Reader’s Links, November 18, 2019

Daily Links Post graphic

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

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

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

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

About Eeyore

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

118 Replies to “Reader’s Links, November 18, 2019”

  1. HUGE: Schifty Schiff’s Next Witness, Molly Montgomery, is Deep State Plant Under VP Pence with Connections to Whistleblower Eric Ciaramella and George Soros

    Of course the whole Shifty Schiff Sham is based on lies and misinformation from numerous Deep State plants. Lying Schiff’s Tuesday witness, Molly Montgomery, is another Deep State plant who was removed from the White House with ties to whistleblower Eric Ciaramella and George Soros.

    Deep State member Molly Montgomery was on CNN a few days ago where she claimed that morale at the State Department was at historic lows. This apparently was due to budget cuts. CNN was more than happy to promote this. Montgomery said (which she later posted on her Twitter account):

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/huge-schifty-schiffs-next-witness-molly-montgomery-is-deep-state-plant-under-vp-pence-with-connections-to-whistleblower-eric-ciaramella-and-george-soros/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=daily

  2. Video sparks fears Hong Kong protesters being loaded on train to China
    Video of Hong Kong protesters being loaded on train spurs concerns they are being sent to China
    7231Privacy Badger has replaced this Facebook Like button. Privacy Badger has replaced this Facebook Share button.
    By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
    2019/11/18 18:25
    (Screenshot of Twitter video)
    (Screenshot of Twitter video)

    TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A video which surfaced on Monday (Nov. 18) appearing to show Hong Kong protesters being loaded onto a train near the border with China, is sparking fears online they are being sent to a detention center in the communist country, similar the “reeducation camps” used to incarcerate ethnic Uighurs.

    As clashes continued on college campuses between riot police and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, a video was posted on Twitter spurring concerns that arrested demonstrators were being illegally extradited to China. At 2:33 p.m. on Monday, Twitter user @Woppa1Woppa posted a video showing handcuffed protesters being forced onto a train and wrote that it was unknown where they were being sent.

    https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3819595

    • Do you remember what happened to Viktor Yushchenko?

      “Viktor Yushchenko: Ukraine’s ex-president on being poisoned” – BBC News – April 2, 2018

  3. Muslim AK-47s and Bombings Turn Sweden Into War Zone

    “Those who depict our prophet, we’ll blow them up.”

    This isn’t terrorism. It’s a war. And it’s going on every day in Sweden.

    Sweden is reeling from a wave of shootings and bombings with 268 shootings just this year so far. And that’s in a country of 10 million people which has crime numbers on par with some American cities.

    “Sweden may have the answer to America’s gun problem,” Vox declared in 2016. Or maybe not.

    These shootings aren’t being carried out with handguns, but with AK-47s. The weapon so often used as a boogeyman by gun control advocates, but rarely featured in everyday gun violence, is a staple of Sweden’s gang war scene. Along with hand grenades and other explosives rarely seen in America.

    A call by the police last year asking gang members to turn in their grenades worked as well as expected.

    There have been 187 bomb attacks this year. In just 1 week in August, there were three major bombings. Much of the violence is concentrated in Malmo which experienced 58 bombings in 2017.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/11/muslim-ak-47s-and-bombings-turn-sweden-war-zone-daniel-greenfield

  4. “Joe diGenova Responds to the Trump Impeachment Hearings”
    Conservative Citizen – November 18, 2019

  5. (Richard: I want to know more because some of the Dems are desperate enough to try something this stupid.)

    BREAKING: Trump Made Unannounced Stop at Walter Reed Hospital — “Worrisome and Unusual” – Rumblings of Stomach Problems, Potential Food Poisoning

    President Trump made an unannounced stop at Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday afternoon.

    The White House said the visit was for a “quick exam and labs.”

    This has the internet abuzz that President Trump was a victim of attempted poisoning.

    According to The Washington Examiner the official White House food taster is the White House chef.

    And despite criticism of the practice under President Barack Obama, the mystery anti-poison position apparently goes back to the days of Ronald Reagan.

    The staff at Walter Reed was NOT notified about the unplanned visit by President Trump.

    CNN reported that his stop was NOT TYPICAL for a routine visit.

    Dr. Jonathan Reiner, the cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney while he was in the White House, told CNN the abrupt trip to the hospital was “unusual” and he was “skeptical” of the trip given how physicals tend to be scheduled in advance and performed at the White House.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/breaking-trump-made-unannounced-stop-at-walter-reed-hospital-rumblings-of-potential-food-poisoning/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  6. JUST IN: Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks House Subpoena of Trump’s Tax ReturnsThe Supreme Court temporarily blocked a House subpoena of Trump’s financial records, Chief Justice John Roberts announced on Monday.

    The Supremes issued a temporary stay of an appeals court ruling that previously granted House Democrats on the Oversight and Reform Committee access to President Trump’s financial records — a move that was expected by the Supreme Court pending their review.

    The House has until Thursday to respond, according to the stay signed by Roberts, however the Democrats said they would respond by Friday, reported CNBC.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/just-in-supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-house-subpoena-of-trumps-tax-returns/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  7. (Richard: Ukrainian corruption didn’t pan out for the Dems so they are trying another attack that won’t pan out. so the Dems are shifting to another lie. This is rising to the level of crime that Legislative immunity doesn’t cover. I wonder how many of the lawyers in the Dems are smart enough to know that?)

    BREAKING: House Now Investigating Whether Trump Lied to Mueller in Written Answers Provided in Russia Hoax Probe

    The House is now investigating whether Trump lied to Robert Mueller in written answers he provided to the Russia hoax special counsel team, the House’s general counsel said in federal court on Monday.

    The House is currently in court trying to obtain the secret grand jury material in Robert Mueller’s report that is still redacted.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/breaking-house-now-investigating-whether-trump-lied-to-mueller-in-written-answers-provided-in-russia-hoax-probe/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  8. MASS PROTESTS CONTINUE IN IRAN – 67 Demonstrators Killed – Regime Fires on Protesters From the Air (VIDEO)

    The mass protests continued Monday in Iran.
    The protests are spreading to the major cities — at least 75 cities now.

    Protesters ransacked several state run radio and television stations.
    In Tehran Pars protesters overturned a police bus and set it on fire.

    Iranians are chanting death threats at the regime.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/11/mass-protests-continue-in-iran-67-demonstrators-killed-regime-fires-on-protesters-from-the-air-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily

  9. Police kill two bombmakers linked to last Wednesday’s attack on police HQ in Medan
    https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/police-kill-two-bombmakers-linked-to-last-wednesdays-attack-on-police-hq-in-medan

    “JAKARTA – Two bombmakers who made the device used in the suicide bombing of police headquarters in Medan, North Sumatra, last week have been killed in a police raid, laying to rest initial suspicions that the attacker acted as a “lone wolf.”

    Investigations uncovered that the suicide bomber was linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-affiliated local network called Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which was founded by terrorist ideologue Aman Abdurrahman who is now on death row.

    Identified by the police only by their initials KA and P, the bombmakers had hand-made firearms and resisted arrest during the raid on Saturday (Nov 16) which left one policeman injured. Three accomplices of the bombmaker who were with them during the raid in Deli Serdang regency, about an hour from Medan, were arrested and are being interrogated.

    Between last Wednesday’s attack and Saturday, police have rounded up 43 militants. Twenty were nabbed in North Sumatra and neighbouring Aceh province while another 22 were arrested in Java. One militant was detained in East Kalimantan, said police.

    The attack last Wednesday occurred at around 8.40am local time, 20 minutes after the bomber was seen on closed-circuit television walking into the police compound.

    The young man, clad in a ride-hailing service jacket and carrying a big backpack, blew himself up in a carpark near a building where certificates of clearance, known as SKCK, were being processed. Police later identified the perpetrator as RMN.

    Six people – four police officers, one police employee and one civilian – were hurt in the blast, which also damaged several vehicles. Eyewitnesses told local media they heard a loud explosion and saw white smoke as they rushed out of the building.

    Among the 20 arrested was a senior militant that police identified as Yanto, alias Yasir, who is the leader of JAD for North Sumatra and Aceh…”

  10. Lebanon Is On the Verge of Collapse

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Israel’s neighbor to the north is gripped by a popular uprising that many fear could lead to civil war.

    Faced with the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of citizens protesting in the streets of Lebanon, PM Saad Hariri has submitted a letter of resignation to Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

    For the past weeks the streets of Lebanon have been aflame. The country has been paralyzed despite the prognostications of all the experts who thought the demonstrations would wither away swiftly.

    What they failed to grasp is that what is at hand is a popular revolt against the corrupt and inept political system that has driven Lebanon into a severe economic depression.

    Lebanon operates like a mafia. Its 128 members of parliament, as well as its cabinet ministers, plunder the public coffers via an intricate web of businesses, hotels, shops, and real estate holdings they run on the side. There is no real separation between the political systems and the tycoons. In Lebanese politics, if you can attain a public/government position you’re going to be rich.

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/lebanon-collapse/

  11. France and Sahel partner forces conduct ‘unprecedented’ operation in Burkina Faso and Mali
    https://thedefensepost.com/2019/11/18/joint-operation-burkina-faso-mali-barkhane-bourgou-iv-sahel/

    “Forces from the France-led Operation Barkhane and its partner forces in the Sahel region of central Africa carried out an ‘unprecedented’ 17-day operation against ‘armed terrorist groups’ in Burkina Faso and Mali.

    Between November 1 and 17, “the G5 Sahel Joint Force, the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF) and the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), supported by Desert Battle Group ‘Steel’ conducted Operation Bourgou IV in the Déou area of Burkina Faso and Boulikessi area of Mali, the French Armed Forces ministry said in a Monday, November 18 release.

    More than 1,400 soldiers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and France took part in the operation, and more than half of those involved were from partner forces, “which represents an unprecedented participation in an operation of this magnitude,” the ministry said.

    Operation Bourgou IV “resulted in 24 individuals, being put out of action,” and the seizure of 64 vehicles, around 100 phones, and ammunition.

    Carried out simultaneously in Mali and Burkina Faso, the operation aimed to disrupt the logistics of “armed terrorist groups” and hinder their activity in the region.

    FABF and the Barkhane force conducted reconnaissance in the Tofagala forest in northeast Burkina Faso, taking control of dozens of camps there and confirming the presence of armed terrorist groups, the ministry said.

    On the night of November 7-8, a temporary base for Burkinabé and Barkhane forces was “harassed by armed terrorist groups,” the ministry said.

    “Enemy combatants” were spotted a few hundred metres from the base, and warning shots were fired “to deter them from undertaking any attack.”

    On its Facebook page, the French armed forces said 25mm cannon warning shots and 81mm mortar flare shells were fired were fired between 7 p.m. and midnight, but at about 1:30 a.m, a column of pick-up trucks was observed moving towards the temporary base.

    “A column of pick-up trucks that began its advance towards the bases” and was fired on by 25 mm cannon, machine guns, mortars and light infantry weapons, “forcing it to stop its assault and exfiltrate itself,” the ministry said.

    In Mali, partner forces supported by Barkhane “contributed to the strengthening of the defences of the Boulikessi post.” Forests in the area were searched, “undermining the logistics of armed terrorist groups and hampering their supply chain.”

    In Iate September, at least 40 Malian soldiers were killed in simultaneous raids claimed by al-Qaeda-linked JNIM in Boulikessi and Mondoro, near central Mali’s border with Burkina Faso, one of the deadliest attacks against Mali’s military in recent insurgent violence. The troops were from a battalion under G5 Sahel Joint Force command.

    Former colonial power France has been trying to build international support for a new military force to work alongside its 4,500-strong Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission in the Sahel.

    French plans for a new international special operations task force for the Sahel were first reported in early October, and on November 5, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said that France expected the new force – dubbed “Takuba” – to deploy in Mali by 2020. Around a dozen European states “have expressed an interest in taking part in this initiative,” a French Armed Forces spokesperson said.

    Estonia is the first partner to confirm a special operations forces deployment to Takuba. A defense ministry spokesperson told The Defense Post that special forces will deploy to Mali in the second half of 2020 and that force will ‘assist, advise and accompany’ the Malian Armed Forces.

    Last week, senior officials said the United States is seeking a meeting of the Coalition against ISIS early in 2020 to focus on threats in West Africa and the Sahel.

    International operations in the Sahel
    In 2012 a Tuareg separatist uprising against the state was exploited by Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took key cities in Mali’s desert north.

    France began its Operation Serval military intervention in its former colony early the next year, driving the jihadists from the towns, and the MINUSMA peacekeeping force was then established.

    But the militant groups have morphed into more nimble formations operating in rural areas, and the insurgency has gradually spread to central and southern regions of Mali and across the borders into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Large swathes of Mali remain outside government control, and inter-ethnic bloodshed is a regular occurrence.

    The U.N. says that since January more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso and Mali, and more than one million people have been internally displaced across the five Sahel states – more than twice the number displaced in 2018. Access has become increasingly difficult, but 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

    Many armed groups are active in the Sahel region, including Islamic State-affiliated groups, but the majority of attacks are attributed to JNIM, which formed in March 2017 from a merger of several smaller groups including the Sahara branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine and al-Mourabitoun. JNIM’s leadership has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

    The Serval mission evolved in August 2014 into Operation Barkhane, and roughly 4,500 French troops are deployed in the region, including around 2,700 soldiers in Mali.

    But Barkhane has a growing international dimension, with European partners sending more troops and equipment. Denmark is to send two helicopters and up to 70 troops to support Barkhane in December and Estonia is to almost double the size of its Barkhane contingent in 2020. Chinook helicopters from the United Kingdom currently support the operation.

    Operation Barkhane focuses activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, and troops work alongside other international operations, including the 14,000-strong MINUSMA U.N. stabilization mission in Mali and the G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S), a planned 4,500-strong joint counter-terrorism force comprising troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Mauritania.

    Around 620 troops from 22 member states and five non-E.U. states work with the Malian Armed Forces and the FCG5S in European Union Training Mission – Mali, which has a mandate until May 2020. Around 14,000 FAMa personnel have been trained since the mission was established in 2013.

    Earlier this month, AFRICOM said U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flight operations had begun from Nigerien Air Base 201 in the northern city of Agadez.”

  12. Iran Exceeds Heavy Water Limit in Latest Nuclear Deal Breach, Says IAEA
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1997381/iran-exceeds-heavy-water-limit-latest-nuclear-deal-breach-says-iaea

    “Iran has breached another limit in its nuclear deal with major powers by accumulating slightly more than 130 tons of heavy water, a substance used in a type of reactor it is developing, a UN nuclear watchdog report showed on Monday.

    The restriction is the latest Iran has exceeded in protest at the United States for withdrawing from the deal last year and imposing punishing economic sanctions on Tehran.

    Washington says its “maximum pressure” will force Iran to negotiate a broader deal that will also include its role in Middle Eastern conflicts. Tehran says it will not negotiate until sanctions are lifted.

    As the deal is eroded, France, Britain and Germany are torn between trying to save it and responding to Iran’s breaches.

    Heavy water is not as sensitive as uranium, which Iran is enriching in a quantity and to a level of purity beyond limits set by the pact. But the 2015 agreement says Iran should not have more heavy water than it needs, an amount the deal estimates to be 130 metric tons.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states, obtained by Reuters, that it had been informed by Iran on November 16 that “its stock of heavy water had exceeded 130 metric tons”.

    The IAEA said that on November 17 the agency had “verified that the Heavy Water Production Plant (HWPP) was in operation and that Iran’s stock of heavy water was 131.5 metric tons”.

    After the Reuters report, the IAEA issued a statement confirming the findings.

    Heavy water is, among other things, used as a moderator to slow down reactions in the core of nuclear reactors like one Iran has been developing at Arak.

    Since that reactor could eventually have produced plutonium, which can also be used in atom bombs, the deal required Iran to remove its core and fill it with concrete. The reactor is now being redesigned with a view to reducing the proliferation risk.

    Iran has breached the heavy water cap before. It first exceeded the limit in 2016 here soon after the deal went into force and well before the US withdrawal in 2018. Major powers then agreed Iran could store its excess heavy water outside the country while it sought a buyer.

    Since July, the IAEA has confirmed that Iran has surpassed the deal’s limits on its stock of enriched uranium and the purity to which it enriches uranium, as well as breaching its bans on enriching at sites other than its main plant at Natanz. It is also using models of centrifuges for enrichment that were not approved for that purpose in the nuclear pact.”

  13. Turkey Will Launch Another Syria Operation if Area Not Cleared of Kurdish YPG
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1997401/turkey-will-launch-another-syria-operation-if-area-not-cleared-kurdish-ypg

    “Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara would launch a new military operation in northeast Syria if the area was not cleared of what he called terrorists, state-owned Anadolu agency reported on Monday.

    Cavusoglu was quoted as saying that United States and Russia had not done what was required under agreements that halted a Turkish offensive against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northeastern Syria last month.

    The deals stipulated that the YPG would be removed from a swathe of land bordering Turkey in northeastern Syria.

    Cavusoglu called on Washington and Moscow on Monday to do what is necessary under the deals…”

  14. Report: IRGC, Muslim Brotherhood Held Secret Summit to Join Forces Against Saudi Arabia
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1997181/report-irgc-muslim-brotherhood-held-secret-summit-join-forces-against-saudi

    “The Intercept revealed on Monday that the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held a summit with the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey in 2014 in an attempt to join forces against Saudi Arabia.

    The disclosure that two sides held a summit is included in a leaked archive of secret Iranian intelligence reports obtained by the American news organization.

    One of the most important things the two sides shared was considering Saudi Arabia “the common enemy” of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, said The Intercept.

    The Muslim Brotherhood was represented in the meeting by three of its most prominent leaders in exile: Ibrahim Munir Mustafa, Mahmoud El-Abiary, and Youssef Moustafa Nada, according to the document.

    What neither side knew was that there was a spy in the summit. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, MOIS, a rival of the Revolutionary Guards within the Iranian national security apparatus, secretly had an agent in the meeting who reported everything that was discussed.

    The Muslim Brotherhood delegation opened the meeting with a boast, pointing out that the outfit “has organizations in 85 countries in the world.”

    “Differences between Iran as a symbol and representative of the Shiite world and the Muslim Brotherhood as a representative of the Sunni world are indisputable,” the Brotherhood members noted, according to the MOIS cable. But they emphasized that there “should be a focus on joint grounds for cooperation.”

    Perhaps, the Brotherhood delegation said, the two sides could join forces against the Saudis. The best place to do that was in Yemen.

    “In Yemen, with the influence of Iran on Houthis and the influence of the Brotherhood on the armed tribal Sunni factions, there should be a joint effort to decrease the conflict between Houthis and Sunni tribes to be able to use their strength against Saudi Arabia,” the Brotherhood delegation argued.

    There were public meetings and contacts between Iranian and Egyptian officials while Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohammed Morsi was president of Egypt from 2012 to 2013, said The Intercept.

    The Iranian intelligence cable about the 2014 meeting provides an intriguing glimpse at a secret effort by the Muslim Brotherhood and Iranian officials to maintain contact — and determine whether they could still work together — after Morsi was removed from power.”

  15. US Blacklists Companies, People for Supporting ISIS
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1997406/us-blacklists-companies-people-supporting-isis

    “The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on four companies and two people operating in Syria, Turkey and Europe for providing financial and logistical support to ISIS.

    The targets were blacklisted under an executive order that imposes sanctions on terrorists and those who have provided assistance or support for terrorists, the US Treasury Department said, according to Reuters.

    Turkey-based Sahloul Money Exchange Company, Al-Sultan Money Transfer Company and ACL Ithalat Ihracat were targeted for providing financial and logistical support to ISIS, as were Turkish nationals Ismail Bayaltun and his brother Ahmet Bayaltun.

    The Afghanistan-based Nejaat Social Welfare Organization and two of its senior officials, Sayed Habib Ahmad Khan and Rohullah Wakil, was also targeted for supporting activities of the ISIS branch in Afghanistan.

    In a statement, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin characterized the move as a follow-up pressure tactic on the extremist group after a US special forces operation killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

    “Following the highly successful operation against al-Baghdadi, the Trump administration is resolved to completely destroy ISIS’s remaining network of terror cells,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, using an acronym for the group.

    The sanctions freeze any US assets held by those targeted and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.”

  16. Imprisoned Egyptian activist and daughter of Brotherhood leader faces ‘premature death’
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/detained-daughter-brotherhood-leader-could-face-premature-death-prison

    “Aisha Shater, an Egyptian activist and daughter of senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater, could die in prison if not hospitalised for a serious health condition, a human rights group has warned.

    Shater, 38, was arrested in November 2018, in a wave of detentions that targeted nearly 40 human rights workers in Cairo. She was charged with “belonging to an organisation established contrary to the law” and “inciting to harm national economy”.

    Her husband, human rights lawyer Mohamed Abou Horayra, was also arrested in the sweep and faces the same charges.

    According to We Record, an online Egyptian rights network, Shater is suffering from a “bone marrow failure which has led to severe blood cell shortages in the platelets and erythrocytes in conjunction with bleeding,” one of the symptoms of the illness.

    According to the group, Shater’s health condition is very dangerous as it “portends an inevitable premature death if Aisha does not receive proper treatment as soon as possible”.

    Shater’s health has also been complicated following a hunger strike she started in September.

    Since 18 September, she has only drunk water as she demands better prison conditions, including ending her solitary confinement and a ban on visits from her two children whom she has not seen since her arrest, London-based human rights researcher Ahmed Attar told Middle East Eye last month.

    We Record said Shater has been receiving medication to activate bone marrow maternal cells as well as some supportive treatment such as blood and platelet transfusion. Despite a bone marrow examination finding that her immunity is “almost non-existent”, there has been no report on whether she has received much needed antibiotics.

    The group added that Al-Qanater women’s prison in Cairo has neglected Shater’s case, which further damaged her health.

    She was, however, transferred to Kasr al-Aini Hospital for tests on 8 and 9 October but was then returned to prison. She was transferred for a second time to the same hospital on 31 October, and remained there until 6 November, one day before her prosecution hearing.

    “The Egyptian authorities should immediately transfer Aisha Khairat al-Shater to Nasser Institute for Research and Treatment and provide due health care appropriate for her condition to end her severe health suffering,” the groups said in a statement.

    Shater is one of at least 60,000 political prisoners detained since president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power in 2014 after leading a coup against his predecessor Mohamed Morsi, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

    Sisi has overseen a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters, secular politicians and public figures who initially supported his coup but then criticised his rule.”

  17. Protesters block Iraq port as strikes take hold
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191118-protesters-block-iraq-port-as-strikes-take-hold/

    “Protesters blocked entry to Iraq’s main commodities port again on Monday while schools and government offices in many southern cities were shut in response to calls for a general strike.

    At least 315 people have been killed since the start of mass unrest in Baghdad and southern Iraq in early October, the largest demonstrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

    Protesters are demanding the overthrow of a political class seen as corrupt and beholden to foreign interests. Unsatisfied by government reform promises they see as meager, many have turned to civil disobedience tactics.

    Hundreds on Monday blocked the entrance to the Umm Qasr commodities port near Basra, preventing employees and tankers from entering and bringing operations down by 50%, two-port sources said…”

  18. People smugglers use YouTube to teach migrants how to enter UK
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191118-people-smugglers-use-youtube-to-teach-migrants-how-to-enter-uk/

    “People smugglers are using social media networks to teach people how to enter the UK illegally, according to the Telegraph.

    Adverts published on Facebook entitled “Road to Europe, Road to Life” say that ships are the best option “because all its parts are made from iron with a thickness of 12 millimetres. The boat engine is 800 horsepower and its speed 14 miles per hour whilst it’s empty.”

    The news comes despite ongoing efforts to put pressure on these platforms to crackdown on the pages.

    Last year the UN warned that tech companies were failing to crackdown on smugglers who were using their platforms to lure migrants with the promise of safe passage whilst victims are unaware of the dangers they face.

    “More often than not, these adverts are quite reassuring, they create an illusion this is very much normal travel, it’s safe it’s easy,” head of Britain’s Organised Immigration Crime taskforce told Reuters last year.

    “Tragically, when you look at quite a few of these adverts they might be advertising big luxury yachts or ships. When the migrants turn up to get transported they find they are being packed onto a rib or a small boat without safety jackets.”

    Europol’s Migrant Smuggling Centre estimates that 90 per cent of migrants have arrived in the EU using criminal organisations. According to the IOM, people smuggling is the third largest business for criminals.

    Last month the bodies of 39 Vietnamese immigrants were found in a refrigerated lorry in an industrial park in Grays, Essex, which came from Zeebrugge in Belgium, a case which highlighted the risks migrants take to enter the UK.

    In August the body of an Iraqi refugee attempting to cross the Channel, a strip of water which connects Britain to France, was washed up in Zeebrugge wearing a lifejacket he had fashioned for himself out of plastic bottles.

    In the first six months of this year 1,473 refugees attempted the crossing compared to 586 in the whole of 2018. The largest number of people are from Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.”

  19. Illegal Alien Crime and Democrat Lies: Four Stories the Liberal Media Won’t Cover This Week

  20. EXCLUSIVE: Mass Iran spy leaks ‘accurate’, reveals Iraq official
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/18/exclusive-mass-iran-spy-leaks-accurate-reveals-iraq-official

    “An Iraqi official has exclusively confirmed to The New Arab that a report on findings from hundreds of leaked Iranian intelligence cables, revealing its vast and aggressive influence over Iraqi politics and society, is accurate.

    The report, published in The Intercept, reveals the extent to which Iran has used spies, bribes and infiltrators in order to hold sway over the political direction of its neighbour, despite almost all of the Iraqi politicians and officials named in the cables have denied the findings.

    Speaking on the phone to The New Arab’s Arabic-language service, an unnamed senior Baghdad official said the findings were “accurate and well-known in the political sphere” in Iraq.

    They added that they believed the US had given the green light for the leak due to the deteriorating relations between Washington and Tehran in recent months.

    “The documents show how Iran, at nearly every turn, has outmaneuvered the United States in the contest for influence,” said the report published by the investigative outlet on Monday.

    The official added that the Iraqi judiciary is not required to investigate charges of high treason resulting from the leaks, they inject “a new dose of anger and indignation” to the ongoing anti-government protests, much of which has been rebelling against Iranian influence over Iraqi domestic affairs.

    The 700 pages of reports – written mainly in 2014 and 2015 by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security – were sent to The Intercept and The New York Times anonymously by an Iraqi source…”

    • The only SURPRISE is that the USA chose to ignore intelligence reports – proof positive, in exquisite detail – for the last 5 years.

  21. Mali army says 24 soldiers, 17 militants killed in attack on northern patrol
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security/mali-army-says-24-soldiers-17-militants-killed-in-attack-on-northern-patrol-idUSKBN1XS2EX

    “Twenty-four Malian soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in an attack on an army patrol in northern Mali on Monday in which 17 militants were also killed, a spokesman for the army said.

    The West African country is still reeling from an attack on an army post that killed 54 in early November – one of the deadliest strikes against its military in recent memory, which underscored the increasing reach and sophistication of armed jihadist groups active in the wider region.

    The Malian patrol attacked on Monday was in Tabankort, Gao region, while on a joint operation with Niger against militants operating near the border.

    “During this attack, Malian forces suffered 24 deaths, 29 wounded as well as equipment damage. On the enemy’s side, 17 were killed and a certain number captured,” army spokesman Diarran Kone said.

    The authorities have not named the assailants or identified which group they belonged to. From strongholds in Mali, groups with al Qaeda and Islamic State links have been able to fan out across the Sahel, destabilizing parts of Niger and Burkina Faso.

    Violence has surged this autumn with heavy military and civilian losses in Mali and Burkina Faso.

    In addition to November’s bloodshed in Mali, 38 Malian soldiers were killed on Sept. 30 in coordinated attacks on two army bases in the center of the country, which has slipped from government control despite the presence of the French army and other international forces.

    Meanwhile 39 people were killed in Burkina Faso on Nov. 6 when militants attacked a convoy carrying workers of Canadian gold mining company Semafo.”

  22. Morocco’s BCIJ Arrests 2-ISIS Linked Suspect in Rabat
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/287047/moroccos-bcij-isis-suspect-rabat/

    “Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) arrested two ISIS-linked suspects in Rabat on November 17.

    The suspects, aged 30 and 34, had plotted to carry out terror attacks across Morocco, a statement from the BCIJ said.

    An investigation into the two suspects revealed that they were promoting ISIS ideology.

    During the arrest operation, the BCIJ seized several electronic devices as well knives.

    The security services put the suspects in custody for further investigation into the suspects’ roles in the preparation and planning of terror acts…”

  23. Army conducts successful training launch of Shaheen-1 ballistic missile
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2101747/1-army-conducts-successful-training-launch-shaheen-1-ballistic-missile/

    “Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful training launch of the Shaheen-1 ballistic missile, said a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The training launch came a day after Pakistan’s arch-rival India conducted the first night trial of nuclear-capable intermediate-range Agni-II ballistic missile.

    The Shaheen -1 is classified as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, with a range of 650 kilometres. The missile can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads…”

  24. Turkey holds over 3,500 irregular migrants in past week
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-holds-over-3-500-irregular-migrants-in-past-week-148803

    “At least 3,547 irregular migrants were held across Turkey over the past week, according to data from security sources, compiled by Anadolu Agency.

    Turkish gendarmerie forces held 1,601 of the migrants in the northwestern province of Edirne which borders Greece and Bulgaria.

    According to local sources in Edirne, Greece has stepped up efforts to send irregular migrants to Turkey in violation of the Geneva Conventions, the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

    In the coastal cities of Mu?la, Çanakkale, ?zmir, Bal?kesir, Mersin, and Ayd?n, the Turkish Coast Guard and gendarmerie forces held over 1,500 migrants.

    Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

    Separately, in the northwestern provinces of K?rklareli and Tekirda?, a total of 235 migrants were held by gendarmerie forces.

    Also, a total of 68 irregular migrants were held in the capital Ankara.

    In eastern Malatya and Erzincan provinces, the police detained 30 irregular migrants.

    Additionally, 69 migrants were held in southeastern Diyarbak?r province.

    The migrants included Pakistani, Congolese, Syrian, Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan, Moroccan, Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Somalian, Yemeni, Palestinian, Malian, Gabonese, Senegalese, Burundian, Cameroonian, Angolan, Libyan, Lebanese South African nationals.

    All of the migrants held during the week were either taken to hospitals for treatment or transferred to provincial migration offices.

    According to Turkey’s interior ministry, some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in the country, in 2018.

    In 2018, 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry.”

  25. Turkey condemns disrespect for Muslims holy book
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/turkey-condemns-disrespect-for-muslims-holy-book/1649116

    “Turkey strongly condemned on Monday a disrespect towards the Muslim Holy Book, the Quran, in a recent demonstration organized by an anti-Islamic organization in Kristiansand, Norway.

    The extreme right-wing group, Stop the Islamization of Norway (SION), held a protest against Islam on Saturday and attempted to burn a copy of the Quran.

    In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We strongly condemn the disrespect for our holy book, the Holy Quran, in a demonstration organized by an anti-Islamic organization on 16 November 2019 in Kristiansand, Norway.”

    “We expect that such actions to be prevented and those who are responsible to be brought to justice as soon as possible,” the statement added.

    The ministry stressed that Turkey is deeply concerned about the recent rise of discrimination against Muslims, hatred against Islam and attacks on mosques in Western European countries.

    “Islamophobia and xenophobia becoming ever more alarming recently is an issue that needs to be tackled immediately,” it said.

    The ministry underlined that racist and extreme right rhetoric and social media messages by certain politicians were inciting these trends against Islam.

    “These attacks are not only aimed at Muslims, but also pose a threat to all humanity,” the ministry stressed.

    “On this occasion, we repeat our call to the international community to work together to completely remove this virus that threatens the entire world,” it added.

    The ministry also highlighted that it was important that the UN resolution on “Combating terrorism and other acts of violence based on religion or belief” be implemented by all member countries.

    “Turkey will continue to lead the international efforts in this direction,” it said.

    SION members were prevented from burning a copy of the Quran by police. However, the group’s leader insulted the scripture held sacred by Muslims by throwing it in a waste container.”

  26. Italy shares responsibility in Libya abuse, Amnesty-HRW
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2019/11/18/italy-shares-responsibility-in-libya-abuse-amnesty-hrw_f470c59b-e1a7-46d1-8cb2-2897c4a9d35c.html

    “Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Italy of sharing responsibility for migrants’ rights violations by Libya in a case submitted to the European Court of Human Rights, the organizations said in a joint statement…”

  27. Hostage Silvia Romano in hands of Somali Islamists
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/11/18/hostage-silvia-romano-in-hands-of-somali-islamists_1bc45ddf-bc2f-46f4-a861-d7b98ae398ff.html

    “Silvia Romano, a Milanese aid worker kidnapped in Kenya on November 20 2018 and then moved to Somalian territory, is in the hands of an Islamist group linked to the jihadists of Al-Shabaab, Rome prosecutors and ROS security police said Monday.

    Investigators are weighing whether to make a request for permission to investigate to Somalian authorities, sources said.

    A special investigation group is being led by assistant prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco, who visited Kenya last August.”

  28. 40-yr-old arrested for raping and beating wife
    http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/11/18/40-yr-old-arrested-for-raping-and-beating-wife_ab8e0b81-d394-40eb-8961-17758d12f02a.html

    “Carabinieri from the town of Spinea near Venice on Monday arrested a 40-year-old man with Bangladeshi origins for domestic violence. The man stands accused of engaging in violence and harassment of his wife since 2007.

    She was reportedly humiliated, beaten, and received death threats from him repeatedly. The most serious charge is that of rape as part of a “system” of violence against the woman within her home. The couple’s daughter was also reportedly beaten repeatedly, including with objects…”

  29. “Pompeo talks Hong Kong, Israeli settlements in West Bank in press briefing” Fox News – Streamed live 6 hours ago
    November 18, 2019