Contributor’s links for July 11, 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

106 Replies to “Contributor’s links for July 11, 2019”

  1. The End of the Think Tank Era
    Buried in a plethora of websites, internet links and tweets.
    July 11, 2019
    Michael Ledeen

    The era of powerful think tanks is pretty much over. Their glory days—when Brookings, AEI, the Institute for Policy Studies, Cato, along with Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim ones, blossomed all over the country—have been buried in a plethora of websites, internet links, and tweets.

    To be sure, the scores of think tanks publish a lot, hold important meetings and seminars, and attract generous donors and consummate intellectuals and scholars. But it’s different now. When I first came to Washington in the late seventies, I started a new foreign policy magazine at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, then the hardcore of the Republican establishment. Most of you are too young to remember names like David Abshire, Ray Cline and Anne Armstrong; they mattered a lot, and CSIS, along with the American Enterprise Institute, served as a counterbalance to the liberal think tanks, especially Brookings.

    During the twenty years I spent at AEI, the scholars there would have made a brilliant faculty at any top university, but the schools weren’t interested. Like the think tanks, the university world was divvied up among political parties and factions. FDD, where I currently toil, boasts the most variegated staff, and is training a new generation of researchers centered on the key questions of terrorism, Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, Cuba and Venezuela. As in the past, these men and women would add a lot to our higher education, but it’s not happening. Instead, political players and institutions fund those inclined to pursue narrowly defined missions.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/274222/end-think-tank-era-michael-ledeen

  2. Nike Chooses Castro-Lover Kaepernick Over Betsy Ross
    The anthem protester’s idol tortured black political prisoners.
    July 11, 2019
    Humberto Fontova

    Nike Nixes ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Colin Kaepernick Intervenes…Nike Inc. is yanking a U.S.A.-themed sneaker featuring an early American flag after NFL star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick told the company it shouldn’t sell a shoe with a symbol that he and others consider offensive. (Wall Street Journal, July, 1.)

    Most celebrities don’t dress haphazardly for press conferences. So in case some have forgotten whose face Colin Kaepernick (himself “The Face of Nike, Inc” as boasted by Nike’s advertising campaign) flaunted on the t-shirt he flaunted at one of his most famous press conferences:

    It’s the face of the terror-sponsoring Stalinist dictator whose lifelong craving was to destroy the nation that made Colin Kaepernick a multi-millionaire and made the famously “ultra-hip and anti-racist” Nike Inc into a $25 billion plus multinational corporation.

    “Black civil rights activist” Kaepernick’s t-shirt idol also jailed and tortured the longest-suffering black political prisoners in the modern history of the Western Hemisphere, jailing them for longer than did apartheid-era South Africa, in fact.

    Among the more famous declarations from the mass-murdering dictator who “The Face of Nike, Inc.” flaunts on his t-shirts and who, in effect, Nike, Inc. chose to associate with over Betsy Ross to celebrate America’s Declaration of Independence:

    “The U.S. is a vulture preying on humanity!”

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/274250/nike-chooses-castro-lover-kaepernick-over-betsy-humberto-fontova

  3. Flashback: Dirty Cop Mueller Singled Out by Mother of Sexually Abused Child for Ignoring Calls for Help

    In 2014 the mother of a child who was sexually abused and who had made several attempts to obtain help from the FBI, called out Robert Mueller by name. In a press conference after the related court case, the mother pointed out Robert Mueller by name for ignoring her attempts to bring justice to this horrible scandal.

    In the 2000’s there was a huge sex scandal in California that was reported around the world. The Hollywood Reporter published a story on it –

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/flashback-dirty-cop-mueller-singled-out-by-mother-of-sexually-abused-child-for-ignoring-calls-for-help/

  4. More Links Uncovered Between George Soros and Russiagate through Russian Opposition Official Alexander Navalny

    The Gateway Pundit previously reported on the Soros-related origins of the Russia collusion conspiracy. Now there is more information on George Soros’ role in Russiagate through the West’s favorite Russian opposition blogger Alexander Navalny.

    Activist Alexei Navalny became one of the key figures in the fake Russiagate conspiracy theory when he released a video linking Trump ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, reported by the Telegraph in February 2018. At the same time, the Telegraph had to admit the video “does not specifically mention Donald Trump”. In addition, Oleg Deripaska “denied receiving briefings from the Trump campaign, although he admitted hiring Mr. Manafort as a consultant in previous years”, the Telegraph reported. Although it was a “big nothingburger”, it was fit to print in the NYT.

    In 2009, opposition blogger Alexei Navalny emerged as leader of the Russian opposition and was portrayed as a hero by Western media. In 2010, he graduated from a half-year Yale Greenberg World Fellowship, which was originally called White House Fellows under Bill Clinton’s Presidency. The first program director of the Yale World Fellows was Dan Esty, energy and environmental policy adviser for the 2008 Obama campaign.

    Soon thereafter Navalny started an anti-corruption campaign in Russia that was supported early on by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Vladimir Putin accused Secretary Clinton of supporting Navalny in 2011, saying she sent “a signal” to “some actors in our country”.

    read more

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/more-links-uncovered-between-george-soros-and-russiagate-through-russian-opposition-official-alexander-navalny/

  5. UK Bracing for Moment It Is Revealed British Intel Spied on Innocent Americans in the US for Obama!

    Yesterday’s resignation by the UK’s Ambassador to the US, Kim Darroch, is barely the beginning. Soon Americans will find out that the Brits spied on Americans in the US at the behest of Obama’s Deep State!

    We reported more than a year ago that a foreign government did interfere in the US election of 2016 and that government was the UK – not Russia! These pompous pieces of work thought that Hillary would win and they would never be caught. Soon the entire story will be out and Americans will be totally outraged!

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/uk-bracing-for-moment-it-is-revealed-british-intel-spied-on-innocent-americans-in-the-us-for-obama/

  6. U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Accused Of Snubbing Star Player For Christian Views

    The absence of one of the best women’s soccer players in the nation from the national squad that just won the World Cup has prompted questions as to whether she didn’t make the team because of her openly professed Christian faith.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/49375/us-womens-soccer-team-accused-snubbing-star-player-hank-berrien?utm_medium=email&utm_content=071119-news&utm_campaign=position2

  7. Los Angeles county has 1.6M more voter registrations on file than citizens of voting age
    Mark Hemingway, RealClearInvestigations

    [Ed. – See if you can find a Democrat who cares.]

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/07/11/los-angeles-county-has-1-6m-more-voter-registrations-on-file-than-citizens-of-voting-age/

    Who Will Clean Up America’s Voter Rolls?

    Los Angeles County has too many voters. An estimated 1.6 million, according to the latest calculations – which is roughly the population of Philadelphia. That’s the difference between the number of people on the county’s voter rolls and the actual number of voting age residents.

    This means that L.A. is in violation of federal law, which seeks to limit fraud by requiring basic voter list maintenance to make sure that people who have died, moved, or are otherwise ineligible to vote aren’t still on the rolls.

    Los Angeles County has made only minimal efforts to clean up its voter rolls for decades. It began sending notices to those 1.6 million people last month to settle a lawsuit brought by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch.

    Los Angeles County may be California’s worst offender, but 10 of the state’s 58 counties also have registration rates exceeding 100% of the voting age population. In fact, the voter registration rate for the entire state of California is 101%.

    https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2019/07/10/who_will_clean_up_americas_voter_rolls.html

  8. Threat level raised to ‘critical’ for UK ships in Iranian waters (BBC, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48956547

    “The UK has raised the threat to British shipping in Iranian waters in the Gulf to the highest level – where the risk of attack is “critical”.

    The step was taken on Tuesday, amid growing tensions in the region.

    On Wednesday, Iranian boats tried to impede a British oil tanker in the region – before being driven off by a Royal Navy ship, the MoD said.

    Iran had threatened to retaliate for the seizure of one of its own tankers, but denied any attempted seizure.

    The Department for Transport said it regularly provided security advice to UK ships in high-risk areas.

    The threat level means British ships are advised not to enter Iranian waters, BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said…”

  9. Car bomb hits near church in Qamishli, northeast Syria

    People gather at the scene of a car bomb explosion outside a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria.

    There was no immediate claim for the attack, which Syrian state television said left several people wounded and cars damaged.

    Syria’s Kurds have led the US-backed fight in the war-torn country against the Islamic State group, which continues to claim deadly attacks despite its territorial defeat in March.

  10. South China Sea: Beijing Is Upping The Game, As Manila Keeps On Paying For Duterte’s Flip-Flops

    China has upped the game in the South China Sea lately by allegedly testing missile launches from disputed territories.

    That’s according to a Reuters report, quoting Pentagon sources, saying “a recent Chinese missile launch in the disputed South China Sea was ‘disturbing’ and contrary to Chinese pledges that it would not militarize the disputed waterway.”

    A Global Times editorial China has denied the Pentagon’s claim. Sort of. “The Global Times learned that the PLA had already announced that it would conduct military exercises in the South China Sea from June 29 to July 3. It is completely normal if missiles are launched during this time,” says the editorial.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2019/07/10/south-china-sea-beijing-is-upping-the-game-as-manila-keeps-on-paying-for-dutertes-flip-flops/?roi=echo3-56638936266-52147655-949064bb0ac1e48811f842992bca2c53#55f27f895285

  11. Journalist Finds Bombshell in Pilot Logs on Epstein-Clinton Flights

    Conchita Sarnoff is an investigative reporter with a scoop so hot, if confirmed, it could burn Washington, D.C. to the ground.

    Appearing on Fox News Monday night, Sarnoff said former President Bill Clinton is lying when he claims he “knows nothing” of registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. (Fox News)
    Read more at http://americanactionnews.com/articles/journalist-finds-bombshell-in-pilot-logs-on-epstein-clinton-flights#QUQ7flHPI3CWQqKP.99

    video at site

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bill-clinton-not-telling-truth-epstein-investigative-journalist

    Bill Clinton ‘not telling the truth’ about Jeffrey Epstein, says investigative journalist who first revealed allegations in 2010

  12. JUST IN: Twitter Goes Down as White House Social Media Summit Underway

    Twitter crashed as soon as the Social Media Summit at the White House commenced on Thursday afternoon.

    Twitter went down just before 3 PM ET on Thursday.

    President Donald Trump is gathering conservative groups at the White House on Thursday for a “summit” on social media bias and censorship.

    The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft is attending the White House Tech Censorship Summit today.

    And Twitter goes down as the Summit began…how convenient!

    Twitter outage map:

    President Trump went on a tirade Thursday morning and railed against Fake News and Social Media from Twitter.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/just-in-twitter-goes-down-as-white-house-social-media-summit-underway/

  13. CNN Touts A Comic Book Version Of The Mueller Report. Tucker, Bongino Have A Blast.

    CNN Touts A Comic Book Version Of The Mueller Report. Tucker, Bongino Have A Blast.
    by Joseph Curl July 11, 2019 38 Comments

    Share 46Tweet Email

    A website on Wednesday published a cartoon version of the 448-page report from special counsel Robert Mueller, boiling down his lengthy report into allegations that President Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to alter the 2016 presidential election (even shorter version: He didn’t).

    “It feels as if nobody read the Mueller report. That’s a shame, because it’s an important document, depicting possible crimes by a sitting US president,” Insider.com wrote in a piece headlined, “We hired the author of ‘Black Hawk Down’ and an illustrator from ‘Archer’ to adapt the Mueller report so you’ll actually read it.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/cnn-touts-a-comic-book-version-of-the-mueller-report-tucker-bongino-have-a-blast/

  14. Rackete to ask to close Salvini social media accounts

    ‘Stokes hate on FB, Twitter, instigates crimes’

    Rome, July 11 – Sea-Watch3 skipper Carola Rackete will tomorrow file a suit to close Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s Facebook and Twitter accounts because they allegedly stoked hate against her and the Sicilian prosecutor who released her after she defied the minister’s closed-ports policy, Alessandra Vella.

    In the suit, which will attach rape threats from social media users, the 31-year-old German migrant rescue ship captain will argue that far-right League leader Salvini, who called her “a rich Communist scamp who shops in Portofino”, spreads hatred and instigates people to commit crimes.

    Far-right League party leader Salvini has dismissed claims, notably from 5-Star Movement (M5S) equal opportunities cabinet secretary Vincenzo Spadafora, that his comments on Rackete were sexist, saying he would have said the same things about a man.

    He has called on Spadafora to resign “if he can’t stand being in government with dangerous male chauvinists and fascists”.

    The anti-establishment M5S is the League’s partner in Italy’s populist government.

    Spadafora stands by what he said and refuses to resign.

    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/07/11/rackete-to-ask-to-close-salvini-social-media-accounts_53e02915-9898-4e04-b78e-82d1a1ff210a.html

    ===========================================
    German NGO captain seeks to block Salvini’s social media accounts

    ROME — The German captain of a migrant rescue ship will ask magistrates to block Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s social media accounts because he has used them to spread hate, her lawyer said on Thursday.

    Carola Rackete, 31, is under investigation for bringing migrants to shore in defiance of the Italian authorities and has faced a barrage of criticism from Salvini, who has denounced her as a “pirate” and “outlaw” on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

    Looking to fight back, her lawyer Alessandro Gamberini told Reuters that she would deposit a defamation suit on Friday against Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister and is head of the anti-migrant League party.

    “When it comes to offensive, defamatory and hate-provoking statements like those of the minister, the only way that the judge can stop it is by blocking the accounts,” Gamberini said.

    Rackete is in hiding in an undisclosed location in Sicily and has said she has faced threats of death and violence on social media after she brought her German-flagged Sea-Watch 3 charity ship into the port of Lampedusa last month.

    Salvini, who has promised to expel Rackete from Italy, dismissed the threat to be blocked from key social media.

    “The German communist, the one who rammed the police patrol boat, has asked the prosecutor to close my Facebook and Twitter pages. There is no limit to absurdity,” he wrote on Twitter.

    “So can I only use Instagram?” he added.

    Rackete’s boat hit a patrol vessel as she entered Lampedusa port. She later apologized saying it was an accident and a judge this month dismissed accusations that she had endangered the lives of Italian servicemen.

    “Matteo Salvini has publicly and repeatedly called me arrogant, an outlaw, an accomplice to people smugglers, a potential murderer, a delinquent, a criminal, a pirate … the serious damage to my honor is obvious,” Rackete is quoted as saying in the law suit, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

    Salvini has built much of his success on social media and has by far the highest number of followers of any Italian political leader — with 3.8 million backers on Facebook and 1.1 million on Twitter.

    Pollsters say the very public row with Rackete, which enabled Salvini to brandish his hardline, anti-migrant stance, appears to have given him a fresh boost in the polls.

    A survey published by polling firm YouTrend on Thursday put the League on some 37.7%, up from the 34.3% it scored at May’s European Parliament election — its best ever ballot-box result.

    Since the start of 2019, some 3.165 people have reached Italy but during the last month arrivals from northern Africa have picked up pace, convincing the government to throw more resources into its fight against immigration.

    https://nationalpost.com/pmn/entertainment-pmn/german-ngo-captain-seeks-to-block-salvinis-social-media-accounts
    =============================================
    Carola Rackete querela Matteo Salvini e chiede la chiusura delle pagine social: “Messaggi di odio”

    La capitana della Sea Watch 3, Carola Rackete, presenterà venerdì 12 luglio alla procura di Roma una querela contro Matteo Salvini per “diffamazione aggravata” e “istigazione a delinquere”.

    Ai magistrati verrà anche richiesto di mettere sotto sequestro le pagine social del ministro dell’Interno, considerate il mezzo con cui il leader leghista avrebbe veicolato i suoi “messaggi di odio”.

    “La comunista tedesca, quella che ha speronato la motovedetta della Guardia di Finanza ha chiesto alla procura di chiudere le mie pagine Facebook e Twitter.

    Non c’è limite al ridicolo” ha replicato Matteo Salvini.

    Il legale, Alessandro Gamberini, presenterà un documento in cui sono riportate 22 offese con cui il titolare del Viminale si è indirizzato a Carola Rackete.

  15. “Enemies Within The Community – With Dave Gaubatz and David Bores” Sharia Crime Stoppers
    Published on July 10, 2019

  16. Islamic State Turkey province video claims new wilayah in old turf (thedefensepost, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/07/11/islamic-state-turkey-province-bayah-video/

    “ISIS released a propaganda video from ‘Wilayah Turkey,’ showing a small group of militants pledging bayah, or allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The eighth in the “And the best outcome is for the righteous” series, the video is the first from this new province, but ISIS already has a complex presence in Turkey.

    The five-minute long video released on July 10 is typical of earlier bayah videos. It features three militants sitting in front of what appears to be a handmade, large black standard commonly used by ISIS. They are joined by two more when making the pledge of allegiance while a sixth presumably operates the shaking camera.

    The speaker is identified as Abu Qatada at-Turki, and he reaffirms the militants’ allegiance to Baghdadi while also threatening Turkey and America.

    A weapons researcher known as Calibre Obscura noted that the militants appear well-armed in comparison to fighters seen in other videos in this series. A Draganov sniper rifle, a PKM machine gun, an RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two AKMS assault rifles, a Glock pistol, and some grenades appear throughout.

    Islamic State in Turkey
    The “And the best outcome is for the righteous” video series has included ISIS militants from multiple affiliates renewing their pledges to Baghdadi. So far videos have been released from ISIS affiliates in Khorasan (which includes Afghanistan and Iran), Qawqaz (Caucasus), East Asia, Sinai (Egypt), West Africa (which included bayah from Mali and Burkina Faso), and Libya. One video in the series is from Azerbaijan, although this affiliate has not been publicly called a Wilayah.

    The videos appear part of an effort to emphasize ISIS’s global presence following its territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, as well as to emphasize unity under Baghdadi.

    While this video is the first official release from Turkey Province, is not the first mention of a wilayah there. A Turkey province was casually identified in Baghdadi’s most recent video appearance, released on April 29, the first time he had been seen in five years. In the video he reviews binders ostensibly containing information on various ISIS affiliates, including one dedicated to the never-before-mentioned Wilayah Turkey.

    Despite only recently naming it a province, ISIS has had a long history in Turkey, predating its 2014 declaration of a Caliphate. Turkey has been a key location for ISIS activities and transit point for fighters crossing into Syria, and ISIS has carried out several terror attacks in the country.

    Previous ISIS propaganda has mentioned and focused on Turkey, and at one point the group published a Turkish-language magazine entitled Konstantiniyye. The first edition in June 2015 featured a more neutral position on Turkey, with little advocacy for violence in the country.

    But a few months later the September 2015 edition of the now-defunct ISIS English-language magazine Dabiq attacked the Turkish government and army, saying they were “one of blatant apostasy.” In November 2016 Baghdadi directly advocated for attacks in Turkey in a speech, saying, “Turkey today has become a target for your operations and a priority for your Jihad.”

    ISIS is believed to be responsible for several terror attacks in Turkey, including October 2015 bombings in Diyarbakir and Ankara, and a triple suicide bombing at Atatürk Airport in June 2016.

    ISIS didn’t admit responsibility for any of those attacks, making its first claim of responsibility – for another bombing in Diyarbakir – two days after Baghdadi’s November speech.

    The last major ISIS-claimed assault in Turkey was the gun attack on the Reina Nightclub in Istanbul on New Year’s Day 2017.

    Analysis by the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point of 23 attacks and 28 plots in Turkey showed that all except for two were either directed by ISIS central or ISIS members were in direct contact with the attackers.

    Most notably, in 2017 an ISIS operative in Turkey sent a partially constructed improvised explosive device to Australia as part of a plot to bomb a flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi.

    Turkey was also an essential logistical hub that allowed the movement of people and equipment necessary to its “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq. Of the tens of thousands of foreigners who traveled to ISIS-held territory, the majority moved through Turkey. Extensive networks were built to help facilitate many of their movements through Turkey into Syria.

    ISIS fighters purchased supplies and equipment in Turkey, and had other material sent to the country to later smuggle into Syria, including various items for their drone program. Materials used in the production of explosives, including aluminum paste and nitrate-based fertilizers, were purchased on the Turkish domestic market, often in bulk.

    Following the capture of ISIS-held territory in Iraq and Syria, Turkey has continued to arrest suspected ISIS members and foil plots.

    In a series of propaganda videos meant to emphasize global credentials primarily to supporters, it remains to be seen just how much actual activity will follow. But ISIS certainly has more potential to expand in Turkey then in other locations featured for the first time in the “And the best outcome is for the righteous” series such as Azerbaijan or Iran, due to their existing networks in the country and proven capability to stage attacks.”

  17. KSA takes a firm stand against Iran’s nuclear program (saudigazette, Jul 11, 2019)
    http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/571584/SAUDI-ARABIA/KSA-takes-a-firm-stand-against-Irans-nuclear-program

    “Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to take a firm stand against Iran’s nuclear program, stressing the importance of stopping the Islamic Republic’s transgressions and breaches of international agreements and treaties related to its nuclear program.

    The Kingdom’s strongly worded statement came at a special session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meet held in Vienna following the two reports of IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

    Amano had tabled his reports on “Verification and Monitoring in Iran in light of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015),” which noted that Iran exceeded the proportion and quantity of enriched uranium specified in the joint comprehensive action plan.

    In its speech, the Saudi permanent delegation noted the Saudi position on the nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015 in which the Kingdom expressed the importance of a comprehensive international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program that would prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons in any way.

    This is in light of the need to work on everything that would limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and the world, with full awareness of the consequences of actions and conduct over the past 40 years that reflect its ill intentions of this agreement.

    It added that Iran continued to provoke unrest and intensify its activities destabilizing the region in particular and the whole world, with its insistence on the development of ballistic missiles, and support for terrorist groups in the region, including its threat to the international navigation and maritime straits.

    The delegation expressed the Kingdom’s position on the importance of the agreement to include a specific, strict and permanent inspection mechanism for all locations, including military sites, with a mechanism to re-impose sanctions quickly and effectively if Iran violates the agreement.

    The Kingdom’s delegation also referred to the recent statements made by a number of Iranian officials regarding Iran’s nuclear program, drawing the attention of the member states to the statement by the Iranian President that his country would increase uranium enrichment to the extent it wants.

    The delegation of the Kingdom stressed that such statements and threats were a clear challenge to the international community and reinforced doubts about Iran’s intentions and the peacefulness of its nuclear program. — SPA”

  18. Report: Saudi has highest number of millionaires in GCC (memo, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190711-report-saudi-has-highest-number-of-millionaires-in-gcc/

    “There are 188,888 millionaires in Kuwait, Money Control website reported yesterday.

    A publication by Capgemini entitled “The World Wealth Report 2019” ranked Kuwait as the country with the second highest number of millionaires in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and 17th worldwide.

    As reported by the Gulf Daily News (GDN), the number of Kuwaiti nationals who were worth more than $1 million increased by eight per cent to stand at 188,000 millionaires last year, up from 174,000 in 2017.

    According to report, the number of millionaires soared by seven per cent in Saudi Arabia, which topped the list of GCC nations and ranked 16 in the world.

    In Saudi Arabia, wealth increased by four per cent, compared with six per cent in Kuwait.

    The number of millionaires in Saudi Arabia increased from 179,000 in 2017 to 191,000 last year.

    The number of millionaires, as well as their wealth, declined in the UAE last year and dropped by six per cent due to a fall in market capitalisation, while wealth shrank by nine per cent, according to Capgemini’s findings.

    The US, Japan, Germany, China, France, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands and India topped the international list of countries with the highest number of millionaires.”

  19. AOHR: World must condemn Sisi’s human rights violations (memo, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190711-aohr-world-must-condemn-sisis-human-rights-violations/

    “Western governments must stop lending full support to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s military regime and must condemn the widespread human rights violations committed by his government, said a panel of human rights experts and lawyers yesterday.

    In an event organised by the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR), hosted in the UK’s House of Commons, a group of lawyers and professionals working inhuman rights gathered to discuss the situation in Egypt six years after the military coup in 2013 that toppled the country’s first democratically elected President, Mohamed Morsi.

    The experts called on the international community to condemn Al-Sisi’s government for their human rights abuses and to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions on the Egyptian government should the human rights violations continue. They criticised governments for their “deafening silence” in addressing the Sisi regime’s human rights abuses, saying that their inaction “further exacerbates the crisis”….”

  20. Sudan’s military rulers say coup attempt thwarted (reuters, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sudan-politics/sudans-military-rulers-say-coup-attempt-thwarted-idUSKCN1U62Q5

    “Sudan’s military rulers said on Thursday that several officers had attempted a coup in an effort to undermine an agreement between the military and the opposition to share power for three years ahead of elections.

    The thwarted coup involved a number of retired officers as well as officers still in service, Jamal Omar Ibrahim, the head of the Transitional Military Council’s security committee said on Sudanese TV.

    He added that 12 had been arrested and four detained in connection with the thwarted coup.

    The military council and a coalition of opposition and protest groups agreed provisionally last week to share power for three years, bringing thousands onto the streets to hail a first step towards ending decades of dictatorship.

    The deal has revived hopes for a peaceful transition of power in a country plagued by internal conflicts and years of economic crisis that helped trigger months of protests, which ended Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year rule in April.

    The agreement has yet to be finalised and signed.

    Relations between the military council that ousted Bashir in a coup and the Forces for Freedom and Change opposition alliance broke down when security forces killed dozens as they cleared a sit-in on June 3. But after huge protests against the military, African mediators brokered a return to direct talks, which led to the deal.”

  21. Canada pledges CAD 400m in support of women, girls’ education in developing countries including Afghanistan (khaama, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/canada-pledges-cad-400m-in-support-of-women-girls-education-in-developing-countries-including-afghanistan-03894/

    “Canada pledged 400 million Canadian Dollars in support of women and girls’ education in developing countries including Afghanistan.

    The Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef made the announcement in G7 development ministerial meetings in France earlier this month.

    The Global Affairs Canada said in a statement “On July 4 to 5, 2019, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, attended G7 development ministerial meetings in Paris, France, where she met with her development counterparts and with education ministers from other G7 countries.”

    The statement further added “During the meetings, Canada announced a CAD 400-million commitment to women and girls’ education in fragile, conflict and crisis situations, in support of the G7 Charlevoix Declaration on Quality Education for Girls, Adolescent Girls and Women in Developing Countries.”

    Furthermore, the statement stated that “Of this amount, Canada allocated CAD 12 million over three years (2019 to 2022) to ensure that Afghan girls, adolescent girls and young women have access to safe, quality education in rural and remote areas of Afghanistan.”

    The statement also added that the project will be implemented by BRAC Afghanistan.”

  22. Turkish security forces neutralize 3,800 terrorists (aa, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-security-forces-neutralize-3-800-terrorists/1529165

    “Over the last two-and-a-half years, nearly 3,800 terrorists have been neutralized by Turkish security forces, according to an Anadolu Agency data analysis.

    The analysis of official data found that 3,790 PKK terrorists were neutralized in 230,823 inland anti-terrorism operations as coordinated by the Turkish Gendarmerie and police.

    Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

    Security forces also neutralized 64 senior members of the terrorist group, 54 of them from the Interior Ministry’s Wanted List.

    Three terrorists were from the red category — the most wanted — of the list.

    Serif Yakut, code-named Ali Piling, was only terrorist from the red category neutralized on Turkish soil. He was identified as a “field supervisor” of the terrorist group.

    Forty-six of the terrorists were neutralized in inland operations, while 18 of them were neutralized in operations abroad.

    Security forces carried out 60,733 operations in 2017, 104,534 operations in 2018 and 65,556 operations since the beginning of 2019.

    Gendarmerie forces destroyed 807 shelters of terrorists 2017, 1,292 shelters in 2018, and 835 shelters so far in 2019.

    Security forces detained 43,580 people for their suspected links to the terror organization, while 9,840 of them were later arrested.

    Another 417 terrorists surrendered after persuasion by security forces.

    Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and scout airplanes located 895 terrorists, while armored unmanned aerial vehicles neutralized the terrorists and destroyed 337 shelters since 2017.

    Turkish security forces also confiscated 2,909 guns, 3,931 heavy machine guns, 2,675 improvised explosive devices, 5,604 hand grenades, 116,949 kilograms (257,828 pounds) of explosives, and 1.49 million pieces of ammunition since 2017.

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.”

  23. IOM says over 640,000 migrants present in Libya (ansamed, Jul 11, 2019)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/libya/2019/07/11/iom-says-over-640000-migrants-present-in-libya_b6aa5e37-8efe-4868-ac03-0133fed60152.html

    “The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has counted at least 641,398 migrants in Libya, cited in a report published Thursday on its 25th round of Displacement Tracking Matrix data collection, which took place from March to May 2019.

    According to the report, migrants in Libya come from more than 39 different countries and are present in all 100 Libyan municipalities, distributed in 565 of the 667 communities in Libya.

    “The armed conflict that started on April 4, 2019 in south Tripoli showed a substantial impact on the situation of migrants in and near conflict-affected areas during the reporting period,” the report said. “More specifically, it increased the vulnerability of migrants present in these areas, triggered movements of migrant groups to nearby areas in Western Libya and also led to decreases in reported work opportunities for migrants,” it said.

    The report said 9% of migrants are minors, 34% of whom are unaccompanied, and 13% of migrants are women.

    It said 65% of migrants came from Sub-Saharan Africa, 29% from North Africa, and 6% from Asia and the Middle East.

    The highest percentage of migrants came from Niger, followed by Egypt and Chad (15% each), Sudan (11%), and Nigeria (9%).

    The report said 57% of migrants live in self-paid rented accommodation, 12% in informal camps, 10% in employer-provided accommodation, and 8% directly at the workplace.

    It said 20% of identified migrants live in the area of Tripoli, 11% in the region of Ejdabia, and 9% in Murzuq (in the Fezzan region).”

  24. Denmark illegally refused family reunification of Turkish nationals: EU court (thelocal, Jul 11, 2019)
    https://www.thelocal.dk/20190711/denmark-illegally-refused-family-reunification-of-turkish-nationals-eu-court

    “The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on Wednesday that Denmark acted illegally in refusing to allow Turkish citizens to reside in the country under family reunification rules.

    The ruling could result in the re-opening of thousands of residency applications, newspaper Politiken reports.

    In cases dating back to 2003, Denmark has rejected applications for residency on the basis of family reunification for Turkish citizens due to a now-defunct rule known as the ‘association’ or ‘attachment’ clause (tilknytningskravet) which formed part of Danish immigration law until last year.

    The clause enabled family reunification to be rejected on the grounds that the couple has a closer connection to the source country of the applicant than to Denmark.

    Family reunification itself can be applied for by persons who are partners or immediate family members of individuals already resident in Denmark.

    But the use of an ‘association clause’ in this way is illegal, according to Wednesday’s ruling by the CJEU.

    Since the 1960s, Turkey has had an agreement in place with the EU which provides for it to be treated as if it was a member state in relation to certain areas. It is this agreement that is infringed by the Danish family reunification decisions, Politiken writes.

    The CJEU ruling could also impact cases involving nationals of countries other than Turkey, according to a previous assessment by the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration. Thousands of settled cases involving family reunification may have to be reopened as a result of Wednesday’s outcome at the CJEU.

    In 2014-15, over 14,000 people were refused family reunification with their spouses, the newspaper reports. The association requirement was scrapped last summer as rules were revamped.

    Minister for Immigration and Integration Mattias Tesfaye has previously – and prior to taking over the ministry following June’s general election – called the outcome a “potential roadside bomb in Danish immigration politics”, but also said in a 2016 interview with Politiken that his Social Democrat party would “obey rulings that are given” by the EU court.

    Thomas Ryhl, the lawyer who brought the case against Denmark on behalf of a Turkish national who works in Denmark and wants his wife to be permitted to join him in the country, called the ruling “superb” in comments to Politiken.

    “We expect this ruling to mean that many married couples will be able to get their cases re-opened, and be granted family reunification permits so that after 2, 5, 10 or 15 years’ waiting, they can be allowed to live together – in Denmark, if that’s what they still want,” Ryhl said.”

  25. London bloodbath: Man stabbed in hand in brutal Purley knife attack (express, Jul 12, 2019)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1152392/London-news-stabbing-Purley-station-latest-UK-crime-statistics-Sadiq-Khan

    “A LARGE police presence is reported in Purely, South London after a male was believed to have been stabbed in the hand.

    The incident took place at the local train station this evening. MyLondon are reporting there are unconfirmed claims of a second stabbing in the town. It is believed police cordons are in place in the High Street, Russell Hill, Brighton Road and the station forecourt.

    A witness has said: “The whole road was closed up with about 10 police cars. There was a stabbing on the High Street and then a stabbing at the station.

    “We were told they were both linked. We had to leave Pizza Express out of the back door.”

    A commenter on a Facebook page, described the scene in Purley: “Just driven through there and the police/ambulances etc are all over the place, on the main road and down the alley behind the shops behind the Pear Tree etc. The main road is cordoned off.”

    Another person posting on My South London wrote: “We live outside where it happened, blue tent is going up.””

  26. the rebel – Mad Magazine has no place in a world beyond parody | David Menzies

  27. Gowdy on Mueller hearing: I don’t know why Dems are upset here

    Democrats concerned about lack of time to grill Mueller; former House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy weighs in.

  28. DAILY MAIL – EastEnders’ Bobby Beale will ‘explore Islam’ after leaving prison as show bosses want to highlight the positive impact of religion in 21st-century society

    EastEnders bosses have been working with Muslim youth workers ahead of a storyline which sees jailed Bobby Beale explore Islam.

    Producers have said they want to show the positive impact of religion in 21st-century society, with Bobby – played by Clay Milner Russell – taking a new direction after leaving prison.

    The Muslim Youth Helpline has been working with producers of the soap to offer advice on the character’s new story arc.

    EastEnders fans will see Bobby – the son of show stalwart Ian Beale begin to explore the Islamic faith, and its positive impact on his life.

    The troubled character will be shown receiving comfort and closure with the help of his new beliefs.

    Jon Sen, executive producer on EastEnders, said: ‘We are thrilled to be working with the Muslim Youth Helpline on a storyline which serves to challenge preconceptions and prejudices about the role of faith in young peoples’ lives.

    ‘Bobby Beale’s story will show how a young boy uses religion to help find peace and give his life meaning, structure and purpose.

    ‘We hope this storyline will demonstrate the positive impact of religion in modern society.”

    Muslim Youth Helpline is a support service set up by young people to respond to the emotional and social issues endured by Muslim youth in the UK.

    They have been working with EastEnders to offer advice on the storyline, which they are pleased shows Islam in a positive light.

    Zohra Khaku, director of the Muslim Youth Helpline, said: ‘The Muslim Youth Helpline have been providing feedback on Bobby’s storyline with the BBC EastEnders team.

    ‘In a time where young British Muslims see their faith overwhelmingly represented in a negative way, it is heartening to see Islam portrayed as a positive influence in Bobby’s life.’

    Beale has made his way back to Albert Square after being sent to a young offenders’ unit for killing his sister.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7238411/EastEnders-Bobby-Beale-explore-Islam-leaving-prison.html

  29. DAILY MAIL -EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ – the private jet complete with a bed and plush pillows that the billionaire used to ‘shuttle underage girls between New York and Palm Beach’ and host bigwigs like Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew

    Jeffrey Epstein’s Boeing 727 airliner – dubbed the ‘Lolita Express’ – is believed to be the site of some of the alleged sexual abuse to underage girls
    DailyMailTV got an exclusive look inside the luxury jet, as photos reveal plush furnishings, throw blankets, deep pile carpets, a bed and fluffy pillows
    The plane has carried President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Chris Tucker and supermodel Naomi Campbell, according to flight logs
    Epstein allegedly used the airplane to shuttle underage girls between his residences in New York and Palm Beach, Florida
    The pedophile faces 45 years in prison if convicted on a count of sex trafficking of minors and a count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7236725/Inside-Jeffrey-Epsteins-Lolita-Express-allegedly-flew-underage-girls.html