Reader’s links: January 27, 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

142 Replies to “Reader’s links: January 27, 2018”

  1. DAILY MAIL – Hate probe as former mayor calls headmistress who banned the hijab in primary school an ‘evil racist’

    Salim Mulla accused of being part of hate campaign that targeted Neena Lall
    Banned headscarf and fasting for pupils under eight at St Stephen’s Primary
    But the school is said to have been bullied into reversing the move

    A former mayor is being investigated over claims he called a headmistress who banned the hijab an ‘evil racist’.

    Salim Mulla is accused of being part of a hate campaign that targeted primary school headmistress Neena Lall.

    As part of attempts to help children integrate into British society, she banned the Islamic headscarf and fasting for pupils under eight at St Stephen’s Primary in Newham, East London.

    But the school is said to have been bullied into reversing the move after it received ‘ridiculous oppression and intimidation’ in emails and online comments from around the country.

    Mr Mulla, a serving Labour councillor in Blackburn – some 240 miles away – is accused of being part of a campaign that led to Miss Lall caving in and her chairman of governors resigning.

    In one Facebook post, he wrote: ‘Work needs to be done to get this evil woman out of school. She must go. She is racist bigot.’ Blackburn council’s leader Mohammed Khan said Mr Mulla’s behaviour was ‘not acceptable’ and the authority would ‘deal with him’. He confirmed the former mayor – whose Facebook profile picture shows him in civic regalia shaking hands with the Queen – would not run in this year’s local election.

    Mr Mulla, who was mayor four years ago, was suspended by the Labour Party in 2016 over alleged anti-Semitic posts online. He was reinstated last year after being cleared by an investigation.

    It follows revelations that Labour councillors who campaigned against the school ban have ties to the hardline Islamic group Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND), which claimed credit for the U-turn. MEND says its aim is to encourage Muslims to become more active in public life, but has been linked with speakers who have promoted jihad and homophobia.

    Mr Mulla yesterday stood by his comments about Miss Lall, who is a Sikh. He said: ‘I think she was racist; she doesn’t understand the religion because she is not part of that religion. I spoke as an individual, I did not make the comment as a councillor or former mayor.’

    He added: ‘I stand by the comment about the racist element, but I probably would retract that [calling Miss Lall evil].’ More than 20,000 people had signed an online petition against the move.

    St Stephen’s, which is rated outstanding by Ofsted, reversed the ban last week. Miss Lall, 50, apologised to parents on Tuesday and chairman of governors Arif Qawi resigned. He has now accused the Government of leaving staff exposed to bullying from ‘extremists’ over the hijab ban.

    Mr Qawi, 54, wrote to Education Secretary Damian Hinds: ‘I am flabbergasted why you and the Department for Education have stayed silent on this subject, rather than firmly enforcing the head’s decision. This lack of support, and weak attitude, will be very detrimental to the nation’s children.’

    He added that staff felt ‘badly let down’ and agreed to resign ‘against every fibre in my body… if that would lay the matter to rest’.

    A school insider said the ban was brought in because the hijab was ‘alienating’ young girls. But one mother said parents were angry because only one faith was targeted. The Labour Party refused to comment. The DfE said it had contacted the school over staff intimidation.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5318581/Ex-mayor-calls-head-banned-hijab-racist.html

  2. DAILY MAIL – Former Afghanistan terror hostage used rope in sexual attack and broomstick in assault on his return to Canada’ as court orders he undergo 60-days of psychological tests

    Joshua Boyle was read 19 charges of assault and sexual assault in court Friday
    The 34-year-old, his wife and three children were freed from captivity in Afghanistan in October 2017
    He allegedly assaulted a victim between the release and December 30
    Boyle allegedly used a broomstick in an assault and rope in a sexual assault
    He was arrested January 1 and initially charged with 15 counts of assault, which were amended Friday
    Boyle will now undergo 60-day psychological exam before next court apperance

    The former Afghanistan hostage who was freed along with his wife and three children in October used ropes and a broomstick in a series of physical and sexual assaults, a court heard Friday.

    Joshua Boyle was charged with 19 counts of assault, sexual assault, threatening to cause death and administering a noxious substance, according to CBC.CA.

    The 34-year-old was arrested January 1 and initially charged with 15 counts of assault against two victims between October 14, the day he returned to Canada from imprisonment and December 30.

    And when the new charges were read Friday, it was also revealed Boyle will be ordered to undergo a 60-day psychological assessment in Brockville, Ontario, before his next court appearance.

    Boyle’s attorney Lawrence Greenspon said Friday that the former hostage was found fit to stand trial, but that a doctor thought he would benefit from a more ‘comprehensive’ assessment.’

    He is expected to be transferred to the Brockville Mental Health Centre’s secure forensic treatment unit in the coming days, according to CBC.

    His next court appearance is scheduled for March 26 via video link.

    Boyle was initially arrested on January 1, and 15 charges of assault and sexual assault were filed against him.

    But the initial charges were withdrawn on Friday when Boyle appeared in court via video from a detention center in Ottowa. They were replaced with 19 new charges related to just one victim.

    Those charges include one count of sexual assault with ropes, nine counts of assault, and one count of assault with a broomstick.

    He was also charged with uttering a threat to cause death, three counts of unlawful confinement, administering a noxious substance, public mischief and criminal harassment.

    Further details of the alleged assaults are not yet clear.

    Boyle, his American wife Caitlan and their three children were freed in October in Pakistan – five years after the couple was abducted by a Taliban-linked group during a backpacking trip in Afghanistan.

    The children – two boys aged two and four and a baby girl – were born in captivity.

    The purported acts allegedly occurred after Boyle returned to Canada between October 14 and December 30.

    In a statement to the Toronto Star after his arrest, Boyle’s wife wrote: ‘I can’t speak about the specific charges, but I can say that ultimately it is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this.’

    ‘Obviously, he is responsible for his own actions but it is with compassion and forgiveness that I say I hope help and healing can be found for him. As to the rest of us, myself and the children, we are healthy and holding up as well as we can.’

    When the family returned to Canada in October, they briefly stayed with Boyle’s parents in Smith’s Falls, Ontario, but have since moved to an apartment in Ottowa.

    Boyle told the Associated Press in October that his wife had been hospitalized in Ottawa, but did not specify why she was taken there. He took a picture of her in her hospital bed at the time.

    During their captivity, the couple claimed that their guards forced Caitlan to undergo an abortion and even raped her.

    The group has denied the accusation of sexual assault and the forced abortion, saying instead that Caitlan suffered a miscarriage.

    Pakistani troops rescued the family in an operation October 11 aimed at their captors, the Taliban-linked Haqqani group.

    The Pakistanis caught the Haqqani fighters at some point after they had moved with their captives across the border from Afghanistan.

    Caitlan said that they were being moved in a car when they came under fire and were rescued by the Pakistani forces.

    Boyle said he was hit by shrapnel in the incident and that the last thing he heard his captors say was ‘kill the hostages’.

    Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the operation was based on a tip from US intelligence.

    Boyle was once briefly married to Zaynab Khadr, the older sister of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr and the daughter of a senior al-Qaida financier who had contacts with Osama bin Laden.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5318633/Afghanistan-hostage-used-rope-broom-assault.html

    Ex-hostage Joshua Boyle to seek further psych assessment: Lawyer

  3. With ‘Support of the Turkish People,’ Ankara Vows Larger Offensive in Syria (sputniknews, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801271061111207-support-turkish-ankara-syria-offensive/

    “The Turkish-led assault on Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) positions in Afrin, Syria, is going to expand in scope to include an offensive on the town of Manbij, where US military personnel are stationed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week…”

        • They lost that a long time ago.

          Please reconsider that statement. The media’s “critical eye” was not “lost” (in any genuine meaning of the word). All of these anti-Western termites know damn well exactly where their faculties of critical analysis were (willingly) dispatched to.

          What’s really happening is far more ugly and malignant. Journalists once regarded empirical truth as the “father” of all respectable reporting. Instead, like something straight out of a Greek play, the media has blinded itself in an act of Oedipal repentance for the Politically Incorrect act of having publicly described reality instead of—as they currently do—portraying the cloud cuckoo land of Liberal narratives.

          Everyone can give a big round of applause to top-tier journalism schools like Columbia University—that staunch supporter of Feminism and gay rights which, nevertheless, invited Iran’s Ahmadinejad as a featured speaker—for demagnetizing the moral compass of generations of journalists and authors.

          The media’s obeisance to Liberalism’s open declaration that toleration of the intolerable is a New Virtue™ is what we now see, just as “truthiness” has replaced empirical fact and appeals to emotion (a favorite Liberal strategy) have been substituted for logical argument or genuine critical analysis.

          Reversing this trend will one of the more onerous tasks that face Western populations. The least traumatic measure is a routine boycott of all output being spewed by these traitorous news outlets.

          Thankfully, this is happening to a significant degree as the general public has eschewed much of print media and even begun to “cut the cord” by halting cable television subscriptions. Clearly—as shown by their corporate profit and loss statements—this is not enough.

          Please recall that six corporations control 90% of American media. This single statistic is indicative of the arduous struggle that awaits those who seek a return of journalistic integrity.

          We, as a nation, are morally obliged to find a path out of this treasonous reportorial thicket that does not solely rely upon violence. That said, there is every indication that these media termites will not be unseated by anything less than physical force.

          So be it.

  4. Syrian Kurdish YPG Reports Repelling Major Assault in Afrin Region (sputniknews, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801271061111693-ypg-repel-afrin-assault/

    “Syria’s Kurdish militia YPG repelled a major offensive overnight by pro-Turkish Syrian rebels in the northwestern region of Afrin, killing dozens of fighters, the YPG command told Sputnik on Saturday.

    “Pro-Turkish militants attacked the villages of Ain Daqna and Belule where YPG and YPJ [female division] were lying in wait. Eighty-three militants were killed in a fierce fight that followed,” the command said.

    The Kurdish forces have published videos that allegedly showed the bodies of killed Syrian militants. The militia did not disclose their casualties…”

    • At the moment the Kurds are our allies, we need to support them to the best or our ability which given what is happening in the Far East may not be possible in the near future.

  5. Acid attack epidemic: RECORD number of incidents in London last year, data reveals (express, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/910659/acid-crime-london-metropolitan-police-acid-attacks-gangs-uk

    “THERE has been a record number of acid attacks in London in 2017, Metropolitan Police data has revealed after a freedom of information request, as street gangs are increasingly using acid to target people.

    Acid attacks have increased six-fold in the capital over six years…”

    • Acid attacks have increased six-fold in the capital over six years…

      Clearly, this report was not vetted by the office of London’s Lord Mayor.

      Otherwise, we might be hearing Sadiq Khan blather on about inexplicable and totally random, “oxidizer splashing” events.

  6. Pakistan tells India ‘hostility is your fault’ as fears of all-out war continue to grow (express, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/910652/india-pakistan-conflict-war-nuclear-weapon-united-nations-Khawaja-Asif-warning

    “A FRANK and alarming message has been sent to India by the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khawaja Asif, as he claimed unprovoked hostile statements from the county’s leadership risked causing war in the region.

    Addressing parliament he accused the Indian Government of being involved in sabotage and terrorist activities in Pakistan.

    Tensions between the two Asian nations have raged over the last few months with India being forced to evacuate “over 36,000” people from areas along its border to escape heavy shelling.

    However, Pakistan has blamed New Delhi for the atrocities that have occurred so far and insist they are interested in working with their neighbour to improve relations…”

    • Pakistan tells India ‘hostility is your fault’ as fears of all-out war continue to grow

      As even slightly retarded students of history can tell us, Hindus are responsible for repeated genocides and cross-border invasions, totally unlike poor widdle Islam.

      Muslim terrorism is (bar none) a principal driver of global unrest (for how many centuries?). Islam’s implacable dedication to jihad and sharia law will see much of Dar al-harb adopting Communist China’s policies towards its Uyghur Muslims.

      When (not “if”) that adoption—to whatever degree—happens, the extent of global grief might possibly be measurable with such supremely sensitive instruments like electron microscopes, micro-balances, and atomic force microscopes.

      Far more measurable will be the deafening planetary laughter at the demise of this odious and barbaric ideology. I, for one, will join in with unabashed delight.

  7. German federal police use Trojan virus to evade phone encryption (DW, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.dw.com/en/german-federal-police-use-trojan-virus-to-evade-phone-encryption/a-42328466

    “A report in German media has said that the BKA accesses data before it is encrypted and inaccessible. While police argue the tool is essential for investigations, critics have warned of a state invasion of privacy.

    Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is using a Trojan virus as a tool to access data documents of suspected individuals on their smartphones before the information becomes encrypted by apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, according to a report by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcasters WDR and NDR.

    The BKA uses the controversial software, which it refers to as “source telecommunication surveillance,” to take advantage of security gaps that exist unbeknownst to the public.

    The BKA maintains that using the virus allows them to more effectively investigate digital communication, but security experts say that the tool could be used by criminals. In addition, anti-surveillance activists argue that its use is an invasion of personal security by the state — a sensitive subject in Germany given the country’s history of surveillance under both the Nazi regime and the state police in the German Democratic Republic during the communist era.

    Federal police use the Trojan virus to access information stored on tablets, desktop computers, and laptops, alongside smartphones. They have complained for years that encryption services, which keep messages between users private, have prevented effective investigations since more and more individuals use such apps for their daily communication…”

  8. 34 ISIS militants in ongoing operations in East of Afghanistan (khaama, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://www.khaama.com/34-isis-militants-in-ongoing-operations-in-east-of-afghanistan-04356

    “At least thirty four militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed or wounded during the operations in eastern Nangrhar province of Afghanistan.

    The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan army in the East said the militants were killed during the airstrikes and ground operations in Deh Bala district.

    According to the Silab Corps officials, the operations were conducted in Charwazi, Miaji Baba center, and Kanja Worod Khana areas.

    The officials further added that the operations are still underway against the terror group in the restive parts of Nangahrar province.

    The anti-government armed militant groups including the ISIS militants have not commented regarding the report so far…”

      • Thank you, Miss Piggy. Personally, I typically reject such terms as “bitch” and “cunt”. This sort of vocabulary always has revolted me and only the intervention of über-Liberals that have caused me extreme harm were able to help me overcome my longstanding opposition to using such vile words.

        Please know how grateful I am that you, as a modern woman, demonstrate whatever immunity you’ve obtained to these (otherwise repulsive) terms. Sad as it may be, such labels may well migrate into common usage specifically because of “(C)rap music” whorish hags like Hillary Clinton continually popularizing them.

        However much I dislike this notion, it is impossible to dismiss such an outcome. Again, I can only be glad that there are understanding (feminine) minds like yours roaming at large in this world. Without responsible, gender-based input from honest participants (i.e., women) like you, everything would be an order of magnitude more difficult for unashamed Alpha Males—as in; evil, politically incorrect, waycist, dedicated heterosexual, Capitalist, rational, scientific, anti-immigration, counterjihadist, chivalrous, testorone-poisoned, MEN—like me.

        For that, I cannot thank you enough.

        • My dog had a noble mother who was indeed a bitch, but her papers listed her as the “Dame”. But his father, the sire, was never called “Sir”.
          sssssssexism

  9. Minorities Step over White Working-Class Pupils in England’s Failing Schools (breitbart, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/27/minorities-white-working-class-pupils-england-failing-schools/

    “New Department for Education statistics show one in eight English schools are ‘failing’, with white working-class pupils served especially badly.

    The figures show 12 per cent of mainstream secondary schools are failing to meet the ‘floor standard’ set by the government — an increase of 29 per cent on the previous year, according to Schools Week.

    Moreover, they show that pupils who speak English as a second language are now outperforming native speakers for the first time, on every measure recorded by the Department for Education…”

  10. Indian police stop Hindu, Muslim rioting that killed 1 (wapo, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indian-police-stop-hindu-muslim-rioting-that-killed-1/2018/01/27/4cf5e6b6-0342-11e8-86b9-8908743c79dd_story.html

    “Indian police say they rushed security forces to a northern town where a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups left one person dead and three others injured during India’s National Day celebrations.

    Uttar Pradesh state police spokesman Rahul Srivastava says the two groups shot guns and attacked each other with rocks on Friday in Kasganj, a small town in the state.

    Srivastava said police defused the situation and no fresh violence was reported on Saturday.

    Muslims comprise nearly 14 percent of India’s nearly 1.3 billion people. The two communities largely live peacefully, but simmering tensions lead to clashes at times.”

    • Muslims comprise nearly 14 percent of India’s nearly 1.3 billion people. The two communities largely live peacefully, but simmering tensions lead to clashes at times.”

      Pure rocking horse manure! The constant flood of Islamic violence within India (not to mention Kashmir) is a fount of incessant murder, mayhem, rape, and regional strife which characterizes the presence of Muslims everywhere else in the entire world.

      Please try and consider what “nearly 14 percent of India’s nearly 1.3 billion people” represents according to the following roster:

      From Dr. Peter Hammond’s 2010 book:

      Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.
      [Emphasis Added]

      NOTE: Please imagine just how much worse things have gotten over the past near-DECADE since this book’s publication.
      ———–
      As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

      United States — Muslim 0.6%
      Australia — Muslim 1.5%
      Canada — Muslim 1.9%
      China — Muslim 1.8%
      Italy — Muslim 1.5%
      Norway — Muslim 1.8%

      At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

      Denmark — Muslim 2%
      Germany — Muslim 3.7%
      United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
      Spain — Muslim 4%
      Thailand — Muslim 4.6%

      From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

      France — Muslim 8%
      Philippines — 5%
      Sweden — Muslim 5%
      Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
      The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
      Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8%

      At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world. When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:

      Guyana — Muslim 10%
      India — Muslim 13.4%
      Israel — Muslim 16%
      Kenya — Muslim 10%
      Russia — Muslim 15%

      After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

      Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%
      At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

      Bosnia — Muslim 40%
      Chad — Muslim 53.1%
      Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%

      From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non- believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

      Albania — Muslim 70%
      Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
      Qatar — Muslim 77.5%
      Sudan — Muslim 70%

      After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

      Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
      Egypt — Muslim 90%
      Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
      Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
      Iran — Muslim 98%
      Iraq — Muslim 97%
      Jordan — Muslim 92%
      Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
      Pakistan — Muslim 97%
      Palestine — Muslim 99%
      Syria — Muslim 90%
      Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
      Turkey — Muslim 99.8%
      United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%

      100% will usher in the peace of ‘Dar-al-Salaam’ — the Islamic House of Peace. Here there’s supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrassas are the only schools, and the Koran is the only “Word”, such as in:

      Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
      Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
      Somalia — Muslim 100%
      Yemen — Muslim 100%

      Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
      ———–
      This is what awaits a world that remains unwilling to vigorously oppose Islamic predation. The role that mass media and (especially) social media plays in downplaying this imperative objective is something that warrants criminal prosecution and, even, capital punishment.

      • Israel’s at least 20%.
        That’s what brings the Country IQ down to average 98.

        India is blessed to have militantly _Hindu_ Narendra Modi as prime minister. If anybody can navigate this subcontinental mess, it’s this graceful, charismatic, yogi patriot.

        Don’t expect him to leap when the U.S. president smiles coyly. The next one could be as much of an enemy as 0.

  11. U.S. tells Turkey it will end weapons support for Syrian Kurdish YPG – Anadolu (reuters, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-usa/u-s-tells-turkey-it-will-end-weapons-support-for-syrian-kurdish-ypg-anadolu-idUKKBN1FG08U?rpc=401&

    “The United States has told Turkey it will not provide any more weapons to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, Turkish state media said on Saturday, as Turkey’s offensive by against the U.S.-backed YPG in Syria entered its eighth day…”

    • Not provide any more weapons, this isn’t as big a stab in the back as some expected. This promise can be gotten around by giving the weapons to other Kurdish groups who then decide that their brothers in the YPG need some of the new weapons.

  12. Kabul bomb attack kills three and injures 79 in Afghan capital (BBC, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42843897

    “A suicide bombing has killed at least three people and injured 79 others in the centre of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, officials say.

    It happened near the old interior ministry building, which is close to the offices of the European Union and the High Peace Council.

    The Taliban have said they carried out the attack. There are reports an ambulance was used to hide the bomb.

    A week ago, Taliban militants killed 22 people in a luxury Kabul hotel…”

    • At least 17 dead in car bomb at checkpoint near embassies in Afghan capital (reuters, Jan 27, 2018)
      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/at-least-17-dead-in-car-bomb-at-checkpoint-near-embassies-in-afghan-capital-idUSKBN1FG086?il=0

      “A bomb hidden in an ambulance killed at least 17 people and wounded about 110 at a police checkpoint in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, in an area near foreign embassies and government buildings, officials said…”

    • More than 95 dead and 158 wounded in Kabul bombing claimed by Taliban

      An ambulance packed with explosives blew up in a crowded area of Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

      The explosion – one of the biggest since a truck bomb ripped through the Afghan capital’s diplomatic quarter on May 31 last year – triggered chaotic scenes as terrified people fled the area where several high-profile organisations, including the European Union, have offices.

      An AFP reporter saw “lots of dead and wounded” civilians in the nearby Jamuriate hospital where overwhelmed medical staff struggled to treat bloodied men, women and children lying in corridors.

      The force of the blast shook windows of buildings at least two kilometres (more than a mile) away and shattered windows within hundreds of metres of the site.

      Some low-rise structures in the vicinity of the explosion also collapsed.

      “The suicide bomber used an ambulance to pass through the checkpoints. He passed through the first checkpoint saying he was taking a patient to Jamuriate hospital and at the second checkpoint he was recognised and blew his explosive-laden car,” interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.

      The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on social media – their second deadly assault in Kabul in the space of a week.

      ‘Massacre’

      The Italian NGO Emergency said seven dead and 70 injured had been taken to its hospital, with its coordinator Dejan Panic tweeting that it had been a “massacre”.

      Outside civilians walked through debris-covered streets carrying wounded people on their backs as others loaded several bodies at a time into ambulances and private cars to take them to medical facilities around the city.

      Aminullah, whose stationery shop is a just feet from the site of the blast, said the force of the explosion shook the foundations of his building.

      “The building shook. All our windows broke. The people are in shock in our market,” he told AFP.

      Photos shared on social media purportedly of the blast showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky.

      A man told Tolo News he was passing the area when the explosion happened.

      “I heard a big bang and I fainted,” he said, outside the Emergency hospital.

      “There were dozens of people who were killed and wounded. There were pools of blood.”

      The explosion happened in a busy part of the city where the High Peace Council, which is charged with negotiating with the Taliban, has offices.

      “It targeted our checkpoint. It was really huge – all our windows are broken,” Hassina Safi, a member of High Peace Council, told AFP.

      “So far we don’t have any reports if any of our members are wounded or killed.”

      Members of the European Union’s delegation in Kabul were in their “safe room” and there were no casualties, an official told AFP.

      The explosion comes exactly a week after Taliban militants stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing at least 22 people, the majority foreigners.

      A security alert issued to foreigners on Saturday morning had warned that the Islamic State group, which has terrorised the city in recent months, was planning “to conduct aggressive attacks” on supermarkets, shops and hotels frequented by foreigners.

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/27/huge-blast-rocks-centre-kabul/
      ============================================

      At least 95 dead after explosion in Afghan capital Kabul

      KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 95 people were killed and 158 people injured after explosives hidden in an ambulance were detonated at a police checkpoint in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, officials said Saturday.

      The attacker used an ambulance to get through one security checkpoint by telling police he was taking a patient to a nearby hospital. He then detonated his explosives at a second check point, said Nasrat Rahimi, deputy spokesperson for the Interior Ministry.

      Rahimi said police had detained four suspects in connection with the attack.

      https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/least-17-dead-after-explosion-afghan-capital-kabul-n841581

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

      • An ambulance packed with explosives…

        Does anyone else get the same overwhelming sense of irony that I obtain from this single phrase?

        Packing an ambulance with bombs?

        What greater degree of utter disregard can be shown for innocent human life than loading an emergency rescue vehicle with explosives?

        Is there any further proof this world needs (aside from the flagrantly offensive Beslan Atrocity) that Islam is no longer worthy of concern or polite treatment by Western powers?

        Muslims had best begin violently retaliating against their jihadist overlords. The sole alternative is extermination at the hands of a perpetually enraged (nuclear-armed) West.

  13. 8 Dead as Int’l Coalition Mistakenly Hits Iraq Forces (aawsat, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1156416/8-dead-int%E2%80%99l-coalition-mistakenly-hits-iraq-forces

    “Eight Iraqis were killed on Saturday, most of them security personnel, in a US air strike that apparently targeted their convoy by mistake west of Anbar, a provincial official said.

    “Eight people — a senior intelligence official, five policemen and a woman — were killed by a US strike on the center of Al-Baghdadi,” a town in western Iraq, the official said, asking not to be identified.

    “It seems the strike was a mistake,” the official said of the incident in the Euphrates Valley town, adjacent to the Ain al-Asad airbase 250 kilometers west of the capital…”

  14. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal released – family sources (reuters, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-saudi-arrests-princealwaleed/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-bin-talal-released-family-sources-idUKKBN1FG0E1

    “Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been released from detention, family sources said on Saturday, more than two months after he was taken into custody in the kingdom’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.

    His release came hours after he told Reuters in an exclusive interview at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh that he expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing and be released from custody within days.

    Family sources said Prince Alwaleed was released on Saturday.

    “He has he arrived home,” one told Reuters…”

  15. Gunmen kill at least 14 Mali soldiers in attack: army sources (reuters, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security/gunmen-kill-at-least-14-mali-soldiers-in-attack-army-sources-idUSKBN1FG0IE?il=0

    “Unidentified gunmen overran a military camp near Timbuktu in northern Mali early on Saturday, killing at least 14 soldiers, two army officers said.

    “Around 6 a.m. (0600 GMT), unidentified armed men attacked the post in Soumpi. The provisional toll is 14 dead, 17 wounded and two enemies killed. The search is still on for those missing,” one of the sources said.”

  16. Judging from this story and the little video, it looks like Hillary is hitting the sauce big time. Someone on the inside should take her to an AA meeting- she’s really getting very sloppy in her old age.

    Check out the part where she calls out the “activist bitches.” Nothing more demeaning than an aging grandmother trying to be cool and tough. She’s just pitiful.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5318889/Hillary-responds-accusations-wouldnt-fire-Strider.html

  17. JW Pres. Tom Fitton on FBI Texts Scandal, DOJ Stonewalling JW on Mueller, & DACA/Amnesty

  18. Tax Incentive Puts More Robots on Factory Floors
    Recent changes in the tax code are encouraging many U.S. manufacturers to install robots and replace aging machines

    New tax rules are hastening automation and modernizing in U.S. factories by giving manufacturers an incentive to buy machinery and boost productivity in a tight labor market.

    For the next five years, the revised tax code allows companies to immediately deduct the entire cost of equipment purchases from their taxable income. Previously, companies generally were allowed to write off only a portion of the cost in a single year.

    The change is encouraging manufacturers to install robots and replace aging machines sooner than planned.

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/tax-incentive-puts-more-robots-on-factory-floors-1516962600

    • This is an interesting form of accelerated depreciation, normally you use some form of depreciation that expenses out more money early in the life of the asset because you are going to be paying more money on upkeep and repair later in the life. I can see where a lot of businesses who are bringing money held overseas would want to use the money to increase/improve/upgrade their factories when all of the cost can be written off in the year the money comes home and the purchases are made.

      Get the money home, renovate and upgrade the factories, increase productivity. This is going to be very good for the economy.

      • Maybe some day…
        Robots can replace low-skill workers, and wages will rise with the increase in productivity…
        Families won’t need to have both parents working outside the home, kids will have siblings, dinners together with Mommy and Daddy, vacations to visit the grandparents…

        • They already have robot ditch digging machines, and if you look at the videos on youtube on the humanoid robots it won’t be too many years before that happens. A lot of factories are already more robot then human and there is more automation in farming then most people realize. We need to start thinking about what we are going to do with the low wage manual labor types when casual labor is all done by robots. Most of them aren’t the types for other types of jobs.

  19. Barry and Honey Sherman were ‘targeted’ in ‘double homicide,’ Toronto police say
    The Shermans, in their 70s, were found dead in their north-end Toronto home in mid-December. There was no sign of forced entry

    Toronto police say a six-week examination of an enormous amount of evidence leads them to believe billionaire pharmaceutical giant Barry Sherman and his philanthropist wife Honey Sherman were the targeted victims of a double murder.

    Barry Sherman, 75, who founded the generic drug manufacturing giant Apotex, and Honey Sherman, 70, were found dead in their Toronto mansion on Dec. 15, 2017.

    After weeks of police silence on the case, Det. Sgt. Susan Gomes of the Toronto police homicide unit gave a public update Friday afternoon, shortly after the Sherman mansion was finally handed back to the control of their family.

    Barry and Honey Sherman were last seen alive on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 13, and had no known contact with friends, family or associates from that point until their bodies were discovered inside their home two days later, Gomes said.

    http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/newsalert-the-deaths-of-barry-and-honey-sherman-ruled-double-homicide

  20. Richard: Blame high taxes and a lot of regulations for the loss of small businesses.

    Lamenting the loss of New York City’s character

    NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) – Part of the East Village was once considered Ukrainian-town. Chain brands started dyeing its ethnic roots slowly at first.

    But Tom Birchard, whose family owns Veselka — the 24-hour Ukrainian diner on the corner of 2nd avenue at 9th street, says things seem to be disappearing an increasing pace. Three generations of Birchards have kept Veselka alive, but Tom says a small piece of his heart breaks each time he sees a local business get pushed out by a corporate brand. And it has been breaking a lot.

    Perhaps no one has done as much to document the cultural, if not historic bleaching of New York neighborhoods than Jeremiah Moss, the man behind Vanishing New York, a blog that passionately gives voices to institutions that may not have landmark status, but are crucial strands in the cultural fabric of our lives. Strands he feels are being torn out at an alarming pace.

    http://www.fox5ny.com/news/vanishing-nyc-character

  21. French Oil Company CEO Tells Pres. Trump Company Will Invest More Due to Tax Reform

    One of the world’s biggest oil companies is making a big investment in the U.S. in response to the new tax law.

    French oil giant Total made the announcement on Thursday at the World Economic Forum.

    The company’s CEO told President Trump he is working on a big project in the Gulf of Mexico, and is investing two billion dollars into the renewable energy sector.

    http://www.oann.com/french-oil-company-ceo-tells-pres-trump-company-will-invest-more-due-to-tax-reform/

  22. German Children’s Television Channel Features Migrant Teens Learning How to Remove a Girl’s Bra (breitbart, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/27/german-childrens-television-channel-migrants-remove-girls-bra/

    “German children’s television channel Kika posted a short video on its website, using teens from migrant backgrounds, to show its underage viewers how to remove a woman’s bra.

    The online post, entitled “Open Bra”, has been taken down by the children’s television channel after they received a backlash from many, including Germany’s largest women’s rights organisation Terre des Femmes, Berliner Zeitung reports.

    Head of Terre des Femmes Inge Bell said she was horrified by the video which lasted just over one and a half minutes. “This is a completely wrong signal to the Kika target group of three- to 13-year-old children,” she said, and added that it encouraged bad behaviour in boys…”

  23. Burglars Break into Office of Austrian Populist Vice Chancellor After Surveillance ‘Bugs’ Found (breitbart, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/27/burglars-attempt-break-office-populist-vice-chancellor-surveillance-bugs/

    “Intruders broke into the office of populist Austrian vice-chancellor and leader of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) Heinz-Christian Strache on Thursday evening.

    According to sources, so far it would appear that nothing was stolen from Mr. Strache’s office at the Palais Dietrichstein. Earlier in the week, military personnel discovered two listening devices, one in Strache’s office and one in the office of his cabinet chief Roland Weinert, Kronen Zeitung reports.

    Both the Austrian military intelligence services and the country’s domestic spy agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, are investigating the break-in and the planting of the bugs, to determine whether or not the two incidents are linked…”

  24. Marine Le Pen Pays Visit to Prison Where Guards Were Attacked by Radical Islamic Extremist (breitbart, Jan 27, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/01/27/marine-le-pen-pays-visit-prison-guards-attacked-radical-islamic-extremist/

    “Populist Front National leader Marine Le Pen visited several prisons where staff have been subjected to violence from inmates, including one in which a radical Islamic extremist attempted to murder three guards.

    The former French presidential candidate travelled to the Vincennes Administrative Detention Centre which houses failed asylum seekers and expressed her solidarity with guards who have been the subject of attacks in recent months, L’Express reports.

    The detention centre has seen severe riots in the past, with the most recent incident occurring last month when four individuals were injured after migrants attempted to escape by setting small fires throughout the building…”

  25. Syrian Democratic Forces Down Turkish Chopper in Afrin – Reports (sputniknews, Jan 27, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801271061119829-syria-afrin-sdf-kurds/

    “The Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expressed readiness to defend themselves and the Kurdish people against the Turkish military operation in the Syrian Afrin the same day, Ankara began the offensive.

    The Syrian Democratic Forces have downed a Turkish helicopter in the Syrian city of Afrin, an SDF representative told Sputnik Saturday.

    Earlier this day, the SDF reported that the group’s militia had downed two Turkish reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in the village of Adama, northern Syria.

    The group also engaged in skirmishes with a Turkish convoy in the Chia district of Afrin and with Turkish forces, supported by the Free Syrian Army, in Qastal Ma’af…”

  26. The Islamization of Germany in 2017: Part II
    July – December 2017

    by Soeren Kern
    January 27, 2018 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11805/islamization-germany-2017
    Send
    Print

    The following is a chronological survey of some of the main stories about Islam and Islamism in Germany during the second half of 2017. Part 1 of this series can be found here.

    JULY 2017

    July 4. Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency warned that Salafism is the “fastest-growing Islamic movement in Germany.” Its annual report revealed that the number of Salafists in Germany jumped to 9,700 in 2016, up from 8,350 in 2015; 7,000 in 2014; 5,500 in 2013; 4,500 in 2012; and 3,800 in 2011. BfV President Hans-Georg Maaßen said that Germany should brace for further jihadist attacks given growing numbers of potential Islamist militants: “We must expect further attacks by individuals or terror groups. Islamist terrorism is the biggest challenge facing the BfV and we see it as one of the biggest threats facing the internal security of Germany.”

    July 5. Saleh A., Mahood B. and Hamza C., appeared in court on charges of plotting suicide bombings in Düsseldorf’s historic old town. The attack, using explosive vests, was to be financed with money extorted from the Vatican.

    July 8. A hundred Islamists are now openly enforcing Sharia law on the streets of Berlin, according to local police. The self-appointed morality police involve Salafists from Chechnya, a predominantly Sunni Muslim region in Russia. The vigilantes are using threats of violence to discourage Chechen migrants from integrating into German society; they are also promoting the establishment of a parallel Islamic legal system in Germany. German authorities appear unable to stop them.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11805/islamization-germany-2017

  27. Correct the Record- Linked Clinton “Faith Adviser” Shielded from Harassment Claims by Hillary

  28. Extra material; Lauren Southern in South Africa

    Extra material; Lauren Southern in South Africa

  29. Sheila Gunn Reid: Lifeguard testifies at Edmonton Mall “refugee” sex assault trial (Day 5)

  30. A Florida mayor was removed from office Friday after she was arrested and charged with three felony corruption charges.

    Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order suspending Joy Cooper, the 57-year-old mayor of Hallandale Beach, a city just north of Miami, after she was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions through former attorney Alan Koslow.

    Cooper surrender to authorities on Thursday following an undercover FBI investigation. She was charged with money laundering, official misconduct and exceeding campaign contribution limits, the Sun Sentinel reported.

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/27/florida-democrat-removed-from-office-faces-corruption-charges-following-fbi-sting.html

  31. A schoolboy said he wanted to kill the Queen after being brainwashed with Islamic State videos at a Barking mosque.

    In video evidence, the 11-year-old told the Old Bailey that his teacher Umar Ahmed Haque, 25, held regular grooming sessions at the Ripple Road Mosque.

    The teacher is alleged to have shown a group of boys videos of violence between Islamic State and Britain.

    https://uk.news.yahoo.com/schoolboy-radicalised-mosque-teacher-wanted-kill-queen-111642611.html

  32. Obama — Leader of the Deep State Coup
    By Daniel John Sobieski
    In any criminal investigation where the suspect is not immediately known, the first question usually asked is who would have the most to gain? As we follow the bread crumbs of the text messages of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page and await release of the House Intelligence Committee’s memo regarding the collusion between the DNC, the Hillary Clinton campaign, the DOJ, and FBI to interfere with the 2016, ensure the election of Hillary, and the defeat or impeachment of Donald Trump, the answer to that question is clear — one Barack Hussein Obama.

    http://archive.is/tDgil#selection-373.0-781.336

  33. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is released from captivity, probe winds down
    The billionaire member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, Alwaleed bin Talal has been held for more than 2 months amid a corruption crackdown.
    The terms of his release were not immediately clear, but a source told Reuters that bin Talal had “arrived home.”

    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/27/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-bin-talal-is-released-from-captivity-probe-winds-down.html

  34. New film accidentally exposes Team Obama’s foreign-policy naivety

    But to understand why Rhodes and Obama are so pleased with their foreign policy, you have to understand the way they think. The documentary is revealing about that.

    Naïvety, meet arrogance. These were the guiding forces behind the Rhodes-Obama foreign policy. The arrogance came in thinking that all previous administrations were too thick to come up with this awesome idea Rhodes had: Military force is bad.

    https://nypost.com/2018/01/26/new-film-accidentally-exposes-team-obamas-foreign-policy-naivety/

    • China Uncensored is pushing for everybody else to go to war against China.
      I love the program, but their agenda isn’t exactly subtle.

      • It isn’t, I don’t know what Communist China did to Chris or Shelly but something made them do all they can to hurt China. They aren’t subtle about it but they are telling us a lot that isn’t talked about by many other sources. There are a couple of other You Tube channels about that region but I haven’t checked them out enough to start posting their videos.

  35. COLOGNE _ GERMANY –German police disperse Kurdish protest against Turkish offensive

    German police shut down a tense demonstration in Cologne on Saturday, after around 15,000 Kurds took to the streets to protest Turkey’s offensive in northern Syria.

    Police said they dispersed the march due to the presence of banners in the crowd displaying symbols of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which are prohibited in Germany.

    The protest was organised by NAV-DEM, a Kurdish association deemed close to the outlawed PKK, which is blacklisted by Ankara and its Western allies as a terror group.

    “A number of protesters held banned placards bearing the image of (jailed PKK leader) Abdullah Ocalan,” a local police spokesman told AFP. Other marchers refused to reveal their concealed faces, he added.

    Two people were arrested at the demonstration, which came a week after Turkish special forces and allied Syrian rebels launched an assault targeting Kurdish militia the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria.

    The atmosphere was already strained when the protest began mid-morning in the western German city, with more than 2,000 police officers mobilised.

    “Freedom for Kurdistan” and “Shame on you, Europe!” read some of the protesters’ placards.

    Police stopped the march near its halfway point over the PKK symbols and escorted the procession back to where it began.

    No incidents were immediately reported, but “the situation remains very tense,” said a police spokesman, who added he was concerned about clashes between protesters and police — or Turkish nationalists — at dusk.

    Germany is home to some one million Kurds and three million people of Turkish origin, and authorities have warned against tensions between two communities.

    Scuffles have erupted between members of the two groups since Turkey launched its “Olive Branch” campaign, with several Turkish mosques in Germany hit by acts of vandalism.

    “Turkey has launched a war of aggression that breaches international law,” Kurdish community co-leader Mehmet Tanriverdi told regional newspaper Heilbronner Stimme Saturday.

    Often described as the world’s largest people without a state, Kurds have been a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State group, but after the latest Turkish offensive many looking for payback have been left bitterly disappointed.

    There were also smaller pro-Kurdish demonstrations in France on Saturday, with several hundred marching in Paris and around 500 in Marseille.

    https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/german-police-disperse-kurdish-protest-against-turkish-offensive-doc-y04j45

    ===========================================
    Germany: Police clash with protesters at Cologne rally against Turkey’s Afrin op