Reader’s links, January 6, 2018

Posted on by

Daily Links Post graphic

In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

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

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

About Eeyore

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

125 Replies to “Reader’s links, January 6, 2018”

  1. Ok – this needs a bit of a backgrounder.

    There is a huge troll afoot: it consists of claims that on the first night in the White House, President Trump claimed his TV was broken because it did not carry the (highly fictitious) ‘gorilla channel’.

    The troll continues to detail how the staffers stringed together gorilla documentaries and streamed them to POTUS, claiming it ‘was’ the ‘gorilla channel – only to have Donald Trump co,plain that the gorillas were not fighting enough…

    The troll continues on to claim that the staffers took out the ‘peaceful’ bits of the documentaries, and streamed the rest – and that Donald Trump watches this channel 17-hours-a-day, and comes up to the screen, advising the gorillas on how to fight…and that he seems to think the gorillas can hear and understand him and his instructions…

    I don’t know where this troll originated, but, 4chan/pol seems to come to mind: it is a bit lamer than their usual stuff, but…

    Or it could have originated on r/The_Donald – crude enough to fit them, but a bit smarter.

    You do your own search!

    Just enjoy yourself by remembering this Netlix tweet:
    http://i.magaimg.net/img/29tf.png

    Oh, the joys of trolling cannot be overstated!!!

    • And remember to trip your waiter and/or waitress (or would that be “waitperson”, or perhaps “waitzer” or more likely “wiat-IT”) Thank You, Thank You – I’m here all week, remember to try the veal! No really, ORDER the VEAL! Look here, I don’t want any trouble but SO HELP ME GOD, if I don’t see some veal being stuffed in your face I will send Vinnie the wait-IT to help you!

  3. Why Berlin doesn’t work

    An excerpt:

    Poverty is part of the explanation. Take London out of Britain, and the average Briton is made 11.1% poorer. Do the same to Paris, and the average Frenchman loses out on 14.8%. Imagine Germany without Berlin, and GDP per person rises by 0.2%, leaving everyone else in the country better off. This is due to structural changes in the German economy. Before the second world war Berlin was an industrial hub. But when the victorious allies divided the city, many firms moved their offices and factories to West Germany. After unification, they had little reason to move back, having spent decades re-establishing themselves elsewhere. Instead Berlin attracted bohemians, lured by low rents and large numbers of abandoned factories and warehouses that made ideal artists’ studios or rave venues. These new, hip residents earned little and paid little tax. For years, the city teetered on the edge of bankruptcy; austerity, not investment, was the order of the day.

  6. WESTERN EUROPE
    ‘France cannot assimilate people who are hostile, demanding and conquering’
    By VOICE OF EUROPE 4 January 2018
    Jean Renaud Gabriel Camus is a French writer known for the idea of the Grand Remplacement (the “great replacement” in English), which says that replacement migration is taking place in France.

    Camus Talks about how his country and Europe are being colonised by migrants and how Europe is the first continent that pays its actual colonisers.

    https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/01/france-cannot-assimilate-people-who-are-hostile-demanding-and-conquering/

  15. Migrants could live in barracks with night curfew – Austria’s Vice-Chancellor (RT, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.rt.com/news/415129-austria-migrants-strache-barracks/

    “Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has suggested housing asylum seekers in barracks, saying that a curfew could even be imposed to enforce it. His ideas, however, are not slated for immediate implementation.

    It would make sense “to use one or the other empty barracks,” said the vice-chancellor, who is the leader of the right wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) while speaking on ORF broadcaster’s show ‘Wien Heute’ Thursday. There are seven barracks in the Austrian capital, Strache said. “We’ll have to think which barracks’ are best to use and which are not occupied,” he added.

    In addition, a curfew would be put in place for asylum seekers. “It has already been discussed in the past, whether all should be back in the barracks by a certain night time,” the vice-chancellor said.

    Strache elaborated further on the matter during a press conference Friday, stating the government has no plans on “mass accommodations” at the moment, and that his idea of using old barracks for housing migrants is currently off the table…”

  16. Couple tortured woman to death during ‘sex game’ in Berlin, then tried to flee to Turkey – report (RT, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.rt.com/news/415132-germany-sex-game-death/

    “A brutal murder which occurred in Berlin ahead of Christmas was likely committed during a bizarre “sex game” by a couple who tried to flee to Turkey afterwards, investigators believe.

    A 55-year-old German woman, identified as Marianne M., was likely tortured and killed during a gruesome “sex game” with two suspects, German media reported Thursday citing investigation sources.

    The couple, identified as 36-year-old Taifun S. and his 27-year-old companion Jasmin P., reportedly met the victim online at a forum for people with kinky sex preferences. The two apparently rented an apartment specifically for the sexual encounter, where they tortured the victim for hours before finally killing her and disposing of her corpse.

    The woman’s body was discovered wrapped in a blanket on December 23 by a passerby near dumpsters where the two suspects had allegedly left it. Initial police findings indicate the woman died after being subjected to “massive violence.”

    Both suspects were detained at the Berlin-Schoenefeld airport on December 29. The pair was about to leave the country for Turkey. The suspects, it turned out, are well known to police, with both having notorious criminal records.

    The man’s previous offences reportedly include drug trafficking, dangerous bodily harm, weapons law violations and theft. His companion is also known to the police for theft and resisting arrest. The couple is currently in custody.”

    • Germany: ‘Sex-game’ murder victim died from brain haemorrhage

      Spokesperson for the Berlin prosecutor Martin Steltner revealed that an autopsy of 55-year-old woman Marianne M. showed the victim had died of brain haemorrhage stemming from severe injuries in an interview in Berlin on Friday.

      Steltner also confirmed that the suspects Taifun S. and Jasmine P., 36 and 27 respectively, knew the victim before arranging to meet over social media. After the ‘sex game’ torture and subsequent murder, the couple dragged the body down four flights of stairs, wrapped it in a cloth and disposed of it outside between December 21-23.

  18. ‘We’re not Muslim enough’ fear Turkish Cypriots as poll looms (theguardian, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/06/were-not-muslim-enough-fear-turkish-cypriots-as-poll-looms

    “When Turkish Cypriots go to the polls on Sunday, they will do so under the shadow of the giant Hala Sultan mosque.

    Before its foundation stone was laid in a remote spot on the road to Famagusta barely four years ago, there was little else towering over the Mesoria plain that engulfs northern Nicosia. Now, its monumental domes and minarets are by far the biggest in the eastern Mediterranean.

    For many, the building symbolises Ankara’s tightening grip over the breakaway Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.

    “So much hangs on this election,” says Esra Aygin, a prominent Turkish Cypriot moderate and member of the bi-communal lobby group, Unite Cyprus Now. “The mosque represents the change in lifestyle and culture that Turkey would like to impose on us. It is very important that the forces of reconciliation do well if [President Mustafa] Akinci’s hand is not to be weakened and further mistrust avoided.”

    Turkish Cypriots are seen as being among the most liberal Muslims in the western world. For some, alcohol is not off limits, with some attributing their penchant for whisky to colonial rule under the British. Some abhor the idea of women wearing headscarves and joke they would only go to a mosque to attend a funeral.

    In such circumstances, Islamisation has been met with trepidation.

    Like the outcome of the parliamentary election at stake, secular Turkish Cypriots worry that religion – and policies aimed at promoting a resurgence of Islam – could be the next big impediment to reconciling with Greek Cypriots in a united Cyprus…”

  21. Blast kills 4 policemen in Indian Kashmir (wapo, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/blast-kills-4-policemen-in-indian-kashmir/2018/01/06/b1254b80-f2ae-11e7-95e3-eff284e71c8d_story.html

    “Four police were killed Saturday when rebels fighting against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir detonated a bomb on a street they were patrolling, police said.

    Streets were deserted and shops and businesses closed when the massive blast struck the northwestern town of Sopore, hitting the police patrol. The town, famous for apple orchards, is observing a shutdown on the 25th anniversary of a massacre when government forces killed at least 47 people after a paramilitary soldier died in a rebel attack.

    The strike was called by separatist leaders who challenge India’s sovereignty over Kashmir. The town was already on high alert with hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers patrolling the area in anticipation of anti-India protests and clashes.

    Police said at least half a dozen shuttered shops suffered extensive damage in the blast that was remotely detonated.

    The Jash-e-Mohammed militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the English-language Greater Kashmir newspaper…”

  22. Turkish President Erdogan berates French journalist (BBC, video, Jan 5, 2018)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-42586115/turkish-president-erdogan-berates-french-journalist

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attacked a French TV reporter who asked him a question about reports from 2015 that Turkish intelligence had sent arms to Syria.

    At news conference in Paris, Mr Erdogan accused Laurent Richard of “talking like a Gulenist”, referring to an outlawed Islamist group blamed for 2016’s failed coup.”

  29. Couple tortured woman to death during ‘sex game’ in Berlin, then tried to flee to Turkey – report

    A brutal murder which occurred in Berlin ahead of Christmas was likely committed during a bizarre “sex game” by a couple who tried to flee to Turkey afterwards, investigators believe.

    A 55-year-old German woman, identified as Marianne M., was likely tortured and killed during a gruesome “sex game” with two suspects, German media reported Thursday citing investigation sources.

    The couple, identified as 36-year-old Taifun S. and his 27-year-old companion Jasmin P., reportedly met the victim online at a forum for people with kinky sex preferences. The two apparently rented an apartment specifically for the sexual encounter, where they tortured the victim for hours before finally killing her and disposing of her corpse.

    https://www.rt.com/news/415132-germany-sex-game-death/

  30. Rich People Are Fleeing Connecticut

    Lawmakers like Connecticut’s Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy should pay attention to the latest batch of IRS data, which show tax payers – particularly wealthy ones – are leaving Connecticut for states like Florida, where there is no income tax, and New York City, where taxes are high but at least you can order Chinese food at 4 am.

    Indeed, as the Hartford Courant points out in an editorial, the latest data reveal that Connecticut is in the middle of a taxpayer exodus.

    Those who moved out of Connecticut from 2015 to 2016 took with them more than $6 billion in adjusted gross income, or AGI.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-04/rich-people-are-fleeing-connecticut

  31. Ford is giving its factory workers robot exo-suits to ease the burden of building cars

    Ford’s cars are getting closer to driving themselves, but they still need humans to build them. And because people aren’t quite as durable as robots, it’s trying to make those jobs easier by developing a suit with Ekso Bionics that takes the stress out of working long hours on a car assembly floor.

    Ekso, founded in 2005 in California, builds exoskeletons, essentially robotic assistive systems that people strap into to make walking, lifting, and standing easier. It’s worked with the US military to build suits for soldiers.

    https://qz.com/1172925/ford-is-giving-its-factory-employees-robotic-exo-suits-to-ease-to-build-cars/

  32. Illegal Immigrant Credited with Time Served for Weapons Charge in Steinle Case

    January 5, 2018
    OAN Newsroom

    The illegal immigrant and seven-time felon who fatally shot Kate Steinle is sentenced to three years in prison, but credited for time served.

    45-year-old Jose Garcia-Zarate was acquitted in the 2015 murder of Steinle, but was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    http://www.oann.com/illegal-immigrant-credited-with-time-served-for-weapons-charge-in-steinle-case/

  33. Saudi king orders new allowances to offset rising cost of living

    RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Saturday ordered a monthly payment of 1,000 riyals ($267) to state employees over the next year in compensation for rising cost of living after the government hiked domestic gas prices and introduced value-added tax (VAT).

    In a royal decree published by state news media, the king also ordered the payment of 5,000 riyals to military personnel serving at the front lines with Yemen where the kingdom is fighting a nearly three-year-old war.

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, roughly doubled gasoline prices on Monday as part of a broad reform initiative aimed at diversifying its economy. A 5 percent VAT on a broad range of goods and services came into effect on the same day.

    The new payment orders were an acknowledgment of “the increased burdens for some segments of the population following from the necessary measures which the state took to restructure the economy,” according to the decree.

    http://www.oann.com/saudi-king-orders-new-monthly-payments-to-offset-cost-of-living-rise-state-tv/

  34. A Trap? North Korea’s sudden interest in talks with the South seems suspicious
    By LU Staff January 5, 2018

    North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has extended a hand for talks with South Korea, but Korea watchers are wary of the North’s intentions.

    North Korea shocked the world Monday, not with a wild threat, but with an offer to engage the South in dialogue. Two days later, the North and South re-opened a dormant hotline for cross-border calls, the first in nearly two years. South Korea has responded positively, but many observers suspect Seoul may be walking into a trap.

    Kim made similar friendly overtures in last year’s New Year’s address, telling Seoul that “positive measures should be taken to improve inter-Korean relations, avoid acute military confrontation, and remove the danger of war between the North and the South.” The North then proceeded to raise regional tensions through repeated military provocations, including both ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests.

    “There is reason to be somewhat suspicious of North Korea,” Lisa Collins, a Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “North Korea is always looking to maximize its national interests in any way that it can.”

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/01/05/trap-north-koreas-sudden-interest-talks-south-seems-suspicious/

    • Kim is up to something, probably buying time to prep for something, all we can do is wait and watch.

  35. What matters about the new investigations into Hillary Clinton
    By J.E. Dyer January 6, 2018

    This week, fresh investigations (or inquiries; at least one set of them is not being dubbed an “investigation”) have reportedly been launched into both the Hillary Clinton email “matter” and the operations of the Clinton Foundation.

    The “fresh look” at Hillary’s emails seems to be couched in slightly odd terms. We’ll get to that in a moment.

    The renewed probe of the Clinton Foundation appears to be straightforward. Hillary’s not getting an “HQ special” with this one, if we go by John Solomon’s article at The Hill on 4 January 2018. The investigation is being done by FBI agents in Arkansas, where the Foundation was started. They are reported to have already interviewed at least one witness.

    Solomon reports:

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/01/06/matters-new-investigations-hillary-clinton/

    • ….if investigators are looking into the use of funds by the Clinton Foundation, they may find other prosecutable irregularities from more recent years. Besides banking and financial violations, it’s not impossible that they may find the improper use of funds gained from racketeering during the Clinton tenure at State. They may actually find things more important than what Hillary could be prosecuted for; they may find adverse national security events that have yet to be uncovered.

      And if they are looking into it all via district staffs, as in Arkansas, and not as an “HQ special” – with top officials seeking ways to suppress indictable information rather than deal with it – the outcome may be a different one from what James Comey and Loretta Lynch came up with in 2016.

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

      Richard: The statute of limitations on Hillary and Huma’s email crimes will be up on February 1, 2018, if not indictment has been filed by then they have gotten away with them. This doesn’t mean that both are off the hook it just means these crimes can’t be prosecuted. If you watched the Rodger Stone interview by Stefan that I posted yesterday there are other investigations and according to his info the email crimes are the tip of the iceberg on Huma’s laptop.

      If the Instigators who saw the other emails thought that this was Huma’s blackmail file (insurance against assisted suicide) there is a lot of very nasty information on the laptop. We don’t know what is being done about this info but the rumors say there are a lot of sealed indictments waiting for all of the investigations to be finished. Rumor says that so it may not be true.

      • “Richard: The statute of limitations on Hillary and Huma’s email crimes will be up on February 1, 2018, if no indictment has been filed by then they have gotten away with them.”

        From all indications, the Justice Department is fully immersed into the
        Deep State. Its lack of prompt action and congenital inability to act accordingly with respect to the severity of HRC’s crimes, all points towards partisan foot-dragging.

        One could only hope that there was some way for Trump to begin a top-down firing (with pension-loss) of Justice Department executives and officials pour encouragé les autres.

        • There are suppose to be 5 separate investigations into the Clinton foundation. These are being run by various state Attorney Generals, FBI offices and State Prosecutors, there are also rumors of a large number of sealed indictments. If they have been indicted the statute of limitations no longer matters. The following video of a former NYC police officer offers some hope that this may be the case or that there is evidence of other crimes that the statute of limitations runs for a much longer time.

          • “If they have been indicted the statute of limitations no longer matters.”

            That is a YUGE relief to know. Thank you.

        • Huma was neck deep in the pay for play scandal and the statute if limitations on that one runs to between 10 and 20 years. Don’t give up hope we may see all of the Clintons serving hard time and all of their property seized under the RICO statutes.

          If Huma has flipped why is she still alive? What other evidence does she have hidden? How much of that evidence has she turned over to the Feds and Locals?

          Don’t give up hope, this possibility may be why the Left is so desperate to kick Trump out of office.

    • BREITBART – GOP Rep. Gaetz: Coming Soon ‘We’ll Be Sending an ‘I’m With Her’ T-shirt to Hillary Clinton’s Cellmate’

      Friday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, explained why it was possible former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, could be charged criminally.

      Gaetz suggested “bribes” were paid to the Clintons’ family charity to influence policy and that foundation was in effect a “money-laundering operation.”[…]

      http://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/01/06/gop-rep-gaetz-coming-soon-well-sending-im-t-shirt-hillary-clintons-cellmate/

      ==================================
      Hillary Clinton surrounded by scandals and investigations

      The Justice Department is investigating Clinton Foundation over ‘pay to play’ allegations, which means Hillary Clinton could be implicated in at least four different ongoing probes

  36. Minister: Norway to extradite cleric if Italy convicts him (abcnews, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/minister-norway-extradite-cleric-italy-convicts-52176930

    “Norway’s justice minister said Saturday that an Iraqi-born cleric suspected of enticing recruits to fight in Iraq and Syria will be extradited if a court in Italy convicts him.

    The Muslim cleric, Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, is scheduled to go on trial in Italy Wednesday without him being physically present in court, Norwegian daily newspaper Nettavisen reported. Ahmad is known as Mullah Krekar in Norway, where he has lived since 1991.

    Italian prosecutors allege that Krekar is behind Rawti Shax, a European network aimed at violently overthrowing the government in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and replacing it with a radical caliphate. Rawti Shax ultimately was to join the Islamic State group, Nettavisen said.

    The prosecutors claim Rawti Shax built up a network of operative cells “to carry out violent actions on European soil or against Western interests to create fear in the population or put pressure on governments and international organizations,” according to the newspaper.

    Krekar has denied the allegations.

    Norwegian Justice Minister Per-Willy Amundsen told Nettavisen that Krekar should be sent to Italy, if he is found guilty…”

    • Mullah Krekar has been a blood tick siphoning off Norway’s tax dollars for over twenty-five years. It’s long overdue to get this jihadist leech into some far away jail cell where his screams of agony will be a source of unrivaled entertainment for his captors.

  37. Egypt tightens security ahead of Coptic Christmas (abcnews, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egypt-tightens-security-ahead-coptic-christmas-52178330

    “Tens of thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed across Egypt to protect minority Christians and their churches on the eve of Orthodox Christmas.

    The overwhelming majority of Egypt’s Christians are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.

    The Coptic pontiff, Pope Tawadros II, will lead Christmas Mass later Saturday at an unfinished cathedral in Egypt’s new Administrative Capital, a multi-billion dollar, under-construction project east of Cairo.

    The tight security is in anticipation of attacks by Islamic militants who have targeted Christians since December 2016 with a series of bombings, killing about 100 people.

    A militant opened fire outside a suburban Cairo church on Dec. 29, killing at least nine people.

    An Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for most attacks on Christians.”

  38. Insurgents attack Myanmar soldiers in Rakhine, injuring 6 (abcnews, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/insurgents-attack-myanmar-soldiers-rakhine-injuring-52177693

    “Six Myanmar soldiers were injured in an insurgent attack in northern Rakhine state, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since the army launched a crackdown in August following militant attacks on police posts, officials said.

    The military said in a statement posted on the commander in chief’s Facebook page that the attackers were from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, the militant group blamed for the attacks on police posts.

    More than 20 insurgents using improvised explosives attacked the soldiers’ truck, which was coming from Taungpyo township in northern Rakhine on Friday, the government said in a statement on its Facebook page.

    Six injured soldiers were taken to a military hospital, border guard police official Sann Oo said by phone Saturday.

    In the past, the military has retaliated against Rohingya following such attacks…”

  39. Egyptians attack police station after detainee’s death (abcnews, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egyptians-attack-police-station-detainees-death-52176719

    “Egypt’s official news agency says dozens of protesters have attacked a Cairo police station over reports that a detainee died in custody.

    State-run MENA quoted an unnamed security official Saturday as saying that protesters set a police car ablaze, hurled stones and tried to storm the station. The official said the detainee was charged in a drug case, without elaborating.

    The official said security forced fired tear gas and arrested several people. The clashes wounded several people…”

  40. ‘Demographic Gerrymandering’? Pro-Migration Scottish Government Considers Giving Migrants the Vote (breitbart, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/06/welcoming-nation-scotland-moves-to-give-asylum-seekers-the-vote/

    “Scotland may become the first British nation to hand refugees and asylum seekers the vote, leading to concerns of election-rigging by pro-migration parties.

    The power to make major changes to the Scottish electorate was devolved to Scotland’s regional administration in 2016, and the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) has already lowered the voting age to 16.

    Now, a consultation document is suggesting the franchise be extended to everyone residing in Scotland legally, including non-citizens from outside the British Commonwealth and the European Union.

    “As citizens from a very wide range of countries come to live and work in Scotland, it can be considered discriminatory to deny the right to vote to resident immigrants who are neither EU nor Commonwealth citizens,” the document suggests.

    “It can be argued that it is undemocratic to give voting rights to some legal immigrants but not to others.

    “It seems only just that everyone legally resident in Scotland should have voting rights, allowing them to influence government and parliamentary decision-making.”…”

  41. Italy’s Lega Nord Commits to Leaving the Euro, Tripling Deportations, and Securing the Border (breitbart, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/06/italys-lega-nord-euro-tripling-deportations-securing-border/

    “Matteo Salvini, who leads Italy’s nationalist-populist Lega Nord (Northern League), has committed to leaving the European Union’s single currency zone if he wins big in this year’s elections.

    Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament and a fellow Italian, had recently suggested that the right-leaning firebrand was reversing course on his long-running plan to leave the euro, which Salvini believes erodes national sovereignty and disadvantages the economies of Southern Europe to Germany’s advantage.

    “Free interpretations of my thinking make me laugh,” Salvini told La Repubblica.

    “I remain convinced … that the euro under these conditions was an error, which we will remedy.”…”

  42. What Happened in Sweden: Security Chief Says Terror Threat Is ‘New Normal’ (breitbart, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/06/sweden-security-chief-terror-threat-new-normal/

    “The Director-General of the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) has confessed that terrorism is now the “new normal” in his country.

    Anders Thornberg told the BBC that, while the Scandinavian country only had to monitor around 200 extremists a few years ago, it now has at least 3,000 to contend with — no small task for a country of just 10 million people, where the authorities are already unable to deal with a growing migrant crime wave.

    “We have never seen something like this before in my career in the service,” admitted the security chief, who has served with Säpo for three decades. “We have a new normal.”…”

  43. Shock in Hannover: Albanian Man Repeatedly Rapes Young Woman in Broad Daylight (sputniknews, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801061060554593-hannover-albanian-rape-woman-germany/

    “A blood-chilling crime has hit the headlines of German media – not only due to its degree of violence, but because it reportedly happened in a public place.

    A 24-year-old Albanian man knocked on the door of a young woman’s apartment in the German city of Hannover on Thursday morning. After she opened the door and took a few steps into the street, he dragged her to the basement stairs of a block of flats and sexually assaulted her there, Sputnik Deutschland reports, citing local media.

    In tears and panic, the woman managed to break free and ran away from the assailant. He then chased her, apparently unimpeded.

    “We assume there must have been witnesses,” a police spokesman commented, according to Bild.de.

    However, the torture did not end at that point. The abuser caught up with the victim and again sexually abused her, this time on school grounds. Only then did two people call the police, who arrested the perpetrator.

    The woman is said to know the man who assaulted her. Her age has not been not disclosed for security reasons.”

  44. German CDU/CSU Alliance Suggests Deporting Foreigners for Anti-Semitic Views (sputniknews, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201801061060556092-germany-deporting-foreigners/

    “MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Angela Merkel’s bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union wants to introduce draft legislation at a session of the Bundestag that allows for the deportation of foreigners who have anti-Semitic views and do not recognize the existence of Israel as a state, local media reported Saturday, citing the document.

    “The ones who are against the Jews living in Germany or put in question the existence of Israel cannot have a place in our country,” the draft read.

    The German lawmakers would reportedly like the government to consider whether prosecution for the public burning of Israeli flag or anti-Semitic motto could be initiated as well.

    According to the newspaper, the proposal will be introduced shortly before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

    The initiative comes amid renewed tensions between Palestinians and Israelis triggered by the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The city has been contested by both sides since the Six-Day War in 1967, as a result of which Israel gained control over the holy site of the three religions. The move also provoked protests in Muslim countries across the Middle East and Muslim communities worldwide.”

  45. 11 Saudi princes arrested for protesting utility bills at ruling palace – media (RT, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.rt.com/news/415160-saudi-princes-protest-arrest/

    “Saudi Arabia’s Royal Guard reportedly arrested royal family members over a protest at one of the king’s palaces in Riyadh. The princes apparently demanded utility payments be canceled, and compensation for a relative’s execution.

    The royals, whose names were not disclosed, were sent to Saudi Arabia’s largest maximum-security facility – Al-Ha’ir – located south of the capital, Riyadh Saudi news site Sabq reported on Saturday. ..”

  46. German and Turkish officials vow to end spat (BBC, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42591115

    “Germany’s foreign minister has held talks with his Turkish counterpart in a bid to “overcome difficulties” and improve relations between the nations.

    Sigmar Gabriel said “open talks” with Mevlut Cavusoglu were “held in mutual respect” despite their differences.

    Relations between the Nato allies and trade partners deteriorated after the failed coup in Turkey in 2016.

    The talks in Germany came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met France’s Emmanuel Macron.

    On Saturday Mr Gabriel, who hosted Mr Cavusoglu at his home in the central German city of Goslar, said the two had “given ourselves the task to do everything to overcome the difficulties in German-Turkish relations”.

    The pair acknowledged their differences, including Germany’s opposition to Turkey gaining membership of the European Union. Germany is also seeking the release of journalist Deniz Yucel, held in a Turkish jail without charge for 10 months.

    Mr Gabriel said after the talks that it was “time to find more common ground in the future by remembering everything that binds us together”. Germany is Turkey’s biggest export market and has the world’s largest Turkish diaspora.

    Turkey’s relations with its European partners have been frosty for some time, and with Germany in particular. Relations began to decline in March 2016 after President Erdogan filed a criminal complaint against a German TV comic over an obscene poem about the Turkish leader.

    But relations worsened after the failed coup in Turkey against Mr Erdogan in July 2016 in which more than 250 people died.

    The subsequent crackdown has seen some 50,000 people arrested and another 150,000 either suspended from their jobs or sacked.

    Turkey has since accused its European partners in Nato of harbouring coup plotters, prompting Germany and France to complain about the purge.

    In 2017 President Erdogan lashed out at Germany after the Berlin government refused to let some of his allies campaign for him there before a controversial referendum on increasing his powers.

    Mr Gabriel had at the time accused Mr Erdogan of an “unprecedented” act of interference in German sovereignty. A majority of Germany’s ethnic Turkish voters backed Mr Erdogan in the April 2017 vote…”

  47. Libya says at least 25 migrants drowned after boat capsizes (abcnews, Jan 6, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/libya-25-migrants-drowned-boat-capsizes-52179155

    “A Libyan navy spokesman says at least 25 migrants have drowned off the North African nation’s coast while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

    Brig. Gen. Ayoub Qassim says the migrants’ boat capsized and sank in international waters and that the Libyan navy did not have the resources to rush to their rescue.

    Qassim told The Associated Press on Saturday that the boat sailed off Garbouli, east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, with more than 100 people on board. He speculated that bad weather conditions may have caused the boat to capsize…”

  48. Italy’s coast guard says eight migrants died at sea (reuters, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-migrants-italy-rescue/italys-coast-guard-says-eight-migrants-died-at-sea-idUKKBN1EV0J7?rpc=401&

    “The Italian coast guard recovered the bodies of eight people as it rescued a further 84 from dinghy that ran into trouble off Libya’s coast, it said on Saturday.

    The coast guard said the migrants had been spotted by a plane patrolling the sea.”

  49. Sudanese police scatter protest sparked by bread price hike (reuters, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-sudan-protests/sudanese-police-scatter-protest-sparked-by-bread-price-hike-idUKKBN1EV0JI?rpc=401&

    “Sudanese police fired teargas on Saturday to disperse some 400 demonstrators who marched through the city of Sennar to protest against a hike in bread prices, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

    The were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

    Bread prices in Sudan have doubled since the government eliminated subsidies this week under its 2018 budget.

    The price of a loaf of bread rose from 0.5 Sudanese pounds (7 cents) to 1 pound, the Bakeries Union said on Friday, after the prices of wheat flour rose.

    “We were protesting today against the rise in bread prices and we call on the government to scrap it,” said a protestor in Sennar, about 300 km (185 miles) south of Khartoum.

    “We can’t afford to buy a piece of bread for a whole pound,” said the demonstrator, who did not want to give his name.

    The ministry of interior could not be reached for comment…”

  50. Qatar allows 100% ownership for foreign investors (memo, Jan 6, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180106-qatar-allows-100-ownership-for-foreign-investors/

    “The government in Qatar has approved a law which permits 100 per cent ownership for foreign investors in most sectors of the economy, AFP has reported. It was previously restricted to 49 per cent. This move has been made in a bid to attract foreign capital to the Gulf State, as well as boost non-energy related revenue.

    Shaikh Ahmed Ben Jasim, the Economic and Trade Minister, said that the law pushes forward the cycle of economic development. “It boosts Qatar’s status in global economic indicators as one among those countries which facilitate businesses.”

    While the law allows overseas investors to own 100 per cent of their businesses, according to AFP they will not be allowed to purchase real estate or own franchises. Investing in banking and insurance still needs special government permission.

    In a related move last August, Qatar announced visa exemptions for 80 nationalities. The government has been seeking ways to secure new revenue streams in an attempt to bridge the economic gap caused by the boycott by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt which started in June last year.”