Reader’s Links, Last day of 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.

Happy New Year’s Eve to all the community at vladTepesBlog, and thank you all so very much for your contributions throughout the year!

May 2019 see a restoration of understanding of freedom, both of its costs, and its value. And with all your help, perhaps we will.

Eeyore.

About Eeyore

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

153 Replies to “Reader’s Links, Last day of 2018”

  1. Turkey: Bags alleged to contain Khashoggi’s remains seen in leaked video

    CCTV footage leaked to Turkish media and released on Monday allegedly shows Saudi officials arriving at the Saudi Consul-General’s residence in Istanbul, on the day journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed.

    The video also shows men carrying bags into the residence, which Turkish reports have speculated to contain the dissident journalist’s remains.

  2. Like Hitler, like Macron? Le Monde apologizes for controversial magazine cover

    One of French biggest newspapers has dedicated its latest front page to the anti-government ‘Yellow Vest’ protesters.

    ‘Le Monde’ made a collage of pictures of President Macron and the demonstrations.

    Unfortunately though, it reminded some readers of an another notorious image.

  3. 148,000 police on duty in France as ‘yellow vests’ call protests

    French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announces that 148,000 members of the security forces will be mobilised for New Year’s Eve in France.

  4. Iran to Equip Its Speed Boats With Missiles and Stealth Technology – Report (sputniknews, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812311071131367-iran-stealth-speed-boats/

    “Earlier in the year, the Islamic Republic also presented its newest destroyer and fifth-generation jet, both fitted with stealth technologies. Their introduction came amid ongoing tensions with the US, which withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and imposed sanctions against Tehran.

    The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander, Alireza Tangsiri, announced on 31 December that the military plans to equip its speed boats with stealth technology, as well as new weaponry, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

    “The high speed and high movement in operations has always been of great importance to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy”, he said.

    The IRGC is also currently working on increasing the maximum speed of such boats to over 80 knots per hour (around 148 kilometres per hour) and equipping them with “agile missiles”.

    Speaking about foreign military presence in the region, Tangsiri said that although it is not present in waters, monitored by Iran, Tehran is still keeping a close eye on the situation.

    He also expressed concern about potential damage to the environment that could be done to the region if the recently arrived nuclear-powered carrier USS John C. Stennis gets “in trouble”….”

    • Another way for Putin to get Twisted-Ragheads out of his Boy’s hair in Syria, when the time is right. Egg them on, celebrate their courage:
      • • Challenge the Great Satan!
      • • We’ll air all your martyr vids, make ’em go viral.
      Do it, do it, just do it, little fella…

      • Do it, do it, just do it, little fella…

        If ever there was a classic example of “let’s you and him fight”… It’s almost like Muslims get an erotic charge from being played for total dupes (by their own or others).

  5. Amsterdam airport EVACUATED: Schiphol departure hall cleared after man makes bomb threat (express, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1065562/amsterdam-schiphol-airport-bomb-threat-evacuated-departure-hall-latest-updates

    “PART of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is on lockdown tonight after a man made a bomb threat.

    One of the departure halls has been cleared of passengers after a man claimed to have an explosive device.

    A tweet from the airport’s official account said: Man threatens with a bomb in Departure Hall 3 at Schiphol.

    “Currently Departure hall 3 is being evacuated.

    “More information will follow as soon as possible.”

    More follows…”

  6. AP Investigation: Food aid stolen as Yemen starves (abcnews, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ap-investigation-food-aid-stolen-yemen-starves-60086836

    “Day after day Nabil al-Hakimi, a humanitarian official in Taiz, one of Yemen’s largest cities, went to work feeling he had a “mountain” on his shoulders. Billions of dollars in food and other foreign aid was coming into his war-ravaged homeland, but millions of Yemenis were still living a step away from famine.

    Reports of organizational disarray and out-and-out thievery streamed in to him this spring and summer from around Taiz — 5,000 sacks of rice doled out without record of where they’d gone . . . 705 food baskets looted from a welfare agency’s warehouses . . . 110 sacks of grain pillaged from trucks trying to make their way through the craggy northern highlands overlooking the city.

    Food donations, it was clear, were being snatched from the starving.

    Documents reviewed by The Associated Press and interviews with al-Hakimi and other officials and aid workers show that thousands of families in Taiz are not getting international food aid intended for them — often because it has been seized by armed units that are allied with the Saudi-led, American-backed military coalition fighting in Yemen.

    “The army that should protect the aid is looting the aid,” al-Hakimi told the AP.

    Across Yemen, factions and militias on all sides of the conflict have blocked food aid from going to groups suspected of disloyalty, diverted it to front-line combat units or sold it for profit on the black market, according to public records and confidential documents obtained by the AP and interviews with more than 70 aid workers, government officials and average citizens from six different provinces.

    The problem of lost and stolen aid is common in Taiz and other areas controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by the Saudi-led military coalition. It is even more widespread in territories controlled by the Houthi rebels, the struggling government’s main enemy during the nearly four years of warfare that has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

    Some observers have attributed the near-famine conditions in much of the country to the coalition’s blockade of ports that supply Houthi-controlled areas. AP’s investigation found that large amounts of food are making it into the country, but once there, the food often isn’t getting to people who need it most — raising questions about the ability of United Nations agencies and other big aid organizations to operate effectively in Yemen.

    After the release of the AP’s investigation on Monday, the United Nations’ World Food Program for the first time directly accused the Houthi rebels of diverting aid. WFP director David Beasley said in a letter to the Houthis’ leader that if the rebels did not investigate and put an end to theft, the organization would suspend some assistance, potentially effecting nearly 3 million people.

    “These incidents of fraud amount to stealing food from the mouths of hungry Yemeni children,” Beasley wrote…”

  7. An ISIS-allied media group is pushing lone jihadists to launch attacks employing unique methods including poisonous snakes, electrocution and ferocious animals.

    The al-Ansar Media Foundation message, spelled out over the backdrop of a shadowy hooded figure, directs the “lone lion” to “kill the infidels in ways which no one else ever used.”

    Suggestions listed are “snake,” “smoke,” “poison,” “wild animals,” “poisoned arrow,” “killing gaz [sp],” and “electricity.”

    (Al-Ansar Media Foundation]
    Before the holidays, al-Ansar circulated an image depicting a bag of “Christmas Gifts” with images of a knife attack, vehicle attack and bomb coming out of the bag.

    The group also promoted arson as wildfires ripped through California in November, distributing a photo of a burning building and misspelling the state “kalifornia.”

    https://pjmedia.com/homeland-security/kill-the-infidels-with-snakes-and-wild-animals-lone-isis-jihadists-told/

  8. COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing at least two and wounding nearly 30, officials said.

    The bomb went off near a baggage counter at the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city, wounding shoppers, vendors and commuters. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in the city, military and police officials said.

    https://www.timesunion.com/news/world/article/2-dead-21-wounded-in-bomb-blast-at-Philippine-13499410.php#photo-16708252

  9. Officials and religious leaders in Aceh have called on Muslims in the province not to celebrate the New Year for religious reasons.

    Aceh acting governor Nova Iriansyah explained in a circular that, “When marking the New Year, [it is recommended] that people not hold any festivities such as fireworks, trumpet-blowing, vehicle racing or any other celebration not in accordance with sharia, our customs and culture,” Nova said as quoted by Antara on Sunday.

    Cleric Mursalin Basyah echoed the message in a sermon on Sunday before thousands of Muslims at Al Faizin Mosque in Lampeuneurut, Aceh Besar, Aceh,

    “Islam firmly prohibits people from individually or in a group celebrating the New Year [in the Gregorian calendar]. We have to inform all generations of Muslims of this,” said Mursalin as quoted by Antara.

    Other regions, meanwhile, have recommended that people not celebrate the New Year on the streets, to avoid accidents, traffic jams and to respect those in mourning due to disasters.

    https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/12/31/aceh-advises-muslims-not-to-celebrate-new-year.html

  10. the gateway pundit – Muslim Doctor Fired From Ohio Clinic After Claiming She Will Purposely Give Jewish Patients Wrong Medication

    A Muslim doctor was fired from a Cleveland, Ohio clinic after it was discovered she was bragging about purposely giving Jewish patients the wrong medication.
    Lara Kollab, 27, was a supervised resident at the Cleveland Clinic — she must be one of those ‘moderates’ we keep hearing about.

    “Hahha ewww… ill (sic) purposely give all the yahood the wrong meds…” Kollab posted in a January 2012 tweet.

    “Yahood” is Arabic for “Jew.”

    The Cleveland Clinic released a statement on Monday, via Cleveland 19 News:

    “This individual was employed as a supervised resident at our hospital from July to September 2018. She is no longer working at Cleveland Clinic. In no way do these beliefs reflect those of our organization. We fully embrace diversity, inclusion and a culture of safety and respect across our entire health system.”

    According to reports, Kollab’s medical license remains active; her license was issued in Cuyahoga County in July 2018, it is valid until June 2021.

    Lara Kollab has also posted many tweets where she defended Hamas terrorists and supported Islamic terrorists.

    You can read Lara Kollab’s full list of hate here.

    https://canarymission.org/individual/Lara_Kollab

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/muslim-doctor-fired-from-ohio-clinic-after-claiming-she-will-purposely-give-jewish-patients-wrong-medication/

    • To.give her the benefit of the doubt, she was in a residency that accommodated Jewish Sabbath-observers after having gotten osteopath training at Touro, a Jewish medical school. Perhaps she needed to spew hate in order to disassociate herself from her Jewish classmates.

    • A Muslim doctor was fired from a Cleveland, Ohio clinic after it was discovered she was bragging about purposely giving Jewish patients the wrong medication.

      Fired? Where’s the part that has words like, “arrested, no bail, tried and convicted, life incarceration without possibility of parole”. You know what I mean, terms that belong with all of those other icky words hovering around Islamic jihad like “Genocide, Antisemitism, terrorism, global sharia, rape wars, sex slaves of all ages, human trafficking, killing homosexuals, online decapitations, and … well, you get the picture.

      If nothing else, the fact that so-called “Doctor” Kollab could so readily violate her Hippocratic Oath should give great and lasting pause (as in: a screeching-halt-like-pause) to whoever might be wondering about how meaningful any other of this terrorist’s oaths might be.

      In case anybody was doubting or hoping otherwise, her ethnicity is listed at MyLife as “Middle Eastern American”. Quelle surprise!

      • Here we have mda,muslim doctors association,dedicated to the advancement of muslim health,no-one elses,just muslims,so how many more are there,in our surgeries,and hospitals doing the same thing to the English,and now that they do not have to wash their hands before examining us,so as not to expose their bare naked wrists,it will make their job even easier.

    • I can see the left pulling the soft succession but I can’t see them leting the conservatives get away with doing the same thing. The left is going to try and punish everyone that disagrees with them.

  11. Court Axes Obama’s Pro-Union ‘Joint Employer’ Rule

    A federal appeals court ruled Friday that an Obama-era labor law that made businesses responsible for labor violations committed by contractors was too broad, Reuters reports.

    The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled in 2015 that companies and franchisers with “indirect and direct control” of employees could be held liable for labor violations committed by contractors or franchisees. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the board did not sufficiently define “indirect” control and sent the 2015 decision back to the board for a more restricted explanation.

    The 2015 NLRB ruling overturned more than two decades of precedent while placing businesses at increased risk of violating labor laws. The ruling also empowered unions to negotiate directly with a franchise’s corporate headquarters if franchise employees sought to unionize.

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/29/court-obama-joint-employer-rule/

  12. The Democrats’ Biggest Expert Accusing Republicans of Russian Trolling Was a Russian Troll
    They invented the Russian conspiracy, then they faked the crimes.
    December 31, 2018
    Daniel Greenfield

    When the Democrats and the media wanted to prove that Russian trolls were everywhere, and supporting Republicans, they turned to Jonathon Morgan and Renee DiResta.

    Morgan and DiResta had originally been part of Obama’s futile effort to fight ISIS on social media, before discovering a much more lucrative field. ISIS was losing on the battlefield and the Democrats were losing elections. The Hillary campaign had hatched a conspiracy theory blaming its loss on Russian trolls. And Morgan and DiResta soon became the experts providing the data linking Republicans to Russian trolls.

    Every time there was a story on Russian election interference, Morgan would show up on CNN or NBC. And his message was the same, the Russian bots were everywhere and they were a major threat.

    Morgan and DiResta soon had a company name, New Knowledge, and were brought on board by the Senate Intelligence Committee to produce a report on Russian influence operations in the 2016 election. Despite the fact that a second report found that most of the Russian trolling efforts had been directed at African-Americans, the New Knowledge report claimed that this was a Russian conspiracy to aid Trump.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272348/democrats-biggest-expert-accusing-republicans-daniel-greenfield

  13. Unveiling the Left’s Globalist Agenda
    Frontpage associate editor Christine Williams reveals the real culprit behind illegal immigration.
    December 31, 2018

    [Below is a Sputnik News interview with Frontpage Associate Editor Christine Douglass-Williams about the Left’s globalist agenda behind the massive flow of illegals trying to break through America’s border.]

    On December 25, the US Customs and Border Protection said that the second migrant child died after being apprehended over an illegal entry attempt in the United States over the past month. Sputnik spoke about it to Christine Douglass Williams, a human rights activist and former director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

    Sputnik: In your view, why is the mainstream media not focusing on the fact that children are being used as human shields by parent to cross the border illegally?

    Christine Douglass Williams: Mainstream media is primarily Left-leaning and partisan at best, an activist at worst. The globalist, no-borders agenda is the political priority of Democrats. The Left-leaning media feasts on anti-Trump rhetoric to disparage and malign him in the eyes of the general population. Nothing is worse than an uncaring, inhumane bigot who doesn’t care about children dying. So, portraying Trump as “bigoted”, “racist”, “nationalist”, “uncaring” in his opposition to illegal immigration is the worse. Holding the illegal migrants accountable is contrary to the open-door mission.

    The mainstream media will not inform about any facts that may sway public opinion away from the Democrat agenda. The recklessness in reporting real news is even immoral. The obsession of the media is “Russian collusion” when it comes to Trump when there is no evidence of such. The Caravan’s violation of American sovereign borders is a crisis, however. The right of Americans to know who is entering their borders, investigations of the political power brokers who are driving illegal immigration activism-and the real victims that stand to lose big from that drive-are important for mainstream media to be focussing on.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272391/unveiling-lefts-globalist-agenda-frontpagemagcom

  14. Manchester stabbing: Counter-terror police probe attack at Victoria station that left three injured

    ounter-terrorism officers are investigating an attack in Manchester after three people, including a police officer, were stabbed by a man shouting “Allah” at Victoria station.

    British Transport Police (BTP) said one man had been arrested said there was nothing to suggest a wider threat.

    In a statement, BTP said they received a call shortly before 9pm on New Year’s Eve.

    A man and a woman – both in their 50s – were taken to hospital. The woman had injuries to her face and abdomen and the man had injuries to his abdomen, while a BTP officer suffered a stab wound in his shoulder. Their injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

    A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, officers said.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/31/police-officer-among-three-stabbed-manchester-victoria-station/

    ============================================
    Manchester Victoria stabbing witness claims ‘man screamed ‘Allah!’ before attack

    An eyewitness said a knifeman shouted “Allah” before stabbing three innocent people at Victoria Station in Manchester

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-manchester-victoria-stabbing-witness-13798518

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

    BBC – Manchester Victoria station stabbing: Three injured

    […]Officers said counter terrorism police were leading the inquiry, but they were keeping an open mind on the motive.

    […]the attacker had a “long kitchen knife”.

    […]he had a kitchen knife with a black handle with a good, 12in blade.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-46724322
    =========================================

  15. Syria Muslim Brotherhood slams reopening of Arab embassies in Damascus (memo, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181231-syria-muslim-brotherhood-slams-reopening-of-arab-embassies-in-damascus/

    “The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria on Saturday slammed decisions by some Arab countries to reopen their embassies in the capital Damascus ruled by regime President Bashar Al-Assad.

    The group described the moves in a statement posted on its official website as “supporting terrorism in the region”.

    “The reopening of the embassies is a regrettable step which supports the Assad regime and reflects the return of diplomatic relations between the two sides,” the group said, adding that “millions of Syrians have been waiting for a step forward that would help get rid of this regime and its crimes, and implement the UN resolutions that achieve political transition and build a future Syria without Assad and his regime.”

    “Supporting the Assad regime is support for the Iranian expansionism project and support for extremism and terrorism in the region, and acceptance of all crimes against humanity committed by this regime,” the statement added…”

  16. Prospect of ISIS Fighters Returning Rings Alarm Bells in Morocco (moroccoworldnews, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/12/262082/isis-fighters-morocco/

    “A projected wave of Morocco-bound ISIS elements has alarmed Morocco’s security experts, and the country is preparing to counter and neutralize possible dangers from former Moroccan ISIS fighters.

    In its December 31 edition, Casablanca-based Al Ahdath Al Maghribia newspaper said that the prospect of ISIS fighters returning is a central element of the mounting fear in Morocco.

    Following heavy defeats earlier this year, the radicalized group has been forced out of its Iraqi and Syrian territories, and a number of its fighters are expected to return to their respective countries.

    Citing Moroccan officials, the newspaper indicated that the majority of Moroccans who joined ISIS in Syria, Iraq, and Libya are set to return.

    Al Ahdath Al Maghribia’s warnings were borne out by a recent report from the European Counterterrorism Center (ECTC). The report highlights the security danger of former ISIS fighters upon return in their origin countries.

    In addition to their own “enhanced capability to commit acts of terrorism,” returnees “also serve as role models and might be involved in radicalizing others,” the report noted…”

    • Prospect of ISIS Fighters Returning Rings Alarm Bells in Morocco

      And why is that? Oh, now I remember. They rape and behead your tourists online, don’t they? What’s a poor little Nafri taqiyya nozzle supposed to do when those goats chickens finally come home to roost?

  17. Turkey thwarted attacks on its economy in 2018: Erdo?an (hurriyetdailynews, Dec 31, 2018)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-thwarted-attacks-on-its-economy-in-2018-erdogan-140146

    “Attacks on the Turkish economy aiming to make it a “fragile economy” in August 2018 have been successfully eliminated, the Turkish president has said, citing the inauguration of the new Istanbul Airport as the greatest achievement of the past year.

    “We have halted the attacks on our economy through the currency and interest rates and inflation, which started in August, with the strong structure of our economy and the precautions we took. We discouraged those who have tried to label Turkey as a ‘fragile economy,’” President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said in his New Year message on Dec. 31.

    “We managed to increase our export figures and the number of tourists to record levels and narrowed our current account deficit to the lowest level of the last period. We are carrying on with our activities on research and development, design and production in critical industries, especially the defense industry,” he stressed.

    Turkey is gathering the entire world’s attention with its huge investments, culture of democracy and rule of law, Erdo?an said, adding, “One of the most important of these investments is the Istanbul Airport, which we opened on Oct. 29, 2018. I wish that this airport, one of the greatest works of our republic’s history, will once again be beneficial to our country, our nation, our region and the world.”…”

    • Erdogan’s Anti-Semitism Will Sink Turkey’s Economy
      The Turkish president’s racist conspiracy theories are a threat to economic stability.

      …It is no secret that Erdogan deplores interest rates, which he denounced earlier this year as “the mother and father of all evil.” The president not only sees interest rates as a “tool of exploitation,” comparing them to “heroin trade,” but also insists that high interest rates lead to higher inflation.

      Economists know that raising interest rates tends to bring down inflation, but Erdogan’s willful ignorance of this axiom cannot fully explain his hostility. Indeed, Erdogan’s antipathy to interest rates stems from his often conflicting convictions, ranging from the religious to the conspiratorial.

      Many Turkey watchers ascribe the president’s views on interest rates to the traditional Muslim belief that riba, or usury, is haram, or forbidden by Islamic law. While this is true, the real issue is that in Turkish Islamist thinking, as espoused by Erdogan’s political mentor for nearly 30 years, former prime minister Necmettin Erbakan, interest rates are a tool employed by Jews to control world events…

      …As long as Western analysts and investors view Erdogan’s resentment of interest rates simply as an analytic error, they will continue to misunderstand him and, by extension, Turkey’s central bank. While the president is a pragmatic politician, capable of making unexpected U-turns on other issues, his deeply ingrained prejudices animate his financial policy, which is not likely to change.

      Until economic sanity prevails in Turkish politics, Erdogan will continue to perceive and present currency devaluations, bankruptcies, and potential International Monetary Fund bailouts as a Jewish plot to undermine his vision for Turkey. Every decision regarding whether to hike or lower interest rates will be colored by the president’s perception that he is submitting to the Jewish cabal or George Soros.

      As he faces challenging municipal elections next year, finding scapegoats for Turkey’s flailing economy appears to be his main campaign strategy. By letting his anti-Semitism drive his economic policy agenda, however, Erdogan may himself bring about precisely the sort of crisis he blames on the Jews.

      https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/24/erdogans-anti-semitism-will-sink-turkeys-economy/

  18. 49 Daesh-linked terror suspects arrested in Turkey (anadolu, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/49-daesh-linked-terror-suspects-arrested-in-turkey-/1353205

    “A total of 49 Daesh-linked terror suspects were arrested on New Year’s Eve across Turkey, security sources said on Monday.

    Police arrested five foreign nationals in central Konya province, seven suspects — including five foreign nationals — in eastern Elazig province, four suspects — including three Syrians — in northwestern Kocaeli province and nine suspects — including eight Syrians.

    The police also held three Iraqis in Black Sea province of Samsun, five suspects in Corum and 16 others in southern Mersin province.

    Security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to rid Turkey of Daesh terrorists.

    More than 300 people have lost their lives in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terror group has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket, and gun attacks.”

  19. Over 100 irregular migrants held across Turkey (anadolu, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/over-100-irregular-migrants-held-across-turkey-/1353228

    “At least 116 irregular migrant were held across Turkey, security sources said on Monday.

    In Ayvacik district of western Canakkale province, the Turkish Coast Guard rounded up 47 irregular migrants after the boat carrying them capsized, off the coast of Babakale region, a security source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

    The migrants — including Afghan, Iran and Pakistan nationals, were trying to illegally cross the Turkish border, the source added.

    In southwestern Mugla province, 17 irregular migrants, including women and children, were held off the coast of Gumbet.

    The migrants included 11 Yemeni, five Palestinian and an Iraqi national. A Turkish national was also arrested for alleged human smuggling.

    Separately, eight irregular migrants – all Palestinian nationals — were held in Didim district in the western Aydin province.

    Turkish police also rounded up 47 migrants in Enez district of northwestern Edirne province.

    Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.

    Among the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan — around 15,000 — followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000. There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016.”

  20. Turkish president voted most distinguished world leader (anadolu, Dec 31, 2018)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkish-president-voted-most-distinguished-world-leader/1353302

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was named “the most distinguished world leader of 2018” on Monday in a poll conducted by the Rassd News Network.

    The online survey was organized by the pro-Muslim Brotherhood news network, which was established in Egypt after the Jan. 25, 2011 popular revolution and has a widespread following in the Arab world.

    Over 300,000 people took part in the poll. Erdogan received 77 percent of the votes and was named “the most distinguished world leader of 2018”

    Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was selected as “personality of the year in Egypt” with 52 percent of the votes.”

  21. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO RICHARD AND EVERYONE ELSE IN MIDDLE (NORTH) AMERICA!

    Warm wishes,

    NorseRadish

  22. Oops!!! Wrong thread…

    NorseRadish on January 1, 2019 at 12:02 am said:

    HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE LEFT COAST TO EVERYONE IN THE EAST!

    With kind regards,

    NorseRadish