Contributor’s links for Aug. 20, 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

105 Replies to “Contributor’s links for Aug. 20, 2019”

  1. Ready For War : The US Vows “all out” to Help Philippines to Fight China in South China Sea

  2. Italian Prosecutor Orders Seizure of Open Arms Rescue Boat – Source (sputniknews, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201908201076595493-italian-prosecutor-orders-seizure-of-open-arms-rescue-boat/

    “Spanish authorities decided earlier in the day to send a naval vessel to pick up the migrants stranded on the Open Arms rescue ship, which is anchored near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

    The Italian prosecutor’s office has seized the Open Arms rescue ship, ordering the evacuation of the migrants, ANSA news agency reported, citing sources.

    The migrants are supposed to be removed from the boat tonight, the prosecutor’s office stated, but hasn’t provided any further details.

    Prior to this, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent the naval vessel Audaz to assist the migrants on board the rescue ship. The boat is expected to reach Lampedusa in three days.

    Despite the fact that the vessel is only a few hundred feet away from the Italian island, authorities are not letting it dock.

    Earlier in the day, nine migrants jumped off the rescue ship in an attempt to swim to the Italian coast.

    In the meantime, more than a hundred migrants from Africa are on board the Open Arms boat, with the NGO saying that they are in critical psychological condition.

    On 18 August, Spain offered to let the vessel dock at its port in Algeciras, but the NGO said that the humanitarian situation on board the ship was dire and that the passengers and crew would not make the five-day journey there.”

  3. Is Russia Hiding Another Chernobyl?

    Breaking news from Russia’s frozen Northwest, where a total of four nuclear-monitoring stations have been silenced. The Wall Street Journal says that’s twice as many as last week, “heightening concerns among observers that Russia is trying to hide evidence from an explosion at a missile-test site this month.”

    Some background.

    Russia has been developing a nuclear-powered cruise missile, the 9M730 Burevestnik or “Petrel” missile. To be clear, that’s a missile powered by nuclear fission, not a missile “merely” carrying a nuclear warhead. On August 8, it’s believed that a Petrel exploded during testing, killing five employees of Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy producer. Three others were injured. That we know of.

    https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/is-russia-hiding-another-chernobyl/

  4. Hong Kong riot laws “old fashioned;” can be fixed with English common law | Avi Yemini

  5. Trump: Jews who vote for Dems uninformed, disloyal

    President Donald Trump says Jewish people who vote Democratic show either a “lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

    Trump commented amid his ongoing feud with two Democratic congresswomen who were blocked by Israel from entering the country.

  6. Nigel Farage on Hong Kong: Trump is the First Global Leader To Call Out China [CPAC Australia]

  7. Walmart is suing Elon Musk’s electric vehicle and clean energy company after Tesla solar panels atop seven of the retailer’s stores allegedly caught fire, according a court filing.

    The Walmart suit alleges breach of contract, gross negligence and failure to live up to industry standards. Walmart is asking Tesla to remove solar panels from more than 240 Walmart locations where they have been installed, and to pay damages related to all the fires Walmart says that Tesla caused.

    The Walmart suit, filed in the state of New York, alleges that: “As of November 2018, no fewer than seven Walmart stores had experienced fires due to Tesla’s solar systems-including the four fires described above and three others that had occurred earlier.” The filing details evacuations, damaged property and inventory.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/20/walmart-sues-tesla-over-solar-panel-fires-at-seven-stores.html

  8. Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh bans offering namaz on the roads across the state.
    OpIndia Staff | Lucknow | Aug 17, 2019:: After the successful implementation of a limited ban on offering Namaz on roads in some parts of the state like Meerut and Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh has decided to impose a complete ban on offering namaz on roads across the state.

    Confirming the ban, Director-General of Police (DGP), OP Singh, on Tuesday said direction had been issued to all districts police chiefs and other authorities to ensure that no namaz was offered by blocking roads. “On special occasions, when a large crowd gathers for offering prayers on festivals, it could be allowed by the district administration, but this practice will not be allowed as a routine during every Friday prayer,” he said.

    The DGP furthered that after attaining success in cities like Meerut and Aligarh, the district officials have been asked to hold meetings with clerics and mosque administrations of various districts to sensitize them on how namaz on roads interrupted smooth traffic flow and caused other problems.

    He confirmed that the Aligarh district administration had apart from holding such meetings with clerics and mosque administrations, had also issued a detailed circular for not allowing namaz on roads and it was imposed successfully.

    Singh furthered that other communities would also not be allowed to hold similar religious gatherings on roads if it interrupted the traffic flow or caused inconvenience to others.

    https://hinduexistence.org/2019/08/17/a-northern-state-in-india-completely-bans-road-namaz/

  9. At least 1,200 people were killed and close to 200,000 were displaced in northeast Nigeria in 2018 alone due to the brutal and genocidal campaign being waged by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram. To date, nearly 30,000 have been killed and two million displaced.

    The group, which literally means “secular education is forbidden,” is indiscriminate in its mission, targeting Christians as well as Muslims they do not agree with.

    Elsewhere in Nigeria, killings by Muslim herdsmen against Christian farmers have been occurring for decades, leaving at least 1,600 people dead and another 300,000 displaced in 2018.

    Clarion Project contributor Mario Alexis Portello, a Catholic priest based in Florence, recently visited Nigeria. The following is his report:

    An unreported tragedy ignored by both the Western media was recent killing of Father Paul Offu in Enugu (southern Nigeria) at the hands of Islamic Fulani herdsmen.

    The former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote an open letter to current President Muhammadu Buhari, warning him of the risk of a “Rwandan-style genocide” of Christians in Nigeria if the government does not take immediate measures to stop the violence.

    Buhari has yet to have condemned the Fulani militants as terrorists (he stems from the same tribe), making it appear that this is all part of a well-organized operation to exterminate Christians in Nigeria altogether.

    https://clarionproject.org/first-hand-report-why-is-the-world-ignoring-this-genocide/

  10. The feud between freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Miss Iraq (Sarah Idan) challenges the long-held media and political bias that Omar is representative of the American Muslim community. The conflict between the two Muslim women arose when Idan called out Omar in a radio interview.

    Speaking with conservative host Sara Carter earlier this month, Miss Iraq shared:

    “Omar does not represent me as a Muslim, [she] does not represent millions of Muslims in the Middle East. You know, like in Arab countries we call her the Muslim Brotherhood.”

    Miss Iraq came into the global spotlight after a selfie she took with Miss Israel went viral, trigging immense backlash against Miss Iraq from Muslims who still do not see Israelis as human beings. The anti-Semitic hate Miss Iraq received is the same rhetoric we see coming from Ilhan Omar.

    Equally frustrated with having Ilhan Omar pushed onto us as representative of the American Muslim identity, Idan drew strong support from powerful Muslim voices against Islamism, including media analyst and TV anchor Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi journalist based in the U.S.

    Aqidi challenged Ilhan Omar to a direct interview, one Muslim immigrant woman to another.

    @IlhanMN I dare you to give me a 30 minute face to face interview. From one Muslim immigrant to another. If you have the courage to face someone other than your AlJazeera @ajmubasher friends. #DaringOmar4Interview

    — Dalia Al-Aqidi (@Dalia30) August 13, 2019

    As a Muslim woman and an American, I stand with Sarah Idan and Dalia Al-Aqidi: Ilhan Omar does not represent American Muslims.

    Recently, a clash between progressive Islam and Islamists occurred against during the first annual Muslim Caucus, where Ilhan Omar attacked progressive Muslim leader, Ani Zonneveld, who runs circles around Omar in terms of accomplishment and human rights initiatives.

    As I pointed out in an article published in The Federalist Ilhan Omar represents two things, the district that elected her and Islamists:

    It is not possible to peg Omar as representative of a collective Muslim identity. However, she checks off the boxes for Islamist representation, and that comes down to three key factors:

    First: Vitriolic hate for Israel, while blurring or tolerating gross anti-Semitism alongside sloppy scrutiny of Israeli policies.

    Second: Absolute disinterest in good faith engagement and dialogue with non-Islamist personalities, particularly Muslim reformers.

    Third: Using Western political channels to advance the agenda of Islamic supremacism, where Islam is narrowly defined by a small segment of a Muslim demographic. This demographic drives the public narrative through a visible Muslim identity, which must currently be seen as oppressed or victimized to gain additional public favor and tolerance that then reinforces the underlying supremacism.

    https://clarionproject.org/ilhan-omar-vs-miss-iraq-the-feud/

  11. Last week, the Washington Examiner’s Byron York published a piece exposing the New York Times’ latest tactic to take down President Trump and skew reporting. The audio of the New York Times leaked town hall meeting was first reported by Slate.

    The paper’s executive editor Dean Baquet instructed reporters to shift the focus from the now debunked Trump/Russia collusion to Trump’s alleged racism.

    “We built our newsroom to cover one story, and we did it truly well,” Baquet said. “Now we have to regroup, and shift resources and emphasis to take on a different story.”
    Sara Carter, an award-winning investigative journalist, told Sean Hannity Monday night that the New York Times’ latest move is failing its readers and dangerous for the country.

    “As an investigator, you go out, you see it, you collect the evidence, and then you report it to the American people or to the local community that I was covering,” Carter told Hannity, referencing her previous work at the Daily Bulletin, in Ontario, California.

    That’s exactly what Carter’s been doing since the genesis of her career.

    Carter reported from inside Mexico in some of the most dangerous drug cartel strongholds. She, like many other war correspondents, traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to report from the front lines of the war on terror.

    Carter told Hannity, “The New York Times did not want to know the truth because had they wanted to know the truth they would’ve been right there with us all along, uncovering the same information that we uncovered throughout the last two and a half years.”

    https://saraacarter.com/sara-carter-the-new-york-times-executive-editor-should-be-fired/

  12. CBC – Canadian soldier could lose job for alleged neo-Nazi links

    The Canadian military is assessing whether a member suspected of recruiting for a global neo-Nazi terrorist group will keep his job.

    The Department of National Defence said it is investigating whether army reservist Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews isinvolved in The Base, an organization that promotes hate.

    • RCMP raid Beausejour home of army reservist identified as neo-Nazi recruiter

      RCMP officers raided the Beausejour home of a Canadian Army Reserves leader identified as a recruiter for a violent neo-Nazi paramilitary organization on Monday night, neighbours say.

      Earlier Monday, the Free Press reported Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, 26, an active Winnipeg reserves combat engineer, holds membership in The Base, which represents the most violent, radical fringes of the far-right hate movement.

      Neighbours told the Free Press Mathews was taken out of his house and into custody by officers late Monday evening, as police vehicles and officers lined the quiet street. In a video obtained by the Free Press, RCMP officers can be heard addressing Mathews over a speaker, announcing they had a search warrant for the house and asking him to exit with his hands in the air.

      In a written statement, Manitoba RCMP spokesman Robert Cyrenne said the Mounties executed a public safety warrant at a residence in Beausejour at about 10 p.m., but did not specify whether it was Mathews who was taken into custody. Several firearms were seized.

      The investigation is ongoing and there is no one in custody at this time, Cyrenne said.

      Mathews’ extremist activity and affiliation with the hate group are under investigation by both the Armed Forces and the RCMP. A report has also been filed with the provincial Chief Firearms Officer, the official responsible for administering gun licences. Mathews is known to have several long guns and a pistol.

      Meanwhile, Col. Gwen Bourque, commander of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group, spoke to reporters on a teleconference call this morning.

      Bourque said Mathews is a “Class A” part-time soldier and last worked for the reserves in May. He is next scheduled to work in September, and he remains an active member while the military’s investigation is ongoing.

      She stressed recent claims made against Mathews in the Free Press are allegations. She also said Mathews’ explosives training was “rudimentary” and he has no access to military weaponry.

      In a previous report, the Free Press said combat engineers — the position Mathews holds in the armed forces — are trained as “explosives experts,” citing a military source.

      Mathews would not comment when approached by a reporter outside the home Tuesday morning.

      Sarah Lockhart, who lives three houses down the street from the raided house, said she had no idea what was happening when sirens started blaring outside her window Monday night as she was watching a movie with her four-month-old daughter, Peyton.

      Suddenly, the street was lined with more than a dozen police

      “My house was surrounded,” said the 25-year-old. “I was like, ‘What is going on?'”

      Lockhart said she saw a man handcuffed and taken into custody at the end of the street, and said RCMP stayed at the scene until close to 1 a.m. Tuesday. She said she didn’t know much about the man she saw taken into custody, and that the incident will likely affect the community’s sense of safety.

      “I think people are shaken up,” she said. “People will definitely be getting to know their neighbours after this.”

      https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/rcmp-raid-beausejour-home-of-army-reservist-identified-as-neo-nazi-recruiter-556707052.html

  13. The mother of a US citizen murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack slammed Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Tuesday for her comments on Israeli security checkpoints, saying, “checkpoints prevent terrorism — save lives.”

    Frimet Roth, whose 15-year-old daughter Malki was killed in a Jerusalem terror attack in 2001, cited Tlaib’s statement on checkpoints at a press conference following Israel’s decision to bar her from entering the country.

    https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/08/20/a-checkpoint-would-have-saved-my-daughter-mother-of-us-terror-victim-pushes-back-against-rep-rashida-tlaib-comments/

    • In the US, every public gov’t building (including many a school) has checkpoints. Highways at 70 miles from southern border have a line of checkpoints across that part of the US. Public streets on 3-day weekends have check-points. When was the last time RT left the House to get to know the country of her birth?

  14. Haftar Vows to Defeat Any Plot to Set up Foreign Bases in Libya (aawsat, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1864126/haftar-vows-defeat-any-plot-set-foreign-bases-libya

    “Commander of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, vowed that his forces will defeat any “plot to build foreign bases that support and finance terrorism in Libya.”

    In his first comments on the LNA’s destruction of a Turkish military base in Misrata city, he revealed that he personally oversaw the airstrikes against Turkish operations centers.

    The LNA had destroyed on Sunday an under-construction Turkish base near the air force academy in Misrata, 200 kilometers east of Tripoli.

    Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord have yet to comment on the development.

    LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari had stated over the weekend that the air force academy had “almost transformed into a Turkish military base.”

    Addressing a press conference in the eastern city of Benghazi, he displayed a map that showed before and after images of the construction of hangars housing Turkish drones in the city.

    He warned that allowing the completion of the construction would have deepened the crisis in Libya.

    “We therefore, opted to target it with airstrikes” that achieved their goals, he stressed.

    He also warned anyone against interfering in Libyan affairs in such “flagrant” ways, saying they will meet the same fate of the Turkish base

    “This strategic military action is directed towards Turkey and traitors, not Misrata or any other party,” Mismari clarified.

    Addressing the Libyan people, he said: “We are fighting for you. We did not arrive from abroad. We are the people of Libya and this war is aimed against conspirators who are plotting against the country in Misrata and seeking to sell a peace of its precious land to Turkey.””

  15. US, China Warn of ISIS Resurgence in Syria (aawsat, Aug 20. 2019)
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1864976/us-china-warn-isis-resurgence-syria

    “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged on Tuesday that ISIS terrorists are gaining strength in some areas but said the group’s capacity to carry out attacks has been greatly diminished.

    “It’s complicated. There are certainly places where ISIS is more powerful today than they were three or four years ago,” Pompeo said in an interview with CBS “This Morning.” But he said the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate is gone and its attack capability has been made much more difficult.

    Pompeo was asked about a New York Times report that the extremist group was gaining new strength in Iraq and Syria.

    President Donald Trump said in December that US troops succeeded in their mission to defeat ISIS in Syria and were no longer needed in the country. “We won,” he said at the time.

    Pompeo said the plan to defeat ISIS in the region was executed with 80 other countries and was very successful.

    In Geneva, a senior Chinese official said there was a danger of ISIS re-emerging in Syria and called for progress in the political process between the Damascus regime and the opposition to end the war.

    “There is now a danger of terrorist organizations like ISIS being revived, we see some signs in some of the places,” Chinese Special Envoy Xie Xiaoyan told reporters after talks with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen.

    “So, the fight against terrorism needs to be continued. They need to be finished,” he added. “The international community should pay attention to the early warning.”

    China has also long urged a diplomatic resolution to Syria’s civil war.

    Its top diplomat and State Councilor Wang Yi said in June that China will continue to support Syria to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and fight against terrorism, and will help with Syria’s economic reconstruction efforts.”

  16. US demands that Turkey should cease all activity in Cyprus waters (memo, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190820-us-demands-that-turkey-should-cease-all-activity-in-cyprus-waters/

    “The US State Department has called on the Turkish authorities to remove its drilling vessels from the territorial waters around Cyprus and to cease immediately any “unlawful activities”.

    The demand comes as Turkey has established a significant presence in the waters off the Mediterranean island; its Yavuz, Fatih and Barbaros research vessels are drilling in search of natural gas and energy reserves. Yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that a fourth Turkish ship, the Oruc Reis research vessel, is en route to the area.

    In response to questions from the Greek-language news outlets Hellas Journal and Cyprus News Agency, the State Department said that, “This provocative step raises tensions,” and that only the government of Southern Cyprus can consent to the drilling and any other activities within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Turkey claims that the EEZ also belongs to the northern administration of the island, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which it supports.

    The State Department added that the development of natural resources in the Mediterranean should promote cooperation and lay the foundation for sustainable economic prosperity and energy security. The comments echo those made by the US Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber, in early June, in which she expressed her deep concerns over Turkey’s drilling operations and urged it to halt the exploration for energy reserves in the surrounding waters. “Resources should be equitably shared between both communities in the context of an overall settlement,” the ambassador insisted. “It is our earnest hope that such resources will soon benefit a united Cyprus.”

    The US demand follows increasing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean region over the past couple of months, after the Turkish vessels were sent in retaliation for a deal struck by Greece, Southern Cyprus and Israel in early June, in which the three states agreed to build a pipeline harnessing the reserves of natural gas off the southern shores of the island. The “EastMed” pipeline, which is estimated will produce a profit of $9 billion over eighteen years, will supply gas from the eastern Mediterranean region all the way to countries in Europe.

    The tripartite deal, backed by the US, angered Turkey and prompted it to demand equal access to the resources, a share of the reserves for itself and the TRNC, and a stake in the deal, which was rejected. Turkey then insisted that it will continue its drilling activities off the shores of Cyprus until its offer has been accepted, and that it is determined to protect the rights of the island’s Turkish population and northern Cypriots.

    Since Turkey’s seizure of the northern part of Cyprus in 1974 for the protection of its Turkish inhabitants, the two sides have faced disputes and tensions, as well as an attempt to hold talks. In 2017, these talks collapsed but, despite this, the Greek Cypriot side has continued to explore energy resources around the island.”

  17. More than a hundred migrants feared dead off Libya coast (reuters, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-libya/more-than-a-hundred-migrants-feared-dead-off-libya-coast-idUSKCN1VA1VI

    “Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Tuesday it fears that a boat packed with migrants sunk off the Libyan coast with more than a hundred people dead.

    “We have every reason to fear the worst – that over 100 lives were lost and nobody will ever know for sure,” MSF said in a statement on Twitter.

    The Libyan coast guard was not immediately available for comment.

    Libya is a hub for migrants and refugees, many of whom try to reach Europe in unseaworthy boats.

    A boat carrying about 250 people, mainly from Eritrea and other sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries, capsized last month off the coast near Komas, east of the capital Tripoli.

    Libyan coast guards and local fishermen rescued 134 people while about 115 were missing, bringing the death toll of Mediterranean migrants to over 600 this year.

    That put 2019 on course to be the sixth year in a row with more than 1,000 deaths, UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley said at the time.”

  18. Yemen’s Houthis down U.S. drone in Dhamar governorate: spokesman (reuters, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-houthis/yemens-houthis-down-u-s-drone-in-dhamar-governorate-spokesman-idUSKCN1VA2C6

    “Yemen’s Houthi movement’s air defenses on Wednesday downed a United States drone MQ-9 in Dhamar governorate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, the group’s Al-Masirah TV quoted the group’s military spokesman as saying.

    “We are aware of reporting that a US MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen. We do not have any further information to provide at this time,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday.

    Last June, the U.S. military said Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.”

  19. Pakistan to take Kashmir dispute with India to world court (gulfnews, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://gulfnews.com/world/pakistan-to-take-kashmir-dispute-with-india-to-world-court-1.1566308810486

    “Pakistan said on Tuesday it would take the Kashmir dispute with India to International Court of Justice (ICJ), after New Delhi revoked special status for its portion of the region earlier this month, to the fury of Islamabad.

    “We have decided to take Kashmir case to the International Court of Justice,” foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told ARY News TV.

    “The decision was taken after considering all legal aspects.””

  20. CHESTER, Pa. (AP/Meredith) — An Uber driver has been found guilty of raping an intoxicated woman he picked up at a casino near Philadelphia.

    Ahmed Elgaafary was found guilty Thursday of rape of an unconscious person, sexual assault and indecent assault.

    Elgaafary, 27, of Lansdale, will be sentenced at a later date and then likely deported to Egypt, where he is a citizen, said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

    The driver picked up the woman at Valley Forge Casino Resort in February. Assistant District Attorney Vincent Robert Cocco told the jury that the driver stretched the 15-minute ride to the woman’s home into a 53-minute one to assault her in the backseat.

    He charged her for the longer ride and for vomiting in his car, adding an extra $150, Cocco said.

    “She should have been safe,” he said. “He knew she was vulnerable. He knew she was alone. He knew she was too drunk.”

    Elgaafary’s lawyer, Melissa Berlot McCafferty, argued the sex was consensual. She told the jury the woman seduced Elgaafary and he initially lied rather than admitting he’d cheated on his pregnant wife.

    https://www.fox5vegas.com/uber-driver-convicted-of-raping-drunk-passenger/article_ea934855-f74e-55cf-a78a-90de60955c40.html

  21. The Trump administration on Tuesday formally notified Congress of a potential $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that China fiercely opposes.

    Details of the sale, posted to the website of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, includes 66 F-16C/D aircraft, spares and related equipment.

    The administration’s decision to move ahead with the sale is likely to infuriate China at a time when President Trump is hoping to secure a trade agreement with Beijing.

    Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of China — objecting to past U.S. arms sales to the island state — though Taiwan is largely self-governing.

    https://thehill.com/policy/defense/458166-trump-moves-forward-with-8-billion-f-16-sale-to-taiwan

  22. ‘Genocide underway in occupied Kashmir,’ warns AJK president (dawn, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.dawn.com/news/1500619/genocide-underway-in-occupied-kashmir-warns-ajk-president

    “Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan on Tuesday warned that a “full-fledged genocide” is underway in Indian-occupied Kashmir after the Bharatiya Janata Party revoked the special status the valley was accorded under Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Khan said: “People are being picked up and murdered, before being buried in unmarked graves.

    “Women are being humiliated; almost 6,000 people have been picked up and put into jails and they will be detained for up to two years without being given any reason.

    “All of these are key indicators of genocide in any region, and, because of the media shutdown, reports of these offences are not making it out of the valley.”

    Khan said the intensity of Indian atrocities is such that international media — “which usually gives a one-sided account of what is happening in the valley” — have chosen to report on the plight of the Kashmirir people.

    “I thank the international media for not choosing one-sided reporting at this time,” Khan said.

    “The meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Kashmir, which happened after a long gap of 50 years, is also a positive step. However, this is not the final step in the fight for the Kashmir cause; rather, it is the first step and we have to go a long way for our Kashmiri brethren

    “The next step is for the UNSC to act upon a three-pronged agenda. This includes bringing an end to genocide in Kashmir; the reversal of India’s illegal attempt to merge Kashmir with itself; and giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination.

    “These three points are based on the UNSC’s own charter and the council is bound to address them even if no country raises the issue,” Khan argued, adding that the UNSC should now hold an open session on Kashmir.

    Khan further warned that a humanitarian crisis is developing in occupied Kashmir and people there are faced with shortages of food items and medicines.

    “A humanitarian corridor should be established by non-governmental organisations from various countries to provide basic amenities to the people of occupied Kashmir,” the AJK president proposed.

    The address came just as news of more arrests in the disputed territory broke around the world as the Indian clampdown entered its 16th day.

    Indian security forces detained 30 people overnight in Srinagar, local officials said. The arrests were made in an attempt to keep a tight lid on protests over the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP government’s decision to strip the region of its autonomy.

    Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump spoke to Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, urging them to reduce tensions over Kashmir. “A tough situation, but good conversations!” Trump said in a Twitter post after the calls, referring to the two leaders as “friends”.”

  23. Afghan Ambassador to Spain beaten up, €17,000 worth watch looted in Barcelona (khaama, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/ex-afghan-ambassador-to-spain-beaten-up-e17000-worth-watch-looted-in-barcelona-03701/

    “A group of thieves looted the Afghan Ambassador to Spain after beating him in Barcelona, it has been reported.

    The media outlets in Spain have reported that the thieves attacked Mr. Massood Khalili on a roadside in Barcelona on Sunday evening.

    Meanwhile, the sources are saying that the thieves managed to steal the hand watch of Mr. Khalili which was having a value of 17,000 Euros.

    However, the sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the thieves attacked Ambassador Humayoon Rasa in Barcelona.

    The sources said the Ambassador had visited a ceremony to mark the 100th Independence Day of Afghanistan in Barcelona.

    The sources also added that the Ambassador suffered injuries in his leg but his condition is satisfactory now.

    According to reports, there has been a sharp rise in violence during the recent months in Barcelona which is one of the most frequented cities by tourists in Europe.”

  24. Indian State on high alert amid reports of terrorists’ intrusion from Afghanistan (khaama, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.khaama.com/indian-state-on-high-alert-amid-reports-of-terrorists-intrusion-from-afghanistan-03710/

    “A group of four terrorists have reportedly intruded into the Madhya Pradesh State of India putting the state on high alert, it has been reported.

    The security forces launched extensive searches in several districts of the State late on Monday after receiving intelligence reports regarding the intrusion.

    The authorities have released the sketch of one of the suspects which they circulated in all police stations, outposts and check-points.

    The suspect is believed to be from Kunar province of Afghanistan, one of the eastern provinces located along the Durand Line close to the tribal regions of Pakistan.

    Militants linked with Taliban, ISIS, Haqqani network, al-Qaeda and other terrorist outlets are active in some restive parts of Kunar province.

    Meanwhile, the authorities have said it is not known how the terrorists made their way into but they were last seen in Gujarat and Rajasthan.”

  25. Attacks are ‘becoming the new normal’ for French firefighters (thelocal, Aug 20, 2019)
    https://www.thelocal.fr/20190820/attacks-are-becoming-the-new-normal-for-french-firefighters

    “Since the end of June, French firefighters have been taking industrial action in a row about resources – but also the rising number of attacks they face on duty. Caroline Pierron finds out more.

    The weekend started off badly for Aix-en-Provence firefighters. Overnight between Friday and Saturday, as they were trying to resuscitate an 80 year-old man in the Jas-de-Bouffan neighborhood, the two men were warned their emergency vehicle was being stolen.

    Alors qu’ils tentaient de sauver un homme en arrêt cardiaque cette nuit à Aix, les #Pompiers13 se sont vus dérober leur véhicule de secours (VSAV).
    Mettre en péril la vie d’autrui en empêchant les #pompiers de réaliser leur mission est inconcevable.
    ? Stop aux incivilités. pic.twitter.com/WHbUIreRhs

    — Pompiers 13 (@Pompiers_13) August 17, 2019

    The firefighters finally found their truck, 20 metres away from the scene with one side ripped off, stuck between a wall and another car. The station has filed a complaint.

    On Saturday, in the city of Noisy-le-Roi near Paris, a 15-year-old assaulted the firefighters who came to help him. The three men were intervening after a call from the young man’s mother, who feared he would die after he supposedly mixed pills and alcohol.

    When they arrived, the teenager threatened to ”snuff them”. He kept on punching and kneeing the firefighters until they managed to control him.

    pompiers78 @pompiers78 [AGRESSION] Hier les @pompiers78 ont subi une violente agression alors qu’ils portaient secours à une victime qui s’est retournée contre eux. Bilan, 3 SP hospitalisés, 2 en arrêt de travail. #inacceptable, STOP ! RESPECTEZ nous ! #TouchePasÀMonPompier pic.twitter.com/K2Fyab83Cc

    — pompiers78 (@pompiers78) August 18, 2019

    Two of the three men had cuts and bruises on their faces – they will be unable to work for six and 10 days respectively. The young man was held in custody after being taken care of in hospital.

    Finally, on Sunday, a Corsican firefighter was injured by the man he was helping.

    Although the call-out unfolded normally, the injured man started to become physically threatening towards first responders who took care of him upon arriving to the Calvi hospital.

    One of the punches thrown by the patient landed on the head of Patrick Renaud, a 52-year-old firefighter. His wound required six stitches and took him out of work for eight days.

    [CUMUNICATU]
    Pompier agressé dans l’exercice de sa mission.
    L’ensemble des membres du Conseil d’Administration et du personnel du @sdis2b se joignent au #PCASIS @GuyArmanet et au #DDA @JjPeraldi pour condamner un acte indamissible et apporter son soutien à leur collègue SPV. pic.twitter.com/oCUewE3i9W

    — SIS Cismonte (2B) (@sdis2b) 18 août 2019

    It is believed the 23 year-old man who injured M. Renaud was drunk – as in the two previous cases, the station filed a complaint.

    Since 2017, firefighters experienced a rise of 23 percent rise in the number of assaults during interventions. To tackle this worrying phenomenon, a decree allowing first responders to wear personal cameras to film interventions was issued last month.

    “The population is being abandoned. Emergency services cannot meet people’s needs anymore and firefighters are the last link in this chain,” André Goretti, president of firefighters’ union the Fédération autonome des sapeurs-pompiers professionnels, told Franceinfo.

    He went on to explain: ”We need to provide an adequate response [for each intervention], but it takes time because we have fewer human resources. We take longer to intervene and people are getting irritated.

    “When they feel like the response is not appropriate, they take it out on emergency crews.”

    Firefighters unions will hold a new vote on August 27th to vote on a possible extension of the ongoing actions. Bound to provide a minimum service, their means of protest are limited to hanging banners in front of stations and wearing armbands and shirts reading En grève – On strike.

    Sadly, firefighters are not the only ones affected by this rise of brutality.

    Doctors also suffer from acts of violence – 1,126 incidents involving general practitioners were reported in 2018 – 1,035 in 2017 – reaching an all-time high. These attacks included verbal and physical violence, vandalism and in some cases stealing.

    Doctors usually cite the refusal of prescribing a certain drug, of counterfeiting a medical certificate, or a long waiting time as the main reasons patients cross the line.”

  26. MEMRI –German-Egyptian Scholar: “Catholic Marriage” of Public Sentiment, Politics, Religion Must Be Broken

    German-Egyptian scholar Hamed Abdel-Samad said in an August 8, 2019 interview on Al-Hurra TV (U.S.) that in order for the Arab world to honor freedom of religion more, a compromise must be reached stating that freedom of religion cannot be separated from the freedom to criticize religion.

    He also said that the “Catholic marriages” between public sentiment, political rule, and religious authority must be broken up.

    Abdel-Samad explained his statement, saying that since Arabs view religion as the only thing that defines identity, they see challenges to religion as personal attacks rather than as new ideas.

    He further explained that the political leadership in the Arab world should draw legitimacy from things other than public sentiment and religious authority, and he said that the religious authorities “pounce like rabid dogs” when religion is challenged because religion is their source of income.