Contributor’s Links post for January 26th, 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

103 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for January 26th, 2019”

  1. Deutsche Bank Is Said to Get Qatari Commitment For More Funds (bloomberg, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-26/deutsche-bank-is-said-to-get-qatari-commitment-for-more-funds?srnd=premium-europe

    “Deutsche Bank AG has secured a commitment for additional investment from Qatar as the bank seeks to bolster its finances, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

    The investment is likely to be made through the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the people said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. Two other Qatari investment vehicles, controlled by members of the royal family and other prominent politicians, already own a stake in the troubled German lender.

    While the discussions are at an advanced stage, no final agreement has been reached, said the people. The timing and the size of the investment aren’t clear.

    A Deutsche Bank spokesman declined to comment. Representatives for QIA didn’t immediately return messages outside of normal business hours…”

    • Keynesian Economics has brought the entire world to the edge of economic collapse, now the big banks are making deals with anyone they can to stave off the collapse. All their efforts are going to do is delay the collapse and make it worse.

      One of the reasons I am not worried about us turning into a cashless society is because of the coming collapse. It will bring down governments and turn everyone against any type of money that isn’t physical and backed by precious metals or other scarce items.

  2. Turkey Says Kurdish PKK Members Attack Base in Northern Iraq (bloombert, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-26/turkey-says-kurdish-pkk-members-attack-base-in-northern-iraq

    “Turkey said it scrambled its warplanes and armed drones after an attack on one of its army bases in northern Iraq by separatist Kurdish militants disguised as civilians.

    The attack took place near the city of Duhok and resulted in some damage to military vehicles but no casualties, Fahrettin Altun, communications director for the Turkish presidency, told Bloomberg in a written statement on Saturday…”

    • One dead after protesters storm Turkish military camp in north Iraq: Kurdish officials (reuters, Jan 26, 2019)
      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-iraq-security/one-dead-after-protesters-storm-turkish-military-camp-in-north-iraq-kurdish-officials-idUSKCN1PK0EW

      “One protester was killed and at least 10 others wounded when they stormed a Turkish military camp near Dohuk in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Saturday, burning two tanks and other vehicles, residents and Kurdish officials said.

      Najib Saeed, the chief health official in the area, said it was not yet clear what caused the death. He said Turkish soldiers had shot at protesters and that the burning of vehicles and equipment had caused several explosions.

      Turkey said the attack was carried out by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who disguised themselves among civilians to fuel conflict between Turkish forces and local residents.

      “We are committed to maintaining our close partnership with the people of Dohuk and doing everything in our power to prevent civilian casualties in the area,” Fahrettin Altun, communications director for the Turkish Presidency, told Reuters.

      Turkey carries out regular air raids near the border against the PKK insurgent group which has bases in northern Iraq and has fought a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

      The Kurdish government in Erbil in northern Iraq condemned the storming of the camp, accusing “saboteurs” of instigating the incident, a veiled reference to the PKK, a rival of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) that dominates the Erbil government and has a working relationship with Turkey.

      Erbil said it had sent its forces to the area to calm the situation…”

  3. “UPDATE: Mueller and FBI Arrest Roger Stone Because Major FBI Scandal Out Today – FBI Agent Pientka Linked to Major FISA Abuse Scandal and General Flynn Setup”
    by Jim Hoft – January 25, 2019
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/01/update-mueller-and-fbi-arrest-roger-stone-because-major-fbi-scandal-out-today-fbi-agent-pientka-linked-to-major-fisa-abuse-scandal-and-general-flynn-setup/

    Link: “Why FBI Special Agent Joseph Pientka Is the DOJ’s Invisible Man”
    by Brian Cates – January 23, 2019
    https://www.theepochtimes.com/why-fbi-special-agent-joseph-pientka-is-the-dojs-invisible-man_2776513.html

  4. Video: Moroccan Man Attacks Ukrainian Border Guards for Denying Entry (moroccoworldnews, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/01/264468/moroccan-man-ukrainian-border-guards/

    “Ukrainian authorities have arrested a Moroccan man after he attacked a border guard at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, Ukraine, for denying him entry.

    After the man arrived at the airport on Thursday from Turkey and had an extended interview with the Ukrainian immigration authorities, officials decided not to allow the man into Ukraine.

    Expressing anger and defiance, the man charged at the Ukrainian border guards, who immediately tackled and detained him. The guards took him to administrative officials responsible for noncompliance with law enforcement, reported Ukrainian news outlet UNIAN on Friday.

    The Moroccan immigrant alleged that he was going to Ukraine to teach English and another language to children as part of an exchange program. The Ukrainian authorities did not believe the man, judging by his “poor English,” the news outlet reported.

    According to the Ukrainian press service of the State Border Guard Service, the Moroccan man also failed to present evidence supporting his claims.”

  5. US, Taliban ‘finalise draft deal’ to end 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan (tribune, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1897443/3-round-us-taliban-talks-ends-progress-draft-peace-deal/

    “Taliban negotiators and United States officials meeting in Qatar on Saturday finalised clauses to be included in a draft agreement to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, according to Taliban sources.

    Details provided by the sources include apparent concessions from both sides, with foreign forces to be withdrawn from the country in 18 months from the future signing of the deal.

    US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is heading to Afghan capital Kabul to brief President Ashraf Ghani after the end of the six-day talks, the sources and a diplomat said.
    It is unclear whether a joint statement will be issued, or whether the provisions have been fully accepted by the US side.

    According to sources, Taliban offered assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by al Qaeda and Islamic State militants to attack the United States and its allies – a key early demand of Washington.

    The Taliban say that they will finalise a timeline for a ceasefire in Afghanistan but will only open talks with Afghan representatives once the ceasefire is implemented.

    Other clauses include a deal over the exchange and release of prisoners from the warring sides, the removal of an international travel ban on several Taliban leaders by the United States and the prospect of an interim Afghan government after the ceasefire is struck, the Taliban sources said.

    Last week, Pakistan and the United States agreed to push for the ‘intra-Afghan dialogue’ to seek a political solution to the lingering war in Afghanistan, even as both sides struggled to convince the insurgents for direct talks with the Kabul administration…”

    • Foreign troops to quit Afghanistan in 18 months under draft deal: Taliban sources (reuters, jan 26, 2019)
      https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-draft/foreign-troops-to-quit-afghanistan-in-18-months-under-draft-deal-taliban-sources-idUSKCN1PK0DG

      “Taliban officials said U.S. negotiators on Saturday agreed on a draft peace pact setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months, potentially ending the United States’ longest war.

      The details of the draft were given to Reuters by Taliban sources at the end of six days of talks with U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar aimed at ending the war, more than 17 years since American-led forces invaded Afghanistan.

      It stipulates that troops would leave within 18 months of the agreement being signed.

      While no joint statement was issued, Khalilzad tweeted later that the talks had made “significant progress” and would resume shortly, adding that he planned to travel to Afghanistan to meet government officials.

      “Meetings here (in Qatar) were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues,” he wrote, adding that numerous issues still needed work.

      “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and everything must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire,” he wrote in the tweets.

      U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday wrote on Twitter that he had received “encouraging news” from Khalilzad about the talks.

      “The U.S. is serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home,” Pompeo tweeted. He did not give a timetable for the potential withdrawal of U.S. forces.

      A Taliban statement issued later also noted progress on troop withdrawal and other issues but said more negotiations and internal consultations were required.

      “The policy of the Islamic Emirate during talks was very clear — until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, using another name the group calls itself.

      It was not clear whether the draft described by the Taliban sources was acceptable to both sides or when it could be completed and signed.

      MAIN ENEMY
      According to the sources, the hard-line Islamic group gave assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants to attack the United States and its allies — a key early demand of Washington.

      They said the deal included a ceasefire provision but they had yet to confirm a timeline and would only open talks with Afghan representatives once a truce was implemented.

      Up until now, the Taliban has repeatedly rejected the Afghan government’s offer of holding talks, preferring instead to talk directly to the U.S. side, which it regards as its main enemy.

      “In 18 months, if the foreign forces are withdrawn and ceasefire is implemented, then other aspects of the peace process can be put into action,” a Taliban source said, quoting from a portion of the draft.

      More talks on the draft are expected in February, again in the Qatari capital Doha, the Taliban sources said.

      They expect their side to be led by new political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the movement’s co-founder and a former military commander who was released from prison in Pakistan last year.

      While they said his appointment had boosted momentum for a deal, it was unclear if he had joined the talks.

      NEAR-DAILY ATTACKS

      News of progress on a deal comes as the Taliban continues to stage near-daily attacks against the Western-backed Afghan government and its security forces.

      Despite the presence of U.S.-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts 17 years after the U.S.-led an invasion to drive them from power, the Taliban controls nearly half of Afghanistan.

      Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last week that 45,000 members of the country’s security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014.

      The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support, as well as a U.S. counterterrorism mission directed at groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

      Despite reports last month that the United States was considering pulling out almost half of its forces, a White House spokesman said U.S. President Donald Trump had not issued orders to withdraw the troops. However, the administration has not denied the reports, which have prompted fears of a fresh refugee crisis.

      The Taliban sources said other clauses in the draft include an agreement over the exchange and release of prisoners, the removal of an international travel ban on several Taliban leaders by Washington and the prospect of an interim Afghan government after the ceasefire is struck.

      The suggestion to appoint an interim government in Afghanistan comes as top politicians including Ghani have filed their nominations for the presidential polls in July. Ghani has repeatedly rejected the offer to agree to the formation of an interim government.

      The Taliban sources also confirmed provisions in the draft that have broader implications for Afghanistan’s ties with its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, India and China.

      They said the deal included provisions that separatist militants from Balochistan, a resource-rich southwestern Pakistani province, will not be allowed to use Afghan soil to target Pakistan.”

  6. Afghan police raid school Turkey says is linked to Erdogan foe (reuters, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-turkey-education/afghan-police-raid-school-turkey-says-is-linked-to-erdogan-foe-idUSKCN1PK0LE

    “Afghan police arrested dozens of people in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif including six Turkish teachers in a raid on a school Turkey suspects has links with President Tayyip Erdogan’s arch enemy, officials and teachers said.

    The raid on Afghan-Turk school on Friday was the latest move against an educational foundation the Ankara government says is connected to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric it accuses of being behind a coup attempt in 2016.

    Shukarullah Samadi, one of the teachers at the school said police had begun their raid at around 2 a.m., arresting six Turkish teachers and at least 40 other teachers and staff members.

    “These schools have been successful for 23 years and we’re very worried about their future in Afghanistan,” he said.

    Afghan Turk CAG Educational NGO (ATCE), the body that runs the schools, operates schools in several cities including the capital, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat and has been in Afghanistan since 1995.

    It says it is an independent foundation and has denied any involvement with the 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    Its schools have a good reputation but Ankara, which has major economic interests in northern Afghanistan as well as strong political and cultural links, has put heavy pressure on the Kabul government to turn them over to Turkey.

    Last year the government ordered the management of the schools to be transferred in accordance with the wishes of the Turkish government but implementation has been slow.

    Similar schools linked to Gulen’s Hizmet movement operate across the world and Turkey has pressed countries where it has influence to transfer their management to the Maarif Foundation, a Turkish educational body…”

  7. Over 45,000 Afghan forces have lost their lives in past 4 years: Ghani (khaama, jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/over-45000-afghan-forces-have-lost-their-lives-in-past-4-years-ghani-03182/

    “President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said over 45,000 Afghan forces have lost their lives since he assumed office as the president of the country in 2014.

    “Thirdly, since I have become president, a hundred thousand troops left. Over 45,000 Afghan security personnel have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” President Ghani said during a discussion with journalist Fareed Zakaria on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    He said “The number of international casualties is less than 72. So it shows you who is doing the fighting and the support is mutual. We need to get a stable Afghanistan as an entity that can ensure security of America and Europe and others on the one hand, but more fundamentally our own democratic rights and institutions and our right to live in peace and harmony.”

    President Ghani had earlier said around 28,000 Afghan soldiers have lost their lives until the start of 2019.

    The latest revelation by President Ghani comes as the Taliban militants have increased their attacks against the security forces during the recent years.

    More than 36 security personnel lost their lives and dozens were wounded in a coordinated Taliban attack on a security base in central Maidan Wardak province few days earlier.”

  8. Turkish aid agency completes 44 projects in Croatia (aa, Jan 26, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-aid-agency-completes-44-projects-in-croatia/1375885

    “The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has completed 44 projects in Croatia, an agency official said Saturday.

    Hasim Koc, TIKA coordinator in the capital Zagreb, said the projects, mostly in education field, were conducted in last three years.

    TIKA launched its first aid activities in the western Balkans nation in 2014 after the region was severely hit by floods, Koc told Anadolu Agency.

    However, the aid organization formally opened its office in Zagreb in 2016.

    The agency had implemented an agricultural development program for families affected by the floods in eastern Gunja town. Under the program, 50 families were provided with greenhouses, while 50 others were given cows, he added.

    He also said that partial renovations of a mosque and an Islamic cultural center, which were damaged by the disaster, were done by TIKA.

    TIKA aims at boosting ties between Turkey and Croatia as it works to protect historical and cultural heritage in the country. It also completed several projects in the fields of education, agriculture, stockbreeding, health and science.

    Other projects include equipment support, home health care, researches on historical heritage, symposium and culture festivals, as well as the ones to keep bilateral relations alive.

    Koc went on to say the agency is going to organize a children’s fest with attendance of 1,200 minors to mark Turkey’s April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

    He also added that the agency plans to build a children’s park in the northwestern Karlovac city.

    “Maintenance and equipment of a public education center in Slunj town was completed and it was going to be handed over some time soon,” Koc noted, adding that TIKA runs project in least-developed areas in the country, as well as the large cities.

    Employment of people with disabilities

    He said they were planning to run a project for disabled people in this year.

    “We aim to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in social life through the projects we develop for the employment of these groups.”

    In 2018, the agency worked on capacity building project at Dotted Soaps Workshop together with the Zagreb Association of the Blind, he informed.

    The project also allowed the production of liquid soaps, as well as handmade ones.

    “Before our contribution, only one person was working at the workshop, at the end of the project employment opportunities for 12 visually impaired friends were provided,” he said.

    Islamic center in Sisak city

    During Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic’s visit to Ankara on Jan. 16, TIKA signed a protocol with the Croatian Islamic Union to build the Islamic Cultural Center in Sisak, located 57 kilometers (35 miles) south of the capital.

    “Sisak is a city that has received many workers and immigrants because of being one of the important industrial cities of the former Yugoslavia,” said Koc.

    “Some of the migrants are Muslims. For this reason, Muslim population in Sisak is higher than the rest of Croatia.”

    The Islamic union launched the construction of the cultural center in 2017 and contributed to the project to certain level, according to Koc, who went on to assert that the remaining works of the project will be completed with contribution of Turkey under the supervision of TIKA.”