Contributor’s Links post for January 21st, 2019

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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

149 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for January 21st, 2019”

  1. SAS PAYBACK: Special forces WIPEOUT 20 ISIS fighters in revenge strike (express, Jan 20, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1075175/isis-news-sas-elite-syria-war-jihadis-islamic-state

    “SAS soldiers have killed more than 20 jihadists in a “revenge” strike, after ISIS jihadists injured two British commandos.

    The terrorists struck two SAS soldiers in a missile attack, while the troops were stationed alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces in the ISIS strong-hold in al-Shaafa. In a missile attack, more than 30 British commandos – including two sniper teams – hit back at the jihadists. The troops killed eight gunmen, who attempted to flee the strike in range rovers. The Special Forces unit are currently working alongside with Kurdish fighters to eliminate ISIS terrorists in the war-torn region of al-Shaafa in Syria.

    Meanwhile, an SAS soldier is in line to receive a George Cross – the UK’s highest military honour – for saving dozens of lives in the Nairobi hotel massacre.

    At least 21 people were killed in the ISIS-led attack at the hotel DusitD2 complex in Nairobi, Kenya on January 17.

    The soldier, who is in his 30s, entered the premises alone, risking his life to save hundreds of civilians trapped in building.

    A source told The Sun: “He’s the toughest of the tough with a chest full of medals to back it up.

    “During a series of war tours he has built up an impressive body count – there are few who would be better trained and prepared for what unfolded in Kenya this week.

    “He’s a supreme fighter and took real pride battling alongside his Kenyan comrades.”

    Insiders said he was deployed to Kenya to train local forces, saying: “He was mobilised along with Kenyan RECCE Special Forces commandos – he was not out shopping.

    “This guy is elite, he’s the closest thing to Superman we’ve got, but he doesn’t get changed in a phone booth and he doesn’t keep a glock pistol, heavily modified Canada Colt C8 assault rifle with a silencer and a combat dagger in the boot of his car when he goes shopping – that gear is kept on a secure base.””

    • “The troops killed eight gunmen, who attempted to flee the strike in range rovers.”

      Famous last terrorist words:

      “Mind if I smoke in your car?“

  2. Brother of notorious underworld hitman who was gunned down outside his home drives himself to hospital after being shot twice in ‘gang attack’ (dailymail, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6613877/Brother-notorious-underworld-hitman-gunned-outside-home-drives-hospital.html

    “The man who drove himself to hospital after being shot twice is believed to be the brother of a slain underworld figure.

    Tarek Assaad reportedly suffered gunshot wounds in his arm and shoulder in what is believed to be a gang-related attack in Condell Park in Sydney’s south-west in the early hours of Monday morning.

    Tarek, who later drove himself to Bankstown Hospital, is the older brother of late underworld figure Hamad Assaad, AAP reported.

    Hamad, 29, was shot dead in the driveway of his Georges Hall home in October 2016.

    He is believed to have been killed in a mistaken revenge attack after underworld kingpin Walid ‘Wally’ Ahmad, 41, was shot dead outside a cafe at a Bankstown shopping centre six months earlier.

    Bankstown Police are investigating Monday morning’s shooting in Condell Park and and have established a crime scene in Dalton Avenue.

    ‘Investigations suggest the shooting took place at this location, a NSW Police statement said.

    Police say they are unaware of the motive for the shooting at this stage…”

    • “Tarek Assaad reportedly suffered gunshot wounds in his arm and shoulder in what is believed to be a gang-related attack in Condell Park in Sydney’s south-west in the early hours of Monday morning. ”

      Pray for sepsis.

  3. ‘Australians died horrifically on that night’: Desperate last-minute plea to keep the mastermind behind the Bali bombings in jail (dailymail, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6614135/Scott-Morrison-makes-minute-plea-terrorist-mastermind-Bali-bombings-prepares-early-release.html

    “Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been in direct contact with Indonesian counterparts over the expected prison release of the alleged Bali bombing mastermind.

    The PM believes people expect Indonesia to show great respect for Australia in how they manage the prison release of Abu Bakar Bashir.

    ‘Australians died horrifically on that night, and I think Australians everywhere would be expecting that this matter was treated with the utmost seriousness by our government, which it is,’ Mr Morrison said on Monday.

    ‘But also that the Indonesian government would show great respect for Australia in how they manage this issue.’

    Bashir, 81, is expected to be granted early release from jail on humanitarian grounds…”

    • “The PM believes people expect Indonesia to show great respect for Australia in how they manage the prison release of Abu Bakar Bashir.”

      Good luck with that sh!t.

      Bashir should have caught a slug alongside his trio of smiling killers.

      You can bet your last cent that Indonesia will give this turd early release, just as it does for the vast majority of terrorists it processes. Just don’t be anything but an Islamic terrorist.

      Remember, Muslims only were outraged by the fact that these murderers happened to kill a few believers in and amongst the HUNDREDS that were slaughtered that day. The Infidel deaths meant NOTHING to them.

      From: Chilling detail of Bali bombers’ executions emerges as firing squad has target practice with hours to go

      During the interview Amrozi was shown pictures of the devastation he and his killer colleagues brought to two crowded night clubs they targeted.

      Asked what he thought when looking at the photos, he said: ‘What do I think? Thank God!’

      He added that he had no regrets whatsoever and he warned tourists not to go to Bali because ‘I’m sure that my colleagues will bomb it again.’

      Samudra was asked whether he had twisted the words of the Koran to justify the bloodshed but he told he told the US interviewer: ‘I know better than you because I am Muslim and you are kaffir (infidel). You kaffir know nothing.’

      Thank you so much, Wrath0fKhan, for not letting this slip down the memory hole like so many other Islamic atrocities (e.g., Beslan).

    • It seems that Nick Sandmann is the name of the MAGA kid.

      There comes a time when publicizing the name actually provides better security – and this may just be that time.

      So, in his honour:

  10. Fire damages C-SPAN, MSNBC studios, forces ‘Fox News Sunday’ relocation

    A fire Sunday morning in Northwest Washington, D.C., damaged studios for C-SPAN and MNSBC, and forced “Fox News Sunday” to relocate its broadcast to a local affiliate’s studio.

    D.C. Fire and EMS tweeted that an electrical fire broke out in the 8th floor television studio at 400 N. Capitol St. but nobody was injured.

    Steve Scully, the political editor for C-SPAN, tweeted shortly after 7 a.m. that the C-SPAN studios sustained “extensive damage,” and MSNBC’s studio took on “extensive smoke and water damage.”

    https://thehill.com/homenews/media/426209-fire-damages-fox-c-span-studios

  11. Illinois’ Lethal Combination: Rising Property Taxes & Stagnant Incomes

    A lethal combination of rising property taxes and stagnant incomes has forced many Illinoisans to rethink their relationship with their state. More than 1.5 million net residents have already fled the state since 2000 – and you can’t blame others for thinking about joining them.

    Property taxes have become punitive in Illinois. We’ve written about how these taxes have destroyed the equity in people’s homes across the state. Many families have done the math, and whether they’re in the struggling south suburbs of Chicago or the affluent North Shore, they’ve decided to leave Illinois behind.

    The traditional method for measuring the burden of property taxes is to look at a household’s property tax bill and compare it to a home’s value. Under this method, Illinoisans pay the highest property taxes in the nation. At 2.7 percent, Illinoisans pay far more than residents in neighboring states – twice more than those in Missouri and three times more than residents in Indiana.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-20/illinois-lethal-combination-rising-property-taxes-stagnant-incomes

    Richard: This article understates the people leaving the high tax Dem controlled states, farmers from the New England area as all states over to the Missouri Illinois border are leaving in droves and they are buying up the farms in Missouri for 2 to 3 times the asking price to ensure they have a place to move to. Several Real Estate Agents in my home town are retiring early because of the large commissions they have made over the past few years. We don’t hear much about the flight from the Dem states much but it is still occurring. This flight is going to change the electoral map by shifting seats from North Eastern states to Midwestern states. This flight is also the reason that the Dems don’t want the census to ask if you are an American Citizen, by not asking the raw numbers are used to determine where the House seats go. If ask it will shift seats away from Dem states and make it harder for the Dems to win elections for Federal Office.

  13. Venezuela puts down mutiny by national guard unit

    CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government said Monday it put down a mutiny by a National Guard unit in a poor neighborhood a few miles (kilometers) from Venezuela’s presidential palace.

    The uprising triggered protests in the same neighborhood that were dispersed with tear gas.

    The armed forces in a statement said that it had captured all those involved in what it described as “treasonous” acts motivated by “obscure interests tied to the far right.”

    https://www.apnews.com/f54498b2dc9a430aa04d1d2b82d629c1

    • Social media video shows Venezuela sergeant demanding Maduro removal

      CARACAS, Jan 21 (Reuters) – A man identifying himself as a Venezuelan National Guard sergeant at a Caracas outpost called for the removal of President Nicolas Maduro, in a social media video circulating on Monday.

      The video did not show significant movement of troops or military vehicles. Social media photos showed the presence of security forces in the area of the National Guard outpost.

      Reuters was unable to independently confirm the video.

      The Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

      Maduro was inaugurated on Jan. 10 under an avalanche of criticism that his leadership was illegitimate following a 2018 election widely viewed as fraudulent, with countries around the world disavowing his government.

      The United States and many Latin American nations say Maduro has become a dictator whose failed state-led policies have plunged Venezuela into its worst ever economic crisis, with inflation approaching 2 million percent.

      http://news.trust.org/item/20190121113753-f4r51

  14. Brazil battling crime wave fueled by prison chaos

    Police and soldiers are being deployed in large numbers to Brazil’s northeast to fight a wave of gang violence fueled by the overloaded, collapsing prison system.

    More than 400 elite federal troops have been sent to the city of Fortaleza and the rest of Ceara state to reinforce overwhelmed local cops, who face a dramatic rash of attacks on government buildings, buses, police stations, banks and bridges by well-armed gang members.

    The deployment, now in its third week, was requested by the state’s leftist governor but authorized by Brazil’s new government. It is the first test of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s tough law-and-order stance.

    Since the deployment the number of daily violent incidents has dropped but not stopped, and many locals are staying at home for fear of being targeted.

    https://sg.news.yahoo.com/brazil-battling-crime-wave-fueled-prison-chaos-023050540.html

  15. Richard: There is a definite left wing slant to this article, what they don’t mention is how the Mexican Governments have been leftist for a long time with the corruption that always follows the left wing governments.

    Who is more dangerous: El Chapo or Carlos Slim?
    Michael Massing

    While attention focuses on a mafia boss on trial in Brooklyn, the billionaire heads a power elite preserving inequality in Mexico

    Every weekday morning at seven o’clock, a dozen or so reporters line up outside the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to assure themselves a seat at the trial of Joaquín Guzmán, the Sinaloa cartel boss. Articles have touted the many garish revelations that have emerged, including Guzmán’s private zoo, his use of a diamond-encrusted pistol, his smuggling tunnels underneath the US–Mexico border, the huge bribes paid to officials, and the murder of a cartel leader’s brother who refused to shake his hand.

    “How Many Gory Details Can One Jury Take?” asked a headline in the New York Times, which has supplied its readers a steady stream. Vice News is offering an eight-part podcast, Chapo: Kingpin on Trial, based on years of reporting on the people “affected by El Chapo’s rise and fall”.

    I’ve avoided using that moniker, for it feeds the sense of chummy celebrity that’s arisen around the man. The trial’s coverage recalls the star treatment given Pablo Escobar and the Medellín cartel three decades ago. The “Kings of Cocaine”, they were then called, and their legend has been sustained by such blood-drenched productions as “Narcos”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/20/el-chapo-or-carlos-slim-who-is-more-dangerous

    • Who is more dangerous: El Chapo or Carlos Slim?

      This question poses a very dangerous false dichotomy.

      These two phenomena are not mutually exclusive, nor are they interdependent (at least initially). However—when events are rewound back to T=0—El Chapo’s eventual rise to gangland (i.e., narco-warlord) dominance never could have happened without government knowledge and sanction.

      Ergo, it is the OEM (factory installed) government apparatus whose constitution must be of sufficient moral and structural integrity to deter criminal pilfering of authority. Under less principled administration, there evolves a malevolent symbiosis that corrodes all Rule of Law QED.

      Of course, this only applies if and only if the military is better armed, more well-trained, and less corrupt than the miscreants they’re supposed to control*. Once the gangsters have carved off enough empire, they can impose their usual “plomo o plata” Hobson’s choice on anyone they damn well please.

      * Let’s stipulate that when a nation has such corrupt police and federal enforcement agencies to where their military becomes a last line of defense against narco-warlords, it’s already last call for dinner.

      • This question poses a very dangerous false dichotomy.
        These two phenomena are not mutually exclusive, nor are they interdependent (at least initially).

        Right.
        Moreover, after a certain level of “success” in their individual pursuits, there’s a synergy that’s hard to reckon.

  16. Richard: Remember these are the numbers the Communist Chinese Party is reporting, the real figure is probably less then one half of the numbers reported, possibly closer to one third.

    China’s economy grew 6.6% in 2018, the lowest pace in 28 years

    Pedestrians walk past Chinese flags displayed along the Nanjing Road pedestrian street in Shanghai, China.
    Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
    Pedestrians walk past Chinese flags displayed along the Nanjing Road pedestrian street in Shanghai, China.

    China on Monday announced that its official economic growth came in at 6.6 percent in 2018 — the slowest pace since 1990.

    That announcement was highly anticipated by many around the world amid Beijing’s ongoing trade dispute with the U.S., its largest trading partner.

    Economists polled by Reuters had predicted full-year GDP to come in at that pace, which was down from a revised 6.8 percent in 2017.

    Fourth quarter GDP growth was 6.4 percent, matching expectations. That was a decline from the 6.5 percent year-over-year growth in the third quarter of 2018.

    There were a few bright spots in Monday’s batch of official Chinese economic data.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/21/china-2018-gdp-china-reports-economic-growth-for-fourth-quarter-year.html

    • Despite 2-child policy, China sees fewest births in almost 60 years in 2018
      The number of babies born last year fell by some 2 million from 2017, to 15.23 million, it was the least since 1961 and the third-lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949

      Births in China dropped to the lowest level in almost 60 years in 2018, signaling the country’s looser two-child policy has done little to reverse its slowing birthrate, and worsening the outlook for growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

      The number of babies born last year fell by some 2 million from 2017, to 15.23 million, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday. Demographer He Yafu said it was the least since 1961 and the third-lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

      The demographics stand to fuel concerns about China’s economy, which is on a long-term slowing trajectory even as signs of stabilization suggest efforts to cushion its deceleration are taking hold. China’s expansion was the slowest since the 2009 financial crisis last quarter, as the government grapples with a debt cleanup and ongoing trade war with the U.S.

      https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/despite-2-child-policy-china-sees-fewest-births-in-almost-60-years-in-2018-119012100247_1.html

    • Chinese President Xi warns party of ‘serious dangers’ as risks mount

      “The party is facing long-term and complex tests in terms of maintaining long-term rule, reform and opening-up, a market-driven economy and within the external environment,” Xi said.

      President Xi Jinping stressed the need to maintain political stability in an unusual meeting of China’s top leaders — a fresh sign the ruling party is growing concerned about the social implications of the slowing economy.

      https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/chinese-president-xi-warns-party-of-serious-dangers-as-risks-mount/article26051807.ece

    • China confirms the birth of gene-edited babies and vows to punish scientist He Jiankui who ‘violated rules to carry out the unethical study for personal fame’

      A Chinese investigation says the scientist behind the birth of two babies whose genes had been edited in hopes of making them resistant to the AIDS virus acted on his own ‘for personal fame and profit’ and will be punished for violating regulations.

      Confirming the births, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday that investigators in the southern province of Guangdong determined Dr He Jiankui organised and handled funding for the experiment without outside assistance in violation of national guidelines. The university He worked for said he had been fired.

      The scientist sparked global controversy in November when he announced in a YouTube video that he had successfully used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born that month.

      One of the mothers gave birth to twins nicknamed ‘Lulu’ and ‘Nana’, the investigators said. Another woman is still carrying a gene-edited fetus. The Xinhua report said all three would remain under observation.

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6614607/China-says-doctor-gene-edited-babies-acted-own.html

      • I think the man is in some secret Chinese lab being forced to work on a super soldier program.

    • “Richard: Remember these are the numbers the Communist Chinese Party is reporting, the real figure is probably less then one half of the numbers reported, possibly closer to one third.”

      All of which reminds me very little of haggling at Taipei’s incredibly insane weekend jade market.

      How to Bargain:

      • All merchants have calculators, though you should have one, too
      • Point to an object, then rub fingers and thumb together
      • The seller will enter a number in TWD – 30 TWD = ~US$1.00
      • The merchant will then hand you his calculator
      • Enter a number about half the amount shown and return calculator
      • Watch seller explode in fury and wait until he enters a new number
      • If no new number is forthcoming, spin on your heel and walk off
      • Merchant usually shouts* at you waving calculator’s new number
      • Continue haggling until you get somewhere near what you are willing to pay

      * If the merchant is shouting and not waving a calculator, usually it involves a running commentary speculating upon your ancestry and species of mother.

      Speaking of how to haggle:

      (T = 00:02:05)

  17. Since I have been away for a bit, I have no idea if Donna Brazile’s weirdly menacing tweet has been brought up and discussed:

    https://imgur.com/LTTA1hR

    Yes, Nanci Pelosi is the third in line for the Presidency.

    Yes, she and 80 of her family/associates were trying to leave the country on a military plane – and people have commented that this is not unlike many of the legislators being in Japan during the JFK assassination.

    While in Brussels, she had a scheduled meeting with the EU military, before heading off to Davos.

    Yes, this is cray cray territory, and I am not saying that there were plans for an active coup this weekend to kill Trump and Pence and install Pelosi as President.

    Yes, Trump has had several cryptic tweets, one of which addresses Pelosi directly and brags about the good security he has…

    BUT – a lot of people truly and honestly believe that this is true, and are considering what their next actions ought to be based on the belief that the DNC had just attempted a coup and was barely stopped in time.

    This will affect the tone and direction of the political debate. We should keep that in mind during analysis.

    • Oh – and not to be forgotten: Fox flashing the death announcement for a second this morning of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is only pouring oil onto the fire.

      Many pro-Trump people believe she has been dead for about 5-7 days, and consider this ‘common knowledge.

      The latest sets of rumours is that the announcement of RBGs death is meant to be the official ‘salvo from the Aurora’…

      The fake news marathon this weekend is just fanning the flames of conspiracy theories like I’ve not seen before.

      • “The fake news marathon this weekend is just fanning the flames of conspiracy theories like I’ve not seen before.”

        With Alex Jones forcibly put out to electronic pasture, the conspiracy field is wide open as it were.

        Let’s all hope this lights off a citizen journalist prairie fire.

    • (Sorry here is the exert from the article)

      Mexico registers 3.7K caravan migrants for work permits, humanitarian aid

      OAN Newsroom
      UPDATED 6:49 AM PT — Monday, January 21, 2019

      Thousands of caravan migrants have applied for visas and job permits in Mexico after facing tough security at the U.S. border.

      According to Mexican officials, 3,700 Central American migrants have applied for immigration status since Saturday. They said migrants are seeking humanitarian aid and immigration documents, which have been promised to them by the Mexican government.

      • “They said migrants are seeking humanitarian aid and immigration documents, which have been promised to them by the Mexican government.”

        If “immigration documents” for paperless caravanistas get lumped in with whatever qualifies as “legitimate” (i.e., indigenous) Mexican–US immigration applications, that dilution of the American lottery numbers will result in some seriously multiply-pissed-off Chicanos.

        It’s the usual Leftist-fueled “everybody gets screwed*” (except them, mysteriously) sort of no-win situation they’re famous for. Mostly so for the little brown people but, then again, it’s not as if Democrats ever really cared about anything except getting their votes.

        * Let’s go to Boston and get scrod!

        • *You reminded me to grab some homemade _gefilte-schrod_ from the refrigerator.
          All kinds of stuff visitors brought – olivier, borscht, kasha, blini, plus mysterious parve delicacies.

  19. In a classic case of media bias by omission, CNN took extra care Monday to leave out a crucial part of their reports on the Milwaukee police shooting. After a black police officer fatally shot Sylville Smith Sunday, after he refused to put down his gun, riots and violence ensued in the city. Smith’s family was eager to talk to the media and his sister Sherelle had a message that should have been covered and condemned by the media. Instead, CNN decided to air her words but curtail them before they became controversial.

    “Burnin down shit ain’t going to help nothin! Y’all burnin’ down shit we need in our community. Take that shit to the suburbs. Burn that shit down! We need our shit! We need our weaves. I don’t wear it. But we need it.”

    But you wouldn’t guess Smith had said anything of the kind based on CNN’s reporting. Both on their website and televised on CNN Newsroom Monday, CNN described Sherelle Smith as “calling for peace.” They conveniently left out the rest of her message, calling for protesters to burn down the suburbs.

    On CNN.com, under the subhead, “Residents try to heal,” the article read:

    Smith’s sister Sherelle Smith condemned the violence, saying the community needs the businesses affected. “Don’t bring that violence here,” Neal, his other sister, said while sobbing.

    https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kristine-marsh/2016/08/15/cnn-selectively-edits-police-shooting-victims-sisters-words

    • “Burnin down shit ain’t going to help nothin! Y’all burnin’ down shit we need in our community. Take that shit to the suburbs. Burn that shit down! We need our shit! We need our weaves. I don’t wear it. But we need it.”

      Incitement to riot. Guilty as charged. Next case!

  20. A prominent Chicago Democrat who is running to be mayor of the city has vowed to create a “safer Chicago” if elected, but the dubious policies she has espoused would quite possibly have the opposite effect if implemented.

    The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has stated her intentions to halt construction on a new training academy for police officers and firefighters, completely dismantle a database of known and suspected gang members compiled over time by the police, and install a board of citizens to provide additional oversight and control on the city’s police force and criminal justice system.

    Those policy actions are part of Preckwinkle’s plan called “Building a Safer Chicago,” but to the outside observer, it sounds like a recipe for disaster that would include fewer trained police officers on the streets, more criminals and gang members on the streets, and a further demoralized police force unsure of whether the city will have its back as it attempts to enforce the laws in a city already wracked by high crime rates.

    https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/dem-chicago-leader-plans-make-city-safer-ending-racist-gang-database-suspending-police-academy-construction/

  21. The false tale of the Native American drummer and the boys in MAGA hats
    By Jerome Woehrle January 20, 2019

    A viral story propagated by the Washington Post, NPR, and other media outlets turned out to be false — but only a few of those media entities, such as the Cincinnati Enquirer, have essentially recanted it. The media left the false impression that a Native American drummer had been racially taunted and bullied by Catholic school boys in Washington, DC for the March for Life, including a smirking boy wearing a MAGA hat. But the boys didn’t harass anyone. It was the Native American drummer who approached one of them — not the other way around. As Reason Magazine’s Robby Soave observes, “The media wildly mischaracterized that video of Covington Catholic students” supposedly “confronting a Native American veteran.”

    If you go up to someone, and bang your drum in his face, he isn’t harassing you, even if he smirks at you in response and is wearing a MAGA hat. The initial media coverage overlooked the fact that the drummer approached one of the boys, not the other way around. The Washington Post did belatedly note that any incivility may not have been one-sided, and that another Native American man had told one of the youths: “Go back to Europe. This is not your land.’”

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/01/20/the-false-tale-of-the-native-american-drummer-and-the-boys-in-maga-hats/

    • The smirk that wasn’t: Viral tale of Trump-supporting teens harassing Indian is bogus
      By Ben Bowles January 20, 2019

      Once again, the liberal media have jumped to a wrong conclusion based on their preconceived notions of who Donald Trump supporters are and who members of their protected classes aren’t.

      At the NPR website, you will find the story that was published at 10:56 today with no correction or rebuilding of any sort. The headline reads as it did then “Video Of Kentucky Students Mocking Native American Man Draws Outcry.”

      The same version of events continues to be served up by NBC News, CBS News, and other sources. Twitchy reports that Elizabeth Warren, who you’d think had dabbled enough in Indian affairs, posted a tweet:

      https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1086797156307095552

      another video at site

      https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/01/20/the-smirk-that-wasnt-viral-tale-of-trump-supporting-teens-harassing-indian-is-bogus/

      • The left wing activists set up a photo op for the left that they could exploit to attack conservative kids. They forgot that everyone has a camera on thie person these days and that a lot of people will post the full video not the edited ones the left like. Sadly the kid has probably had his future damaged by the left, a fact they will never admit or try to correct.

        • I don’t think they forgot anything. I think they know that people see the initial viral story across controlled media, and maybe 1 in 200 see the truth and no one listens to them anyway cause they are already thought of as the conservative kook in their crowd.

          I still speak to people who think President Trump urinated on a bed in a Russian hotel or paid hookers to do that or something, even though its now proven to be a 4chan troll or part of a faked anti-trump file by a democrat dark ops group.

          I mean thats established already beyond reasonable doubt. but still most people just remember the initial lie.

          If you are at all uncertain about what I am saying, even 1%, watch the newest episode of Family guy. It is a series of disproven lies about Trump, including the Russian urine one, from start to end. A crass, unfair and untruthful attack on the President the likes of which I have never seen, even from Michael Moore, although that is because he wouldn’t have thought he could get away with that.

          So it isn’t that they forget we also have evidence. Its that they know they control Google search results. Now THAT, is power.

  22. Note: this one is a story of survival

    Just over a year ago, Greek pilot Vasileios Vasileiou checked into a luxury hilltop hotel in Kabul. The Intercontinental was popular with foreign visitors – which is why, on 20 January, Taliban gunmen stormed it, killing at least 40 people. Vasileios explains how he survived.

    I had decided to go for dinner early – at six o’clock – with my friend, another pilot called Michael Poulikakos. It was the first time in the three or four months that I had been coming to the Intercontinental that I’d done this – usually I had dinner at around 8.30pm.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-46882917

  23. Western lifestyles pose risk to migrants’ health, says WHO report

    Study finds new arrivals face increased risk of developing illnesses such as heart disease

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/21/who-report-migrants-refugees-health-western-countries?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_reddit_is_fun

    Note: never thought I’d hear an anti-migration argument from the WHO… I guess they got so wrapped up in dissing Western culture, they missed the main point their article made

  24. Why liberals have zero credibility when they talk about a ‘climate of hate’
    By Benny Huang January 20, 2019

    In case you missed it, a would-be terrorist was arrested last week for allegedly plotting a massive, multi-faceted attack on the White House. The plotter, 21-year old Hasher Jallel Taheb, hails from Cumming, Ga. His motive appears to have been jihad.

    Might this story have been a tad bigger if the alleged perpetrator hadn’t been a Muslim and “person of color?” Might it have been bigger yet if the sitting president had been a Democrat?

    Of course it would have. It might even have gotten a fraction of the coverage that last October’s letter bomb scare received.

    The reason I pose these questions is not to point out blatant media bias, which is so glaring at this point that no one who wasn’t trying could possibly miss it, but to ask how the current “climate of hate” in this country contributed to this Taheb’s blood lust, and what we as a society are doing about it.

    Trending: Reminder: State Dept. under Hillary Clinton ‘misplaced’ $6B, according to IG report

    Because if I’ve learned anything from liberals, it’s that “climates” kill people.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/01/20/why-liberals-have-zero-credibility-when-they-talk-about-a-climate-of-hate/

  26. A prominent civil rights group is marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day by pressing President Trump to honor his promise to create a national photo ID card for citizens.

    Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the iconic civil rights leader and a co-chairmen of the Drum Major Institute, met with Trump two years ago on MLK Day. During that meeting, the then president-elect endorsed the idea of a national photo ID. This year, the group is calling on Trump to follow through.

    William Wachtel, co-founder of the Drum Major Institute, said the group sees the issue as critical to ensuring King’s work to remove barriers to voting.

    “We want to make sure that no voter is left behind because of the inability to get a photo-id,” Wachtel told The Hill. “Most people spend their time fighting over who’s trying to keep people from not voting as opposed to finding solutions to make it possible for everyone to vote. That’s why Dr. King fought so hard for the Voting Rights Act.”

    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/426222-civil-rights-group-marks-mlk-day-with-call-for-trump-card-national-id

  27. Matt C. Pinsker (JD, LLM) – author, national security expert, criminal defense attorney, US Army Reserve officer, and homeland security professor at Virginia Commonwealth University – is in a unique position to provide valuable insight on how desperately the United States needs a physical barrier on its southern border. During his service as a federal special prosecutor (SAUSA) on the border prosecuting thousands of cases involving illegal immigration and cartel activity, Pinsker has witnessed far more than your average journalist clamoring for a border photo-op (looking at you, Jim Acosta), and was happy to answer a few questions for our readers.

    As far as you are allowed, can you detail some specific cases that the public would be particularly struck by?

    I can cite multiple cases and observations that would horrify the public. One involved a 17-year-old child bride who was 8 months pregnant being smuggled into the United States by her 35-year-old husband who had a criminal record in the U.S.

    In another, two adults tried to fake their asylum claim by pretending to be married along with a 8-year-old they falsely claimed was their child.

    I also had multiple cases where convicted child molesters were arrested illegally reentering the United States.

    CARTOONS | AF BRANCO
    VIEW CARTOON
    In a 6 month period, I prosecuted some of the same people three or four different times for illegally entering the United States.

    I had multiple cases where the Mexican cartels abducted innocent Mexicans and, after beating and torturing them, forced them to illegally enter the United States, sometimes carrying drugs. One guy who initially refused and was stabbed lifted his shirt up in court to show the wound.

    Many times defendants in court who were charged with illegal entry had scars on them which were the results of having been tortured. There were large groups of illegal aliens being held hostage in the US by cartels, being kept as prisoners in “safe houses” until their family could pay their “release fee.” When the families had difficulty, the aliens would be tortured.

    https://townhall.com/columnists/scottmorefield/2019/01/21/exclusive-this-former-border-federal-special-prosecutors-shocking-stories-will-make-you-want-to-build-the-wall-yourself-n2539343

  28. Does the Native American ‘elder’ look a bit familiar?

    OK – I apologize, the video is cringy as, well, really cringy…but the makers had to dumb it down so that even Skrillex fans would ‘get it’.

    So, does that dud look familiar?

    He should. He is the poor Native Elder that was oppressed by that MAGA kid smiling at him.

    He seems to be a professional activist and part of the oppression shakedown racket.

    • Sorry, obviously the wrong video…..url was part of a playlist…

      Hope this link works better:

    • OK – I cannot seem to link it directly. For the proper video, please DuckCuckGo this:

      Skrillex & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – Make It Bun Dem [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

  29. Iran Ready to ‘Eliminate Israel From Earth’ – Air Force Commander (sputniknews, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201901211071672675-iran-air-force-eliminate-israel/

    “The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has stated that it targeted alleged “military facilities of [Iran’s] Quds Force” at Damascus International Airport in an airstrike conducted on 21 January.

    Iranian Air Force Commander Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh told the Iranian news agency Young Journalists Club that “current and future generations [of air force pilots] are impatient and ready to fight against Israel and eliminate it from the Earth”. He added that Iranian student pilots are currently acquiring the necessary knowledge to be prepared “for the promised day to destroy Israel”.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in wake of the statements that those who threaten Israel and vow to destroy it would bear “full responsibility”. He added that the recent Israeli airstrike had targeted not just Iranian forces allegedly stationed in Syria, but also the Arab Republic’s contingency supporting them.

    Nasirzadeh’s statements come in wake of a recent Israeli Air Force airstrike in Syria. An IDF spokesperson stated that the Israeli Air Force had targeted “military facilities of [Iran’s] Quds Force” allegedly deployed in the Arab Republic. Syrian air defences intercepted most of the missiles, while according to Russia’s defence control centre, four Syrian servicemen were killed and another 6 injured in the attack…”

  30. UK knife crime latest: 15INCH MACHETE carried by man on train in Essex leads to arrest (express, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1075571/uk-knife-crime-latest-update-machete-train-essex-arrest-police

    “A MAN has been arrested after he was found with a 15in machete on a train.

    British Transport Police (BTP) released an image of the weapon with a long, curved blade, which was found during a stop-and-search operation. Officers drew a Taser during the incident aboard a Greater Anglia Service between Colchester and Witham in Essex. BTP said the Taser was not used and the man was arrested suspicion of two offences and taken into custody for questioning.

    The force’s Essex team tweeted: “This is why police use stop and search

    “This 15in machete was found on a man onboard a train tonight between GreaterAnglia Colchester & Witham in Essex

    “Our officers boarded the train, detained the man for a search and found this.

    “Taser was drawn but not deployed.

    “Needless to say the man was arrested on suspicion of two offences and is currently in custody.”

    The incident comes amid concern over a rise in violent crime in London and England’s major cities.

    The number of homicides in London reached 128 in 2018 – according to PA analysis – the highest level in a calendar year this decade.

    Earlier this month Lee Pomeroy, 51, was stabbed to death after an argument with another passenger on a train between Guildford and London Waterloo.

    In the wake of the killing BTP Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan insisted that travelling by train “is still an extremely safe thing to do”.”

  31. Russia: Three suspected of financing Islamic State arrested in southern Russia

    Three people suspected of financing the Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) have been detained as a result of an operation conducted by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in southern Russia, footage released on Monday shows.

    According to the FSB report, the suspects collected money under the guise of charity and transferred it to militants in Syria. The financial scheme handled over an estimated 10 million roubles ($150,759).

  32. Taliban terrorists kill more than 125 Afghan soldiers in suicide car-bombing attack using US-made military vehicles stolen from the army (dailymail, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6615751/Taliban-terrorists-kill-125-Afghan-soldiers-car-bomb-attack.html

    “The Taliban have killed more than 100 Afghan soldiers in a car bomb attack at a military compound.

    A vehicle full of explosives was detonated at a military checkpoint in a training centre in Maidan Shahr, defence officials said.

    Two gunmen then stormed inside and shot Afghan soldiers before they were taken down themselves.

    The Taliban were believed to have used U.S.-made armoured Humvee vehicles they had captured from Afghan forces to breach security at the compound.

    A source in Maidan Wardak province, where the military installation is located, said more than 100 members of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) were killed in the attack.

    ‘I have been in touch with the NDS official in the province and they told me that over 100 members of the NDS were killed in the explosion,’ they said.

    Sharif Hotak, a member of the provincial council in Maidan Wardak said he saw bodies of 35 Afghan forces in the hospital.

    ‘Many more were killed. Several bodies were transported to Kabul city and many injured were transferred to hospitals in Kabul,’ he said.

    Last week, Taliban fighters set off a car bomb outside a fortified compound, killing at least five people and wounding more than 110 Afghans and expatriates in Kabul.

    The group has threatened to pull out of peace talks but today met a U.S. special envoy in Qatar.

    Washington opposes the Taliban’s decision to shut the Afghan government out of discussions.

    President Ashraf Ghani’s office in a statement said the ‘enemies of the country’ had carried out an attack against NDS personnel in Maidan Shahr.

    ‘They killed and wounded a number of our beloved and honest sons.’

    In recent years the Afghan government has stopped releasing detailed casualty figures.

    Hotak claimed that ‘the government was hiding the accurate casualty figures to prevent a further dip in morale of the Afghan forces.’

    ‘The explosion was very powerful. The whole building has collapsed,’ he said.

    Last year Ghani said 28,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed since 2015, breaking the longstanding suppression on casualty data.

    Government officials in Maidan Wardak and Kabul declined to comment when asked if they were obscuring the death toll.

    Two senior officials in the interior ministry said the exact casualty figures was not being disclosed to prevent unrest within the armed forces.

    Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack and said they had killed as many as 190 people.”

    • Afghanistan: At least 40 killed in suicide attack on Wardak military base

      At least 40 people were reportedly killed while dozens more were wounded in a suicide car bomb attack on the country’s intelligence agency base in Maidan Shar, Wardak Province, on Monday.

      According to local officials, the target of the attack was a training centre for pro-government militia members run by the National Directorate of Security (NDS).

      An eyewitness said that “at around 07:00, a heavy explosion occurred” which broke window panes in the area. “Ambulances transferred injured people dead bodies from the scene of attack to the hospital,” he added.

  33. Remigration: Czech Republic to Pay Non-EU Migrants to Go Home (breitbart, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/01/21/czech-scheme-pay-migrants-return/

    “The Czech Republic is launching a programme to pay non-EU migrants to go home, noting that funding the scheme would cost taxpayers “far less” than if migrant groups remained in the country.

    With an information campaign set to be put out on social media and with leaflets and posters from April, the Czech Interior Ministry said it hopes the first migrants participating in its new programme, titled ‘Návraty’ (Returns), will be processed in the third quarter of 2019.

    With a particular focus on migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Russia, and Vietnam, the programme will offer foreign nationals up to 4,000 euros’ financial assistance towards transportation costs, setting up accommodation in their homelands, and purchasing livestock.

    “The project should focus on all categories of foreigners, whether they are in the Czech Republic in an illegal situation or an asylum seeker,” Interior Ministry spokesman Hana Malá told Tiscali. cz.

    Three-quarters of the 2.3 million euros currently allocated for the scheme will be paid for out of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), local media said, reporting applicants will have to promise not to return to Czechia nor to any other EU country, in order to be eligible for the financial assistance.

    Pointing to a recent deportation from Germany which set taxpayers back 80,000 euros to fly just three migrants back to west Africa, Tiscali.cz described the Návraty scheme as a “cheap solution”, with the Interior Ministry noting that the costs work out less than providing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers with public services such as healthcare.

    Like its Visegrad group partners in Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, the Czech government has taken a strong stance against illegal immigration, opposing EU efforts to spread third world migrants throughout the bloc and refusing to take in the share demanded by Brussels.

    Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said Europe must “send a clear signal that illegal migration has ended” by turning migrant boats back and deporting bogus asylum seekers, arguing that the European Commission’s preferred solution — creating a permanent mechanism to share newcomers across EU states — was the “road to hell”, and would only exacerbate the problem…”

  34. Merkel’s Germany Transferring Thousands of Migrants to Other EU Members (breitbart, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/01/21/merkels-germany-transferring-thousands-of-migrants-to-other-eu-members/

    “The German government says that in a first, more asylum-seekers were transferred to other European Union countries than Germany took in last year.

    Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter said Germany relocated 9,209 people in 2018 under the EU regulation that requires asylum applications to be handled in the first country a person seeking protection reached in Europe.

    Germany took in 7,580 people from other EU countries under the same rule last year…”

    • “… more asylum-seekers were transferred to other European Union countries than Germany took in last year.”

      Communist Angela Merkel, the gift that keeps on giving. Oh, joy.

      This is the EU equivalent of “block-busting”. The midcentury term refers to a 1960s practice whereby conniving speculators would pool resources and literally give away to whatever upwardly mobile Black family, a residential property in some non-minority blue collar neighborhood.

      The resulting exodus of (typically Caucasian) homeowners gave these unscrupulous schemers numerous opportunities to acquire hastily vacated properties, eventually at fire-sale prices. Those who stubbornly remained behind quickly learned a harsh lesson in just how rapidly real estate values can decline.

      This is a micro-example of the macro-template being superimposed upon a largely unwilling population (avec leurs vêtements de couleur citron). It persists with increasingly negative—as in: Nationalist, xenophobic, racist, right-wing, Nazi, bigoted, KKK, hateful, wall-building, MAGA hat-wearing, irredeemable abusers of elderly-Indians (feather not dot)—results.

      Germany is now block busting its neighbors, just as the EU has been attempting to do with the Visegrád Group. There are some people that must work really hard to build resentment in others—unlike with the Germans, for whom it comes with an almost preternatural grace and facility.

  35. Pre-Davos Poll: 70% of Italians Say Immigration Is ‘Mostly Bad’ (breitbart, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2019/01/21/pre-davos-poll-70-of-italians-say-immigration-is-mostly-bad/

    “The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the results of a survey Sunday, just before its annual summit in Davos, showing that more than two thirds of Italians consider immigration to be “mostly bad” for the country.

    “The rise of populism, nationalism and protectionism are all associated with waning support for globalization,” WEF declares on its website, while claiming that its new poll “shows high levels of support worldwide for international collaboration, immigration, and the personal benefits from globalization.”

    The poll, commissioned for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2019 and conducted in January by the Qualtrics polling firm, does in fact indicate that a strong majority of citizens of Egypt, India, and Saudi Arabia consider immigration to be net positive for the nation.

    The results are very different for Europe, however, which has suffered an ongoing immigration crisis going back to 2014.

    In Germany, support for immigration has fallen and fewer than half the population (48 percent) believe that immigration is a net benefit foe the country. In France, the portion is lower still and only 39 percent think that immigration is “mostly good” for the country, while 61 percent think it is “mostly bad.”

    In Poland, meanwhile, under a third (33 percent) of the nation thinks immigration is a net benefit while 67 percent believe immigration is mostly bad, whereas in Italy the share of the population that believes immigration helps the country is lower still at only 30 percent, with 70 percent holding the contrary view.

    The WEF survey does not even bother to show the percentage of Hungarians who consider immigration a net benefit, given the generalized belief that it is not an immigrant nation.

    The survey was taken by more than 10,000 people in 29 countries, WEF revealed. It backs up findings of similar polls indicating declining support for immigration across Europe. Regarding the immigration question, people were asked to choose between it being “mostly good” or “mostly bad” for the nation.

    Last February, a sweeping poll covering all 28 European Union (EU) nations revealed pervasive concern over illegal immigration with more than three-quarters of EU citizens saying that Europe’s external borders should be more tightly controlled.

    The survey, conducted by the Századvég Foundation’s Project 28, sampled one thousand adult citizens from each of the 28 EU countries and found a remarkable consistency of thought regarding the dangers of unchecked immigration.

    While 78 percent of all Europeans believe that illegal immigration into their countries is a problem, more citizens in every single European country say that it is a “serious problem” than say it is not a problem or not a very serious problem, the poll found.

    Europeans also expressed anxiety over the prospect of Africans migrants arriving en masse into Europe over the next decade, with 68 percent of those surveyed saying they either “strongly fear” or “moderately fear” such a scenario.

    The perception of migration has also changed, as a majority of Europeans are now convinced that most migrants are attracted to Europe by “pull factors” such as the EU’s economy and social benefits.

    Last month, a similar poll conducted in France showed that the French people believe that immigration harms the economy, national cohesion, and national security.

    In general, 58 percent of French people said that the net effects of immigration are negative, a figure echoed in questions on specific spheres of national life such as the economy and national identity.”

  36. Rights group criticizes Italy, EU’s Libya migrant policy (abcnews, Jan 21, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-group-criticizes-italy-eus-libya-migrant-policy-60520175

    “Human Rights Watch is urging Italy and the European Union to condition their support to Libya on tangible improvements in detention conditions for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

    The New York-based rights group says in a report Monday that unquestioning foreign support for Libya’s coast guard leads to migrants being held in “arbitrary, abusive detention.”

    It condemned such efforts to stem migration to Europe as contributing “to a cycle of extreme abuse” against people fleeing war and poverty.

    The report documents “severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of adequate health care” in detention centers, including at least four instances of violent abuse by guards.

    It says children have also been seen to be held in poor conditions.”

  37. Article Links & Videos: “Media Shamelessly Frame Covington Kids for Scorn and Abuse”
    by Selwyn Duke – January 21, 2019

    Excerpt:

    Perhaps the answer is that Phillips isn’t merely some kindly grandpa type ceremoniously beating his drum as (he put it) a “supplication to God.” Rather, he’s “a radical separatist who flew the U.S. Flag upside down at a Dakota Pipeline protest,” reports the Independent Sentinel.
    https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/item/31247-media-shamelessly-frame-covington-kids-for-scorn-and-abuse

    1 video link:
    “Maga Students and Native American Drummer Best of Compilation (Graphic Language)”
    Around the World at the Speed of Mike – Published on January 20, 2019

  38. “Two Marches: Pro-Life vs. Pro-Abortion”
    TFP Student Action – Published on January 20, 2019

    Nice Umbrella @ 0:55

    • “Campos-Duffy: ‘Very Clear’ That Anti-Semitism Accusations Affected Women’s March Turnout” Fox News Insider – Published on January 20, 2019

  40. Note:
    Elaine Lauria is a House Representative (Dem) and a navy expert on nuclear stuff…
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Luria

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was canceling Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s previously undisclosed trip to war-torn Afghanistan, telling the woman second in line to the presidency that she can’t use a military jet but is welcome to fly commercially if she wants.

    A U.S. Air Force bus loaded with lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., Elaine Luria, D-Va., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., held in place near the Capitol and returned to the building to let passengers off about 3 p.m. Thursday.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/pelosi-jabs-trump-maybe-he-thinks-it-s-ok-not-n959841

    Note: Nanci Pelosi and other lawmakers had some meetings lined up in Brussels. And, the EU is ramping up their efforts to find a workaround for the nuclear ban on Iran.

    European Union officials confirmed plans to stay away from a US-organised regional summit on Iran next month as foreign ministers sought agreement on Monday for a new body to overcome US President Donald Trump’s sanctions on Iran.

    A meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday discussed the bloc’s plans to help European businesses trade with Iran despite American sanctions on trade and investment but officials said afterwards the talks did not reach a conclusion.

    However Monday’s meeting came as European countries were preparing to impose their own punishments on Tehran for its foreign and security policies.

    Germany banned an Iranian airline from its airspace over accusations it took weapons and advisers to help support President Bashar Al Assad’s forces in Syria’s civil war.

    A senior German government source said Berlin revoked the landing rights of Mahan Air because of suspicions it was being used for military purposes by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and also on safety grounds.

    Meanwhile asset freezes and travel bans were confirmed for five Syrians linked to strongman Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme. The EU also sanctioned the Scientific Studies and Research Centre, an organisation accused of playing a role in the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

    The discussions also touched on EU representation to the coming Middle East summit in Poland, led by the US, on February 13-14. Ministers from several EU states have already said they would not attend.

    Ms Mogherini said she will not take part as her officials privately described the event as an anti-Iran conference. Speaking on her way into the meeting, Ms Mogherini said she would be attending an African Union gathering in Ethiopia during the Warsaw meeting. She also revealed that there would be a joint meeting with the Arab League at its February summit.

    https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/european-union-treads-fine-line-on-iran-sanctions-1.816042

  41. “Mexican truckers fight highway robbery with armored semis”
    by Yussel Gonzalez, AFP – January 17, 2019

    Excerpt:

    Mexico City (AFP) – The speeding cars pull alongside a semi-truck, box it in and force it to a halt. Then the robbers, firing AK-47s, hijack its cargo and make their getaway.

    It seems like something out of Hollywood, but it is happening on a daily basis on Mexico’s highways.

    And the mounting dangers on the road have fueled a booming new business as the trucking industry seeks to fight back: welcome to the world of armored and bullet-proof tractor trailers.

    Jorge Coronel is one of those trying to stop these highway robberies, which have more than doubled in Mexico since 2015 to more than 30 a day, according to figures from the trucking industry and the government.

    Coronel runs a company that specializes in transporting high-value cargo such as electronics, appliances, pharmaceuticals and luxury clothes.

    Many insurance companies operating in Mexico will no longer protect such shipments unless they are transported in vehicles capable of withstanding assault-rifle fire.

    “It’s a growing niche,” Coronel told AFP.
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexican-truckers-fight-highway-robbery-armored-semis-030657633.html

  43. DAILY MAIL – Turkish doner kebab chef is arrested on suspicion of slicing his DAUGHTER into pieces

    Haslan Uslu arrested on suspicion of murdering his daughter in Keslan, Turkey
    Didem, 32, was found in woodland with her limbs hacked off with a chef’s blade
    The doner kebab shop owner allegedly cut her expertly and dumped the body
    He is said to have admitted to killing her after an argument in their home

    A Turkish doner kebab chef has been arrested on suspicion of slicing his belly-dancer daughter to pieces in Keslan, northwestern Turkey.

    Hasan Uslu is suspected of killing the 32-year-old and cutting her limb-from-limb after a furious argument last month.

    The kebab cook was arrested after the dancer’s arm was found in local woodland by a man collecting pine cones near a local mosque on January 9.

    Local media report her father has admitted to the killing after he rowed with his daughter and then dumped her body parts last month.

    Her limbs were hacked off and buried in the woodland after being stored in a deep freezer which was sold on, according to Sputnik News.

    In his confession to the police, Uslu stated his daughter had psychological problems, Hurriyet reported.

    Uslu claims Didem insulted him and insulted his wife and then he strangled her on December 14, the Turkish daily reported.

    Didem’s mother Sati Uslu and younger sister Ozlem were also detained by police investigating the gruesome crime in the Kesan district of Edirne Province, although Ozlem has since been released.

    After the dancer’s dismembered arm – hacked off at the shoulder – was found wrapped in a newspaper in woodland, police were alerted.

    They then used sniffer dogs to trace other parts of the body, all cut with very precise and straight incisions.

    This led them to concentrate their investigation on the father of the victim and a search of his house was followed by his arrest, along with other members of the dead woman’s family.

    Uslu is alleged to have admitted to strangling her and in the following days storing her in a freezer before endeavouring to bury her cut up body in the forest.

    He is said to have shown these locations to the police after being brought to the burial site during his interrogation.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6615969/Turkish-doner-kebab-chef-arrested-suspicion-slicing-DAUGHTER-pieces.html

  46. WhatsApp is limiting all its members to forwarding any single message up to five times in an effort to tackle the spread of false information on the platform.

    The Facebook-owned business had already introduced the policy in India six months ago.

    The move followed a number of mob lynchings that were blamed on fake reports spread via the service.

    Until now, users elsewhere could forward messages up to 20 times.

    The update to the app’s rules was announced at an event in Jakarta, Indonesia. The country is holding its general election in April.

    The firm told the BBC it had made its decision after “carefully” evaluating the results of its half-year-long test in the country.

    “The forward limit significantly reduced forwarded messages around the world,” a spokeswoman added.

    “[This] will help keep WhatsApp focused on private messaging with close contacts. We’ll continue to listen to user feedback about their experience, and over time, look for new ways of addressing viral content.”

    https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-46945642?amp_js_v=0.1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s

  47. The Latest: France summons Italy envoy over migrant remarks

    France’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Italian ambassador over sharp anti-French comments from Italy about Europe’s migrant crisis.

    With Italy’s government on the defensive over recent deaths at sea of migrants, Italian Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio sought to shift the blame onto France. Speaking Sunday, Di Maio said France is leading colonial-style policies in Africa that are “impoverishing” Africans and driving them to Europe’s shores.

    A French diplomatic official said Ambassador Teresa Castaldo was questioned Monday about the “unfriendly and baseless” comments. The official said they run counter to “Franco-Italian partnership” and the sense of “European community.” The diplomat wasn’t authorized to be publicly named.

    De Maio’s populist 5-Star Movement is courting France’s yellow vest anti-government movement and has repeatedly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron. The two governments have notably clashed over migration.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-latest-france-summons-italy-envoy-over-migrant-remarks/2019/01/21/350774d0-1da8-11e9-a759-2b8541bbbe20_story.html

    France summons Italian envoy after Di Maio’s ‘unacceptable’ Africa comments

    France has summoned Italy’s ambassador to protest about comments by Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, who accused Paris of continuing to colonise Africa and causing people to migrate from the continent.

    The ambassador was summoned on Monday after the “unacceptable and groundless” comments by Di Maio on Sunday, a source in the cabinet of France’s Europe Minister Natalie Loiseau told AFP on condition of anonymity.

    Di Maio made a series of incendiary remarks while visiting the Abruzzo region in central Italy, the latest sign of serious tensions between the populist government in Rome and France’s centrist leader Emmanuel Macron.

    “The EU should sanction France and all countries like France that impoverish Africa and make these people leave, because Africans should be in Africa, not at the bottom of the Mediterranean,” Di Maio said.

    “If people are leaving today it’s because European countries, France above all, have never stopped colonising dozens of African countries,” added the leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), which governs alongside the far-right League party.

    The International Organization for Migration said at the weekend that more than 100 people were feared missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya.

    Italy closes ports

    The Italian navy flew three survivors to the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa.

    Italy has closed its ports to rescue boats operated by charities in the Mediterranean under a new hardline approach to immigration.

    After making comments criticising the Italian government and its approach to immigration last year, Macron and the French government have since largely avoided entering into a war of words with Rome.

    But relations between the two capitals, usually close EU allies, have deteriorated since the M5S-League coalition became the European Union’s first populist-only government in June last year.

    Di Maio and fellow Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, from the League party, recently backed “yellow vest” protesters who have been demonstrating against Macron’s government since November.

    https://www.france24.com/en/20190121-france-recalls-italian-envoy-di-maios-africa-comments

    • Italy envoy called to French foreign ministry over Di Maio

      Africa remarks ‘hostile and without cause’

      Italian Ambassador to France Teresa Castaldo was summoned to the French foreign ministry Monday over remarks Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio made over alleged French policy in Africa, diplomatic sources told ANSA.

      French diplomatic sources told ANSA Monday that Di Maio’s remarks were “hostile and without cause given the partnership between France and Italy in the European Union.” They said “they must be read in a context of Italian internal politics”.

      Castaldo was summoned by the cabinet chief of French European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau over remarks Di Maio made at a rally Sunday, French media said.

      The head of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), who is also labour and economy minister, said “if today people are leaving Africa is it because some European countries, with France in the lead, have never stopped colonizing tens of African States”.

      Di Maio said French President Emmanuel Macron “first lectures us (on migrants), then continues to finance public debt with the money with which he exploits Africa”.

      The deputy premier went on to suggest Brussels should impose sanctions on Paris and take the question to the United Nations. Speaking on Italian radio Monday morning, Di Maio said Paris was allegedly “impoverishing” Africa with what he called “the franc of the colonies”.

      He said “in order to keep the Africans in Africa, it would be enough for the French to stay home. France should start opening its ports. We’ll take migrants to Marseille until they stop minting the currency for Africa in Lyon”.

      After France summoned the ambassador, Di Maio said that “Africa must be decolonised” and the EU, too, “must deal with this issue”.

      He said “let’s look the causes in the face, too, not only the effects of emigration. There are authoritative economists all over the world who talk about it, we have only lit the spotlight on a truth”.

      https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/01/21/italy-envoy-called-to-french-foreign-ministry-over-di-maio_041b543f-945e-4ccd-9f66-9c93e56eac14.html

      ====================================================
      Italy’s Di Maio repeats attack on French policies in Africa

      ROME (Reuters) – Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio on Monday reiterated that France’s policies in Africa were creating poverty and causing migration, hours after France summoned the Italian ambassador to Paris to protest his assertions.

      “France is one of those countries that by printing money for 14 African states prevents their economic development and contributes to the fact that the refugees leave and then die in the sea or arrive on our coasts,” Di Maio told reporters.

      Di Maio was referring to the CFA franc — a currency used in 14 west and central African nations, which is tied to the euro at a fixed exchange rate, with the peg guaranteed by France.

      Di Maio, who leads the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, said the European Union should “address the question of the decolonisation of Africa”, accusing France of still treating a number of African countries as vassal states.

      https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-italy-dimaio/italys-di-maio-repeats-attack-on-french-policies-in-africa-idUKKCN1PF1YI

  48. Tom Fitton’s update on Robert Ohr’s role (or lack of) in lying to obtains FISA warrants against the Trump campaign

    • Bongino rule for reporting stories in the Propaganda Media, always, always wait 24 hours to see if they have to print a retraction.