Contributor’s links for July 9, 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 must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

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

100 Replies to “Contributor’s links for July 9, 2019”

  1. Trump Invited Me To The White House Social Media Summit, Here Is Why I Am Attending

  2. Absence of Fathers, Radical Feminism, and Identity Politics Are Hurting Our Boys—Dr. Warren Farrell

  3. Italy: Protests kick off as Salvini hails closure of Sicily migrant centre

    • Salvini Won’t Retreat! Rome Cracks Down on Human Traffickers Smuggling Migrants Into Italy!

      The ship was confiscated and the crew, charged as collaborators to human smuggling, will have to pay a 65,000 euro fine.

      That’s the end of the confrontation between the Italian government and an NGO that brought a group of illegal migrants to the port of Lampedusa, despite the ban.

      Right now, Rome is being criticized by almost the entire EU.

      However, Minister of the Interior Salvini promises to continue struggling against illegal migration until the end of the summer season.

    • Italy: 47 migrants disembark Italian Coast Guard vessel in Pozzallo

      Forty-seven migrants including those from Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Morocco disembarked Italian Coast Guard vessel in the Italian port city of Pozzallo on Tuesday.

      People were seen being assisted by doctors, one of them, Vincenzo Morello, added that the rescued migrants were part of a bigger group.

      “The situation on board was calm, 47 migrants have disembarked, 10 women and 37 men, all in good health. This group of migrants is part of a larger group rescued by the Italian Coast Guard and those in need of medical assistance had disembarked in Lampedusa, among them seriously ill children,” stressed Morello.

      The boat with migrants was intercepted by Italian Coast Guard vessel on Monday afternoon as it headed to Lampedusa port, the destination was changed to the Pozzallo port as the one in Lampedusa is currently overcrowded.

    • Alan Kurdi rescue ship picks up another 44 migrants

      The migrant rescue boat Alan Kurdi saves 44 people, including women and infants from their stricken vessel in the Mediterranean.

    • Italy’s Salvini present for closure of Mineo migrant reception centre

      What was once Europe’s biggest migrant reception centre, in Mineo in Sicily, is to officially close in the presence of its biggest critic, far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.

  4. ABC News Secret indictment against Jeffrey Epstein unveiled

    The financier pled not guilty as federal agents revealed they found thousands of female nude or partially nude photographs in his New York City mansion.

    • BREITBART Exclusive–Mike Cernovich: Media Only Covers Epstein Case to Attack Trump

      Author, journalist, and filmmaker Mike Cernovich told Breitbart News Daily on Tuesday that the establishment media only has an interest in the Jeffrey Epstein court battles in order to attack President Donald Trump.

      Cernovich spoke with Breitbart News Daily host Alexander Marlow in the wake of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges. The Gorilla Mindset author fought to unseal court documents relating to a civil lawsuit in 2017 eventually led to Epstein’s arrest.

      Despite the widespread interest in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking crimes and who might be connected to them, the establishment media has spent more time attempting to link President Donald Trump to Epstein, without evidence, than to the actual sex trafficking case.

      Cernovich contended that the media only has interest in the Epstein case as a means to attack Trump through his relationship with Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. Acosta, as a then-Miami prosecutor in 2007, struck a deal with Epstein in which the billionaire would plead guilty to prostitution charges in exchange for dropping all other charges.

      “The media only care about Epstein as a way to go after Trump because of the Alexander Acosta angle,” Cernovich said.

      Cernovich added that “They are trying to create a conspiracy theory involving Donald Trump and Jeff Epstein despite no evidence that Trump ever flew to any island or partied with Epstein or did anything.”

      He said that the media has “Trump Derangement Syndrome [TDS],” contending that “The only thing they care about is Trump” despite “verified relationships” between Epstein, Prince Andrew of England, and former President Bill Clinton.

      Despite much of the media’s attack on Trump, Yahoo News reported that a lawyer representing a trio of Epstein accusers explained that Trump assisted authorities in building a civil lawsuit against Epstein.

      Trump also banned Epstein from his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago because Epstein allegedly sexually assaulted an underage girl at the club.

      Marlow noted that Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney said that no one on Wall Street knows how Epstein made his money. The Breitbart News Daily host described Epstein as a “very shadowy” figure.

      Cernovich suggested that Epstein might have run a blackmail scheme to make his billions of dollars.

      “No one knows how he made his money, which leads people to believe that he was running a blackmail scheme whereby he would go with people, get them on video doing things, and then those people would either have to give him money outright or he would privately invest those people’s money and take the cut,” Cernovich explained.

      Former President Bill Clinton released a statement on Monday, distancing himself from the billionaire financier despite his long ties to Epstein.

      Clinton claimed that he only took four trips on Epstein’s airplane, often referred to as the “Lolita Express,” even though flight logs from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that he took at least 26 trips on the Lolita Express.

      Cernovich said, “We know for a fact that Bill Clinton, this has been proven through FAA logs, that he ditched his secret service, what happened? I don’t know, but there’s probably video evidence of it.”

      The author added that the “Clintons are notorious liars.”

      Cernovich also credited Andrew Breitbart recently, suggesting that the power of independent citizen journalism is “alive and well” on Saturday.

      The filmmaker told Breitbart News Daily that the legacy of Andrew Breitbart was to encourage Americans to become citizen journalists and that “you cannot passively consume media, you have to be the media, you have to chase down the story, you have to take action, and look where we are now.”

      https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/07/09/exclusive-mike-cernovich-media-only-covers-epstein-case-to-attack-trump/

    • the gatewy pundit – HUGE!… Pilot Logs Reveal ALMOST EVERY TIME Bill Clinton Flew on Epstein’s Lolita Express — UNDERAGE GIRLS WERE ON THE PLANE! (VIDEO)

      Investigative reporter Conchita Sarnoff, the author of “Trafficking” on the Jeffrey Epstein case, joined Shannon Bream on Monday night to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest.

      During their discussion Sarnoff told Shannon Bream that Bill Clinton flew on the Lolita Express 27 times.

      Then she dropped this BOMB!…

      Sarnoff said that ALMOST EVERY TIME that Clinton was on the plane via the pilot logs there were underage girls on the plane.

      Conchita said Clinton refused her request for an interview.

      Conchita Sarnoff: I know from the pilot logs. And these were pilot logs that were written by different pilots at different times, that Clinton went, he was a guest of Epstein 27 times… Many times Clinton had his Secret Service with him and many he did not. Almost every time Clinton’s name is on the pilot log, there are underage girls.

      She also said BILL CLINTON IS LYING about his limited contact with Jeffrey Epstein.

      THIS WAS AN EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW!

      https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/boom-reporter-sarnoff-pilot-logs-reveal-almost-every-time-bill-clinton-flew-on-epsteins-lolita-express-underage-girls-were-on-the-plane-video/

  5. Yemeni Army Warns Saudi Arabia, UAE against Continued Aggression (tasnimnews, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/07/09/2050605/yemeni-army-warns-saudi-arabia-uae-against-continued-aggression

    “The deputy spokesman for Yemen’s army highlighted the Arabian Peninsula country’s achievements in producing military gears and warned that if Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue the aggression on Yemen, their sensitive sites will be targeted.

    “If the UAE does not retreat, it will be targeted by the (Yemeni) attacks and will collapse completely and you know that the UAE’s economy depends on international trade,” Aziz Rashid said in an interview with The Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday.

    He further pointed to the domestically made military gears and said, “The ample equipment that we have to hit Saudi Arabia’s major and strategic oil facilities will change the Yemeni war equation.”

    “If Saudi Arabia and other countries want to buy such weapons that we, the Yemenis, produce, they should pay billions of dollars…,” the Yemeni spokesman went on to say.

    The remarks came as drones of the Yemeni army and Popular Committees, in a retaliatory attack against the Saudi-led coalition forces, targeted and hit a power plant and an airport in Saudi Arabia, according to the spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces.

    Yahya Saree announced early on Tuesday that the power plant in Abha in southern Saudi Arabia was hit by a drone attack by the Yemeni army and Popular Committees, according to the Arabic-language Al Mayadeen TV.

    The international airport in the city was also hit by a Yemeni drone, he said, adding that both the power plant and the airport have been targeted by a domestically made drone named “Qasef-K2”.

    The spokesman further said the Yemeni unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have hit the targets with high precision.

    The attacks against the Saudi-led forces came in retaliation for the continued massacre of civilians and destruction of Yemen’s infrastructure by the coalition led by the Riyadh regime.

    Yemen’s defenseless people have been under massive attacks by the coalition for more than four years but Riyadh has reached none of its objectives in Yemen so far…”

  6. Egypt Warns Turkey against Escalation over Drilling Off Cyprus Coast (aawsat, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1805201/egypt-warns-turkey-against-escalation-over-drilling-cyprus-coast

    “Egypt warned on Tuesday Turkey against stoking tensions in the eastern Mediterranean over its attempt to drill for oil and gas in the waters off Cyprus.

    A foreign ministry statement “stressed the importance of non-escalation and commitment to respecting and implementing international law.”

    The discovery of huge gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has set off a race to tap underwater resources, sparking a dispute between Turkey and EU member Cyprus.

    Cairo expressed its concern over Turkey’s “insistence to continue with unilateral measures that would increase tensions in the eastern Mediterranean region.”…”

  7. Strong relationship between Al-Qaeda, Houthis: Al-Maliki (saudigazette, Jul 9, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/571393/SAUDI-ARABIA/Strong-relationship-between-Al-Qaeda-Houthis-Al-Maliki

    “Col. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition forces supporting legitimacy in Yemen, confirmed that there is a strong relationship between Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias, especially following the coup against the legitimate government in Yemen. Al-Maliki pointed to the successful qualitative operation carried out inside Yemen that led to the arrest of the emir of Al-Qaeda in Yemen known as Abu Osama Al-Muhajir, the financial controller of the organization and several members of the organization accompanying him early last month. Addressing a press conference in Riyadh on Monday evening, he said the coalition forces are continuing to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Al-Maliki also referred to the state of the operations to Restore Hope to support the legitimacy within Yemen and Al-Houthi breaches and threats to regional and international security on one hand, targeting Houthi capabilities through the support of the Yemeni army. The coalition spokesman noted that Houthi terrorist militia has continued to violate international humanitarian law by targeting notable civilians, both citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia and inside Yemen, by means of exploding drones. He explained that Iranian weapons and support for Al-Houthi terrorist militia threaten regional and international security, indicating that the continuation of the work of relief outlets in Yemen, via air, sea and land, referring to the report of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Organization (UNVIM) in Djibouti. The spokesman for the coalition forces reviewed the efforts of King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Center (KSRelief), the flow of humanitarian aid and the efforts of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen.

    Meanwhile, the Yemeni Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations in Yemen, called “Rasd” condemned the abuses committed by the Houthi militia against women and children. Muthar Al-Baziji, executive director of Rasd told the UN Human Rights Council that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen is committing grave violations against children. He added that the coalition monitored and documented the killing of 250 children with live bullets, the sniping of 152 children and the death of 202 children by explosions of landmines planted by militias over the past four years. He explained that the militia in Yemen committed abuses against women as 204 women were abducted, forcibly hidden and tortured.”

  8. Al-Maliki: Coalition to show proof of botched Houthi attack (saudigazette, Jul 9, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/571446/SAUDI-ARABIA/Al-Maliki-Coalition-to-show-proof-of-botched-Houthi-attack

    “The Coalition Joint Command will not hesitate to repulse any terrorist attempts by Iran-backed Houthi militias and their targeting of maritime navigation and global trade, Saudi Press Agency quoted the Spokesman of the Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen Col. Turki Al-Maliki as stressing on Tuesday.

    Al-Maliki added that due to the Houthi militias’ continued policy of fabricating lies via their misleading media and their attempts to absolve themselves of responsibility for their hostile and terrorist acts, the Coalition will exhibit cogent proofs of the Houthi militias’ violation of humanitarian international law in connection with the Houthi militias’ botched attempt to target a commercial ship on Monday morning by a remote controlled rigged boat [Houthi Remote Control Explosive Boat] (Blow Fish Type) in the southern part of the Red Sea.

    This is due to the Coalition’s keenness to adhere to credibility and transparency and raise the level of communication with the international community to the highest level.

    Col. Al-Maliki had earlier said that the coalition forces on Monday evening managed to intercept and down a drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia toward the Kingdom, targeting civilian installations.

    Al-Maliki said the Houthi terrorists continue to launch drones to carry out hostile and terrorist acts by targeting civilians and civilian installations, and that none of their targets have been achieved and these drones have been shot down and destroyed.”

  9. US pushing for military coalition to patrol waters in Gulf region: Top general (mee, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-pushing-military-coalition-patrol-waters-gulf-region-top-general

    “A top United States general has announced plans to set up a coalition of allied countries willing to patrol key shipping channels in the Gulf region, amid weeks of instability and a string of attacks on vessels in the area.

    General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday that Washington plans to enlist its allies to patrol the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.

    The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping channel in the Gulf of Oman, while Bab al-Mandeb is a strait located between Yemen on one side, and Djibouti and Eritrea on the other.

    “We’re engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb,” said Dunford, as reported by Reuters…”

  10. europravda – France ‘will introduce eco-tax’ on flights out of France

    “We have decided to put in place an eco-tax on all flights from France,” the French transport minister said during a news conference, adding that the funds will finance daily transport in France.

  11. US sanctions three Hezbollah leaders, including two members of Lebanon’s Parliament (memo, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190709-us-sanctions-three-hezbollah-leaders-including-two-members-of-lebanons-parliament/

    “The US Treasury added three top Hezbollah figures to its list of sanctioned individuals on Tuesday, including two members of the Lebanese Parliament and a security official responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s security agencies, reports Reuters.

    It was the first time the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had designated a member of Lebanon’s Parliament under a sanctions list that targets those accused by Washington of providing support to terrorist organizations. Washington has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

    OFAC said it had added Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’ad, both members of Lebanon’s Parliament, for acting on behalf of Hezbollah. In an unusual move, it also released photos of the individuals, including one in which Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has his arm around Sherri’s shoulder.

    OFAC said it also designated Wafiq Safa, who is in charge of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit responsible for coordinating with Lebanese security agencies.

    The action by the US Treasury bars US citizens from dealing with the three individuals and blocks any assets they may hold in the United States. It also limits their ability to access the US financial system…”

  12. U.S. urges Turkey to halt drilling operations off Cyprus coast (reuters, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyprus-turkey-ship-usa/u-s-urges-turkey-to-halt-drilling-operations-off-cyprus-coast-idUSKCN1U42PI

    “The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged Turkish authorities to halt energy drilling operations off the Cypriot coast in the Mediterranean, a day after Cyprus protested a Turkish ship dropping anchor there.

    “This provocative step raises tensions in the region. We urge Turkish authorities to halt these operations and encourage all parties to act with restraint and refrain from actions that increase tensions in the region,” a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said in a statement.

    Turkey and the internationally recognized government of Cyprus have overlapping claims in that part of the Mediterranean, an area thought to be rich in natural gas…”

  13. Gowdy’s prediction for Mueller hearing: It’ll be a freak show

    Fox News contributor and former congressman Trey Gowdy reacts to the upcoming Mueller testimony and DOJ investigation into FISA abuse on ‘Hannity.

    • Barr offers Mueller a way out of his Congressional hearing

      Barr questions purpose of public hearing; chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reports from Washington.

  14. Morocco Thwarts 40,300 Irregular Migration in First Half of 2019 (moroccoworldnews, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/277654/morocco-thwarts-40300-irregular-migration-in-first-half-of-2019/

    “Morocco’s security services have foiled more than 40,300 irregular migration attempts since January 2019.

    The Moroccan director of migration at the Ministry of Interior, Khalid Zerouali, said that the flow of irregular migrants persists despite concerted, ongoing efforts from both Morocco and Spain.

    Zerouali said that the number of the foiled irregular migration attempts represent a 25% increase from the same period of 2018.

    In an interview with Spanish news outlet El Pais, Zerouali explained that border control “has helped to ease the migratory pressure, but we must continue to work to strengthen this.”

    The official acknowledged that Spanish-Moroccan cooperation to curb the flow of migrants has been fruitful.

    “It is true that on the Spanish side, we feel that the migrator pressure has decreased, but on our side, it continues to increase,” he said, commenting on Morocco’s successful operations to decrease the flow of migrants entering Spain.

    Zerouali said that Morocco is “fully assuming its responsibilities” in its territorial waters.

    He said that the debate “should focus on the fight against [human] traffickers, because they are the ones who put the lives of migrants in danger.”

    Zerouali acknowledged that Morocco is “under pressure,” explaining that as, Morocco increases pressure on the human traffickers, they continue to find new routes.

    The networks “have become sophisticated. now candidates for illegal immigration are trying to leave from south Casablanca. There are also attempts to reach the Canary Islands” from the coast between Agadir and Dakhla, added the minister.

    Spanish Ministry of Interior reported that more than 10,475 migrants reached the Spanish coast at the end of June, representing a decrease of 27.4 % from the same period of 2018.

    The Moroccan government said that the Moroccan security services thwarted more than 30,000 irregular migration attempts in 2019, compared to 88,761 of foiled attempts in 2018.

    Despite the pressure, both governments expressed satisfaction with the decrease of irregular migration attempts.

    Spokesperson of the government Mustapha El Khalfi said in May that the decrease reflects the “great” effort of Morocco’s law enforcement forces against the issue of undocumented migration and the trafficking networks active in this area.

    The Minister added that the statistics “testify to the considerable efforts” made by Morocco to combat irregular migration networks, especially those active on the Morocco-Spain axis.

    In July, Spanish Ministry of Interior promised Morocco €26 million grant to support the country’s ongoing efforts to manage the flow of undocumented migrants into Europe.

    Spain has been vocal in its support for Morocco within the European Union, emphasizing that the EU financial contribution to Morocco is not sufficient as the fight against irregular migration require more financial mobilization.”

  15. Turkey’s contribution to European security ‘invaluable’ (aa, Jul 9, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkeys-contribution-to-european-security-invaluable/1526820

    “Despite Turkey’s vast contributions to Europe’s security, including through helping stem and shelter a wave of migration, the expected help from European countries has failed to materialize, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

    “We have made invaluable contributions to the security of the entire European continent, particularly to the Balkan countries. However, we did not see the support and humanitarian attitude that we expect from our European friends during this difficult time.”

    Erdogan made the remarks at the South East European Countries Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, where stability and security and cooperation among the Balkans were discussed.

    He said the region faces a wave of irregular migration from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and North Africa.

    “Even while European countries can’t reach agreement on refugee quotas, Turkey now hosts more than 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million Syrians,” Erdogan said.

    He added Turkey has spent over $37 billion for the Syrians alone.

    Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected brutality.

    Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.

    Underlining that Turkey has taken measures to prevent illegal migration in the Aegean Sea, Erdogan said Turkey had mostly prevented humanitarian tragedy in the region.

    “The number of illegal migrants that were caught in our country during 2005-2017 exceeded over 1 million,” he added.

    Turkey has been the main route for irregular migrants trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011, the start of the Syrian civil war.

    Erdogan accused the EU of failing to fulfill its obligations under a 2016 deal aiming to discourage irregular migration to Europe via the Aegean Sea.

    The deal included a €6-billion ($6.8-billion) aid package to help Turkey care for millions of refugees in the country. However, Turkey has so far received only a part of the committed amount.

    Regional cooperation

    On regional cooperation, Erdogan said that the SEECP was not only important for participating countries but also for peace, stability and prosperity of the entire European continent.

    “At the same time, this process contributed critically to the integration process of the Western Balkan countries to Euro-Atlantic institutions. Turkey has always provided and will continue to provide support for the integration of Balkan countries with Euro-Atlantic institutions,” he said.

    Erdogan stressed that the EU’s decision about North Macedonia’s and Albania’s membership negotiations would directly reflect on the future of the entire region.

    “Lately, I see that EU enlargement policy has been blocked by short-sighted populist circles, the negative dividing lines and disparities that spread across this continent have recently been not only a threat to the inner peace of Europe, but also a danger for the future that the region hopes for many. I believe European leaders will act in a visionary way and will support the ideal of Balkan integration into the European Union,” he said.

    Erdogan said during Turkey’s chairmanship term of SEECP between 2020-2021, it would focus on such issues as migration, human resources, transit and communication routes across the region.

    He pointed out the need to establish a permanent secretariat of the SEECP in Sofia or Istanbul.

    After the summit, Erdogan met with North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski.

    Erdogan is expected to end his two-day visit to Sarajevo after participating in an event to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.”

  16. More migrants land in Sicily, Sardinia (ansamed, Jul 9, 2019)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/regions/sicily/2019/07/09/more-migrants-land-in-sicily-sardinia_b087d6f4-301a-4d0e-9b3d-4d126a46fa9b.html

    “Some 76 migrants landed in two waves in Sicily and Sardinia on Tuesday.

    In the first landing, at Pozzallo in Sicily, some 53 North African migrants picked up by the coast guard in the Sicilian Channel landed at the port near Ragusa.

    They included 10 women.

    Six of them were immediately transferred to Lampedusa for medical reasons.
    In the second landing, at Porto Pino in southwest Sardinia, some 13 Algerian migrants were intercepted and taken to Monastir near Cagliari.

    Scores of migrants have landed in Italy in the last month, away from the media glare of the clash between Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and NGO run migrant rescue ships.

    Salvini on Tuesday told Tunisia that migrants would be repatriated on ferries.

    Meanwhile the ministry’s law and order committee decided that navy and finance guard ships should defend Italy’s ports.”

  17. 1 mn euro fines for NGO ships says League amendment (ansa, Jul 9, 2019)
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/07/09/1-mn-euro-fines-for-ngo-ships-says-league-amendment_31ae870b-4b51-436e-87d7-9fa3d70bf7b0.html

    “A League amendment to the government’s second security and migrants decree envisages fines ranging from 150,000 euros to one million euros for NGO ships that fail to respect Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s closed-ports policy, sources said Tuesday.

    This compares to existing fines of 10-50,000 euros.

    NGO ships that defy a ban on entering Italian waters will always be sequestered and impounded, another amendment said.

    And another said that the captains of such NGO vessels will always be arrested.
    Saving lives is worth more than a potential fine of one million euros, NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans said Tuesday, saying “we won’t stop” despite the League amendment.

    It said that with the money owed by the League due to a historic embezzlement of party funds case, 49 million euros, “we would have been able to do at least 49 rescues”.

    NGOs Mediterranea, Open Arms, Sea watch and Sea Eye are currently defying Salvini’s policy by rescuing migrants off Libya – although Mediterranea’s yacht has been impounded.

    Meanwhile there has been a steady stream of ‘ghost’ migrant landings where migrants come directly from North Africa without any NGO assistance.

    These are happening largely under the radar of Salvini’s high-profile clash with the NGOs, which has helped him surge in the polls to almost 40%.

    According to the latest figures, just 8% of the 3,000 or so migrants who landed in Italy this year were rescued by NGO ships.”

  18. France: Demo held against ‘euthanasia’ outside hospital as Vincent Lambert approaches death

    • Several demonstrators gathered to hold a vigil and decry what they describe as ‘euthanasia’ outside the Sebastopol hospital in Reims on Tuesday, where 42-year-old quadriplegic man Vincent Lambert, who has been in a persistent vegetative state for over 10 years and has become the focal point of an ongoing debate over the right to die in France, is expected to die within the coming days.

      Those attending the vigil can be seen praying together and holding a minute of silence

      “To say that it is an act of love to kill him is not true. It is not possible, you cannot kill your child, even if he is infected or not communicating,” Said one of those in attendance.

      Remy Blondet, a member of Veilleurs de Reims [Watchmen of Reims], a traditional Catholic group, said “I’m angry because they want us to believe that it’s a human thing when we’re euthanizing Vincent Lambert. Politicians say that it’s not euthanasia. So what is it? If we had to continue hydrating and nourishing Vincent Lambert he would still be alive.”

      Vincent Lambert, 42, suffered severe brain damage that left him in a vegetative state after a motorcycle accident in 2008. Vincent’s parents, who are practising Catholics, have been trying to keep him on life support despite the desire of his wife and six of his siblings to follow the doctors’ recommendations to terminate the care.

      Following a court ruling, Lambert’s doctors started halting his life support on May 20. However, within hours, the Paris Court of Appeals ordered them to resume hydration and nutrition. A final ruling was made on June 28 to remove life support, to which no further appeal will be possible. According to reports, life support treatments were ceased on July 2nd.

  19. Iran threatens to sink US ships and destroy military bases as fears of war surge (express, Jul 10, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1151390/World-War-3-Iran-latest-news-update-USA-Donald-Trump-Hassan-Rouhani-nuclear-deal-missile

    “IRAN could sink US ships and target US military bases, claimed a Revolutionary Guards commander.

    Hossein Nejat made the startling threat as Washington and Tehran remain at loggerheads after the Trump administration pulled out of the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the Iranian regime. With President Donald Trump pulling out of a potential strike after being told 150 people would die, Mr Nejat reiterated Tehran was prepared and capable of fighting back. As reported by the Daily Star, he said: “American bases are within the range of our missiles.

    “Our missiles will destroy their aircraft carriers if they make a mistake.

    “Americans are very well aware of the consequences of a military confrontation with Iran.”

    US-used bases and facilities in the region include 4 in Afghanistan, 2 in Bahrain, 1 in Israel, 4 in Kuwait, 2 in Oman, 2 in Qatar, 1 in Syria, 2 in Turkey and 3 in the United Arab Emirates.

    Amid the increasing tensions, officials from within the US have accused Iran of already plotting attacks.

    The US holds Tehran responsible for the sinking of two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and released images it claims shows Revolutionary Guards removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers.

    Tehran denies any involvement with the incident, Mr Trump prepared the aborted strike after Iran admitted shooting down a US spy drone.

    Washington rejects the claim it had violated Iranian airspace and insists the drone was within international airspace.

    Over the weekend, an Iranian cleric Mohammad Ali Mohvadi-Kermani, who conducts Friday prayers in Tehran, made his own threats.

    He said: “Think of an attack only if you want to change the colour of the Persian Gulf waters from azure to red.”

    Mr Movahedi-Kemarni called out Mr Trump accusing him of only pulling out because he “saw the corpses of US troops before your eyes”.

    He also threatened to blow up the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, an Israeli nuclear reactor in the Negev desert, located 8 miles from the city of Dimona.

    The two countries have had a tense relationship ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew Iran’s pro-US Shah.

    Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the nation’s founder, and first Supreme Leader would refer to the US as “the Great Satan”, with “Death to America” being a common chant at political rallies.”