Contributor’s Links post for January 2nd, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We muse use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

124 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for January 2nd, 2019”

  1. The euro has failed, threatens democracy, and should be abolished (telegraph, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://bit.ly/2GTBXS5

    ““One day, the house of cards will collapse,” says Professor Otmar Issing, the founding chief economist of the European Central Bank and the chastened prophet of the euro project”

  2. Theresa May’s Anti-Christian Regime
    Britain’s blindfolded investigation of persecution of Christians.
    January 2, 2019
    Jules Gomes

    You don’t need to be a fan of the vintage British political sitcom Yes Minister to understand how government reviews are instruments of inertia, damage control, public relations, virtue signaling, obfuscation and a surrogate for action. As the smooth-tongued civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby from Yes Minister puts it: “The job of a professionally conducted internal inquiry is to unearth a great mass of no evidence.”

    On Boxing Day, Britain’s Conservative in Name Only (CINO) government in cozy chumminess with the Church of England gave the nation a gift. The day was most certainly chosen for its significance: in British tradition postmen, errand boys, servants and the hoi polloi expect to receive a gift box from the high and mighty.

    So as his Boxing Day 2018 gift, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP announced a review into the global persecution of Christians, which would be led by Philip Mounstephen, Anglican Bishop of Truro. The heralding of this great news of glad tidings was peppered with the standard British bureaucratic blather.

    The Foreign Office said its independent review would consider “tough questions and offer ambitious policy recommendations.” It would provide “an objective view of Britain’s support for the most vulnerable Christians globally,” trumpeted Lord Tariq Ahmad, Britain’s special envoy on freedom of religion.

    It looked like a docile beach donkey from C. S. Lewis’ Narnia had morphed into Rudyard Kipling’s Lion King. The media munchkins gobbled it down for brunch.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272389/theresa-mays-anti-christian-regime-jules-gomes

  3. Afghan forces open fire on NATO advisors at base in Herat (thedefensepost, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/01/02/afghanistan-guards-open-fire-nato-advisors-herat/

    “Two Afghan border guards opened fire on NATO Resolute Support mission advisors at the military base in Herat province in western Afghanistan, according to reports.

    An Afghan service member was killed and another wounded, Noorullah Qaderi, Commander of the 207 Zafar Military Corps told Pajwok.

    The Resolute Support members were visiting the Fifth Border Security Forces battalion in Islam Qala, a town at the Afghanistan-Iran border.

    None of the foreign troops, who were traveling in a vehicle at the base, were injured. One of the attackers was killed and another taken into custody, Tolo News reported Qaderi as saying…”

  4. Algeria Deports 50 Syrian, Palestinian Refugees to Niger (aawsat, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1529481/algeria-deports-50-syrian-palestinian-refugees-niger

    “While the Algerian Defense Ministry announced the army having killed 32 armed radicals and arrested 132 others, local human rights organization revealed that authorities have been actively exercising inhumane deportation. Some 50 refugees from Syria and Palestine were sent to Niger, after being held in custody for three months.

    The Ministry of Defense published the results of military operations in 2018 that saw the arrest and killing of a number of terrorists mostly found south of the country near borders with Mali and Niger.

    At least 170 people have been arrested on suspicion of supporting terrorists. According to counterterrorism findings, the army discovered and destroyed 499 hideouts that housed extremists and eight workshops used to prepare explosives. The year 2018 also saw the seizure of some 707 pieces of weapons, including 231 Kalashnikovs, 388 rifles, 25 automatic pistols, 48 machine guns, and 15 rocket launchers.

    The Algerian army also raided 399 ammunition depots and seized some 94,764 rounds of various caliber bullets, 42 grenades, 143 explosive charges, 160 bombers, 45 explosives capsules, and 498 projectiles…”

  5. Turkey Arrests 12 ISIS Suspects (aawsat, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1529536/turkey-arrests-12-isis-suspects

    “Turkish police arrested 12 suspected ISIS militants, reported state news agency Anadolu on Wednesday.

    It said that suspects, including two women who are wanted in France, were detained during police raids in the northwestern province of Bursa earlier this week.

    The group includes French citizens of Syrian or Algerian descent who settled in Bursa after allegedly carrying out unspecified “acts” on behalf of ISIS in Syria, the news agency said according to The Associated Press.

    Anadolu reported that five of the suspects will be deported. Its report did not name the women sought by France.

    Turkish police detained dozens of suspected ISIS followers in the final days of December. ISIS claimed responsibility for a gunman’s January 1, 2017 attack at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, most of them foreigners.”

  6. Trio music at German Embassy and Goethe Institute (saudigazette, Jan 2, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/551557/SAUDI-ARABIA/Trio-music-at-German-Embassy-and-Goethe-Institute

    “German Ambassador Jörg Ranau hosted a concert of the Debussy Trio from Munster at his residence recently. The three musicians, Ulrich Beetz (violin), Birgit Erichson (violoncello), and Vasil Laghidze (piano) delighted an audience of Saudi and international music enthusiasts with piano trios by Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert and Antonin Dvorak.

    In another concert at the Goethe Institut here, on the following day, Erichson (violoncello), and Laghidze (piano) performed the Song Cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey) by Franz Schubert (1798-1828), a deeply moving piece from the repertoire of romantic music.

    The performance in Riyadh came with a twist. Instead of a performance with a vocalist — as usual — the cello took the role of the singer, accompanied by the piano, and the poems by Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827) were recited in German by Hanna Riehle and in Arabic by Salman Al-Shathri.

    The concerts in Riyadh mark the final leg of a concert tour in Saudi Arabia.

    All in all the trio played concerts over a period of ten days at the German diplomatic missions in Riyadh and Jeddah, the French Consulate General in Jeddah, the Goethe Institute in Riyadh and KAUST in Thuwal.”

  7. JAN 02 2019 – FRANCE – ‘Yellow vest’ leader Eric Drouet arrested

    PARIS, France – One of the leaders of the “yellow vest” anti-government demonstrations, Eric Drouet, was detained by French police and placed in custody on Wednesday for organizing a central Paris protest without declaring it, according to a source at the prosecutors office.

    Drouet — who already faces a trial for carrying a weapon — was held while heading for the Champs-Elysees, according to a police source.

    A few dozen demonstrators had gathered outside a McDonalds near France’s famous Arc de Triomphe war monument and had been waiting for Drouet to arrive early Wednesday evening.

    “Yellow vest” demonstrations — so-called after the high-visibility jackets they wear — began in rural France in November over fuel taxes and ballooned into a wider revolt against President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-business policies, which they view as skewed towards the rich.

    The protesters have repeatedly clashed with police in Paris and other big French cities, plunging Macron’s presidency into crisis.

    Drouet was first arrested last month. He face trial on June 5 for “carrying a prohibited category D weapon,” a judicial source told AFP.

    Radical leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, a fierce critic of Macron, tweeted: “Again Eric Drouet arrested, why? Abuse of power. A politicized police targeting and harassing the leaders of the yellow vest movement.”

    After weeks of violence, Macron eventually scrapped the unpopular fuel tax rise in response to the protests and promised extra cash for minimum wage earners and tax cuts for pensioners.

    Although the number of protesters taking part in the demonstrations has since dwindled, they have continued.

    https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/03/19/yellow-vest-leader-eric-drouet-arrested
    ==============================================

    SPUTNIK – French Police Arrest One of Key Yellow Vests’ Leaders in Central Paris – Reports

    PARIS (Sputnik) – French police arrested Eric Drouet, one of the key figures in the so-called yellow west protests, near Place de la Concorde in central Paris over, local media reported.

    Drouet was arrested for the “organization of a non-declared manifestation” late on Wednesday, the FranceInfo broadcaster, reported, citing a police source. The outlet added that Drouet and around 50 other people had arrived at the square to light candles for those injured during the yellow west protests. Apart from the opposition figure, a lot of other participants of the campaign have been arrested for identity checks.

    The broadcaster noted that Drouet already faced trial in France in the wake of his previous arrest on December 22 over illegal possession of a police baton and participation in a group established for the purposes of violent activities.
    Notably, on December 6, Drouet suggested that the participants of the yellow west protests should enter the Elysee Palace, which is the French presidential residence.

    The yellow vest protests, named after hi-vis jackets worn by French drivers, began in November as a series of rallies against the fuel tax hike. Though the government has since backtracked on its fuel tax reform, the protests have grown into demonstrations against economic policies of French President Emmanuel Macron.

    The protests have been overshadowed by violence between demonstrators and law enforcement.

    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201901031071178137-france-yellow-vests-drouet-arrest/

    • France: Yellow Vests spokesperson arrested in Paris

      Eric Drouet, the spokesperson and one of the leaders of the Yellow Vests anti-government movement, was arrested during a protest in Paris on Wednesday. Officials say Drouet was charged with organising an undeclared protest.

      Footage shows Drouet being taken into custody as protesters chant “dictatorship” and Drouet’s name.

      Several dozen protesters had reportedly gathered at Paris’s Place de la Concorde to leave candles in support of the movement’s wounded.

      Drouet, who was first arrested last month, already faces charges of carrying a weapon.

      The ‘Yellow Vest’ movement, which started in November, was initially called in response to the French government’s planned fuel tax hike. The protests quickly widened into a general expression of anger with the status quo.

  8. Iranian retirees protest against ‘inadequate’ pensions (memo, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190102-iranian-retirees-protest-against-inadequate-pensions/

    “Dozens of Iranian retirees staged a protest Wednesday in Tehran against what they describe as “inadequate” pensions, says Anadolu Agency.

    Protesters, mostly retired teachers and nurses, gathered outside the capital’s parliament building.

    According to the Iranian Labor News Agency, demonstrators chanted slogans against rampant inflation, with some raising banners that read:

    Apply the law; don’t discriminate against us.

    Protesting retirees complain that Iran’s 2019 state budget does not take their rights into account and demand that it be readjusted…”

  9. Report claims UAE arms Al-Qaeda and Daesh in Yemen (memo, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190102-report-claims-uae-arms-al-qaeda-and-daesh-in-yemen/

    “A Yemeni warlord who has also been a fundraiser for Al-Qaeda and at one point is believed to have belonged to Daesh is being armed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the Washington Post has discovered. In a startling interview, Abu Al-Abbas revealed that he has received millions of dollars in weapons and financial support for his fighters from the UAE, which is one of Washington’s closest Middle East allies, despite the fact that he was once a member of militant groups on the US terrorist list.

    “The coalition is still supporting me,” he claimed, but he denied that he is a terrorist. “If I really was a terrorist, they would have taken me in for questioning.”

    The Post points out that Al-Abbas’s case underscores the awkward alliances and odd bedfellows that are found on all sides in Yemen’s four-year war. It also raises questions about the UAE’s conduct in the conflict, highlighting its objectionable alliance as well as its part in the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the southern Arabia Peninsula.

    Along with its more powerful Gulf neighbour Saudi Arabia, the UAE has been involved in a vicious military campaign in Yemen since 2015. The war is seen widely as a disaster which has created one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War, with an estimated 85,000 Yemeni children having died and a further 20 million facing starvation. The Gulf coalition is seeking to defeat the northern Yemeni rebels known as Houthis and restore the country’s government-in-exile. The deadly conflict has been supported by the US, which assists it Gulf allies with intelligence-gathering, logistical support and the sale of billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and equipment.

    Officials cited by the Post spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters freely. They said that the UAE “preferred to work with” some Islamic fundamentalists who serve as a “counterweight” to its enemies in the south. Under such circumstances, the official acknowledged, “It’s very easy for Al-Qaeda to insinuate itself into the mix.”

    Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP as the Yemeni affiliate is known, was responsible for sending parcel bombs on flights into the United States in 2010 and a failed plot to bomb an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, among other attacks against Western targets. Destroying the group is one of America’s major goals in the war on terror.

    Ahmed Fadhil Abu Suraima, who is the deputy governor of the central province of Bayda in Yemen, commented on the alliance with both Al-Qaeda and Daesh fighters in Yemen. He questioned the UAE’s motive. “They try to make it appear in the media that they are with the United States and they are fighting against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State,” he insisted. The implication is that the UAE is, in fact, neither one nor the other.

    According to Nicholas Heras, a Middle East expert at the Centre for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, someone like Al-Abbas “has become a type of indispensable man for the UAE in Yemen.”

    While Al-Abbas denies the terrorism allegations, saying his opponents in Taiz fed the US authorities with false intelligence, he still admits that his militia fought alongside Al-Qaeda and Daesh fighters. Some militants, he explained, operated in areas that he controlled but, “We didn’t approve of their ideology.” His men, he added, later pushed them out.”

  10. Saudi Arabia executes three foreigners on first day of 2019 (memo, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190102-saudi-arabia-executes-three-foreigners-on-first-day-of-2019/

    “Saudi authorities executed two Egyptians and a Pakistani citizen on the first day of 2019.

    The country’s Interior Ministry carried out the death sentence against the two Egyptians for smuggling drugs into the Tabuk region.

    The ministry said in a statement that Ataiwi Suleiman and Sobhi Ouda had been arrested while smuggling a large quantity of banned amphetamines, cannabis and opium by sea into the kingdom.

    Authorities also carried out the death sentence against Nizar Ahmad Qal Ahmad, a Pakistani national, after he was convicted of smuggling heroin into the kingdom.

    According to Saudi media, the death sentence against the three expats was supported by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as by a royal decree.

    According to the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, in 2018 Saudi Arabia executed 143 people; 57 of them over drug offenses.

    Saudi Arabia is ranked among the top five executioners in the world.”

  11. Egypt: 47,000 of children forced in to marriage are illiterate (memo, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190102-egypt-47000-of-children-forced-in-to-marriage-are-illiterate/

    “Some 47,000 of children who are forced in to marriage in Egypt are illiterate, the state-run Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed yesterday.

    In a report, CAPMAS said that 117,220 Egyptians were married under the age of 18.

    In 2017 there were approximately 39 million minors in the country.

    “Forty per cent or 47,000 of Egypt’s under 18-year-old couples are illiterate,” the report noted.

    Egypt has not criminalised or banned child marriage, but it prohibits its documentation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers child marriage as “human trafficking and abuse activity.””

  12. In Photos: Egypt’s largest mosque prepares for opening in January (ahram, Jan 2, 2019)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/321068/Egypt/Politics-/In-Photos-Egypts-largest-mosque-prepares-for-openi.aspx

    “Egypt’s now largest mosque, Al-Fattah Al-Alim, is getting the final touches after being fully constructed and furnished in preparation for an official opening this month by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

    The mosque can hold more than 17,000 worshipers and is one of the largest mosques in the world.

    The mosque has been constructed by the new Middle Ring Road in the New Administrative Capital and consists of a 6,325m2 prayer yard and a 6,700m2 external prayer yard.

    The mosque has five main entrances as well as and a prayer hall for women. It also has four secondary domes with a diameter of 12.5m, a height of 10m, as well as four 92m-high minarets.

    Nearly 1,000 workers contributed to the construction of the mosque, which has been built in the Islamic Fatimid architecture style.

    Al-Fattah Al-Alim will serve as the official site for state services involving religious ceremonies.

    The New Administrative Capital is also now home to Egypt’s largest church, the Nativity of Christ, which was partially opened and where Christmas mass was held in 2018 with the attendance of President El-Sisi.”

  13. Spain Sets New Record with 57,250 Irregular Migrant Arrivals in 2018 (moroccoworldnews, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/01/262243/spain-irregular-migrant/

    “Spain received 57,250 irregular migrants who crossed the Mediterranean in 2018 up to December 26, according to Spanish outlet El Pais.

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated the figure could surpass 58,000 arrivals by the end of 2018 with an average of almost 160 arrivals daily.

    El Pais added that 300 migrants arrived in Algeciras on December 28 aboard the Open Arms humanitarian ship.

    Arrivals in Spain this year accounted for 50 percent of all undocumented migrants that arrived in Europe via Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta across the Mediterranean, which totalled 113,145 by December 19, 2018, according to IOM.

    While the number for Spain is a record, the total number is low compared to the migrants and refugees who entered Europe by sea during the same period in 2017 (168,258) and 2016 (359,160).

    El Pais cited Amparo Gonzalez of the state-funded scientific research agency CSIC, saying that many of the irregular “migrants – who are mainly from Morocco, Guinea and Mali – will not settle down in Spain.”…”

  14. Dutch-Moroccan Rapper Dies After Shooting (moroccoworldnews, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/01/262260/dutch-moroccan-rapper-shooting/

    “Moroccan-Dutch rapper Faisal Lensih, known as Feis, was killed at 5:15 AM in Nieuwe Binnenweg neighborhood, in Rotterdam.

    The 34-year-old rapper was shot by a group of people who fled the scene. The victim died at the hospital shortly after the incident.

    Dutch media reported that a 31-year-old man was also hit in the shooting, and he is currently hospitalized.

    Dutch police arrested seven suspects, including four men between the ages of 36 and 45, two women aged 32 and 59, and a 15-year-old girl.

    Police fired off warning shots before arresting seven individuals on Heemraadsplein, about half a kilometer from the scene.

    Feis released his first solo album in 2014, followed by a second album at the end of 2015.

    Dutch radio presenter Giel Beelen called the killing “a loss for Dutch hip-hop.””

    • Chinese defence contractor begins construction of warship for export to Pakistan: China Daily

      Would anyone care to guess where China State Shipbuilding Corporation has hidden the remote-control kill switch? Maybe in an easy-to-reach location like … directly beneath a propeller shaft’s main bearing.

      I mean, that’s like Cold War-era Washington DC letting Soviet contractors build our US embassy in Moscow!

      What’s that Shelly?

      They what?!? When???…

  15. 250  apply for Turkish citizenship through investment (hurriyetdailynews, Jan 2, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/250-apply-for-turkish-citizenship-through-investment-140193

    “Turkey has received over 250 applications for citizenship through investment worth nearly $100 million as of the end of 2018, according to the head of a mediation firm.

    Citizenship applications to Turkey are expected to boom in 2019 as the country eased its conditions in September, Ak?n Atalay, CEO of VIPTurkishPass, told Anadolu Agency.

    A significant amount of foreigners that come to Turkey aim to benefit from the right of citizenship by purchasing houses, he said…”

  16. Turkey’s nationalist leader gets wolf head as birthday present (hurriyetdailynews, Jan 2, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-nationalist-leader-gets-wolf-head-as-birthday-present-140189

    “Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chair Devlet Bahçeli has received a wolf head as birthday present.

    Bahçeli met with people who wanted to congratulate his 71st birthday at his party’s headquarters in Ankara on Jan. 1.

    Kayrat Turl?hanov, a former governor from Kazakhstan, brought a stuffed wolf head as present for Bahçeli, according to local media reports.

    Taxidermy is the preserving of an animal’s body via mounting or stuffing for the purpose of display or study.

    Dating back to “Asena” in the Oghuz Turkic foundation myth, the grey wolf is the symbol of Turkish nationalism.

    Turkish nationalists also use a gesture symbolizing the head of a wolf, which is formed by placing the ring and middle fingers on the thumb.”

  17. Sicilian mayor defies Salvini on residency terms for migrants (thelocal, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.thelocal.it/20190102/sicilian-mayor-defies-salvini-on-residency-terms-for-migrants

    “Leoluca Orlando, mayor of Palermo, has ordered the local registry office to ignore a new clause in the so-called ‘decreto sicurezza’ that would deny migrants the right to apply for full residency after two-year asylum stays.

    Left wing mayor Orlando argued that the application of Article 13 of Law 132 of the security decree would effectively criminalize certain sections of society. He therefore ordered the suspension of the law in Palermo and informed his registry office to continue to allow everyone to register for residency.

    “Ours is not an act of civil disobedience or conscientious objection, but the simple application of the constitutional rights that are guaranteed to all those who live in our country,” Leoluca Orlando, Palermo’s mayor, told Repubblica.

    Under the new ‘decreto sicurezza’ (security law) – a set of dozens of new laws governing many aspects of public security as well as migration – migrants will no longer be able to obtain full residency in Italy following short term stays on asylum grounds.

    The decree will also put an end to two-year “humanitarian protection” residency permits – a lower level of asylum status based on Italian rather than international law – that were awarded to 25 percent of asylum seekers last year.

    Instead, residency permits will be awarded under stricter conditions such as a one-year “special protection” status or a six-month “natural disaster in country of origin” status.

    Critics of the law, such as Orlando, say it will criminalize certain migrant groups by preventing them from accessing residency and work…”

  18. German interior minister renews call for stricter deportation laws in wake of Amberg attacks (DW, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.dw.com/en/german-interior-minister-renews-call-for-stricter-deportation-laws-in-wake-of-amberg-attacks/a-46921740

    “An attack by a group of asylum-seekers on passers-by in a Bavarian town has prompted Germany’s interior minister to renew his longstanding call for stricter deportation laws. Amberg’s mayor has called for caution.

    Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said asylum-seekers who commit violent crimes must leave the country, after a group of apparently drunken teenagers attacked a dozen people in the Bavarian town of Amberg.

    “If existing laws are not sufficient, they must be changed,” Seehofer told Wednesday’s edition of Germany’s Bild newspaper. “The events in Amberg are very troubling. This is excessive violence, which we cannot tolerate.”

    Seehofer — the leader of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU) party, the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats — said that he would make suggestions to the federal government. Seehofer had already made similar proposals in mid-December for the beginning of this year.

    Police said four suspects aged 17-19 — who were asylum-seekers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iran — suddenly harassed and beat passers-by on Saturday evening while under the influence of alcohol. Twelve people were injured, though the injuries were mostly minor.

    The accused are currently being held in pretrial detention on charges of causing dangerous bodily harm.

    ‘Deep disdain for our nation’

    Rainer Wendt, the head of Germany’s police union, called on the federal government to make a statement with this case.

    “The federal government must take a stand on this case,” Wendt told Bild.

    He also criticized authorities for saying the motive of the four suspects was unknown. “I’ll tell you the motive,” he told Bild. “It is deep disdain for our nation and the people who live among us.”

    After the attacks, Amberg Mayor Michael Cerny, who belongs to the same political party as Seehofer, wrote on Facebook that the incident should not be generalized and that the “idiots” had “done a disservice to the peaceful and committed asylum-seekers.””

  19. Revealed: Final moments of hero bouncer who fought off ‘at least nine’ gatecrashers at Mayfair New Year party before he was fatally stabbed months after coming to London ‘for a better life’ – as man, 26, is arrested on suspicion of murder (dailymail, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://dailym.ai/2Tr5kg4

  20. Illegal immigrant faces deportation for a THIRD time after he was caught fleeing police at 130mph when he sneaked back into UK and borrowed friend’s Mercedes to get a takeaway (dailymail, Jan 2, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6546861/Illegal-immigrant-faces-deportation-time-130mph-speed-chase.html

    “An illegal immigrant is facing deportation for a third time after he was caught fleeing police at 130mph after sneaking back into the UK.

    Ahmed Ali led officers on a high-speed chase along the A38 in Derby after borrowing a friend’s white Mercedes to go and get a takeaway on Sunday.

    When caught by police, officers realised the 23-year-old was already disqualified from driving due to previous convictions, and has twice been deported from Britain.

    He was last sent back to Holland, where he was born to Somalian parents, in November after being handed a 12-month driving disqualification by magistrates.

    Theo Addae, his lawyer, told Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court how Ali legally migrated to Derby from Holland at the age of five with his family.

    Mr Addae said that because of his convictions, Ali was sent back to Holland by the authorities but he does not ‘know anyone there and does not speak the language’…”

    • Ahmed Ali led officers on a high-speed chase along the A38 in Derby after borrowing a friend’s white Mercedes to go and get a takeaway on Sunday.

      [cue Bing Crosby impersonator]

      I’m dreaming of a white Mercedes
      the kind you’ll never get to own
      and I’ll be in Bermuda drinking Daiquiris
      while you and Uncle Joe are shoveling snow.

      Full Disclosure: The forgoing filk is my feeble rehash of some nameless open microphone performer’s full lyrics.

  21. BREAKING: Multiple stabbing HORROR at Sydney Church of Scientology HQ – two hospitalised (express, Jan 3, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1066405/sydney-scientology-stabbing-australia-terror-Chatswood-Church-of-Scientology

    “SEVERAL people have been injured with two rushed to hospital after a savage stabbing attack at the ‘Church of Scientology’ in Sydney, Australia, officials have said.

    Police were called to the scene on Greville Street, in the Chatswood district after at least two people were stabbed outside the complex.

    One of the hospitalised victims is thought to be in a serious condition.

    The emergency services were alerted to the situation in deny’s north just after 12.30pm (1.30am GMT) local time on Thursday after the brutal attack unfurled.

    Two of the victims, both men, whose ages are not yet known, were taken to nearby Royal North Shore Hospital.

    A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and is assisting police with inquiries.

    Police are investigating a motive for the crime.

    An NSW Police force statement said: “A teenager has been arrested after two men were allegedly stabbed on Sydney’s Lower North Shore today.

    “Emergency services were called to a religious centre on Greville Street, near Fullers Road, Chatswood, just after 12.30pm (Thursday 3 January 2019), following reports of a stabbing.

    “The two injured men, whose ages are not known, were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital.

    “One of the men is in a critical condition.

    “Officers from North Shore Police Area Command attended and arrested a 16-year-old boy.

    “He was taken to Chatswood Police Station where he is assisting with inquiries.”

    More to follow…”

  22. CNN – Mueller grand jury extended for up to 6 months

    Washington – Special counsel Robert Mueller’s federal grand jury has been extended for up to six months.

    The grand jury, based in Washington, DC, was seated for an 18-month term that began in July 2017 and was set to expire in the coming days.

    Under federal rules, the court is able to extend a grand jury’s term for another six months if it is “in the public interest.”

    Grand jury activity is secret, except following the 23-person group’s approval of criminal indictments.

    Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the DC District Court, who oversees the Mueller grand jury, granted the extension. She does not sit in on its sessions.

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/mueller-grand-jury/index.html