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.
‘Mossad and Daesh Hotbed’: Iraqi MP Warns of ‘Suspicious Activity’ at US Embassy in Baghdad (sputniknews, Jul 15, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201907151076254552-mossad-and-daesh-hotbed-iraqi-mp-warns-of-suspicious-activity-at-us-embassy-in-baghdad/
“The massive $750 million diplomatic compound, which is nearly the size of the Vatican, was opened in 2009, several years after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Iraqi lawmaker Hassan Salem has accused the US Embassy in Baghdad of serving as a “hotbed for Israel’s Mossad and Daesh.”
In a weekend interview quoted by Iraq’s Buratha News Agency, Salem, a lawmaker from the Sadikun Bloc, the political wing of the Popular Mobilization Unit-affiliated militant group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, argued that the US embassy should be shuttered, since it is unable to stop its “suspicious activities,” including “interference in Iraq’s affairs, espionage, and provoking rumours and hatching plots.”
“The US Embassy’s violation of laws and forgetting its responsibilities based on the international laws means that it cannot be called an embassy and therefore, its closure is legally necessary,” Salem said.
The comments weren’t the first time Salem has accused the US of cooperating with Daesh. In February, he claimed that wanted Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was traveling freely somewhere in Iraq’s Anbar province under the protection of the US military. According to the Salem, the US was supporting Baghdadi amid concerns that Iraq might approve a measure to expel US troops from Iraq in the aftermath of Daesh’s defeat.
The US, which formed a coalition to fight Daesh in Syria and Iraq in 2014, has not commented on Salem’s allegations.
The Popular Mobilization Forces are an umbrella paramilitary force consisting mostly of Iraqi Shiite Muslim militias formed in 2014 to fight Daesh, with many of its members previously fighting the US occupation after the 2003 invasion. In recent months, these and other forces have pressured US troops stationed in the country to leave the country.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump said he intended to keep US service members stationed in Iraq to “watch Iran.” Iraqi President Barham Salih responded by saying Washington had not requested permission from Baghdad to do so, while lawmakers announced a bill to terminate the security agreement between Iraq and the US.
*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.”
Italy detains 3 in seizure of MISSILES & load of weapons
Italian police have found an arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile, 20 guns and neo-Nazi material, in a series of raids on far right groups in several cities in northern Italy on Monday.
Italy: Police seize missile and Nazi symbols from far-right extremist groups
Italian police seized weapons including an air-to-air missile and material featuring Nazi symbols during raids on far-right extremist groups, they announced on Monday. Footage shows weapons and Nazi memorabilia uncovered after a raid in an airport hangar in northern Italy, in Turin.
According to reports, the missile was of a type used by the Qatari military and is in working condition.
The discoveries reportedly took place in the context of an investigation into Italian far-right groups suspected of helping anti-Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine.
An Italian ex-custom officer and far-right party Forza Nuova activist was among the three arrested following the raids, reports say.
Italy: Police seize missile and Nazi symbols from far-right extremist groups
Italian police seized weapons including an air-to-air missile and material featuring Nazi symbols during raids on far-right extremist groups, they announced on Monday. Footage shows weapons and Nazi memorabilia uncovered after a raid in an airport hangar in northern Italy, in Turin.
According to reports, the missile was of a type used by the Qatari military and is in working condition.
The discoveries reportedly took place in the context of an investigation into Italian far-right groups suspected of helping anti-Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine.
An Italian ex-custom officer and far-right party Forza Nuova activist was among the three arrested following the raids, reports say.
“So now we’re getting blocked by McDonald’s restaurants in Canada and in the Madrid airport. What’s next?”
Jim Hoft – July 15, 2019 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/gatewaypundit/status/1150852642622582784
Bastille day, car-BQ day:
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=an2vC_1563146054
Trump: If you want to leave America, you can leave America
President Trump defends his tweets calling on Democratic congresswomen to ‘go back’ to where they came from during an exchange with the press at the White House.
“FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM — Gemma O’Doherty”
SGTreport – Published on July 14, 2019
“Mary Boyle: The Untold Story”
Gemma O’Doherty – Published on July 4, 2016
A documentary, written and directed by Gemma O’Doherty, about the case of Ireland’s youngest missing person. Mary Boyle vanished on her grandparents’ remote farm in Donegal in March 1977.
She was six years of age. Her remains have never been found. The documentary reveals allegations by retired senior officers that a politician requested the chief suspect not be arrested. He never has been and still lives in Donegal today.
Mary Boyle’s twin Ann claims that her sister was going to reveal a secret. She says she was murdered to stop her from telling it.
EU Suspends High-Level Dialogue With Turkey ‘For the Time Being’ – Statement (sputniknews, Jul 15, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201907151076255985-eu-suspends-high-level-dialogues-with-turkey-for-the-time-being—statement/
“The European Council said in a statement issued on Monday that in light of “Turkey’s continued and new illegal drilling activities, the Council decides to suspend negotiations on the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement and agrees not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being”….”
Extinction Rebellion stages 5-day climate protest in 5 British cities
An environmental group brought boats to disrupt traffic in five British cities.…
‘PLEASE’: Chris Cuomo Begs People Not to Investigate Epstein’s Friends
CNN’s Chris Cuomo reached a new low in world journalism this week by literally begging people not to delve into accused child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s high-profile friendships.
“When we’re talking about Epstein, you got to stick to what is common sense on these things, all right?. Don’t get buried in legalese, don’t follow the finger-pointing, and please don’t get up on the intrigue of who was better friends with this guy. Who cares? Let’s take a look at the facts of what we know about how it was handled. Okay? We are going to dissect them with one of the best investigators around. What was done that seems fine and what was fugazi,” said Cuomo.
Court documents show that Jeffrey Epstein had 21 different phone numbers for former Democrat president Bill Clinton.
“Epstein’s personal phone directory from his computer contains e-mail addresses for Clinton along with 21 phone numbers for him, including those for his assistant (Doug Band), his schedulers, and what appear to be Clinton’s personal numbers. This information certainly leads one to believe that Clinton might well be a source of relevant information and efforts to obtain discovery from him were reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence,” according to the court documents from a civil case filed by victims against Epstein.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/please-chris-cuomo-begs-people-not-to-investigate-epsteins-friends/
Richard: Who is he afraid is on the list,some of his friends and relatives or is his name on the list? This scandal may be the one that breaks the dam and brings all of the Clinton and Obama scandals to the public.
21 phone numbers for Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton too 27 trips on the planes and according to the manifests there were underage girls on most of them.
Who else that is a big powerful Dem is on the list?
Also were some or all of the naked photos of women/girls or were some or all of them blackmail material? I have been reading a lot of people who say Epstein got a lot of money from sources no one can track down.
ANTIFA Migrant Center Attacker Used AOC’s ‘Concentration Camps’ Line In His Manifesto
ANTIFA terrorist Willem Van Spronsen, a member of the left-wing John Brown Club militia who was shot dead trying to attack a migrant detention center in Tacoma, Washington, repeatedly used Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s talking point that detention centers are “concentration camps” in his farewell manifesto. 69-year old Spronsen even referred to the “semantics” controversy that emerged over Ocasio-Cortez’s use of the term.
Here is ANTIFA terrorist Willem Van Spronsen’s final manifesto, published by Itsgoingdown.org:
“There’s wrong and there’s right.
It’s time to take action against the forces of evil.
Evil says one life is worth less than another.
Evil says the flow of commerce is our purpose here.
Evil says concentration camps for folks deemed lesser are necessary.
The handmaid of evil says the concentration camps should be more humane.
Beware the centrist.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/antifa-migrant-center-attacker-used-aocs-concentration-camps-line-in-his-manifesto/
Bastille day, first responders attacked with fireworks in Grigny, France.
https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=Cww3I_1563065341
A group of senior European politicians joined to watch a European Intervention Initiative force (EI2) military parade and flypast in Paris Sunday, which was joined by the appearance of a rifle-carrying man flying over Paris on a jet-powered hoverboard.
The parade of a 4,000 strong force which included contingents from 10 European nations including British and French soldiers is the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron who wants to create a joint European rapid reaction force. With the European Union stumbling over efforts to create its own army, the self-declared “Jupiterian” president went ahead and created his own — with the inclusion of the United Kingdom.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/07/15/the-real-masters-of-the-universe-rifle-carrying-jetpack-man-flies-over-macrons-eu-army-parade/
Independent filmmaker Michael Hansen has a new documentary out titled Killing Free Speech. It features internal emails from a New Jersey school showing teachers pushing political propaganda in the wake of President Trump’s travel ban.
The documentary shows a teacher encouraging colleagues to wear hijabs and/or burkas, and distribute pamphlets in solidarity with Muslims to protest Trump’s policies — even though the White House’s restrictions on travel from countries, erroneously described as a “Muslim ban” by his opponents in the media, includes North Korea, a non-Muslim country.
Part one of Hansen’s documentary, which features the investigation, can be watched in full below. Part two is scheduled for release later this year.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/07/15/killing-free-speech-documentary-exposes-far-left-propaganda-in-schools/
The Hamas March to Destroy Israel
by Khaled Abu Toameh
July 15, 2019 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14548/hamas-march-destroy-israel
When the Palestinians launched the weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border in March 2017, they said that their No. 1 goal was to force Israel to lift the “blockade” on the Gaza Strip. The protests, however, according to the organizers, have another goal: achieving the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to their former homes inside Israel.
The protests, held under the banner “The Great March of Return,” have since been hijacked by Hamas and other Gaza-based Palestinian armed groups who are using them to advance their political agendas.
The weekly demonstrations are no longer aimed either at lifting the “blockade” on the Gaza Strip or paving the way for millions of refugees and their descendants to return to their former homes.
On July 12, the weekly protests along the border with Israel were held under the banner of “No to negotiations [with Israel], no to reconciliation [with Israel] and no to recognizing the [Israeli] entity.”
The Three No’s appear based on the Khartoum Resolution issued at the conclusion of the Arab League summit convened three months after the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and the Arab countries: No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with it.
Independent filmmaker Michael Hansen has a new documentary out titled Killing Free Speech. It features an exclusive interview with an official at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who struggles to answer questions about the status of women in Islam.
In the clip, which begins at 4:00 minutes in part one of the documentary, the executive director of CAIR New Jersey, James Sues, is repeatedly asked about a passage in the Koran stating that a woman’s legal testimony is worth only half of a man’s.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/07/15/watch-cair-official-admits-women-dont-have-equal-rights-under-sharia-law/
Turkey: No Rights for the Country’s Indigenous People?
by Uzay Bulut
July 15, 2019 at 4:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14533/turkey-indigenous-rights
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Ankara’s hair-raising human-rights record, including an ongoing attempt to erase all vestiges of other religions and cultures in Turkey, is one reason that it has been prevented from realizing its long-standing dream of membership in the European Union. It does enjoy status, however, as a member of NATO, and remains a signatory to the 2007 “United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” which reads in part:
The most widely cited working definition of indigenous peoples is that of Jose R. Martinez Cobo, the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. In his “Study on the Problem of Discrimination against Indigenous Populations,” Cobo notes:
Ten years ago I complained of the plight of indigenous English people being eradicated from their homeland under the terms of undrip,I am still waiting for a reply.
TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah that Israel would deal a “crushing” blow to Lebanon if it attacks, after the terror group’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, warned that Israel would be “wiped out” in any conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
“Over the weekend we heard Nasrallah’s remarks on his attack plans,” Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.
“It should be clear that if Hezbollah dares to do some nonsense and attacks Israel, we will hit him and Lebanon with a crushing military blow,” he added.
In a Friday interview broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television, Nasrallah laughed as he pointed to various military and civilian targets on a map of Israel, including Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, desalination plants, and the port of Ashdod, warning that they were “within range of our rockets.”
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/07/14/netanyahu-warns-hezbollah-of-crushing-blow-after-terror-chief-threats/
Israeli politician Yair Lapid on Saturday challenged the U.S. to boot Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter program for taking delivery of advanced Russian air defense systems in defiance of U.S. warnings.
Russia’s S-400 is considered one of the most advanced and feared air-defense systems in the world.
The U.S. has long argued Turkey’s purchase of the Russian system not only risks the security of NATO members, it also violates the 2017 law threatening sanctions for any purchase of sophisticated Russian technology — the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017.
“The US has to cancel the F-35 deal with Turkey, otherwise nothing will stand in Turkey and Iran’s way as they learn how to neutralize America’s most advanced weaponry,” Lapid tweeted.
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/07/14/israeli-leader-challenges-turkeys-inclusion-in-u-s-f-35-program/
Germans shaken by series of violent migrant attacks
By Pamela Geller – on July 14, 2019
Now they’re shaken? Merkel’s government has been scrubbing and downplaying the epidemic of migrant rape and violence. Remember the mass sexual attacks on women by migrants on New Years eEve? Law enforcement were instructed not to take reports from the victims and CCTV footage was deleted – harkening back to the Stasi of Merkel’s youth.
https://gellerreport.com/2019/07/germans-fear-migrant-crime.html/
Global online retail giant Amazon was condemned in Germany on Saturday for allowing the sale of antisemitic books and pro-Nazi merchandise.
The Central Council of Jews denounced the company for carrying the stock, saying it is “absolutely unacceptable that T-shirts and stickers be sold via Amazon that glorify the Nazis or incite hatred against minorities.”
Council president Josef Schuster made the accusation in an interview with media group RND, adding Amazon has “a great moral and social responsibility,” and cannot portray itself as a simple “supplier”, he added.
“What we expect from a company such as Amazon, and from competent authorities, is that they immediately withdraw these articles from circulation and systematically launch legal proceedings,” Schuster said.
He highlighted books such as The Jew as World Parasite which was listed on Amazon in Germany early Saturday for 20 euros ($22.50).
This is not the first time Amazon in Germany has been accused of carrying antisemitic products.
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/07/14/german-jews-demand-amazon-drops-antisemitic-stock/
Note: I strongly support the right of Amazon to carry anything they want, whether it offends people or not. This article is included strictly to demonstrate the double standard in applying ‘hate-speech’ laws and regulations…because the asymetric application of laws are the primary tools of tyrants.
Jews doing a bit of book burning?tut tut.
Thirty mosques and Islamic cultural centers in Germany are tied to the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, a Hamburg intelligence agency report reveals.
The U.S. government and a bipartisan group of American lawmakers have urged Berlin to outlaw the Lebanese Shia terror organisation – whose name is literally translated as the “Party of Allah” – in Germany.
“In Germany, there are currently about 30 known cultural and mosque associations in which a clientele regularly meets that is close to Hezbollah or its ideology,” wrote the intelligence agency.
According to the 282-page intelligence document and other German reports reviewed by the Jerusalem Post, there are 1,050 Hezbollah supporters and members in Germany.
Iran’s regime is a major financial sponsor of its chief proxy Hezbollah. Both Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran are allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Hamburg intelligence report states “the collection of donations is one of the most important tasks of the associations” where Hezbollah operatives meet.
On Saturday, Israel’s Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff slammed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Twitter, writing:
“Nasrallah threatens Israel and its civilians and Europe continues to distinguish between the political and military wing of Hezbollah. Nasrallah doesn’t! This EU policy compromises any concerted international resolve to combat terror in all its forms.”
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/07/14/report-hezbollah-terror-group-tied-to-30-german-mosques-and-cultural-centers/
(JNS) Turkey began to receive the S-400 air-defense missile-defense system on Friday despite U.S. warnings not to do so. The move by Turkey is likely to have “major ramifications” for the U.S.-Turkish relationship, according to Aykan Erdemir, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
“Turkey will no longer be able to receive F-35 stealth jets and Turkish companies removed from the F-35 supply chain will lose $12 billion of revenue. Also, the United States is likely to impose CAATSA sanctions against Turkey, which will further undermine U.S.-Turkish trade and defense cooperation,” he told JNS.
The move could also bring negative financial consequences for Turkey, which may be headed for an economic collapse similar to Venezuela, according to analysts.
“The F-35 move could prove to be a costly mistake for [Recep Tayyip] Erdo?an, especially during Turkey’s ongoing economic downturn. Expected U.S. sanctions will undermine investor confidence at home and abroad, and exacerbate the country’s economic woes by triggering a new wave of capital flight,” said Erdemir.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, materials arrived at the Murted Air Base. A second shipment of equipment is expected to arrive in the near future, reported Russian state-run TASS news agency, citing a military diplomatic source.
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/07/14/turkeys-use-of-russian-s-400-system-to-have-major-ramifications-for-u-s-nato/
Bombshell Claim: Scientists Find “Man-made Climate Change Doesn’t Exist In Practice”
Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
by Tyler Durden
Fri, 07/12/2019 – 05:55
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A new scientific study could bust wide open deeply flawed fundamental assumptions underlying controversial climate legislation and initiatives such as the Green New Deal, namely, the degree to which ‘climate change’ is driven by natural phenomena vs. man-made issues measured as carbon footprint. Scientists in Finland found “practically no anthropogenic [man-made] climate change” after a series of studies.
“During the last hundred years the temperature increased about 0.1°C because of carbon dioxide. The human contribution was about 0.01°C”, the Finnish researchers bluntly state in one among a series of papers.
This has been collaborated by a team at Kobe University in Japan, which has furthered the Finnish researchers’ theory: “New evidence suggests that high-energy particles from space known as galactic cosmic rays affect the Earth’s climate by increasing cloud cover, causing an ‘umbrella effect’,” the just published study has found, a summary of which has been released in the journal Science Daily. The findings are hugely significant given this ‘umbrella effect’ — an entirely natural occurrence — could be the prime driver of climate warming, and not man-made factors.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-11/scientists-finland-japan-man-made-climate-change-doesnt-exist-practice
Rita have you heard anything from Yucki? She has been off VTB for a long time.
I have heard from her. She misses us all here, and will be back soon. She needs to get past a medical issue, and get and set up a new computer.
Thank you.
Trump Just ENDED Asylum For Central Americans, Major Escalation In Illegal Immigration Debate
The latest comes from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who essentially threatened all border enforcement and immigration agents for simply doing their jobs.
In a policy proposal posted online, the Massachusetts Democrat said that as president, she would appoint a “task force to investigate accusations of serious violations — including medical neglect and physical and sexual assaults of detained immigrants.”
She added the task force would be given the authority to pursue any credible criminal allegations.
“Let there be no ambiguity on this: if you are violating the basic rights of immigrants, now or in the future, a Warren administration will hold you accountable,” she said.
Mind you, as politicized as the issue of immigration and border security has become, thanks entirely to Democrats and the hard Left base they seem to want to placate, this is a warning shot across the bow to every law enforcement agent working under the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for border and immigration enforcement. Any complaint, no matter how groundless or trivial, would no doubt be aggressively pursued by the Left-wing activists a Warren administration would appoint to such a task force.
https://rightwingtribune.com/2019/07/15/elizabeth-warren-issues/
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somali forces Saturday morning ended an all-night siege on a hotel in the southern port city of Kismayo, in which the death toll has risen to 26 people, including a prominent Canadian-Somali journalist and several foreigners, officials say.
Those killed include three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one Canadian and one Briton, said Ahmed Madobe, the president of Jubbaland regional state which controls Kismayo. Fifty-six people, including two Chinese, were injured in the hotel attack, he told reporters.
At least four al-Shabab assailants attacked the Asasey Hotel Friday evening, beginning with a suicide car bomb at the entrance gate and followed by an assault by gunmen who stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians, patrons and lawmakers.
https://rightwingtribune.com/2019/07/15/26-dead-in-terrorist/
The embattled Catholic Church, which has been plagued with problems involving pedophile priests and other clergy misbehaviors, has now joined scores of other shadowy Left-wing groups in providing funding for thousands of migrants who are attempting to invade the U.S. with bogus asylum claims.
Trending: BREAKING: 26 Dead In Terrorist Attack At Hotel
According to Vatican News, Pope Francis has sent $500,000 “to assist migrants in Mexico.” Moreover, the press release noted, “the funds, from the Peter’s Pence collections, will be distributed among 27 projects promoted by sixteen Mexican dioceses and religious congregations, which requested assistance in continuing to provide food, lodging, and basic necessities to the migrants.”
According to a statement from Peter’s Pence, “In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico, having travelled [sp] more than 4,000 kilometers on foot and with makeshift vehicles from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
“Men and women, often with young children, flee poverty and violence, hoping for a better future in the United States. However, the US border remains closed to them,” the statement said.
The money will ostensibly be used to ‘assist’ more than 75,000 people who strode into Mexico last year in at least a half-dozen caravans.
https://rightwingtribune.com/2019/07/14/pope-dollars-invasion/
Louisiana congressman Ralph Abraham offered to purchase plane tickets for Ilhan Omar and her compatriots so they can leave the country. President Trump suggested that the junior Democrats perform humanitarian or political work in other countries in the Third World. Trump refused to back down from his comments, pointing out that the crew of Democrats have said anti-American and anti-Semitic things.
Way to make a good impression, Ralph. Keep up the good tweets!
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/congressman-offers-to-buy-omar-and-co-s-plane-tickets-out-of-the-country/
Did the Vatican Fail Christians in China? | Cardinal Zen | China Uncensored
Antifa is a Domestic Terror Organization!
Bill Ottman Talks Minds & White House Visit #SocialMediaSummit
ANTIFA Targets ICE? Far-Left Political VIOLENCE
CNN Promotes Antifa Terrorism – and Using IQ to Understand the World
Yemeni Snipers Inflict Losses on Militants in Jizan (tasnimnews, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/07/15/2054860/yemeni-snipers-inflict-losses-on-militants-in-jizan
“Over 10 Saudi-backed militants were killed and injured after Yemeni snipers launched retaliatory attacks against them in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern region of Jizan…”
Arab Coalition Downs 2 Houthi Drones (aawsast, Jul 15, 2019)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1813846/arab-coalition-downs-2-houthi-drones
“Arab Coalition forces intercepted and downed on Monday two drones flown by the Iran-backed Houthi militias towards Saudi Arabia.
The drones were launched towards the Khamis Mushait region in southern Saudi Arabia, Arab Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said.
Shrapnel from the downed missiles caused damage to a building and vehicles in a residential neighborhood without causing casualties.
Maliki accused the Houthis of “desperately” attempting to target civilian locations, but they have failed in meeting the objectives of their hostile acts.
He said it is the Coalition’s legitimate right to take the necessary deterrent measures to deal with these hostile acts in line with International Humanitarian Law.”
About 450 foreign women drivers hired by March-end (saudigazette, Jul 15, 2019)
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/571942/SAUDI-ARABIA/About-450-foreign-women-drivers-hired-by-March-end
“Though women were allowed to drive since June 2018, several Saudi families have recruited as many as 459 foreign women drivers during the first quarter of the year, Makkah daily said on Monday quoting a report by the General Authority for Statistics (GaStat).
According to the report, by the end of March 2019, there were 1.54 million foreign home drivers compared to 1.36 million in 2018 with a rise of 12.8 percent.
Instructors at women schools to teach driving believe that some Saudi families prefer women drivers over men out of fear that male drivers may harass and ill-treat their children.
They also said the families opt for recruiting women drivers because they can do more than one job such as doing grocery, cleaning the house and ironing clothes.
The instructors said even when a Saudi woman obtains a driving license, this is not a guarantee that she will drive her children to the school.
They said over the years, when women become expert drivers, there will be a drop in the recruitment of foreign drivers.
Some local recruitment offices said many Saudi families were asking for housemaids with driving licenses so that they can do home chores and at the same time drive their children to schools.
They said this is not possible because the housemaids are recruited only to perform home chores not to drive cars.”
Calls for ill Brotherhood spokesman jailed in Egypt to be released (memo, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190715-calls-for-ill-brotherhood-spokesman-jailed-in-egypt-to-be-released/
“Egyptian social media activists yesterday launched a campaign calling for saving the life of Jihad Al-Haddad who suffered from food contamination in an Egyptian jail.
Thirty-eight-year-old Al-Haddad, a father of two who holds an MBA from a British university and headed several regional and international financial institutions, was arrested on 17 March 2013 and has been severely beaten while in detention.
According to the activists, he now suffers from convulsions due to the intentional lack of medical care at the notorious Scorpion Prison in Cairo.
He is the son of Essam Al-Haddad who worked as an advisor of the late Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
Reports state between 60,000 and 80,000 political prisoners are being held in Egyptian prisons since the ouster of Morsi in 2013, the majority on political grounds because of their refusal to accept the bloody military coup which ousted the country’s first democratically elected president, Morsi.”
US to end arms embargo on Southern Cyprus, as Turkey continues drilling for oil (memo, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190715-us-to-end-arms-embargo-on-southern-cyprus-as-turkey-continues-drilling-for-oil/
“The US House of Representatives has accepted an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act which would end the 32-year arms embargo imposed on Southern Cyprus.
Since 1987, the embargo has been in effect in order to “prevent the accumulation of arms that would hamper diplomatic efforts to unite the island again,” and has until now been a tool to ensure the maintenance of the peace between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Southern Cyprus. Relations between the US and Southern Cyprus were also rocked by the latter’s purchase of the S-300 air defence system from Russia in 1997.
The amendment was put forward by Congressman David Cicilline who stated that the “outdated” embargo does not reflect the importance and strength of US relations with Southern Cyprus which he called a “key ally in the fight against terrorism and emerging threats in Europe.”…”
Saudi offers ‘safety’ to dissidents who return (memo, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190715-saudi-offers-safety-to-dissidents-who-return/
“Saudi Arabia is accelerating efforts to bring dissidents back to the country. The kingdom, which has seen its reputation on the international stage plummet following the murder of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, is reported to be intensifying efforts to ensure than its narrative of reform is not undermined by the growing number of disaffected Saudis living abroad.
Riyadh’s new strategy, according to a report in the Financial Times, is to take a softer approach in order to persuade critics and dissidents to come home with assurances about their safety upon return, two people familiar with the matter said.
“Someone close to the leadership or another mediator would typically contact you and say: ‘I have a personal message from the crown prince’, promising that there would be no harm or jail time if you decide to take up the offer,” an anonymous Saudi exile is quoted saying in the FT.
A standing order that was in effect during the murder of Khashoggi has not been withdrawn and the kingdom is still anxious about bringing dissidents, which is estimated to reach 50,000 by 2030, back home.
The people said that there was deep unease about a vocal Saudi diaspora community. Their growing number is said to have prompted the royal court to commission a study on the topic.
“A big part of their concern is that this group abroad is engaged in lobbying at the UN, EU and Congress in the US,” a Saudi activist based in Europe is reported saying. “They have played a central role in the backlash against Saudi Arabia in recent months because they have been working in an unprecedented way. If they remained silent the international community would have forgotten and moved on.”
Last week one of these dissident groups invited the UN’s extrajudicial executions investigator, Agnes Callamard to an event in London to speak about her latest report into Khashoggi’s death.
Callamard went through the conclusion of her report that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was responsible for the journalist’s enforced disappearance, torture and extrajudicial execution. She said that 15 Saudi agents acted under their official status and used state resources to commit murder. High-level officials in Riyadh oversaw the elaborate planning, which involved private jets, diplomatic clearances, a forensic doctor and Saudi consular staff in Istanbul.
Prior to his murder, Khashoggi who was in self-exile, was one of the most well-known dissidents of the reform drive overseen by Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. The Washington Post journalist, was most critical about the limits on press freedoms and human rights violations in the country.”
13 nations military drills kick off in Horn of Africa (memo, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190715-13-nations-military-drills-kick-off-in-horn-of-africa/
“The two-week exercise will be financed by US while Ethiopia provides venues and platforms for the drills. The contributing countries to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) – Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Rwanda, and Uganda – are to be the focal participants.
US Army Africa Commanding General Roger L. Cloutier said at the launch of the exercise: “The drills mainly focus on enhancing the peacekeeping capabilities of AMISOM.”
“The exercise will be a venue for command post, brigade-level military, and field medical trainings,” he said, adding: “Ethiopian and American forces will also hold joint drills in eastern Ethiopia.”
According to Brigadier General Habtamu Tilahun, deputy head of Peacekeeping Operations of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, the exercise would improve the peacekeeping capabilities, as well as “enhance the fighting prowess of AMISOM.”The drills also involved international organizations such as the UN and African Union, among others.
Officers from France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, the UK, Canada, and Brazil are also participating in the exercises.AMISOM has been fighting the Somali militant group Al-Shabab since 2007.”
Egypt urges to enhance anti-Daesh efforts to fight terrorism (ahram, Jul 15, 2019)
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/337965/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-urges-to-enhance-antiDaesh-efforts-to-fight-.aspx
“Egypt has participated in a 2-day meetings of a liaison strategy group of the anti-Daesh Global Coalition, which wrapped up on Sunday in Washington.
During the meetings, head of the delegation Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez, stressed the need to exert further efforts to combat Daesh terrorism and extremist ideologies.
Hafez emphasised the necessity to combat all forms of terrorism after the field victories over Daesh.
He reiterated that terrorism can only be defeated through adopting an international approach for an all-out confrontation of terrorist groups and face the extremist thoughts of Daesh and all terrorist activities.
Hafez praised the initiative launched by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to renew religious discourse, the role played by Al-Azhar and Dar al Iftaa to counter terrorism.”
Portuguese Navy to Train Future Moroccan Marines (mwn, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/278259/portuguese-navy-moroccan-marines/
Turkey asks Germany to extradite key coup suspect (aa, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-asks-germany-to-extradite-key-coup-suspect-/1532093
“Turkey has asked Germany to extradite former colonel Ilhami Polat, one of the key figures of the July 2016 defeated coup attempt, officials said on Monday.
Polat, who is accused of organizing the takeover at the Land Forces Military School in Ankara, had fled to Greece after the defeated coup attempt, and later came to Germany and applied for asylum.
A senior Turkish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that Turkey has formally asked Germany to extradite Polat to face charges for attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government.
The ex-colonel’s wife Suzan Polat told prosecutors in 2017 that her husband took part in the coup attempt on the orders of Fetullah Gulen, the U.S.-based leader of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration into the Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.”
Turkish MPs urge US to extradite FETO terror chief (aa, Jul 15, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/july-15-coup-bid/turkish-mps-urge-us-to-extradite-feto-terror-chief/1532155
“A lawmaker of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party called on the U.S. to extradite FETO’s U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen, who murdered 251 people in his July 2016 defeated coup attempt.
“We are repeating our call from Turkish Grand National Assembly once again. Do not safeguard the leader of the terrorist organization in your territory, who is the murderer of our 251 martyrs,” Mehmet Mus, deputy chair of AK Party said in a plenary session, to mark the third anniversary of a 2016 defeated coup by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
He asked the U.S. to extradite the coup leader to Turkey.
“Any reason cannot legalize the coups. No reason can acquit the coup plotters,” Mus said.
He also called on the international community to reject all coups and coup attempts without exception.
FETO and its U.S.-based mastermind orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Fighter jets under the control of coup plotters, bombed the parliament.
The opposition People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Deputy Chair Hakki Suha Oruc called for improving Turkey’s democracy against the coup attempts.
He expressed the need to improve universal democratic rights and freedoms in the future.
“Superiority of law, the values of democratic republic, and the institutions should be run and improved against the coup attempts,” Oruc noted.
Turkey marks June 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, observing events to commemorate those who lost their lives, beating back the putschists and to remember bravery of the nation.
A number of structures and public spaces were renamed in the aftermath of the coup bid, most notably Istanbul’s Bogazici (Bosphorus) Bridge was retitled as the July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the legitimate state apparatus, through infiltrating into Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Chair Erkan Akcay said that the two-faced attitude exhibited by the U.S. against terrorism was glaring.
“FETO’s traitors become the favorite for the U.S. and Europe after the PKK,” said Akcay.
Akcay accused the U.S. working as a lawyer of the FETO, saying the FETO was their low-cost Trojan horse.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.”
Tucker: Antifa has the support of the ‘respectable’ left