Reader’s Links for October 15, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

130 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 15, 2019”

  1. REVEALED: Latest Dem Impeachment ‘Witness’ Fiona Hill WAS NOT EVEN WORKING IN WHITE HOUSE at Time of Trump Call – But was Very Upset with Call – Huh? (VIDEO)

    Former White House adviser Fiona Hill testified before Democrat investigators Monday as part of their closed door impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

    The liberal media pushed the line all day that she was a very important Russia adviser — they really propped her up.
    This can only mean that they know she is an anti-Trump hack.

    Intel expert Tony Shaffer has no idea who she is which says a lot about the Democratic party witness.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/revealed-latest-dems-impeachment-witness-fiona-hill-was-not-even-working-in-white-house-at-time-of-trump-call-another-deep-state-shill-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily

  2. Ukraine Was Investigating Hunter Biden Before Trump’s Phone Call

    A revelation alters the timeline in the Dems’ surreal ‘impeachment inquiry’.
    October 15, 2019
    Matthew Vadum

    Officials in Ukraine reportedly opened an investigation into an energy company that employed former Vice President Joe Biden’s son long before President Donald Trump’s July 25 nothing-burger of a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that spurred the Democrats’ haphazard, increasingly Kafkaesque impeachment inquiry.

    The time element of the revelation, devastating as it is to the 2016-election-nullification push disguised as an impeachment process, has been largely ignored by the mainstream media which is overly preoccupied –as usual— attacking President Trump.

    The information came last week from investigative reporter John Solomon, who recently was hired as a Fox News contributor, after Ukraine’s new prosecutor general, Ruslan Ryaboshapka, said Oct. 4 he plans to review previous corruption investigations into Hunter Biden and his former employer, Ukraine-based Burisma Holdings. Hunter got the job in 2014 while his father was the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine.

    Solomon’s growing prominence in the media ecosystem means that leftist journalists –when they’re not busy making excuses for the secretive un-American Star Chamber-like impeachment process initiated by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi– now feel obligated to engage in character-assassination efforts against him.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/10/ukraine-was-investigating-hunter-biden-trumps-matthew-vadum

  3. Sweden: Less Than Half of Failed Asylum Seekers Left Voluntarily (breitbart, Oct 15, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/10/15/sweden-less-than-half-failed-asylum-seekers-left-voluntarily/

    “Less than half of the migrants whose asylum requests were rejected by Swedish authorities have left the country of their own will.

    Of the 47,172 rejected asylum seekers who arrived during the 2015 migrant crisis, only 22,658 have left Sweden willingly, according to a report by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

    Deportation cases that are over five years old are removed from the police list, thereby artificially keeping the statistics low. Police in Sweden, therefore, cannot judge exactly how many people are living in Sweden without a permit, only that the number is growing every year, according to Sweden’s Chief of Border Police Patrik Engström.

    One of the main issues concerning deportations from Sweden are countries that refuse to allow the return of migrants. For example, Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, and Somalia are all refusing the repatriation of migrants who are living in Sweden. There are currently 2,600 deportation cases that cannot be completed because Iraq is unwilling to accept them.

    Engström said: “The police are trying to obtain a functioning return system with several countries, but have had no great success.”

    However, he went on to say: “A few years ago, people could not be deported to Ethiopia, but now we have a well-functioning exchange of government, the same applies to Afghanistan.”

    Sweden has been struggling to deal with the number of migrants since the crisis of 2015. One of the main drivers of the issue is economics; around 90 per cent of the migrants who have gained permanent residency in the country remain unemployed.

    The rise in crime in Sweden has been staggering. There has been a 100 per cent increase in fatal shootings since 2012, and the number of sex crimes has tripled since 2014. So far this year, bombings and explosions are up 45 per cent from 2018.

    Last year, failed asylum seeker Rakhmat Akilov was given a life sentence for intentionally driving his truck into pedestrians in Stockholm, leaving five people dead.”

  4. Sweden: Afghan Suspected of Murdering Elderly Lover Claims He Killed Journalist (breitbart, Oct 15, 2019)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/10/15/afghan-suspected-murder-elderly-lover-killed-journalist/

    “A 20-year-old Afghan suspected of murdering his 69-year-old lover has told investigators he remembers killing Swedish anti-establishment journalist Joakim Lamotte, who is very much alive.
    Police recently arrested the Afghan migrant in connection with the June murder of the 69-year-old woman who lived in the municipality of Kil. The 20-year-old was allegedly in a sexual relationship with the woman and had strangled her to death, Nyheter Idag reports.

    During police interrogation, the suspect allegedly told officers that he was “crazy”.

    “I want to go to Afghanistan. Release me. I haven’t done anything. Please release me. I want to go to Afghanistan. I’ve been totally crazy, I’ve gone crazy. Enough! Enough, please! That’s enough, now. Please, that’s enough,” he said.

    The 20-year-old added that he had not remembered the incident and said: “I’m not sure about anything. I’m not sure about anything about myself, anything. I don’t know if I’m a woman or a man.”

    Later, the migrant claimed to have killed anti-establishment journalist Joakim Lamotte along with Kent Ekeroth, a former populist Sweden Democrats politician, who is also still alive. “I do not know exactly but one of them I have thrown in front of a train,” he said.

    Lamotte reacted to the testimony, blaming pro-migrant activists who he said “exploit and brainwash” asylum seekers.

    “There must be an end to this, now. Someone has to put their foot down and stop the activists who manipulate asylum seekers for their own gain — not least with the goal of getting a young lover,” he added.

    The 69-year-old victim is said to have been a retired teacher who had expressed interest in Afghan asylum seekers since 2015 and had been an active member of the Swedish Green Party.

    The trend of older women exploiting much younger migrant men for sex was noted in Austria in 2017. Women who gave migrants financial benefits or a place to live in exchange for sexual favours were labelled “Sugar Mamas”.

    A year later, a 56-year-old Swiss woman made headlines after marrying her 27-year-old Pakistani migrant lover who she had previously tried to smuggle into Switzerland illegally the year before.”

  5. (Richard: Read the comments on you tube.)

    Strange Circumstances Surround Antifa Activists Death

    PORTLAND, Ore. — There are still several questions surrounding the death of a 23-year-old Portland activist, who was killed during an incident early Saturday morning in the Kearns neighborhood.

    Sean Kealiher died of blunt force trauma, according to the medical examiner. Police ruled his death a homicide, and detectives are still trying to determine what happened and what led up to his death.

    Friends say Kealiher was a longtime activist and organizer within Portland’s anti-fascist community. They described him as kind and caring, also someone who was fighting for change.

    Just after midnight Saturday, police responded to reports of a crash and gunfire near Northeast 9th and Davis Street, near the left-wing hangout Cider Riot. On scene, police found an SUV crashed into the side of the Oregon Democratic Party building with no one around. Officers say they found evidence of gunfire into the vehicle.
    Source: KATU News

    https://gundynamics.com/articles/strange-circumstances-surround-antifa-activists-death?utm_source=deployer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=20191015195539

  6. Terror Attacks in France: A Culture of Denial

    by Alain Destexhe
    October 15, 2019 at 5:00 am

    On October 3, 2019, a knife-wielding Muslim employee of the Paris Police Department Intelligence Directorate stabbed to death four other employees at police headquarters in the center of Paris, before a trainee police officer shot and killed him. While it was not the deadliest terror attack France has experienced in recent years, the fatal stabbings that took place at the Paris police headquarters were perhaps the most worrisome. Its author (a French public servant employed by the police), its highly sensitive target, and the catastrophic handling of the aftermath of the attack reveal the failure of the French institutions.

    As it was the case for all recent terror attacks, French media and authorities first tried to downplay what happened. The attacker was initially described through potentially mitigating factors, such as his handicap (the killer is partly deaf and mute). It took 24 hours before it was eventually revealed that he was an Islamist militant who had carefully planned his attack.

    That a radicalized militant had been able to remain undetected in a critical security institution for years sent shockwaves throughout the country. Members of the parliamentary opposition asked for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Christophe Castaner, who at first had said that the attacker “had never shown any warning signs or behavioral difficulties.”

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15019/france-terrorism-denial

  7. Four Green nominees in Quebec made Islamophobic comments, party says

    OTTAWA — The Green party says it recently learned of Islamophobic social-media posts by four of its Quebec candidates.

    The party says the candidates will make a public statement of apology and commit to learning more about Islam by working with the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

    The names of the candidates were not immediately available.

    The incident is the latest in a string of inappropriate comments by candidates from various parties, including the Greens.

    The party says it will review its internal policies and procedures to find ways of better standing up against Islamophobia and racism.

    The party stresses it is working for a better future in which all Canadians can flourish.

    https://election.ctvnews.ca/four-green-nominees-in-quebec-made-islamophobic-comments-party-says-1.4639298

  8. Rethinking Islam

    The event Rethinking Islam was organised event with the hope to share knowledge and raise awareness about Islam, its diversity and its presence in Poland and Europe. During this event we focused on:

    (i) Creating a platform for Muslims and non-Muslims to engage in dialogue and integrate
    (ii) Giving a voice to the Muslim community
    (iii) Inter-faith and intercultural dialogue
    (iv) Understanding Islamophobia, Radicalisation and (In)Tolerance

    The event was joined by academics, Muslims from the community, artists, faith leaders, migrants, refugees, civil society organizations and human rights experts.

    The events included a film screening followed by a discussion, panel discussions, workshops and an Iftar.

    We had the official support from the City of Krakow, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Information Point for Foreigners in Kraków and the Institute of Psychology, UJ

  9. Allowing Lawmakers to ‘Exercise Their Second Amendment Rights’ on House Floor

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said that one of his colleagues has argued that lawmakers should be allowed to “exercise their Second Amendment rights” on the House floor.

    After explaining why he supports the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, Raskin, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said that the level of partisanship in the country has been worse in the past. He encouraged the public to read volume III of Sidney Blumenthal’s book series on Abraham Lincoln called All the Powers of the Earth.

    “Sometimes people say, ‘things have never been this bad. It has never been this partisan’ and so on and just check out this book which is about 120 pages on Congressman Preston Brooks from South Carolina, Preston Brooks’ beating of Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts — basically beat him nearly to his death on the floor of the Senate,” Raskin said during an Axios News Shapers event in Washington on Friday.

    https://pjmedia.com/trending/democrat-says-one-of-his-colleagues-suggested-allowing-lawmakers-to-exercise-their-second-amendment-rights-on-house-floor/

  10. Rudy Giuliani Tells Dems to Pound Sand – Says He Will Not Comply with Congressional Subpoena

    Rudy Giuliani told the Democrats to pound sand and said Tuesday he will not comply with a congressional subpoena.

    Giuliani told ABC News “if they enforce it, then we will see what happens.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/rudy-giuliani-tells-dems-to-pound-sand-says-he-will-not-comply-with-congressional-subpoena/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  11. ‘Say It Nicer’: Hunter Biden Rips ABC Interviewer for ‘Insensitive’ Question

    ‘Say It Nicer’: Hunter Biden Rips ABC Interviewer for ‘Insensitive’ Question
    Avatar by Joseph Curl October 15, 2019 176 Comments

    178Share 71Tweet Email

    Hunter Biden wasn’t too happy when a friendly interviewer called in to help the former vice president’s son explain away the numerous scandals swirling around him asked about his personal life.

    No, the interviewer didn’t ask about Hunter marrying his dead brother’s widow (who he has since divorced). She asked about his numerous stints in rehab as he battled alcohol and drug abuse.

    Biden complained, saying she was “so insensitive.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/say-it-nicer-hunter-biden-rips-abc-interviewer-for-insensitive-question/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  12. MORE CORRUPTION: Hunter Biden Was Also Put on the Amtrak Board – Democrats Argued, “He Spent a Lot of Time on Trains”

    In June 2006 Hunter Biden was also put on the Amtrak Board.

    Senator Thomas Carper form Delaware argued that Hunter spent a lot of time on trains and therefore makes an excellent candidate.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/more-corruption-hunter-biden-was-also-put-on-the-amtrak-board-democrats-argued-he-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-trains/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  13. Hero and Patriot Rep. Jim Jordan Blasts Liberal Reporter, ‘Whistleblower Does Not Have Right to Anonymity’

    Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Tuesday blasted a liberal reporter who was defending the biased, left-wing CIA officer (leaker) trying to pass himself off a a whistleblower with an anonymous hit job to remove President Trump from office.

    Hero and patriot Jim Jordan defended President Trump and the American people who elected Trump to the White House and said we have a right to know who this ‘whistleblower’ is.

    “[Impeachment] is all based on an anonymous whistleblower with no first-hand knowledge with bias against the President and it’s been reported he worked with Vice President Biden and the question I keep coming back to is why don’t we know who this individual is?” Jordan said in a presser on Tuesday.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/hero-and-patriot-rep-jim-jordan-blasts-liberal-reporter-whistleblower-does-not-have-right-to-anonymity-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  14. 125 House Members Sign On To Motion To Punish Schiff For Phony Trump-Ukraine Script

    One hundred and twenty five lawmakers in the House have signed a motion to censure House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff for delivering a completely fictional reading of President Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, Fox News reports.

    The California Democrat last month made up the contents of the phone after Trump released a transcript. The resolution was put forward by Rep. Andy Biggs, the Arizona Republican who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Top Republicans like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney of Wyoming have signed on.

    Biggs’ resolution says in part: “Whereas, instead of quoting directly from the available transcript, Chairman Schiff manufactured a false retelling of the conversation between President Trump and President Zelensky; Whereas, this egregiously false and fabricated retelling had no relationship to the call itself; Whereas, these actions of Chairman Schiff misled the American people, bring disrepute upon the House of Representatives, and make a mockery of the impeachment process, one of this chamber’s most solemn constitutional duties.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/125-house-members-sign-on-to-motion-to-punish-schiff-for-phony-trump-ukraine-script/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  15. Corrupt Dems Change Impeachment Rules AGAIN – Closed-Door Interviews Now Considered ‘Depositions’ to Limit One Attorney Asking Questions Per Round

    The crooked Democrats just changed the rules again in their sham impeachment inquiry.

    The Dems have now shifted the closed-door interviews to depositions in order to limit the questioning to one attorney per round.

    Also, if the Democrat-controlled committees issues subpoenas, it changes things from a transcribed interview to a deposition.

    The Democrats are doing this to avoid releasing transcripts of the depositions/interviews conducted in secret.

    Adam Schiff and other crooked Democrats can also selectively leak to the media without having to answer to transcripts as proof of their deception.

    Fox News Congress reporter Chad Pergram on Tuesday revealed the shady changes by the House Democrats

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/10/corrupt-dems-change-impeachment-rules-again-closed-door-interviews-now-considered-depositions-to-limit-one-attorney-asking-questions-per-round/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  16. Iran TV shows France-based opposition journalist arrested in Revolutionary Guards operation (alaraby, Oct 15, 2019)
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/10/15/iran-tv-shows-exile-arrested-in-revolutionary-guards-operation

    “Iranian state television has shown footage of Ruhollah Zam, an exiled opposition figure the Revolutionary Guards said they arrested in a “sophisticated” operation.

    The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the arrest of Zam on Monday, describing him as a “counter-revolutionary” who was “directed by France’s intelligence service”.

    Zam reportedly lived in exile in Paris, but the Guards did not specify when or where he was arrested.

    A short video clip aired by state television late Monday shows a stocky man sitting in the back of a car blindfold and handcuffed.

    The same man then appears sitting in an armchair next to the flags of Iran and the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic republic’s ideological army.

    He identifies himself as Zam and “the founder of Amadnews”, a Telegram channel that the Iranian authorities accuse of having played a major role in a wave of protests that broke out in December 2017.

    The man then expresses regret for “what has happened in the past three or four years”.

    He says he was “wrong” to have trusted governments, “in particular trusting the French government”.

    As he speaks in the second clip, the man does not appear to be handcuffed and does not look directly into the camera.

    “It is not right to trust governments, especially governments that show they do not have good relations with the Islamic republic,” including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he said, before apologising.

    At least 25 people were killed in the unrest that his Telegram channel was accused of fomenting between December 28, 2017 and January 3, 2018.

    Telegram shut down Amadnews, which had around 1.4 million followers, last year after Iran demanded the messaging service remove the account for inciting an “armed uprising”.

    Telegram was Iran’s most popular social network with some 40 million users before it was blocked by the judiciary last year

    Amnesty International has repeatedly called on Iran to stop broadcasting videos of “confessions” by suspects, saying they “violate the defendants’ rights”.”

  17. Turkey: Kurds release Daesh members from prison in Syria
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191015-turkey-kurds-release-daesh-members-from-prison-in-syria/

    “A jail in Syria’s Tell Abyad has been emptied of Daesh fighters which Turkish news agency Anadolu reported means Kurdish fighters have set them free.

    Security sources told Anadolu the prison, which Turkey had planned to take control of as part of its military campaign in northern Syria, was found empty.

    No Daesh fighters were found in the building which had been abandoned with its doors fully open.

    Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said: “We have pictures and videos depicting [Kurdish People’s Protection Units] YPG terrorists while evacuating a prison, where ISIS [Daesh] terrorists are detained in northern Syria.”…”

  18. Libya: ‘Arab League decisions manipulated by Egypt and UAE’
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191015-libya-arab-league-decisions-manipulated-by-egypt-and-uae/

    “Libya’s High Council of State on Sunday accused the Arab League of issuing statements and decisions that “depend on the calculations and agenda of certain Arab countries, namely Egypt and the United Arab Emirates,” which are working to “destabilise the situation in Libya”.

    The accusation came in a statement following the ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States, which discussed, on Saturday, Turkey’s new military deployment in Syria named “Operation Peace Spring”.

    Libya rejected a request to reduce diplomatic ties with Ankara as a result of its military endeavour.

    The High Council of State expressed “its surprise and objection to the double standards applied by the Arab League in defending the sovereignty of member states.”

    “It is clear and obvious to us that the decisions and statements of the Arab League are subjected to the accounts and agenda of certain Arab countries,” mentioning Egypt and the UAE in particular.

    The statement explained that these countries are “attempting to destabilise the situation in Libya and threaten its territorial integrity, while working to tear the Libyan social fabric, which contradicts the Charter of the League in its 2nd and 8th articles.”…”

  19. Erdogan announces liberation of Syria ‘safe zone’, ready for refugees to return
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191015-erdogan-announces-liberation-of-syria-safe-zone-ready-for-refugees-to-return/

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has today announced the securement of liberated territory for the planned safe zone in Syria, with a length of 444 kilometres and a depth of 32 kilometres.

    Speaking at the side-lines of the 7th summit of the Turkish Council, the meeting of Turkic nations based in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Erdogan declared: “We are now announcing the establishment of a safe area 444km from west to east and 32km from north to south, to which the refugees in our country will return.”

    He accused world leaders of betraying the mission of establishing the safe zone for the benefit of Syrian refugees, saying that Turkey’s “support so far to nearly 4 million protection seekers in our country is known, and our expenses exceeded $40 billion.” He then said that he called out world leaders who, when the time came to give their support, gave out not a “penny out of their pockets”.

    He also iterated the importance of the Turkish Council, noting that “the weight of structures such as the Turkish Council in world politics is increasing,” and stressed the importance of becoming more united politically and economically. “We should take measures to reduce the pressure of foreign exchange on our economies. I want to underline the importance we attach to local currency trading. Quotas are unfortunately one of the biggest obstacles to our trade. As the Turkish Council, we need to remove the quotas between us.”

    This unity between Turkic nations was somewhat proven yesterday when Azerbaijani youths and veterans declared their support for the Turkish operation into north-east Syria, and even requested they join Turkish armed forces in the fight against Kurdish militias.

    Today marks the seventh day of the Turkish military incursion into Syria, named Operation Peace Spring, the third and largest of two previous operations into northern Syria – Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and Operation Olive Branch in 2018. The aims of the current operation are to push the Kurdish militias such as the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – which Turkey perceives as a national security threat on its border region – further back from the Syrian-Turkish border and to establish the planned safe zone east of the Euphrates River that could house over two million refugees.”

  20. UEFA holds inquiry on Turkish players’ soldier salute
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191015-uefa-holds-inquiry-on-turkish-players-soldier-salute/

    “UEFA, European football’s governing body, launched an investigation on Tuesday against Turkey for a military salute performed by players of its national team, reports Anadolu Agency.

    Turkish National Football Team players did military salutes while celebrating a goal they scored during the UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifiers against Albania in Istanbul, as well as during their match against France in Saint-Denis, in reference to Turkey’s anti-terror operation in Syria launched on October 9.

    UEFA initiated “disciplinary investigations” for the matches, appointing an inspector with regard to “potential provocative political behaviour,” UEFA said in a statement.

    During the matches, Turkish players celebrated their goals by a soldier’s salute, dedicating their goal to Turkish soldiers currently fighting in northern Syria in the ongoing Operation Peace Spring.”

  21. ‘I hate Islam,’ Says Deputy Director of French Newspaper Figaro
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/10/284705/islam-deputy-director-french-newspaper-figaro/

    “Deputy editor of French newspaper Le Figaro Yves Threard is at the center of controversy after making statements against Muslims and Islam.

    During debate show “Le Grand Soir” (the Big Evening) broadcast on LCI on Monday, October 14, the deputy director of the newspaper’s editorial board said that he “hates Islam.”

    “I hate the Muslim religion,” he openly said during a debate over the wearing of the veil or hijab in public space.

    The TV show discussed the question of a ban on hijabs in public places following a controversial statement from Julien Odoul, a member of France’s National Rally (RN) last week on October 11.

    Odoul and his colleagues asked the president of the Regional Council in France, Marie Guite Dufay, to tell a veiled Muslim woman accompanying her son at a school activity to remove hijab or leave.

    Odoul’s statement came in response to the murder of four policemen by a colleague who French police “believed had been radicalized.”

    Dufay said that she could not intervene as there was no reason for the woman to leave. She described the party’s behavior as a “surge of hatred” and “unworthy of elected officials of the republic.”

    Threard displayed staunch support for the RN’s move, stating that he is totally against the hijab in public spaces.

    He said that he had to leave a bus once when he saw someone wearing the veil.

    The deputy director of the editorial board went so far to say that Islamophobia “does not exist,” emphasizing that everyone has the “right to hate religion.”

    Several French public figures condemned Threard’s statement, including journalist Samuel Gontier.

    Yesterday, Monday, October 14, Grontier said, “ Thank you for the idea. From now on, I will wear a veil to take the bus to avoid any meeting with Yves Threard.”

    More than 1,000 people retweeted his post in reaction to Threard’s statement.

    Jennifer Pademi, another journalist in France said, “This month of October is particularly violent, I feel that everyone is freewheeling. When will it stop,”.

    She added, “Imagine you’re a Mulsim and you work at Figar* and you discover that?”

    The Organization against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) announced that Islamophobic attacks increased by 52% in 2018 compared with 2017.”

  22. ‘I’m struck by the great strides Pakistan has made since its birth,’ says Prince William
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2080322/1-struck-great-strides-pakistan-made-since-birth-prince-william/

    “Britain’s Prince William said the United Kingdom and Pakistan share “unique bonds” in a speech at the National Monument in Islamabad on Tuesday evening during a five-day visit to the nation with his wife Kate.

    Prince William spoke of the warm welcome and delicious food they had experienced in Pakistan after arriving on Monday evening and visiting local school children and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    “The UK and Pakistan share unique bonds and so it will always be in our best interests for you to succeed,” William said at the event hosted by the British High Commission, adding that 1.5 million people living in the UK had Pakistani heritage and the UK was one of Pakistan’s top investors. “You can rely on us to keep playing an important role as a key partner and your friend.”…”

  23. PKK targets civilian settlements in southeast Turkey
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pkk-targets-civilian-settlements-in-se-turkey-147531

    “Two civilians were killed and 12 others were injured after terrorist group PKK/YPG fired mortar bombs from Syria into K?z?ltepe district of southeastern Mardin province on Oct. 15, officials said.

    The Governor’s Office in Mardin province said the attacks targeted civilians in Taslica and Otluk, the rural areas of Kiziltepe district.

    It added that the injured are getting treatment in nearby hospitals…”

  24. Turkey to initially resettle one million refugees to Syria: Erdo?an
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-initially-resettle-one-million-refugees-to-syria-erdogan-147536

    “Turkey plans to initially resettle one million Syrian refugees in northern Syria as part the aims of “Operation Peace Spring,” President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said on Oct. 15.

    “We will secure the area extending from Manbij to the Iraqi border and then facilitate one million Syrian refugees’ return home in the first phase and, later on, the return of two million people,” he said, speaking at the 7th Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) in Azerbaijan.

    The gravest threat against peace, serenity and stability in the region stems from terrorist organizations, he said, stressing that the presence of such “evil networks as the PKK/YPG, DAESH [ISIL] and FETÖ has rendered it more important that we cooperate in the area of security.”

    “What is experienced in Syria over the past eight years has shown that it is impossible to eliminate a terrorist organization by means of another one,” Erdo?an stated, noting that Turkey has taken a crucial step on Oct. 9 to “eliminate the PKK/YPG terrorist organization.”

    The Operation Peace Spring, which began on Oct. 9, has two important goals, he said.

    “The first one is to totally remove the terror threat emanating from the PKK/YPG in the north of Syria.”

    The second goal of the operation is to enable the 3.65 million Syrians who Turkey has been hosting for eight years to “return to their homeland with their minds at peace,” Erdo?an said.”

  25. Italian motor launches rescue 290 migrants
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/10/15/italian-motor-launches-rescue-290-migrants_6e11a868-4ba5-47eb-a0e6-fcccc8fc9e63.html

    “Italian motor launches on Tuesday rescued some 290 migrants aboard a struggling boat about 32 nautical miles from Lampedusa, in Maltese search and rescue (SAR) waters.

    The launches, operated by the Coast Guard and the finance guard, are now awaiting a place of safety to land the migrants at.”

  26. France: heavy sentences for foiled attack on Notre-Dame
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2019/10/15/france-heavy-sentences-for-foiled-attack-on-notre-dame_aaa43fe7-11f7-4bd4-9163-c70ca13dcf9e.html

    “Five women were sentenced to prison terms of up to 30 years for a foiled attack on the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on September 4, 2016. The women, aged 22 to 42, had filled a car with gas canisters. A court in Paris sentenced two of them, Inès Madani and Ornella Gilligman, respectively to 30 and 25 years in jail. Another two were sentenced to 20 years and a third to five. Prosecutors had described the defendants as the ”face of women’s jihad in France”.

    When the verdict was read last night, Inès Madani, who was sentenced to 30 years, remained impassible while Ornella Gilligmann, the mother of three children, who was sentenced to 25 years, burst into tears.

    According to Madani’s lawyer, Laurent Pasquet-Marinacce, the sentence was ”too severe”. ”It is a sentence that wants to set the example, disconnected with the personality of this young woman and the gravity of facts”, he said, recalling that nobody died or was injured.

    The terms handed by the court were the same requested by prosecutors. Four of the five women risked life sentences in relation to the charges, including attempting to perpetrate terror acts following the guidelines of Rachid Kassim, an ISIS member who is believed to have died in Iraq.”

  27. Syria: Kurds, 275,000 displaced in north-east
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2019/10/15/syria-kurds-275000-displaced-in-north-east_f558bc7b-7541-4412-890c-7352a43d39e0.html

    “The ongoing Turkish military offensive in northeastern Syria has so far displaced over 275,000 people, the autonomous administration of Rojava said Tuesday in a statement.

    According to the statement, the displaced include 70,000 minors who were forced to leave several areas of the northern provinces of Hasakeh and Raqqa after the Turkish military operation started on October 9 against Kurdish-held areas in northern and northeastern Syria. Many who have been displaced are sleeping rough or in schools due to the lack of humanitarian assistance given that most international organizations have stopped operating in the region.

    Authorities in Rojava have urged the United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union to immediately intervene to provide medical assistance and logistical support to prevent the humanitarian crisis from getting worse.”

  28. France embroiled in new Muslim veil row after mother on school trip told to remove hijab
    https://www.thelocal.fr/20191015/french-mother-accompanying-sons-class-on-a-school-trip-told-to-remove-her-hijab

    “A new row over secularism and the wearing of the Islamic hijab in public buildings has erupted in France after a far-right politician asked a woman accompanying her son and other children on a school trip to remove her headscarf.

    The issue has divided politicians and citizens in a country that often struggles with finding a balance between individual religious freedom and constitutionally-guaranteed secularism in the public sector, including schools.

    Julien Odoul, a member of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, caused widespread outrage when he posted a video on Twitter of him confronting a woman who accompanied pupils last Friday to the regional parliament in Bourgogne-Franche-Comte in eastern France.

    Citing “secular principles” in the wake of the killings in Paris this month of four police staff by a radicalised convert to Islam, he insisted the woman, whose son was among the group, remove her headscarf.

    Members of the RN then walked out of the chamber before issuing a press statement denouncing “an Islamist provocation”.

    But many, including regional parliament speaker Marie-Guite Dufay, criticised Odoul’s actions, saying neither the law of the country nor the rules of the chamber prohibited a member of the public wearing a headscarf.

    Dufay denounced a “surge of hatred” and what she described as “undignified behaviour” on the part of a lawmaker.

    The controversy has exposed divisions within the centrist ruling party of President Emmanuel Macron which is keenly aware Marine Le Pen’s faction is its chief political foe.

    Even the country’s Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer seemed unable to pick a side, stressing Sunday that “the law does not prohibit women wearing headscarves to accompany children”, while saying “the headscarf itself is not desirable in our society” because of “what it says about the status of women, what it says about our values.”

    Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye also weighed in, saying it was important to allow space for exchanges between women who wear headscarves and those who do not, as this promoted “inclusivity”.

    But Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire came to the defence of “a culture in which religion remains in the intimate, private sphere and does not have a place in (the) public sphere.”

    And Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin added: “I would prefer that women in the Republic, in France, do not wear a headscarf.”

    Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told parliament he was opposed to any kind of new law specifically targeting what should be worn on school trips.

    He reminded MPS on Tuesday that laws set out in France’s declaration of the rights of man in 1789 and the 1905 law that separates church and states protects citizens’ freedoms of belief and expression of religious belief if it does not provoke public disorder.

    “You can wear the veil when accompanying a school trip, but you don’t have the right to proselytise (try to convert others),” Philippe said.

    The controversy is the latest in France over face and body-covering garments which many perceive as inappropriate in a secular country while others argue the garments allow Muslim women to be active participants in French society.

    The French state and church were officially separated by law in 1905 to give form to the concept of secularism rooted in the 1789 French Revolution.

    In 2004, the government prohibited the wearing of conspicuous religions symbols in public schools and banned the hijab — a garment that covers a woman’s hair but leaves her face exposed — from classrooms and government offices.

    The country with Europe’s largest Muslim population is also deeply divided over the body-concealing “burkini” swimsuit, with opposition to the garment forcing the closure of some swimming pools earlier this year in the midst of a heatwave.

    Also this year, French sports retailer Decathlon was forced by public pressure to back down from a plan to sell a runner’s hijab in France.”

  29. Putin Says UAE May Count on Russia’s Assistance in Development of Nuclear Power (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019)
    https://sputniknews.com/business/201910161077057827-putin-says-uae-may-count-on-russias-assistance-in-development-of-nuclear-power/

    “The United Arab Emirates (UAE) can count on Russian assistance in the development of nuclear power generation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.

    “Our friends in the Emirates can count on Russian assistance in the development of nuclear power generating. Rosatom offers its unique capabilities, experience, modern technologies that meet the highest standards, including in security sphere,” Putin said at a meeting of the UAE and Russian businesses.

    The Russian leader also noted that as part of bilateral work, “industrial cooperation is also gaining momentum.”

    According to him, the sides are also ready for further joint work in space exploration.

    On Tuesday, Russian President started his visit to the United Arab Emirates, which is dedicated to a variety of issues ranging from affairs in the Middle East to boosting business cooperation.”