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.
IRGC Ground Force Equipped with High-Precision Missiles, Drones: Commander
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/11/11/2138063/irgc-ground-force-equipped-with-high-precision-missiles-drones-commander
“Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour highlighted Iran’s military power and said his forces are equipped with high-precision missiles and drones…”
UN Watchdog Warns Iran’s Violations of Nuclear Deal Increasing
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1986426/un-watchdog-warns-irans-violations-nuclear-deal-increasing
“The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog reported Monday that its inspectors have discovered uranium particles of a man-made origin “at a location in Iran not declared to the agency.”
The revelation from International Atomic Energy Agency is the first time it has acknowledged in a report that allegations made earlier by the US and Israel against Iran are true.
The IAEA did not identify the site in the confidential quarterly report that was distributed to member states and seen by The Associated Press.
In other details, the IAEA said Iran’s stock stockpiles of low-enriched uranium are still growing in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, and has confirmed that Iran is now enriching uranium at its underground Fordow facility, which is also prohibited by the nuclear agreement.
It also said Iran continues to enrich uranium up to 4.5%, above the 3.67% allowed by the deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA…”
Europe Should Consider Renewed Sanctions on Iran, Germany Suggests
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1986876/europe-should-consider-renewed-sanctions-iran-germany-suggests
“Germany, Britain and France should be ready to consider starting moves to reinstate international sanctions on Iran over breaches of its 2015 nuclear deal, Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday.
Europe’s position is vital as the United States has withdrawn from the deal and the other signatories, Russia and China, are allies of Iran and unlikely to start the process under which sanctions could be reimposed.
Iran said last week it had resumed low-grade uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear plant, and at the weekend said it could refine up to 60% of fissile purity, not far off the 90% level needed for nuclear bomb fuel.
“Iran must finally return to its commitments (under the 2015 accord),” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said before a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
“Otherwise we will reserve the right to use all mechanisms specified in the deal (for sanctions to be reimposed),” he said,
Under the deal, meant to reduce the scope for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions.
Tehran says its latest steps have been driven by Washington’s withdrawal from the deal and its revival of US sanctions that have strangled Iran’s oil exports. Tehran says it would return to compliance if Washington did so.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was contacting the signatories to decide what to do next. EU ministers did not discuss sanctions on Monday but it is becoming “more and more difficult” to save the accord, she said.
“We might have a Joint Commission meeting in the coming days,” Mogherini said, referring to the forum where the signatories can discuss problems and potentially set the ground for exploring sanctions.
A senior EU diplomat said the Joint Commission meeting in Vienna could be next week at the level of political directors.
Any of the signatories can trigger a dispute resolution process that could culminate at the UN Security Council with a so-called “snapback” of global, UN sanctions on Iran.
The EU countries want the International Atomic Energy Agency must first verify Iran’s latest announcements on enrichment, EU diplomats said.
Iran says it wants nuclear energy only for civilian applications.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States has said the curbs imposed on Iran were not rigorous enough, and did not address its ballistic missile program.”
Saudi-Russian Agreement in Islamic Cooperation (aawsat, Nov 11, 2019)
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1986451/saudi-russian-agreement-islamic-cooperation
“Saudi Arabia and Russia signed on Sunday a memorandum of understanding on Islamic cooperation aimed at “introducing Islam and its noble values” and exchanging researches, books and scientific publications in various languages.
The MoU includes holding scientific symposia and joint training courses, the participation of scholars and preachers specialized in Islamic affairs in conferences and seminars held in the two countries, and the exchange of experiences in the affairs of mosques, architecture and maintenance…”
EU Agrees Sanctions on Turkey over Cyprus Drilling, to Add Names Later
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1986906/eu-agrees-sanctions-turkey-over-cyprus-drilling-add-names-later
“European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday economic sanctions over Turkey’s drilling off the coast of Cyprus, setting up the legal framework for travel bans and asset freezes but leaving names until a later date.
The decision, reflecting a broader deterioration in EU ties with Turkey, aims to punish Ankara for violating Cyprus’ maritime economic zone by drilling off the divided island. It follows a separate decision to stop new arms sales by EU governments to Turkey over Ankara’s October 9 incursion into Syria.
Turkey, which is a formal candidate to join the EU, says it is operating in waters on its own continental shelf or areas where Turkish Cypriots have rights.
EU ministers said in a statement that Monday’s decision: “will make it possible to sanction individuals or entities responsible for or involved in unauthorized drilling activities of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
Two EU diplomats said the staggered approach gives Turkey a chance to end what the EU says are “illegal” drilling activities before any measures enter into force.
If sanctions are imposed, the asset freezes and travel bans are likely to target the Turkish military and captains of the drilling ships, the diplomats said.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 after a Turkish invasion triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. Several peacemaking efforts have failed and the discovery of offshore resources has complicated the negotiations.
EU ties with NATO-ally Turkey have meanwhile worsened after years of stalemate on Ankara’s bid to join the world’s biggest trading bloc.
With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on dissidents and his sweeping new presidential powers that the EU says lack checks and balances, many EU states say Turkey no longer meets the democratic criteria to be a candidate, let alone an EU member.”
3 performers stabbed on stage in Riyadh
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/582331/SAUDI-ARABIA/3-performers-stabbed-on-stage-in-Riyadh
“Three performers were stabbed during a play in Riyadh on Monday night and the alleged assailant was arrested, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This was the first such incident since the Kingdom opened its doors for entertainment.
“At around 8.00 p.m. Riyadh police have arrested a Yemeni national, aged 33, after he stabbed two men and a woman who were members of a theatrical group during a live show in a theatre at King Abdullah Park in Malaz district, in the center of the capital city,” spokesman of Riyadh police said in a statement.
The man, carrying a knife, was seen stomping onto the stage to attack performers in theatrical costumes during a musical performance, in footage broadcast on Al-Ekbariya. Security men immediately stormed and overpowered the attacker.
The artists who sustained superficial wounds were provided treatment and they were in stable condition, the spokesman said adding that police started an investigation into the incident”
Egypt: Brotherhood calls for UN hold ‘Morsi’s murderers’ to account
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191111-egypt-brotherhood-calls-for-un-hold-morsis-murderers-to-account/
“The UN must investigate the death of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and hold those responsible for his murder to account, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said on Saturday.
“As part of the UN’s efforts to fight for human rights, we demand the highest international institution to adopt an investigation into the murder of Egypt’s ex-president Mohamed Morsi,” the Brotherhood told Arabi21.
The group called on the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Agnes Kalamard, to take “swift action to refer Morsi’s murder case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
“International silence on this crime hits the values of justice and the principles of human rights,” the group stressed…”
“Handcuffed and detained in Socialist California for eating a sandwich!”
LeoLyonZagamiChannel – November 8, 2019
This is OUTRAGEOUS !!
Saudi nationals charged with smuggling weapons from US
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191111-saudi-nationals-charged-with-smuggling-weapons-from-us/
“US federal prosecutors have charged three Saudi nationals with student visas of smuggling weapons from America to Saudi Arabia. The case is the second in under a week where Saudis have been charged with committing serious federal offences in the US before fleeing back to the kingdom, in what appears to be an attempt to avoid punishment.
Two of the Saudi nationals were charged by a federal grand jury in Riverside, California, last week with allegedly buying more than $100,000 in weapons parts in the US and smuggling them back to Saudi Arabia while a third was charged in Los Angeles for similar offences, reported the Mercury News.
The California daily named the three suspects as 36-year-old Hatim Humeed Alsufyani, 27-year-old Mosab Alzahrani and 30-year-old Abdulwahab Mohammed A. The first two suspects were charged with one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods out of the US without obtaining export licenses, according to court documents, while Alabdulwahab was charged with 15 counts of smuggling and 15 counts of knowingly exporting firearms parts from the United States without an export license.
Alsufyani was also charged with three counts of knowingly exporting weapons parts without a license, while Alzahrani was also charged with one count of knowingly exporting weapons parts without a license.
If convicted of all charges, Alsufyani could face a maximum sentence of 65 years and Alzahrani could face 25 years. Alabdulwahab could face ten years in federal prison for each smuggling count and 20 years imprisonment for each violation of the Arms Export Control Act, reported the Mercury News.
In the same week Saudi nationals employed by Twitter were accused of spying for Riyadh by digging up private user data and giving it to Saudi officials in exchange for payment.
The suspects were residing in Saudi Arabia when federal prosecutors announced that the men were wanted for spying for the kingdom.
It’s unclear if the Saudi nationals will be extradited to face US courts or suffer any penalty for their offence.”
Algeria deports 3,200 sub-Saharan Africans in one month
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191111-algeria-deports-3200-sub-saharan-africans-in-one-month/
“Algeria has deported 3,231 sub-Saharan Africans in the space of one month as it continues its policy of abandoning people in the desert and forcing them to walk to Assamaka in Niger.
According to figures released by Alarme Phone Sahara, which works with a network of whistleblowers in the region, this figure includes 63 women, 82 girls and 77 boys.
The majority of the refugees were from Niger, Mali and Guinea Conkary.
Algeria has previously drawn widespread criticism for its policy of deporting migrants by sending them into the Sahara Desert and on to Niger.
Last summer the North African country came under fire from rights organisations after a secretly recorded video captured buses on the edge of the desert carrying migrants. Over 14 months Algeria had dumped over 13,000 people including pregnant women and children in the desert as temperatures hit 48 degrees.
It forced them to walk, sometimes at gunpoint, without giving them food or water…”
Saudi Arabia abducted Saudi critics, activists from Geneva: reports
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/11/saudi-arabia-abducted-saudi-critics-activists-from-geneva-reports
“Saudi authorities kidnapped two Saudi activists from the Swiss city of Geneva, Arabi21 reported quoting Prisoners of Conscience.
Lawyer Hassan al-Omari was abducted by the Saudi authorities in October 2017 and activist Hassan al-Kanani in March this year, according to the Saudi-focused human rights group.
Prisoners of Conscience also said Al-Omari and al-Kanani were kidnapped by the authorities after receiving several threats warning them to cease their activities against Saudi Arabia.
Al-Omari has criticised Saudi Arabia’s participation in Yemen’s civil war and has called on his government to withdraw from the conflict immediately.
The Saudi and Swiss authorities have not commented on the abduction reports…”
Jordan, UAE, Turkey, Sudan accused of violating sanctions on Libya – U.N. report
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-un/jordan-uae-turkey-sudan-accused-of-violating-sanctions-on-libya-u-n-report-idUSKBN1XL2E6
“Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have repeatedly violated an arms embargo on Libya and it is “highly probable” that a foreign attack aircraft is responsible for a deadly strike on a migrant detention center, according to U.N. experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions on Libya.
A report to the U.N. Security Council Libya sanctions committee, seen by Reuters on Monday, also accused Sudan and the head of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – known by his nickname Hemeti – of violating U.N. sanctions by deploying 1,000 Sudanese troops to Libya.
The U.N. missions of Jordan, Turkey and Sudan did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the accusations in the confidential report, which is due to be made public next month…”
Reuters has joined Qatar’s stable.
Islamic world not to blame for spread of extremist thoughts: Al-Azhar grand imam
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/355739/Egypt/Politics-/Islamic-world-not-to-blame-for-spread-of-extremist.aspx
“Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, received on Monday Wang Yang, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and an accompanying delegation during their visit to Cairo.
The grand imam of Al-Azhar said the Islamic world alone cannot be blamed for the spread of extremist thoughts, as there are international agendas and policies that use the extremist ideas to fuel the conflicts in the region to impose its hegemony.
Muslims are the number one victims of terrorism which some associate Islam with, El-Tayyeb added, noting that the states were responsible for maintaining peace and social security and at the same time shouldered the responsibility to allow the freedom to practise religious rites at the same time.
The grand imam stressed that the wrong education and misinterpretation of some religious texts were the source of extremist thoughts in some countries.
The only way to confront extremism was to spread the moderate Al-Azhar curriculum through sending students to study in Al-Azhar or training imams in a programme dedicated by Al-Azhar to the incoming imams to train them on pluralism and coexistence, he added.
Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference praised the grand imam’s ideology and speech which align religion, citizenship, and humanity.
“I will work on clarifying the image of Islam I knew from the grand Imam,” Wang Yang said, pointing out that he will be keen on sending Chinese imams to Al-Azhar to confront extremism.
Yang called on the grand imam to visit China’s Islamic centres and meet with Chinese religious leaders.”
We don’t need mosques, we need better schools: Salim Khan
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2097411/4-dont-need-mosques-need-better-schools-salim-khan/
“Salman Khan’s father, scriptwriter and film producer, Salim Khan reacted to the Ayodhya verdict on Saturday, claiming that a school should be built on the proposed 5-acre land in Ayodhya. According to India Today, the 83-year-old media personality added that Muslims in India desperately needed schools, not a mosque…”
German city elects ethnic Turkish mayor for first time
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/german-city-elects-ethnic-turkish-mayor-for-first-time-148535
“Voters in Hannover, Germany have elected an ethnic Turkish politician as mayor for the first time in the city’s history.
Belit Onay, a 38-year-old parliamentarian from the Green Party, claimed nearly 53 percent of the vote in a runoff ballot on Nov. 10, beating his rival Eckhard Scholz, an independent candidate backed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
Onay also became the first ethnic Turkish politician to win the mayor’s office in a major German city.
During his election campaign, he promised to transform Hannover into a climate-friendly city, struggle for affordable housing and improve social cohesion.
Onay has been one of the most popular young politicians of the environmentalist and pro-immigration Green Party, which enjoys great support among voters with an immigrant background.
Germany has a 3 million-strong Turkish community, many of whom are second- and third-generation German-born citizens whose Turkish grandparents moved to the country during the 1960s.”
Germany to take back Daesh/ISIS suspects from Turkey
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-to-take-back-daesh-isis-suspects-from-turkey-/1641922
“Germany will take back several Daesh/ISIS suspects, along with their wives and children, who were captured by Turkish authorities, officials confirmed on Monday.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Christofer Burger said Turkish authorities have informed them that they would deport 10 German citizens to their country this week.
“German authorities have verified the identities of these three men, five women, and two children,” he said, but gave no further details.
Local media reported that German authorities believe seven of the suspects had ties to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.
Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, more than 1,050 foreign fighters travelled from Germany to conflict areas in Syria and Iraq, according to German security agencies.
The issue of the handling of Daesh/ISIS members and their families detained in Syria — including foreign members of the terror group — has been controversial, with Turkey arguing foreign-born terrorists should be repatriated to their countries of origin.
Ankara has said several European countries refused its efforts to send Daesh/ISIS members back to their countries.
Turkey has so far deported 7,500 Daesh/ISIS members, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week, adding that there are currently 1,149 Daesh/ISIS terrorists in Turkish prisons.”
At this point, what difference does it make?
JeffreyEpsteinDidn'tKillHimselfJeffreyEpsteinDidn'tKillHimselfJeffreyEpsteinDidn'tKillHimselfJeffreyEpsteinDidn'tKillHimselfCoop on Libya but ensure human rights, Merkel tells Conte
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/11/11/coop-on-libya-but-ensure-human-rights-merkel-tells-conte_0c5cd19e-5c34-44f1-9647-680017a57af1.html
“Italy and Germany must cooperate on Libya and migrants but there must be respect for human rights, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Premier Giuseppe Conte in Rome Monday.
Merkel told Conte that “cooperation with the Libyan coast guard is of great importance” but we must also involve “the UNHCR and the NGOs and guarantee reasonable standards” of human rights “which do not exist in all of Libya”.
Merkel told Conte “thanks to Italy for its commitment in Libya”. She also thanked Conte for Italy’s participation in the Berlin conference on the north African country, stressing that “now we need a ceasefire”.
Conte said that “I want to publicly thank the German government because on the issue of migrations it has not failed to give its help to Italy. Germany, if we speak of sensitivity on the overall framework of problems, and the need for redistribution, is a country in the front line and that must be recognised”.
Italy and Germany are united against intolerance, Premier Conte said with Merkel.
The two countries, he said, “must work together to address the common European responsibility in giving adequate responses to citizens. “With Germany we find ourselves often sharing goals and ways of reaching them, sometimes we are not convinced of the same solutions, but we must continue to work in this direction, we must not increase intolerance and the divisive forces in the EU”, Conte told a press conference with Merkel.
Italy and Germany “have a joint commitment to tackle the main challenges that await us, migration, relaunching growth, employment, fighting climate change, completing the governance of the EU, the negotiations on the budget, Brexit and the issue of enlargement,” Conte said.
Merkel told Conte that “banking union must be carried forward, to guarantee the stability of the euro”.
Conte told the press conference with Merkel that “we agreed on cooperation to try to talk on the most advanced solutions from the technological standpoint and share our knowhow” in the steel sector, referring to the ArcelorMittal and former ILVA case.
The Italian premier said that the Italian government is faced with the “challenge” of “working for a solution that keeps up the safeguard of health and the safeguard of jobs” at the former ILVA steel works in Taranto which ArcelorMittal is trying to get out of.”
Violent crime: Swedish police outline plan to deal with ‘exceptional situation’
https://www.thelocal.se/20191111/swedish-police-outline-plan-to-deal-with-exceptional-situation
“Police have announced a ‘special national incident’ to look into violent crime in Sweden, with the head of the task force saying he expects a tangible impact within the next six months.
Operation Hoarfrost, as the operation has been named, has been launched in order to reduce the number of explosions and shootings in Sweden and to increase the feeling of public safety.
The head of national police operations department Noa, Mats Löfving, took the decision on Sunday evening and said that the shooting of two teenagers the day before was “the final straw”.
“It is very rare that we use these special methods. There has to be an exceptional situation,” said Löfving.
No arrests have yet been made in connection with the shooting, which left one 15-year-old dead and another in hospital in a serious condition.
The special national incident relates to violent crime in general and is not limited to any geographical area or specific incident. But Löfving said the shooting on Sunday was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
“We saw a weekend in Malmö that is unacceptable, with an execution-like murder of a 15-year-old boy,” he told the press conference.
The special national incident means that a dedicated task force will look into violent crime, with the task force’s commander-in-chief granted special powers to make decisions and allocate resources.
Four specific goals were outlined at the press conference: to reduce the number of explosions and shootings significantly, to reduce the number of people in criminal gangs through carrying out arrests and convictions, to seize weapons and explosives, and to increase the feeling of safety among members of the public.
Stefan Hector, who will take on the role of commander-in-chief, said he expected that the special incident would have an impact “within six months”.
Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said he welcomed the measure, telling the TT news agency: “It is an important signal. Malmö residents should not feel that they are alone in this, but rather that this is a matter for the whole of Sweden.”
While Sweden’s overall crime rate and homicide rate remains low from an international and historical perspective, there has been an increase in recent years in the proportion of murders linked to criminal gangs. And the number of explosions has increased, accounting for 162 of a total of 190 incidents of ‘destruction causing public endangerment’ last year.
The briefing explaining the special national incident followed an earlier press conference from Malmö police in which they outlined the measures underway in the city.
Malmö’s police chief said at that conference that both the victims of Sunday’s shooting were previously known to police, and that an important step in crime prevention would be cracking down on the local drugs trade.
The role of the drugs trade in violent crime was a concern echoed by the prime minister, who told TT: “It is important that we as a society think about how we act, since organized crime survives to a large extent due to drug trafficking”.”
OK, this is just hilarious…
https://i.redd.it/vc5ljrnmvjx31.jpg
US DOJ doc declares Justin Trudeau agreed to LPC attending illegal campaign fundraiser in NYC 10 Oct 2019.
Penalty for accepting prohibited gifts committed by a candidate for election or an official agent? “Automatic ineligibility” to be elected or sit in the House of Commons.
https://twitter.com/presscoreca/status/1192778609376813056