filipino anthropology. The artist’s sojurn in Europe, as part of studying the Old Masters, paid off with respect to his superb control of shading, illumination, and chromatic control.

      He is one of the last century’s greatest painters.

      Should you desire, I could furnish several pages of travelogue detailing my 2008 adventures in Manila as part of touring the largest-ever exposition of his collected works.

      Again, thank you for such a soothing artistic interlude. Happy New Year!!!

  1. Hippy New Year!

    “When I first moved from New York City to San Francisco, I was captivated by the polarities between the two cities. New York City buildings were black and grey; San Francisco’s exploded with color. New York City’s produce selection in the winter was disgraceful; San Francisco had fresh avocados. New York City’s streets smelled like cigarettes; San Francisco’s smelled like weed.”

    “Weed has been legal since voters passed proposition 64 in 2016, but you couldn’t formally buy it in a store the way one might buy liquor (without a medical card, at least). That all changes starting on midnight at January 1, and as a California resident, I can’t help but wonder: how will this change the state I live in? Will weed cafés suddenly be everywhere, à la Amsterdam?”
    https://www.salon.com/2017/12/31/how-legal-marijuana-will-change-california-in-2018/

    I recenty informed a young single mother that she was not rich enough to be smoking marijuana. Depression in the wealthy is easily covered but in the poor one responsibility missed and they can lose everything.

    • It is like someone drinking alcohol and getting intoxicated everytime.

      Socialized Welfare has to pick up all the cancers from smoking, so much so, that they will actually go out, (kid you not), and fund courses on how to stop you doing what you freely did.

      Legalise cannabis: It creates new Health Care departments.

      So vote to privatize Health, have your care on your own Medical Insurance – so that clean living pays. And depression, that rage and anger of non cis-geders, will not be a paracite on your life and find yourself at the back of the queue.

  2. Richard: Kim is feeling neglected and has to do something to get attention, plus he may be doing this to give the Mullahs some time to do something nasty.

    North Korea’s Kim says ‘open to dialogue’ with South Korea, will only use nukes if threatened

    SEOUL (Reuters) – Kim Jong Un on Monday warned the United States that he has a “nuclear button” on his desk ready for use if North Korea is threatened, but offered an olive branch to South Korea, saying he was “open to dialogue” with Seoul.

    After a year dominated by fiery rhetoric and escalating tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Kim used his televised New Year’s Day speech to declare North Korea “a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power” and call for lower military tensions on the Korean peninsula and improved ties with the South.

    “When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment,” Kim said. “Both the North and the South should make efforts.”

    Kim said he will consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February.

    “North Korea’s participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride and we wish the Games will be a success. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility,” Kim said.

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-kim-says-u-never-start-war-005731746.html

  3. Kim says US should know North Korean nuclear force a reality

    SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday that the United States should be aware that his country’s nuclear forces are now a reality, not a threat. But he also struck a conciliatory tone in his New Year’s address, wishing success for the Winter Olympics set to begin in South Korea in February and suggesting the North may send a delegation to participate.

    Kim, wearing a Western-style gray suit and tie, said in his customary annual address that his country had achieved the historic feat of “completing” its nuclear forces and added that he has a nuclear button on his desk.

    “The U.S. should know that the button for nuclear weapons is on my table,” he said during the speech, as translated by The Associated Press.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/kim-says-us-know-north-korean-nuclear-force-010952959.html

  4. ‘The nuclear button is always on my desk’: North Korea rings in the New Year by warning the US that the entire country is within range of its weapons

    Kim Jong-un has boasted of having a ‘nuclear button’ on his desk as he warned the US that the entire country is within range of his weapons.

    The North Korean dictator also announced plans to start mass-producing nuclear warheads as he delivered a televised New Year’s Day speech.

    The tyrant warned America that it can ‘never start a war against me and our country’ and insisted his nukes are now a reality, not a threat.

    ‘We must mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles and speed up their deployment,’ said Kim in his annual address to the nation.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5225201/N-Korea-shows-nuclear-ambitions-ice-sculptures.html#ixzz52wZrlFxp
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  5. U.S. oil production booms as new year begins

    U.S. crude oil production is flirting with record highs heading into the new year, thanks to the technological nimbleness of shale oil drillers .

    The current abundance has erased memories of 1973 gas lines, which raised pump prices dramatically, traumatizing the United States and reordering its economy. In the decades since, presidents and politicians have made pronouncements calling for U.S. energy independence.

    President Jimmy Carter in a televised speech compared the energy crisis of 1977 to “the moral equivalent of war.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/us-oil-production-booms-as-new-year-begins/2017/12/31/de49b50e-ee50-11e7-b3bf-ab90a706e175_story.html?utm_term=.b45332306eb8

  6. Richard: This shows their need for cash and it shows their stupidity, VAT is one of the stupider tax ideas in history. It destroys economies and generates black markets.

    Saudi, UAE introduce VAT in first for Gulf

    DUBAI (AFP) –

    Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced value-added tax from Monday, a first for the Gulf which has long prided itself on its tax-free, cradle-to-grave welfare system.

    Saudi Arabia compounded the New Year blow for motorists with an unannounced hike of up to 127 percent in petrol prices with immediate effect from midnight.

    They are the latest in series of measures introduced by Gulf oil producers over the past two years to boost revenues and cut spending as a persistent slump in world prices has led to ballooning budget deficits.

    The five percent sales tax applies to most goods and services and analysts project that the two governments could raise as much as $21 billion in 2018, equivalent to 2.0 percent of GDP.

    http://www.france24.com/en/20180101-saudi-uae-introduce-vat-first-gulf

    • For any service payment is made. It is made at point of sale.
      Freedom to opt in or out.

      Governance is not a choice. You are born into a family – like them or not.

      How to regulate and feed that neccessary-power to protect lives and defeat enemies, shapes nations.

      The intentional robbery of Islam, Socialism and Genderism to feed their Preferentials; or have a blinded three-way of this evil-Trinity: Judiciary, Legislative and Executive. No Blasphemy, no Thought Crimes and No Hate Crimes.

      The price of freedom.

      My suggestion that the removal of Income Tax, replaced with flat tax of V.A.T gives the government a stake in the economy, and not just to sit on its fat ass expleting Trudeus.

      Our receipts would have a pie chart reminding and congratulating us to all the good causes we paid in to today. Ensuring our votes at the next election. Transparent. We pay for what we deserve. Never forget.
      https://www.lottery.co.uk/good-causes

      • VAT is a very bad idea, it increases the cost to the ultimate consumer to the point that any purchase is a major decision.

        • One of the things that are ignored is that every time a new VAT tax is added you are paying tax on the previous taxes put on the product. This compounding the taxes increases the government revenue on each sale but ends up reducing the number of sales.

          • VAT in the UK is 20%

            If that was all the government received, then without affecting trade in any other way, watch how they would be opening Enterprise centers in schools, colleges and workplaces. A wealthy country, a wealthy government instead of Communism: a poor country a wealthy government

            • If it were a flat 20% applied once that wouldn’t be too bad (most calculations say 17% is as high as the flat sales taxes should go) especially if the income tax is removed. But under the VAT the 20% is applied several times and the consumer ends up paying 35% or higher.

              If you are going to go this route a flat 17% sales tax applied to the end sale to the consumer is the way you want to set up the tax structure. I will admit some economists say 25% but that is getting too high for most of the consumers. Personally I go with a flat (one rate) income tax of between 15 and 20%. To do this properly in the US it would require a constitutional amendment that would require a super majority to change the income tax structure and rate. Possibly an amendment saying you would require a new amendment to change the structure.

    • “…VAT is one of the stupider tax ideas in history. It destroys economies and generates black markets.”

      Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.

      After all, what do you expect from a buncha camel jockeys that couldn’t replace a 1960s era carburetor?

  7. Air Force Could Test “Flying Aircraft Carriers” as Early as Next Year

    The movies were right: Gremlins are real.

    Or at least they will be if DARPA — the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — has anything to say about it. As we learned this week from our friends at the Navy Times , DARPA is moving ahead on its effort to create a fleet of flying aircraft carriers, which it calls the “Gremlins” program, with demonstration flights scheduled to begin sometime next yea

    What are Gremlins?

    We’ve been watching this particular hush-hush DARPA project for more than two years now . In a nutshell, it calls for the creation of a new class of small, reusable drones that can be launched midair from a C-130 air transport, disperse to surveil (or, depending on the payload, attack) targets as much as 300 miles away, then return to their flying airbase to dock for refueling and rearming.

    Basically, Gremlins will be flying, warlike Roombas, but supersized — big enough to carry 60 pounds of payload each.

    http://www.nasdaq.com/article/air-force-could-test-flying-aircraft-carriers-as-early-as-next-year-cm898778

    • My DARPA file has to be purged of conspiracy junk, but the program is owned by spooks I no longer trust. THEY are indeed watching us, violating our Constitutional rights. Put that fact together with selective enforcement trends and a little paranoia might be good for our wellbeing.

      From: Assange: Google is not what it seems

      …Nobody wants to acknowledge that Google has grown big and bad. But it has. Schmidt’s tenure as CEO saw Google integrate with the shadiest of U.S. power structures as it expanded into a geographically invasive megacorporation. But Google has always been comfortable with this proximity.

      Long before company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin hired Schmidt in 2001, their initial research upon which Google was based had been partly funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). And even as Schmidt’s Google developed an image as the overly friendly giant of global tech, it was building a close relationship with the intelligence community.

      In 2003, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had already started systematically violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) under its director General Michael Hayden. These were the days of the “Total Information Awareness” program. Before PRISM was ever dreamed of, under orders from the Bush White House the NSA was already aiming to “collect it all, sniff it all, know it all, process it all, exploit it all.”
      http://www.newsweek.com/assange-google-not-what-it-seems-279447
      ……
      Conspiracy-ville, USA
      EXPOSED: CIA – The Swamp Monsters: 3 Factions of the CIA that Control the World
      http://themillenniumreport.com/2017/01/exposed-cia-the-swamp-monsters/#more-41906
      ……..
      “Sewer” is MUCH better than “Swamp”. The latter usage is an injustice to the abode of our Creator’s critters. The Sewer isn’t coy: D.C. is Devil’s Children, bold as brass.

  8. Anti-Beijing protesters march in Hong Kong

    HONG KONG (AFP) – Angry protesters marched through Hong Kong on Monday (Jan 1) against what they described as suppression by Beijing, days after Chinese authorities ruled that part of a city rail station would come under mainland law.

    Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has been ruled under a “one country, two systems” deal since Britain returned it to China in 1997 and enjoys rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary.

    But a string of recent incidents have fuelled concern over the erosion of its autonomy and rule of law, including the jailing of prominent pro-democracy activists.

    http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/anti-beijing-protesters-march-in-hong-kong

    Richard: China is tired of the people in Hong Kong having the right to make their own decisions, they are also tired of so much money moving around with the communist government and Oligarchs not having a chance to grab part of the money. Look at what they are doing and the unrest they are creating when you ponder the question of China using military force in North Korea once we are forced to attack North Korea. Their actions in Hong Kong and elsewhere are saying they don’t anticipate a major conflict in the near future. This means they either think they can keep the pot simmering in North Korea without forcing us to attack, or they have already decided they will not interfere when we ar forced to move.

    • After tough year, Hong Kong democracy protesters sound warning to China on New Year’s day

      HONG KONG (Reuters) – After a year that saw democracy advocates in Hong Kong jailed and ousted from public office, thousands marched through the streets of Hong Kong on New Year’s Day to warn China not to meddle further in the city’s affairs and undermine its autonomy.

      Over the past year, Hong Kong, a former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has experienced what critics and pro-democracy activists describe as an intensifying assault on its autonomy by China’s Communist Party leaders.

      This is despite Beijing’s promises to grant the city wide-ranging freedoms including an independent judiciary, under a so-called “one country, two systems” framework.

      Besides the controversial jailing of several prominent young activists for unlawful assembly over the massive 2014 “Occupy” pro-democracy protests, authorities also ejected six pro-democracy lawmakers from the legislature for failing to take proper oaths of office.

      http://www.oann.com/after-tough-year-hong-kong-democracy-protesters-sound-warning-to-china-on-new-years-day/

  9. The more we learn about Amtrak derailment the stranger it gets

    As a retired National Transportation Safety Board railroad and rapid transit accident investigator, the more I hear about the Dec. 18 derailment of Washington state Sound Transit Cascades Train 501, the stranger it gets. Confirmed “facts” seem to be very few so far.

    The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, which killed three people and injured more than 50 others, and is still trying to determine the probable cause and prevent such accidents in the future.

    People have an innate need to know, particularly with unexpected public transportation accidents as part of their own sense of security and trust. The sooner we know, the better.

    http://thehill.com/opinion/technology/366833-the-more-we-learn-about-amtrak-derailment-the-stranger-it-gets

  10. ‘We’re not weak’: Thai trans boxer to blaze trail in France

    CHACHOENGSAO (THAILAND) (AFP) –

    Wearing red lipstick and a pink sports bra, Nong Rose trades blows with her twin brother in a Thai boxing gym, preparing for a foreign debut that will make her the first transgender fighter to enter the ring in France.

    A few weeks ahead of the Muay Thai match in Paris, the 21-year-old is training hard in central Thailand’s Chachoengsao province, with her brother as sparring partner.

    Boxing is part of the siblings’ DNA — they learned how to jab, cross and kick from their uncle, a professional Muay Thai fighter, who started teaching them the basics when they were eight.

    “Since (we were) little ones, we used to fight… but she was always stronger than me,” Nong Rose’s twin brother, Somrak Polchareon, told AFP.

    In the eyes of the Thai government, Nong Rose is a man named Somros Polchareon.

    But she has always felt like a girl, and started dressing like one at the age of 14.

    In life as in the ring, where she competes against men, finding her place has not always been easy.

    “When I started fighting (as a girl), I was afraid that people would not accept me,” she told AFP, wiping away sweat after a feisty round of training.

    While Thailand has a reputation as a free-spirited haven for LGBTQ people, discrimination abounds outside of nightlife and entertainment venues.

    http://www.france24.com/en/20180101-were-not-weak-thai-trans-boxer-blaze-trail-france

    • I’m totally into enhancement- drug/hormone free sports.

      Without them, let Transwomen fight men, and Transmen fight women.

      With this fair fight, then we will see who kicks who’s ass.

      • The trans people, at least the large majority of them, should probably confine the games to the psych ward though. There are some who have a medical condition. Various forms of hermaphaditeism. But that is pretty rare.

  11. Kuwaiti report: US gives Israel go-ahead to kill powerful Iranian general
    Newspaper says Washington and Jerusalem have overcome the differences that saw Americans tipping off Tehran about Israeli attempt to kill Qassem Soleimani 3 years ago

    US intelligence agencies have given Israel the green light to assassinate the senior Iranian responsible for coordinating military activity on behalf of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida.

    For the past 20 years or so, Qassem Soleimani has commanded the Quds Force — the branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards responsible for military and clandestine operations outside of the Islamic Republic.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-us-gives-israel-go-ahead-to-kill-powerful-iranian-general/

  12. Iran’s Rouhani Backs People’s Protest Right in First Remarks

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country’s people have the right to protest and criticize but that such actions must be for the good — and rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s backing of demonstrators.

    Rouhani first comments since protests against the condition of Iran’s economy started on Dec. 28, were reported by the semi-official ISNA news agency following an Iranian cabinet meeting in Tehran. Earlier on Sunday, Iran restricted social media access, drawing a fresh rebuke from Trump.

    The government won’t tolerate damage to public property and protesters who cause social disruption, Rouhani said, adding that demonstrations shouldn’t make the public fear for their safety.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-31/iran-s-guards-vow-to-crush-dissent-as-protests-turn-deadly

  13. Iran protests have violent night; at least 12 dead overall

    TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Nationwide protests in Iran saw their most violent night as “armed protesters” tried to overrun military bases and police stations before security forces repelled them, bringing the death toll in the unrest to at least 12, state television reported Monday.

    The demonstrations, the largest to strike Iran since its disputed 2009 presidential election, began Thursday in Mashhad over economic issues and have since expanded to several cities, with some protesters chanting against the government and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hundreds of people have been arrested.

    https://apnews.com/a53371dc213c4f7ab6841ee30dea0197/Iran-state-TV:-12-killed-in-protests,-attacks-on-security

  14. The Latest: Trump tweets new support for Iranian protesters

    President Donald Trump is continuing to voice support for protesters in Iran, saying the government there is trying to throttle the demonstrations by cutting off communications.

    In a tweet Sunday, Trump says: “Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!”

    The public discontent has been fanned by messages sent on the Telegram messaging app, which Iranian authorities blocked Sunday along with the photo-sharing app Instagram, which is owned by tech giant Facebook.

    Trump has repeatedly tweeted support for the protesters.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-telegram-says-iran-cutting-access-amid-protests-123216078.html

  15. Pres. Trump Says Iranian People Partly Protesting Over Government Funded Terrorism

    President Trump addresses the Iranian people’s ongoing protests against their government.

    In a tweet posted Sunday, Trump noted the demonstrations are widespread and suggested the Iranian people are partly raising their voices over how their money is being spent by the government.

    He said the people of Iran are noticing the government is wasting the nations wealth on supporting terrorism and also said the protest is an indication they will no longer tolerate the practice.

    The president also revealed the U.S. is monitoring the situation for human rights violations.

    http://www.oann.com/pres-trump-says-iranian-people-partly-protesting-over-government-funded-terrorism/

  16. Ten killed in Iran protests and security forces repulse attacks: state TV

    DUBAI (Reuters) – Ten people were killed during protests in Iran on Sunday and armed demonstrators tried to seize police stations and military bases but were repulsed by security forces, state television said on Monday.

    The nationwide protests have drawn in tens of thousands of people and represent the boldest challenge to Iran’s leadership since pro-reform unrest in 2009. Calls for more demonstrations on Monday raise the possibility of prolonged instability.

    “Some armed protesters tried to take control of some police stations and military bases but they met strong resistance from security forces,” state TV said. It gave no details of what happened and there was no independent confirmation.

    State television also said 10 people were killed in several cities on Sunday night and showed footage of damage to property. It did not elaborate.

    Iran is a major OPEC oil producer and regional power but frustrat

    http://www.oann.com/iran-protesters-rally-again-despite-warning-of-crackdown/

    • Iran: Twelve reportedly killed in Iran amid nationwide protests

      At least twelve people have been killed in ongoing anti-government protests across Iran, state TV reported on Monday.

      Iranian state TV alleged that armed protesters tried to take over police stations and military bases across the country, as anti-government protests against rising food prices, unemployment and alleged corruption enter their fifth day.

      SOT, Mashallah Nemati, Governor of Dorud (Farsi): “Protesters took the fire truck from firefighters and drove it towards over the bridge and eventually left it. Unfortunately, as I have been told, when this fire truck passed the square an elderly person and a 12 year old child were hit and killed by it. Their identities still have not been recognized.”

  17. Trump says U.S. has gotten ‘nothing’ from Pakistan aid

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States has “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return and pledged to put a stop to it.

    “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.”

    It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump’s criticism of Pakistan but he has long complained that Islamabad is not doing enough to tackle Islamist militants.

    The New York Times reported on Dec. 29 that the Trump administration was “strongly considering” whether to withhold $255 million in aid to Pakistan.

    It said U.S. officials had sought but been denied access to a member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network captured in Pakistan who potentially could provide information about at least one American hostage.

    http://www.oann.com/trump-says-u-s-has-gotten-nothing-from-pakistan-aid/

    • Trump says U.S. has gotten ‘nothing’ from Pakistan aid

      At whatever risk of stating the obvious, “WELL DUH!!!”

  18. Iran at the tipping point redux
    By LU Staff January 1, 2018

    We have been down this road before. First come the waves of the oppressed demanding change, then the threats of reprisal from the government. Then? …

    Protesters in Iran continued to denounce the nation’s clerical regime on Sunday, even as government officials promised to crack down on dissidents with an “iron fist” if the unrest does not stop.

    Tens of thousands of Iranians have taken to streets across the country to protest the ruling clerical elite and its foreign and domestic policies over the past four days. It is the largest mass demonstration against the regime since 2009, when then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election in a widely disputed election.

    The Iranian government warned protesters on Sunday they would face reprisal for the unauthorized demonstrations.

    “Those who damage public property, violate law and order and create unrest are responsible for their actions and should pay the price,” Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said, according to a Reuters translation of state media.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/01/01/iran-tipping-point-redux/

  19. HuffPost editor’s New Year’s resolution is to ‘kill all men’
    By Joe Newby December 31, 2017

    On Friday, HuffPost editor Emily McCombs issued a tweet containing two of her New Year’s resolutions for 2018.

    One of the resolutions was to cultivate female friendships. That sounds harmless enough until you read her second resolution, which seems conditional on the first: Band together to kill all men.

    The tweet was deleted, but not before it was captured for posterity in tweet-backs, including this one:

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2017/12/31/huffpost-editors-new-years-resolution-kill-men/

  20. New Year stabbings: Four stabbed to death in London during celebrations (express, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/898714/london-new-year-2017-2018-stab

    “FOUR people have been stabbed to death in London across the late hours of New Year’s Eve and the early hours of New Year’s Day.

    A fifth man is fighting for his life after the spate of unrelated attacks across the capital.

    Scotland Yard confirmed the male victims – a 17-year-old, 18-year-old and a 20-year-old on New Year’s Eve, and a 20-year-old in the early hours of Monday – all died as a result of their injuries.

    Five men have been arrested in connection with one of the deaths, the Metropolitan Police said.

    Police condemned the “senseless violence” and the “small groups who chose to engage in disorder and violence” on New Year’s Day.

    An 18-year-old man was stabbed in Enfield at 11.30am on December 31.

    The second, at around 7.30pm last night, was a fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old man in West Ham.

    Then a 17-year-old man was stabbed to death in Tulse Hill.

    And at around 2.35am on 1 January, a 20-year-old was fatally stabbed in Old Street. A second male, in his 20s, was taken to hospital with critical injuries.

    Commander Neil Jerome, of the Met’s Territorial Policing Command, said: “It is heart-breaking that, at a time when so many of us are contemplating what lies ahead in 2018, four families are dealing with the grief of losing a loved one to senseless violence and the callous use of knives as lethal weapons.

    “I can assure Londoners – and the families and friends of the four males killed and the fifth who remains in hospital – that detectives will work tirelessly to bring to justice those responsible for such despicable acts of violence.”

    He urged anyone with any information to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    The trio of fatalities in the final hours of 2017 took the number of people stabbed to death in the capital last year to 80, Scotland Yard confirmed.

    The latest deaths will be seen as a setback to London mayor Sadiq Khan and his aim to get a stranglehold on the year-on-year increase in knife crime in the capital, which has seen the launch of a high-profile “London needs you alive” campaign and knife crime strategy.

    At his last Mayor’s Question Time, Mr Khan said: “Every death on the streets of London is an utter tragedy and I’m deeply concerned about the rise in knife crime.

    “I am supporting the delivery of community-led solutions and delivering interventions at critical points to offer real opportunities to exit offending behaviour as well as coming down hard on those who habitually carry knives.””

  21. Germany: Seven arrested for sexual assault at Berlin NYE celebrations

    Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at Berlin’s Brandeburg Gate New Year’s Eve celebrations, police spokesperson Thomas Nollendorf confirmed on Monday.

    • Tighter Security Fails to Stop ‘Isolated’ Sex Attacks at German NYE Celebrations (sputniknews, Jan 1, 2018)
      https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801011060462335-germany-nye-sex-attacks/

      “Despite a heavy police presence, and the creation of a special “Women’s Safety Area” in Berlin, German police have said that “isolated” sex attacks occurred during this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.

      In Berlin, where hundreds of thousands of people greeted the New Year in celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate, “isolated sexual attacks” were reported to police, the force tweeted.

      The police did not respond to questions on Twitter about the nationality of the alleged perpetrators. “We are pretty sure they have one [a nationality]. Otherwise, this has no further impact on the criminal liability of the crime,” they replied.

      “At the #Welcome2018 events in #Berlin, unfortunately, occasional sexual assaults were reported. We do not tolerate such acts! The suspects have been arrested. Our civilian colleagues are also dealing with these crimes,” the police tweeted.

      ?Berlin police told the German news agency dpa that a total of ten cases where women were sexually assaulted were reported and seven people detained.

      In Cologne, nine women reported sexual assault and three suspects were identified, a police spokesman told RTL News.

      Cologne was one of the hotspots of the notorious group sex attacks on women which took place at New Year’s Eve 2016. Gangs of men characterized as looking Arab and North African committed sex attacks on women in cities across Germany. More than 1,200 complaints of sexual assault or harassment were made to police in the wake of the celebrations.

      In an attempt to prevent a repeat, for this year’s celebrations the authorities in Berlin had created a “Women’s Safety Area” in the German capital. Four women sought refuge in the area over the course of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, Stern reported.
      The plan to set up a safety zone for women had been attacked in the run-up to New Year’ Eve celebrations for sending a “disastrous message.”

      “Whoever came up with that idea has not understood the political dimension,” Rainer Wendt, a former police officer and chairman of the German Police Union said, Deutsche Welle reported.

      “With this message, you’re saying that there are safe and unsafe zones,” Wendt said, adding that this initiative would essentially result in “the end of equality, freedom of movement and self-determination.””

  22. Suspected Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen kill 23 (abcnews, Jan 1, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/suspected-saudi-led-coalition-airstrikes-yemen-kill-23-52083122

    “Yemeni witnesses and security officials say Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have killed at least 23 people in the port city of Hodeida.

    They say Monday’s strikes also wounded eight others. The blaze erupted in a market after a strike targeted a nearby petrol station in el-Garrahi district, they said.

    The witnesses and officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation or weren’t authorized to brief reporters.

    The coalition could not immediately be reached for comment…”

  23. WikiLeaks Drops Proof That NYTimes Colluded With Hillary Clinton

    You thought 2017 was going to end without a bang — other than the fireworks?

    Think again.

    After The New York Times on Saturday published a story headlined “Republican Attacks on Mueller and F.B.I. Open New Rift in G.O.P.,” WikiLeaks couldn’t stand it anymore. In a late-night post on Twitter, WikiLeaks revealed that a Times reporter used to feed State Department email updates of the stories the paper would be publishing DAYS before the stories appeared.

    At the time, Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/25249/wikileaks-drops-proof-proves-nytimes-colluded-joseph-curl?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=010118-news&utm_campaign=position1

  24. Fiddling the Figures: UK Govt to Remove Students from Immigration Data (breitbart, Jan 1, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/01/fiddling-figures-uk-govt-remove-students-immigration-data/

    “Prime Minister Theresa May is set to cave to pressure from left-wingers in her own party and cabinet in their bid to fudge UK immigration figures.

    Leading leftist Tories have been campaigning for the Prime Minister to remove student numbers from the nation’s immigration data, artificially reducing statistics to help the government reach its long-standing aspiration of lowering numbers into the tens of thousands.

    The strategy may be an attempt to defang immigration hawks and Brexit campaigners amongst them by diluting one of their key campaign talking points: Britain’s migration crisis.

    Over the past few decades immigration has reached unprecedented levels in the UK, placing strain on national infrastructure, the National Health Service, schools, and community cohesion.

    Now, Scottish Conservative MPs led by Ruth Davidson alongside left-wing Home Secretary Amber Rudd want to artificially remove around 75,000 people a year from the figures to help fool the public.

    May had originally objected to the move, stating in November: “Students are in the net migration figures because it is in the international definition of net migration and we abide by the same definition that is used by other countries around the world.”….”

  25. The Islamization of Britain in 2017
    “I think we are heading towards disaster.”

    by Soeren Kern
    January 1, 2018 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11648/britain-islamization-2017

    The Muslim population of Britain surpassed 4.1 million in 2017 to become around 6.3% of the overall population of 64 million, according to a recent study on the growth of the Muslim population in Europe. In real terms, Britain has the third-largest Muslim population in the European Union, after France, then Germany.

    The rapid growth of Britain’s Muslim population can be attributed to immigration, high birth rates and conversions to Islam.

    Islam and Islam-related issues, omnipresent in Britain during 2017, can be categorized into several broad themes: 1) Islamic extremism and the security implications of British jihadists; 2) The continuing spread of Islamic Sharia law in Britain; 3) The sexual exploitation of British children by Muslim gangs; 4) Muslim integration into British society; and 5) The failures of British multiculturalism.

    JANUARY 2017

    January 1. Hundreds of adult asylum seekers lied about their age in order to enter Britain “as teenagers,” according to official data provided under the Freedom of Information Act. Figures obtained by Mail on Sunday show that social workers carried out 2,028 age tests between 2013-2016, during which almost one in four of the claimants — 465 — were found to be over 18. By concealing their real age, migrants hope to improve their chances of being granted asylum.

    Richard: 6.3% of the population and the left lets them set the agenda for the nation. Like the left in the US lets the small number of Trans or Homosexuals in the US set the agenda.

    What could possibly go wrong with letting a small minority decide what is going to happen in any nation?

  26. The NGO Industry’s Terror Trail
    Gatestone’s Person of the Week: Dr. Gerald Steinberg

    by Ruthie Blum
    January 1, 2018 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11643/ngo-industry-terrorism
    Send

    Last week, Professor Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of the Jerusalem-based research organization NGO Monitor, had “breaking news”: The Danish government had formalized a decision to stop funding the Human Rights International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, an NGO framework established in 2013 at Birzeit University in Ramallah, with an annual budget of millions of euros, paid for by the governments of Sweden, Holland, Denmark and Switzerland.

    Steinberg’s research had revealed that of the 24 core NGOs funded by the Secretariat, six have ties to the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – which is on the EU’s official list of terrorist organizations — and 15 are involved in worldwide campaigns to destroy Israel by economic means.

    Denmark’s decision, according to Steinberg, came on the heels of votes in the Swiss Parliament calling on the government to cease funding “projects carried out by NGOs involved in racist, anti-Semitic or hate incitement actions.” Denmark’s decision also coincided with an investigation launched by The Netherlands into the Secretariat funding. “The Danish example is the most important,” he said, “as it is the largest chunk that has been cut in one fell swoop, and Danes were among the Secretariat’s founders.”

    • Professor Steinberg is really good. I wish he could be cloned.
      Hungary needs him badly. The US has Judicial Watch, among others.

  27. Report: The FBI Admits It Can’t Find Evidence that the Trump Campaign Colluded with Russia

    • Police rescued three children aged 4, 7 and 11 from an apartment fire on Saturday night. A heroic act was tarnished when policemen after saving children were attacked and pelted with stones.

      Anyone want to wager that the stone-throwers were not Islamic or Nafri?

      [crickets]

      Hell, it’s becoming all too easy to imagine this fire was deliberately set in order to attract some targets so that they could be attacked. [Gasp!]

      With almost consummate ease, Muslims somehow manage to dominate the (heavily contested) field when it comes to being the world’s most chronic, gold-plated ingrates. Regardless, even widespread mental retardation—arising from centuries of consanguineous marriage—cannot explain the sheer stupidity required to reward lifesaving first responders with violent physical assault.

      Please note how the article makes no mention of any neighbors attempting to rescue this trio of youngsters. Instead, they nonchalantly loitered about and then dedicated themselves to punishing acts of heroism.

      What greater incentive can there be for emergency services personnel to magically go on their coffee break (preferably at some distant café) any time a call comes in from whichever Muslim no-go zone district?

      As it is, one can only presume that Swedish fire trucks and ambulances already are delayed by crucial minutes because of how they must be met and escorted (into culturally enriched areas) by police when attending whatever mishap they respond to. At some point in the not-too-distant future, one can only imagine that all involved will adopt an attitude of “let it burn, let them bleed, let all of these ungrateful cretins fü¢k the hell off!”.

      All of which leads to a final bit of idle speculation: I wonder if any of those kids in France bit whatever brave officer was carrying them out of the blazing building. If that actually happened, color me completely and totally unsurprised.

      PS: This “heroic act” was NOT “tarnished” even one iota by the profound ingratitude of whatever oxygen thieves bystanders. The only thing that was (further) “tarnished” is the already indelibly-stained reputation of newly arrived “immigrants” in Europe.

      Again, is anyone willing to bet that the stone-throwing spectators were indigenous Europeans?

      [Director] “Act 1! – Scene 2! — Cue Crickets!, Starting at, 3 … 2 … 1 …”

      [more crickets]

  28. Qaradawi among 8 defendants handed death sentences (memo, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180101-qaradawi-among-8-defendants-handed-death-sentences/

    “An Egyptian military court on Sunday issued preliminary death sentenced against eight defendants on a charge of murdering a senior police officer in Cairo in 2015, the court said in a statement.

    The court referred the eight defendants to the Grand Mufti, the country’s top religious authority, for his opinion on the sentences. The Mufti is usually consulted before death sentences become final. His opinion is, however, not binding.

    Defendants in the case include prominent Islamic scholar Yusef Al-Qaradawi, who heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars, as well as senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

    The case includes 52 defendants, eight of whom were handed down preliminary death sentences…”

    • Qaradawi among 8 defendants handed death sentences

      Although this is old news—as in, Yusuf (“Beat Your Wife Lightly”) al-Qaradawi was given the death penalty back in 2015—it’s still heartening to see a large Islamic country like Egypt hand down a death sentence against, “The Pope of Islam”, as this Muslim cockroach cannot be deprived of all further oxygen soon enough.

      Despite his advocacy of wife-beating and indiscriminate slaughter of homosexuals, this ambulatory wad of excrement has, nonetheless, acquired the reputation of being a “moderate”. Of additional note is how Egypt is home to Al-Azhar University; reputedly Terrorist Central <the highest (Sunni) scholastic institution in the entire Islamic world. For just this reason alone, one is obliged to speculate exactly what it is that al-Qaradawi did to piss off his bosom buddies.

      In closing, for your dining and dancing pleasure, below is the link to a supremely rare moment of candor (upon al-Qaradawi’s part). As some sort of measure, this brief, five minute clip is one of the only Islamic videos that I would ever ask anyone to watch.

  29. Scholars call for Somalia to be protected from foreign interference (memo, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180101-scholars-call-for-somalia-to-be-protected-from-foreign-interference/

    “The Commission of Somali Scholars called on Sunday for politicians to protect their country from “foreign interference” and to respect its sovereignty, Anadolu reported on Sunday.

    In a statement issued in response to the latest upheaval, the scholars expressed their concerns about the “unstable political situation” in Somalia over many months. They called for efforts to adopt the “rule of reason and a constructive policy” instead of one driven by tribal interests. The latter, they said, has taken the country into chaos…”

    • “The Commission of Somali Scholars called on Sunday for politicians to protect their country from “foreign interference” and to respect its sovereignty, Anadolu reported on Sunday.

      I could not possibly agree more with regard to efforts that “protect their country from ‘foreign interference'”. Fü¢k knows that intervening in this Islamic hellhole is, at best, a monumentally thankless task.

      After Mogadishu (i.e., “Blackhawk Down”), let’s please allow these incorrigible barbarians to slaughter each other with gay abandon. Africa’s overpopulation problems, along with Somalia’s continued exportation of insanely thuggish rapists, criminals, and terrorist rectal cavities could be reduced without the slightest bit of ridiculously expensive foreign intercession. What’s not to like???

      I say, “RESPECT THEIR DESIRE FOR UNABRIDGED SOVEREIGNTY!”
      After all, what could be better for our (civilized) world than a Somalia that already has (however murderously) sorted out its wearyingly troublesome internal affairs?

      At the very least, such a move might (for once and all time) teach Somalis the ancient lesson about, “Be very careful about what you wish for…”

  30. Yemen: Government forces take 52 Houthis hostage (memo, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180101-yemen-government-forces-take-52-houthis-hostage/

    “Yemeni government forces took 52 Houthi militias as hostages and controls several areas in northern Jawf province Sunday, according to the Yemeni army website 26sepnews.net.

    The website also said that the army seized heavy weapons and military vehicles.

    Yemeni army’s 4th Military Area Spokesman Mohamed an-Nakib, said in a written statement that the government forces have taken back al-Karan mountain from the Houthi rebels in as-Sabihah region of southern Lahij province.

    Nakib said in the operations at least seven Houthi rebels were killed, however, he did not give any information about losses of government forces…”

  31. Daesh gunmen kill 3 in northern Iraq: Police (memo, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180101-daesh-gunmen-kill-3-in-northern-iraq-police/

    “Daesh terrorists shot dead at least three people and injured 12 others in northern Iraq, a police official said.

    “Daesh gunmen in a car attacked a number of civilians in al-Farhaniya area, northwest of Balad district in Saladin province,” Lt. Salahuddin al-Jabouri, the police officer, told Anadolu Agency.

    “The gunmen escaped immediately after the attack,” he added…”

  32. Germany is set to start enforcing a law that demands social media sites move quickly to remove hate speech, fake news and illegal material.
    Sites that do not remove “obviously illegal” posts could face fines of up to 50m euro (£44.3m).
    The law gives the networks 24 hours to act after they have been told about law-breaking material.

    https://archive.fo/WYknz#selection-1503.0-1511.97

  33. ‘African gang crime is out of control’: Turnbull joins minister in condemning Victorian government for allowing the rise of Apex and Menace to Society ‘Sudanese’ gangs in Melbourne
    Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull blamed Victorian premier for gang spree
    He said Daniel Andrews was responsible for the ‘violence and lawlessness’
    His rebuke comes after a community centre was trashed in western Melbourne
    African gangs also pelted police with rocks outside an AirBnB house in area

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5225695/Turnbull-slams-Victorian-premier-violent-African-gangs.html

  34. Gunman kills two Christians at alcohol store south of Cairo – security sources (reuters, Jan 1, 2018)
    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-egypt-security-christians/gunman-kills-two-christians-at-alcohol-store-south-of-cairo-security-sources-idUKKBN1EQ170?rpc=401&amp;

    “A masked gunman shot dead two Christian brothers at their alcohol shop south of Cairo on Monday, security sources said.

    The incident took place just days after attacks on a Coptic church and another Christian-owned shop also south of the Egyptian capital that killed more than 10 people, as security forces brace for attacks against the Arab world’s largest Christian minority ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

    The gunman used a rifle in the attack, shooting at the shop from outside after pulling up on a motorcycle, two security sources said. The attacker fled the scene afterwards.

    An image on social media showed the body of what purported to be one of the victims, covered in blood from the waist down.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack…”