Contributor’s Links post for February 20th, 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

138 Replies to “Contributor’s Links post for February 20th, 2019”

    • Yucki and Richard specifically, but also everyone else in general.

      After watching this video, is there any further or continuing dispute about the yawning forensic chasm that separates taking fingerprints and collecting DNA samples?

      From the video at time point – 00:00:40.So, an instance of this is genetic and medical analysis used in the biotech industry to develop tailored treatments for patients could be used for malicious purposes in the hands of a foreign state government such as China.

      In a hypothetical situation, foreign states such as China could possibly blackmail individuals with the threat of [ex]posing their embarrassing medical information according to the report.

      So, in another situation, the foreign state could use information on health conditions, such as allergies, to conduct a targeted attack against diplomats, politicians, high-ranking federal officials or military leaders, to induce a allergic reaction or fatal injury.

      Much like heath reports, genetic data could be exploited about research about the links between genetic traits and personality traits and this is as it becomes more advanced in the future.

      So, for instance, foreign intelligence officials, knowing in advance which individuals have genetic markers, such as loyalty and susceptibility-to-flattery, would be able to know how to exploit or blackmail those persons.Please consider investing the barely-over-seven-minutes (07:18) required to watch this typically excellent Epoch Times clip (hat tip: Richard).

      As usual, their newsgroup has done its homework before dispassionately presenting any findings in a professional manner long absent from the MSM.

      NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS: The entire video segment is largely dedicated to examining how medical database theft and technology appropriation can be used as part of a foreign espionage program.

      Imagine how devastatingly and easily “medical information” or “genetic data” could be abused when done by a government AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE. There is no way to overstate public vulnerability or the potential horrors that await.

      Finally, as to how “China’s Biotech Industry Poses Threat to US National Security”: Everything about Communist China poses a “Threat to US National Security”. EVERY-LITTLE-THING.

      As in: Throughout human history, there is no technology invented, ever, that cannot serve in a Dual-Use capacity. None. Ergo, whether it’s Red China’s overstuffed military, (behaviorally conditioned) population, (government controlled) industry—right down to their lead-painted toys, poisonous pet food, insecticide-laced produce, and toxic drywall—all of these elements constitute weapons to be deployed against America, and its national security or foreign interests at every opportunity (which they pretty much already do).

      It doesn’t matter whether their harm is intentional or not, nor if it be though benign neglect or malice aforethought. ALL of it is intended to damage, cheat, cripple or subdue every threat, real or imagined, especially that posed to their eggshell ideology by the USA.

      Just like with Islam, Beijing’s perpetually hostile geopolitics are a direct result of hidebound, ossified, panic-inducing phobias about having to honestly compete in the Marketplace of Ideas. It should come as no surprise that both of these cannibalistic régimes instinctively lash out at every bastion of liberty on Earth.

      This adamant rejection of fair play (be it by Islam or “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”) is something that must not be mistaken for anything other than the unvarnished, eternal threat to Freedom that it always has been.

      • So much for my coding ability…

        From:

        So, an instance of this is genetic and medical analysis used in the biotech industry to develop tailored treatments for patients could be used for malicious purposes in the hands of a foreign state government such as China.
        to –
        So, for instance, foreign intelligence officials, knowing in advance which individuals have genetic markers, such as loyalty and susceptibility-to-flattery, would be able to know how to exploit or blackmail those persons.

        Was all a single block quote. The excess bold font I’ll yust have to take on the chin. Drat!

  1. CBS – Video: Brothers Linked To Jussie Smollett Attack Buying Items Allegedly Worn In Assault

    The video shows Ola and Abel Osundairo placing the masks and at least one hat on the counter

  2. Nigeria: Boko Haram kills at least 14 loggers near Maiduguri (thedefensepost, feb 20, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/02/20/boko-haram-kills-loggers-maiduguri-nigeria/

    “At least 14 people were killed when Boko Haram insurgents attacked loggers in northeastern Nigeria, members of a militia force told AFP on Wednesday.

    The group came under attack on Monday, February 18, in Koshebe forest, 10 km (six miles) from Borno state capital Maiduguri, militia leader Babakura Kolo said.

    The assailants were loyal to Boko Haram faction leader Abubakar Shekau, he said…”

    • Nigeria: Boko Haram kills at least 14 loggers near Maiduguri

      Ya know, guys, those axes can be used on more than trees.

      Yust sayin’..

      If you doubt me, go ahead and ask George Hanson.

  3. In First, US’ Sanders Picks Muslim to Lead Campaign (tasnimnews, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/02/20/1952033/in-first-us-sanders-picks-muslim-to-lead-campaign

    “Fresh off announcing a new run at the presidency, US Senator Bernie Sanders has named a prominent Muslim civil rights lawyer to lead his effort, in a first for a major presidential bid.

    Faiz Shakir, a Harvard University graduate and former national political director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), was named campaign manager on Tuesday by the independent senator, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Before the ACLU, Shakir was a senior adviser to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and also advised Nancy Pelosi, the current House majority leader.

    During seven years at the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based liberal think tank, he spearheaded an anti-Islamophobia campaign which produced a report, “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.”

    Sanders, a strong spoiler ahead of Hillary Clinton’s Democratic nomination for president in 2016, joins a crowded field of hopefuls for the 2020 Democratic nod.

    Though an independent, progressive Sanders caucuses with the Democrats.”

  4. Russia: White Helmets May Plot Fake Gas Attacks in Syria to Delay US Troop Pullout (tasnimnews, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/02/20/1951881/russia-white-helmets-may-plot-fake-gas-attacks-in-syria-to-delay-us-troop-pullout

    “Russian Foreign Ministry said the so-called White Helmets aid group may launch new staged chemical attacks in Syria as part of a false flag operation to help Washington delay its plan to withdraw American forces from Syria and justify possible military actions against Damascus…”

  5. Israeli Intelligence Warns of 150,000 ISIS Members Deployed Around the World (aawsat, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1599876/israeli-intelligence-warns-150000-isis-members-deployed-around-world

    “The Israeli Directorate of Military Intelligence (Aman) has rung the alarm on the near defeat of ISIS in Syria, fearing it would turn into an elusive organization that carries out attacks around the world.

    According to Israeli news website Walla, Aman estimated the number of ISIS militants between 150,000 and 200,000 around the world, pointing out that most of their activities have been transferred to the desert in Syria, which is not fully under regime control.

    Walla reported that Israel was worried that ISIS members would return to their countries of origin and attack Israelis, Israeli embassies, and Jewish individuals after revelations that Tel Aviv has helped the US in its war against the group in Syria.

    It also said that Israel was also concerned by the report on ISIS fighters gathering in parts of the Golan Heights controlled by Syria, as well as in Egypt’s Sinai.

    “ISIS is preparing to deploy in the Euphrates … Then, its members will head to Germany, the US, France, and other European countries and Caucuses, ”Walla quoted Head of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies, Israel, Dr. Reuven Erlich as saying.

    A senior American army officer Tuesday that a large number of ISIS fighters had left Syria heading to Iraq over the last six months, carrying with them $200 million.”

  6. Bahrain Sentences 39 to Jail on Terrorism Charges (aawsat, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1599931/bahrain-sentences-39-jail-terrorism-charges

    “Bahrain sentenced on Tuesday members of three cells on terrorism charged. Thirty-nine were sentenced to prison and fines, while 25 had their nationality revoked.

    Chief of Terror Crime Prosecution Advocate General Ahmed al-Hammadi stated that Bahrain’s Fourth High Criminal Court handed down sentences in the case of a 17-member cell that was found guilty of training on the use of weapons, explosive devices and ammunition and illegally possessing them for the purpose of committing terrorist acts.

    Six defendants were sentenced to life in prison and six others were sentenced to ten years, three to three and one to five. Three defendants had their citizenship revoked and one defendant was acquitted.

    Twelve defendants were fined BHD500.

    A 17-member cell was convicted of committing arson for a terrorist purpose, possessing unlicensed weapons and ammunition and inciting riots.

    The court sentenced the cell to ten years in prison and revoked the Bahraini nationality of its members.

    The cell was detained over an attack against police officers in the southern Eker region that saw rioters destroy a police vehicle after looting its contents.

    The court also issued jail terms against six suspects that were convicted of undergoing military training in Iran and Iraq. They had traveled to Iran and Iraq in 2017 and 2018 where they received the training for the purpose of committing terrorist acts in Bahrain.”

    • Bahrain Sentences 39 to Jail on Terrorism Charges

      Without going into the minutiae of optics and mechanical engineering involved, this heretofore unprecedented spate of Muslim Majority nations magically tracking down previously nonexistent terrorist cells summons up a bizarre vision of playing whack-a-mole working only from the reflection in a fun-house mirror.

  7. Umm Al-Qura holds workshop on alternative punishments (saudigazette, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/559608/SAUDI-ARABIA/Umm-Al-Qura-holds-workshopon-alternative-punishments

    “Umm Al-Qura University is hosting a workshop on alternative punishments, organized by its deanship for scientific research in cooperation with the Social Development Committee at the Emirate of Makkah.

    The workshop, held under the support of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, will continue for a couple of days from Wednesday at King Abdul Aziz Historical Hall in the university’s campus in Al-Abdiyah area.

    President of Umm Al-Qura Professor Abdullah Bafail said: “The workshop is part of the university’s strategic vision that encourages turning the scientific research output into tangible development projects. This goes in line with the National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030”.

    The participating governmental organizations include the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Education and Labor and Social Development as well as the Public Prosecution, the General Directorate of Prisons and Naif Academy for National Security. A selected group of faculty members will take part in the workshop.

    Dr. Thamer Al-Harbi, dean of Higher Studies and Scientific Research, said the workshop aims to achieve six main goals, which are preparing a legal framework for alternative punishment according to Islamic Shariah, benefiting from other countries’ experiences in this regard, specifying research needs of alternative punishment, launching national campaigns to study the effects of implementing alternative punishment, continuing its development based on feedback and partnering with different government organizations.”

    • Umm Al-Qura holds workshop on alternative punishments

      Alternative as in what? Partial decapitation? Honor disfiguring? Jirga-decreed gang-spanking?

      For some strange reason, the notion of Islamic “alternative punishments” just doesn’t evoke much in the way of a sense of mercy or compassion.

  8. Saudi Arabia for enhanced global efforts to curb terror funding (saudigazette, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/559615/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-Arabia-for-enhanced-global-efforts-to-curb-terror-funding

    “Saudi Arabia’s Attorney General Sheikh Saud Al-Muajab warned against the criminal phenomena of terror financing and money laundering, saying that they pose a big threat to the security and safety of individuals and communities around the world.

    Addressing the first Middle East and North Africa Regional Conference on terrorist financing and money laundering in Cairo on Wednesday, he reaffirmed the Kingdom’s strong commitment to join hands with the global efforts to combat money laundering and terror funding.

    He cited several examples of Saudi Arabia’s initiatives at the local, regional and international levels in fighting terror funding and money laundering.

    Muajab called for further cooperation among states and organizations in the fight against these crimes as well as to limit their spread. The conference is discussing several key issues in combating terrorism and money laundering including best practices and challenges in controlling and investigating them.”

    • Saudi Arabia for enhanced global efforts to curb terror funding

      I guess they just don’t cotton up to having any competition.

  9. Germany resists UK pressure to ease freeze on Riyadh arms exports (mee, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/germany-resists-uk-pressure-ease-freeze-riyadh-arms-exports

    “Germany does not plan to lift its freeze on weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, despite pressure from the United Kingdom, the German government said.

    Germany barred future arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia in November, weeks after journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi government critic, was murdered at the country’s Istanbul consulate.

    On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Germany’s ministry of economy said Berlin did not plan to lift the ban.

    “The view of the government is clear and there is no new situation. There is at the moment no basis for further approvals,” said the spokeswoman, as reported by Reuters…”

  10. Gaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign, Libya spy chief tells French judges (memo, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190220-gaddafi-funded-sarkozys-campaign-libya-spy-chief-tells-french-judges/

    “Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy accepted nearly $8 million from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential election campaign, Libya’s ex-spy chief Mohamed Abdulla Senussi confirmed to French officials, according to Mediapart.

    Two judges who travelled from Paris to Tripoli this week interviewed Senussi, who was also the brother-in-law of the Libyan colonel, as part of their ongoing investigation into financial ties between Gaddafi and Sarkozy, particularly in the run up to the 2007 French elections…”

  11. Algeria: Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate attacks Saudi Arabia and UAE (memo, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190220-algeria-muslim-brotherhood-presidential-candidate-attacks-saudi-arabia-and-uae/

    “Abdul Razzaq Muqri, the Head of the Algerian Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP), has attacked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their alleged role in what is known as the “Deal of the Century” which aims at crashing the Palestinian cause.

    Muqri, who is running for office in Algeria, stated that “Saudi Arabia is exploiting its influence and connections to enforce the Deal of the Century and normalise relations with the Zionist entity, while the UAE is concocting the scheme with the occupation state to concretise such plot.”

    He added: “normalisation will never see the light as long as the Arab nations are conscious of the Palestinian cause and reject Israel. The Zionist entity knows perfectly well that there is no hope for survival unless the Arabs accept it, and this will never happen. However, the Arab regimes which attempt to normalise with Israel are seeking to preserve their thrones and steal the wealth of the nation. As such, the occupation state will never benefit from these efforts eventually. ”

    Muqri explained that “the history of normalisation with the occupation state indicated that at no point of time, what so ever, the normalisation was beneficial for any country that has developed relations with Israel”.

    He added that “Egypt, which could have been better than European countries, is currently at its worst condition because the Egyptian state had begun the normalisation trend through the Camp David crime.”

    He pointed out that “Jordan, which also had normalised relations with the occupation state lives on aids, and it is considered as a weak and fragile country.”

    The Algerian presidential candidate fore-grounded the official position of the Algerian state and people on the absolute rejection of normalisation with the Zionist occupation.

    He stressed that “there are Zionist breakthroughs in the Arab countries and an attempt to exploit the difficult conditions of the region to expand the Zionist influence. However, the Algerian stance is consistent against normalisation.”

    In another context, Muqri explained that there are hints, spreading in the country, about some attempts to prevent the Islamic party from ruling Algeria, highlighting that “his party’s immunity is derived from the Algerian people’s awareness of these conspiracies.”

    In recent days, Algeria has been witnessing limited demonstrations against the candidacy of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a fifth term in the elections scheduled for April the 18th. However, several calls for a protest next Friday are anonymously circulated through social media platforms.”

  12. ‘Two is enough,’ Egypt tells poor families as population booms (reuters, Feb 20, 2019) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-population/two-is-enough-egypt-tells-poor-families-as-population-booms-idUSKCN1Q91RJ

    “As Egypt’s population heads towards 100 million, the government is trying to change the minds of people like Ghanem. “Two Is Enough” is the government’s first family-planning campaign aiming to challenge traditions of large families in rural Egypt. But Ghanem’s wish to have a son shows how hard that could be.

    “The main challenge is that we’re trying to change a way of thinking,” said Randa Fares, coordinator of the campaign at the Social Solidarity Ministry. “To change a way of thinking is difficult.”

    Egypt’s population is growing by 2.6 million a year, a high rate for a country where water and jobs are scarce and schools and hospitals overcrowded. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says the two biggest threats to Egypt are terrorism and population growth.

    “We are faced with scarcity in water resources … scarcity in jobs, job creation, and we need to really control this population growth so that people can feel the benefits of development,” Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Wali told Reuters.

    Decades ago, Egypt had a family-planning program, supported by the United States. The fertility rate fell from 5.6 children per woman in 1976 to 3.0 in 2008 while the use of contraceptives went up from 18.8 percent to 60.3 percent. Large amounts of contraceptives were made available and advertisements increased demand for birth control.

    Support for family planning from the Egyptian government and large sums from donors helped make the program successful, said Duff Gillespie, who directed USAID’s population office from 1986 to 1993.

    But Egypt was relying on donor support and when that assistance went away, family planning was neglected. By 2014 the fertility rate had gone up to 3.5. The United States is supporting family planning in Egypt again, providing more than $19 million for a five-year project ending in 2022 and $4 million for a smaller private sector project ending in 2020.

    Those amounts are significantly lower than the $371 million the United States spent on family planning in Egypt between 1976 and 2008.

    “Two Is Enough” is mainly financed by Egyptian money, with the Social Solidarity Ministry spending 75 million Egyptian pounds ($4.27 million) and the U.N. providing 10 million pounds, according to the ministry.

    The two-year campaign targets more than 1.1 million poor families with up to three children. The Social Solidarity Ministry, with local NGOs, has trained volunteers to make home visits and encourage people to have fewer children.

    Mothers are invited to seminars with preachers who say that Islam allows family planning, and doctors who answer questions. Billboards and TV ads promote smaller families. The government aims to reduce the current fertility rate of 3.5 to 2.4 by 2030…”

  13. Egypt’s Armed Forces kill 8 terrorists in North Sinai: Statement (ahram, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/325897/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Armed-Forces-kill–terrorists-in-North-Sina.aspx

    “Egypt’s Armed Forces announced on Wednesday morning that it has destroyed seven terrorist hideouts and killed eight extremely dangerous terrorists in North Sinai governorate.

    According to a statement released by the army spokesperson, security forces received intelligence that helped them locate those involved in a terrorist attack last Saturday in North Sinai.

    Counterterrorism forces found seven hideouts that were used to monitor security forces and launch attacks.

    Weapons and ammunitions were found inside the hideouts as well as materials used to manufacture explosive devices.

    Two vehicles fitted with explosives for use against security forces were also destroyed in the raid, the statement added.

    On Saturday, Egypt’s armed forces said that 15 Egyptian military personnel were killed during an attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai. Seven terrorists were also killed in the attack.

    The military has been carrying out Operation Sinai 2018, a counter-terrorism campaign, since February 2018. The campaign involves land, naval and air forces, as well as the police and border guards.”

  14. Egypt determined to continue anti-terror efforts: Prime Minister (ahram, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/325921/Egypt/Politics-/-Egypt-determined-to-continue-antiterror-efforts-P.aspx

    “Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Wednesday the state is determined to continue to fight the heinous terrorism and its criminal elements, asserting that through the Armed Forces and the police it has succeeded in curbing terror operations.

    During a cabinet meeting, which started with observing a moment of silence in honor of the martyrs of terrorist attacks, Madbouli asserted that efforts to combat such operations will continue alongside development efforts across the country.

    He reviewed preparations for hosting the Arab-European Summit next week in Sharm El Sheikh, which will be attended by kings, heads of state and officials of various world nations.

    The forum is a great opportunity to tackle many issues of common concern, mainly terrorism, illegal migration and development efforts, he added.

    The cabinet meeting was attended by newly-appointed Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Dr Assem El-Gazzar for the first time.”

  15. Moroccan Court Rules Man Accused of Christian Evangelism is Innocent (moroccoworldnews, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/02/266275/moroccan-court-rules-man-accused-of-christian-evangelism-is-innocent/

    “The Court of Appeals in Taza, a city in northern Morocco, has ruled in favor of an individual accused of “shaking the faith of a Muslim,” a crime according to Article 220 of the Penal Code. The defendant had given someone a book explaining the Bible.

    The court announced its decision in a statement, explaining that the Bible “is one of the holy books” that Muslims believe in and declared the defendant “innocent” of any offences.

    The details of the case date back to 2018, when the plaintiff filed a complaint against the defendant, accusing him of proselytizing, the act of attempting to convert a person to another religion.

    The defendant denied the accusation and pleaded not guilty.

    According to Article 220 of the Penal Code: “Anyone who attempts to shake the faith of a Muslim to convert to a different religion” will be punished by 3 to 6 months imprisonment and a fine ranging from MAD 15 to 575.

    Toward the end of 2018, the court upheld a preliminary ruling at the request of the King’s general prosecutor to explain its decision, considering it “a step toward promoting religious freedom in Morocco.”

    Although Article 3 of the 2011 Constitution dictates the freedom to practice religious rituals, Moroccans of religious minorities, such as Christianity, keep a low profile for fear of social judgment or persecution.”

  16. Turkey: Ex-air force officers get life terms for coup (aa, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkey-ex-air-force-officers-get-life-terms-for-coup/1398556

    “Three Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) suspects, who had been detained on terror-related charges pending trial, were given aggravated life sentences on Wednesday for actions during defeated coup in 2015.

    The 8th High Criminal Court in eastern Diyarbakir province sentenced former air forces officers Maj. Gen. Atilla Darendeli, Brig. Gen. Deniz Kartepe and Col. Bulent Gurdogan to life in prison for attempting to abolish the constitutional order.

    They were based at Diyarbakir air base at the time of the coup and were alleged to have diverted six F-16 jets to patrol the skies of Ankara on the night of the defeated coup.

    Darendeli, commander of the 8th Main Jet Base, and Kartepe were accused of having met three days before the coup attempt to plan sending “urgent, same day” service flights to Dalaman air base in the Aegean province of Mugla.

    The flights were outside the routine schedule and are said to be linked to the assassination attempt on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was vacationing in nearby Marmaris at the time.

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

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

  17. Nearly 360 migrants held in Turkey (aa, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/-nearly-360-migrants-held-in-turkey/1398427

    “At least 357 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, security sources said on Wednesday.

    In the southern Hatay province, 111 migrants who illegally entered Turkey were held by security forces at the border with Syria, said a source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

    Police arrested one alleged human smuggler.

    In the northwestern Edirne province — bordering Bulgaria and Greece — gendarmerie forces held 234 irregular migrants.

    One alleged human smuggler arrested in operation.

    In another northwestern province, Tekirdag, police held 12 irregular migrants – Afghanistan and Pakistan nationals — during regular patrols.

    All migrants were later referred to provincial migration directorates.

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

    Some 265,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry.

    The irregular migrants were mostly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian and Iraqi nationals.”

  18. NGO demands release of imprisoned Syria women, children (aa, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/ngo-demands-release-of-imprisoned-syria-women-children/1398234

    “The Conscience Movement, an international NGO, has called on the global community to take urgent action to secure the release of women and children languishing in Syrian prisons.

    On Wednesday, the NGO held a conference in Istanbul that drew participants from 45 countries, including Syria, Britain, South Africa, Ecuador, Qatar, Kenya, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Greece, Pakistan, Congo and Malaysia.

    The event is aimed at raising awareness about the continued suffering faced by women and children still being held in the prisons of Syria’s Assad regime.

    Speaking at the event, movement spokesman Yavuz Dede said the NGO would continue its activities around the world until International Women’s Day on March 8 — and beyond — to draw global attention to the issue.

    An opening statement was read out on behalf of the initiative — in Turkish, English and Arabic — by Gulden Sonmez, a lawyer, rights advocate and movement representative; British journalist Colin Stevens; and Kuwaiti rights activist Aisha al-Qassar.

    According to the statement, more than 13,500 Syrian women have been jailed since the conflict began in March 2011, while more than 7,000 women still remain in detention, where they are subject to torture, rape and sexual violence.

    “The Conscience Movement calls for the unconditional, immediate release of Syrian women and children from [Syrian regime] prisons without being part of any bargaining,” Sonmez said.

    She also urged international institutions like the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — along with leaders of countries such as Turkey and Russia — “to make efforts in this regard”.

    “We invite all those around the world with a conscience to raise their voice right now until the last Syrian woman and child is released,” she declared…”

  19. Europe needs updated migration policies: Minister (hurriyetdailynews, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/europe-needs-updated-migration-policies-minister-141368

    “Turkey’s interior minister on Feb. 20 criticized Europe’s current migration policies, saying they have to be updated.

    “Europe’s politics are being affected by migration … Its migration policies need to be updated,” Süleyman Soylu told the 6th Ministerial Conference of Budapest Process, an interregional forum on migration, in Istanbul.

    He said rising racism and discrimination had hampered European governments’ “well-intentioned efforts.”

    “Europe needs to take measures to fight racism and discrimination and needs to adopt the motto ‘integrity in diversity’ in tackling the migration issue,” he added.

    The Budapest Process, established in 1993, is a forum of over 50 governments and numerous international organizations, aimed at developing comprehensive and sustainable systems for orderly migration.

    In his speech, Soylu said no era in history had been free of the phenomenon of mass migration.

    “We should try to manage it together, instead of preventing it,” he said.

    Current efforts worldwide on the issue fall short, said Soylu.

    “Our goal is to reach the upper limit of what we can do, and a world where we can find only oyster shells and sea stars on our beaches,” he said, in an apparent reference to Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler who washed ashore a Turkish beach in 2015, spurring an international outcry.

    Migration is a “big security issue” for Turkey as it fights terror groups such as the PKK, FETÖ and ISIL within its borders, Soylu asserted.

    Citing the latest state figures, Soylu said Turkey hosts over 3.6 million Syrians granted temporary protection status – more than any other country in the world.

    Soylu said the meeting aims to advance the 2013 Istanbul Declaration, which he called the “most far-reaching” declaration ever adopted by such a group of participants.

    The Istanbul Declaration on “A Silk Routes Partnership for Migration” was adopted in 2013 in Istanbul, at the last Budapest Process Ministerial Conference.

    The declaration promotes “further dialogue and mutual cooperation in managing migration flow taking place along the Silk Routes as the Budapest Process priority,” according to the website of the process.”

    • Irregular migrants afraid to request for asylum: Report (aa, Feb 20, 2019)
      https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/irregular-migrants-afraid-to-request-for-asylum-report/1398586

      “Irregular migrants “in transit” are afraid to request for asylum in Europe because of repressive and intimidating policies against them, a recent report said Wednesday.

      Medecines Sans Frontieres (MSF) — also known as Doctors Without Borders — and Belgian NGO Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners (CIRE) said in a joint report that the migrants “in transit” do not have courage to request for asylum and protection in Belgium.

      “The inhumane conditions in the refugee camps on European borders, Dublin Regulation, repressive actions of police and dissuasion campaigns conducted in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe are weakening the confidence of migrants in public authorities and worsening their vulnerability,” the report said.

      EU’s Dublin Regulation calls on asylum seekers to be processed in the first country they arrive.

      This rule places the responsibility to deal with asylum requests with Europe’s border states, where migrants most often first enter the EU.

      The report added the migrants feel alienated in Europe and current policies deprive them of their fundamental rights.”

      • That is probably because this is not their country,the people of Europe do not want them,and it seems that they feel” alienated”while they rob murder and rape our people.they seem to have plenty of “courage”while they blow our people apart with bombs,this is the victim card,because they do not possess the moral fiber to improve their own countries,they think they have the right to parasitise ours,we have had enough of these violent animals,if they will not work for their own countries betterment,then they can starve and good riddance.

  20. Attack by ‘herdsmen’ in central Nigeria leaves 17 dead (aa, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/attack-by-herdsmen-in-central-nigeria-leaves-17-dead/1398655

    “At least 17 people have been killed in central Nigeria in an attack blamed on herders, an official said Wednesday.

    The attack occurred on the Ebete community in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue state, the chief press secretary for Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom told reporters.

    “The governor of Benue state met earlier today with the commissioner of police, and he confirmed that there was an attack on the Ebete community in Agatu earlier today in which 17 people were killed by suspected armed herdsmen,” said lterver Akase.

    He said the attack could be politically motivated, coming days before the country’s rescheduled general elections, which will take place Saturday.

    “We feel that this is unfortunate because the governor has raised an alarm that some persons for political reasons are planning to unleash armed herdsmen on innocent Benue people, to create fear in the people for political gains, he was quoted by local newspaper The Nation as saying.

    Adeyemi Yekini, head of a special military force in the area, confirmed the attack but said he had no information on how many died.

    “I received a report this afternoon that some people were killed in Agatu by suspected armed bandits. I’m not sure of the number of casualties yet,” Yekini said in a terse statement.

    The agrarian state of Benue has been the epicenter of a conflict over land rights, pitting farmers against herders.”

  21. Lawyer says jihadist barred by Trump is US citizen

    Hoda Muthana, the Alabama-raised former propagandist for the Islamic State group who has been barred from entering the US by the Trump administration, is a US citizen, says her lawyer in an interview with AFP.

  22. Qatar ready to invest 10 billion euros in Germany (ansamed, Feb 20, 2019)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/economics/2019/02/20/qatar-ready-to-invest-10-billion-euros-in-germany_e7a51dd5-a2dc-4169-a52d-087f3093a382.html

    “Qatar’s Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that the emirate is ready to invest 10 billion euros in Germany over the next five years, the Gulf Times reports.

    ”We see many possibilities for investment here”, the minister said. ”We are discussing projects”.

    This further investment worth 10 billion euros would bring Qatar to become the main Arab investor in Germany for a total of 35 billion euros of investments in the European country.”

  23. Hoda Muthana: Trump says IS woman barred from US return (BBC, Feb 20, 2019)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47313657

    “US President Donald Trump says a woman who left the US to become a propagandist for the Islamic State (IS) group will not be allowed to return.

    On Twitter, he said he had instructed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “not to allow Hoda Muthana back into the country”…”

  24. BREAKING: Bangladesh HORROR fire kills at least 56 – death toll COULD RISE warn officials (express, Feb 21, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1090194/Bangladesh-fire-Dhaka-Chawkbazar-kills-fatal-blaze-fire-service-killed

    “AT LEAST 56 people were killed by a fire in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Wednesday, with authorities warning the casualty figure could rise.

    The fire broke out in the Chawkbazar area of Dhaka.

    The blaze began at an apartment building which was partly used to store chemicals.

    Earlier reports had put the death toll at ten.

    Julfikar Rahman, a director of the local Fire Service and Civil Defence, commented: “So far 56 bodies have been recovered.

    “The number could rise further as searching is still continuing.”

    After the fire began it spread quickly to nearby buildings according to local media.

    More to follow…”

  25. Jim Jordan takes aim at Democrat Adam Schiff

    Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) discusses how former FBI Director Andrew McCabe said that the DOJ discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office, the upcoming release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report and whether Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) should recuse himself from the Russia probe.