Reader’s Links for December 21, 2018

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

About Eeyore

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

112 Replies to “Reader’s Links for December 21, 2018”

  1. DAILY MAIL – Gatwick beats the drone: Army thwarts NEW attack with flights able to resume just 80 minutes after machine is spotted nearby as airport chiefs say the ‘military measures’ in place ARE working

    Gatwick Airport closed its runway again tonight after another confirmed sighting of a drone over the airfield
    Flights resumed just over an hour later as the airport said ‘military measures’ would keep passengers safe
    One flight from Morocco appeared to be just moments away from landing when it was forced to divert away
    The saboteur remains at large more than 48 hours after the crisis began despite a police and Army search
    Sussex Police said they were closing in and had identified ‘persons of interest’ before the latest sighting
    Police have not made any arrests with ‘lone wolf’ environmentalist or group of eco-warriors prime suspects
    The runway had re-opened earlier on Thursday after all 760 flights at Gatwick were cancelled yesterday

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6519109/Gatwick-runway-reopens-flights-resume-amid-drone-chaos-MoD-deploys-specialist-equipment.html

    • UK –2 people arrested over drone incident at London’s Gatwick Airport

      Two people have been arrested in connection with the drone incident that paralyzed London’s Gatwick Airport for more than a day, local officials say. Only few details were immediately released.

      Both suspects were arrested just after 10 p.m. local time on Friday on suspicion of criminal use of drones. There was no immediate word on their identities, where they were arrested, or how they were found.

      “Our investigations are still ongoing, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics,” said James Collis of Sussex Police.

      “We continue to urge the public, passengers and the wider community around Gatwick to be vigilant and support us by contacting us immediately if they believe they have any information that can help us in bringing those responsible to justice,” he said.

      Collis added: “The arrests we have made this evening are a result of our determination to keep the public safe from harm, every line of enquiry will remain open to us until we are confident that we have mitigated further threats to the safety of passengers.”

      Gatwick Airport was shut down on Wednesday night when drones were illegally flown near the runway. The drones returned multiple times, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled and impacting more than 100,000 travelers.

      The airport, one of the busiest in Britain, re-opened on Friday morning. A motive for the disruption is still unknown, but police have said they do not believe it is related to terrorism.

      https://bnonews.com/site/index.php/2018/12/2-people-arrested-over-drone-incident-at-londons-gatwick-airport/

  2. the daily caller – SENATE’S OUTSIDE RUSSIA INVESTIGATORS TIED TO RUSSIAN BOT ‘FALSE FLAG’

    The head of the firm behind a report on ongoing Russian influence campaigns in the United States was part of a Democratic project to create fake Russian bots during the Alabama special election in October 2017.

    The chief executive of cybersecurity firm New Knowledge, Jonathan Morgan, was one of the operatives on a self-described “false flag” operation meant to link Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore to Russian bots in order to boost his Democratic opponent, now-Sen. Doug Jones. The project sought to spread misinformation about foreign interference in an American election.

    Morgan’s firm also recently authored a report on that very topic for the Senate Intelligence Committee.

    The New Knowledge report — which is posted in full at the bottom of this article — stated that Americans’ hesitance to embrace censorship puts the U.S. at a “disadvantage” in dealing with Russian influence campaigns.

    The report also called for “robust collaboration between government agencies, platforms, and private companies” in order to combat the threat of Russian influence campaigns.

    Leftist billionaire Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, reportedly spent $100,000 on the false flag operation, which included running fake conservative Facebook pages meant to dissuade Republican voters from supporting Moore.

    The project and Morgan’s participation in it were revealed by The New York Times in an investigation published Wednesday evening.

    “We orchestrated an elaborate ‘false flag’ operation that planted the idea that the Moore campaign was amplified on social media by a Russian botnet,” the operatives recounted in an internal report obtained by the Times.

    Media outlets — both in Alabama and nationally — fell for the ploy and amplified the false narrative in October 2017.

    In a statement to the Times, Morgan described the misinformation operation as a “research project” and claimed his involvement in the fake Russian bots didn’t “ring a bell.”

    New Knowledge did not return an email asking whether Morgan’s reported involvement in spreading misinformation online affects his trustworthiness on that topic and whether he considers online misinformation campaigns to be harmless as long as they have a budget of $100,000 or less.

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/21/senate-russia-report-russian-bot/

    • Democratic operatives created fake Russian bots to link Russia to Roy Moore

      Robert Siciliano, a security analyst at Hotspot shield, discusses how Democratic operatives created thousands of fake Russian accounts to give an impression that the Russian government was supporting Alabama Republican Roy Moore.

  3. “Ex-Muslim Christian Pastor, Refugee From Iran, Arrested for Sharing His Testimony — in Minnesota”
    by Tyler O’Neil – September 4, 2018
    https://pjmedia.com/faith/ex-muslim-christian-pastor-refugee-from-iran-arrested-for-sharing-his-testimony-in-minnesota/

    “Trial Pending for Ex-Muslim Christian Pastor Arrested for Sharing His Testimony in Minnesota” by Tyler – November 28, 2018
    https://pjmedia.com/faith/trial-pending-for-ex-muslim-christian-pastor-arrested-for-sharing-his-testimony-in-minnesota/

    • “Christian Preacher Arrested For Violating Sharia Law In Minnesota”
      Warrior Reports – Published on December 17, 2018

  4. Reflections on the Islamophobia Conference

    Massoud Shadjareh gives feedback from the Islamophobia Conference and has a message for Zionist agitators that have been targeting pro-Palestinian activists across the country…… like Tommy Robinson

    • Entire Talk
      “MIN FARRAKHAN TALKS CHRISTMAS | BLACK FRIDAYS”
      We The Gods 2 – Published on December 9, 2018

  5. Tucker Carlson – Is withdrawing US troops from Syria an impeachable offense?

    Washington elites condemn Syria pullout decision; reaction from Col. Douglas MacGregor.

  6. France Shuts Down ‘Secret’ Islamic Preschool in Marseille (moroccoworldnews, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/261203/france-shuts-down-secret-islamic-preschool-marseille/

    “The French Ministry of Education decided to close an Islamic preschool in Marseille for not complying with France’s academic rules.

    In an interview with the French channel RMC Minister of Education Jean Jacques Bourdin said that the school, which relies on fundamentalist Salafi teachings based on physical jihadism, was closed on Monday, December 17.

    The minister said that the school, not corresponding with France’s educational “norms” had “lied” about the situation of its students.

    “Every morning, [the schoolchildren] would be accompanied to a place that looks nothing like a school,” the minister stated, as reported by French daily Le Figaro.

    The minister indicated that a law passed in July gives the ministry the right to shut down schools that do not follow the country’s norms, especially those which adopt notions of fundamentalist Islam, for fear that the institutions would “indoctrinate” the children.

    Bourdin announced that authorities will instead enroll the Islamic school students in traditional public schools. The school had only 43 students aged 2 to 6 years old.

    French authorities are reportedly investigating the types of courses the school gave to the students and whether the courses bore any characteristics of “extremism.”

    It is not the first time that France has closed an Islamist school. In 2016 the country closed an Islamic primary school in Toulouse, southwest France, that made children attend for more hours than the national curriculum’s regulations.

    The Toulouse court gave the school’s headteacher a four-month jail sentence.”

  7. Norway Allocates €400,000 to Help Migrants Staying in Morocco (moroccoworldnews, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/261152/norway-migrants-morocco/

    “Merethe Nergaard, the ambassador of Norway to Morocco, and Ana Fonseca, the head of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Morocco, signed an agreement for Norway to provide a grant of about €400,000 to IOM.

    The grant will go to the RAISE program (Voluntary Return and Reintegration for Stranded Migrants in Morocco), a voluntary return and reintegration project for migrants in distress in Morocco.

    “We are pleased to continue our support to RAISE, contributing to IOM and Morocco’s efforts to assist stranded migrants who wish to return to their home country,” said Marianne Hagen, state secretary at Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hagen headed the Norwegian delegation to the conference on the Global Compact on Migration.

    Since 2005, IOM Morocco has assisted in the voluntary return of more than 6,800 people to 36 countries. More than 1.3 million migrants have received assistance since 1979. The organization seeks to provide a dignified return for distressed migrants through administrative, logistical, and financial support.

    On December 14, the European Commission announced it will pledge €148 million to financially assist Morocco with migration issues.”

  8. UAE matches Saudi Arabia with $3b support to Pakistan ‘in testing times’ (tribune, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1871786/1-uae-deposit-3b-state-bank-pakistan-news-agency/

    “The United Arab Emirates announced on Friday that it would deposit $3 billion in the State Bank of Pakistan to bolster the country’s dwindling foreign reserves.

    With the announcement, the UAE will match assistance from Saudi Arabia which agreed to park $3 billion in Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.

    In a statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development said it will deposit the much-needed money in the coming days to enhance Pakistan’s liquidity and monetary reserves of foreign currency.
    “The country’s support for Pakistan’s fiscal policy is based on the historical ties between the two people and the two friendly countries and the desire to further develop the bilateral cooperation in all fields,” it added.

    “The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has financed eight development projects in Pakistan with a total value of AED1.5 billion, including AED931 million in grants. The funds covered projects in sectors such as energy, health, education and roads.”

    Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked the UAE government for the support during ‘testing times’….”

  9. Army chief ratifies death sentences of 14 ‘hardcore’ terrorists (tribune, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1871879/1-army-chief-ratifies-death-sentences-14-hardcore-terrorists/

    “Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday ratified death sentence of 14 ‘hardcore’ terrorists who were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism, read a press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The terrorists, the press release added, were handed down death sentences for attacking armed forces personnel, law enforcement agencies (LEAs), killing civilians, destroying educational institutions and infrastructure.

    The convicts were involved in the killing of 16 people including 13 armed forces personnel, three civilians and injuring 19 others. Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession. The convicts were tried by special military courts. In addition, 20 convicts have also been awarded imprisonment.

    Details of each case are as follows:

    1. Mohi Ud Din, Gul Zameen: Both convicts were members of a proscribed organisation involved in attacking armed forces and LEAs, which resulted in the death of a civilian, three soldiers and injured five soldiers. They were found in possession of explosives. They were awarded death sentence.

    2. Fazal Hadi: The convict was a member of a proscribed organisation. He was involved in attacking armed forces, which resulted in the death of three soldiers. He was also involved in the destruction of Hazara and Gulibagh Bridge and police station as well as kidnapping two civilians for ransom. He was awarded the death sentence.

    3. Muhammad Wahab, Gul Muhammad, Bashir Ahmed, Afreen Khan: All convicts were members of a proscribed organisation involved in attacking LEAs, which resulted in the death of Subedar Awal Khan, Naik Azmat Ullah and injuring another soldier. They were also found in possession of firearms and explosives. They were awarded death sentence.

    4. Barkat Ali, Muhammad Islam, Rooh Ul Amin, Shtamand: All convicts were members of a proscribed organisation involved in killing of innocent civilians and attacking the armed forces, which resulted in the death of Muhammad Umar, Mukhtiar Ahmad, Havildar Allah Dita and Sepoy Bacha Hussain and injuring two civilians. They were involved in the destruction of educational institutions in Swat. They were also found in possession of firearms and explosives. They were awarded death sentence.

    5. Bacha Wazir: The convict was a member of a proscribed organisation. He was involved in attacking armed forces, which resulted in the death of Naik Ghulam Hassan and injured another soldier. He was found in possession of firearms and explosives. He was awarded the death sentence.

    6. Mohammad: The convict was a member of a proscribed organisation involved in attacking LEAs, which resulted in the death of Sepoy Sajid Khan and injured five others. He was also found in possession firearms and explosives and was awarded death sentence.

    7. Muhammad Ismail: The convict was a member of a proscribed organisation, involved in attacking LEAs, which resulted in the death of a soldier and injured two others. He was found in possession of firearms and was awarded death sentence.”

  10. India is Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner: Pentagon (khaama, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://www.khaama.com/india-is-afghanistans-most-reliable-regional-partner-pentagon-02971/

    “The US Department of Defense has described India as Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner in its latest report ‘Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan’.

    “India is Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region. India interprets the new U.S. South Asia policy as an opportunity to increase its economic involvement with Afghanistan,” the report said.

    According to the report, since late 2015, India has pledged $1 billion in development assistance in addition to the approximate $2 billion already spent on Afghan infrastructure. “India continues to invest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline. India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden-sharing for Afghanistan.”

    In regards to the influence of other regional actors over Afghanistan security, Pentagon has said Russia is engaging a wide range of actors in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, to secure its interests in Central Asia and to expand its influence in the region.

    “The Russian government seeks to renew arms sales, maintenance, and training to Kabul, which would provide influence with the Afghan government,” the report said.

    According to Pentagon report, China’s military, economic, and political engagements in Afghanistan are driven by domestic security concerns that terrorism will spread across the Afghan border into China, and also by China’s increasing desire to protect its regional economic investments. China is a member of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) seeking to support Afghan and Taliban peace and reconciliation efforts. Afghanistan continues to seek Chinese pressure on Pakistan to assist reconciliation efforts and eliminate insurgent sanctuaries.

    Iran seeks a stable Afghan government that is responsive to Iranian goals, the elimination of ISISK, the removal of the U.S./NATO presence, and the protection of Iranian concerns, such as water rights and border security.

    However, the report adds that Iran provides weapons, explosives, training, financing, and political support to the Taliban to counter the U.S. and Coalition military presence, combat ISIS-K, and position itself as an arbiter for peace talks.

    In the meantime, Pentagon says Central Asia continues to be an important region for U.S. security interests based on our continued need for access via the Northern Access Corridor (NAC). The United States continues steady engagement to maintain access, support regional sovereignty, build regional capacity against transnational threats, and develop closer ties between the Central Asian States and Afghanistan.”

  11. Number of Turkish asylum seekers in EU countries hits record high (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 21, 2018)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/number-of-turkish-asylum-seekers-in-eu-countries-hits-record-high-139922

    “The number of pending Turkish asylum applications to EU countries has exceeded 17,000 following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, hitting a record high for the country since the 1980 military coup.

    In 2016, there was almost no demand from Turkey for political asylum, and that such a high figure emerged after the 2016 coup attempt led to uneasiness in the EU, which is already prejudiced about receiving Syrian migrants, a Turkish official has told the Hürriyet Daily News.

    Another official said members of FETÖ, which is accused by the Turkish government for having orchestrated the 2016 coup attempt, constituted the majority of these applicants, of whom only some are suspected of having links to the PKK.

    The official noted that there are other Turkish citizens who already have residence permits in the EU countries and they have not applied for asylum yet, because they are waiting for judicial processes in Turkey.

    According to figures provided by European Asylum Support Office (EASO), the number of pending cases of Turkish applicants by the end of October was 17,332. This number does not display the total number of applications including accepted demands. But EASO said around 44 percent of Turkish applicants were granted refugee status in the past six months till October.

    Turks are fifth among the applicants, following Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, and Iranian asylum seekers. Pakistani, Albanian, Venezuelan, Nigerian, and Georgian citizens come after Turkish citizens, according to EASO figures provided until October.

    Germany is leading the list of EU countries from which Turkish citizens seek asylum most. German authorities stated that the number of Turkish asylum seekers in their country exceeded 15,000 so far. These asylum seekers also include former soldiers assigned in NATO bases in Europe.

    This number for Greece has risen to almost 6,000, according to figures provided by Greek officials. Eight former Turkish soldiers flew to Greece by helicopter on July 16, 2016, a day after the coup attempt. Ankara says the eight soldiers were members of FETÖ. Turkey immediately issued an extradition request, which was eventually declined by the Greek Supreme Court in January 2017, after a series of trials and appeals. Greece granted asylum for three of them.

    In July, Norway’s Directorate of Immigration said 245 Turkish nationals have sought shelter in Norway so far in 2018. That compares to a total of 164 Turkish nationals who sought asylum in Norway in 2017.

    Frode Forfang, the head of the agency, said on July 5 that “most of them” have been granted protection in the past.”

  12. Turkish presidential aide warns Balkans against FETO (AA, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-presidential-aide-warns-balkans-against-feto/1345637

    “Turkey’s presidential spokesperson warned Balkan countries Friday against the threat of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

    Speaking to reporters after a Turkish language education event in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, Ibrahim Kalin said all friends and allies of Turkey should be careful against FETO and take measures before it is too late.

    “We call upon all countries who are our friends and allies, especially in the Balkans, to work closely with Turkey against FETO,” Kalin stressed.

    Kalin said FETO hides behind innocent terms like education, service and dialogue, but it can be involved in any type of betrayal and murder.

    Therefore, he warned Balkan countries to take a firm stance against FETO for their own national interests.

    FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

    Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.”

  13. Northern town discriminated agst Moroccan immigrant (ansa, Dec 20, 2018)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2018/12/20/northern-town-discriminated-agst-moroccan-immigrant_2b15b8c5-de94-4555-ab7f-b523e4feca3c.html

    “A northern Italian town discriminated against a Moroccan immigrant and his family by demanding he obtain hard-to-get foreign documents in support of welfare claims in a case similar to a headline-grabbing case of school meals in nearby Lodi, a Bergamo court said Thursday.

    The latest case took place in the town of Palazzago near Bergamo.

    The Bergamo court found the Palazzago council guilty of “a discriminatory character in its behaviour” by rejecting a welfare plea related to large families filed by the Moroccan pending the submission of “certificates and statements issued by the competent foreign authority with respect to his assets”.

    In October the mayor of Lodi said it was right that migrant children should have been excluded from free school meals because of stringent foreign-documentation requirements.
    As in Palazzago, the Lodi regulation demanded that migrant parents submit documentation from their countries of origin about their wealth and income, in addition to certification from the Italian authorities, as part of means-testing for these services.
    After an outcry the foreign children were readmitted to the school canteens.”

  14. German policeman seriously hurt as radical left storms AfD event (thelocal, Dec 21, 2018)
    https://www.thelocal.de/20181221/german-policeman-hurt-as-radical-left-invades-far-right-event

    “A police officer was seriously injured in Cologne when far-left activists invaded an event organized by right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), authorities said.

    The anti-migrant party had organized “an open citizen dialogue” at a museum building on Cäcilienstraße, with police at hand for security.

    But several dozen demonstrators “stormed the podium, chanting slogans and unrolling banners”.

    “Due to the massive disturbance of the gathering, the people were led off the podium by police officers,” said police in a statement.

    “But there was resistance,” they added.

    “A police officer was pushed from the podium, fell and suffered serious injuries.”

    The officer was hospitalized, according to the statement which did not specify the nature of his injuries.

    No one was arrested but police took down the identities of 40 people who will be prosecuted for allegedly violating the law on assemblies as well as for putting up resistance against police officers.

    Far-left and radical right activists often clash in Germany.

    Among the most serious rampages by far-left militants took place during the G20 summit in 2017 in Hamburg.

    The far-right has also shocked Germany with xenophobic riots in the eastern city of Chemnitz.”