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.

Central Banks have ended their agreement to cap sales.
The music still plays and everyone dances, while dutiful landlords quietly position their chairs for when the music stops.
http://fofoa.blogspot.com/?m=1
Iran Warns Israel of Consequences of ‘Aggression Against Syria, Lebanon, Iraq’ (sputniknews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201908261076639797-iran-warns-israel-of-consequences-after-attacks-in-syria-lebanon/
“The statement comes hours after the chief of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, took to Twitter to say that Israeli airstrikes in Syria and the crash of two alleged Israeli drones in Lebanon “were the last struggles” of Israel.
Iranian authorities have issued an ominous warning to Israel, saying that it should understand that its recent “aggressive actions” in the region will have consequences, as Iraq, Syria and Lebanon have the right for self-defence.
“Israel must understand the consequences of its aggressive actions and that they come at a price”, Iranian Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said at a Monday news conference broadcast by Iranian television.
Aistrikes on ‘Iranian’ Targets in Syria
The comments by Rabiei followed Israel’s confirmation on Sunday that it had conducted airstrikes on what it described as “Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militia targets” in Syria to foil a professed attack by multple drones on the Jewish state.
“Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression. I have directed that our forces be prepared for any scenario. We will continue to take determined and responsible action against Iran and its proxies for the security of Israel”, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A senior Iranian official has denied that Iranian forces had been hit in the air raid.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has, meanwhile, voiced support for “Israel’s right to defend itself from the threat posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps”.
Alleged Israeli Drones Crash in Beirut
In a separate development, two alleged Israeli drones crashed near the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Saturday, with one of them exploding in the air and reportedly damaging the Hezbollah media centre in the city’s suburbs.
The drone episode caused Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Saad Hariri to accuse Israel of being a “threat to regional stability” and violating a 2006 UN resolution that ended a war between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv. Israel has yet to comment on the incident.
The movement’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, said, in turn, the drones that fell over Beirut were on a “suicide mission” and pledged to “do everything” to thwart such attacks in the future. He added that the time when Israel could bomb Lebanon was “over”.
Israel’s Purported Strikes in Iraq
It was reported last week that Israel had carried out several strikes in Iraq, including the 19 July attack north of Baghdad that targeted a base allegedly used by Iran’s IRGC.
Prime Minister Netanyahu fuelled the speculation by hinting at Israel’s role in the attacks on ammunition depots in Iraq belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) composed of mostly Shia Muslim groups.
“We’re acting not only if required, we’re acting in very many theatres against a state that seeks to annihilate us. Obviously I’ve given the security forces the order and the operational freedom to do what is necessary in order to disrupt these plots by Iran. And obviously I’ve also led, and in many ways continue to lead, a global effort against Iran”, he told Channel 9 when asked whether Israel acts in Iraq “if required”.
The prime minister vowed to not give Iran immunity “anywhere”, describing the Islamic Republic as a country that is “trying to establish bases against us everywhere, [including] Iran itself, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen”.
Israel, which views Iran and Hezbollah to be among its main rivals in the region, previously admitted to conducting hundreds of airstrikes against Syria in the past several years, claiming that they were aimed at countering a professed Iranian military presence in the country. While Damascus has strongly condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, Tehran has repeatedly stressed that its presence in Syria has been limited to sending advisers to help fight terrorism.”
Yemeni Houthis Reportedly Launch Drone Attack on ‘Important Target’ in Saudi Capital Riyadh (sputniknews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201908261076641071-yemeni-houthis-reportedly-launch-drone-attack-on-important-target-in-saudi-capital-riyadh/
“In recent months, the Yemeni Houthi movement has intensified drone and missile attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities. The coalition has reacted by striking the movement’s positions in northern Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthis have stated that they attacked an “important target” in the Saudi capital Riyadh with an armed drone, Reuters reported citing a spokesman.
Saudi Arabian authorities have yet to comment on the claim.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition announced that a drone launched by the Yemeni Houthi movement toward the kingdom had been intercepted and shot down in Yemeni airspace. The coalition’s spokesman, Col. Turki Maliki said, as quoted by the Saudi Press Agency that all attempts made by the Houthi militia to launch a drone “are doomed to fail”. According to the spokesman, the coalition is taking all operational measures necessary to protect civilians.
The report comes a day after the Yemeni Houthi movement reported that they fired ten ballistic missiles targeting Jizan Airport. The Saudi-led coalition stated that it had intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis from the Saada Governorate in western Yemen.
For several years, Yemen, a small nation in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, has been immersed in an armed conflict between government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi movement.
The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi’s request since March 2015, with the militants retaliating against the attacks. US drones are often used in Yemen to eliminate suspected terrorists.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW”
Iran sells oil from detained tanker Grace 1 to mystery buyer after it was released by Gibraltar to the fury of US (dailymail, Aug 26, 2019)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7395075/Iran-sells-oil-detained-tanker-Grace-1-mystery-buyer-released-Gibraltar.html
“Iran has sold the oil which was on a detained tanker to a mystery buyer after it was released by Gibraltar earlier this month.
The Adrian Darya 1, formerly named the Grace 1, was seized by Gibraltar police and British special forces on July 4 and detained for six weeks.
It had been suspected of being used to ship oil to Syria which would have been in breach of European Union sanctions.
Today Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said: ‘The Islamic Republic of Iran has sold the oil of this ship and right now the owner and buyer of the oil decides… what the destination of the consignment will be
Mr Rabiei, who was quoted by state media, did not identify the buyer or say whether the oil had been sold before or after the tanker’s detention in the Strait of Gibraltar, on Spain’s southern tip.
A court in the British territory ordered the tanker’s release on August 15 despite a last-minute legal bid by the United States to have it detained.
The Adrian Darya 1 set sail three days later for the eastern Mediterranean, carrying 2.1 million barrels of oil worth more than $140 million.
The tanker’s final port of call is unknown. It had initially listed its destination as Kalamata, Greece before switching it to Mersin, Turkey.
Rabiei said the sale and delivery of the oil would go ahead despite the ship being tracked by the United States.
‘The destination is determined by the owner of the oil,’ the Iranian government spokesman said, according to state television.
He accused the United States of ‘constantly monitoring’ the tanker and threatening other countries not to receive it.
‘This is more evidence for America’s interference at the global level,’ he said…”
Maltese Politician Praises Salvini for Halting ‘Organized Crime’ of Mass Migration (breitbart, Aug 26, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2019/08/26/maltese-politician-praises-salvini-for-halting-organized-crime-of-mass-migration/
“Maltese local councilor Justin Schembri has praised Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini for standing up to the European Union (EU) on the migration issue, not “letting his country be accomplices” in the “wave of organized crime” occurring on the Mediterranean Sea.
In reference to Salvini’s reiterated promise that as long as he is in office no one will enter Italy without permission, Schembri said he wished leaders of his own country would emulate the Italian.
“That you have a politician ready to put his foot down and defend what he believes in is something to be appreciated,” Schembri wrote in a Facebook post.
“In the past, our country’s great leaders also put their feet down and defended Malta in accordance to what they believed in, and that’s how it should be,” he said.
A member of Malta’s Nationalist Party (PN), Schembri said that despite the emotional outcry against him, Salvini is behaving as a politician should.
“Maybe many stamp Salvini with the term ‘racist,’ but he is likely a sensible person because he wants to stop this planned trafficking, an at the same time not let his country be accomplices in this wave of organized crime,” Schembri said.
“I do not agree with Salvini on a lot of things, including that his country has a crisis of a serious lack of work, so much so that many Italians are going looking [for jobs] in other countries, including Malta, but one must admire that he is capable of standing up to the European Union and his Prime Minister,” he said.
Mr. Salvini has actually listened to the Italian people on the matter of mass migration and is doing something about it, Schembri said, whereas in Malta nobody seems to have enough “guts” to put his foot down.
“Today’s politicians have the obligation to defend what belongs to our children and they are failing us all the time because they are not listening to the call of the people,” he said.”
Young Afghan women barely remember Taliban but fear a return (abcnews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/young-afghan-women-barely-remember-taliban-fear-return-65188939
Indonesia to move capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan (abcnews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesia-move-capital-jakarta-east-kalimantan-65189761
“Indonesia’s president has announced that the country’s capital will be moved from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to East Kalimantan province.
President Joko Widodo told a news conference Monday the decision to choose the province on the Indonesian side of Borneo island, which is shared with Malaysia and Brunei, has gone through in-depth studies.
He said the most ideal site for the new capital will be between Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara districts.
Indonesia’s decades-long discussion about building a new capital on Borneo inched forward in April when Widodo approved a plan for it to move from Jakarta on Java island, the nation’s most populous.
Jakarta is a sprawling metropolis of 10 million people that swells to three times that number when counting those living in its greater metropolitan area.”
Iraq coalition says Israeli strikes are ‘declaration of war’ (abcnews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-coalition-israeli-strikes-declaration-war-65191119
“A powerful bloc in Iraq’s parliament is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq following a series of airstrikes blamed on Israel targeting Iran-backed Shiite militias in the country.
The Fatah Coalition said on Monday it holds the United States fully responsible for this Israeli aggression, “which we consider to be a declaration of war on Iraq and its people.”
The coalition is a parliament bloc representing Iran-backed paramilitary militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The coalition’s statement came shortly after a drone strike in the western Iraqi town of al-Qaim killed a commander with the forces — the latest in strikes apparently conducted by Israel against the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
The statement adds that U.S. troops are no longer needed in Iraq.”
Decided to take a walk yesterday afternoon with my boys. It was a lovely day. We thought we’d go look at old comic books and musical instruments downtown.
As the city blocks passed us going north, we saw more and more people wearing rainbows. We realized is was Pride Day parade day.
Old married couples, young women, old women, families with baby strollers, some wearing t-shirts advertising their support for LGBQXYZ–seemingly every walk of life was on its way to merrily express solidarity for sexual dysphoria.
It crossed my mind to turn around. The closer we got to downtown the more the demography changed. Exotic creatures in colourful plumage emerged from the side streets. I decided we had the fortitude to forge on.
“If this were normal none of us would be here,” I said to the boys, unecessarily, before we arrived in the thick if it.
It seemed as if participants competed for the ugly prize. I don’t say this to be mean, but a 60-year old fat guy in a thong? Or a half-dozen women (?) In s&m costumes and mock burkas? Fat, homely women with half-shaved heads competed with skinny young sissy boys for attention. Here was their day. This was their moment. Such was their glory. The village Mayor had just “come out”. Freedom was in the air. The spawn of the fatherless was on the march. The smell of pancake makeup wafted through the sweat of late-August heat.
It was clear to me that not even the meekest challenge to this Inclusion and Diversity rodeo would be tolerated. A man handing out little plastic rainbow flags spat “why?” when I shook my head at his offer. We just kept going. This wasn’t the place to gather moss.
Every government body and department seemed to have a representative tent or float. Firemen and cops wore Hawaiian-styled rainbow things around their necks. I always thought public officials were supposed to be a little stiff and apolitical. Impartial. How else to fairly dispense law and order? These cops and firemen looked quite happy to be virtue-signalling to their heart’s content while probably getting paid overtime for it. The City announced it was giving big money for sexual dysphoria tourism. I saw now the passive precursor to the violent fascistic behavior we see displayed by London police.
Weaving our way onward through the throngs and thongs we finally arrived at our comic book store. Immediately inside the doorway were comics and books for the statistical anomolies celebrating the day. The normalization of deviancy has been a wildly successful campaign that has turned into a political juggernaught. One of my lads bought a Green Lantern comic from the ’70s.
On our way home we took the long route to bypass the party. Feeder stream side streets continued to send people like desperate spawning salmon to the big river. A large, husky fellow wearing a pretty yellow summer dress with white flowers thundered past us like a charging snorting rhino. I bet his girdle was just killing him.
I wondered, if a gay man comes out of the closet, does this mean a gay midget comes out of the cupboard?
Last night I dreamt the City followed the Pride Day parade with a Nuclear Family Day parade. I wondered how big the closet is for those folks now.
Thank you for this essay, you really write well.
“The normalization of deviancy has been a wildly successful campaign that has turned into a political juggernaut.”
Yes, yes it has.
“… the city followed the Pride Day parade with a Nuclear Family Day parade.”
I haven’t followed this issue very closely but I understand that several attempts were made to organize Straight Pride parades. In one case, Modesto CA, the parade was permitted and went forward. It was met with a huge protest, people screaming, deliberately setting off car alarms and, once again, calling the straight people fascists, Nazis and intolerant. I believe one group that applied for a permit in MA were denied.
Saying that this deviancy has been normalized would be quite accurate. And I just wonder how these protesters and never ending advocates for “pride” justify their intolerance and lack of inclusion of what they have come to refer to as “breeders”. You tolerate and include me, all the way down to preschoolers at a public library, and I will be as nasty and foul as I want to you…
It reminds me of another social dynamic endemic in all Western countries that is demanding that the dominant culture bow to their demands. They have a lot in common.
Thanks Babs. And yes, a reciprocal event by normal people is not allowed. That’s why I put us into our own big closet.
CBC -Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson celebrates Pride in the open
Is College Worth It?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 4 Step Plan
Gun Control is victim disarmament and people control, when the individuals are forbidden to have the tools necessary to do defend themselves they are forbidden to defend themselves. Look at Britain and other heavy handed gun control nations, they are busy making self defense a felony.
Have you ever noticed that the gun control people and groups all support big government that intrudes into all aspects of your life? They refuse to accept the idea the individual responsibility, they think that society as a whole is to blame for all evil actions of the individual. They want as many people to be dependent on the Central Government as is possible, they want power, not money but power. They are not concerned about the safety of anyone or any group (besdies themselves and their families) they want power to push people around. They are the adult version of the school yard bullies, in earlier years they were considered to be either criminals or busybodies who should mind their own business. Now they are considered politicians and national leaders that we are all suppose to accept as unfailable and must be blindly obeyed.
Once again look to Europe and the communist nations for the end results of gun control and the results that always follow it.
WATCH a triggered leftist ASSAULT me in ‘self-defence’
Australia is becoming as bad as Britain.
3 Common Manipulations by Reporters in the Corporate Media
360 views
“NYT’s Bret Stephens: Trump ‘Either Mentally Unwell or Morally Unfit, Maybe Both’” by pam Key – August 25, 2019
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/08/25/nyts-bret-stephens-trump-either-mentally-unwell-or-morally-unfit-maybe-both/
“Major Fentanyl Shipment from China Seized in Mexico”
by Robert Are – August 25, 2019
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/08/25/25-tons-of-fentanyl-from-china-seized-in-mexico/
“Police in Hong Kong are randomly arresting unarmed citizens. They will “disappear” in mainland China once extradited. Understand why protesters are terrified for each other and fighting back.”
Ian Miles Cheong – August 26, 2019 – Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/stillgray/status/1165894000445837312
“HUGE! China Caves — Announces Willingness to Seek Calm End to Trade War After Markets Crash”
by Jim Hoft – August 26, 2019
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/huge-china-caves-announces-willingness-to-seek-calm-end-to-trade-war-after-markets-crash/
“Best ad showing the dems and socialist don’t have a prayer! Thank you @greggutfeld this is awesome!!!!”
Karli Bonne – August 24, 2019 – Twitter
https://twitter.com/kbq225/status/1165453104856358913
Someone could drop a dump truck of this drug on my front lawn and I wouldn’t touch it.
The question is why our society allows others to touch it.
I think I have some answers but it is just too depressing to go into today.
This is another degeneracy the left is using to destroy the West, we let them get too much power and are now facing total chaos in all Western Nations.
Indian Navy on Alert as Intel Suggests JeM Training Terrorists to Conduct Seaborne Attack (sputniknews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201908261076643645-indian-navy-on-alert-as-intel-suggests-jem-training-terrorists-to-conduct-seaborne-attack/
“India’s Naval Chief Admiral Karambir Singh claims that the military possesses intelligence that the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group is training terrorists in order to conduct a seaborne attack on India.
India’s naval chief has said that coastal security has been put on high alert due to the received information.
“We have intelligence that the underwater wing of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed is being trained. We are keeping complete track on this and we assure you, we are on high alert. We will not let anything happen in the country. We are fully alert. These guys are just being trained for an underwater attack”, Admiral Singh told reporters on the side-lines of an event in western Pune.
India has had its armed forces on high alert ever since the government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated the state into two federally administered territories. The decision evoked a strong reaction from Pakistan, with its army threatening to “firmly stand by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end”.
Protesting India’s move, Pakistan expelled the Indian envoy to Islamabad, downsized its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, suspended trade, and cut communication links.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since they gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both govern the region in parts, but claim it in full. They have also fought two wars over Kashmir.”
Hong Kong police seen drawing guns, pointing them at protesters
Hong Kong government warns of great danger after weekend of violence
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Illegal violence is pushing Hong Kong to the brink of great danger, the city government said on Monday, after a weekend of clashes that included the first gun-shot and the arrest of 86 people, the youngest just 12.
Police fired water cannon and volleys of tear gas in running battles with protesters who threw bricks and petrol bombs on Sunday, the second day of weekend clashes in the Chinese-ruled city.
Report Ad
Six officers drew their pistols and one officer fired a warning shot into the air, police said in a statement, adding that 215 rounds of tear gas and 74 rubber bullets were fired over the two days.
“The escalating illegal and violent acts of radical protesters are not only outrageous, they also push Hong Kong to the verge of a very dangerous situation,” the government said in a statement.
The protests began in mid-June over a now-suspen
https://www.oann.com/hong-kong-police-arrest-36-youngest-aged-12-after-running-battles-with-protesters/
Hong Kong police arrest 29 after clashes, more protests planned
Violence escalates on the streets of Hong Kong | DW News
1,250 views
“Mom Shares Hilarious Before And After Of Daughter’s First Day Of School”
Weasel Zippers – August 25, 2019
https://www.weaselzippers.us/430622-overnight-open-thread-mom-shares-hilarious-before-and-after-of-daughters-first-day-of-school/
I’m sorry, but that is pretty funny.
When one of my sons was in preschool we held a birthday party and invited the entire class. One of the girls showed up dressed like a princess; she had the cutest party dress on and these sweet white tights with little pink rosebuds embroidered on them.
By the time her mother came to pick her up the dress was a filthy mess and the tights were shredded!
What a great kid! Sorry Mom…
I am so happy that it was the 80’s. If it was today she might have been put on transgender hormone therapy.
3 Reasons Why It’s Hard To Talk To Commies
CBC – Pro-Bernier billboards call for stop to ‘mass immigration’
Billboards urging people to vote for the People’s Party of Canada with the slogan, “Say no to mass immigration” have been popping up across the country.
Party leader Maxime Bernier says they were put up by a third-party that has nothing to do with the PPC, but also says he agrees with the message.
CBC – Bernier blames ‘totalitarian leftist mob’ for decision to scrap billboards against mass immigration
Billboards’ owner said he’d remove ‘say no to mass immigration’ signs after criticism
Maxime Bernier is blaming a “totalitarian leftist mob” for the decision to take down billboards promoting his controversial stance on immigration.
The leader of the People’s Party of Canada is complaining of censorship after the owner of the billboards, featuring Bernier’s face and a slogan advocating against mass immigration, said he would remove the ads in response to an outpouring of criticism.
Bernier says his political opponents and the “leftist mob” want to stifle discussion of immigration and keep him out of the election debates.
Nova Scotia’s Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil was one of the first politicians to criticize the billboards last week, tweeting: “I don’t welcome this negative, divisive tone. Our population is at an all-time high, unemployment is at a record low and our economy is growing, in large part thanks to immigration.”
The mayor of Hamilton also spoke out against the sign, saying his family moved to Canada from the Netherlands for “a better future.”
“Immigrants have and will continue to make our country better,” he said on Twitter.
Billboard owner changes course
Pattison Outdoor Advertising, which owns the billboards, originally said that if anyone had an issue with the content, they should contact the third-party group running them, True North Strong & Free Advertising Corp.
But the company has changed course, saying it never meant to offend or alienate anyone and that the ads would come down.
Bernier has said the 350,000 immigrants Canada accepts every year is too high a number. His party platform says it inflates housing prices and that other political parties use “mass immigration” as a tool to buy votes from immigrant communities.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/maxime-bernier-billboard-immigration-peoples-party-1.5107132
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
Lilley Unleashed Are Bernier’s billboards backfiring?
global News – Canadians respond to controversial anti-immigration billboard
+ video
The People’s Party of Canada featuring the party’s leader Maxime Bernier promotion of the party’s anti-immigration policy has sparked controversy after a political campaign billboard was put up across several provinces denouncing mass immigration in Canada.
The company who owns the billboard said it will remove it in response to the backlash. Morganne Campbell has more.
https://globalnews.ca/video/5814988/canadians-respond-to-controversial-anti-immigration-billboard
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.
city news toronto – Billboard owner targeted over anti-immigration ads
city news – Anti ‘mass immigration’ billboards up across Canada
PPC Candidate Announcement in Toronto – Maxime Bernier
Bernier launches campaign in Quebec
Immigrant Candidate Baljit S. Bawa sends a clear message to Canadians.
3 Economic Principles You Need to Know
Uh-oh: Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system
In China, scoring citizens’ behavior is official government policy. U.S. companies are increasingly doing something similar, outside the law.
Have you heard about China’s social credit system? It’s a technology-enabled, surveillance-based nationwide program designed to nudge citizens toward better behavior. The ultimate goal is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step,” according to the Chinese government.
In place since 2014, the social credit system is a work in progress that could evolve by next year into a single, nationwide point system for all Chinese citizens, akin to a financial credit score. It aims to punish for transgressions that can include membership in or support for the Falun Gong or Tibetan Buddhism, failure to pay debts, excessive video gaming, criticizing the government, late payments, failing to sweep the sidewalk in front of your store or house, smoking or playing loud music on trains, jaywalking, and other actions deemed illegal or unacceptable by the Chinese government.
It can also award points for charitable donations or even taking one’s own parents to the doctor.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90394048/uh-oh-silicon-valley-is-building-a-chinese-style-social-credit-system
Allahu ackbar
https://twitter.com/Boss_Hogue/status/1165575867252248577
Is Amazon’s Surveillance Machine Secretly Infiltrating Police Departments?
Big Tech has come under fire quite consistently for privacy concerns and has even faced big fines for violations (which they can afford). It seems that public attention on this matter has forced them to start going underground, with secret back-end deals with the government at local levels to expand their surveillance capabilities.f you haven’t heard, there is a very useful doorbell camera called Ring. Ring started out as a product called, Doorbot, on the Shark Tank TV show but was rejected. The owners got immediate exposure and millions of dollars from investors after the show, changing the name from Doorbot to Ring. Fast forward five years, and Amazon decides to compete with Google’s friendly surveillance system called Nest, and buys Ring for A Billion Freaking Dollars.
f you haven’t heard, there is a very useful doorbell camera called Ring. Ring started out as a product called, Doorbot, on the Shark Tank TV show but was rejected. The owners got immediate exposure and millions of dollars from investors after the show, changing the name from Doorbot to Ring. Fast forward five years, and Amazon decides to compete with Google’s friendly surveillance system called Nest, and buys Ring for A Billion Freaking Dollars.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-25/amazons-surveillance-machine-secretly-infiltrating-police-departments
BREAKING: Tech Giants to Use Chinese-Style Scoring System on ALL Americans After Successful Testing in Pilot Program on Influential Conservatives
In 2018 Google helped the Chinese Communists develop a social credit scoring system. The scoring system, first announced in 2014, rates China’s one billion citizens based on their behavior and associations. Already, nine million people with low scores have been blocked from buying tickets for domestic flights and trains.
As horrible as this sounds the Silicon Valley tech giants are already using a similar system here in the United States.
And Facebook is using offline behavior to factor into their scoring system.
In June, Breitbart’s Allum Bokhari revealed that Facebook is using a similar social credit scoring system on Americans.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/breaking-tech-giants-to-use-chinese-style-scoring-system-on-all-americans-after-successful-testing-in-pilot-program-on-influential-conservatives/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
euroPRAVDA – Visiting Dubai’s many museums
Dubai – Truckers say long queues leading to illegal sewage dumping
Slaves of Dubai
Brave New World: Uncle Sam is taxing robots as companies invest in advanced tech
It’s a brave new world for the IRS: taxing robots.
Uncle Sam is padding the Treasury with millions of dollars to assess bots at the same time that corporations invest more in advanced technology and labor-saving machinery, according to experts.
New “robot” taxes are expected to multiply in the coming decades as millions of Americans see their jobs automated away.
“Yes, governments already tax robots because they tax virtually everything that goes into developing and making robots,” economist and author Mark Thornton told The Post. “In a few cases, there are subsidies such as government grants for robot development. But that still means they are taxing you and me to provide the subsidies.”
Taxing robots — a proposal first suggested by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2017 as a way for government to tame the inexorable ascent of machines, and to finance new programs like elder care and education — is back on the front burner.
https://nypost.com/2019/08/25/brave-new-world-uncle-sam-is-taxing-robots-as-companies-invest-in-advanced-tech/
G7 summit: Trudeau holds closing press conference | LIVE
PICS – NORWAY
1 –
https://varlamov.ru/3569819.html
2.
https://varlamov.ru/3567630.html
3.
https://varlamov.ru/3566520.html
4.
https://varlamov.ru/3564443.html
5.
https://varlamov.ru/3570344.html
Macron springs Iranian FM on G7; French media report accurately, U.S. media sell anti-Trump narrative
By J.E. Dyer August 26, 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron invited Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to crash the G7 party in Biarritz this weekend. He didn’t try to set Zarif up for a full-scale group grope with the G7, but the timing was still pretty bad.
We’ll get to that in a minute. The bad timing is important, but I think the game played by the U.S. media (and some other Western media) is actually more so.
‘Blindsided’ by the flight
The gist of the game was to report that Trump was “blindsided” by the arrival of Zarif on Sunday. There were variants of this, indicating in less trenchant terms that Zarif’s arrival was a surprise.
The narrative theme being sold is that this was an in-your-face move to highlight the EU’s, or at least France’s, daylight gap with Trump on Iran policy. And clearly, Macron was pulling a stunt. (French media referred to it as a coup de théâtre.) While Macron had a captive audience in Biarritz, any such move would be a stunt. So the counterpoint to be highlighted here is not that it wasn’t a political stunt.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/08/26/macron-springs-iranian-fm-on-g7-french-media-report-accurately-u-s-media-sell-narrative/
Richard: This article is a must read for all who what to know what really happened at the G7 and who are worried about the future. She does a very good job of condemning the Propaganda Media and Macron for his stupid stunt she asks a very good question. Why is China still a member of the G7 since they have done things that are as bad or worse then what Russia did.
Twitter @CBP
Construction crews continue work on the new border wall system along the SW border near San Luis, AZ.
In partnership with @USACEHQ, CBP has constructed over 60 miles of new border wall system along the SW border since 2017 and expects to complete 450 miles by the end of 2020.
https://twitter.com/CBP/status/1165433447181144066
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
Drone captures new section of border wall being built in Arizona
UK: Sex Assault Doctor Who Blamed Attack on Pakistani ‘Cultural Norms’ Allowed to Return to Work (breitbart, Aug 26, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/08/26/uk-doctor-who-blamed-sex-attack-on-pakistan-cultural-norms-back-at-work/
“A Pakistani doctor who blamed his sexual assault on a student nurse on the different “cultural norms” of his home country has been allowed to return to work.
Dr Imran Qureshi, a married Pakistani migrant in his forties, ambushed a 21-year-old student nurse in a ward kitchen at Trafford General Hospital in Greater Manchester, England, backing her into a corner and demanding a hug after touching her neck and chest.
“[The victim] held her hand up to signal for him to move away and told him he was a disgrace. He asked for a hug and she refused but he did it anyway,” the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) was told in 2017.
“Then he grabbed her right breast for a few seconds. Miss A. said he was laughing and trying to make light of the situation and then became aggressive and said that friends do what he was trying to do,” the tribunal heard.
Ultimately, the Pakistani doctor — who had already been convcited of sexual assault in a criminal trial, but was only given a 12-month community order and asked to pay £60 victim surcharge £750 in court — was suspended from practicing, but it has now emerged that he has been allowed to return to work despite the fact his time of the sex offender register has not expired.
Qureshi, who blamed his attack on the fact that “culture norms are different in the UK from Pakistan where he’s from”, had been “complaining he was finding it hard on benefits”, according to a report by the Daily Mirror, and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) ruled that it would not be “appropriate or proportionate to impose a further period of suspension on Dr Qureshi’s registration.”
The MPTS claimeed that “the imposition of conditions will allow Dr Qureshi time to further develop his insight into his criminal offence and conviction” and allow him “to further remediate while, at the same time, protect patients, and maintain public confidence in the profession.”
How it arrived at its judgement that allowing a registered sex offender to return to work would “maintain public confidence in the profession” was not explained, and the Mirror reports that requests for comment on the ruling went unanswered.”
the guardian – Italy’s PD pressed to accept Conte to lead M5S alliance as deadline looms
Outgoing PM whose resignation ended M5S-League coalition government emerges as main obstacle in talks
The leader of Italy’s centre-left Democratic party (PD) is under pressure to relent to demands for Giuseppe Conte to lead a PD-Five Star Movement (M5S) coalition, as the deadline looms for the two parties to strike an agreement and avoid new elections.
The nomination of Conte, the outgoing prime minister who last week ended an ill-fated coalition government between M5S and the far-right League, is the main obstacle in the talks.
The PD leader, Nicola Zingaretti, showed signs of opening up to the prospect of Conte during a PD meeting in Rome on Sunday afternoon, a source close to the discussions said. But then later on Sunday, and again on Monday morning, he told reporters that any “turning point” government required a break from the past, including a change of team.
“I am working for a serious solution … we need to build a shared programme, because parallel programmes were a mistake that Italy is paying for … we can and we must move forward,” Zingaretti said.
Luigi Di Maio, the M5S leader, has refused to back down on Conte, saying last week that the law professor, who was plucked out of nowhere to lead its alliance with the League, was “a rare pearl that Italy can’t lose”.
Zingaretti’s reluctance over Conte stems partly from his preference to have elections rather than team up with a longstanding rival who has already been part of a failed government. The other issue is Matteo Renzi, the PD senator and ex-prime minister who spearheaded the idea, and who still wields considerable influence within the party.
“Renzi said ‘yes’ straight away to Conte … many are trying to convince Zingaretti, but he wants to demonstrate that he is the one in command,” the source added. “Either way, we need to decide today.”
President Sergio Mattarella is expecting to see serious signs of progress towards the creation of a new parliamentary majority before holding fresh consultations with Italy’s main parties on Tuesday and Wednesday. If a viable deal is struck between the PD and M5S by Tuesday, Mattarella could give them more time to formalise a plan. But if the talks implode, he will probably install a caretaker government until new elections.
PD supporters are also pressing Zingaretti to accept Conte. “I think it’s absurd to fight over Conte, he is a decent person who has shown great courage … we have a great opportunity,” wrote one on Zingaretti’s Facebook page. “Why veto Conte?” asked another. “This agreement should have been done over a year ago.”
A Twitter campaign to reinstate Conte was also launched after his blistering attack in the senate last week against Matteo Salvini, who dramatically withdrew his League party from the alliance with M5S earlier this month as he sought to exploit his high popularity to force snap elections and become the next prime minister.
Salvini’s moves have cost the party support: the League has slipped to 33.7% from 38.9% in late July, according to a poll published on Sunday. He also had not banked on the possible M5S-PD tie-up, or that Conte could emerge as his main rival. Conte eclipses both Salvini and Luigi Di Maio in the popularity stakes, commanding 61%, according to a survey on Saturday.
Salvini has made peace overtures to M5S to restore the government. Italian media reported that Salvini and Di Maio were due to meet on Monday, although spokespeople did not respond to a request for confirmation. The chances of them reviving the partnership are remote but cannot be completely ruled out.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/26/italys-pd-pressed-to-accept-conte-to-lead-m5s-alliance-as-deadline-looms
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.
Italy’s Hopes of New Government Hinge on Candidates for Premier
With just two days left to form a new coalition government, the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement remain at loggerheads over who should be Italy’s next prime minister.
The Democrats’ leader Nicola Zingaretti will back Roberto Fico, one of Five Star’s earliest members and the head of Parliament’s lower house, according to a Democrat official who asked not to be named. Five Star’s leader Luigi Di Maio wants to stick with Giuseppe Conte who quit a premier last week as the previous coalition fell apart.
“For the Democrats, Fico represents the most progressive area of Five Star, a sort of anti-Di Maio,” said Giovanni Diamanti, a political analyst and founder of Quorum. “And this is also why Di Maio is behind the scenes opposing the name.”
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
The two main parties on the Italian left are scrambling to bridge years of tribal warfare to avert an election that could open the door to the right wing populist Matteo Salvini,
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
who pulled his party out of the government this month to try to capitalize on his rising popularity and force a new vote. Salvini has signaled he’d launch a renewed assault on the European Union’s budget rules with a promise of a 50 billion-euro ($56 billion) stimulus plan. A League victory would fan concerns about Italy’s mountain of public debt.
Italy’s perpetual political turmoil, the country has had more than 60 governments since World War II, has made it difficult for any sustained effort to right the country’s shaky finances and tame a debt that tops 130% of gross domestic product. Europe’s third-largest economy stagnated in the three months through June. It was the fourth quarter in five that the economy failed to expand.
A new election could jeopardize efforts to get a budget plan passed by the end of the year and President Sergio Mattarella has given the parties until Tuesday to work out a government deal that would spare the country a new vote. During a call Sunday, Di Maio and Zingaretti disagreed again over a new Conte premiership, according to party officials. The leaders are continuing to talk in a bid to find an alternative solution, a Democratic Party official said.
League Awaits
The appointment of Fico as prime minister would be another blow for Di Maio. After 14 months of power-sharing with the League, support for Five Star has dropped from 32% in last year’s general election to less than 17%, according to the latest poll published by Sole 24 Ore Sunday.
A Five Star party official said on Sunday that Fico intends to remain in his role as Lower House head.
Without a deal, Mattarella has made it clear that Italy will be facing new elections, which could bring the anti-immigration League to power. Support for League was near 40% before Salvini pulled the plug on the government. That might be enough for the League to win a working majority in Parliament.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-26/italy-s-hopes-of-new-government-hinges-on-candidates-for-premier
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.
Italy’s PD leader optimistic on government deal with 5-Star after meeting
ROME (Reuters) – Nicola Zingaretti, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party, was upbeat on Monday over the possibility of reaching a government deal with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement after meeting 5-Star chief Luigi Di Maio.
“We are working to give Italy a new government …I think that we are on the right track. I am optimistic,” Zingaretti told reporters.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-politics-govt-zingaretti/italys-pd-leader-optimistic-on-government-deal-with-5-star-after-meeting-idUKKCN1VG1Z2
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.
HUGE! China Caves — Announces Willingness to Seek Calm End to Trade War After Markets Crash
On Friday Joe Hoft posted this report from his home in Hong Kong…
President Trump yesterday announced that the US will increase tariffs on China and then ordered all US firms to begin seeking alternatives to doing business with China!
The Chinese regime is in a perilous position and has only two choices.
The regime can either give the US what it wants or perish.
President Trump recognizes that China is in an all out war with the US in regards to information and economics. For years Western leaders have done nothing but negotiate into weak positions, never standing up to the Communist regime. Former US Presidents treated China like they did Russia 50 years ago, as their superior always giving them what they wanted and never standing up to their abuse and criminal acts.
It is different with President Trump. The President knows he has the authority and ability to inflict a fatal blow to the Chinese economy. The US is arguably in its best economic period in history while China’s economy is its weakest in 30 years.
The President knows that now is the time. China cannot handle the US tariffs while their economy implodes. They are on the brink of a massive economic collapse, so colossal that the regime is in danger of being dethroned!
On Monday after the Asian markets crashed and China announced a willingness to seek a calm end to the US-China trade war.
FOX News reported:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/huge-china-caves-announces-willingness-to-seek-calm-end-to-trade-war-after-markets-crash/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily
Richard: It looks like the Chinese Government is going to do what ever it has to to survive for a little while longer. The Tariffs and the Hong Kong protests/riots have driven them to the ragged edge of survival, they are coming back to the table to talk and given the way the Asian Markets have tanked they will have to make some real concessions and make them fast. The state of the Asian Markets also mean that they are going to have to give the Hong Kong protesters some if not all of what they are demanding. This in turn will increase the internal pressure on the Mainland for reforms.
It also may force China to pull back from the large number of foreign investements they have been making.
It will be very interesting to see what is going to happen over the next few months
Vanity Fair Interviewed Epstein’s Accusers but Never Published Their Report After Epstein Visited Offices… UPDATE: Severed Cat Head in the Yard
The Epoch Times reported on Sunday that ABC and Vanity Fair both interviewed Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers but never published their reports.
And. Vanity Fair pulled their report after Jeffrey Epstein visited the then editor-in-chief at the magazine.
It makes you wonder how many times this was repeated with other so-called news organizations?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/vanity-fair-interviewed-epsteins-accusers-but-never-published-their-reports-after-epstein-visited-offices/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily
Richard: Read the rest of the article to find out about the severed cat head.
Ep. 1052 Troubling Video: They Picked on the Wrong Guy. The Dan Bongino Show 8/26/2019
Germany: Syrian man who posed with severed head charged with war crimes
The 33-year old claims he did not kill and then desecrate the body of an opposing fighter. The suspect is already in prison for lesser crimes.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-syrian-man-who-posed-with-severed-head-charged-with-war-crimes/a-50145173
A 33-year-old Syrian man was charged in the western Germany city of Koblenz on Friday with committing war crimes.
Authorities say they they have concrete evidence that the man fought with the “Islamic State” (IS) terror group for two years, according to a press release put out by prosecutors,
“The accused is suspected of joining armed resistance against the Syrian government in 2012 in the southern city of Dara’a. There is significant suspicion that the accused, at some point between 2012 and September 2014, posed for a picture with the severed head of what is presumably an opposing fighter, mocking the victim even after death and degrading his remains,” the prosecutors wrote.
Syrian refugees who knew the man reported his alleged actions to authorities in Koblenz, according to the statement.
After receiving a warrant to search his electronic devices, police found the image on the suspect’s mobile phone. The man admitted that he was in the picture, but has argued that he did not kill the victim, but simply found his remains under some rubble.
If convicted, the suspect, who is already in prison for other lesser offenses, faces between one and ten years in prison.
‘We Will Continue Our Fight’: Taliban Commander Vows No Peace With Kabul Despite US Deal (sputniknews, Aug 26, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201908261076645556-we-will-continue-our-fight-taliban-commander-vows-no-peace-with-kabul-despite-us-deal/
“As the US and Taliban close in on a peace deal, confusion about the nature of the militant group’s relationship with the Afghan government lingers. While unnamed Taliban commanders have claimed the struggle against Kabul will continue, leading US diplomats insist that peace underlies their budding agreement.
Nine rounds of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, are close to yielding a peace agreement between US forces and the Taliban, a Sunni Islamist militant group that became Washington’s primary adversary after being thrown out of power by the US invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. While US diplomats have insisted that their agreement with the Taliban includes a pledge to seek peaceful resolution with the Washington-allied government in Kabul, two unnamed Taliban leaders told Reuters for a Monday story that their struggle with the Afghan government would not end when the US exits the country.
“We will continue our fight against the Afghan government and seize power by force,” a commander in the militant group told Reuters. “The Americans will not come to the assistance of the Afghan government and its forces in their fight against us.”
A second Taliban commander also noted the coming peace deal with Washington, expected to be signed this week, would see the end of US support for Kabul.
Negotiations between the US and the Taliban began late last year and have conspicuously excluded Kabul representatives, since the Taliban regards the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as an illegitimate puppet government of Washington. The US seeks an exit from the Afghan war, which will enter its 19th year this coming October. The US invaded and overthrew the Taliban as retribution for the group having provided shelter for terrorist group al-Qaeda, permitting them to train and organize for a wave of terrorist attacks against US installations around the world, culminating in the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Fighting has continued unabated since the talks began, however – and it’s been a deadly year. A bomb in a Kabul wedding hall earlier this month killed 63 partygoers and injured 183 – an attack claimed by Daesh, which has expanded its network in the Central Asian country in recent months.
A report published last month by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan found the US was responsible for more civilian deaths in the country than the Taliban. At least 3,812 civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of 2019, which 52% of those deaths firmly attributable to the US and its allies, according to the report.
However, after the Reuters report was published early Monday morning, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad pushed back, tweeting that the anonymous Taliban fighters had all their information wrong and shouldn’t be listened to.
?“A Reuters report quoting two unnamed Talib commanders alleges we will cease support of the Afghan forces as part of any agreement. Not true!” he wrote on Twitter Monday . “No one should be intimidated or fooled by propoganda! Let me be clear: We will defend Afghan forces now and after any agreement w/ the Talibs. All sides agree Afghanistan’s future will be determined in intra-Afghan negotiations.”
The US still has about 14,000 troops in the country, the majority of which are part of the NATO-led Resolute Support in Afghanistan mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan Armed Forces. However, about 5,000 members of that force might be on their way home soon, once the deal is signed, according to a Washington Post report earlier this month who cited anonymous US officials.
The latest report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), published late last month, also noted that Afghan forces are at their lowest levels since 2015. Although the report noted that the intense fighting has been confined mostly to five provinces – Helmand, Badghis, Faryab, Herat and Farah – Resolute Support stopped reporting district control numbers to SIGAR last October, after US President Donald Trump directed them to stop publishing reports the enemy could read.
“They do a report on every single thing that’s happening, and they release it to the public,” Trump lamented in January, at his first Cabinet meeting of the year. “We’re fighting wars, and they’re doing reports and releasing it to the public? Now, the public means the enemy. The enemy reads those reports; they study every line of it. Those reports should be private reports … I don’t want it to happen anymore.””
Hong Kong Protests: A Warning to The West
Far Leftists DEFEND Hong Kong Police, Call Protesters Far Right Fascists
Hong Kong protests: Police defend officer who fired warning shot
Hong Kong police ‘relatives’ call for inquiry into protest clashes
DISTURBING: Fourth Illegal Alien Arrested For Rape This Month In Maryland Sanctuary County (VIDEO)
This is the 4th illegal alien who has been arrested for rape in Montgomery County in the past month.
The Gateway Pundit reported earlier this month that two illegal aliens were arrested in Montgomery County for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl.
Montgomery County became a sanctuary county for criminal illegal aliens last month.
WATCH video for full details:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/disturbing-fourth-illegal-alien-arrested-for-rape-this-month-in-maryland-sanctuary-county-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
BREAKING: Federal Prosecutors in Final Stages of Deciding on Whether to Indict Andrew McCabe
Federal prosecutors are in the final stages of making a decision on whether to indict former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on charges of lying to feds, including under oath.
The potential indictment of McCabe stems from the Inspector General’s findings that the FBI official lied to federal investigators.
McCabe was criminally referred to the US Attorneys office for prosecution in the Spring of 2018 and they are finally getting around to (maybe) indicting him.
The process has been dragged out because of internal deliberations and the case is taking so long that the term expired for the grand jury evidence. One of the lead prosecutors on the case has since left the DOJ out of frustration, according to the NYT.
The New York Times reported:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/08/breaking-federal-prosecutors-in-final-stages-of-deciding-on-whether-to-indict-andrew-mccabe/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
Greek police say 6 migrants killed, 10 hurt in road crash
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greek police say six migrants have been killed and another 10 injured when a smuggling jeep carrying them through northern Greece crashed into an irrigation ditch.
Police say the accident occurred Monday outside the village of Loutra near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis that is close to the Turkish border.
It was unclear what caused the jeep, carrying 16 men from Pakistan and Egypt and two suspected smugglers, to veer into the ditch beside the road.
Police said one of the injured men was in hospital in critical condition, three were severely injured and the others had light injuries.
The two suspected smugglers, identified as a Bulgarian and an Algerian national, escaped on foot but were arrested shortly later.
The migrants are believed to have entered illegally from Turkey.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/08/26/greek-police-say-6-migrants-killed-10-hurt-in-road-crash/
Aug 22 2019 Syrian Forces Fire on Turkish Observation Post, Officials Say
The incident comes after an airstrike halted a Turkish military convoy and killed three civilians on Monday
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/syrian-forces-fire-on-turkish-observation-post-1.7731779
Syrian government forces opened fire on a Turkish observation post in northwest Syria, two Turkish officials told Reuters on Thursday, but there were no Turkish casualties.
The incident came after an airstrike halted a Turkish military convoy and killed three civilians on Monday as the convoy headed south towards another observation post.
Turkey has 12 observation posts in northwest Syria, set up under an agreement with Russia and Iran. On Wednesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said all of Turkey’s observation posts will remain in place, and support to the posts will continue.
ONE DEAD, TWO INJURED IN GREEK MIGRANT CAMP FIGHT: REPORT
The incident occurred late on Saturday in the unit for unaccompanied minors when the boy attacked a group of other Afghan teens with a knife. The cause of the fight is not yet known.
The incident occurred late on Saturday in the unit for unaccompanied minors when the boy attacked a group of other Afghan teens with a knife. The cause of the fight is not yet known.
Some 600 minors are currently staying in the camp, which is designed to house up to 160, ANA said.
At present, thousands of migrants and refugees spend months in Moria and other overcrowded island camps before their applications can be processed.
Greek officials blame the delays partly on the sheer number of applications and appeals by economic migrants without credible claims to refugee status.
Rights groups have warned that the long wait, often without access to information, is harmful to the migrants whose life-threatening journey to Greece and uncertain future has already left many in a fragile mental state.
Greece’s new conservative government has announced plans to speed up its asylum process with the aim of sending rejected applicants back to Turkey.
https://ewn.co.za/2019/08/25/one-dead-two-injured-in-greek-migrant-camp-fight-report
Russian Su-30SM jets complete training flight over Crimea
New online tool to track Chicago gun suspects draws fire
2019-08-25 Source: Associated Press by: Don Babwin
CHICAGO (AP) — After a recent bloody weekend in Chicago, the city’s top police officer reiterated something he’s said many times in recent months: People accused of gun-related offenses are too quickly and easily getting back on the street.
This time, Superintendent Eddie Johnson unveiled a new online tool aimed at illustrating his point by giving the public a quick way to see who’s been arrested on gun-related charges and whether they have posted bail.
“If we’re OK with how things are going, then don’t look at it,” Johnson said as he announced the Gun Offender Dashboard. “But if you want to know why we are suffering from some of the things we are, then take a look at it and come to your own conclusions.”
The tool is part of a public relations offensive to draw attention to what Johnson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot say is a cause of gun violence in Chicago, where more people are fatally shot than in any other city in the U.S.
Source: Associated Press
https://gundynamics.com/articles/new-online-tool-to-track-chicago-gun-suspects-draws-fire?utm_source=deployer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=20190826221602
Sex Slaves Being Held for Ransom by Iran
Young Yazidi sex slaves kidnapped by ISIS in Iraq are being held in Iran and are up for sale. The girls were transferred to Iran by Iranian soldiers from the Syrian city of Kobani, which was once a stronghold of ISIS.
According to Iraqi Yazidi activist Ali Elchansuri, there is a significant number of kidnapped Yazidi girls – and boys— being held in Iran for the last two years.
At present, two of the children have been positively identified. They are both girls, ages 13-14, and were kidnapped by ISIS when the terror group took over the Sinjar region in Iraq in the summer of 2014. During that siege, most of the men and older boys were killed and the women and girls — some as young as six — were taken as sex slaves. The younger boys were made into ISIS fighters.
Iranian officials will only release the children after they have been identified – and for a price.
Speaking to Sputnik News Arabic, Elchansuri said, “The source of this information asked me to come to Iran and said he would set up a meeting for me with the head of the orphanage where they are being held, and if I recognize them, I can take them. But the same source told me that his ‘friend’ will demand $20,000 for each girl – meaning $40,000 for both girls.”
Elchansuri said that he has recordings and pictures that prove the existence of more Yazidi children, but was not at liberty to mention to name of the area or the place where they are being held.
He also said that the Iranian government knows about the children. Although he declined to say specifically, it is understood that the Iranian government is also aware of their soldiers’ demands for ransom money or even that the government is behind the ransom scheme themselves.
https://clarionproject.org/sex-slaves-being-held-for-ransom-by-iran/