Reader’s Links for January 19, 2020

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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

97 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 19, 2020”

    • This one is interesting, in one of his video interviews Brad said that he didn’t like coincidences, when they are coincidences like this I don’t either. But I want more then one source before I start panicking over the night vision gear, I can’t find another source for the seizure and it should be all over the net.

    • This one is looking fake, I can find no other source talking about either event jammed gps or seizure of night vision gear. Both seemed far fetched.

    • How many of the sites putting out reports like this are doing so to muddy the waters and make the pro 2A supporters look bad?

    • Johnny here is semi confirmation about part of what is in the article, my problem is I don’t know how much to trust the sources.

      Huge GPS Jamming Drill Underway In Southeast, Could Affect Hundreds of Aircraft

      • Thanks, and yes quite possible what I posted is disinfo but seemingly not all from what you’ve added.

        • Part of it is accurate but that doesn’t mean all is, all good propaganda has a kernel of truth at the center of a ball of lies. There are a lot fo things about this whole affair that don’t add up and that seem to be setting people up for some type of ambush.

  6. Trump lawyers respond to articles of impeachment: ‘Constitutionally invalid’

    President Trump’s legal team on Saturday issued a full-throttle defense to the articles of impeachment, refuting the substance and process of the charges while accusing House Democrats of engaging in a “dangerous attack” on the right of the American people to freely choose their president.

    “This is a brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election — now just months away,” the legal filing said. “The highly partisan and reckless obsession with impeaching the president began the day he was inaugurated and continues to this day.”

    “The articles of impeachment are constitutionally invalid on their face,” the seven-page filing continued.

    The legal paperwork is the first formal response to the two articles of impeachment read in the Senate on Thursday for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-lawyers-respond-impeachment-articles

  7. Former Iranian crown prince says Tehran regime on the brink of collapse

    ‘People smell the opportunity for the first time in 40 years,’ Reza Pahlavi says

    Former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi estimated that the Islamic Republic regime could be months away from collapse but emphasized the importance of Western democracies providing aid in achieving that goal.

    At an event hosted by the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, the son of Iran’s late Shah said on Wednesday that the present atmosphere in his home country reminds him of the days before his father was overthrown in 1978.

    “People smell the opportunity for the first time in 40 years,” he said as cited by The Jerusalem Post.

    “This time is very different from 2009, even very different from 1997. The people have had it. Today’s generation of young Iranians cannot take it anymore. They want to have an opportunity for a better future. They want to be on the path of modernity and freedom. The only thing that stands between them and the free world is this regime.”

    Pahlavi further outlined his plan for regime change, which would see Iran turn into a “multiparty system.” He urged Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to stand back in order to “facilitate a smoother transition based on my strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience.”

    https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/1579157295-former-iranian-crown-prince-says-tehran-regime-on-the-brink-of-collapse

    Richard: If the Iranian regime collapses and is replaced with a new regime that is friendly to the US Trump has locked in re-election. If the loss of the cheap oil from Iran does more damage to the Chinese economy and causes them to give more concessions in the trade deals, or possibly causes their government to collapse Trump will go down as one of the best Presidents the US has ever had.

    • Some within the hardcore, vested-interest IRGC and Basiji will cause trouble within Iran and from cells all over the world. Massive terror attacks, guaranteed.

      That’s why it’s best to ease them out, get them sidelined gracefully. Maybe possible, probably not.

      • If they are true believers in the revolution there is a real good chance that they will want to go out in a blaze of glory.

  8. How five members of Joe Biden’s family got rich through his connections

    Political figures have long used their families to route power and benefits for their own self-enrichment. In my new book, “Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite,” one particular politician — Joe Biden — emerges as the king of the sweetheart deal, with no less than five family members benefiting from his largesse, favorable access and powerful position for commercial gain. In Biden’s case, these deals include foreign partners and, in some cases, even U.S. taxpayer dollars.

    The Biden family’s apparent self-enrichment involves no less than five family members: Joe’s son Hunter, son-in-law Howard, brothers James and Frank, and sister Valerie.

    When this subject came up in 2019, Biden declared, “I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else — even distant family — about their business interests. Period.”

    As we will see, this is far from the case…

    https://nypost.com/2020/01/18/how-five-members-of-joe-bidens-family-got-rich-through-his-connections/

  9. China to step up countermeasures as virus outbreak grows

    BEIJING (Reuters) – China will step up efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays as a rise in confirmed cases fanned fears the virus could spread to other countries.

    The National Health Commission said on Sunday departments should work together to carry out preventative measures.
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    “Our commission will step up our guard during the Spring Festival, pay close attention to the development and change of the epidemic, and direct the implementation of prevention and control measures,” the commission said, adding that it believes the outbreak can be controlled.

    Wuhan’s health authority confirmed earlier on Sunday 17 more cases of the virus in the city, bringing the total number of known patients there to 62.

    Two people have died from the virus in Wuhan, the largest city in central China with a population of about 11 million people. Three cases have been confirmed abroad – two in Thailand and one in Japan – involving people from Wuhan or who recently visited the city.

    https://www.oann.com/china-says-17-new-cases-in-virus-outbreak-wuhan-to-restrict-large-gatherings/

    Richard: First the plague and now a virus attack, what comes next?

    • It is related to SARS who many believe was an accidental release of a bio weapon, while this one doesn’t appear to be as lethal as SARS it does (at first glance) appear to be limiting itself to Orientals like SARS did. Have the Chicoms addicently or deliberately bio engineered some bio weapons that are a danger to specific genetic signatures?

        • Israel I trust to not use them unless it is a Sampson Option time, the Chicoms I don’t trust at all.

          As I said it appears to be related to SARS but less lethal, natural mutation away from so the highly lethal strain or man engineered changes?

  10. Police fire tear gas to disperse thousands in central Hong Kong

    HONG KONG (Reuters) – Police fired tear gas on Sunday to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters who gathered in a central Hong Kong park but later spilled onto the streets, briefly barricading roads and spray-painting buildings.

    Out in numbers before the demonstration began, police intervened promptly when the rally turned into an impromptu march. Several units of police in riot gear were seen chasing protesters and several arrests were made.

    https://www.oann.com/police-fire-tear-gas-to-disperse-thousands-in-central-hong-kong/

  11. More than 370 people wounded in Beirut protest clashes -rescuersv

    BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese first responders treated more than 370 people for injuries during several hours of clashes between security forces and protesters that rocked central Beirut on Saturday night.

    It was the highest toll on the most violent night since largely peaceful protests erupted across Lebanon in October. As the country sinks deeper into an economic crisis, anger has boiled over at a ruling elite who have dominated power since the 1975-1990 civil war.

    Crowds spilled back on to the street near parliament on Sunday. “We’re not scared. This is all for our future and our children,” said Bassam Taleb, a shoemaker at the protest.

    https://www.oann.com/more-than-300-people-wounded-in-beirut-protest-clashes-rescuers/

  12. ‘Libertarian’ intellectuals support socialism in Virginia
    By Liam Bissainthe January 18, 2020

    Libertarian business owners tend to prefer Republicans to Democrats, especially at the state and local level. So do many rank-and-file libertarians: socially-liberal, fiscally-conservative voters preferred Trump over Clinton by a 12% margin in 2016, viewing Trump as the lesser of two evils.

    But libertarian intellectuals — or academics who claim to be libertarian — often prefer Democrats or left-wing candidates who oppose the free market. For example, the self-styled “non-Lockean Libertarian” professor Jacob Levy proudly boasts that he voted both for Democrat Barack Obama, and for Canadian Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, over Trudeau’s more market-friendly rivals in the Conservative Party.

    In Virginia, libertarian social-issues activists and intellectuals even went into the Democratic Primary to vote for a socialist challenger to Richard Saslaw, the Democratic leader in the state senate, because Saslaw used to be tough on crime (he isn’t any more! His district is so left-wing that the socialist, Yasmine Taeb, could easily have won the general election had she won the Democratic primary, which she narrowly lost).

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/01/18/libertarians-for-socialism-in-virginia/

    Richard: How can that Professor legally vote in both the US and Canadian elections? Didn’t he commit vote fraud in one of our countries?

    • Libertarian activists are frequently communists or commie dupes. They can be used as splitters, third-party tools to throw an election.
      Lots of us reasonably agree with much of the libertarian agenda, but look closely at those who promoting certain policies and individuals.

      • I am as much Libertarian as Conservative but the Libertarian movement has let itself be co-opted by the commies so much that I can’t trust their leadership. I post LIberty Doll because of the Second Amendment stands she takes, I post a lot less of Pholospher because she goes too far into the Libertarian agenda.

  13. Report: Ocasio-Cortez might be looking to take out Chuck Schumer
    By Rusty Weiss January 18, 2020

    A profile by New York magazine indicates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being urged by those within her camp to challenge either Chuck Schumer or Kirsten Gillibrand for a Senate seat.

    The report also reveals that some of her aides encouraged the New York socialist to run for mayor of New York City, a city already being decimated by another perpetually befuddled socialist.

    She apparently nixed that idea.

    “People close to her discussed a possible run for mayor of New York in 2021 but decided against it,” columnist David Freedlander writes. “A statewide run, probably for the Senate, is likelier.”

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/01/18/report-ocasio-cortez-might-be-looking-to-take-out-chuck-schumer/

    Richard: She isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but she has food handlers and has good name recognition and is popular in NYC. I don’t know how this will translate in a State Wide election, pay attention to what is happening, she has the potential to be dangerous to the Republic in the future.

  14. La PRESSE – Projet Immersion: le choc du voile pour des policiers de Longueuil

    Trente policiers retirés de la patrouille pendant cinq semaines pour plonger dans des réalités qu’ils connaissent peu ou mal. Privés de leur arme et de leur uniforme, ils sont déstabilisés dès le départ. La Presse a eu un accès exclusif à cette expérience totalement inédite.

    […]« Ces gens n’ont rien compris à l’islam, puisque notre religion transmet un message de paix et d’amour », plaide l’imam.

    […]les policiers font la tournée des classes de l’école coranique. Des fillettes de 5 ans, voilées, récitent des versets par cœur.

    https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/202001/18/01-5257403-projet-immersion-le-choc-du-voile-pour-des-policiers-de-longueuil.php

  15. Lebanese Police Fire Water Cannons at Protesters Throwing Stones Near Parliament in Beirut – Reports (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001191078079394-lebanese-police-fire-water-cannons-at-protesters-beirut/

    “On 18 January, what began as a peaceful rally in Beirut soon turned violent, as protesters attempted to storm the parliament building’s fences and threw stones and firecrackers at law enforcement. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse them.

    Lebanese law enforcement has fired water cannons at protesters who were throwing stones near the parliament in Beirut during the second day of clashes, according to local media broadcasts.

    Alleged videos of police using water cannons against the demonstrators have appeared online, although the information hasn’t been confirmed yet.

    Police have reportedly fired back at the protesters with tear gas, videos posted by social media users show.

    Protesters from across Lebanon flocked to Beirut a day earlier to attend a rally against economic mismanagement and the weakening national currency, dubbed “Saturday of outrage”. Clashes with law enforcement ensued as demonstrators attempted to storm the parliament building’s fences. More than 165 people were injured in the clashes, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has ordered the army to the capital to protect peaceful protesters and keep the situation under control.

    Mass protests engulfed Lebanon last October amid a crippling economic crisis. People have been demanding urgent reforms to end the deepening liquidity crisis, which the country’s president has blamed on sanctions. The resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government last autumn failed to remove people from the streets. In the absence of a new cabinet ever since, the Lebanese have seen their national currency devalue. The Lebanese pound has fallen more than 60 percent against the US dollar over this period.”

    • Lebanon: Water cannon deployed as protesters try to reach parliament

      Water cannon was deployed at anti-government protesters who were blocked by barricades as they were trying to reach the parliament building in Beirut on Sunday.

      Roads were seen barricaded by fences, stopping protesters from advancing further, with demonstrators throwing projectiles at police and the guards responding with a water cannon, with smoke seen filling the streets.

      According to reports, dozens of protesters were injured in the recent Beirut demonstration with hundreds being wounded in a similar protest the day before.

      Lebanon has been swept with protests over economic stagnation and corruption since October 2019. People also protest against harsh living conditions and a delay in the formation of a government.

  16. Afghan Government, Taliban Disagree on Timing of Ceasefire, Reduction of Violence (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202001191078074814-afghan-government-taliban-disagree-on-timing-of-ceasefire-reduction-of-violence/

    “With the consultations on Afghan peace ongoing in the Qatari capital of Doha, the Afghan government and the rival Taliban radical group appear to disagree on roadmap to achieving comprehensive peace through ceasefire.

    Throughout January so far, multiple unconfirmed statements have been suggesting that the Taliban have committed to reducing violence as an initial step toward coming to an official ceasefire accord with the government. Sputnik’s sources in Qatar said Taliban leader Mullah Habitullah is expected to pledge commitment to reducing violence in writing.

    It now appears that the government in Kabul considers such pledge insufficient and wants the group to make a leap straight to the ceasefire agreement.

    “The reduction of violence is not clear, we want a ceasefire, which is why we insist on a ceasefire. War is not in the interest of the Taliban and so far didn’t bring or get any achievements,” Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told journalists at the Government Media Centre on Saturday.
    He added that now that the Afghan government gets informed about progress of the Qatar talks, they can be expected to bring about results.

    The Taliban, in turn, see the reduction of violence as a step toward comprehensive ceasefire, the group’s Attorney General Jalaluddin Shinwari told Sputnik.

    “We expect that the reduction of violence will turn into a ceasefire; the result of the Taliban’s advice on violence has also been passed on to [US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay] Khalilzad and the definition of reduction of violence has been outlined, but for peace [to be achieved] both sides should be flexible,” Shinwari said.
    For Kabul, however, ceasefire comes first. Defence Ministry spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai told Sputnik that the Afghan army would continue fighting the Taliban until the group agrees to lay down arms.

    “Afghan forces are fighting for peace, we want radical peace and the opposite side does not want basic peace. In some provinces, the Taliban have laid down their arms and have a decent or good life. If the Taliban choose this path, it is for the benefit of all Afghans,” Ahmadzai said.
    In pursuit of recognition, the Taliban have been leading insurgency against the Afghan government since the early 2000s. They also seek all foreign troops to withdraw from the country. The group has been accused of providing terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) and the Islamic State (banned in Russia) with safe haven in Afghanistan.

    Over the past year, the US held a number of peace talks with the Taliban in a bid to encourage the group to cut the ties with terrorists and begin rapprochement with the Afghan government, paving the way for US troops to pull out. No significant results have so far been achieved during these talks.”

  17. ‘Leave, Die, or Convert’: Nostalgia Grips Kashmiri Pandits on 30th Anniversary of Mass Exodus (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/india/202001191078075096-leave-die-or-convert-nostalgiagrips-kashmiri-pandits-on-30th-anniversary-of-mass-exodus-/

    “Messages blaring through the loudspeakers of mosques said to either leave or convert to Islam in the wee hours of 19 January 1990. Kashmiri Pandits from India’s Jammu and Kashmir have recollected their memories of the day they left their homes.

    Kashmiri Pandits, a Hindu community native to the Kashmir Valley, are recollecting memories of their home and childhood by sharing videos and pictures on the 30th anniversary of community’s exodus from their native region.

    In 1990, a mass migration of Hindus from Indian-administered and Muslim majority Kashmir took place after a violent armed insurgency erupted in the Valley. Over 62,000 families are registered as Kashmiri refugees, including Kashmiri Pandits and some Sikh and Muslim families, according to government data.

    Several hashtags such as #HumWapasAayenge (We will return), #Justice4KashmiriHindus, and #KashmiriPandits are trending on Twitter to mark the 30th anniversary. Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who is also a Kashmiri Pandit, shared a throwback picture of his grandfather and said, “Memories may fade as the years go by but they won’t age a day”.

    Others angered over the mass migration of Hindus, said they are living in exile in their own country. Many walked down memory lane and recalled “how their houses were burnt down” through video messages.

    The dream of Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homeland grew stronger after New Delhi revoked the special status of Kashmir in August 2019.

    The seven decades-old quasi autonomy of the state had allowed the erstwhile state’s legislature to make its own laws. It also banned people from outside the state from getting state government positions. Jammu and Kashmir is now federally administered Union Territory (UT) like any other state or UT.”

  18. Pakistani PM Urges UN to Pressure India to Allow Supervision of Ceasefire Violations in Kashmir (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202001191078076020-pakistani-pm-urges-un-to-pressure-india-to-allow-supervision-of-ceasefire-violations-in-kashmir/

    “Days after Pakistan failed in its second attempt to garner international support on Kashmir at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the UNSC to insist that India allow supervision by the UN along the Line of Control…”

  19. Tehran Analyses Downed Boeing Recorders, No Decision on Sending Them to Ukraine Yet – Iranian Media (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001191078077441-tehran-analyses-downed-boeing-recorders-no-decision-on-sending-them-to-ukraine-yet—iranian-media/

    “On Saturday, the Tasnim News Agency quoted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as saying that the black boxes from the downed jetliner were to be sent to Ukraine for examination.

    Iran is decoding the flight recorders from the Boeing 737 that was accidentally downed earlier in January and has not taken a definitive decision to send them for analysis abroad, Hassan Rezaeifar, an aircraft safety inspector at the Civil Aviation Authority, stated on Sunday, as quoted by IRNA.

    “We are trying to read the black boxes here in Iran. Otherwise, our options are Ukraine and France, but no decision has been taken so far to send them to another country”, Rezaeifar said.

    The statement contradicts previous reports suggesting that Iran had authorised Ukrainian specialists to conduct the analysis of the black boxes.

    Meanwhile, on Saturday, Canadian investigators probing the crash left Iran after a six-day examination of the wreckage. According to a statement, there are still no firm plans for downloading the cockpit and flight data from the crashed aircraft.

    The chief Iranian investigator “may travel to Ukraine this week” for talks with the officials who are probing the incident, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

    “It is our understanding that the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder—often referred to as “black boxes”—are still in Iran. The AAIB’s investigator-in-charge (IIC) may travel to Ukraine this week to meet with the [National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine] NBAAI to discuss the investigation and visit the NBAAI recorders lab,” the Canadian agency said in a press release.

    Uncertainty over Examination of Flight Recorders
    The decoding of the recorders has also been a contentious issue over the past few days, as the parties involved in the tragedy cannot agree whose specialists should carry out the analysis.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously urged Iran to send the black boxes to France. Kiev, in turn, requested that Tehran transfer the flight recorders to Ukraine.

    Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crashed on 8 January near Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board. According to official data, 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans, and three UK nationals were among the victims.

    The Iranian military subsequently admitted to unintentionally shooting down the jetliner, having confused it with a hostile cruise missile in anticipation of US retaliation for Iran’s attack against Iraqi bases housing US military personnel. The Iranian leadership expressed deep regret, describing the tragedy as an “unforgivable mistake”.”

  20. Eastern Libyan Gov’t Pledges to Fight Terrorism, Prevent Turkish Intervention – Speaker (sputniknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/africa/202001191078077776-eastern-libyan-govt-pledges-to-fight-terrorism/

    “Libya’s ongoing civil war will not end until terrorist and extremist groups in the country have been completely defeated and the Libyan people will not allow military intervention from Turkey or any other foreign power, Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya’s eastern-based parliament, said.

    “The Libyan people will not compromise and will not allow Turkey or any other power to intervene in Libya’s domestic affairs … Our war against terrorism and extremism continues until all armed groups are expelled and the entire country of Libya has been liberated”, Saleh said during a meeting with eastern Libyan tribal leaders, as quoted by the Libyan news portal Akhbar Libya.

    The speaker criticized the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj for the failure to reach a deal.

    “It was not the Russian side that did not succeed, but instead the Government of National Accord and Turkey who failed to reach a final agreement”, Saleh remarked, as quoted by the portal.

    The speaker also praised the role of Egypt, and the country’s president Abdel Fattah Sisi, in seeking to resolve Libya’s ongoing conflict.

    “Egypt and the Egyptian people take a constructive position and support the legitimate side in the Libyan conflict”, Saleh stated, as quoted by the portal.

    Saleh has returned to Libya after being part of the Libyan National Army (LNA) delegation, alongside leader Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, that visited Moscow for peace talks on 13 January.

    A unit of Turkish special forces arrived in Tripoli on 17 January to ensure the safety of GNA officials, according to media reports. This comes a day after Erdogan reiterated that Turkish troops were heading to Libya to support the GNA.

    Libya has been torn apart between the two rival administrations since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. The LNA currently controls the majority of territory in Libya’s eastern regions, while the Tripoli-based GNA has a foothold in the country’s west.

    On 19 January, representatives from a number of countries and organisations, including Russia, the US, Turkey, Egypt, European Union and United Nations meet in Berlin to find solutions to the conflict in the North African country. The Berlin conference follows the intra-Libyan talks in Moscow that took place last week, mediated by Russia and Turkey.”

  21. Iraqi Forces Say Detain One of Leaders of Daesh in Al-Fallujah (sputninknews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001191078077843-iraqi-forces-say-detain-one-of-leaders-of-daesh-in-al-fallujah/

    “The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) have detained one of the leaders of the Daesh* terrorist group in the city of Al-Fallujah, Anbar province, the ISOF said.

    According to the statement published on Twitter, the detained Daesh commander was in charge of Daesh internal security in the city…”

  22. Macron’s riot squad batter protestors while they cower on the ground as mass clash erupts (express, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1230435/Emmanuel-Macron-Paris-French-France-President-Pension-protest-yellow-vest-latest-news

    “EMMANUEL MACRON’S riot police violently engaged with protestors as a chaotic clash erupted between the protestors and the police.

    Yellow Vest protests continue across France with some descending into violence. A video of the riot police’s response to the protests in Paris on Saturday highlighted the intensity of the clashes between the two groups. The protests have recently gained new momentum following a nationwide strike against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform ideas.

    Over the weekend Yellow-vest protestors took to the streets once more chanting slogans against the government and the French President.

    The footage shows police using batons against activists as they attempt to push them further back down the street.

    As the riot police can be seen moving out in force some are shown battering protestors with their batons while they shield themselves on the floor.

    Tear gas was also used to help disperse the massive crowds.

    As more videos of riot police beating protestors circulated it prompted activists to accuse police of using disproportionate force to stop the demonstrations.

    Police said they had made 59 arrests as of 8 pm local time.

    They added that officers had to “systematically intervene” to stop “abuses committed by violent groups.”

    Yellow Vest have been taking to the streets to protests every weekend since November 2018…”

  23. Horror as boy, 10, stabbed in street in front of his mum – urgent police appeal (express, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1230475/Leicester-stabbing-boy-stabbed-belper-street-police-appeal

    “A HORRIFYING attack which saw a 10-year-old boy stabbed in front of his mother in the street has led police to issue an urgent appeal.

    The young boy was stabbed by a man in front of his mum in Leicester’s Belper Street.

    The unprovoked stabbing happened at around 5.20pm yesterday, while the boy and his mother were walking in the residential area.

    They were approached by a man described as a light-skinned Asian man, in his mid-20s, who attacked the boy.

    The man is said to be around 5ft 10ins tall, chubby build, and was wearing a brown coloured jacket at the time of the attack.

    Emergency services were called to the scene and the child was rushed to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where his condition is described as non-life-threatening.

    The boy’s mum was not injured during the incident and the man fled the scene immediately after attacking the youngster.

    Witnesses are being asked to come forward and police are calling for any CCTV footage of the area to be handed in to help identify a man wanted over the attack.

    Neighbour Dinu Patel, 62, who lives in Carter Street, said she felt very worried for her safety after the stabbing.

    She said her husband looked out of the window and saw about seven police cars.

    Mrs Patel said: “The police were here at night looking around at the top of the street.

    “We didn’t know anything about what happened and we didn’t hear anything before the police arrived.

    “They didn’t say what was happening – it’s pretty scary.”

    Detective Inspector Tim Lindley of Leicestershire Police said: “This was an act of violence against a young child who was out, in the street, with his mother.

    “It happened in a residential area at a time of day when there would have been people about, either on foot or driving through.

    “We need to find who was responsible for injuring this boy.

    “If you were in the area of Belper Street between the times of 4.30pm and 6.30pm and saw what happened or a man matching this description we want to hear from you.””

  25. Spain: Migrants fail to force entry into Ceuta

    A group of around 300 migrants were prevented from crossing a border separating Morocco from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, early on Sunday.

    Moroccan police were able to detain the migrants, of largely sub-Saharan origin, in the town of Belyounech. They were trying to cross a breakwater at Benzu and reach the Temporary Migrant Reception Centre (CETI) of Jaral.

  26. Matteo Salvini: Muslim Immigration Is ‘Main Cause’ of Resurgent Antisemitism (breitbart, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2020/01/19/matteo-salvini-muslim-immigration-is-main-cause-of-resurgent-antisemitism/

    “The head of Italy’s leading political party said in an interview Sunday the recent surge in antisemitism in Europe is primarily the consequence of the mass immigration of Muslims on the continent.

    “I think that it has to do with the strengthening of Islamic extremism and fanatism in the last years,” Matteo Salvini told Israel Hayom. “Most importantly it is connected to the fact that some academics and media are mobilized against Israel and they create hate of Israel to justify antisemitism.”

    Salvini said that a certain level of antisemitism has always existed on the extreme left and the extreme right, but its current growth has to be attributed to a shift in Europe’s population.

    “There is, of course, antisemitism of small political minority groups – Nazis and communists,” Salvini said. “But, now the massive presence in Europe of migrants coming from Muslim countries, among whom are many fanatics who are getting the full support of certain intellectuals, is spreading antisemitism in Italy as well.”…”

    • Italy: Salvini holds rally in historically left-leaning Emilia-Romagna region

      League party leader Matteo Salvini participated in a rally in the Italian town of Maranello – known to be the headquarters of Ferrari – on Saturday, ahead of regional elections in Emilia-Romagna on January 26.

      Wearing a Formula 1 Ferrari cap, Salvini said “to whoever thinks I’m a criminal: send me to trial and find a large court because millions of free women and men from this country will be with me, and we solve it once and for all And if I have to go to jail for defending an idea, I will go with my head held high.”

      Salvini also took the chance to repeat his support for Israel and his stance against laws protecting LGBTQ citizens.

      Salvini was joined on stage by League presidential candidate for Emilia-Romagna, Lucia Bergonzoni. Bergonzoni took the chance to speak against Roma citizens.

      Salvini and his party are aiming to win the regional election in the historically left-leaning Emilia-Romagna region and seeking to repeat the success they achieved in the Umbrian elections in 2019, when an alliance led by the League brought five decades of left-wing rule to an end.

  27. Spanish Minister Claims Country Needs ‘Millions and Millions’ of Migrants (breitbart, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/19/spanish-minister-claims-country-needs-millions-millions-migrants/

    “José Luis Escriva, Spanish Minister for Social Security, Inclusion, and Migration, has claimed the country requires millions of new migrants to combat the forecasted demographic decline in the near future.

    According to Mr Escriva, the demographic projections for Spain are so dire that the country will require “eight or nine million people just to keep our working population at the same level”, and noted that other countries should be “prepared to integrate” large migrant populations, France Info reports.

    “The demographic trajectories are there. It will happen, we will not escape it,” Escriva said during a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris on Thursday.

    “We must be prepared to integrate into our societies, if we want to maintain our comfort levels, a certain number of additional migrants and our population will be more mixed,” he said and added: “We have to prepare societies for this. Explain to them why it is good for them, for their children, and for generations to come.”

    European Commissioner for Migration Ylva Johansson, who also attended the meeting, went on to state that European Union citizens “want to welcome migrants in need of international protection and want to welcome people who will contribute to our economy, but they are worried that we cannot manage migration, that we cannot control it”.

    “We must show that we control immigration,” she said and added that the EU could do more to deal with illegal immigrants. Johansson went on to state: “Those who have the right to stay, they are welcome, we must welcome them.”

    While many establishment politicians, particularly on the left, have championed mass migration as a way to boost the economies of European countries, economic studies such as a 2016 report from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) claimed mass migration was harmful to long term economic growth.

    A University of Basel study released in 2018 came to the same conclusions, stating that in the short term mass migration can benefit the economy but in the long term migrants are a net loss for the state, rather than a contributor.”

  28. France Sees Surge of Rape, Murder, and Violence in 2019 (breitbart, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/19/france-sees-surge-rape-murder-violence-2019/

    “New statistics from the French Interior Ministry have revealed a significant increase in violent crimes with a 12 per cent rise in sexual violence and an 8.5 per cent rise in murders.

    The statistics, which were collected by the Interior Ministry’s statistics service SSMI, show that sexual violence increased by 12 per cent last year. In 2018, the increase had been even greater at 19 per cent, French newspaper Le Figaro reports.

    “All French regions have experienced increases in the number of rapes, assaults, and sexual harassment recorded by the security forces in 2019, notably Corsica, Centre-Val-de-Loire, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine,” the SSMI stated.

    “The number of homicides increased significantly in 2019 (970 victims) while it had been stable the last two years,” they added, which amounts to an 8.5 per cent increase from 2018.

    Professor of Criminology Alain Bauer labelled the new statistics “the worst record we have seen in years” and added: “These figures are particularly revealing. The violence that is escalating is not only that linked to the maintenance of order.”

    “All types of violence are concerned, raising fears of a return to almost 40 years ago, at least on the grounds of homicides and attempted homicides,” he said.

    According to a report from the French judicial police released in September, the number of murders and attempted murders have gone up 79 per cent over the last ten years.

    Certain neighbourhoods and areas in France have become particularly vulnerable to crime such as the heavily migrant-populated 18th arrondissement of Paris, where residents expressed feelings of abandonment by the government last June.

    “For six months, we find under our [doormats] drug pills. Young people come to pick them up. I’m getting scared,” one resident said.

    Another report, released just a month later, claimed that hipsters in Paris, known in French as “bobos”, were also fleeing certain areas of the city due to rising levels of crime coupled with rising rents and costs of living.”

  29. France: Anti-immigration “Paris Pride” hold annual torchlit march through capital

    Several hundred protesters took part in the annual march honouring the patron saint of Paris organised by the anti-immigration ‘Paris Pride’ association and supported by the far-right youth group Generation Identitaire, in the French capital on Saturday.

    Participants chanted slogans as they marched through the streets while holding burning torches and flares as well as flags bearing the coats of arms of various Paris arrondissements.

    Some of the demonstrators also carried a statue of Saint Genevieve, who Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians credit with helping saving Paris from being attacked by Attila the Hun through prayer.

    Generation Identitaire is the youth wing of far-right movement Bloc Identitaire, which started in France in 2003.

  30. Sweden: Sex Offences on Teen Girls Up 51 Per Cent Since 2015 (breitbart, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/19/sweden-sex-offences-teen-girls-up-51-per-cent-since-2015/

    “Newly released preliminary statistics from Sweden’s Crime Prevention Council (Brå) show that in the last five years, sex attacks against girls aged 15 to 17 have increased by 51 per cent.

    The statistics reveal that the total number of rapes in 2019 increased by six per cent to 8,350 cases compared to the previous year, although sexual abuse cases remained largely at the same level with 9,730 cases recorded in total, Nyheter Idag reports.

    When compared to statistics from 2015, the number of sex offences in which the female victim was older than 18 was 27 per cent higher in 2019 and for cases in which the victim was 15 to 17 years old, the increase was 51 per cent. Cases involving victims under 15 years old also increased by 11 per cent over the same period.

    A report released last year by Brå revealed that in 2018, around six per cent of the Swedish population said they had been the victim of some form of sexual offence compared to just 1.4 per cent in 2011.

    The surge in sex offences against underage girls is not a new trend and Swedish police promised last year to tackle the problem of sex attacks on vulnerable people and children by employing hundreds of new police officers to boost the number of officers investigating sex crimes.

    Sweden has seen several high-profile cases involving the sexual abuse of children, many of which have involved migrants and asylum seekers such as a case in the summer of 2018 that involved a migrant raping an 11-year-old and getting her pregnant twice.

    The migrant, said to be in his 20s, was able to molest the young girl for months and was not arrested by police until July 2019. He later claimed he did not know the girl’s real age, stating he believed her to be above the Swedish sexual consent age of 15.

    A similar case was reported in June of last year, with a 17-year-old migrant accused of having sex with an underage girl claiming that he did not realise sex with the minor was a crime, despite it being alleged he forced the victim to have sexual relations.”

  31. Erdogan demands stand against ‘blood and chaos’ in Libya (abcnews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/erdogan-demands-stand-blood-chaos-libya-68383710

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community to stand against “the merchants of blood and chaos” as he headed Sunday to a Berlin summit seeking to resolve the Libya conflict.

    Erdogan supports the U.N.-backed administration in Tripoli led by Fayez Sarraj and sent troops to Libya earlier this month to help them in their battle with eastern-based forces led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter.

    He will join leaders from Russia, the West and Arab countries, as well as the heads of the opposing Libyan factions, in the German capital in a bid to halt nine months of fighting around the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

    Speaking at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, Erdogan said the world had failed to respond adequately to Hifter’s “reckless attacks.”

    He added: “Hopes that flourish again with the cease-fire and the Berlin summit should not be sacrificed to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos.”

    A truce sponsored by Turkey and Russia was imposed a week ago but sporadic fighting has continued. On Friday, tribal groups loyal to Hifter seized several large oil export terminals along Libya’s eastern coast as well as southern oil fields in another challenge to the Tripoli government,

    Germany is bringing together key players in Libya’s long-running conflict in a bid to curb foreign military meddling, solidify the cease-fire and help relaunch a political process to determine Libya’s future.

    Serraj’s government is backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy while Hifter is supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and France. Russian military contractors have been fighting alongside Hifter’s forces, although Moscow retains links to both sides in the conflict.”

    • Germany: Erdogan supporters mob Turkish president on streets of Berlin

      Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a warm welcome from his supporters, as he arrived in central Berlin for the Libya peace conference on Sunday.

      A crowd of nearly 200 members of the Turkish community gathered in front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Potzdamer Platz, where Erdogan was scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the summit.

      Erdogan’s supporters could be seen waving Turkish flags and portraits of the Turkish leader, who stopped to greet a small group before entering the venue.

      Sunday’s conference, which was hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was attended by Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) leader Fayez al-Sarraj as well as by leaders from the US, Russia, Turkey, France, Italy, the UAE, and numerous African states.

  32. Cyprus blasts ‘pirate state’ Turkey’s new gas drilling bid (abcnews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/cyprus-blasts-pirate-state-turkeys-gas-drilling-bid-68384772

    “Cyprus on Sunday denounced Turkey as a “pirate state” that flouts international law as Turkey’s bid to drill for natural gas in waters where Cyprus has economic rights rekindled tensions over energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

    Cyprus said Turkey was now attempting to drill inside an exploration area, or block, south of the ethnically split Mediterranean island nation that’s already licensed to energy companies Eni of Italy and Total of France.

    This would be Turkey’s fourth such drilling effort since last July when it dispatched a pair or warship-escorted drill ships to the island’s west and east. It would also mark the second time a Turkish ship was drilling in a block licensed to Eni and Total.

    Overall, the two energy companies hold licenses to carry out a hydrocarbons search in seven of Cyprus’ 13 blocks off its south coast. Other companies holding such licenses include ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum, as well as Texas-based Noble Energy and Israeli partner Delek.

    Cyprus said despite emerging energy-based partnerships among the countries in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey has opted to “go down a path of international illegality” of its own accord. It said Turkey has “provocatively ignored” repeated European Union calls to stop its illegal activities.

    The EU has also adopted a mechanism to sanction individuals or companies involved in illegal drilling off Cyprus…”

  33. Afghan officials say Taliban kill 6 members of same family (abcnews, Jan 19, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-officials-taliban-kill-members-family-68384149

    “Afghan officials said Sunday that the Taliban executed six members of the same family, including an infant girl, in a remote village in the country’s north.

    The Taliban denied any involvement, saying the attack Saturday was triggered by a personal dispute.

    However, local Afghan officials said the family was accused by the Taliban of working in prostitution. The insurgents sentenced them to death for immoral acts, then stormed the house and opened fire, according to Jawed Bedar, a spokesman for Faryab province’s governor.

    The infant girl’s mother and twin sister survived, but both of the child’s legs had to be amputated, the spokesman said…”

  34. ICE To NYC: This Is Not A Request. It’s A Demand
    JAZZ SHAWPosted at 11:01 am on January 19, 2020

    Things are getting more than a little testy in the Big Apple between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Mayor Bill de Blasio. New York’s sanctuary city policy has continued to release criminal illegal aliens, ignoring detainers filed by the federal agency. A couple of those incidents resulted in tragedy, including the sexual assault and murder of 92-year-old Maria Fuertas of Queens by an illegal alien from Guyana who had been released in defiance of a federal detainer.

    SEE ALSO: NFL championships open thread, the 51-point spread edition

    ICE has clearly reached the boiling point in trying to get the city government to act reasonably in these matters. One senior agency official said the agency has issued “immigration subpoenas” to find out the status of the criminal illegal aliens they are seeking. And he clarified matters by saying this was not “a request,” but a demand. The Mayor, however, seems to be standing firm in his defiance. (Associated Press)

    TRENDING:
    ICE to NYC: This is not a request. It’s a demand
    “This is not a request — it’s a demand,” Henry Lucero, a senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, told The Associated Press. “This is a last resort for us. Dangerous criminals are being released every single day in New York.”

    Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration said Saturday the city would review the subpoenas.

    “New York City will not change the policies that have made us the safest big city in America,” spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said in an email.

    The Mayor’s spokesperson is being completely disingenuous with his statement saying that their policies have made Gotham “the safest big city in America.” The truth is that de Blasio inherited a city with historically low crime rates from his predecessors. But since then, things have taken a turn, and not for the better. Both murders and shootings have risen over the past three years, though thankfully not by huge amounts. Rapes increased by 24% in 2018, leveling off at that rate last year. Burglary and grand larceny were also up.

    It’s impossible to pin down precisely how much crime was committed by illegal aliens, but the fact is that crime is edging up, not down, under de Blasio’s leadership. But that’s really not the point being made here. The fact is that even under New York’s insane sanctuary policies, the police are still supposed to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials in cases of illegal aliens who are wanted for other serious crimes.

    That simply hasn’t been happening on de Blasio’s watch, with the failures producing real damage. One of the subpoenas involves a man from El Salvador who is wanted for homicide in his home country. He too was released after being arrested on other charges despite a detainer having been issued.

    ICE has clearly had enough and they’ve been taking their case to the public. They already released a list of illegal alien fugitives who have been cut loose in the city so the public could be aware of the danger.

    https://hotair.com/archives/jazz-shaw/2020/01/19/ice-nyc-not-request-demand/

  36. Syrian rebels seen on plane to Tripoli are ‘mercenaries for GNA’: Libyan newspaper

    LONDON: A video has emerged showing dozens of what appear to be Syrian rebels on an Afriqiyah Airways plane headed to Libya where they will allegedly fight alongside the country’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Libyan newspaper Al-Shahid has claimed.

    In the video, the men — three of whom were seen wearing military uniforms — are on their way to Libya where they will reportedly fight as mercenaries for the GNA’s militias.

    On Wednesday, British newspaper The Guardian published an article suggesting that 2,000 Syrian fighters have traveled to Libya from Turkey or will soon arrive in the war torn country to fight for the GNA. The Guardian cited Syrian sources in all three countries.
    The oil-rich north African state has been in turmoil since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

    Haftar, who backs a rival administration in Libya’s east, launched a major military offensive to capture Tripoli in April 2019.

    The military commander held talks in Athens on Friday, two days ahead of a peace conference in Berlin which he and the head of the GNA Fayez Al-Sarraj are expected to attend.

    https://www.arabnews.com/node/1614946/middle-east

    ==============================================

    Wasn’t this supposed to be a “covert” operation?

    Footage is allegedly showing Syrian rebels in a jet, getting transferred to Libya in support of UN-backed government in Tripoli.

    https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1218519365919936512

    ============================================
    Erdogan’s mercenaries transfer from Idlib to Libya

    These are the moderate freedom fighters that the US supported in Syria.

    • Dem Rep. Maxine Waters: There May Be More “Impeachment Activity,” “We Will Not Stop”

  40. German FM Blasts Trump for His ‘Maximum Pressure’ Policy against Iran
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/19/2185157/german-fm-blasts-trump-for-his-maximum-pressure-policy-against-iran

    “German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas criticized US President Donald Trump on Sunday for his so-called policy of ‘maximum pressure’ against Iran.

    “We should not pretend that an externally-induced regime change in Tehran will automatically improve the situation. That has gone badly elsewhere, like in Iraq,” Maas told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, according to DW.

    Maas added that “pure threats” and “military actions and threats” had not changed Tehran’s behavior.

    He emphasized dialogue was necessary to make progress in Iran and to promote Europe’s Iran strategy.

    “We have to talk to Iran … We want to prevent a conflagration in and around the Middle East,” Maas said.

    “The EU is counting on diplomacy instead of escalation,” he said.

    Maas claimed that while the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and is pushing for maximum pressure against Iran, France, Great Britain and Germany wanted instead “to make progress through negotiations” and keep the treaty.

    Since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in May 2018, tensions between Washington and Tehran have been running high.

    The US assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in early January followed by an Iranian retaliation attack on US military bases in Iraq has further strained the relations.

    The three EU parties to the deal have so far failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests. As a result of this inaction, Iran has taken measures to reduce its commitments under the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

  41. Iran Boosts Exports of Gasoil to Neighbors
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/01/19/2185267/iran-boosts-exports-of-gasoil-to-neighbors

    “In a move of defiance against US sanctions, Iran has boosted its gasoil sales to its neighbors, trade documents and industry data showed.

    Tehran has significantly increased exports of gasoil in recent months, to some countries in the region, Reuters reported recently.

    Exports of gasoil, a refined product used in heating, power generation and transport, surged to around 95,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the fourth quarter of 2019, more than 80% higher than the previous quarter and nearly four times higher than the first quarter, data from consultancy FGE showed.

    The data is based on FGE estimates of Iranian gasoil exported by ship or trucked overland to neighbors such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq and further to Syria.

    Unlike crude oil, where the ultimate buyer is a refinery, products such as gasoil can find their way to potentially thousands of small-scale industrial or residential buyers, making it difficult to trace.”

  42. It’s Going Down, arguably the largest Antifa website on the internet, has published a lengthy op-ed in support of gun rights from a Virginia militant leftist planning to attend the Second Amendment rally in Richmond this Monday.

    The anonymously penned piece titled “With Neither Tyrants Nor Fascists: An Anarchist Analysis Of The Growing Fight Against Anti-Gun Legislation In Virginia,” makes a surprisingly reasonable argument for why they oppose anti-gun legislation and mocks the theories that Antifa is planning to go to the rally just to instigate problems.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/major-antifa-website-publishes-pro-gun-op-ed-from-virginia-resident-planning-to-attend-richmond-rally/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=weekend

  43. Libya: Tribesmen Say They Have Closed Shahara, el-Feel Oilfields
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2090136/libya-tribesmen-say-they-have-closed-shahara-el-feel-oilfields

    “A group representing southern Libyan tribesmen said on Sunday it had closed the southern El Shahara and El Feel oilfields, virtually halting all of Libya’s oil output during a major international peace summit for Libya in Berlin.

    The leader of the Fezzan Anger group, Bashir al-Sheikh said they had shut two fields, just two days after other fields in the east of the country were also shut.

    El Sharara has production of abound 300,000 bpd and El Feel produces some 70,000 bpd.

    A field engineer reached by telephone said a valve from the field had been closed.

    The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has earlier warned that any shutdowns could have a lasting impact.

    NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said earlier on Friday: “The oil and gas sector is the lifeblood of the Libyan economy and the single source of income for the Libyan people … They are not cards to be played to solve political matters,””

  44. Syria: US troops block Russian forces way to oil field
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200119-syria-us-troops-block-russian-forces-way-to-oil-field/

    “US soldiers present in regions under YPG group’s control in Syria, on Saturday stopped Russian soldiers who wanted to reach oil fields, according to a report by Anadolu Agency.

    Dispute between the US and Russia about the Rumeylan oil field in northeast Hasakah is ongoing.

    According to information Anadolu Agency obtained from reliable local sources, US soldiers blocked a Russian military patrols en route to the oil field.

    Tension occurred between the two groups, when US soldiers asked Russian soldiers to return to the Amuda district in northwest of Hasakah.

    Russian soldiers had to return to where they came from as their way to Rumeylan, where the US air base is located, was blocked.

    On Thursday, the YPG group also prevented Russian soldiers to pass through Qamishli city to establish a military zone near the Rumeylan oil field, and did not let them reach the region.”

  45. Turkey slams Greece for hosting Libya’s Haftar
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200119-turkey-slams-greece-for-hosting-libyas-haftar/

    “Inviting Libyan renegade General Khalifa Haftar to Greece and stressing the Greek agenda in the Mediterranean are both “futile efforts” to derail the push for peace in Libya, said Turkey’s foreign minister on Saturday.

    “The Greek-Greek Cypriot duo extorts the rights of neighboring countries with their maximalist claims in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said a statement by Mevlut Cavusoglu.

    “Trying to legitimise these claims by taking advantage of the EU harms peace and stability in the region,” he added.

    Haftar visited Greece and met with top Greek officials on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s conference on Libya in Berlin.

    Haftar also had a one-to-one meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who said afterwards that Haftar agreed the treaties signed between Turkey and Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) need to be cancelled.

    Cavusoglu also decried Athens’ handling of issues with Libya.

    The two pacts Turkey “signed with the legitimate government in Libya have alarmed Greece. Instead of dialogue, they severed diplomatic relations with the legitimate government. Unfortunately, they act with the understanding that ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’,” he wrote.

    “Actually behind this, there are efforts to impose maritime jurisdiction claims on Libya. In the past years, they have set up oil and gas license areas to the south of Crete in a way that usurps the rights and interests of Libya. When faced with this situation, the legitimate government of Libya signed a memorandum of understanding with us to protect their rights,” he explained.

    Greece’s futile efforts are “in vain,” he added.”

  46. UK legal group seeks arrest warrant for Egypt’s Sisi for ‘murdering Morsi’
    https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/1/19/uk-legal-group-seeks-arrest-warrant-for-egypts-sisi

    “A United Kingdom legal chambers has filed a criminal complaint to the police against Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to investigate allegations of murder of the North African’s first democratically elected president.

    Egypt’s president Mohammed Morsi died in June after collapsing in a Cairo courtroom while on trial.

    Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers bid to London’s Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) to look into what it called “credible allegations of torture made against the Egyptian Government and its State organs,” according to Middle East Eye.

    Saturday’s request, which followed directions from the Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC), comes ahead of Sisi’s visit to the UK, scheduled for Monday.

    n its statement on Saturday, Guernica 37 said: “In particular, the complaint will request that the death of… Morsi, and the treatment suffered prior to his death, which constitutes torture, be investigated.”

    “It is inconceivable to consider that Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was unaware of the torture of Dr Morsi, his very appointment being the direct result of the ousting of the first democratically elected president,” the statement added.

    “It is no mere assumption that the treatment of Dr Morsi contributed to his death and there is a compelling argument that it was his treatment at the hands of the military regime that killed him and that this was the intention.”

    Guernica 37 urged for action, saying: “The ongoing impunity for his death cannot be allowed to continue, and where there is opportunity to investigate and prosecute, it must be taken.””

  47. Egypt’s Sisi extends state of emergency for 3 months
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/359861/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Sisi-extends-state-of-emergency-for–months.aspx

    “President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has issued a decree extending the state of emergency nationwide for three months as of 1 AM Monday , January 27.

    The decree was published in the gazette on Sunday.

    According to the decree, the Egyptian Armed Forces and the police shall take the necessary measures to counter terrorism, maintain security and protect citizens and properties.

    Egypt’s House of Representatives approved by two third of its members on the President’s decree to extend the state of emergency nationwide on 14 January

    The state of emergency was first declared in April 2017 following two suicide bombings in churches in Alexandria and Gharbiya on Palm Sunday that killed 47 worshipers, and has been constantly renewed ever since.”

  48. Mitigating crisis: PM Imran approves import of 300,000 tonnes of wheat
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2140087/1-mitigating-crisis-pm-imran-approves-import-300000-tonnes-wheat/

    “To end the prevailing flour crisis which has affected the entire country, Prime Minister Imran Khan has, in principle, approved the import of 300,000 tonnes of wheat with 60% exemption from the regulatory duty.

    According to sources, the government is also considering abolishing 5% advance income tax on wheat imports and reducing the allocated 200,000 tonnes of wheat to 100,000 tonnes for the Utility Stores Corporation.

    PM Imran has also approved an additional 100,000 tonnes of wheat supply to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) from the Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) stocks at the request of K-P chief minister.

    With the additional quantity, the total supply of subsidised wheat from Passco to the K-P will reach 550,000 tonnes.

    The current flour crisis has emerged in the wake of hoarding and illegal profit-making by vendors and flour dealers because of which consumers are facing a severe shortage of the commodity in the open market…”

  50. Turkey deploys drill ship off south Cyprus
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-deploys-drill-ship-off-south-cyprus-151189

    “Turkey announced on Jan. 19 that it has dispatched its drillship, Yavuz, to conduct hydrocarbon exploration works in the block “G” licensed by Turkish Cypriot in the south of the island.

    “Our drillship, Yavuz, was relocated on [Jan. 17] to the Block G in the south of the island in order to conduct its third drilling activity as part of the licenses given to Turkish Petroleum in 2011 by the TRNC [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] government,” read a written statement issued on Jan. 19 by Hami Aksoy, the spokesman of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

    Turkey’s statement followed a reaction by the European Commission about Ankara’s announcement of the dispatch of Yavuz which has re-claimed that this work is illegal.

    “Concrete steps towards creating an environment conducive to dialogue in good faith are needed. The intention by Turkey to launch further exploration and drilling activities in the wider region goes, regrettably, in the opposite direction,” the commission said.

    Turkey reiterated that the Turkish Cypriots have rights over the hydrocarbon reserves in this particular block as much as the Greek Cypriots have and informed that oil and natural gas revenues will be shared in the case the reserves are found. It also recalled that the Turkish Cypriot authorities have proposed a mechanism to the Greek Cyprus to share the revenues from the hydrocarbon resources.

    “The EU has remained silent to the usurpation of the rights of our country and Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean since 2003. It has not mentioned about the Turkish Cypriots in any of its statement and ignored the rights and presence of the Turkish Cypriots,” Aksoy said.

    Calling on the EU to end this policy based on prejudices and far from being realistic, Aksoy stressed that Turkey will continue to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots until a mechanism is established between the two sides of the island.

    The area where Yavuz will conduct exploration work has been granted to Italy’s ENI and Korea’s Kogas by the Greek Cypriot administration.”