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.
More climate unrest coming up.
Scientists endorse mass civil disobedience to force climate action
LONDON — Almost 400 scientists have endorsed a civil disobedience campaign aimed at forcing governments to take rapid action to tackle climate change, warning that failure could inflict “incalculable human suffering.”
In a joint declaration, climate scientists, physicists, biologists, engineers and others from at least 20 countries broke with the caution traditionally associated with academia to side with peaceful protesters courting arrest from Amsterdam to Melbourne.
Wearing white laboratory coats to symbolize their research credentials, a group of about 20 of the signatories gathered on Saturday to read out the text outside London’s century-old Science Museum in the city’s upmarket Kensington district.
“We believe that the continued governmental inaction over the climate and ecological crisis now justifies peaceful and non-violent protest and direct action, even if this goes beyond the bounds of the current law,” said Emily Grossman, a science broadcaster with a PhD in molecular biology. She read the declaration on behalf of the group.
“We therefore support those who are rising up peacefully against governments around the world that are failing to act proportionately to the scale of the crisis,” she said.
The declaration was coordinated by a group of scientists who support Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience campaign that formed in Britain a year ago and has since sparked offshoots in dozens of countries.
https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/scientists-endorse-mass-civil-disobedience-to-force-climate-action-2
https://web.archive.org/web/20190624130510/https://xrebellion.org/xr-us/demands
Extinction Rebellion Massachusetts :: Home
Search domain http://www.xrmass.orghttps://www.xrmass.org
Extinction Rebellion will join the HONK! Parade starting in Davis Square in Somerville. We will march to Harvard Square, Cambridge, where we’ll join ACT (Alliance of Cambridge Tenants), MIRA (Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition), and members of 350 Mass for a mass Die In/Rise Up to draw attention to the interconnections between housing justice, immigration rights, and
Journeyman Propaganda – Meet the Young People Behind the Global Climate Strikes
( 30 min )
Climate Kids: Meet the young people organising climate strikes across the globe to fight environmental change. Their words are powerful, but can these climate kids make a difference?
channel Pr4vd4-Naomi Klein on Extinction Rebellion, the Green New Deal and fast fashion
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author, social activist and filmmaker. She has recently released her latest book ‘On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal’, which explores how bold climate action she says can be a blueprint for a just and thriving society.
She talks to Krishnan about the impact of Extinction Rebellion, the rising demand for a Green New Deal and whether fast fashion has to go.
Bosnia: Thousands of migrants shouting “Allahu Akbar” on their way to the welfare state paradises+++
We have just spotted the following video with an audio message from Haris Omeradzic in Switzerland. The video is dated yesterday, but see for yourself. The audio message comes at the end of the video.
More:
https://searchlight-germany.blogspot.com/2019/10/bosnia-thousands-of-migrants-shouting.html
https://www.emilygrossman.co.uk/bio
Flogging her newly published kid book last month
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/brain-fizzing-facts-9781408899175/
There is an American with a similar name who actually is a scientist who uses the experimental method to test theories of cognition. The E Grossman in the UK is a science educator. For the American, search emily d grossman site:.edu
Austria: Yet another national soccer player legionnaire with Turkish migration background praying for the Turkish occupation troops+++
Freedom Party leader Norbert Hofer reacted to a tweet by former Austrian soccer national player Veli Kavlak. “This gentleman has no business in Austria,” the Krone newspaper quotes. Following the military offensive against the Kurds in northern Syria, the Turkish-born Kavlak posted on Twitter. “It has begun. May Allah be with us and make our army victorious. The Turkish nation is with you,” the newspaper Krone quotes the tweet, which was soon deleted.Hofer named Kavlak as proof that Turks living in Austria would find integration difficult or refused to integrate. Kavlak, born in Vienna, played for the Austrian national team until 2014.
More:
https://searchlight-germany.blogspot.com/2019/10/austria-yet-another-national-soccer.html
Live Updates: Turkey’s Offensive in Northern Syria Enters Its Second Week (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201910161077058383-live-updates-turkeys-offensive-in-northern-syria-enters-its-second-week/
Syrian Government Forces Enter Raqqa For First Time in Five Years, Set Up Road Blocks
Turkey Does Not Insist on Military Presence in Syria’s Manbij, it Prioritizes Clearing Area of ‘Terrorists’ – Erdogan
Turkey’s Operation Will End by Itself When Turkey Completes Formation of “Safe Zone” From Syria’s Manbij to Border With Iraq – Erdogan
Quickest Solution to Syria Issue for All Militants to Drop Weapons and Withdraw Outside of “Safe Zone” in Northern Syria Tonight – Erdogan
Goal of Syria Offensive to Establish “Safe Zone” Along 444 Km Border Strip – Erdogan
Kremlin Respects Turkey’s Right to Ensure Border Security
Russian Military Police Conduct First Patrolling of Syria’s Manbij – Officer
‘Several Thousands’ PKK Members at Most are Present in Syria’s North – Syrian Intelligence Chief
Syria to Be on Agenda During Erdogan’s Upcoming Visit to Russia – Lavrov
Nations That Shelter Militants Fleeing Syria Should Take Responsibility for Them – Lavrov
‘Not a Crime’: Qatari Defence Minister Questions International Fuss Over Turkish Op in Syria
Total of 637 PKK Militants Were Neutralized in Operation Peace Spring – Turkish National Defence Department
I hope good-natured apologies are given and accepted with a lesson learned by all.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/10/15/no-ilhan-omar-and-tim-mynett-were-not-at-anti-trump-protest-in-minneapolis-and-we-have-her-boarding-passes-to-prove-it/
Erdogan Slams US Charges Against Turkey’s Halkbank as ‘Illegal, Ugly Step’ (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/world/201910161077059935-turkeys-halkbank-rips-us-charges-that-it-bypassed-iran-sanctions-as-unprecedented-legal-overreach/
“Earlier today, the US Justice Department charged Halkbank with fraud, money-laundering, and sanctions offences related to its purported involvement in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hit out at the United States over its move to indict Turkey’s Halkbank, decrying it as an ‘illegal, ugly step.’
The president also cast doubt on his visit to the United States next month after meetings with the US delegation in Turkey this week.
Turkey’s Halkbank earlier lambasted Washington’s decision to indict it, describing the move as an unprecedented legal overreach.
According to the financial institution, the US legal action is viewed as part of the sanctions Washington introduced against Turkey in response to its operation in northeastern Syria.
“These were filed as part of the sanctions introduced against our country by the U.S. government in response to Operation Peace Spring, heroically launched by the Turkish Army to secure our borders and establish peace in the region,” the bank said in a statement.
The bank claimed that it was not engaged in the violation of any secondary US sanctions.
It vowed to employ all legal means available to fight this ‘unwarranted’ case under international law.
The US Justice Department indicted the bank on Wednesday claiming it was entangled in a shady scheme to illicitly transfer $20 billion worth of restricted Iranian funds to Iranian parties.”
This really pisses me off:
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/10/what-went-wrong-in-the-local-elections-in-hungary/
That is going to hurt in the next few years.
Why CNN, Mainstream & Social Media is Bleeding Credibility
2019 Policy Address: Hong Kong Chief Exec. Carrie Lam leaves legislature amid protests
Carrie Lam aborts policy speech due to heckling from lawmakers
US Senator Josh Hawley: Free people support Hongkongers
Hannity: Pelosi doesn’t really have the votes to impeach Trump
US Carried Out Cyber Strikes Against Iran in Wake of Saudi Aramco Attacks Blamed on Tehran – Reports (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019′
https://sputniknews.com/world/201910161077058425-us-carried-out-cyber-strikes-against-iran-in-wake-of-saudi-aramco-attacks-blamed-on-tehran–/
“Reuters has cited anonymous US sources as claiming that Washington conducted a cyber operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran following attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities that were blamed on Tehran.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”.
One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details.
The White House has not yet commented on this information…”
US Drops Turkey From Anti-Daesh Intel Sharing Programme Amid Ankara’s Syria Op – Report (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019′
https://sputniknews.com/military/201910161077063162-us-drops-turkey-from-anti-daesh-intel-sharing-programme-amid-ankaras-syria-op–report/
“Testy US-Turkish relations sunk to a new low last week after Ankara launched a military operation in northern Syria, with Washington and its European partners criticising the attack on their erstwhile Syrian Kurdish allies, with Ankara vowing that nothing would stop its operations to shore up the security of its southern borders.
The United States has in effect excluded Turkey from the international military coalition against Daesh (ISIS)*, with Turkey no longer receiving intelligence or operational data on the terrorist group from the coalition’s Combined Air & Space Operations Centre at the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar, Spiegel has reported.
According to the German magazine, Turkey’s access to the operation materials was cut off by the Pentagon on 9 October, the same day that Turkey began its incursion into northern Syria following the pullout of US troops.
Spiegel says the US cut Turkey off from the intelligence data amid coalition fears that the Turkish military may use the intelligence information, including data accumulated by aircraft, satellites and drones, to plan operations against Kurdish militia forces in northern Syria. According to the outlet, the Pentagon’s step was a ‘slap in the face’ to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The US military’s change in policy on data-sharing effectively brought it closer to that of Germany, who has refrained from passing Bundeswehr intelligence from northern Syria and Iraq to the coalition’s Combined Air and Space Operations Centre out of fear that Turkey could use the information for purposes other than the fight against Daesh.
Spiegel did not reveal its source(s). Turkish and US officials have yet to comment on the veracity of the magazine’s reporting…”
Report: Migrant Numbers Arriving in Europe Surge in 2018-19 (breitbart, Oct 16, 2019′
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/10/16/report-migrant-numbers-arriving-in-europe-surge-in-2018-19/
“While concern grows over possible increased mass migration as a result of regional military power Turkey entering the Syrian conflict, Europe as already experienced a 10-per-cent increase in arrivals in the last year.
As of the 24th of September, around 487,000 asylum applications have been filed by migrants in the EU, Switzerland, and Norway over the previous 12 months, reports the German newspaper Die Welt. That number is 10-per-cent higher compared to the same period last year, according to the European Asylum Support Office.
The countries from which the largest number of migrants came to the European Union were Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iraq, Pakistan, Colombia, and Turkey. The countries absorbing the most asylum seekers were Germany, France, and Spain.
One of the countries hardest hit by the increased flow of migrants has been Greece. In September alone, more than 12,000 migrants came to the country, more than any other month in 2018 or 2019. Overall this year, 46,100 people have arrived in Greece, compared to 37,300 in the year before.
Last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his frustration at the large numbers of migrants stopping in his country and not moving on to other EU nations, saying: “I will say this clearly: I will raise the issue of specific sanctions for European countries that refuse to take part in a fair distribution of refugees on a European level.”
By the end of September, more than 80,000 migrants have travelled across the Mediterranean by boat to Europe’s shores. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that so far this year 1,041 people have either died or gone missing while attempting the journey.
Speaking to Die Welt, the chairman of the Berlin Christian Democratic Union party, Kai Wegner, said: “It is high time for a paradigm shift in the EU’s rescue policy based on the Australian no-tolerance principle.”
“This would mean bringing back all the people caught up in the Mediterranean without exception. This would reduce the incentives for crossings with non-oceangoing boats to zero and finally put an end to the deaths on the Mediterranean.”
The number of arrivals by boat is down from 102,000 last year. Under the leadership of Matteo Salvini, Italy saw the steepest decline in arrivals. Around 7,600 people reached Italian shores by boat this year, compared 21,000 the year before.
However, the number of migrants may surge further depending on the outcome of the conflict between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds. Last week, Turkish President Erdogan threatened to unleash 3.6 million refugees upon the Europe Union unless it submitted to his demands.”
Around Two Million Swedish Residents Are Now Foreign-Born (breitbart, Oct 16, 2019′
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/10/16/around-two-million-swedish-residents-are-now-foreign-born/
“According to newly released statistics, nearly 20 per cent of the Swedish population, or one in five people, were born outside of the country as of 2019, a new record.
A total of 1,960,000 foreign-born people now reside in Sweden according to Statistics Sweden who notes that the number of foreign-born residents has nearly doubled between 2000 and 2019, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.
The most common country of origin for migrants from 2000 until 2015 was neighbouring Finland but since the height of the migrant crisis, Syrians have surpassed Finnish immigrants and remain the number one origin country for foreign-born residents.
Iraqi migrants have also seen a surge in numbers since 200 and as of August 2015 have replaced Fins in second place to Syrians. As of August of this year, there were 190,2098 Syrian-born migrants, 145,602 Iraqis and 145,487 Fins.
When looking at migrants by gender, Afghans constitute the most male migrants with 65 per cent of the total number of Afghan migrants being male while Thailand had the largest share of female migrants at 78 per cent of the total.
The municipality of Botkyrka has the highest share of foreign-born residents at 42.1 per cent, followed closely by Haparanda and Södertälje.
The municipality of Södertälje has had some difficulties with integration over the last few years with several incidents of homophobia reported including a group of Syrian migrants attacking a homosexual migrant in 2017 and local officials claiming that pride flags had repeatedly been sabotaged and taken down.
Several areas of Södertälje have also been listed by Swedish police in prior reports on “vulnerable areas,” commonly referred to as no-go zones, with the areas of Ronna, Geneta and Lina being listed as “particularly vulnerable.”
Most foreign-born residents in Sweden, however, tend to live in Sweden’s larger cities such as Stockholm and Malmo where one in four residents are foreign-born, or in Gothenburg where the number is just over one in five.”
Half of Second-Generation Immigrants in Denmark Want Criticism of Religion Banned (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019′
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201910161077058790-half-of-second-generation-immigrants-in-denmark-want-criticism-of-religion-banned/
“While the percentage of immigrants who consider themselves fully Danish keeps rising, the divide in the acceptance of religious criticism remains wide.
A new Danish 2019 Citizenship Survey has highlighted marked differences in attitudes toward religion; it’s been found that immigrants feel that criticism of religious convictions in unacceptable.
Wholly 48 percent of second-generation immigrants believe that criticising religion should be banned outright, compared with 42 percent of first-generation immigrants and just under 20 percent of ethnic Danes, the Christian newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad reported.
At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of immigrants and their descendants who ‘feel’ Danish. In 2011, only 58 percent of first-generation immigrants felt Danish, compared to 70 percent this year. For their descendants, the corresponding figure has risen from 71 percent to 82 percent.
Halima El Abassi, the leader of the Ethnic Minorities Council, is not surprised that second-generation immigrants are less tolerant of religious criticism. According to her, they often become more religious than their parents, which she interprets as a token of not feeling part of Danish society.
“When you stand outside of community, religion can become pillar of support to gain identity and a sense of belonging. That in itself is not a problem, the problem arises if it’s one’s only affiliation,” Halima El Abassi said.
Tarek Hussein, the author of the book “The Black Beard” about being a Muslim in Denmark, stressed that the feeling of exclusion plays a crucial role. According to him, the feeling of persecution based on one’s religion and culture leads to rejecting any criticism, even when it’s justified.
“Many Muslims, myself included, have been in a defensive position long enough, to the point of having lost the tools to criticise religion. Basically, I think many of them find it difficult to distinguish between legitimate religious criticism and the daily baiting,” Hussein said, calling the study’s result a fundamental problem that society needs to deal with.
According to Karen Nielsen Breidahl, an associate professor at the Institute of Politics and Society at Aalborg University, the question of religious criticism has become an indicator of integration in general.
“I don’t think that this question in itself reflects whether you are against Danish or democratic values. When people are presented with such a question, few bring it back to the ideals of the Enlightenment. Instead, the answer reflects a current debate, where the divide is great,” Breidahl said.
Yvonne Mørck, an associate professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University, believes that despite the great strides taken within integration, focus on critical thinking must be maintained.
“In my own field work, I have seen how high school teachers can have anxiety when it comes to sensitive issues such as religion or, for example, the Israel-Palestine conflict. We must not. We need to be better at insisting that criticism, whether it is about religion or something else, is part of our general democratic foundation,” Mørck said.
The share of immigrants and their descendants has increased over the past decades, amounting to 12.9 percent of the Danish population as of January 2017, corresponding to 742,000 people.
Islam is Denmark’s largest minority religion, with the share of Muslims estimated at over 5 percent of the Danish population.”
Libya’s coast guard intercepts 90 Europe-bound migrants (abcnews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/libyas-coast-guard-intercepts-90-europe-bound-migrants-66315189
“Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted 90 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says a rubber boat with 90 African migrants, including seven women, was stopped on Tuesday off Khoms town, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.
Gassim says the migrants, who arrived at the shores Wednesday, will be taken to a Tripoli detention center.
Libya has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. In recent years, the European Union has partnered with the coast guard and other Libyan forces to try to stop the dangerous sea crossings.
Rights groups, however, have criticized those efforts, saying they’ve left migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuses.”
Turkish invasion sparks NATO crisis but eviction is unlikely (abcnews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkish-invasion-sparks-nato-crisis-eviction-66315653
“Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria — along with the criticism and threats of sanctions brandished by fellow NATO members at Ankara over the offensive — is close to sparking a crisis at the world’s biggest military alliance.
But despite the high political-military tensions, Turkey is very unlikely to be ejected from the 29-member alliance, for NATO has seen tense times and survived them before.
From the Suez Canal crisis in 1956 to France leaving its military command structure in 1967 — which forced the alliance to move its headquarters to Brussels in Belgium — to the deep split among allies over the Iraq war in 2003, NATO bonds have been tested. But no country has left the alliance or been forced out.
Beyond that, Turkey is of great strategic importance to NATO. The large, mainly Muslim country straddles the Bosporus Strait, making it vital bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. It’s also the only waterway in and out of the Black Sea, where Russia’s naval fleet is based.
Turkey has NATO’s second biggest army, after the United States, and keeping the country inside NATO helps keep a lid on Turkey’s historic tensions with its neighbor Greece.
NATO allies also rely on the Incirlik air base in southeast Turkey as a staging point for access to the Middle East. The alliance runs aerial surveillance operations from Incirlik and the United States has nuclear weapons stationed there.
“I think it’s better to have Turkey inside NATO than outside NATO, to be honest. I think it’s important to have them in our family and discussion. I think it’s easier to work with them that way, but we cannot behave as if this had not happened,” Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Tuesday.
Turkey has been testing fellow NATO members’ patience for a while.
Its military offensive in Syria comes on top of tensions over Turkey’s purchase of Russian-made S400 missiles, which threaten NATO security and the F-35 stealth jet. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also purged thousands of military officers following the failed coup in Turkey in 2016 and some have sought, and been granted, asylum in NATO countries.
“At the moment, this is the greatest political-military challenge the alliance faces,” Ian O. Lesser, vice president at the German Marshall Fund think-tank, said Wednesday. “Obviously as an existential matter, it’s not on a par with deterring Russia in places like the Baltics or around the Black Sea. But in terms of a political crisis within the alliance, and potentially a security crisis, it’s very, very high on the agenda.”
So far, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has urged Turkey to show restraint and to be wary of provoking yet another humanitarian disaster, particularly as well over a million Syrians have already fled to Europe in recent years.
Stoltenberg has exhorted Ankara to focus on NATO’s common enemy; the Islamic State group, some of whose fighters are reported to have escaped jail during the Turkish offensive. But he has not, at least not in public, called for a ceasefire.
Indeed, Stoltenberg has shied away from any public criticism of Turkey — or of any other NATO member — and recalled that the alliance plays no role in Syria, beyond helping with the surveillance of air traffic over the country from abroad.
NATO ambassadors debated the Turkish invasion again Wednesday, NATO headquarters said without elaborating.
One option open to Turkey’s partners is to request consultations through Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which is possible when “in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
Turkey has done this in the past, in 2015 after a series of extremist attacks on its territory and in 2012 when a fighter jet was shot down over Syria. Poland did so in 2014, when tensions in Ukraine were at their height.
So far, no country has officially requested such consultations, but some European allies have called for a ministerial-level meeting of the international coalition fighting IS. NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels next week and are certain to discuss the Turkish invasion.
Some countries will also seek clarification at that Oct.24-25 meeting from the United States about what exactly its plans are in Syria, after Turkey took the departure of U.S. troops from there as a green-light to launch its offensive.
But whatever happens, the chances of Turkey being evicted from NATO are slim. Lesser said, as far as he understands, “there is no mechanism to remove a member.”
That doesn’t mean relations can’t break down.
“There are ways in which a membership can become dysfunctional, either because there’s no political consensus around the member’s concerns,” he said, or if Turkey’s frustration grew to a point where it would “consider options like withdrawing from the military command structure.””
China Threatens to Retaliate If U.S. Enacts Hong Kong Bill
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China threatened unspecified “strong countermeasures” if the U.S. Congress enacts legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters, in a sign of the deepening strain between the world’s two largest economies as they attempt to seal a trade deal.
China’s foreign ministry issued the warning Wednesday after the U.S. House passed a package of measures backing a pro-democracy movement that has rocked the former British colony for more than four months. Among them was the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which subjects the city’s special U.S. trading status to annual reviews and provides for sanctions against officials deemed responsible for undermining its “fundamental freedoms and autonomy.”
https://news.yahoo.com/china-threatens-retaliate-u-passes-005012704.html
Hong Kong protest leader left bloodied in street attack
A leading face of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement was rushed to hospital covered in blood late Wednesday after being attacked by unidentified thugs with hammers, his protest group said.
The Civil Human Rights Front said leader Jimmy Sham was assaulted by four to five people wielding hammers in the district of Mongkok in what they described as an act of “political terror”.
“He received a bloody head wound and was sent to Kwong Wah hospital,” the CHRF said in a statement, adding Sham was conscious when paramedics arrived.
https://www.france24.com/en/20191016-hong-kong-protest-leader-left-bloodied-in-street-attack
House unanimously passes Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:19 AM PST – Wednesday, October 16, 2019
House lawmakers recently passed legislation to protect the autonomy and freedoms of Hong Kong. On Tuesday, the House unanimously passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to prevent a crackdown on the special status of the city-state.
The bill requires annual reviews by the State Department of whether the city is autonomous enough to justify its special trade status with the U.S. China moved to restrict Hong Kong’s judicial independence earlier this year, sparking mass protests in the city.
https://www.oann.com/house-unanimously-passes-hong-kong-human-rights-and-democracy-act/
Bosnian authorities round up migrants amid crisis warnings (abcnews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bosnian-authorities-round-migrants-amid-crisis-warnings-66314049
“Authorities in northwestern Bosnia have rounded up hundreds of migrants and moved them to a refugee center while warning of a looming crisis ahead of upcoming winter.
A video published by local media on Wednesday shows police escorting the migrants in a long column from the town of Bihac toward the Vucjak camp, near the border with Croatia.
The Bihac authorities have faced criticism over the conditions in the tent camp, located on a former landfill and close to a mine-infested area from the 1992-95 war.
The mayor of Bihac, Suhret Fazlic, has warned this week that the city can no longer cope with thousands of people staying there in hopes of moving toward Western Europe. He has threatened to cut migrant aid to draw attention to the problem.”
Pakistan, India trade fire in Kashmir; 4 civilians killed (abcnews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistan-india-army-firing-kills-civilians-kashmir-66311411
DAILY MAIL – 17,000 sign petition demanding BBC removes from iPlayer its ‘pleasure marriages’ expose on how Iraqi Muslim clerics sell young girls for sex because it’s ‘disrespectful’ to Shia Islam
BBC broadcast ‘Undercover With The Clerics Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade’ in October
Journalists caught clerics offering ‘pleasure marriages’ to girls as young as nine
In three weeks almost 20,000 have signed a petition demanding its deletion
Supporters say it is misleading and will lead to increased Islamophobia in UK
BBC won’t delete the show ‘saying it fully complies with Editorial Guidelines’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7575235/17-000-viewers-demand-BBC-deletes-documentary-Iraqi-Muslim-clerics-sell-girls-sex.html
==========================================================
The petition reads:
To the BBC,
When we asked for representation, we weren’t expecting this mockery.
The BBC have recently published a documentary titled ‘Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade’, in which they go undercover to reveal the heinous crimes committed by a number of men who claim to follow the Shia faith.
Instead of making a documentary about the world’s largest, peaceful, annual pilgrimage held in Iraq, hosting 20 million people each year; the BBC have decided to cherry-pick a handful of misguided men who do not represent Shia Islam in any way, shape or form to tarnish the image of Iraq and Shias worldwide. Ayatollah Sistani (a highly revered Shia cleric), who the oppressors claim to follow, strongly condemned the act. This is featured in the programme, but nonetheless his condemnation of the act was not stressed as much as the fact that the oppressors in the programme claim to be Shia.
Furthemore, the female interviewees featured in the programme were unaware of its purpose. They did not know that it was being used to belittle Shia Islam and they did not know their own words would be used against their faith. They were under the impression that they were complaining about their oppressors, not their religion.
To add insult to injury, the programme shows the holy shrines in Karbala several times, when the men buried in those shrines stood for peace and unity. Hussain (a.s) is the man Nelson Mandela looked to for inspiration when he was wrongfully imprisoned and yet, in this programme he is depicted as the reason why some find it acceptable to practice child prostitution!
The men in the programme should be ashamed of what they have done, but they are wrongful men who happen to identify as Shia, have offices outside shrines to manipulate people and are pimps, so why did 200 million people have their faith slandered on national television at prime time on a Friday evening as a consequence?
Please sign this petition if you stand with the Shia Muslims who feel that their religion is being gravely misunderstood. This is not just embarrassing, it is the utmost disrespect. To implicitly label us all as compliant with child prostitution is an absolute disgrace. Those who partake in these acts are not our Shias.
“Be respectful to women, for they are the mothers of mankind”- Ali (a.s), father of Hussain (a.s)
https://www.change.org/p/take-down-islamaphobic-bbc-documentary-take-down-misleading-bbc-documentary
============================================
video – BBC – Muslim Clerics and Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade
Part One ( 28 min 19 )
——————————————————————————–
====> just past the 20 min 24 mark:
– I want to do a pleasure marriage with a 12-year-old. She’s an orphan
[…]Are you sure it’s alright if she’s a young girl?
– Yes, nine years plus, there is no problem at all
In foreplay you can’t enter her
You can do everything else
– Can I have anal sex with her ?
– If she accepts , it’s okay
[…]She’s permitted to you
You’re allowed to do it from behind
EXCLUSIVE-U.S. carried out secret cyber strike on Iran in wake of Saudi oil attack, officials say
WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) – The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two U.S. officials have told Reuters.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda.”
One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details.
It highlights how President Donald Trump’s administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiraling into a broader conflict.
The strike appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.
The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed the Sept. 14 attack on Iran, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed responsibility.
http://news.trust.org/item/20191016043351-iv0aw
House holding off on impeachment inquiry vote
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:35 AM PST – Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Democrat leaders say they will not hold a formal floor vote to launch an official impeachment inquiry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the announcement Tuesday alongside House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff.
The pair claimed they are making progress in their case against the president, but without providing evidence. This comes as most of the related hearings have been behind closed doors.
The Trump administration has refused to cooperate with House lawmakers, and have said the investigation is illegitimate until a vote is held. When it comes to the floor vote itself, Pelosi said the lower chamber is holding off for the time being, but is still taking the investigation seriously.
https://www.oann.com/house-holding-off-on-impeachment-inquiry-vote/
Special Report: Khmer Riche – How relatives and allies of Cambodia’s leader amassed wealth overseas
NICOSIA/LONDON (Reuters) – Cambodia’s long-ruling prime minister, Hun Sen, had gathered athletes at his imposing office for a televised pep talk. “I don’t want to mention politics,” he began quietly.
But he couldn’t help himself. It was December 2017. The main opposition party had just been outlawed, the latest move in Hun Sen’s campaign to eradicate his political rivals. The United States and European Union were threatening sanctions, and Hun Sen had a message for them.
https://www.oann.com/special-report-khmer-riche-how-relatives-and-allies-of-cambodias-leader-amassed-wealth-overseas/
Turkey’s president @RTErdogan tells @AlexCrawfordSky he will not speak with the US Vice President about a ceasefire in Syria during his visit – adding that he will only talk to President @realDonaldTrump.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1184424161978003456
“I’m not going to talk to them. They will be talking to their counterparts. When Trump comes here, I’ll be talking.”
In reversal, Turkey says Erdogan will meet Pence after all
As American VP heads to Ankara to push for ceasefire, Turkish leader vows to continue offensive in Syria until Kurdish fighters ‘lay down their arms’
Despite an earlier statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that he would not meet visiting US Vice President Mike Pence, his office said the meeting would go ahead after all.
“Earlier today, the President told @SkyNews that he won’t receive a US delegation that is visiting Ankara today. He does plan to meet the US delegation led by @VP (Pence),” wrote Erdogan’s communications director Fahrettin Altun on Twitter.
As US President Donald Trump dispatched Pence to Ankara to demand a ceasefire, Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria.
Erdogan rejected any negotiations, telling parliament the only way to solve Syria’s problems was for the Kurdish forces to “lay down their arms… destroy all their traps and get out of the safe zone that we have designated.”
Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters burning tires in a bid to blind Ankara’s warplanes and digging in against a ground offensive by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.
The operation, now in its second week, has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers.
Trump sent Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis in relations for decades between the NATO allies.
Moscow has stepped into the void left by Trump’s withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, deploying patrols to prevent clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces.
Russian TV showed its forces alongside Syrian government troops taking up positions in and around the town of Manbij following the US pull-back.
The Kremlin said it would host Erdogan for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, to ensure the operation does not turn into all-out war between Turkey and Syria.
Trump — facing mounting criticism in Washington over his decision to pull 1,000 troops out of the conflict zone, as well as an unrelated impeachment inquiry — has hit back at Erdogan, slapping sanctions on three cabinet officials and raising tariffs on Turkish steel.
Pence’s office released a statement that he would meet Erdogan on Thursday and “voice the United States’ commitment to reach an immediate ceasefire and the conditions for a negotiated settlement.”
He reiterated that Trump will pursue “punishing economic sanctions” until a resolution is reached.
The operation has widespread support in Turkey, where decades of bloody insurgency by Kurdish militants have killed tens of thousands of people.
But Western powers fear it will endanger the battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, which was led on the ground by Kurdish forces. Thousands of IS prisoners are held in Kurdish-run camps in the region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday that the camps were not “currently” under threat from the operation, but Europe has taken an increasingly tough line with Turkey.
Britain and Spain became the latest powers to suspend military exports to Turkey on Tuesday. Canada made a similar move.
Battle for border town
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have mounted a desperate defense to the east of Ras al-Ain, using tunnels, berms and trenches.
A Syrian fighter serving alongside Ankara’s forces said his forces were trying to cut Kurdish supply lines from nearby Hassakeh to facilitate their advance on the town.
Since launching their assault on October 9, Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies have secured more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of border, but Ras al-Ain — Siri Kani in Kurdish — has held out.
Erdogan, who like Trump faces political difficulties at home, wants to create a buffer zone stretching 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border into Syrian territory.
He wants to destroy Kurdish hopes of an autonomous enclave that could serve as a launching pad for attacks in Turkey, and to resettle some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees Ankara is hosting.
“God willing, we will quickly secure the region stretching from Manbij to our border with Iraq,” Erdogan said.
The offensive has left dozens of civilians dead, mostly on the Kurdish side, and displaced at least 160,000 people.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-reversal-turkey-says-erdogan-will-meet-pence-after-all/
Erdogan to Meet Pence After Intentions Were Lost in Translation
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he’ll meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, clarifying a news report suggesting he wouldn’t receive a delegation visiting the country.
The Turkish president was seen telling Sky News in a video that he “will only talk to” President Donald Trump when he visits Turkey. But Erdogan told reporters he does plan to meet with Pence and Pompeo, and Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s communications director, confirmed that in a tweet.
The confusion led to speculation that Erdogan intended to snub Pence in a message to the U.S. as the NATO allies face off over Turkey’s military operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish militants in northeastern Syria.
On Monday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior Turkish officials and increased steel tariffs on Turkey, a milder punishment than expected. U.S. lawmakers in both parties are pushing for stricter measures.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-16/erdogan-to-meet-pence-after-intentions-were-lost-in-translation
Erdogan tells Syrian Kurds to leave border area for offensive to end
ISTANBUL President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey’s military operation in Syria will end only if Syrian Kurdish fighters lay down their weapons and leave the border area.
The offensive can only cease if “all terrorists drop their weapons … and leave the safe zone which we have determined as soon as tonight,” Erdogan told members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in parliament.
He was referring to a 275-mile-long buffer zone along Turkey’s border with Syria up to Iraq, and 20 miles deep into Syrian territory.
“No power can stop us until we realize this goal,” Erdogan said as he lashed out at his NATO allies, despite US threats of crippling sanctions, European arms embargoes and ceasefire demands.
“Come and side with Turkey in this struggle, not against it. At least do not meddle with it,” he told Turkey’s Western allies, which have condemned the incursion.
“To those who threaten us with economic sanctions over Syria: Every wound you inflict on our economy will trigger a bigger wound on your economy,” Erdogan said to applause and cheers in parliament, about the US warning of further economic sanctions.
President Donald Trump’s decision to pull back U.S. troops from north-eastern Syria and abandon its partners, Syrian Kurdish militias, paved the way for Turkey’s “Operation Peace Spring” on Oct. 9.
Erdogan rejected any attempt to broker a truce as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence travels to Ankara in the hope of negotiating a ceasefire.
Erdogan said any call or visit to Turkey from foreign leaders regarding Syria will be a “waste of time and energy” unless Turkey’s “unequivocal and reasonable” stance is taken into account.
After conflicting messages on whether or not Erdogan would meet the US delegation, his communications director Fahrettin Altun clarified that the two would meet on Thursday.
This is Pence’s first visit to Turkey and his delegation includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
Erdogan said he will only decide on visiting Washington after the U.S. delegation talks. Trump has invited Erdogan to the White House on Nov. 13.
Discussions in the U.S. about him, his family and his ministers were “a big disrespect to the republic of Turkey,” Erdogan added.
Meanwhile, a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan could take place in October in Russia, Putin’s spokesman said on Wednesday.
Dmitry Peskov denied speculation that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would join them for trilateral talks. Russia is al-Assad’s main military backer.
During a phone call with Erdogan, Putin “noted the deterioration of the humanitarian situation along the Syrian-Turkish border,” the Kremlin said.
Putin said “terrorists, including those from ISIS (Islamic State), who are being protected by armed Kurdish groups, must not be allowed to take advantage of this situation,” according to the Kremlin.
Erdogan made clear in parliament that Turkey would not negotiate with Syrian Kurdish militias: “Turkey will not sit at the same table with the terrorist group.”
He said the offensive will continue “until the last breath.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sns-tns-bc-turkey-syria-20191016-story.html
He doesn’t differentiate – “terrorist” is the 21st century Übermensch.
He wants them ALL DEAD.
oops! keyboard doesn’t like nazi-lingo. I meant, Untermensch</i, of course.
Syria: Russian military police patrol Manbij after withdrawal of US forces
Russian military police were seen patrolling Manbij in footage filmed by an embedded Russian journalist on Tuesday. The footage was released on Wednesday.
According to the statement released by the Russian Defence Ministry (MoD) Turkish military forces were a few kilometers away, on the outskirts of the city at the time of the patrol.
Footage shows Tiger armoured cars advancing through the area, with residents and children waving and greeting as the vehicles pass by.
Syria’s Manbij Becomes Russian Focal Point After U.S. Withdrawal
Odd tale: CBP surveillance refutes claim of British family that they accidentally entered U.S. from Canada
By Daily Caller News Foundation October 16, 2019
Customs and Border Protection says it has observed evidence that disputes a British family’s claim that they accidentally entered U.S. territory.
A British family that was vacationing in Canada earlier in October is saying it has suffered under the U.S. immigration detention after they swerved off a road to avoid an animal, inadvertently landing them in U.S. territory, where Border Patrol then apprehended them, according to the family’s lawyer who spoke with The Washington Post. However, CBP says surveillance footage shows their vehicle “slowly and deliberately” entering the U.S.
The Connors, a family of seven, were driving near the U.S. border on Oct. 2 during a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, when, as they claim, an animal appeared on the road, forcing them to veer in another direction and land in Washington state. A Border Patrol officer pulled their vehicle over and arrested them for unlawfully entering the country.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/10/16/odd-tale-cbp-surveillance-refutes-claim-of-british-family-that-they-accidentally-entered-u-s-from-canada/
I wonder what their names are?
Aisha? Moh? Abdul? Hussein?
Not The Onion: Ocasio-Cortez action figure coming to a store near you
By Ben Bowles October 15, 2019Wind it up and it says something stupid.
The Hill reports:
<blockquote)FCTRY, a company that creates action figures inspired by big political names, is launching a Kickstarter campaign to mold its next product after the New York Democrat.
If the campaign launching Tuesday is successful, the scaled-down AOC will stand six inches tall and about an inch wide. Ocasio-Cortez’s smiling, pint-sized doppelgänger sports a white suit similar to the one the House freshman wore to her swearing-in ceremony in January. She’s also seen with her “signature red lip,” gold hoop earrings and pulled-back hair.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/10/15/not-the-onion-ocasio-cortez-action-figure-coming-to-a-store-near-you/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pukb4MFBmRM
“Defining Islamophobia”
The New Culture Forum
What really struck me while watching this interview was what a tremendous cultural upheaval Islam has created in the UK. The last stat I saw was that Muslims were less than 10% of the UK population. (I would be willing to believe they are actually 15-20%)
Their numbers are growing through unchecked immigration and breeding. Islam is rolling over UK culture like a fetid blanket and two, nominally white Christians, are having a nuanced discussion on where this whole thing is going.
I don’t think anyone other than “far right extremists” would have imagined just 25 years ago that this is where Western civilization was headed.
I have seen many times (as have you) the chart of the natural progression that takes place in a society when Islam infects it. This is right on the money for the 10-20% infection rate.
It really is amazing.
Greece Cannot Send Ships to Secure Navigation in Hormuz Strait – Senior Official
(sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/world/201910161077065320-greece-cannot-send-ships-to-secure-navigation-in-hormuz-strait–senior-official/
“”We don’t have that many [naval] ships and, secondly, we have problems with our neighbor Turkey, so although we would like to send a ship to the Hormuz … we don’t have a frigate to send,” Alexandros Diakopoulos said.”
Kim Jong-un rides white stallion up sacred mountain *STILLS*
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rode a white steed up what is considered to be the country’s ‘spiritual home’, Mount Paektu, in several pictures released by state media outlet KCNA on Wednesday.
The series of photos show Kim atop a white horse, on the snow-covered peak. They were reportedly taken after he rode up the mountain, which has ties to his family dynasty. The father of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, was born on Mt Paektu, according to his official biography.
The publication of the pictures has pundits predicting a major new announcement, with Kim climbing the mountain in 2017, just days after launching the country’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile and weeks before engaging in diplomatic talks with South Korea.
Germany: Protesters rally against teaching return of AfD founding member Lucke
Dozens of protesters rallied outside Hamburg University on Wednesday to protest against the return of Alternative for Germany (AfD) founding member Bernd Lucke to his lecturing post.
Footage shows Hamburg University students, locals, and activist groups such as ‘Grandmas against Right-wingers’, carrying banners and signs. Some are even wearing masks with Lucke’s face.
“You have to expect he’d try to make an influence here [at the university] through his specialty ‘Macroeconomics’ and we firmly oppose this, to have the students influenced in this way,” said activist Kerstin.
“We are the post-war generation and some of us had teachers who were the original fascists in the Third Reich and we strongly opposed this [back then]. And I believe this should not be allowed, that the grandchildren generation are taught again by professors who have a similar mindset,” added Doerte.
Bernd Lucke, who took a break from teaching macroeconomics at the Hamburg University to pursue a political career is one of the founding members of Germany’s right wing-party AfD.
SYRIA – Turkey mercenaries burn Ain Issa camp
The mercenaries of the Turkish occupation burned Ain Issa camp completely after ISIS mercenaries fled the camp.
A group of mercenaries infiltrated today from the northern side of the camp and after clashes with the SDF, the Turkish occupation mercenaries managed to smuggle ISIS mercenaries who were clashing with SDF.
After the smuggling of ISIS mercenaries, the mercenaries of the Turkish occupation army burned the entire camp.
https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/turkey-mercenaries-burn-ain-issa-camp-h12200.html
More jihadists backed by Turkey are heading to Northern Syria from Turkey to fight against SDF the “infidels” as they call them.
These people are not going to liberate lands, they go for Jihad, & that was what ISIS was always doing.
Video via Jaish al-Islam Telegram channel.
twitter(dot)com/LawkGhafuri/status/1184440981191573504
More rebels are arriving in the north of the Manbij region
Turkey Says It Is Preparing Retaliatory Sanctions Against US (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019) https://sputniknews.com/world/201910161077065273-Turkey-Says-It-Is-Preparing-Retaliatory-Sanctions-Against-US/
India Puts Defence Bases in Punjab, Jammu on ‘Orange Alert’ Following Intel Inputs of Terror Attack (sputniknews, Oct 16, 2019)
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201910161077063284-india-puts-defence-bases-in-punjab-jammu-on-orange-alert-following-intel-inputs-of-terror-attack/
” India has put its defence facilities in the northern states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir on high alert following intelligence inputs that suggested a group of suspected terrorists from Pakistan has infiltrated into India…
Potential Bombing After ‘Powerful’ Explosion At Swedish Police Station (breitbart, Oct 16, 2019)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/10/16/potential-bombing-powerful-explosion-swedish-police-station/
“A police station in the Swedish city of Staffanstorp was targetted by an explosive device, with witnesses describing the blast as loud and powerful.
The explosion occurred in the early hours of Monday morning and caused damage to the main door of the building, Swedish newspaper Expressen reports.
The extent of the blast was limited to the entryway, and Swedish National Bomb Gaurd technicians arrived on the scene soon after the explosion occurred. Authorities have so far not released many details on the nature of the blast or what type of device may have been used.
Patrik Ahrlin, the local police area manager in Staffanstorp, commented on the incident, saying: “We are taking a very serious look at what happened and are grateful that no one was physically injured.”
Sofie Kropp, 35, lives in the area in which the explosion occurred and described it as a “big bang”. Ms Kropp added: “I have lived here for four years and always felt safe because the police have their garage down here. But now it suddenly feels unsafe.”
She went on to note that the police station was, in her mind, an unlikely target as it is only open two days a week and officers are “barely here”.
Swedish broadcaster SVT has claimed that the explosion may have been caught on CCTV and that police are currently looking into local video footage. Christer Stålhandske of the municipal police acknowledged that officers had viewed footage but did not go into details.
The potential attack would not be the first against a police station in Sweden in recent years. The most notable incident occurred in October 2017 when a heavy explosive destroyed the front facade of a police station in Helsingborg.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven commented on the attack, stating: “An attack on the police is, in the long run, an attack on our democracy.”
Explosions have dramatically increased in Sweden, with newspaper Dagens Nyheter claiming an increase of up to 45 per cent from January to July of this year compared to the same period in 2018.”
Imprisonment of about 26 years for Amsterdam train station knife attacker
THE HAGUE, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — The 20-year-old Afghan man who stabbed two American tourists at Amsterdam Central Station last year was sentenced to 26 years and eight months imprisonment on Monday by an Amsterdam court.
The court also decided that the man with the name Jawed S. has to pay his victims almost three million euros (3.3 million U.S. dollars) in damages.
The man traveled by train from the German town of Ingelheim to Amsterdam last year. He got off at the Central Station and later attacked with a knife the two Americans who were standing in line at a public transport information desk.
Jawed Sultani had stated in court that he wanted to kill “unfair and cruel people”. The victims were random passers-by. They survived the attack, but were seriously injured.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/15/c_138471768.htm
==============================================
AMSTERDAM – Conviction, 26-year prison term for stabbing of Americans at Amsterdam CS
Jawed Sultani, a 20-year-old man who stabbed two American tourists at Amsterdam Central Station last year, was sentenced to 26 years in prison by the court in Amsterdam on Monday. He was convicted to two counts of attempted murder with terrorist intent, and three counts of threatening a police officer, NOS reports. The sentence is one year higher than what the Public Prosecutor demanded.
The court also ordered Sultani, a man from Afghanistan who applied for asylum in Germany, to pay over 2 million euros in damages to his victims.
On August 31st last year, Sultani stabbed two American tourists in Amsterdam Central Station, attacking them from behind. One was stabbed in the back. He sustained a spinal cord injury and is now confined to a wheel chair. The other was stabbed in the arm and torso and only barely survived the attack, after undergoing emergency surgery. He sustained severe nerve damage to his arm.
A police officer noticed Sultani shortly before the attack and called in backup. He and two colleagues overpowered Sultani within seconds after he started stabbing people. One officer shot him in the lower body to incapacitate him. One of the three police officers involved in arresting Sultani now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, he said in a statement read during the trial. “The image of the two victims being stabbed is burned into my mind. I unwittingly I look back on the images. I do not have control over the incident, the incident has control over me”, the police officer said in his statement.
After his arrest, Sultani quickly confessed to the attack. He told the court that he came to the Netherlands to “kill unfair and cruel people” and that his only mistake was that he did not stab people who were from the Netherlands. In previous statements to the police, Sultani said that he was angry with PVV leader Geert Wilders for insulting Islam by arranging a prophet-Mohammed cartoon contest, and angry at the Netherlands for not stopping him.
Experts from the Pieter Baan Center, where Sultani was sent for psychological examination, could not get a clear picture of Sultani’s mental health. “He kept repeating certain topics”, the experts said. They also could not get contact with the man’s family and colleagues. “We suspect he has psychiatric issues, but can make no conclusions”, the experts said. The experts spoke of “clear, strong Islamic radicalization”, but could not determine whether Sultani has an actual mental disorder.
“I sometimes found the conversations scary” a Pieter Baan Center expert said in the court. “No normal communication. He kept repeating the same things, the same sentences. That is not normal. A certain rigidity.”
https://nltimes.nl/2019/10/14/conviction-26-year-prison-term-stabbing-americans-amsterdam-cs
Is the video worth subtitling?
Ep. 1089 Another Debate Disaster for the Democrats. The Dan Bongino Show 10/16/2019.
Police arrest over 300 suspected paedophiles across 38 countries including Britain, US and Germany after ‘dark web’ child abuse site hosting 250,000 sickening videos is shut down and South Korean ‘ringleader’ is charged
Arrest of paedophile Cambridge graduate led to discovery of dark web site
It has since emerged that hundreds of paedophiles accessed horrific site
U.S. authorities have taken down the site and today charged the man behind it
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7579851/More-300-paedophiles-arrested-worldwide-massive-child-abuse-website-taken-down.html
Note: it is my strongly held opinion that Donald Trump will take ‘the swamp’ down through paedophile/child pornography arrests…which is why we are seeing more and more leftists claiming paedophelia is a valid sexual orientation and must be protected as such.
Was this zoologist punished for telling school kids politically incorrect facts about polar bears?
Opinion: Dr. Susan Crockford describes her expulsion from the University of Victoria as ‘an academic hanging without a trial, conducted behind closed doors’
Zoologist Dr. Susan Crockford says that, contrary to the claims of environmental activists, polar bears are currently thriving and are at no risk of extinction from climate change.Postmedia
Special to Financial Post
Special to Financial Post
October 16, 2019
6:30 AM EDT
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October 16, 2019
10:18 AM EDT
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Terence Corcoran: Net-zero carbon is a big nothing — nobody has a clue how to achieve it
Terence Corcoran: The UN’s Greta Thunberg climate gamble offers up a child who’s mastered the art of regurgitating political slogans
Joe Oliver: Here’s a truth few dare to utter: Canada will benefit from climate change
By Donna Laframboise
A world-renowned expert in animal bone identification has lost her position at the University of Victoria (UVic), she believes for telling school kids politically incorrect facts about polar bears.
Dr. Susan Crockford at the University of Toronto in 2012. Dave Thomas/Toronto Sun/QMI Agency files
Zoologist Dr. Susan Crockford is routinely hired by biologists and archeologists in Canada and abroad to identify the remains of mammals, birds and fish. She has helped catalog museum collections, and assisted police with forensic analyses. But UVic students will no longer benefit from her expertise, and her ability to apply for research grants has come to a screeching halt. In May, the Anthropology Department withdrew her Adjunct Professor status, depriving her of a university affiliation.
Crockford describes her expulsion as “an academic hanging without a trial, conducted behind closed doors.” After being renewed unanimously in 2016 for a three-year term, her adjunct status was not renewed the next time around.
Crockford is the author of a popular blog, polarbearscience.com, as well as five books about these animals. Polar Bear Facts and Myths has been translated into four languages. She says that, contrary to the claims of environmental activists, polar bears are currently thriving and are at no risk of extinction from climate change.
https://business.financialpost.com/opinion/was-this-zoologist-punished-for-telling-school-kids-politically-incorrect-facts-about-polar-bears
Note: full disclosure: I have a past affiliation with the author of this article.
Donna Laframboise crowd-sourced research on the 4th IPCC report’s claim that it relied solely on peer-reviewed, scientific journals for its conclusions, as per its citations.
I took part in that review, and fact-checked 2 of the chapters. I found that less than 1/3 of the references in one, and only about 40% in the other chapter, were to scientific journals. Rather, the majority of the cited references were to government policy papers, some published in a ‘journal’ format that mimicked ‘scientific journals’.
The Enemy Alliance
How to remove the keystone of the global alliance of our enemies – Iran.
October 16, 2019
Michael Ledeen
The Enemy Alliance extends around the world, from Pyongyang to Caracas, and from Moscow to Cuba. It’s an extensive alliance spread out across the globe in order to take revenge on its enemies. It runs across Asia (North Korea, China, Russia), through the Stans, across the borders of Eastern Europe, and into Iran and Iraq, thence into immigrants flooding into Western Europe, and into our hemisphere (Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua).
The keystone of this global alliance is Iran, at once the world’s largest sponsor of terror, and a constant promoter of terrorism against American targets, from downtown restaurants to special forces on the battlefield.
The 1979 assault on the Grand Mosque in Mecca had a significant family footnote: the first appearance of the name bin Laden in conjunction with a terrorist attack. Osama bin Laden’s brother Mahrous was evidently involved in the operation, and was miraculously spared the executioner’s scimitar. He even gained early release from prison, abandoned political activism, and subsequently devoted all his energies to the family business.[1]
Ever since, Iran has sponsored terrorism all over the world, and has ceaselessly attacked the United States in word and deed. For many years, the Department of State has declared the Islamic Republic the leading supporter of international terrorism, and for good reason.
https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/10/enemy-alliance-michael-ledeen
Exclusive: U.S. carried out secret cyber strike on Iran in wake of Saudi oil attack: officials
Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart
4 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two U.S. officials have told Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-military-cyber-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-carried-out-secret-cyber-strike-on-iran-in-wake-of-saudi-oil-attack-officials-say-idUSKBN1WV0EK?utm_source=reddit.com
Trump’s Syria plan reveals a master strategist in the White House
By Richard Jack Rail
It’s just too delicious. President Trump ordered U.S. special forces out of Syria to a chorus of howling Democrats and all the old, experienced hands at State and, supposedly, the military. (I had doubts as well.) Democrats yelled that all hell was about to break loose. The Pentagon pulled its hair. Europe trembled and blanched. The Mideast girded for something awful.
Everybody thought we had to keep our troops around so the Turks wouldn’t invade Northern Syria and kill off all the Kurds. Everybody wanted them to negotiate with the Kurds and figured the only way to do that was little by little, by getting allies to reason with Turkey and hem and haw and maybe buy her off as in times past. Meanwhile, we had to keep the two ancient enemies, Kurds and Turks, apart.
Negotiations would ever happen only if our troops stayed.
Trump saw the situation differently. As beautifully laid out by Sundance at Conservative Treehouse, removing our guys would leave the intransigent Turks vulnerable to an alliance against them of their many enemies in the region. This thought didn’t occur to Turkish president Recep Erdo?an, who at first seemed delighted that we were leaving and promptly dispatched his troops into Syria, as everybody had predicted he would.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/trumps_syria_plan_reveals_a_master_strategist_in_the_white_house.html
Turning somersaults to view _everything_ the Prez does into Winning! is NOT reassuring.
When conservatives show such determination, such blind devotion, I despair.
No need to pile on, but this “master strategist” jazz is shallow and craven. Like the 0 groupies, No corruption in the 0 administration.
It’s unlikely that PT will betray Israel. But if he did, this same base would cut Israel in a heartbeat.
violent Antifa doing what violent antifa does…
(Richard: Every time you think the left has reached peak stupid they prove you wrong.
California Law Covers Free Pot, School Pot
October 16, 2019
Daniel Greenfield
California Democrats have embarked on an extended art project to show what a lunatic asylum legislature would look like. Here’s the latest delivery from the mothership of madness.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom handed a win to the cannabis industry over the weekend when he signed a law allowing marijuana businesses to claim state tax deductions.
Awesome. Give us more.
A bill authorizing the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, at UC San Diego, to cultivate cannabis for use in scientific study. The center has struggled with obtaining enough cannabis for research due to federal restrictions.
A bill setting a deadline of 60 days for cannabis businesses with 20 or more employees to sign a labor peace agreement, allowing employees to unionize without their employer’s interference
The other bills Newsom signed include measures that make it easier for ill people to receive cannabis medication at no cost,
Now more.
Medical marijuana to be allowed at California K-12 schools, with parents’ OK
This is your government. This is your government on drugs.
Note: there have been endless rumours of Maxime Bernier surrounding himself with anti-border Globalists, and how his ‘Libertarian’ philosophy perfectly fits in with Globalism. I do not know how true or false these claims are, but I also think that the following article raises some important points of principle:
MAXIME BERNIER IS A GLOBALIST TOO.
By NCAlliance -March 31, 20193671 2
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The sad reality of Canadian politics is that few people actually spend any time researching the people and parties at play in Canada’s political scene and instead rely on distorted mainstream media editorials for their information.
Fortunately there are still independent researchers and journalists who do spend time delving into little known facts or remind us of forgotten ones. And despite pretensions to the contrary, our mainstream political parties have been much less transparent about what’s been going on than most of us have realized. But it’s not uncommon for people to deny the facts when presented either.
The author who created this media clip and accompanying article about “Mad Max” praising the people’s “freedoms” in Communist China in 2016 while he was still a Conservative MP is such a revelation. But it’s not all that surprising since he is still a fan of Globalist “free trade” deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (By the way, the only thing “free” about it is the free ride corporations obtain in being able to bypass Canada’s judicial system and get a hearing in a special courtroom where the public is banned.)
https://blog.nationalcitizensalliance.ca/maxime-bernier-is-a-globalist-too/
At this point Maxime Bernier IS YOUR ONLY HOPE.
He is the only person in Canadian politics that has even the slightest grip on reality.
PLEASE CANADA!
^^^ Maxime Bernier is it.^^^
Pakistani Muslims Wage “Apple Jihad” in India
October 16, 2019
Daniel Greenfield
Is there anything that Islamic terrorists won’t weaponize? How about apples?
A truck driver transporting apples in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir was shot dead Monday by militants, the police have said. The militants include a suspected Pakistani national, news agency PTI reported quoting officials.
Here’s more details about the ‘Apple Jihad’?
In Monday night’s attack, a truck driver — from Rajasthan, a state hundreds of miles away — was set on by a mob as he was loading his truck with apples in the Shopian area.
Witnesses said that a crowd pelted the driver with stones, and that when he tried to crawl into a sleeping area at the front of the truck to escape, members of the crowd dragged him out.
A masked militant then pulled out an assault rifle, witnesses said, and shot the driver in the head at close range, killing him instantly.
Mr. Wani said the shooting had provoked panic among apple traders, but noted that some business owners continued to pluck and ship the fruit despite the risk.
As India works to secure Kashmir and restore order, in the face of Islamic terror, the “Apple Jihad” goes on.
https://cms.frontpagemag.com/point/2019/10/pakistani-muslims-wage-apple-jihad-india-daniel-greenfield
How do you throw away a dead wind turbine?
By Duggan Flanakin |September 16th, 2019|Energy, Environment|66 Comments
Contrary to popular opinion, the life cycle of a modern wind turbine is no more than 20 to 25 years. Since turbine blades cannot be burned and are not recyclable, the recommended option is landfill disposal. But not every landfill can even accept these massive structures, even after they are broken into their parts.
According to Pu Liu and Claire Barlow (Waste Management, April 2017), there will be 43 million metric tons of blade waste worldwide by 2050, with China possessing 40% of the waste, Europe 25%, the United States 16%, and the rest of the world 19%. The problem of blade disposal, they conclude, is just beginning to emerge as a significant factor for the future.
A 2017 report from researchers Katerin Ramirez-Tejeda, David A. Turcotte, and Sarah Pike (New Solutions) asserts that “the environmental consequences and health risks are so adverse that the authors warn that if the public learns of this rapidly burgeoning problem, they may be less inclined to favor wind power expansion.”
Ramirez-Tejeda, et al., added that landfilling turbine waste is especially problematic “because its high resistance to heat, sunlight, and moisture means that it will take hundreds of years to degrade in a landfill environment. The wood and other organic material present in the blades would also end up in landfills, potentially releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other volatile organic compounds to the environment.”
At current U.S. landfilling costs of about $60 per ton, the 40-ton monsters may provide short-term revenues for landfill operators. The long-term cost (including for pretreatment and transportation), together with community opposition to landfill expansion) is making turbine blade disposal a major emerging problem in the U.S. and worldwide.
Evidence of these difficulties is already emerging in the American heartland. The City of Casper, Wyoming, in July finally released a statement confirming the disposal of wind turbine blades in the Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility. The city says the facility has been accepting fiberglass wind turbine blades, that are being replaced, for disposal.
City officials justified their actions, stating that, “Destroying the blades requires compacting equipment more powerful and larger than the Casper Regional Solid Waste Facility has. Disposal in a landfill is a viable option as fiberglass is a material that does not leach components into the soil or groundwater and thus can be buried in an unlined landfill.”
https://www.cfact.org/2019/09/16/how-do-you-throw-away-a-dead-wind-turbine/
Not too long ago I saw pictures of a “dead” wind power array on the big island of Hawaii. It was a rusty hulk of an environmental disaster left there because no one wanted to pay to have it removed.
*\o/* ~Birds rejoice~ *\o/*