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.
The Moroccan Mafia: Europol Hunt Fugitive Gangster Linked to Murder of Witness’s Lawyer in Amsterdam (sputniknews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/world/201909191076840921-the-moroccan-mafia-europol-hunt-fugitive-gangster-linked-to-murder-of-witnesss-lawyer-in-amsterdam/
Hostage Situation Resolved as Police Detain African Refugee Holding Infant Captive in German Wismar (sputniknews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201909191076842445-african-refugee-takes-baby-hostage-in-wismar-germany—report/
“Germany has been facing a major influx of migrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East ever since Chancellor Angela Merkel announced an “open doors” policy in 2015. Some politicians and activists argue that it has resulted in a spike in the number of crimes in the country.
Police forces have managed to resolve the hostage situation in the German city of Wismar at the local Foreigners’ Authority, where a refugee from Africa, allegedly of Ghanaian origin, had been holding an infant hostage for around five hours. A special ops unit has freed the infant and detained the man. The toddler reportedly remained unharmed and was taken into care.
According to the latest information, the infant could be the man’s own child, which he was using as a means to exert pressure on the authorities to let him stay in Germany. The man was reportedly unarmed.
The police cordoned off the building and were conducting negotiations with the man since 14:30 local time. All employees at the Foreigners’ Authority office left the building, according to the head of local administration, Kerstin Weiss. The infant’s state was being monitored by a doctor at all times, as his alleged parent was trying to convince authorities to conduct a parenthood test that would essentially save him from being expelled from Germany.
Germany has seen a major influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa ever since Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her “open doors” policy. This led to several major protests in Germany after multiple incidents involving newcomers resulted in injuries or deaths among the locals. One of the biggest protests rocked the city of Chemnitz in the summer of 2018.”
Taliban Must Be Re-Integrated Into Afghan Society Or They’ll Join Daesh – SIGAR Report (sputniknews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201909191076843423-taliban-must-be-re-integrated-into-afghan-society-or-theyll-join-daesh—sigar-report/
“A new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) warns that Islamic extremist groups like Daesh are on the rise in the Central Asian country, and that if former Taliban fighters aren’t helped with reintegration into society, they could soon flood the ranks of Daesh.
The US watchdog’s Thursday report warns that the estimated 150,000 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan cannot remain exorcised from Afghan government and civil society after a peace deal is reached between the US and the militant group. If they do, the risk is high that they will join the ranks of even more dangerous groups.
“If ex-combatants are not accepted by their communities or are unable to find a new livelihood, they may be vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups or terrorist organizations like the Islamic State,” the report notes.
Daesh, an extremist group which grew out of an anti-US Iraqi cleric’s following in 2008 during the US occupation of that country, has mostly seen its activities confined to Syria and Iraq, but in recent years has sought to expand its network into Central Asia as well as western Africa. However, relationships with other Muslim militant groups, including the Taliban, are rarely peaceful, and just as Daesh found itself opposed by al-Qaeda-aligned militas in Syria, so has it entered bloody conflict with the Taliban wherever the two meet.
At a press conference late last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called attention to Washington’s “double standards” regarding Daesh in Afghanistan, which calls itself Islamic State-Khorasan, and the Taliban, faulting the US for tolerating the presence of 4,000 Daesh fighters in the country’s eastern frontier.
In just a few weeks, the US war in Afghanistan will enter its 19th year. The conflict began on October 7, 2001, when the US invaded the country to oust the Taliban and chase down al-Qaeda, which just weeks prior had claimed responsibility for the September 11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and which Washington charged the Taliban had protected and provided with facilities to plan and train for the attacks.
“Reconstruction” quickly became part of the US mission in Afghanistan, and the US has spent roughly $65 million on reintegration programs for both former Taliban fighters and fighters from other militant groups.
However, “none of these reintegration programs succeeded in enabling any significant number of ex-combatants to socially and economically rejoin civil society,” SIGAR noted.
“Many factors that contributed to the failure of previous reintegration programs persist to this day, creating an environment that is not conducive to a renewed reintegration effort while the insurgency is ongoing,” SIGAR also noted, including a weak economy, weak and disorganized central government in Kabul and the continued insurgency itself.
Since late last year, US diplomats have held round after round of negotiations with Taliban envoys in Qatar in an effort to hammer out a peace deal that would see Taliban fighters lay down their arms and US troops exit the country. However, when US President Donald Trump pulled the plug on signing a final deal after a Taliban attack in Kabul killed a US service member earlier this month, the Taliban pledged a renewed offensive against both the US and the Kabul government. Trump, likewise, promised an “intensified” assault on the group.
Last Thursday, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was subpoenaed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee to explain the peace deal’s collapse.”
The Latest: US, Saudis working to prevent future attacks (abcnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-france-doubts-houthi-claims-saudi-attack-65712171
“The Pentagon says the U.S. military is working with Saudi Arabia to find ways to provide more protection for the northern part of the country in the wake of the drone and cruise missile attack on the kingdom’s oil industry.
Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Pentagon reporters Thursday that U.S. Central Command is talking with the Saudis about ways to mitigate future attacks. He would not speculate on what types of support could be provided.
Other U.S. officials have said adding Patriot missile batteries could be one option, but no decisions have been made. Ryder says a forensic team from Central Command is still in Saudi Arabia, where it’s been examining debris from the strikes.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman says the department is providing the President Donald Trump with military options for any U.S. response, but no decisions have been made. He says the U.S. has a high level of confidence that officials will be able to accurately determine exactly who launched the attacks.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim Saturday’s attack was in response to the yearslong Saudi-led war there, but U.S. and Saudi officials say it was launched from the north. Iran and Iraq lie to the north across the Persian Gulf, while Yemen is in the south…”
Blast in Yemen kills 6 government troops, Saudi officer (abcnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/officials-blast-kills-yemen-troops-wounds-13-saudi-65717558
“Yemeni security officials said Wednesday an explosion targeting a government military convoy killed at least six Yemeni troops and one Saudi Arabian officer.
The blast took place in the eastern Hadramawt province, far from the part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, and also wounded at least 13 soldiers, many of them Saudi.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen has carried out similar attacks in the area.
This was the first such bombing to target Saudi forces in Hadramawt since the Saudi war in Yemen began in 2015…”
The Latest: Aid ship rescues 36 migrants at Malta’s request (abcnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-migrant-stabbed-death-fight-bosnia-camp-65712991
“A rescue ship run by two nonprofit groups has pulled 36 people from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean Sea based on a request from Maltese authorities.
The migrants were taken aboard the Ocean Viking in international waters some 240 kilometers (149 miles) from Malta and 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Women and children were among the three dozen people rescued Thursday evening. Many reported being Algerian and Libyan citizens.
The Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking picked up another 182 migrants from unseaworthy boats earlier this week north of Libya. It now carries 218 passengers who were rescued at sea.
A journalist for The Associated Press witnessed Thursday’s operation from aboard the ship operated by Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee.”
Feds cite Islam focus in review of Duke-UNC language grant (abcnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/feds-cite-islam-focus-review-duke-unc-language-65727089
“The Trump administration is threatening to cut funding for a Middle East studies program run by the University of North Carolina and Duke University, arguing that it’s misusing a federal grant to advance “ideological priorities” and unfairly promote “the positive aspects of Islam” but not Christianity or Judaism.
An Aug. 29 letter from the U.S. Education Department orders the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies to revise its offerings by Sept. 22 or risk losing future funding from a federal grant that’s awarded to dozens of universities to support foreign language instruction. The consortium received $235,000 from the grant last year, according to Education Department data.
Officials at Duke and at UNC-Chapel Hill, which houses the consortium, declined to comment. The Education Department declined to say if it’s examining similar programs at other schools.
Academic freedom advocates say the government could be setting a dangerous precedent if it injects politics into funding decisions. Some said they had never heard of the Education Department asserting control over such minute details of a program’s offerings.
“Is the government now going to judge funding programs based on the opinions of instructors or the approach of each course?” said Henry Reichman, chairman of a committee on academic freedom for the American Association of University Professors. “The odor of right wing political correctness that comes through this definitely could have a chilling effect.”
More than a dozen universities receive National Resource Center grants for their Middle East programs, including Columbia, Georgetown, Yale and the University of Texas. The Duke-UNC consortium was founded in 2005 and first received the grant nearly a decade ago.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ordered an investigation into the program in June after North Carolina Rep. George Holding, a Republican, complained that it hosted a taxpayer-funded conference with “severe anti-Israeli bias and anti-Semitic rhetoric.” In a response to Holding, DeVos said she was “troubled” by his letter and would take a closer look at the consortium.
The department’s findings did not directly address any bias against Israel but instead evaluated whether the consortium’s proposed activities met the goals of the National Resource Center program, which was created in 1965 to support language and culture initiatives that prepare students for careers in diplomacy and national security.
Investigators concluded that the consortium intended to use federal money on offerings that are “plainly unqualified for taxpayer support,” adding that foreign language and national security instruction have “taken a back seat to other priorities.” The department cited several courses, conferences and academic papers that it says have “little or no relevance” to the grant’s goals.
“Although a conference focused on ‘Love and Desire in Modem Iran’ and one focused on Middle East film criticism may be relevant in academia, we do not see how these activities support the development of foreign language and international expertise for the benefit of U.S. national security and economic stability,” the letter said.
Investigators also saw a disconnect between the grant’s mission and some academic papers by scholars at the consortium. They objected to one paper titled “Performance, Gender-Bending and Subversion in the Early Modern Ottoman Intellectual History,” and another titled “Radical Love: Teachings from Islamic Mystical Tradition.”
The letter accused the consortium of failing to provide a “balance of perspectives” on religion. It said there is “a considerable emphasis” placed on “understanding the positive aspects of Islam, while there is an absolute absence of any similar focus on the positive aspects of Christianity, Judaism or any other religion or belief system in the Middle East.”
It added that there are few offerings on discrimination faced by religious minorities in the Middle East, “including Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Yadizis, Kurds, Druze and others.” Department officials said the grant’s rules require programs to provide a “full understanding” of the regions they study.
Jay Smith, a history professor at UNC and vice president of its chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the letter amounts to “ideologically driven harassment.” He said the Education Department official who signed the letter, Robert King, “should stay in his lane and allow the experts to determine what constitutes a ‘full understanding’ of the Middle East.”
But Holding, the Republican who sparked the investigation, said it’s clear the consortium stepped outside the bounds of the grant. The Education Department has an obligation to ensure its funding is used as intended, he said, adding that other schools should make sure they’re following the rules.
“This has fallen through the cracks, and this could be going on at other educational institutions,” he said in an interview. “If the department’s providing the money and giving guidance on how the money is to be used, I think they can be as in the weeds as they need to be.”
The National Resource Center grant program provided a total of $22 million to language programs at about 40 universities last year. Of that total, about $3.5 million was for Middle East programs.
Along with its objection to the nature of the UNC-Duke offerings, the department also said it is concerned that, out of 6,800 students enrolled in the consortium’s courses, just 960 were enrolled in Middle East language classes, and that only 11% of the program’s graduates pursue careers in government, while 35% takes jobs in academia.
Department officials instructed the consortium to provide a “revised schedule of activities” for the next year and to explain how each offering promotes foreign language learning and advances national security interest.”
Multicultural Malmo Police Tell Public to Watch Out for Bombs (breitbart, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/09/19/multicultural-malmo-police-tell-public-watch-out-bombs/
“The police in the multicultural southern Swedish city of Malmö are warning the public to be on guard at night in case they come across a bomb.
The city’s police put out the warning this week due to an increase in explosions in the last several years, Sveriges Radio reports.
Police officer Göran Holmgren said that despite the relatively low risk of being hit by an explosion, the public should still be on alert saying: “We want to alert people to be a little more cautious. If you see something strange, a bag or a package… A bomb can look like anything.”
The warning comes following the discovery of a live hand grenade at a school in Skogshöjden this week. The school was forced to be partially evacuated while a bomb squad arrived on the scene and disposed of the grenade.
Bombings and explosions have greatly increased in Sweden since the start of the year, with Malmö, in particular, seeing a large proportion of the explosions.
The city saw 58 explosions in 2017, 45 in 2018, and 23 as of late August, including an incident that left a 12-year-old child injured in April when an explosive went off outside the girl’s house, causing smashed glass from her window to fly into her bedroom as she was sleeping.
A man from Malmö was also arrested in August in connection to an alleged bombing that took place outside a tax board office building in Copenhagen in neighbouring Denmark. This week, another man, aged 22, was also arrested in Malmö and is considered a suspect in the incident.
Many have expressed serious concern over the rise in explosions and shootings in Sweden, with even Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf publicly speaking out on the issue.”
Peter Schiff on the demise of fiat:
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/schiff-next-crash-will-bring-down-fiat-money-system
Indonesian police say they have arrested 230 people suspected of starting fires (ST, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesian-police-say-they-have-arrested-230-people-suspected-of-starting-fires
Pentagon official: makeshift jails for captured ISIS adherents in Syria ‘not sustainable’ (thedefensepost, Sep 19. 2019)
https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/19/syria-isis-prisons-unsustainable/
“A U.S. Defense Department official said the long-term detainment of tens of thousands Islamic State fighters and their families in makeshift prisons in northeast Syria is unsustainable and that the United States aims to move detainees to more secure facilities…”
US expects UN help with Turkey’s resettlement of Syrian refugees into border zone (thedefensepost, Sep 19. 2019)
https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/19/us-resettlement-syria-refugees-border-zone/
“The United States expects the United Nations and other international non-governmental organizations to help “facilitate” a proposed resettlement of Syrian refugees living in Turkey into a planned buffer zone along Syria’s northeastern border, a Pentagon official said.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Defeat-ISIS Task Force Director Chris Maier said that the U.S. is willing to support a Turkish plan to move Syrian refugees across the border, but stopped short of offering specifics…”
Italy ‘willing to join’ European military intervention initiative, government says (thedefensepost, Sep 19, 2019)
https://thedefensepost.com/2019/09/19/italy-military-european-intervention-initiative/
“Italy’s government said on Thursday, September 19 that it is ready to join a European military coalition to react to crises near the continent’s borders, as the country’s new government rekindled ties with the E.U.
The announcement follows a Wednesday visit to Rome by French President Emmanuel Macron for talks with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte aimed at turning the page on Italy’s previous anti-European Union populist government.
“Italy has officially communicated its willingness to join” the European Intervention Initiative EI2, “providing its particular national expertise in the security sector in the Mediterranean region,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
It described the European Intervention Initiative as “an innovative approach to cooperation in defense, inspired by the ideas of “political interoperability” and “strategic anticipation.””
The idea behind EI2 is to develop the capability to rapidly deploy on joint military operations, civilian evacuations, or disaster relief.
Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom have signed up to the French-led initiative, which was formed in June last year and is outside European Union and NATO frameworks.
French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly said at the time that the European Intervention Initiative is “clearly an initiative that allows some non-E.U. states to associate,” noting that the U.K. “wants to maintain cooperation with Europe beyond bilateral ties” after Brexit.
Macron, who was the driver of the idea, has called for a “real European army.”…”
Saudi Arabia Wins IAEA Board of Governors Membership (aawsat, Sep 19, 2019)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1909946/saudi-arabia-wins-iaea-board-governors-membership
“Saudi Arabia won a membership in the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday, the state news agency SPA reported.
The Board is one of the two policy-making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference of IAEA Member States.
The Board examines and makes recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA’s financial statements, program and budget. It considers applications for membership, approves safeguards agreements and the publication of the IAEA’s safety standards. It also appoints the Director General of the IAEA, with the approval of the General Conference.
The Board generally meets five times per year: in March and June, twice in September (before and after the General Conference) and in November.”
Imran Khan pledges full support during meeting with Crown Prince (SG, Sep 19, 2019)
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/577760/SAUDI-ARABIA/Imran-Khan-pledges-full-support-during-meeting-with-Crown-Prince
“Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, held wide ranging talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Thursday.
At the outset of the meeting, the Pakistani prime minister strongly denounced the attacks on Saudi Aramco’s plants in Abqaiq and Khurais. He pledged Pakistan’s full support and stand with Saudi Arabia with all its capabilities in confronting these acts of sabotage…”
At Least 9 Killed in Suspected Boko Haram Attack in NE Nigeria (tasnimnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/09/19/2099917/at-least-9-killed-in-suspected-boko-haram-attack-in-ne-nigeria
“At least 9 people were killed in an attack suspected to have been carried out by terror group Boko Haram in a village in Nigeria’s northeast region…”
REALISTIC GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR THE CLIMATE CRISIS/CLIMATE EMERGENCY
I wouldn’t want the trolls to claim I was misquoting Margaret Thatcher, so here are the full quotes from her magnificent book Statecraft – Strategies for a Changing World, which was published in 2002, almost 2 decades ago. Both are from Chapter 11 – Capitalism and its Critics. The first paragraph under the heading of HOT AIR AND GLOBAL WARMING reads (my boldface):
“The doomsters’ favorite subject today is climate change. This has a number of attractions for them. First, the science is extremely obscure so they cannot easily be proved wrong. Second, we all have ideas about the weather: traditionally, the English on first acquaintance talk of little else. Third, since clearly no plan to alter climate could be considered on anything but a global scale, it provides a marvellous excuse for worldwide, supra-national socialism.”
&
” Kyoto was an anti-growth, anti-capitalist, anti-American project which no American leader alert to his country’s national interests could have supported.” Bob Tisdale
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/09/19/realistic-glossary-of-terms-for-the-climate-crisis-climate-emergency/
STATES MUST PROTECT UNBORN BABIES & GOD-GIVEN RIGHTS
video – 10 mins 40 secs
POLICE EXPLAIN WHY PRESTON ‘HATE RANT’ TAXI DRIVER WILL NOT BE CHARGED
Police have confirmed they will not be charging a taxi driver who was recorded slurring a racist rant threatening to rape Christians who had converted from Islam. Olivia Baron
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/police-explain-preston-hate-rant-16939126
https://d.tube/v/vladtepesblog/QmehTxa4HPQJfb4vUKrWVWy7xyZvpTAWndDKei6wTGuZDj
Saudi jets helping Israel strike pro-Iran militias on Syria-Iraq border (memo, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190919-saudi-jets-helping-israel-strike-pro-iran-militias-on-syria-iraq-border/
“Saudi fighter jets joined Israeli ones in a recent campaign to strike pro-Iran Shia militias on the Syria-Iraq border, an unnamed western source told the Independent newspaper’s Arabic site.
“Saudi fighter jets have been spotted along with other fighter jets that have attacked facilities and positions belonging to Iranian militias,” the source told Independent Arabia, referring to the airstrikes on the Iranian-backed militias in the Albukamal area of eastern Syria on Monday night. There were reportedly four airstrikes that night, in which five to 16 Iraqi militants were killed.
It is believed that the attacks conducted by Saudi and Israeli jets targeted positions belonging to the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and according to the source, Iran was set to use the sites to hit other targets following the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities on Saturday…”
Bull.
I was wrong!
But it’s complicated. More is coming out today.
US allocates $10m grant for family planning in Egypt (memo, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190919-us-allocates-10m-grant-for-family-planning-in-egypt/
“The Egyptian cabinet yesterday approved a presidential bill to amend the aid grant agreement signed between Egypt and the United States on improving health outcomes for target groups.
The amendment aims to provide $10,050,000, as a contribution from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to enhance the quality of family planning services and reproductive health, according to local media.
The Egyptian Cabinet headed by Mostafa Madbouly also approved the presidential resolution on the fourth amendment of the grant aid agreement signed between Washington and Cairo regarding Egyptian-American Cooperation in science and technology.
The amendment aims to provide a sum of $4 million as a contribution from USAID to consolidate the scientific and technological capabilities of the Egyptian and American sides.
It provides for the promotion of scientific and technological cooperation for peaceful purposes, providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas, information, skills and techniques of common interest between the two countries, developing systems for the dissemination and expansion of technology, while providing an appropriate role for the private sector in this respect.
USAID’s program in Egypt, which has seen over $30 billion spent in the country since 1978, backs the country’s development efforts towards promoting health, education as well as achieving economic growth and reducing poverty. It came as part of an agreement which saw Egypt sign a peace treaty with Israel at Camp David.”
Islamic State claims attack in Burkina that killed 24 soldiers (reuters, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burkina-security/islamic-state-claims-attack-in-burkina-that-killed-24-soldiers-idUSKBN1W42QB
“Islamic State claimed responsibility for one of the deadliest attacks against the Burkina Faso military in recent months, the SITE website that tracks militant attacks reported on Thursday…”
Nigerian army says NGO aided terrorists, forces it to close office (reuters, Sep 19. 2019)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-security/nigerian-army-says-ngo-aided-terrorists-forces-it-to-close-office-idUSKBN1W430K
“The army in northeastern Nigeria forced non-profit Action Against Hunger to close its office in the region, accusing it on Thursday of aiding terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State.
The international aid agency said it was ordered by soldiers to close its main office in Maiduguri, Borno state, on Wednesday.
Colonel Ado Isa, the deputy director of army public relations, said Action Against Hunger was warned several times that it was “aiding and abetting terrorists” by supplying food and drugs.
“Consequently, the AAH has been declared persona (non) grata,” Isa said.
The humanitarian group, which focuses on providing water, food and healthcare, particularly in areas plagued by conflict and famine, called on “competent authorities” to let it continue its work.
“This decision, without notice and without any explanation, jeopardizes the assistance Action Against Hunger provides to the most vulnerable people in Borno State and halts, with immediate effect, the assistance Action Against Hunger provides to millions of people in Maiduguri, Monguno, and Damasak,” the group said in a statement.
In July, an Action Against Hunger staff member and five others traveling with her were kidnapped by Islamic State’s West Africa branch.
In total, around 30,000 people have been killed, and more than two million forced to flee their homes, in the decade-long insurgency led by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) split from Boko Haram in 2016.
The United Nations has said that 7.1 million people still need humanitarian assistance in the region.”
U.S. building coalition after Saudi oil attack, Iran warns against war (reuters, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco/u-s-building-coalition-after-saudi-oil-attack-iran-warns-against-war-idUSKBN1W40VN
“The United States said on Thursday it was building a coalition to deter Iranian threats following a weekend attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities…”
PM Imran warns against crossing LoC for Kashmir jihad (tribune, Sep 19, 2019)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2060101/1-pm-imran-warns-crossing-loc-kashmir-jihad/
“Prime Minister Imran Khan warned against any emotional attempt from the people to cross the Line of Control (LoC) from Pakistan, saying on Wednesday any such attempt would, in fact, affect the struggle of the people in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
Talking to the reporters after inaugurating the Integrated Transit Trade Management System at Torkham on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the prime minister reiterated that he would continue to raise the Kashmir issue at every international forum.
Any bid to “wage jihad in Kashmir” would be an act of extreme enmity towards the Kashmiris, he said, adding: “Anyone, who thinks that he will cross the border to join the Kashmiris [fighting for their right], is a big enemy of them and Pakistan.”
Indian authorities, he said, were waiting for “any excuse” to crack down on the region. “They need an excuse … If someone from Pakistan goes to India to fight… It will provide them an excuse for torture and barbarism,” he told a Peshawar-based journalist here.
“Don’t give India an excuse to cover its human right violations in Kashmir. This can make life more difficult for the Kashmiris, who are already suffering at the hands of 900,000 violent and oppressive Indian troops,” he said, adding the government would not allow anyone from Pakistan to cross the LoC.
He stressed that there would be no talks with Delhi until curfew was lifted in the occupied territory. He promised to forcefully present the case of the Kashmiris at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York…”
Detained Taliban militant admits young fighters of the group face sexual abuse (khaama, Sep 19. 2019)
https://www.khaama.com/detained-taliban-militant-admits-young-fighters-of-the-group-face-sexual-abuse-04078/
“A young member of the Taliban group has admitted that the young fighters of Taliban face sexual abuse in the hands of the elder of Taliban fighters.
The Taliban fighter made the confession after being arrested with two other Taliban militants during an operation in Mullah Yaqoob Village of Sarozi district of Paktika, according to a Sada-e Azadi report.
The detained teenage militant has also confessed that they were also cooperating with Taliban militants in planting improvised explosive devices, spying and providing logistics support to the group.
Reacting to the report, the 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement that the recruitment of young men and subjecting them to sexual abuse by Taliban militants is not a new practice.
The statement further added that the Taliban militants recruit young men into their ranks by taking advantage of the ignorance of the young men or coercing them.
Furthermore, the 209th Shaheen Corps said thousands of documents exist which confirm that the Taliban militants recruit, sexually abuse and coerce young men to conduct terrorist related activities.”
U.S. to withdraw and withhold $160m from planned assistance to Afghanistan due to corruption (khaama, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.khaama.com/u-s-to-withdraw-and-withhold-160m-from-planned-assistance-to-afghanistan-due-to-corruption-04081/
“The State Department has announced it would withdraw and withhold $160 million from the planned assistance to Afghanistan due to corruption.
According to a statement released by State Department “We expect the assistance funds we provide to Afghanistan to serve the interests of all Afghan citizens. Due to identified Afghan Government corruption and financial mismanagement, the U.S. Government is returning approximately $100 million to the U.S. Treasury that was intended for a large energy infrastructure project.”
The statement further added it would withhold further $60 million in planned assistance due to the government’s failure to meet benchmarks for transparency and accountability in public financial management.
Furthermore, the State Department said lack of transparency surrounding procurement decisions by the National Procurement Authority is also great cause for concern.
“We also have concluded that the Afghan government’s Monitoring and Evaluation Committee is incapable of being a partner in the international effort to build a better future for the Afghan people,” the State Department said, adding that “We will cease funding to this entity at the end of this calendar year.”
Meanwhile, the State Department said it expect the Afghan government to demonstrate a clear commitment to fight corruption, to serve the Afghan people, and to maintain their trust, insisting that “Afghan leaders who fail to meet this standard should be held accountable.””
Saudi-led coalition launches military operation north of Hodeidah in Yemen (gulfnews, Sep 19, 2019)
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/yemen/saudi-led-coalition-launches-military-operation-north-of-hodeidah-in-yemen-1.1568932700033
“The Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation north of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah against what it described as “legitimate military targets”, State-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Friday.
The coalition asked civilians to stay away from the sites targeted by the operation.
The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthi group after they ousted the internationally recognized government in Sanaa in late 2014.”
Egypt’s Al-Azhar deplores death of 27 children in Islamic school fire in Liberia (ahram, sep 19, 2019)
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/351119/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-AlAzhar-deplores-death-of–children-in-Isla.aspx
“Al-Azhar expressed on Wednesday deep sorrow for the victims of a fire that swept through an Islamic school in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, killing at least 27 children on Tuesday night.
In a statement, the world’s leading Sunni institution extended condolences to the government and people of Liberia for the tragedy, expressing hope that “Allah may grant the families of the victims solace and patience at this hard time.”
The fire, which reportedly started around midnight, gutted a dormitory and the school building where students slept in the suburbs of the Liberian capital.”
Moroccans Increasingly Seek Spanish Asylum Over Sexual Orientation (mwn, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/09/282984/moroccans-increasingly-spanish-asylum-sexual-orientation/
“The number of young Moroccan women seeking asylum in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla because of their sexual orientation is on the rise. Since the start of 2019, more than 300 young Moroccans, identifying as lesbians, have applied for asylum because they feel threatened in Morocco.
While Spanish authorities analyze every application minutiously, the increasing numbers make the situation more complex. The authorities, in collaboration with social workers, perform extensive background checks and investigations for each case before granting asylum.
The asylum-seekers, often aged between 15 and 20, explain that their sexual orientation causes them distress in Moroccan society. They are often harassed and threatened, which endangers their lives.
Moroccan newspaper Assabah states that these asylum-seekers are not only applying to these Spanish enclaves but also to some other European countries. Many European NGOs are encouraging Moroccan homosexuals to cross the Mediterranean, even illegally, to reach Europe and present their case at the European Union Court of Justice in Luxembourg. This institution can provide asylum for LGBT individuals if they face persecution in their home countries.
In October 2016, the case of two Moroccan girls, aged 16 and 17, who were arrested after a passerby caught them kissing on a Marrakech terrace, went viral. An online petition in support of the two girls gathered more than 85,000 signatures from Moroccans and foreigners. The court announced that the girls are innocent of all charges two months after their arrest.
Same-sex relations are illegal in Morocco. Article 489 of the Moroccan penal code stipulates six months to three years in jail for anyone involved in such activity.
In addition to laws forbidding homosexuality, many incidents have been reported where homophobic Moroccans harass and even beat homosexuals in the streets because of their sexual orientation. In August 2017, Moroccan internet celebrity Adam “Adouma” Lahlou was publicly assaulted. The group of attackers hit him in the head, eyes, and neck. They also tore his clothes, insulted him, and threatened to kill him.”
Turkey to deport 2 Daesh-linked terror suspects (aa, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-to-deport-2-daesh-linked-terror-suspects/1588613
“Turkish authorities on Thursday decided to deport two persons over their alleged links to Daesh terror group, a security source said.
Police teams in northern Samsun province raided houses in Ilkadim district, arresting two Iraqi nationals and seizing digital materials, said the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Upon prosecutors’ instruction in the province, the suspects were released to be deported.
Separately, in Istanbul province, eight foreign nationals, including two women, were also arrested for their links to Daesh terror group.
Police teams launched simultaneous operations in six districts to nab those working for Daesh terrorists and were plotting a terror activity.
A number of organizational document and digital materials were also seized in the operations.”
Turkey: Nearly 400 terrorists ‘neutralized’ in 3 months (aa, Sep 19, 2019)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-nearly-400-terrorists-neutralized-in-3-months/1588535
“A total of 396 terrorists, including those wanted with the nation’s red code, were “neutralized” in Turkey’s domestic and cross-border operations over the last three months.
Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
The counter-terrorism operations were supported by the Turkish Armed Forces, police, gendarmerie, and the National Intelligence service (MIT).
According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency, PKK’s terrorist attacks martyred 28 Turkish security forces, besides eight civilians, including children, from June 1 to Aug. 31. Separately, some 40 others, including civilians, were injured in terrorist attacks.
Security forces arrested 1,064 people for their suspected links to the PKK. Some 130 of them were remanded into custody.
Among terrorists neutralized were Serif Yakut, who was on the red, most-wanted category of the Interior Ministry’s list. He was neutralized in the eastern Bitlis province on June 19.
Hulya Kul, codenamed Sevin, was sought with 1. 5 million Turkish liras (around $264,000) bounty on her head when she was neutralized in the eastern Bingol province on July 22. She was on the blue, second most-wanted category of Turkey’s list.
The anti-terror operations in Bitlis also neutralized Unal Dinar, codenamed Eren Karker, on June 16.
On July 28, Ugur Arslan — codenamed Agir — was neutralized in the eastern Agri province.
In mid-August, security forces neutralized Ahmet Boyraz — codenamed Fikri — in the eastern Erzincan province. He was wanted with a bounty of 600,000 Turkish liras ($105,000).
Dinar, Arslan and Boyraz were on the orange category of Turkey’s wanted terrorists list.
In June, terrorist Osman Gulen, codenamed Civan, with a 300,000 Turkish liras ($51,000) bounty on his head, were neutralized in the eastern Diyarbakir.
The same operation also neutralized Cihan Akalin, codenamed Bahoz Velat, who was the perpetrator of the 2016 terrorist attack targeting Merasim Street in the capital Ankara.
Meanwhile, a June operation in the eastern Hakkari captured a perpetrator of the 2016 Istanbul attack which targeted Besiktas Vodafone Park stadium.
In July, Muhammet Fadullah Kamis, codenamed Sevger, was arrested in the eastern Erzurum province with a bounty of 300,000 Turkish liras ($53,000) on his head.
Gulen, Akalin and Kamis were on the gray category of Turkey’s list.
Turkey’s fight against the terrorists continue incessantly.
Operation Claw, an ongoing cross-border operation launched in May 27, targets terrorist in Hakurk, northern Iraq.
Turkey also launched a fresh domestic offensive, Operation Kiran, on Aug. 17 in Van, Hakkari and Sirnak to fight against the terrorists.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.”
Filthy mass-murdering devil Turk.
Migrant repatriations should be handled by EU – Mattarella (ansa, Sep 19, 2019)
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/09/19/migrant-repatriations-should-be-handled-by-eu-mattarella_4b19dd96-3785-4ea8-a294-8110a7ff9789.html
“President Sergio Mattarella stressed the need for share responsibility of the management of migrant flows and argued the EU should handle the repatriations of people whose asylum requests have been rejected after meeting his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday.
“We think that it is necessary for countries to feel the responsibility to activate common redistribution mechanisms and that the EU should assume the duty of repatriations… for those who do not have the right to stay in the EU,” Mattarella said. The Italian president also talked about the economic situation.
“Trade tensions and the threat of trade wars create particularly complicated circumstances, so it is necessary to have measures that stimulate the domestic markets and to develop investment to maintain the balance of our countries’ economies,” he said.”
reuters – ‘Mad Max,’ Canada’s populist candidate, has a score to settle and it could shape the election
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Maxime “Mad Max” Bernier, one of the most right-wing figures ever seen in Canadian federal politics, has a score to settle and nothing to lose – a potent mix that could shape the outcome of next month’s national election.
The 56-year-old Bernier – a former minister of foreign affairs and industry – founded the populist People’s Party of Canada (PPC) a year ago after narrowly losing his bid for the leadership of the main opposition Conservative Party to Andrew Scheer.
Bernier, who has been accused of espousing anti-immigrant views and accommodating white supremacists in his party, called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a hypocrite” after pictures emerged of the Liberal leader wearing brownface at an “Arabian Nights” party in 2001 when he was a 29-year-old teacher at a private school in Vancouver.
“I’m not going to accuse Justin Trudeau of being a racist. But he’s the master of identity politics and the Libs just spent months accusing everyone of being white supremacists. He is definitely the biggest hypocrite in the country.”
When he quit the Conservatives, Bernier, who is from the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, repeatedly attacked Scheer and deemed the party “too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed.”
Bernier has since stolen a page from U.S. President Donald Trump’s playbook – and that of European populists like Italy’s Matteo Salvini – proposing measures unheard of in contemporary Canadian mainstream politics.
They include pledging to build a fence at the U.S. border to crack down on asylum seekers, slashing immigration levels, rejecting the idea that climate change is caused by humans and defunding the public broadcaster.
He even found time to attack 16-year-old Swedish climate advocate Greta Thunberg, calling her mentally unstable.
Bernier’s contempt for political correctness and his rejection of multiculturalism as a “cult of diversity” could pose a real problem for the more moderate Scheer, who is in a tight race with Trudeau ahead of the Oct. 21 national vote.
The PPC is polling between 1% and 3% nationally and Bernier risks losing even his own seat south of Quebec City. But if he grows more popular, it could split the right-of-center vote and hand parties on the left, including the Liberals, seats they would not have otherwise won.
“Eight to 10 Conservative seats are in play … because the People’s Party is siphoning off 5% or 6% of the support” in those districts, pollster Nik Nanos of Nanos Research said. “If Bernier climbs to 5% or 10%, it’s a Liberal win.”
In speeches across the country and on social media, Bernier targets Scheer as a “fake Conservative” whose policies are virtually the same as Trudeau’s.
Scheer “has no clear principles or program,” Bernier said in his first party conference, held in a casino hotel in Quebec last month. “He’s pandering to every interest group in the country.”
Bernier was initially shut out of two official leaders’ debates set for next month, but organizers later said he could take part. That will put him on the national stage alongside Scheer and Trudeau.
“I look forward to holding him to account publicly for his intolerant views,” Trudeau said.
Scheer has largely shrugged off Bernier’s criticism, saying he is focused on defeating Trudeau. A Conservative official said the PPC “is a party that’s just going nowhere.”
‘I’M AUTHENTIC’
Rick Anderson, a former Conservative campaign director, said the debates would allow Bernier to cast himself as the only leader in touch with what many voters are really thinking, a man prepared to say things no one else dares say on topics such as immigration and Canadian identity.
“The debates … will probably more than double Bernier’s support,” he said. “The Liberals know that and they’re counting on that being at Scheer’s expense.”
More than 20% of Canada’s population was born in another country, the highest proportion among the Group of Seven industrialized nations, and the country’s multiculturalism has long been touted as a source of pride.
So there is also a risk that Bernier will make Scheer look like “the voice of reason” among moderates who have been drifting back and forth between Liberals and Conservatives, Frank Graves of EKOS Research polling company said.
Bernier’s famous “Mad Max” nickname – after the Mel Gibson movie character – dates back to his losing effort for the Conservative leadership. In a Facebook post with his head photoshopped onto Gibson’s body, Bernier said he was “mad about government waste” and “politics as usual,” among other things.
While still a Conservative, Bernier increasingly turned into a square peg who stood out. Now he is embracing his inner maverick and the kind of identity politics in fashion south of the border.
When asked by Reuters at the PPC conference if he considered himself Canada’s Trump, he said no.
“I’m myself. I’m authentic,” he said.
https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN1W40DN-OCATP