Reader’s news links for December 11, 2018

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About Eeyore

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

83 Replies to “Reader’s news links for December 11, 2018”

  1. Enforcing a death penalty law for industrial espionage would be an excellent way to begin preserving a technological advantage. Red China, without buying or stealing high tech, cannot surpass the west because they don’t have the indigenous creative capacity. This is the Achilles heel beneath the so-called Achilles heel. Why on earth would they be experimenting with genetic editing unless they saw deficiencies in their own generic brand? Would you edit Einstein, Picasso, or Mozart despite whatever human foibles they had in life? I think not.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-10/what-trade-war-china-really-about

    • I don’t know if it is a genetic defect or caused by the way authoritarian governments suppress those who can think for themselves, the innovators of the world have to be free thinking. Free thinking scares the dictators of the world and they will always suppress it.

      • I don’t know if it is a genetic defect or caused by the way authoritarian governments suppress those who can think for themselves, the innovators of the world have to be free thinking.

        I’ll take “Authoritarian Governments” for one thousand, Alex. As an experienced amateur Sinologist, I’ve toured exhibits of ancient Chinese art—both here in America (e.g., the Avery Brundage jade collection) and also in Taiwan (their National Museum in Taipei).

        The level of creativity that some Chinese art, carving, and calligraphy attains can be nothing short of mindbending. A few decades ago, archeologists discovered an ancient and pristine Chinese tomb chamber. The reason for its intact condition was due to being situated in a cave whose entrance had been barricaded by a sheet of solid metal weighing many tons. After careful measurements, it was determined that this pour, was the world’s single-largest bronze casting of its kind and remained so for a few thousand years.

        The crypt stayed in its unsullied condition due to how impenetrable the entryway was. Contrast that industrial-scale casting with a censer I saw at a famous museum’s final exhibition (before ghastly remodeling to meet seismic upgrades). Less than one foot (31 cm) in diameter—using the ancient metallurgical lost wax process—its insanely intricate shape was that of a hollow mountain island, replete with shores lapped by stylized ocean waves, and an alp whose slope was dotted with tree-snagged clouds.

        SIDEBAR: Though not an image of the actual piece described above, the following link shows a work of similar complexity and beauty.

        Bronze Zun Vessel (part of zun-pan) from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zeng State Suixian, Hubei Province, Early Warring States Period, 433 BC.

        Incidentally, back before Christ, when bronze was an incredibly valuable and utile metal, some ancient Chinese elite were buried with tons of it in their graves. Small wonder that so many of these resting places were looted. One ton of bronze represented near-infinite man hours of mining, ore washing, carbonizing of wood into charcoal, smelting, alloying, de-slagging, and final casting (not including whatever artisan time was required to create the mold).

        Free thinking scares the dictators of the world and they will always suppress it.

        It always has and always will. Despite occasionally saying some really goofy stuff, in his time, Old Al still shone some serious light where little was to be found.

        Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.

        — Albert Einstein

        As to ancient Chinese creativity, readers are offered the following five-minute video about Chinese jade funerary armor. I saw these lapidary masterpieces during their tour of the west and they were simply beyond belief. Each jewelry-grade jade tile had been polished, drilled in all its corners, and then connected to neighboring stones with gold wire. An indisputable level of innovation and creativity had to be involved.

  2. From the UK’s Daily Meddler.

    Doxing:

    “The Chelsea fan accused of calling Raheem Sterling a ‘f***ing black c***’ has been unmasked today and said: ‘I want to apologise unreservedly to Raheem. I’m deeply ashamed by my behaviour’.”

    “Mr Wing, 60, has lived in Beckenham since 1996 and is believed to be a former BT manager.

    It is not clear what he does now, although he says he has lost his job as a result of the abuse yelled at Raheem Sterling.

    Mr Wing was born in Lambeth, south London, and educated the London Nautical School in Waterloo, where he ‘failed’ his CSEs, according to his LinkedIn account.

    He is married to Theresa and the couple have had a daughter, Stacey, and a son George.”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6481297/Chelsea-fan-accused-racially-abusing-Sterling-says-called-MANC-c-not-black-one.html

    Soccer is entertainment. The players, gladiators on the stage.

    People should have a right to verbally abuse them in anyway they like, (if it does not translate to real-life). Their escapism from a working-poor 9-5 existence is a release-valve for many – who, unsubsidized, pay for their privilege. In the heat of passion, Primal Screams are heard… Remove this at your peril.

    Next, will be reactions towards television programs lording as their better-moral educators. However, video-recorded by their smart TVs, (and soon to be licenced by compulsary fees in all Socialist Open-Borders), the police will hunt them down.

    The walls of the mind, their new prisons.

    It’s not what you heard, but what you think you heard. The Submission to Offence of prideful willing slaves. And the ants just milk them.

  3. Record count reported for mysterious paralyzing illness
    By MIKE STOBBEyesterday

    NEW YORK (AP) — This year has seen a record number of cases of a mysterious paralyzing illness in children, U.S. health officials said Monday.

    It’s still not clear what’s causing the kids to lose the ability to move their face, neck, back, arms or legs. The symptoms tend to occur about a week after the children had a fever and respiratory illness.

    No one has died from the rare disease this year, but it was blamed for one death last year and it may have caused others in the past.

    https://apnews.com/b6cc9d8f3a9c4c84b72a9f45c3a335ed

  4. Ecuador is feeling pain of China loans

    QUITO, Ecuador — Rafael Correa wanted to fast-track development projects when he was president of Ecuador, so he borrowed billions of dollars from China. But the loans have come back to haunt his successor, Lenin Moreno, who will go hat in hand to China this month to seek more flexible terms and breathing space.

    A onetime ally and now bitter enemy of Correa, Moreno and his government are straining under a huge budget deficit caused partly by obligations to the Chinese, whose loans financed roads, dams, schools and office buildings during Correa’s time in office from 2007 to 2017.

    Ecuador is one of several Latin American countries that in recent years benefited from China’s lending spree. Like other loans China has made in the region, those to Ecuador are partially payable with shipments of natural resources — oil, in Ecuador’s case — which China needs to stoke its fast-growing economy.

    https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/ecuador-is-feeling-pain-of-china-loans/article_3456b756-956e-57ec-a869-94251437ae9a.html

    • Ecuador is feeling pain of China loans

      This about as unexpected as the Spanish Inquisition.

  5. China threatens consequences if Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is not released

    China is threatening to take aggressive action against Canada if the country fails to release Huawei’s CFO from custody and obeys a U.S. extradition request.

    “For Canada, if they do not correctly handle this matter there will be serious consequences. You asked, what kind of serious consequences would these be? I can tell you in one sentence – it is totally up to Canada.” — Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman

    China’s foreign ministry also said, according to an agreement between China and Canada, the Canadian government should have told the Chinese consulates and embassies Meng was going to be arrested. However, that didn’t happen.

    China’s foreign ministry also cited human rights concerns surrounding Meng’s detention.

    “During Ms. Meng Wanzhou’s detention, certain measures, including inhumane measures used against her, the provision of medical treatment necessary for her and measures for her basic well-being, were not in place at all,” stated Kang. “We think this is inhumane and has breached her human rights.”

    https://www.oann.com/china-threatens-consequences-if-huawei-cfo-is-not-released/

    • For Canada, if they do not correctly handle this matter there will be serious consequences. You asked, what kind of serious consequences would these be? I can tell you in one sentence – it is totally up to Canada.” — Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry

      After getting a solid dose of this Communist Chinese bullying when Canadian Miss World contestant, Anastasia Lin, spoke out about Bejing’s human rights abuses—and had her Mainland family threatened for it—Canada’s hide should be thick enough to where they can tell the Chicoms where to stick it and when. Instead, we all know that Justine Trudeau will roll over and wet himself before his Socialist masters.

  6. So I was filming the Unity UK protest at Westminster this morning and when we walked to our police approved place, we were greeted by a pack of demented Leftist Pro EUSSR, paid for by the EU.
    Language warning.
    Remoaners rabid greetings, Unity UK, Westminster, 11/12/18.

  7. Meet ‘Erbert’, a special kind of communist gobshite. Unity UK, Westminster, 11/12/18

  8. High school and university students protest in Paris

    Several hundred high school students are joined by university students at the Place Saint Michel in Paris to protest education reforms, including changes to crucial end-of-high school exams and access to higher education.

  9. euronews – Guterres hails ‘global beacon’ as UN marks 70th anniversary of human rights declaration

  10. ‘Erbert returns to abuse older patriots and nearly get’s arrested. Unity UK, Westminster, 11/12/18

  11. Iran postponed asylum negotiations over Mohammad cartoon on minister’s iPad

    According to the Immigration Ministry, a Danish agreement with Iran regarding the return of rejected asylum-seekers stalled after its minister, Inger Stojberg, posted a photo on social media last year.

    The photo in question showed that Stojberg had a photo of one of the contentious Mohammad Cartoons from 2005 on her iPad desktop – which Iran considered a provocation, thus postponing the negotiations on the asylum-seekers.

    “As part of the asylum-seeker dialogue with Iran, a visit by the immigration minister to Tehran was scheduled for November 2017. The visit was postponed as the Iranians expressed displeasure with the minister’s iPad desktop,” Stojberg said in a hearing, according to DR Nyheder.

    Stojberg still hasn’t visited Tehran, and Denmark still hasn’t landed an agreement on the failed asylum-seekers from Iran.

    Even Dansk Folkeparti (DF), which has for a long time staunchly defended the drawings from 2005, maintained that Stojberg should have considered the ramifications before posting the photo … well, at least to some extent.

    “You should always, whether you are an MP, minister or whatever, reflect on what you do and say – particularly when you are negotiating about sending back Iranian asylum-seekers,” Martin Henriksen, DF’s spokesperson for immigration issues, told DR Nyheder.

    “But having said that, I think it’s difficult to criticise the minister for have a cartoon on her iPad. I think that it’s a bit ridiculous for Iran to make a fuss about that. They are Islamists and are usually insulted about something most of the time.”

    http://cphpost.dk/news/iran-postponed-asylum-negotiations-over-mohammad-cartoon-on-ministers-ipad.html

    • They are Islamists and are usually insulted about something most of the time.

      Martin Henriksen has discovered a now-eternal truth. It is the perpetual and unhealing mental rope-burn caused by attempting to grasp Western, Low Context culture—particularly within the Islamic frame of reference—that pious Muslims have no ability to withstand.

      They’re tied in Pan Chang knots by disturbing thoughts of having to blunt their swords on the necks of insubordinate kafirs. Especially when, not so long ago, entire nations and peoples quailed at a mere glimpse of Islam’s fist, sword-still-in-scabbard.

      Nowhere have any of these semi-psychotic zealots been prepared or equipped for truly fair competition in the Marketplace of Ideas™. For most Westerners, memorizing a single book typically doesn’t cut a lot of ice. Even more so when the only way that Muslims usually prevail in a debate (predictably) involves falling back upon the practices of doctrinally sanctioned prevarication and dissimulation known as taqiyya and kitman, respectively.

      When forced to admit how their arguments are specious (at best), the narrative veers, the goalposts move downfield, criteria change and, just as frequently, the burden of proof is, without a trace of embarrassment, openly deflected back upon those who’ve already made their case or, with unblinking impudence, an absurdly higher standard of validation—typically, orders of magnitude beyond that which they require of themselves—magically becomes necessary.

      Speaking of ropey things:

      • The video of Dr. Bill Warner [just above] mentions the perpetual victim mentality that’s built into Islam.
        That was a characteristic of the Pirate Moh, so that’s the model for the individual tard and collective ummah.

  12. Man Tasered and arrested in grounds of Parliament after breaking through gates (telegraph, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/11/breaking-man-tasered-police-gates-parliament/

    “A man was Tasered at the gates of Parliament on Tuesday, just yards from where Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed to death last year.

    Witnesses heard a scream and then shouting as police ran towards the man inside Carriage Gates in the shadow of Big Ben.

    The man, described as dark skinned and wearing an olive-coloured shirt, was immediately detained by uniformed officers.

    He was Tasered and struck with a baton by officers inside the precincts and then pinned to the ground just yards inside the gates.

    One report said the man had gained access to the Parliamentary estate. Described as in his 20s, he was handcuffed and bundled into a police van, and driven away.

    A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “A man was arrested by Carriage Gates, inside the Palace of Westminster, on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site at around 11.55hrs on Tuesday, 11 December.

    “A Taser was deployed. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.”…”

  13. Italy’s controversial far-right deputy PM arrives in Israel

    Matteo Salvini, known for hardline anti-immigration policies, to meet Netanyahu and visit Yad Vashem, prompting protest

    Italian Deputy Prime Minister Minister Matteo Salvini arrived in Israel early Tuesday afternoon amid controversy over his hardline anti-immigration policies.[…]

    […]Salvini, seen by many as the de-facto leader of Europe’s rising far right, also requested a meeting with President Reuven Rivlin, which the president’s office declined due to “scheduling issues.”

    Rivlin has recently taken a strong stance against what he termed “fascist” parties in Europe, regardless of their position on Israel.[…]

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/italys-controversial-far-right-deputy-pm-arrives-in-israel/

    ===============================================
    Leading Italian neo-fascist Matteo Salvini embraced by Israel

    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/12/11/leading-italian-neo-fascist-matteo-salvini-embraced-by-israel

    ================================================
    Italy’s far-right minister visits Israel, drawing criticism

    One of Europe’s most controversial political figures, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, has arrived in Israel for a two-day visit that has prompted criticism over his far-right policies and anti-migration views.[…]

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/italys-far-right-minister-visits-israel-drawing-criticism/2018/12/11/dd508cc2-fd4f-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html

  14. EU Agency Says More Iranian, Turkish Migrants Seeking Asylum (breitbart, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/11/eu-agency-says-more-iranian-turkish-migrants-seeking-asylum/

    “The European Union’s asylum office says people from Iran and Turkey are increasingly applying for international protection throughout the EU.

    EASO said Tuesday that “Iran and Turkey have both been amongst the top five countries of origin over the past few months.”

    It says that 3,170 Iranians applied for asylum in the EU in October, the highest number for more than two years. More than one in three Iranian applicants received protection in the past six months.

    October saw a record 2,880 asylum applications lodged by Turkish citizens. Over the past six months, around 44 percent of Turkish applicants were granted refugee status.

    EASO says more than 60,500 people applied for asylum in October, the highest monthly figure this year. Most were nationals of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.”

  15. Bureaucrat Nominated to be Next EU Chief: Uniting Europe With Africa ‘Matter of Destiny’ (breitbart, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/12/11/diverse-timmermans-nominated-eu-chief/

    “Named as the centre-left’s candidate for the next EU Commission President, Frans Timmermans announced he would crush conservative governments in Europe, insisting that the continent uniting with Africa is “a matter of destiny”.

    Timmermans, who currently sits as the Commission’s first vice-president, was nominated to lead the Party of European Socialists (PES) in next May’s elections by delegates at the EU Parliament grouping’s annual congress in Lisbon on Saturday.

    The former Dutch defence minister, who has previously claimed Europe could “not remain a place of peace and freedom” unless mass immigration-related “diversity” is imposed throughout the continent including across “even the most remote corners”, has notably spent much of his time as President Jean-Claude Juncker’s deputy ordering eastern EU states to open their borders to third world migrants.

    Packed with references to “1940”, “Nazi Germany”, and “never again”, he used his speech at the PES congress to make clear that, under his leadership, the European Commission would have zero tolerance for nations which reject any part of the globalist, ‘progressive’ agenda including third world migration.

    Democracy revolves around “respect for minorities” and allowing unfettered and unlimited access to foreign-funded NGOs with agendas hostile to the will of their populations, stated Timmermans, before vowing to oust the popular governments of Poland and Hungary.

    He said: “I want to say to our friends from Poland, I want to make a solemn pledge to you today: I will never abandon the Polish people in their struggle for democracy, freedom and the rule of law.

    “And you know why I am confident that we are going to win?” he asked, going on to proclaim it would not be due to support from globalist governments in Spain, France, and Germany but instead “because of the Polish people”.

    “Because the Polish people want to be Europeans,” contended Timmermans, adding: “Young Poles going in the streets with that beautiful blue flag with yellow stars do that because that flag stands for values they believe in. Because that flag is who they are.”

    “Also in Hungary, we will prevail,” he said, claiming that while “these are tough times” in the country under Viktor Orbán — whose government won a landslide election victory in April — “an overwhelming majority of Hungarians say clearly ‘we belong to Europe, we belong to that community of values’”.

    Responding to Timmerman’s attack on the Polish government, the country’s Council of Ministers Standing Committee chairman, Jacek Sasin, blasted the Eurocrat and his speech as representative of “crises” plaguing the EU.

    “Instead of focusing on the key problems in Europe today — such as social stratification, weak economic growth, illegal immigration — European bureaucrats prefer to look away from these problems, [as they] have no idea how to solve them, and so instead conjure up so-called issues such as the ‘rule of law’ in Poland,” Sasin told local media on Monday.

    Europe’s relationship with Africa was another major priority Timmermans outlined in his speech, telling delegates to be “under no illusion … it is a matter of destiny” that EU taxpayers eliminate the violence and poverty-plagued continent’s problems or else welcome the “hundreds of millions of people” from Nigeria alone who he has previously noted will be heading to the bloc as a result of its “demographic explosion”.

    “So, whose fate is going to be dealt with by whom: Europe’s fate by Africans, Africa’s fate by Europeans. We are in this together. Our destinies are linked,” he said, pledging to ensure developing the third world continent is “high on the agenda” because its population — which is set to more than double to 2.2 billion by 2050 — “is a common responsibility” for the entire bloc.

    Declaring that socialists say “there is only one race, the human race”, Timmermans then launched into a rant against “nationalists”, who he declared “need enemies” and “hate other countries”.

    “Because it’s the hate that’s the fuel that drives them. And they will always look for enemies on the outside of the borders, but also within. It is not by accident that antisemitism is starkly on the rise again in Europe,” he said.

    To mark Monday’s publication of an EU survey of Jewish communities across Europe, which revealed almost a third no longer felt safe on the continent, Timmermans hit out at Orbán, demanding the Hungarian leader cease his criticism of globalist billionaire George Soros.

    But while Jews in western Europe reported seeing a major rise in anti-Semitism, with nine out of 10 Jews in France reporting they had faced expressions of hostility in the streets, the proportion of Jews in Hungary who said anti-Semitism was a problem in the country had fallen since the previous survey six years earlier.”

  16. Countries detail plans after adopting UN migration accord (abcnews, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/countries-detail-plans-adopting-migration-accord-59743023

    “Government envoys and advocacy groups worked Tuesday to flesh out and refine a migration policy blueprint adopted by most United Nations countries, while one of the supporting states said it wanted to “clarify” its position because of perceived ambiguities in the pact opposed by several member nations.

    The Global Compact for Migration is aimed at making mass migration safer, more orderly and more humane. The first international accord of its kind, it was approved Monday by 164 U.N. members at a conference in Marrakech, Morocco. At least 16 countries have rebuffed or hesitated to become signatories.

    International Organization for Migration Director-General Antonio Vitorino, hailed the compact’s approval as a “historic achievement.” Countries must now put the accord to work at the national level, Vitorino said, noting that “no one size fits all” approach works for managing migration.

    The accord, in some ways, got off to a bumpy start — with at least one rich Western country that supported it a day earlier expressing second thoughts.

    “Norway will join the Global Compact for Migration, but due to the ambiguity of the text, we find it necessary to clarify our position on certain points,” Norwegian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Marianne Hagen said.

    One section of the text advises that the “rights and best interests” of children should be protected and respected at all times, including “by working to end the practice of child detention in the context of international migration.”

    Hagen said: “Norway’s position is that the detention of foreign nationals may be necessary in some cases, also for minors, but then only as a last resort and for the shortest possible period of time.”

    The issue continued to stir tensions elsewhere. Brazil’s incoming foreign minister said late Monday the new government would pull out of the pact, which also prompted sparring in the French parliament Tuesday.

    One lawmaker from France’s far-right National Rally party denounced backers of the migration compact as “traitors of Marrakech” while another from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party decried misinformation on social media implying the pact would force France to take in masses of migrants.

    But Brazil’s incoming foreign minister, Ernesto Araujo, said Latin America’s biggest country would withdraw from the compact right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro takes office in January. Araujo tweeted the reason was “because immigration cannot be dealt with as a global issue, but according to each country’s reality and sovereignty.”

    U.N. leaders hoped to lure back — one day — holdouts that didn’t agree to the accord. They included: Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and the United States, which under President Donald Trump didn’t participate in drafting the accord.

    Instead, defections and hesitation emerged as the conference neared. Belgium’s coalition government split in a debate over the pact. Slovakia’s foreign minister announced his resignation after his government opposed the compact, then changed his mind. The government of Switzerland, which co-chaired work on the draft text for months, stayed away as the pressure built.

    Madeleine Albright, a former U.S. Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, told a conference panel Monday she was “embarrassed and saddened” the United States wasn’t officially represented at the conference and said the accord’s adoption “is all the more notable given the current political climate.”

    “Still, even the compact’s strongest supporters will acknowledge that its success ultimately depends on what concrete actions follow,” Albright said.

    High-level government envoys including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended Monday, have been at pains to dispel what they say is false information circulating about the nonbinding pact — such as claims it would force governments to accept migrants.

    Proponents say the accord above all aims to monitor the flow of people across borders, regions and continents, to organize cooperation between countries on managing human streams and to prevent the kind of disorderly journeys that claim lives of migrants.”

    • Not a thought for the indigenous peoples of Europe,or the future of THIER children,just wogs ,wogs and more wogs who now have the “right” to walk into your country,and demand to start spending your money as soon as possible,on themselves,while you struggle for your very existence.not by any stretch of the imagination is this in any way beneficial to the indigenous population.

  17. Local police chief dies in attack in Turkey; 2 officers hurt (abcnews, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-police-chief-officers-wounded-attack-turkey-59745744

    “A police officer angered that his request for a transfer was rejected fired shots at his superiors inside a police station in northern Turkey on Tuesday, killing the local police chief and wounding two other officers.

    The attack occurred in the Black Sea coastal city of Rize after the police chief met with a traffic police officer but turned down his request for a new posting, Rize Gov. Kemal Ceber told reporters.

    Ceber said the assailant had left his gun at security before entering the police chief’s office. But he grabbed his gun on his way out, rushed back into the office and fired at the police chief, the governor said.

    The police chief, Altug Verdi, died of his wounds in hospital, Ceber said. The station’s personnel officer and Verdi’s bodyguard were also hospitalized, but weren’t in serious condition.

    The attacker was immediately subdued and detained.”

  18. Iran at War
    What we need to do to bring down the regime.
    December 11, 2018
    Michael Ledeen

    Kredo says American officials, by which I presume he refers to the Intelligence Community and the deep thinkers at State and the NSC, believe that the Iranian regime is planning a “massive regional war.” This comes in the wake of the Israeli attack against Hezbollah tunnels into Israel from Lebanese areas under its (which means Iranian) control, and emergency meetings in Europe between US Secretary of State Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

    We have often misread Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s real intentions, so it’s best to be skeptical of this dramatic claim, but there’s certainly some reason to take it seriously. The Iranian/Hezbollah tunnel operation has been under way for years, and the mullahs and their favorite terrorists have long told themselves that Hezbollah “defeate4” Israel in their last battle. Hence, they might believe they could win the next one. There is no doubt at all that they want to destroy Israel, and if they still had a compliant American president in the White House—read “Obama”—they might try it. But they’ve got Trump to deal with. And the “mad dog” in the Pentagon. They do not believe they can defeat us on the battlefield. We say we will stand with Israel, and we have just moved a carrier group into the Iranians’ neighborhood. So?

    I don’t think the Iranian leader and his henchmen want to mess with us. So the question is, do they really believe we will go after them if they unleash the massive regional war?

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272171/iran-war-michael-ledeen

  19. The Guardian, Tommy Robinson, and Me
    Britain’s top rag uncovers a nonexisent “global network”.
    December 11, 2018
    Bruce Bawer

    Damn it, the Guardian is on to us. On Friday, Britain’s most important, or rather self-important, newspaper ran a piece headlined “Revealed: the hidden global network behind Tommy Robinson.”

    Move over, Pentagon Papers.

    Clearly, this is Pulitzer Prize-level journalism – although, unfortunately, Brits are ineligible for that particular distinction. Obviously, the Guardian reporters in question – Josh Halliday, Lois Beckett, and Caelainn Barr – have stumbled upon that obscure and highly sophisticated research tool known as Google. And through Google, they’ve uncovered the sensational, previously unnoticed fact that two “US thinktanks…have published a succession of articles in support of Robinson,” while a third U.S. think tank has – gasp! – helped pay for Tommy’s legal fees.

    These three think tanks, the Guardian scribes assert, “have been repeatedly accused of stoking anti-Islam sentiment in the west and spreading false information about Muslim refugees in Europe.” (Among the institutions that have been in the forefront of making these baseless accusations, unsurprisingly, is the Guardian itself.) The Guardian writers further contend that Tommy’s support from these “prominent and well-financed groups undermines Robinson’s self-styled image of a far-right populist underdog whose anti-Islam agenda is being silenced by the British establishment.”

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272200/guardian-tommy-robinson-and-me-bruce-bawer

  20. Homeless Crime in LA Up 50%
    December 11, 2018
    Daniel Greenfield
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    You get more of what you subsidize.

    When you subsidize homelessness as Los Angeles, New York and a number of other cities driving a boom in homelessness have been doing, you get more of it. And you also get more of the crime that comes with it.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/272210/homeless-crime-la-50-daniel-greenfield

  21. FRANCE – Strasbourg ‘shooting’: Christmas market goers take shelter after ‘gunfire’ heard

    We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story

    Tourists have taken shelter at a Christmas market after reports of gunshots, according to local reports.

    Armed police have been pictured descending in central Strasbourg tonight.

    Unconfirmed reports suggest there are “several wounded”.

    Others have reported the market, a large tourist attraction, has been evacuated.

    A video which has emerged online shows a person lying on ground.

    Witnesses have said online there are other people injured on the floor.

    Police in France are yet to confirm the reports.

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-strasbourg-shooting-christmas-market-13720650

    • Strasbourg shooting: Two dead and 10 injured at Christmas market – gunman on the LOOSE (express, Dec 11, 2018)
      https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1057544/strasbourg-shooting-christmas-market-france-news

      “TWO people have died and 10 others have been injured at the Place Kleber Christmas market in Strasbourg as armed police officers search for the gunman on the run.

      Armed police are at the scene in the centre of the city searching for the gunman and the Christmas market has been evacuated.

      Security officials have cordoned off the area and trains have been stopped as they look for the gunman, who is known to the police .

      The shooting has happened at a time when the European Parliament is in the city of Strasbourg for a meeting.

      MEP Martina Anderson tweeted: “No confirmed reports but footage out of people on the ground injuries if not worse – My thoughts & prayers with all who are injured.”

      The French Interior Ministry has urged people to stay inside and said there had been a “serious public security incident”.

      Strasbourg deputy mayor Alain Fontanel tweeted: “Shooting in downtown Strasbourg. Thank you all for staying home while waiting for a clarification of the situation.”

      The Strasbourg Christmas market is internationally popular and attracts millions of tourists annually.

      Emmanuel Macron has been kept up to date and has sent his Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to the scene.

      France continues to be on high alert after the country has suffered attacks in 2015 and 2016 killing more than 200 people.

      An email sent to MEPs said: “There seems to be several gun attacks in parallel in the city centre of Strasbourg. In case you are in the city centre in a restaurant, please stay inside and don’t go out.

      “The decision has been taken, as a precautionary measure, to close the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. We ask you to stay calm and stay safe wishing EP premises.”

      The French Counter Terrorism Prosecutor is monitoring the situation in Strasbourg according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

      The MEP Terry Reintke tweeted: “Strasbourg is a symbol of peace and unity. Nothing can ever change that.

      “Love to everyone who is out in the city tonight. Stay inside and be safe.”

      Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, wrote on Twitter: “The police informed me tonight of a shooting in Strasbourg with possibly one victim and several wounded.

      “The perpetrator is still on the run.

      “This is a serious incident and I advise all staff and visitors to stay at home or indoors for the moment.””

    • CBC – Deadly shooting at Christmas market in Strasbourg, France

      100% sanitized not a single offending word like muslim, jihad, islam or salafist

  22. FBI Fights to Keep Clinton Whistleblower Raid Docs Secret

    The FBI, with the backing of the Department of Justice, is seeking to keep the bureau’s justification for their raid on a government informant’s home secret.

    U.S. Attorney Robert Hur made the appeal in a letter to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, which the court produced for The Daily Caller News Foundation when their reporters requested the FBI explain its rationale for raiding the home of DOJ whistleblower Dennis Nathan Cain.

    Cain lawfully turned over documents regarding the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One scandal to the DOJ’s inspector general’s office, who in turn delivered them to the House and Senate intelligence committees.

    http://americanactionnews.com/articles/fbi-fights-to-keep-clinton-whistleblower-raid-docs-secret

  23. European Court of Human Rights Blasphemy Laws: Where a Word out of Place Can Cost Your Life

    by Denis MacEoin
    December 11, 2018 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13377/european-court-human-rights-blasphemy-laws

    There are, of course, social settings where it pays to watch your words. Saying you fancy the looks of a mafioso’s new girlfriend could well prove fatal. Spending time with a bunch of Hamas terrorists while expressing your love for Israel might not lead to your premature demise. In London today, young men who make remarks or play music to other youths on the street can wind up stabbed to death. A recent comment on The Independent website claims, “In this country [the UK], some views, regardless of how valid and logical, can result in anything from public rebuke to loss of a job to violence.”

    For the most part, we learn how to avoid words or actions that may offend someone or some group, especially if it is known to be prone to violence. Yet these misfortunes are rare and we live our lives on the assumption that in democratic countries, we can speak freely within the norms of civil society. We recognize that in many countries, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, or “Islamophobic” hate speech can be reported to the police and lead to the arrest and eventual trial of the speaker. The United States’ First Amendment to its Constitution protects its citizens from prosecution for free speech, except where there is a credible threat of “Imminent lawless action.”

    If angry exchanges take place, they are just a consequence of living in countries where free speech and unfettered opinion are cherished. We have seen what happens in countries where there is no free speech –as the Soviet Union or present day Pakistan (here, here and here); it often is not pretty and in much of the West is regarded as well worth the trade-off.

  24. Rebuild the wall and make this impossible.

    Migrants cross into US by crawling under Mexico border fence

  25. Scalise: ‘Every Single Day’ at Least 10 Known Terrorists Are Captured Trying to Cross Our Border

    During an interview with “Life, Liberty and Levin” host Mark Levin, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) discussed the importance of securing the United States borders.

    Scalise noted the large number of criminals in the migrant caravans that are attempting to come into the country, applauding President Donald Trump’s efforts to strengthen border security.

    “It’s incredibly important that we secure our border, ” Scalise told Fox News Channel’s Levin. “I applaud President Trump for being willing to do it.”

    He continued, “[E]very single day in this country, at least ten known terrorists are captured trying to cross into America through our border. Why are we trying to secure the border? To keep America safe.”

    https://gellerreport.com/2018/12/caravan-terror.html/

  26. Thousands of troops on Paris streets but are they France’s new Maginot line?

    Troop presence in France hit 10,000 after Paris attacks. Many welcome them, but others fear it is a ‘political anti-anxiety measure’

    On the cobbled alleyways of Montmartre, as a busker warbled La Vie en Rose and street artists painted watercolours of the view over Paris, Master Corporal Jean-Claude had been up since dawn leading a platoon of soldiers on patrol in full camouflage and flak jackets with fingers resting lightly near the triggers of their assault rifles.

    “Our mission is to protect, dissuade and reassure,” he said in clipped tones, as his men from the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment, normally based in Brittany, snaked past pavement cafes, tour groups and couples kissing, scanning all around for bombs or terrorists.

    A young man leapt forward to ask for a selfie with the bizarre, yet now commonplace, sight of combat troops on the streets of Paris. “Sorry, rules don’t allow it,” said a senior officer who had spent most of his career serving in difficult war zones he was not allowed to name.

    Children stared open-mouthed at the guns. Locals smiled and the occasional tourist came forward to ask for directions to famous landmarks. “I’m not from Paris but I’m slowly getting to know the place and I always try to help,” said a heavily armed junior soldier who grew up in rural Normandy.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/15/paris-attacks-operation-sentinelle-soldiers-patrolling-streets-france-safer

    Next move is up to the Yellow Vests, gonna be interesting to see what orders are given to the troops.

  27. France gifts 1,400 assault rifles to Central African Republic (thedefensepost, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2018/12/11/france-gifts-1400-assault-rifles-amphibious-vehicles-central-african-republic/

    “France on Tuesday, December 11 handed over 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and three amphibious vehicles to the Central African Republic to shore up its beleaguered armed forces.

    French Defence Minister Florence Parly oversaw the handover at a ceremony at M’Polo military base in the capital Bangui.

    French officials said the 1,400 guns are a gift.

    The weapons handover comes in the same week as the mandate for Minusca, the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in CAR, must be renewed.

    The French military aid to CAR was announced by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in November, along with €24 million ($27.4 million) in civilian assistance. Le Drian said that the weapons would be supplied within a strict and transparent U.N. framework, adding that “it would be absurd to train soldiers and not to give them the means to perform their duties.”

    The assault rifles were seized aboard a dhow off Somalia in 2016 that was intercepted for breaching an arms embargo with Yemen, AFP reported French officials as saying…”

  28. EU Countries Oppose Return of ‘ISIS Widows, Orphans’ from Syria (aawsat, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1500381/eu-countries-oppose-return-isis-widows-orphans-syria

    “Countries such as Russia, Indonesia and Sudan have accepted the return of their ISIS’s widows and orphans in Syria, but Western countries, such as the United States, Britain and France are refusing to accept them back, according to the National Public Radio (NPR), a US privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization.

    The NPR sent one of its reporters to a detention camp for ISIS militants’ widows and orphans in eastern Syria on the occasion of the anniversary of defeating ISIS, with the continuation of the activities of its members in Syria and Iraq and on social media, in addition to the arrest of a number of its militants in the US and European countries.

    The Radio quoted Kurdish officials, who monitor the camps, as saying that there are citizens from 44 world countries. It also quoted some widows, including Um Mohammed, who refused to reveal her real name.

    Um Mohammed is a Dutch citizen, who was married to a Dutch-Moroccan and moved with him to Syria. Her husband joined ISIS and was killed in a US air strike more than a year ago.

    She said she is 32 and speaks English with a Dutch accent, adding that she was in search of a happier life when she decided to bring her family from the Netherlands to live under ISIS rule.

    She described having felt discriminated against as a Muslim in the Netherlands and said the militant group’s online propaganda drew her in.

    “I thought the ISIS ‘caliphate’ would be perfect, like a utopia,” said Um Mohammed.

    “I don’t think [life in the caliphate] was what most people expected. I regret going and having, you know, to go through this.”

    Kurdish-led militia fighters captured Um Mohammed after defeating ISIS in this part of northeastern Syria last year. She is now in one of three detention camps run by the Kurdish authorities.

    The NPR also quoted officials in these camps who said that in addition to the over 500 male suspected ISIS members, they are holding some 550 foreign women and about 1,200 foreign children in all the camps combined.

    Many of the children were born in ISIS-held territory in Syria.

    “Just like we fought terrorism together, we must stand together in dealing with the aftermath,” said Abdul Karim Omar, who co-chairs the Kurdish administration’s foreign affairs office and criticizes countries that refuse to receive its citizens.

    “These countries should take responsibility for their citizens. It’s part of the effort to defeat ISIS.”

    The United Kingdom has instead reacted by stripping some ISIS members captured in Syria of their British citizenship. France recently agreed to take the children, but not the parents, the NPR said.

    It added that the United States has been advocating for the return of foreign nationals to their countries and recently brought Americans — a man and woman — back to the US.

    However, the US has also been accused by Human Rights Watch of transferring foreign nationals captured in Syria to prisons in Iraq, where they may be at risk of unfair trials and torture.”

  29. Arab Parliament Condemns Malicious Campaign against Saudi Arabia (aawsat, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1500576/arab-parliament-condemns-malicious-campaign-against-saudi-arabia

    “The Arab Parliament condemned on Tuesday the malicious campaign targeting Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

    Convening during a regular session in Riyadh, it approved a resolution calling for full solidarity with the Kingdom and rejecting the campaign.

    The parliament categorically rejects the “biased campaign against Saudi Arabia, any attempt to undermine or threaten it or target its reputation and status.”

    Such a campaign, it added, is based on false information and misguided sources.

    It reiterated its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia against sides seeking to undermine its sovereignty and reputation, saying it is a major country in the Arab and Muslim world.

    It lauded the Kingdom’s positive role in supporting peace and stability in the Arab world and neighboring countries, stressing its keenness to support Arab countries.”

  30. Twitter warns global users their tweets violate Pakistani law (gulfnews, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/twitter-warns-global-users-their-tweets-violate-pakistani-law-1.60877795

    “WASHINGTON: When Canadian columnist Anthony Furey received an email said to be from Twitter’s legal team telling him he may have broken a slew of Pakistani laws, his first instinct was to dismiss it as spam.

    But after Googling the relevant sections of Pakistan’s penal code, the Toronto Sun op-ed editor was startled to learn he stood accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) — a crime punishable by death in the Islamic republic — and Twitter later confirmed the correspondence was genuine.

    His perceived offence was to post cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH) several years ago.

    Furey and two prominent critics of extremism in Islam say they are “shocked” to have received notices by the social media giant this past week over alleged violations of Islamabad’s laws, despite having no apparent connection to the South Asian country.

    I’m somewhat alarmed that Twitter would even allow a country to make a complaint like this, as it almost validates their absurd blasphemy laws.
    – Anthony Furey, Canadian columnist
    They say the notices amount to an effort to stifle their voices — a charge Twitter denies, arguing the notices came about as a result of “valid requests from an authorised entity,” understood to mean Pakistan, helped users “to take measures to protect their interests,” and the process is not unique to any one country.

    But Furey is the third prominent user in the space of days to publicly complain about receiving a message linked to Pakistan.

    The other two are Saudi-Canadian activist Ensaf Haidar and Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, a progressive Muslim scholar from Australia who was born in Iran.

    Both are outspoken critics of religious extremism and have accused the social media giant of helping to silence progressive ideas within Islam.

    ‘Validates blasphemy laws’
    Furey, who detailed his experience in a column for his newspaper on Saturday, said: “I’m somewhat alarmed that Twitter would even allow a country to make a complaint like this, as it almost validates their absurd blasphemy laws.”

    The tweet in question was a collage of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that he posted four years ago.

    “Looking back, I remember I did it right after there had been an Daesh-inspired attack in retaliation over the cartoons,” Furey wrote in his column, adding he had not posted similar material before or since.

    Haidar, who is the wife of Saudi writer Raif Badawi who was jailed in his country in 2012 for charges including apostasy, said: “I’m very shocked by Twitter. They want to silence any voice telling the truth.”

    Twitter wrote to her concerning an August tweet which showed a woman wearing the Islamic full veil, with the caption: “Retweet if you’re against niqab.”

    A notice sent to her advised her that Twitter had received official correspondence saying she could be violating Pakistani law for the tweet, adding: “You may wish to consult legal counsel about this matter.”

    Tawhidi meanwhile was sent a similar notice flagging a tweet that called on Australian police to investigate extremism in mosques following a deadly knife attack in Melbourne in November.

    The scholar attached the legal notice sent to him by Twitter informing him of possible violations of Pakistani law, and tweeted: “I am not from Pakistan nor am I a Pakistani citizen.

    “Pakistan has no authority over what I say. Get out of here.”

    Chilling effect

    Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Twitter said: “In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a valid requests from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time.”

    The spokesperson added: “We notify users so that they have the opportunity to review the legal request, and the option to take measures to protect their interests.”

    Pakistan has previously threatened to block Twitter if the company did not remove content its government found offensive.

    It banned Facebook for hosting allegedly blasphemous content for two weeks in 2010 while YouTube was unavailable from 2012 to 2016 over an amateur film about the Prophet Mohammad that led to global riots.

    Furey said that although he was taken aback by the notice, “I’m at least glad they brought it to my attention that the Pakistan government has their eye on me.”

    But he added: “One troubling consequence to all of this is that even people in countries without these blasphemy laws may start to self-censor for fear of the reach foreign governments will have over them in the online world.””

  31. Morocco’s BCIJ Dismantles New Terror Cell with Alleged ISIS Ties in Kenitra (moroccoworldnews, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/260077/morocco-bcij-new-terror-cell-isis-kenitra/

    “The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) has arrested a three-member terror cell for their alleged ties with ISIS. Aged between 21 and 31, the suspects were active in the city of Kenitra, according to a statement from the Ministry of Interior.

    The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were promoting terror propaganda and were planning acts of terrorism to undermine the stability of the country.

    Investigations found that one of the suspects attempted to join ISIS both in the Syrian-Iraqi conflict zones and in its active factions in West Africa before deciding to commit a terrorist act in Morocco in coordination with the other members of the cell.

    The same suspect was also in constant contact with one of the extremist members of a terror cell arrested on November 9 in Ait Melloul in southern Morocco.

    The ministry said that the suspects will be put in custody after investigations.

    Thanks to its efforts to combat terrorism, Morocco now ranks 132nd out of 166 countries at threat of terrorism in the 2018 Global Terrorism Index. The country is listed among the countries least affected by terrorism, which makes it safer than the US, France, and Algeria.

    Today’s operation comes after a similar arrest of a six-member terror cell for their alleged ties with ISIS.

    On Saturday, October 8, BCIJ also busted an international cocaine trafficking ring.

    Throughout the year, BCIJ has carried out similar operations across the country.”

  32. US adds Pakistan to blacklist for ‘religious freedom violations’ (tribune, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1864685/3-us-adds-pakistan-blacklist-religious-freedom-violations/

    “The United States said Tuesday it has added Pakistan to its blacklist of countries that violate religious freedom, ramping up pressure over its treatment of minorities.

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had designated Pakistan among “countries of particular concern” in a congressionally mandated annual report, meaning the US government is obliged to exert pressure to end freedom violations.

    Pompeo a year earlier had placed Pakistan on a special watch list — a step short of the designation — in what had been seen as a US tactic to press Islamabad into reforms.

    But the timing of the full designation may be jarring as it comes after Pakistan moved to resolve its most high-profile case, with the Supreme Court in October releasing Asia Bibi — a Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy.

    The government recently charged a hardline cleric, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, with terrorism and sedition after he led violent protests against Bibi’s acquittal.

    “In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs,” Pompeo said in a statement.

    “The United States will not stand by as spectators in the face of such oppression,” he said.

    Nine countries remained for another year on the list of Countries of Particular Concern — China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

    The United States removed one country from the list — Uzbekistan — but kept it on the watch list.

    Pompeo also put on the watch list Russia, adding another item of contention to the relationship between the two powers.

    Russia has increasingly drawn concern in the United States over its treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the heterodox Christian group known for proselytization.

    Also on the watch list was the Comoros, the Indian Ocean archipelago that is almost exclusively Sunni Muslim”

  33. Child malnutrition worsened in insurgency-hit Nigeria (AA, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/child-malnutrition-worsened-in-insurgency-hit-nigeria-/1335236

    “Apart from having the world’s largest mortality rate of under-fives, a UNICEF nutrition expert said Nigeria now has at least 35 million severely malnourished children.

    UNICEF nutrition experts say the crisis is most prevalent in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe — the three states in the country’s northeast worst hit by the Boko Haram insurgency. They call the crisis a national emergency which deserves prompt attention.

    “One in six children in northeastern (Borno, Yobe and Adamawa) suffer from severe malnutrition. Indeed, one in every two children (50 percent) are stunted in the region,” Davis Bamidele Omotola, UNICEF nutrition consultant, said at a media dialogue on malnutrition in Yola, the capital town of Adamawa, last week.

    These are not just figures, experts warned, saying the statistics mean the affected children are either destined for early death or a life of unfulfilled dreams since they are unable to cope in school or any vocation.

    “If Nigeria overcomes the menace of malnutrition, 33 percent of poor people will get out of extreme poverty and give their own children a better chance at life,” Omotola said. He added that the cycle of generational poverty may also be broken if proper attention is given to nutrition.

    Investing in children’s nutrition offers some of the greatest opportunities for social and economic change in Africa. Experts say there is a return on investment of $16 on every dollar spent to raise nutrition level.

    “There will be grave implications if we ignore malnutrition,” Sesugh Akume, a former spokesman for the #BringBackOurGirls movement, told Anadolu Agency. “This issue must be on top of the agenda if we are serious about the future of this country.”

    Martin Jackson, UNICEF nutrition officer in northeastern Bauchi State, said non-profit organizations have done a lot to save the children but such efforts are not enough.

    Jackson called on government and the parliaments at the national and state levels to not just allocate enough funds to address the crisis but to also ensure that the funds are released to execute the plan.

    But there is more to the crisis than government committing huge funds to fight malnutrition.

    Awareness

    Experts have called for increasing awareness among the public on the consequences of malnutrition and how to prevent it.

    This begins with giving better education to children, especially the girl child, and empowering women to be economically viable and self-reliant, according to researchers.

    “It is proven, for instance, that educated women tend to practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months more than those who are not educated. This is the product of education. Such educated women are also more likely to know what kind of food should be given to their children to prevent malnutrition,” Omotola said.

    Odoh Diego Okenyodo, a resource person at the media dialogue, said information must get to every segment of the society as government and other stakeholders step up the campaign.

    “Information helps build awareness and awareness often leads to people practicing the right behaviors. The drivers of malnutrition lie in the actions that people take or do not,” he told Anadolu Agency.

    Geoffrey Njoku, communications specialist at UNICEF, agrees with Okenyodo.

    “The problem is not the lack of food in the northeast, for instance. The question is what kind of food and that is where building the capacity of mothers and caregivers becomes very important,” Njoku said.

    “Mothers and caregivers will need to know what kind of food is necessary to boost the nutrition level of their children. A child should not be given just one class of food to the exclusion of others,” he added.”

  34. Turkey rejects US plan to train local forces in Syria (AA, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-rejects-us-plan-to-train-local-forces-in-syria/1335941

    “Turkey is skeptical about a U.S. plan to train around 40,000 locals in northeastern Syria, the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman said Tuesday.

    Speaking to reporters in capital Ankara, Omer Celik expressed concern over a reported U.S. plan to train 35,000 to 40,000 people in northeastern Syria.

    “We do not see them as well-intentioned approaches.”

    He added that the move will be seen by Turkey as lending fresh support to terror elements in Syria.

    Last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Dunford announced that the US-led coalition is planning to train 35,000 to 40,000 locals to stabilize the northeastern part of Syria by defeating Daesh.

    Turkey has repeatedly objected to U.S. support for the terrorist YPG/PKK in Syria, which Washington considers “a reliable ally” in the fight against Daesh.

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

    Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij, Syria on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region…”

  35. UN Migration Pact: Swiss ‘credibility at risk’ says Red Cross chief (thelocal, Dec 11, 2018)
    https://www.thelocal.ch/20181211/un-migration-pact-swiss-credibility-at-risk-says-red-cross-chief-united-nations

    “The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday attacked Switzerland’s credibility on humanitarian issues over its decision to delay signing the UN migration pact.

    Speaking to the press after the non-binding pact was approved by over 160 countries in Marrakech on Monday, IFRC president Francesco Rocca described the decision by Switzerland to hold off on approving the pact as “painful”.

    “We trusted Switzerland when it was leading the negotiations. Now everything has changed,” said Rocca.

    Switzerland provided diplomatic support during the 18-month negotiations for the new Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

    In October, the Swiss government said it would approve the pact but in late November it backtracked and said it would hold off on doing so until the parliament had discussed the issues involved.

    Rocca said Switzerland’s “credibility” when it came to leading humanitarian discussions has now been seriously “put at risk”.

    “Sometimes you accept something that maybe you don’t like 100 percent just because you trust the one [Switzerland] who is leading the discussion – just because you trust that he is caring for humanitarian action,” said the IFRC president, taking aim at the country.

    The UN migration pact aims to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows.

    But countries including the United States, Australia, Hungary and Poland refused to put their name to the document over fears sovereignty could be affected despite the UN guarantees that the pact is intended as a non-binding framework on cooperation.

    The Swiss upper house, the Council of States, in late November voted that the parliament, not the government should be given the power to say whether Switzerland will sign the migration pact. The lower house, the National Council is expected to expected to make the same demand on Tuesday.”