Contributor’s links post for April 8, 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

167 Replies to “Contributor’s links post for April 8, 2019”

    • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Russia holds the cards in Syria. Jerusalem and Tehran must spell out their desires for the Syrian arena to Moscow, who in turn must find a way to leave each side with “half its desires.”

      Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been engaged in a flurry of discussions recently, at least some of which are likely tied to Iranian activities in Syria.

      The meetings come in the shadow of recent reports of a major Israeli airstrike on March 28 that targeted an Iranian weapons warehouse near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The strike reportedly resulted in large blasts and casualties.

      Russia leads a pro-Assad military coalition in Syria, of which Iranian forces are a central part. It also maintains a deconfliction channel with Israel to avoid unintended clashes between its air force and the Israeli Air Force, both of which are active in the Syrian arena.

  1. Qatar sues Luxembourg, UAE, Saudi banks in manipulation case (memo, Apr 8, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190408-qatar-sues-luxembourg-uae-saudi-banks-in-manipulation-case/

    “Qatar filed lawsuits on Monday against three banks, accusing them of causing billions of dollars of damage to its economy by what it called overseas currency manipulation in the wake of an Arab boycott against Qatar in 2017.

    The cases, filed in London and New York, name Luxembourg-based Banque Havilland, the United Arab Emirates’ First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Saudi Arabia’s Samba Bank, according to filings seen by Reuters and a statement from Qatar’s government communications office.

    First Abu Dhabi Bank declined to comment, while Banque Havilland and Samba Bank did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    In the case, Qatar alleges Banque Havilland devised a plan to weaken the country’s riyal currency on key composite indices by submitting thousands of “fictitious and depreciated” quotes, according to the court filings.

    “But the quotes were phoney, as FAB, Samba Bank, and others repeatedly refused to transact with counterparties at the prices they were quoting in public,” the filings stated.

    The lawsuits are the latest fallout in a protracted Gulf row that began in 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an economic boycott on Qatar in 2017, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and Iran.

    Qatar, a small Gulf state but major gas exporter, denies the charges and says the boycott is an attempt to impinge on its sovereignty.

    The currency manipulation was intended to “deplete Qatar’s financial reserves so that it would be unable to complete its preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup games, and would be forced to share the games with Saudi Arabia or the UAE,” the filings stated.

    UAE sports chief Mohammed Khalfan al-Romaithi has said his country and other Gulf states could co-host an expanded World Cup 2022, a measure global soccer body FIFA is expected to vote on in June but which Qatar holds the final decision over.

    Qatar liquidated nearly $3 billion in US treasury investments and drew down over $40 billion in foreign reserves after the alleged manipulation in a bid to support its currency, the filings stated.

    With more than $300 billion in central bank reserves and sovereign wealth fund assets, bankers say Qatar has sufficient financial firepower to block attacks on its currency.

    Its central bank began a probe into the alleged manipulation in late 2017 after it said unidentified banks were looking to attack the riyal by trading it between themselves offshore at artificially weak levels – to create an illusion Qatar’s economy was crumbling.

    “Qatar seeks to hold FAB, Samba Bank, and the unknown John Doe Defendants who conspired with them liable for the billions of dollars in damages that they have caused to Qatar, plus punitive damages and statutory interest,” the filings stated.

    They added elsewhere that Qatar also sought to hold Banque Havilland similarly responsible.”

  2. Prostitute robbed, threatened by fake police in Dubai’s Naif (gulfnews, Apr 8, 2019)
    https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/prostitute-robbed-threatened-by-fake-police-in-dubais-naif-1.63197088

    “Three men have been accused of robbing a woman and threatening to kill her and her husband with a knife after posing as police, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Monday.

    The 32-year-old Pakistani woman, who allegedly works as prostitute, welcomed the three Pakistani men into her home while her husband was there before they had a dispute over money.

    The three men then stole her money and jewellery and threatened to kill her and her husband.

    When she reported the robbery incident to police, she was also arrested for prostitution…”

  3. Former Algerian Major General Says Morocco is Algeria’s Enemy (moroccoworldnews, Apr 8, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/04/270095/former-algerian-major-general-says-morocco-is-algerias-enemy/

    “Retired Algerian Major-General Abdelaziz Medjahed used a recent interview with Radio Algerienne to criticize the Moroccan government.

    Invited to comment on the situation in Algeria after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika Medjahed said that the “threats are many and varied, because we live in an unstable and a dangerous world.”

    As an example, the former senior military officer referred to Morocco as an enemy of Algeria.

    He then accused Morocco of “violating the resolutions of the United Nations and going outside of their limits to attack a Sahrawi territory.”

    According to Medjahed, Algeria has to choose friends, allies, and partners to isolate its enemies after the crisis…”

  4. NYC terror plot case: Verdict reserved on Pakistani-American’s extradition to US (tribune, Apr 8, 2019)
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/1946164/1-nyc-terror-plot-case-verdict-reserved-pakistani-americans-extradition-us/

    “ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday reserved its judgement in a case pertaining to extradition of a US citizen of Pakistani origin to America, allegedly involved in planning an attack in New York city.

    Talha Haroon, 19, was arrested in Pakistan in 2016 after US authorities identified him as one of three men, along with a Canadian citizen and a man from the Philippines, planning attacks on Manhattan’s Times Square and the city’s subway.

    Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiani heard the case filed by Muhammad Haroon, father of the accused, challenging the district administration’s decision to extradite his son Talha to the US.

    The petitioner’s counsel pleaded before the court that the US government had always turned down Islamabad’s request to repatriate its citizen and cited the example of former Pakistani ambassador Hussein Haqqani who is accused in Memogate case.

    Justice Kiani remarked that America had returned a citizen on Pakistan’s demand. The counsel told the court that the siblings of Talha were still residing in the US and no legal requirements were fulfilled in the case of his client.

    No investigation was carried out against his client, rather a formal inquiry was only conducted, he added. However, the prosecutor stated that Talha was declared an accused in December 2018.

    After hearing the arguments from both the sides, the bench reserved its judgement in the matter.

    It may be mentioned here that an additional deputy commissioner had ordered for extradition of Talha to the US after conducting an inquiry regarding his involvement in planning attacks in New York city with connivance of other accused.

    With additional input from Reuters”

  5. Girl set afire by other students in reprisal after sexual abuse charges against principal at Islamic school
    By Pamela Geller – on April 7, 2019

    Feni girl burnt in reprisal after sexual abuse charges against principal

    By: Feni Correspondent, BD News 24, 06 Apr 2019:
    A female student of a madrasa has been burnt allegedly by some of her peers after she refused to withdraw sexual abuse charges against the principal in Feni’s Sonagazi.

    The severely burnt girl, Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 18, is undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

    Police detained a teacher and a student for questioning over the incident at Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa on Saturday morning, Sonagazi Police Station Inspector Md Kamal Hossain told bdnews24.com.

    https://gellerreport.com/2019/04/girl-burnt-islamic-school.html/

    • Girl set afire by other students in reprisal after sexual abuse charges against principal at Islamic school

      Just searing the meat for British-style kebabs.

  6. Sea Eye ship appeals for help off coast of Malta (ansa, Apr 8, 2019)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/04/08/sea-eye-ship-appeals-for-help-off-coast-of-malta_a007a19c-d9c6-4a93-b177-8c018b5155a9.html

    “The German NGO Sea Eye’s ship Alan Kurdi, which rescued 64 migrants last Wednesday off the coast of Libya, on Monday remains without a port of disembarkation after Italy and its interior minister, Matteo Salvini, refused entry into the country’s territorial waters.

    “This ship won’t arrive in Italy,” Salvini said on a TV talk show Sunday evening.
    “You come here with a permit, saying please and thank you,” he said.

    On Sunday the ship launched a plea for help and said weather where it is currently stationed, 30 km off the Maltese coast of Valletta, is worsening.

    On Sunday the NGO appealed directly to Maltese Prime Minister Josep Muscat, but the Maltese government hasn’t officially taken a position regarding whether it will let the ship dock at one of its ports.”

  7. Migrants: over 2,500 apprehended in Melilla in February (ansamed, Apr 8, 2019)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/morocco/2019/04/08/migrants-over-2500-apprehended-in-melilla-in-february_680c11e5-d50c-4f05-be29-9cd527d8236e.html

    “Over 2,500 migrants have been apprehended since February in Melilla, at the border between Morocco and Spain. Security is tight in the Spanish enclave in Morocco. Security officers and the Guardia Civil have set up equipment to detect a heartbeat if someone is trying to cross the border, even if they are hidden and not visible.

    Thanks to the new system, a reported 2,534 migrants – including 76 minors – were apprehended and transferred to hosting centers before being taken into custody by Spanish police, officials said. A migrant was recently found hidden in the trunk of a car while in December another migrant risked death while travelling hidden between two matrasses. In February, another one was found inside a car.”

  8. Wave of police suicides in France sparks alarm (france24, Apr 8, 2019)
    https://www.france24.com/en/20190408-france-wave-police-suicides-sparks-alarm

    “The number of police suicides in France this year has risen to 25, after two officers were confirmed dead over the weekend after apparently taking their own lives.

    “[We] have learned with alarm, sadness, but also great anger that yet another two officers have killed themselves,” the French police union, ALTERNATIVE Police CFDT, said in a statement on Sunday, April 7.

    Few details have emerged so far about the victims. The first was identified as a 37-year-old woman who worked the night shift for a police station in the northwestern Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, according to Le Parisien newspaper. After failing to report for duty on Saturday evening, her colleagues launched a search. They tracked her phone near to her home in the town of Guainville, where she was found dead in her car from a self-inflicted gun wound.

    The second was a 49-year-old named simply as Christophe, who was an officer at a local police station in the southeastern town of Alès. Christophe’s body was discovered on Sunday, a week after he went missing, regional newspaper Midi Libre reported.

    The Information and Communication Service of the National Police (SCIoP) confirmed to FRANCE 24 on Monday that two officers were reported dead over the weekend, but specified they remained “suspected” suicides until further notice.

    A police suicide every four days

    If proven true, that would mean there has been an average of one police suicide every four days since January. The statistic is high in comparison with previous years, and has worried ALTERNATIVE Police CFDT and other unions.

    Over the last decade, there have been an average of 44 law enforcement suicides a year in France, according to official data. That figure spiked in 2014, when at least 55 officers took their own lives. Just four months into 2019, there have already been nearly half that many deaths.

    There is no clear underlying cause for the high rate of police suicides. A 2010 study by the National Health Institute for Medical Research (INSERM) found that a number of factors could lead to depression, including occupational hazards, family problems, health issues, addiction and financial strain.

    Yet police unions have argued that the relentless pressures of the job are largely to blame.

    “Even though there are multiple factors behind the reason for acting – between personal problems and complicated professional situations – there is undeniably a real strain on police who are confronted daily by social deprivation, hierarchical stress and successive operations without the possibility for regular rest,” the ALTERNATIVE Police CFDT statement said.

    In an effort to tackle the issue, former interior minister Gérard Collomb launched a police suicide prevention programme in May 2018 that promised to provide greater support to at-risk officers.

    The government’s efforts, however, have come under fierce criticism for failing to reduce the suicide rate.

    “(We) have noticed, that beyond words, the concrete actions taken are not bold enough to stem the scourge of suicides,” the ALTERNATIVE Police CFDT statement said.

    In March, the Committee for Workplace Health and Safety (CHSCT) also sounded the alarm over the situation.

    “Operational overwork, professional exhaustion, injuries in the line of duty, psychosocial issues, suicides and attempted suicides! To use a medical term, the national police is in critical condition,” it said in a statement.

    The police suicide rate in France is 36 percent higher than that for the general population, according to a 2018 senate report. On average, there are an estimated 14 suicides per 100,000 residents in the country each year.”

  9. Muslims in Germany Call for “Islamophobia Czar” to Crack Down on Free Speech

    Germany, a country of 80 million, received over one million migrants and unvetted “refugees” in 2015. Chancellor Angela Merkel expected another million migrants in 2016.

    Muslims in Germany called for an “Islamophobia Czar” to crack down on free speech.
    Because fear of Allahu Akbar killers is irrational.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/04/muslims-in-germany-call-for-islamophobia-czar-to-crack-down-on-free-speech/?utm_source=TGPemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:553016019&utm_campaign=Auto%20Send%20from%20The%20Gateway%20Pundit%20on%20April%208,%202019%20at%2003:06:06%20PM

    Richard: read th e entire article, it has maps showing the locations of the rapes and murders.

  10. Woman Charged For Sending Sen. Susan Collins Letter Reportedly Coated With Poison

    A Maine woman was charged with sending a threatening letter to Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Monday, adding to a list of threats and unwanted mail Collins has received throughout the past year.

    Suzanne Muscara, 37, of Burlington, Maine, reportedly mailed starch to Collins’ husband, Thomas Daffron, with a letter that is said to have been coated with “ricin residue,” The Associated Press reported. Muscara was reportedly arrested Friday after an investigation. The letter also reportedly was not signed and said Collins had “betrayed the people of Maine.”

    https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/08/woman-charged-susan-collins-poison/

  11. Leak of Classified Info Reaches ‘Record High Levels’ Under Trump

    Illegal leaks of classified information have reportedly reached “record high levels” during the Trump administration, according to a nonprofit group citing DOJ stats.

    “Agencies transmitted 120 leak referrals to the Justice Department in 2017, and 88 leak referrals in 2018, for an average of 104 per year,” the Federation of American Scientists reported, citing numbers issued by the Justice Department. “By comparison, the average number of leak referrals during the Obama Administration (2009–2016) was 39 per year.”

    https://freebeacon.com/politics/leak-of-classified-info-reaches-record-high-levels-under-trump/

  12. No Trump Didn’t Call All Illegal Aliens ‘Animals’ and Yes Some Of Them Are

  13. “Biden’s problem is actually Massive Graft.” Peter Schweizer with Sebastian Gorka on AMERICA First

  14. Speaking on this topic, I can advise you a good online essay writing service. An essay is a written buy college term paper composition that presents and discusses a specific topic or subject. It typically follows a structured format, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Essays can be used to convey information, analyze arguments, persuade readers, or express personal opinions. They are commonly assigned in educational settings as a way to assess students’ critical thinking and writing abilities.