Contributor’s links for July 22, 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

112 Replies to “Contributor’s links for July 22, 2019”

  1. Update: Obama Deep State Spy Stephan Halper Was Paid Over $1.05 Million — His Work Spying on Trump Officials Went Well Into 2017

    It has been widely reported that the Obama administration had a spy working inside the Trump campaign.
    As previously reported, in the fall of 2016, Pentagon analyst Adam Lovinger complained to his bosses about Trump campaign spy Stefan Halper’s exorbitant contracts.

    The informant, Stefan Halper, was paid a total of $411,575 in 2016 and 2017 for work with the US government that included spying on the Trump campaign.

    Internet sleuth Jacob Wohl discovered that Stefan Halper was paid $282,295 in September 2016 for “research and development in the social sciences and humanities.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/obama-deep-state-spy-stephan-halper-was-paid-over-1-05-million-his-work-spying-on-trump-officials-went-well-into-2017/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily

  2. Amnesty International is calling on the Canadian government to suspend its Safe Third Country agreement with the United States in light of a controversial new refugee policy implemented this week by the Trump administration.

    The group says the policy no longer guarantees asylum seekers the same legal rights as those offered in Canada and could see some migrants sent back to countries where they face risks of violence and persecution.

    READ MORE: Less than 900 ‘irregular’ asylum seekers removed from Canada since 2017 surge

    Under the Safe Third Country agreement, asylum seekers arriving in Canada from the U.S. must file a refugee claim in America as it is considered safe.

    But refugee agencies worry those migrants could now be at risk of deportation after the Trump administration said anyone arriving at the southern border cannot file for refugee protection if they failed to file a protection claim while moving through another country.

    The move would disqualify thousands of migrants who have travelled through Central America and Mexico.

    https://globalnews.ca/news/5655380/amnesty-international-safe-third-canada/

  3. The Hamas-Iran Plan to Eliminate Israel

    by Bassam Tawil
    July 22, 2019 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14575/hamas-iran-eliminate-israel

    Has Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, finally accepted the two-state solution and abandoned its objective to destroy Israel?

    The headlines in some Arab media outlets on July 20 created the impression that Hamas has changed its policy and is no longer seeking the annihilation of Israel. More remarkably, the headlines made it seem as if Hamas were presenting a new plan for peace with Israel.

    Quoting statements by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, several Arab media organizations ran headlines implying that the terror group now favors the two-state solution. “Hamas does not oppose the establishment of a [Palestinian] state on the 1967 borders,” the headlines shouted.

    Haniyeh reportedly made his statements during a video conference interview with Turkish journalists in Istanbul. The interview was organized by a group called the Palestinian Forum for Communication and Media, which describes itself as an “independent media organization aiming to enhance coordination between Arab and international media organizations to support the Palestinian cause.”

    Although the initial impression created by Haniyeh’s statements suggest a dramatic shift in Hamas’s policy – from seeking the destruction of Israel to accepting the two-state solution – it quickly becomes clear from reading the rest of his remarks that there is no change in the terror group’s strategy or ideology.

  4. To the EU: Iran’s Mullahs Will Never Be Your Friend

    by Majid Rafizadeh
    July 22, 2019 at 4:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14571/iran-eu-mullahs-friends

    The extent to which the European Union is willing to go in order to appease the ruling mullahs of Iran, is unfathomable. To witness the EU siding with the fundamentalist government of Iran rather than backing its old transatlantic partner, the United States, is a shock.

    Since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the flawed agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) , Iran’s leaders have been consistently pushing for Europe to do more to appease them; more than it is capable of delivering.

    First, the EU came up with a mechanism called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). Its purpose was to shield the Iranian government from economic sanctions, in order to assist its ruling clerics — and Europe — in gaining more revenues.

    Then, Iran became more aggressive and breached the 300kg limit on enriched uranium, among several other malign actions (here, here and here). The increased level of enrichment was a blatant violation of Iran’s agreement and contrary to the shared international desire — except for Iran’s ayatollahs — to de-escalate regional tensions.

  5. July 22, 2019
    Cruz: Build Kate’s Wall with El Chapo’s Money
    By Daniel John Sobieski
    It is an idea whose time has come. It would be poetic justice, fulfill a Trump campaign pledge, and wouldn’t cost the taxpayers a dime. It doesn’t make Mexico pay for the wall exactly, just one particular Mexican who has done great injury to the people of the United States and who is responsible for a major part of drugs flooding into the U.S.

    Upon news that Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, more commonly known as El Chapo, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday and ordered to fork over billions, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz resurrected his idea of using any and all assets to be seized from El Chapo’s massive stash be used to build Trump’s border wall. As the Daily Mail reported:

    Cruz, a senator from Texas, told TMZ in a short interview on Capitol Hill that the $12.6 billion seized from El Chapo after he was convicted for drug trafficking should be used build President Donald Trump’s border wall.

    ‘I think it’s great that he’s sentenced,’ Cruz said. ‘I think the next step is to criminally forfeit his entire global criminal enterprise. It’s worth billions. And we should use every penny of that money to build the wall and secure the border.’ …

    ‘Finding those assets, getting those assets, won’t be easy. But we should and the Department of Justice will do it’s very best to do that,’ he continued…

    Cruz says there should be no question or debate over where the funds go when they are eventually obtained — and in 2017 even introduced the EL CHAPO Act, which didn’t go very far. He reintroduced in January the legislation that would allocate El Chapo’s money for the border wall.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/07/cruz_build_kates_wall_with_el_chapos_money.html

  6. The images speak for themselves. Just look at the horror taking place around the globe: toddlers carrying assault rifles as big as they are, children just old enough to play football strapping on suicide vests.
    The people behind the documentary Kids: Chasing Paradise say the epidemic of terrorist organizations and radicalized parents training young children to commit murder and suicide is largely ignored. They hope to change that.

    https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/07/22/documentary-reveals-global-recruiting-of-child-soldiers-suicide-bombers-for-jihad/

  7. Islamic jihadis recently gang-raped a 60-year-old Christian woman to triumphant cries of “Allahu Akbar!” before stoning her to death.

    When no one in her small Christian village saw Susan Grigor (or “Gregory”) on July 9, in Idlib, Syria, the worried priest sent parishioners to search for her. They eventually found her mangled and bloodied corpse on the ground of a field adjacent to her home.

    The autopsy revealed that Susan had been repeatedly raped and tortured over the course of nine hours before finally being murdered by stoning.

    The men responsible for this heinous act are believed to be members of the al-Qaeda-linked jihadi group, al-Nusra (elements of which the Obama administration referred to and supported as “freedom fighters”).

    Described as a pious Christian and “pillar in her community,” Susan had never married and lived her entire life as a virgin (suggesting that violent gang-rape was her first—and last—sexual experience).

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/274350/muslim-jihadis-gang-rape-torture-murder-60-yr-old-raymond-ibrahim

  8. Comey Under DOJ Investigation For Misleading Trump While Targeting Him In FBI Probe
    Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
    by Tyler Durden
    Mon, 07/22/2019 – 10:35
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    Former FBI Director James Comey has been under investigation for misleading President Trump – telling him in private that he wasn’t the target of an ongoing FBI probe, while refusing to admit to this in public.

    According to RealClearInvestigations’ Paul Sperry, “Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will file a report in September which contains evidence that Comey was misleading the president” while conducting an active investigation against him.

    Even as he repeatedly assured Trump that he was not a target, the former director was secretly trying to build a conspiracy case against the president, while at times acting as an investigative agent. -RCI

    According to two US officials familiar with Horowitz’s upcoming report on FBI misconduct, Comey was essentially “running a covert operation” against Trump – which began with a private “defensive briefing” shortly after the inauguration. RCI’s sources say that Horowitz has pored over text messages between the FBI’s former top-brass and other communications suggesting that Comey was in fact conducting a “counterintelligence assessment” of the president during their January 2017 meeting in New York.

    What’s more, Comey had an FBI agent in the White House who reported the activities of Trump and his aides, according to ‘other officials familiar with the matter.’

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-22/comey-under-doj-investigation-misleading-trump-while-targeting-him-fbi-probe

  9. Eid Al-Adha 2019 date: When is Eid Al-Adha? UAE announces official start date
    EID AL-ADHA is considered the holiest day on the Muslim calendar and the UAE has now announced the holiday’s official start date today. When is Eid al-Adha this year?
    By LIAM DOYLE
    PUBLISHED: 14:33, Mon, Jul 22, 2019 | UPDATED: 18:30, Mon, Jul 22, 2019
    Eid al-Adha 2018: Prayers offered at Great Mosque of Mecca
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    Eid Al-Adha 2019 is now just around the corner, as the UAE has announced the official start for the festival of sacrifice. Muslims had their most recent holiday, Eid al Fitr, just a month ago on June 4. The date saw Muslims around the world break a 40-day fast which culminated in days of celebration and feasting. Eid Al-Adha is celebrated similarly, although it is considered the holier of the two Muslim festivals.

    RELATED ARTICLES

    Eid al Adha 2018 quotes: What do Muslims say and do on each day of Eid

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    When is Eid al-Adha 2019?

    Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Dh? al-Hijjah, the 12th month on the Islamic calendar.

    The festival lasts for four days and incorporates the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

    The Islamic calendar runs on the lunar cycle, so the date for Eid Al-Adha is decided each year by the International Astronomical Society.

    READ MORE: Eid Al Adha messages

    eid al adha 2019 date when is eid al adha uae muslim holiday calendar
    Eid Al-Adha 2019 date: When is Eid Al-Adha? UAE announces official start date (Image: GETTY)
    This year, the society has predicted Eid Al-Adha will fall on August 11 in the UAE.

    The festival will then continue for four days, until August 15.

    The current dates are provisional, as the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must officially announce when the Zul Hijjah Moon is sighted.

    Eid Al-Adha will also fall on a different day each year, as misalignment of the Gregorian and Islamic calendars pushes it back by 11 days.

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1156387/eid-al-adha-2019-date-when-is-eid-al-adha-uae-muslim-holiday-calendar

    Note: a lot of sheep, goats and other farm animals are stolen prior to Eid Al-Adha from small/hobby farms, so warn your farmer friends.

  10. Muslim terrorist who slit three people’s throats in the name of Allah found not guilty by reason of insanity:
    https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/07/the-hague-stabber-sentenced-to-indefinite-psychiatric-detention/

    The man who stabbed three people at random on a street in The Hague in May 2018 has been sentenced to an indefinite term in a secure psychiatric unit. Judges in The Hague said that Malek F should not be jailed because he is completely unaccountable for his actions. He was also found not guilty of attempted murder and making terrorist threats. Malek F stabbed three people in The Hague while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ before being shot by police. The 31-year-old had had a history of disturbed mental health since he arrived in the Netherlands as a Palestinian refugee from Syria. The court said that while F had demonstrably stabbed his three victims, he did not do this with a terrorist motive – that is to say with the aim of terrifying the Dutch people – but because of his paranoia about being followed by devil worshippers. ‘Although the man has committed unspeakable crimes, he is not a perpetrator who can be punished in law,’ the court said. The public prosecution department had said F was faking his condition and called for 15 years in jail for terrorism offences, but the court ruled that his family, doctors and social workers had all noted his problems. F has had several spells in psychiatric care. His family said last year they intend to file a complaint against healthcare institution Parnassia for failing to act on earlier signs that he was in poor mental health.

  11. Arab Arsonists Attack Efrat’s Eitam Hill, Causing Massive Damage
    By Hana Levi Julian – 20 Tammuz 5779 – July 22, 20190
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    Photo Credit: courtesy, Elyashiv Kimchi

    Eitam Hill
    The scorched earth and the blackened bits of charred twigs are all that remained to let people know that Palestinian Authority terrorists had attacked the blossoming farm where Jewish youth were working to build something to mark the life of Ari Fuld, hy’d.

    No one was injured or killed in the arson attack that took place on Eitam Hill, behind the town of Efrat on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday but it was painful to see all their hard work burned to the ground.

    “Terrorists rolled burning tires into our area and the fire immediately caught in the fields,” said Elyashiv Kimchi, who founded the site.

    https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/settlements-israel/arab-arsonist-attack-efrats-eitam-hill-causing-massive-damage/2019/07/22/

  12. Fifteen Thousand White Farmers Flee South Africa for Russia: “It’s Life or Death”
    Russian Government Welcomes South African Farmers Fleeing Murder & Genocide

    User Image By ?ü?ü? · 22 Jul 2019
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    Thousands of South African farming families have arrived in Russia after fleeing their farms for fear of death as the government takes back land from White citizens.

    A delegation of 30 families that have fled South Africa has arrived in Russia’s farm belt Stavropol Region, according to a report by Rossiya 1 TV. The group says it has been forced to leave their farms and land behind after facing violent attacks and death threats at home.

    South Africa’s new President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to take back land from the countries White minority and give it to Black citizens. With descendants of the White farmers having occupied the land for up to 400 years, the families have been left with no other option but to seek refuge in Russia where the government is welcoming them in.

    Up to 15,000 Boers, descendants of Dutch settlers in South Africa, are planning to move to Russia amid rising violence stemming from government plans to expropriate their land, according to the delegation. “It’s a matter of life and death – there are attacks on us. It’s got to the point where the politicians are stirring up a wave of violence,” Adi Slebus told the media. “The climate here [Stavropol Region] is temperate, and this land is created by God for farming.

    https://politichatter.com/read-blog/41_fifteen-thousand-white-farmers-flee-south-africa-for-russia-it-s-life-or-death.html

  13. LOS ANGELES (KABC) — FBI agents served a search warrant at Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and City Hall on Monday.

    The search started at approximately 10 a.m. and no arrests are planned, FBI officials said.

    Authorities are expected to be there for several hours.

    Details on the search are under seal.

    “The affidavit in support of the search warrant has been sealed by the court,” the FBI told Eyewitness News.

    https://abc7.com/amp/fbi-search-underway-at-ladwp-and-city-hall/5411272/?__twitter_impression=true

  14. ‘Male genitalia’ policy lands Toronto women’s-only spa in hot water
    By Levon Sevunts |
    en*****@rc****.ca
    Posted: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 17:22
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    A women’s-only, clothing-optional spa in Toronto has set off a social media firestorm after it allegedly turned away a transgender person because of a policy forbidding male genitalia.

    Critics have accused Body Blitz spa, which operates two spas in the city, of transphobia while others have jumped to the company’s defence after a customer trying to book a service tweeted that her transgender partner was refused entry.

    https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2017/06/13/male-genitalia-policy-lands-toronto-womens-only-spa-in-hot-water/

  15. IG Horowitz to Release Report with Evidence Comey Conducted “Counterintelligence” of Trump on the Sly – Had Covert Agent in White House

    DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz is expected to release his report in early September showing evidence indicating that former FBI Director James Comey was misleading Trump about being a target of an investigation.

    According to investigative reporter Paul Sperry, Comey was running a “counterintelligence assessment” on Trump on the sly. Comey didn’t even need to keep files or get surveillance warrants on Trump, he may just have covertly made Trump the subject of investigation by spying on him incidentally. Comey of course denies he did this in book ‘A Higher Loyalty.’

    Comey had an agent inside the White House reporting back to the FBI about Trump and his aides, sources tell Paul Sperry.

    James Comey refused to say publicly that Trump was not under investigation, something he reassured Trump in private, but never declared publicly.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/horowitz-to-release-report-with-evidence-comey-conducted-counterintelligence-assessment-of-trump-on-the-sly-had-covert-agent-in-white-house/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  16. President Trump: ‘Mainstream Media is out of control,’ They ‘Constantly Lie’

    President Donald Trump is blasting the media once again after the Washington Post published an article that he says used “made up” sources.

    The article that sparked the outrage referred to Trump’s tweets about “the Squad” as racist in the headline and claimed that advisers wrote talking points for him and handed him reams of opposition research on the four freshmen congresswomen.

    “The Amazon Washington Post front-page story yesterday was total Fake News,” Trump tweeted. “They said ‘Advisors wrote new talking points and handed him reams of opposition research on the four Congresswomen.’ Now really, does that sound like me?”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/president-trump-mainstream-media-is-out-of-control-they-constantly-lie/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  17. Trump Administration Set To Expand ‘Expedited Removal’ Of Illegal Aliens

    The Trump administration is set to expand the ability to rapidly deport illegal aliens who cannot prove they have been in the U.S. for two years or more, according to a federal filing on Monday.

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has submitted a notice in the Federal Register titled “Designating Aliens for Expedited Removal,” but its text will not be published until Tuesday.

    The new expanded rules will permit immigration agents to arrest and immediately deport undocumented immigrants with no hearing before a judge, according to reports. Under current rules, illegal aliens who are caught in the U.S. are given a court date that is sometimes as much a year or more later, and simply allowed to remain in the country.

    According to a 2004 law, “expedited removal” applies only to aliens arrested within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of their arrival — often extremely difficult to prove. The new regulations, however, will apply to the entire country, Buzzfeed reported.

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately voiced objections to the new plan. “Under this unlawful plan, immigrants who have lived here for years would be deported with less due process than people get in traffic court,” Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a written statement, Politico reported.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/07/trump-administration-set-to-expand-expedited-removal-of-illegal-aliens/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  18. British Minister: Royal Navy ‘Too Small’ For Purpose (breitbart, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/07/22/british-minister-royal-navy-too-small-for-purpose/

    “Junior defence minister Tobias Ellwood has called on the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to recognise the poor state of the Royal Navy when they take power, in comments that follow a British owned tanker being seized by Iranian gunboats in the Straits of Hormuz…”

  19. When Virtue-signalling Goes Wrong: May Turned Down Trump Offer to Protect UK Ships to Please EU (breitbart, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/07/22/may-turned-down-trump-offer-protect-uk-ships-please-eu/

    “The United States reportedly offered to organise a joint naval security operation to protect British shipping in the Persian Gulf, but Theresa May turned it down because she “didn’t want to upset the Iranians” or the EU…”

  20. Note: This is very interesting: a corrupt Democrat judge, who had been removed from the bench and disbarred, is finally beginning to serve her jail sentence and the Democratic machine goes nuts. I have never heard of this case before, and only hope this is just the first of the activist judges that will be treated according to the laws they refused to uphold.

    Former judge Tracie Hunter dragged from courtroom, ordered to serve six-month sentence
    Hunter convicted in 2014 for mishandling document
    Posted: 6:00 AM, Jul 22, 2019 Updated: 4:58 PM, Jul 22, 2019
    By: WCPO staff
    items.[0].image.alt
    Photo by: Ramsay Fulbright
    WCPO_Tracie_Hunter_decision.jpg

    CINCINNATI — Authorities held a woman back and the crowd screamed as a deputy removed ex-judge Tracie Hunter from the courtroom Monday morning after she was ordered to begin a six-month sentence.

    Judge Patrick Dinkelacker executed the sentence despite push back from Hunter’s supporters and a letter from the mayor.

    Hunter was convicted of mishandling a confidential document in 2014. She has been free since then because she has been appealing.

    After Dinkelacker ordered authorities to take her to jail, Hunter appeared to go limp as she stood from her seat, and a deputy dragged her out of the courtroom.

    “She passed out,” someone yelled, but Hunter appeared to be conscious. She looked around and flicked her fingers as the deputy dragged her from the courtroom.

    “This city is going to burn,” someone shouted.

    https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/ex-judge-facing-jail-after-years-of-legal-challenges

    Note: in order to follow what was happening, I had to read the whole long timeline on the case, which is here:
    https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/tracie-hunter-timeline-conflict-follows-judge-from-election-to-trial

  21. Macron says UN refugee agency attacked, decries Libya camps (abcnews, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/europe-ministers-meet-paris-divisive-migrant-issue-64479620

    “French President Emmanuel Macron called on Libyan authorities Monday to stop holding transiting refugees in detention camps and said buildings of the United Nations’ refugee agency in Libya were attacked earlier in the day.

    Macron did not elaborate on the attack he said was carried out on buildings of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. He said Libya should end the “confinement” of refugees and house in safe places those who reach the North African country.

    Libya has become a major conduit for African migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. An airstrike on a detention center near the Libyan capital killed more than 50 migrants and wounded dozens of others earlier this month.

    Macron met with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and the director general of the International Organization for Migration on Monday, after European ministers in Paris tried to find agreement on dealing with Europe-bound migrants who use Libya as a stepping stone.

    The European Union has spent hundreds of millions of euros to equip and train Libya’s coast guard and to improve the conditions of the detention centers. Under a deal with the EU, Libyan vessels apprehend refugees and migrants setting out from the coast and take them back.

    Macron announced that eight countries had formally signed on to a French-German initiative to cooperate in a burden-sharing mechanism and 14 assented to it. Southern European countries like Italy and Greece have complained for years that they shoulder a disproportionate responsibility for arriving migrants.

    “Europe isn’t a la carte when it comes to solidarity,” Macron said, with countries saying they don’t want a Europe that shares burdens but are in favor of unity “when it’s about receiving structural funds.”

    Absent from the closed-door meeting of EU interior and foreign ministers was Italy’s populist, anti-migrant interior minister, Matteo Salvini. He tweeted strong disagreement Sunday with letting France and Germany determine the bloc’s refugee policy while nations like Italy are on the front line.

    “We intend to make ourselves respected,” Salvini declared in another tweet.

    Without naming Italy, Macron regretted the absence of some countries from the table, saying that “we gain nothing by non-cooperation.”

    However, he reiterated the law of the sea by which boats must be able to enter the surest and closest port, which for vessels coming from Libya typically is Italy.

    Salvini has barred private aid ships that rescue migrants from entering Italy’s ports, forcing NGOs to find another country willing to allow their rescue boats to dock and bartering among nations to divide up the migrants onboard.

    U.N. High Commissioner Grandi said he was encouraged by the progress in finding a method for sharing the work of housing asylum-seekers and processing their applications.

    Last month, Grandi and International Organization for Migration Director General Antonio Vitorino lamented that the EU had no predictable strategy for providing rescue boats with safe harbor and sharing newly arrived migrants.

    The number of migrant crossings on the central Mediterranean route that leads to Italy has diminished drastically since 2015 and 2016.

    “We no longer are living an arrival crisis …. We live a crisis of deaths,” Vitorino said.

    According to the IOM, up to June 19, there were 2,252 arrivals in Italy and 1,151 in Malta, while at least 343 people died at sea.

    German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas voiced hope earlier in the day that a solution was on the horizon.

    “The haggling about emergency rescue in the Mediterranean must finally end,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the ministerial meeting. “It is really necessary that we manage to put together a coalition of those who are prepared to help, and I think we came a step closer to that today.”

    The UNHCR and IOM chiefs joined Macron in stressing the need for rescue help from NGOs, which Italy has denounced, claiming they help traffickers.

    On Sunday, the SOS Mediterranee, a French charity, partnering with Doctors Without Borders, announced it has returned to the sea with a new boat to save migrants, seven months after the flag was pulled from its original ship, Aquarius. The Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking is heading to the Mediterranean with a 31-member crew, the group said.

    Salvini wasted no time in warning SOS Mediterranee that Italy was not about to bend on its policy of keeping rescue ships at bay, tweeting Monday, “if someone is thinking about helping smugglers or breaking laws, be careful because we won’t be standing still.”

    The Aquarius, SOS Mediterranee’s original rescue ship, ended its operations last fall after Panama revoked its flag and Italian prosecutors ordered the vessel seized, accusing Doctors Without Borders of illegally disposing of tons of contaminated and medical waste. The organization says the Aquarius assisted 30,000 migrants since 2016.

    Monday’s meeting follows a gathering of EU interior ministers on the issue of rescuing migrants last week in Helsinki, Finland. Salvini hailed progress there, saying other ministers shared Italy’s position of revamping Mediterranean search and rescue rules with the aim of preventing immigration abuse.

    ———

    This version has been corrected to show that Macron said Libya, not France, should provide security for vulnerable refugees.”

  22. Mike Pence’s abrupt New Hampshire cancellation explained
    by Ellie Bufkin
    | July 22, 2019 05:24 PM

    Print this article
    The mystery surrounding Vice President Mike Pence’s abrupt cancellation of a New Hampshire trip in early July has finally been solved, according to a report from Politico.

    Pence was suddenly summoned back to the White House when he was informed not that there was a problem in Washington, D.C., but in New Hampshire. Former NFL player Jeff Hatch, with whom Pence was likely to meet while attending a scheduled event at the Granite Recovery Center to discuss the national opioid crisis, was under federal investigation for transporting over $100,000 worth of fentanyl from Massachusetts to New Hampshire.

    News media did not know what to make of the situation when officials for the vice president announced on July 2 that Pence’s scheduled trip to New Hampshire to participate in a roundtable discussion about the opioid crisis was canceled just moments before he was scheduled to fly to Manchester. An explanation was not immediately provided, but both Pence’s team and the White House confirmed that there was no emergency.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mike-pences-abrupt-new-hampshire-cancellation-explained

    • He is either making the mistake of lumping legal and illegal immigration together, or he is doing it deliberately to propagandize the issue.

      I reject his attitude that PT is amoral and bad, he is a good man who is taking moral stands despite what the left says and does.

  23. Danish prime minister break her promise, and will now liberalize immigration policies
    By CHRISTOFFER 22 July 2019

    The Social Democrats became the biggest party in the Danish election last month, and the populist Danish People’s Party plummeted, much because the Danish Social Democrats had adopted some of the Danish People’s Party’s popular and relativley strict immigration policies.
    But now when Mette Frederiksen from the Social Democrats have become the new prime minister, she and the other in her party have started to liberalize immigration polices, much because of pressure from three far left parties who also did a good election.
    The plan of the former right-wing government was to isolate criminal foreign citizens and rejected asylum seekers on a small Island before sending them home. That will not happen now, the new government have decided. Moreover, the government will also increase the integration allowance for foreign families with children.
    And now all refugees who are supposed to just stay temporarily in Denmark will get the opportunity to take a free and taxpayer-funded high education. Integration and foreign minister Mattias Tesfaye said this on Sunday, despite him saying the opposite during the campaign.
    The Danish People’s Party has insisted that refugees on temporary residence must return to their home country. If they get work or education in Denmark, it must be something they can use in their home country. It was not just the other right-centre parties that joined that policy earlier this year. The Social Democracy did it too. But in negotiating with the Radical Left party, the Socalist party and Enhedslisten, the Social Democrats had to change their mind.
    If refugees start a long-term higher education, it will be virtually impossible to make them return home. And others will see an opportunity to stay in Denmark.

    https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/07/danish-prime-minister-break-her-promise-and-will-now-liberalize-immigration-policies/

    • Gun Control is People Control, never forget that. The propaganda that controlling who can own guns will stop crime of gun violence is propaganda desgined to make people give up the tools necessary for self defense. Once the tools are removed the People Controllers start outlawing self defense. Look at Britain and Canada, self defense has been removed in almost all situations, after all if you start defending themselves from criminals they will soon decide that they can defend themselves from the over reaching Governmental actions.

  24. Mali: UK to deploy 250 troops to MINUSMA for long-range reconnaissance missions (thedefensepost, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/07/22/uk-mali-minusma-250-troops/

    “The United Kingdom will in 2020 deploy 250 military personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, defense secretary Penny Mordaunt announced on Monday, July 22.

    “Based in Gao, 250 personnel will deploy in response to a U.N. requirement and will address a key capability gap,” a Ministry of Defense release said.

    Initially deploying for three years, the U.K. personnel “will deliver a long-range reconnaissance capability, providing greater awareness of possible threats and contributing to the protection of civilians.”

    “This targeted contribution will be complemented by U.K. staff officers in the U.N. mission headquarters and new training programmes with troops from other partnering nations who will be deploying to the U.N. operation,” the release said.

    The release noted that the deployment aims to prevent “conflict spilling over to neighbouring states.”…”

  25. Somalia: More than a dozen killed in Mogadishu car bomb explosion (thedefensepost, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/07/22/somalia-mogadishu-car-bomb/

    “At least 17 people were killed and 28 others injured when a car bomb exploded in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Monday, July 22, a security officer and witnesses said.

    The explosion at the first checkpoint on the road to Mogadishu airport near the Afrik Hotel reverberated throughout the city, and sent a massive plume of black smoke into the air.

    The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab insurgent group claimed responsibility, saying that it was a suicide bomb.

    “The martyrdom operation was carried out using a vehicle loaded with explosives which targeted a checkpoint along the airport road,” the group said in a brief statement.

    Deputy Police Commissioner Zakia Hussein said on Twitter that security forces intercepted a Toyota Noah vehicle that then exploded, Goobjoog News reported.

    “The bodies of 17 people killed in the blast were taken to the hospital mortuary while 28 others were admitted for various wounds,” said Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina Hospital, Mogadishu’s main trauma facility.

    Abdullahi Ahmed, a security officer who witnessed the blast, said at least two government security officers at the checkpoint were killed in the attack..”

  26. Suicide car bomb targets French military base in Gao, Mali (thedefensepost, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/07/22/mali-car-bomb-france/

    “An apparent suicide car bomb exploded at the entrance to a French military base in the central Mali town of Gao, injuring at least three French and Estonian troops on Monday, July 22.

    “There was an attack … at the entrance to the French part of the camp in Gao,” AFP reported French military spokesperson Colonel Frederic Barbry as saying. “There was no incursion into the base.”

    He said the soldiers’ injuries were not life-threatening but did not give a breakdown of the casualties.

    A source in Gao told Nord Sud Journal that Malian soldiers fired on a vehicle as it tried to force through the checkpoint they were manning outside the base. The occupants of the car returned fire before the vehicle exploded.

    Images on social media purportedly taken nearby showed a large plume of smoke and a helicopter in the air…”

  27. Trump Blasts Iran, Says Hard to Deal with Top ‘Terror’ State (aawsat, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1824541/trump-blasts-iran-says-hard-deal-top-terror-state

    “US President Donald Trump said Monday that chances of negotiating with Tehran were dwindling, as he cited increasing tensions in the Gulf and blasted Iran as the world’s top “state of terror.”

    The president cited a series of recent conflicts involving Tehran, including the downing of US and Iranian drones and, most recently, Tehran’s announcement that it arrested 17 people in connection to a CIA spy ring, a claim Trump rejected as “lies.”

    “Frankly it’s getting harder for me to want to make a deal with Iran, because they behave very badly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan sat at his side.

    “I’ll tell you it could go either way, very easily,” Trump added. “And I’m OK either way it goes.”

    Washington and Tehran have been at loggerheads since May 2018, when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from a landmark 2015 deal that put curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

    On Monday, Trump ramped up the rhetoric, attacking Iran’s government as “a religious regime that is badly failing,” and saying the country has “tremendous problems economically.”

    He also used menacing language, saying the United States was “ready for the absolute worst.”

    “We are very geared up. They are really the number one state of terror in the world,” Trump said.

    The aggressive remarks came as Washington announced it was placing a leading Chinese oil importer on its sanctions blacklist for trading in Iranian crude.

    “As part of that maximum pressure campaign, I am announcing that the United States is imposing sanctions on the Chinese entity Zhuhai Zhenrong and its chief executive Youmin Li,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech.

    “They violated US law by accepting crude oil,” he added.

    The sanctions seek to constrict Zhuhai Zhenrong’s access to global financial markets by banning any US individual or business — including financial institutions with US entities, like most global banks — from doing business with the company.”

  28. Hate crimes targeting Muslims in Canada down 50 percent in 2018, new data shows (mee, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hate-crimes-targeting-muslims-canada-down-50-percent-2018

    “Hate crimes against Muslims in Canada were down 50 percent in 2018 compared to the year before, a new report by Statistics Canada has said.

    But a national advocacy group has warned about an uptick in hate incidents targeting religious institutions.

    The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said on Monday that it welcomed the findings, which showed hate crimes targeting Muslims that were reported to police across Canada dropped by half from 2017 to 2018.

    But hate incidents targeting houses of worship – dubbed “mischief to religious property motivated by hate” – went up 41 percent over the same period, the NCCM said, citing data from Statistics Canada.

    “This largely tracks with reports that we have been receiving across Canada from Canadian Muslims who are concerned about the safety and integrity of their religious institutions,” said Mustafa Farooq, NCCM’s executive director, in a statement.

    Farooq said this was particularly alarming for Muslim-Canadians who are still grappling with the aftermath of a deadly shooting a Quebec City mosque in 2017, among other attacks on Muslim places of worship in North America…”

  29. Istanbul gives Syrians one month to return to provinces in which they are registered (memo, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190722-istanbul-gives-syrians-one-month-to-return-to-provinces-in-which-they-are-registered/

    “Authorities in Istanbul set a four-week deadline on Monday for Syrians living without approval in Turkey’s largest city to return to provinces where they are registered or face forced removal to those regions, reports Reuters.

    It was not immediately clear how many people could be affected by the order, but Istanbul’s new mayor has said that a total of 1 million Syrians live in the city compared with Interior Ministry figures showing 500,000 are registered.

    Turkey’s recession-hit economy and high levels of unemployment have fuelled anger against the 3.6 million Syrians living in Turkey, the largest refugee population to have fled the eight-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria.

    Turks who are resentful of the Syrians view them as offering cheap labour and taking jobs from Turks and using services including health and education.

    Monday’s order in Istanbul follows two clashes in the city earlier this year when crowds attacked Syrian shops and properties. There have also been reports of some Syrians being returned to northern Syria.

    Most Syrians live in southern Turkish provinces near the Syrian border but Istanbul province, in the northwest, has the largest Syrian population of any province in the country.

    Syrians who have a temporary protection permit must stay in the province where they are registered, and obtain a special permit to travel elsewhere in Turkey.

    The Istanbul governor’s office said on Monday that Syrians who have temporary protection permits in provinces other than Istanbul have until Aug. 20 to return to those provinces, and will be returned if they stay after that date.

    Syrians who do not have temporary protection permits will be sent to provinces specified by the Interior Ministry, it said.

    There have been several reports in recent weeks of Syrians being deported to Syria. Reuters has spoken to three people who said they were sent without their consent to areas of northern Syria controlled by Ankara and Turkey-backed rebels in the past few days.

    The three told Reuters they were forced to sign a document that said they were voluntarily returning to Syria. One of the men said he was deported with at least 100 other Syrians.

    The Turkish government has not commented on the reports of deportations.

    Turkey is a signatory to agreements that bind it to a non-refoulment principle, an international customary law rule that prohibits countries from returning people to a place where they risk facing persecution or threat to life.”

  30. Video: Egyptian-Moroccan Family Violently Kicked Off Romanian Plane (moroccoworldnews, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/278796/video-egyptian-moroccan-family-violently-kicked-off-romanian-plane/

    “Rabat – A video showing an Egyptian-Moroccan family being forcibly removed from a plane flying from from Bucharest in Romania to Cairo is going viral, already racking up over 4 million views on Facebook.

    The nerve-wracking video shows the patriarch of the family, surrounded by his Moroccan wife and their children, being violently seized by police. In the background, his wife and other passengers can be heard objecting to the way the Egyptian man was being treated.

    His children can also be seen sobbing in fear. As the video progresses, the cries of fellow passengers begging the police and flight crew to let go of the man get more and more desperate.

    The man, who has been identified as Hassan Salama, a restaurant owner living in France, said the argument erupted over a seating issue, with his wife being placed at the front of the plane and his son being placed at the back.

    His wife reportedly put her bag on the floor in front of her, unaware this was not allowed in the emergency exit section of the plane, and an argument erupted between the mother, her husband and one of the flight attendants.

    Even after the mother changed seats, the argument continued. The hostess then called for reinforcement, leading to the altercation captured on video.

    Salama reportedly wants to file a formal complaint against the airline. The incident may also cause diplomatic tension between Romania and Egypt, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabila Makram telling the local press that she “followed the case” and that “contacts have been established with an international lawyer to help the Egyptian citizen.””

  31. SOS Mediterranee and MSF Announce New Rescue Campaign for Mediterranean Migrants (mwn, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/07/278848/sos-mediterranee-msf-new-rescue-campaign-mediterranean-migrants/

    “The NGOs Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee announced on July 21 that a new vessel, the Ocean-Viking would be used for their rescue operations in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya.

    “We are returning to sea because people are drowning,” said MSF President Dr Joanne Liu in a press release.

    “In 2019, one person dies for every 10 who arrive in Europe by sea,” she explained.

    “We are determined to continue to provide humanitarian assistance with Ocean Viking and our partner, SOS Mediterranee,” she added.

    The boat will patrol in the central Mediterranean, the source of the greatest number of distress calls, without entering the Libyan territorial waters, explained Frédéric Penard, director of operations of SOS Mediterranee.

    MSF and SOS Mediterranee ceased their rescue operations in December 2018, after their vessel, the Aquarius, became the center of a legal and diplomatic crisis on the reception of migrants making their way to Europe from Libya.

    The Aquarius had assisted over 30,000 migrants since 2016. It was the last rescue boat operating off the coast of Libya when the NGOs announced the end of its operations, for what they described as a “smear campaign” by European governments.

    Legal and diplomatic battle

    In November, the Italian government sought a seizure of the Aquarius over the alleged dumping of potentially toxic waste in its ports. MSF called the move “unfounded and sinister,” reported the Guardian. In June 2018, Italy refused its permission for the Aquarius to dock, leaving it stranded in the Mediterranean carrying 629 migrants.

    In September, Panama removed its maritime flag from the vessel, due to “non-respect” of “international legal procedures” relating to migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, reported the AFP. For the NGOs the revocation was in fact due to political pressure from Italy. Unable to sail without a flag, the Aquarius was laid up in the Marseilles port.

    MSF and SOS Mediterranee will now resume their operations on board the Ocean-Viking.

    “In the past months, we have not only strengthened our operations on land and reinforced our observance of the Law of the Sea, but also sought a new ship,” announced SOS Mediterranee in a press release on June 21.

    The 69m long cargo left port in Poland on July 18, and will take approximately two weeks to reach the Mediterranean, said Louise Guillaumat, the director of SOS Mediterranee. The vessel is Norwegian-owned, with a Norwegian flag.

    It costs approximately $15,703 a day to run. SOS Mediterranee has launched a fundraising campaign to help meet the costs.”

  32. Nigerian police, Shi’ite group clash in capital, at least three dead (reuters, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-security-imn/nigerian-police-shiite-group-clash-in-capital-at-least-three-dead-idUSKCN1UH1K9

    “Nigerian police and Shi’ite Muslim protesters clashed in the capital Abuja on Monday, with at least one demonstrator, one journalist and a senior policeman killed, highlighting one of the security challenges faced by the country with Africa’s biggest economy…”

  33. Significant portion of $120 billion U.S. aid to Afghanistan have been wasted: CSJWG (khaama, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/significant-portion-of-120-billion-u-s-aid-to-afghanistan-have-been-wasted-csjwg-03412/

    “The Civil Society Joint Working Group (CSWG) shared its finding regarding government’s accountability to the nation and international community.

    CSWG shared its findings earlier today, hours after the 22nd Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board Meeting kicked off in Kabul.

    Nasir Temori, a member of the Civil Society Joint Working Group told reporters that the international community has provided significant aid to Afghanistan but the aid was not properly utilized.

    Speaking during a press conference, Temori further added that the United States only has provided $120 billion aid to Afghanistan but the relevant authorities wasted a significant portion of the funds.

    He described the lack of consultation with the government and involvement of corrupt individuals as main factors which resulted into the wastage of a major portion of the U.S. funds.

    Furthermore, the members of the Civil Society Joint Working Group criticized the government for remaining more accountable to the international community than its own people.

    They also added that this issue has resulted to increasing gap between the government and the Afghan people.

    Meanwhile, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani emphasized on government’s accountability to both international community and the Afghan nation.

    In his speech during the 22nd Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board Meeting, President Ghani said the upcoming presidential election is one of the good examples of the government’s accountability.

    Ghani further added that the government is committed to remain accountable to the people of Afghanistan.”

  34. Turkey: 2,200+ irregular migrants held over past week (aa, Jul 22, 2019)
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-2-200-irregular-migrants-held-over-past-week/1538383

    “At least 2,212 irregular migrants were held across Turkey over the past week, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from security sources.

    As many as 645 migrants were caught in multiple operations carried out by gendarmerie forces in the northwestern Edirne province, which borders Greece and Bulgaria.

    In eastern provinces of Van and Erzurum, a total of 678 migrants were held by police and gendarmerie forces over the past week.

    In the coastal provinces of Canakkale, Balikesir, Aydin, Izmir, and Mugla, the Turkish Coast Guard and gendarmerie forces rounded up a total of 654 migrants as they were trying to cross to Europe through Greece.

    Moreover, some 107 irregular migrants were also held by police and gendarmerie forces in the southern province of Adana.

    In the northwestern province of Kirklareli, a total of 114 migrants were held by gendarmerie forces.

    Separately, border forces in the southern Hatay province caught eight migrants for reportedly entering Turkey from Syria through illegal means.

    A total of six migrants were held by police in the central Anatolian province of Sivas.

    The migrants included Pakistani, Congolese, Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Senegalese, Central African, Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Somalian, Libyan, Togo, Cameroonian and Palestinian nationals.

    All of the migrants held during the week were either taken to hospital for medical care or transferred to provincial migration offices.

    In 2018, some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry.

    Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.”

  35. Migrants: Slovenia, over 100 stopped at border with Croatia (ansamed, Jul 22, 2019)
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2019/07/22/migrants-slovenia-over-100-stopped-at-border-with-croatia_f5856a9f-a3f0-4b99-aa33-e2b91ddb27ff.html

    “The majority of the 108 migrants who were stopped on Friday in Slovenia next to the Croatian border, as reported during the weekend, were taken back to Croatia while 15 people, mainly minors, have applied for asylum in Slovenia, Koper police official Toma Cehovin told reporters. Cehovin stressed that police respected all legal and professional standards.

    The statement followed several media requests regarding the treatment of migrants who were ordered to lie down in order to be searched before they were given water and food and taken to the police station.

    The operation on Friday took place at the border of Bistrica (Ilirska Bistrica) with Croatia and involved 40 officers with the army’s cooperation, in coordination with Croatian police forces.

    Starting tomorrow, 35 units of the Slovenian armed forces will be deployed in addition to those currently patrolling the southern border.”

  36. CBC – TORONTO – Danforth shooting survivor says she still feels sorry for the Muslim killer

    One year after she was shot and left paralyzed in a mass shooting on Toronto’s Danforth Avenue, Danielle Kane says she still feels sorry for the gunman and it was clear he needed help.

  37. Gavin Mcinnes Hates His Life Now

    Do we have a right to Facebook? Who decided? In this clip from You Can’t Watch This, Tommy Robinson explains how and why the UK government are putting pressure on private social media companies to censor him from public life.