Reader’s Links for February 2, 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

149 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 2, 2020”

  1. TANZANIA – Twenty killed in Tanzanian church stampede: official

    DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — Twenty people in Tanzania were trampled to death at an open-air evangelical Christian church service in the north of the country, officials said on Sunday.

    Kippi Warioba, district Commissioner in the northern town of Moshi, said he feared the number of dead could still rise from the accident which took place on Saturday.

    “So far, 20 people have died, but the death toll could increase as there were also wounded,” Warioba told AFP.

    At least 16 others were injured in the crush, he said.

    The tragedy happened when a crowd of worshippers was attending a prayer ceremony on Saturday led by the popular preacher Boniface Mwamposa, who heads the Arise and Shine Ministry Tanzania.

    The stampede occurred when Mwamposa, who calls himself the “Apostle”, poured what he said was holy oil on the ground and the crowd surged toward to touch it in the hope of being cured of sickness, witnesses said.

    “The Apostle Boniface Mwamposa poured sacred anointing oil on the ground,” one witness, Jennifer Temu, told AFP.

    “Dozens of people immediately fell being jostled and trampled, and some died. We have counted 20 people killed — but there are also wounded.”

    Police question preacher

    “It was horrible, people trampled on mercilessly, jostling each other with elbows,” said another witness, Peter Kilewo.

    “It was like the preacher had thrown bundles of dollars about… and there were all these deaths!”

    Mwamposa, the preacher, fled the scene after the stampede, and police appealed in a broadcast on national television for him to hand himself in.

    The preacher was arrested in the port city of Dar es Salaam later on Sunday.

    “Boniface Mwamposa tried to flee after this incident, but as I speak, he is in the hands of the police,” Interior Minister George Simbachawene told a press conference.

    Simbachawene said that the preacher had started the stamped by calling on the packed crowd to place their foot on the spot where he had poured the oil.

    “These are the words that led to these deaths,” said Simbachawene. “He must answer for it.”

    Tanzanian police chief Simon Sirro, who confirmed the toll of 20 dead, said investigations were ongoing into the incident.

    Seven other people were arrested in Moshi, where the stampede took place,in connection with the incident.

    Sirro also said police would also look into how church organisations handle such large-scale crowd events in general.

    “We pray for them, but I must say that some churches are troublesome — and we will see how to handle them,” Sirro said.

    President John Magufuli also issued a statement mourning the death of 20 people in Moshi, as well as 20 others killed by floods in Tanzania’s southern Lindi region this week.

    “I’m very sorry for these deaths of these Tanzanians in the two events,” Magufuli said.

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/twenty-killed-in-tanzanian-church-stampede-official-1.4794005

  2. Hunter, Sam and the Sheikh: Hunter Biden’s Alleged Connection to Middle East Shakedown Artists

    Hunter Biden’s corruption may not have ended in Ukraine. The hard partying politician’s son also met with a corrupt sheikh, who has illegally given massive contributions to Democrats, about working on a project to unfreeze Libyan assets in 2015.

    As the farce they call impeachment is winding down in the Senate, it has become obvious that no new witnesses will be called, and almost as likely that, if they are, Hunter Biden will not be among them.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/hunter-sam-and-the-sheik-hunter-bidens-alleged-connection-to-middle-east-shakedown-artists/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend

  3. SKY News – Spielman: Books found in Islamic school saying wife-beating is ‘okay’

    Ofsted’s chief inspector says people are ‘afraid’ to talk about instances in which religious and cultural beliefs come into conflict with the rights of girls.

    She tells Sophy Ridge about an Islamic and a Jewish faith-based school that promoted discriminatory practices against girls.

    She calls for people to talk more openly to address issues in which different rights ‘bump into one another’.

  4. DAILY MAIL _ ‘He’s got a younger girlfriend, he’ll understand’: Grandmother, 80, writes to Boris Johnson asking him to help her marry Egyptian toyboy, 35, after UK officials ‘ignored her requests’

    Iris Jones, 80, from Weston-super-Mare, met Mohamed, 35, on Facebook group
    British Embassy said she needs divorce papers and certificate of no impediment
    Pensioner has written to Boris Johnson hoping he understands her wish to marry

    Iris Jones, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, first struck up a conversation with Mohamed Ahmed Irbriham on a Facebook group exploring aetheism last summer.

    Within a fortnight, the 35-year-old, from Giza, expressed his love for Iris who flew out to Cairo in November to meet him.

    The pensioner went viral last week when she appeared on This Morning alongside Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby to discuss the couple’s 45-year age gap. “I felt like if I’d been riding a horse… I couldn’t walk the next day ”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7957761/Grandmother-80-writes-Boris-Johnson-asking-help-marry-Egyptian-toyboy.html

  5. “Depressing/infuriating read:
    A doctor in Wuhan who was one of the eight whistleblowers police reprimanded in early January for “spreading rumors” about a mysterious pneumonia has become infected with the #coronavirus that causes it. http://sixthtone.com/news/1005150/rumormonger-doctor-who-raised-the-alarm-says-he-has-coronavirus”
    David Pauly – February 1, 2020 – Twitter
    https://twitter.com/davidpaulk/status/1223603801363365893

    “‘Rumormonger’ Doctor Who Raised the Alarm Says He Has Coronavirus”
    By Wang Lianzhang – February 1, 2020
    http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1005150/rumormonger-doctor-who-raised-the-alarm-says-he-has-coronavirus

  7. Why Wasn’t Obama Impeached for IRS and Fast & Furious Scandals? | Larry Elder Show

  8. Georgetown Law Professor Stomps All Over, Jumps Up and Down on, Then Sets Fire to the House Democrats’ Narrative

    Posted at 2:00 pm on February 2, 2020 by Elizabeth Vaughn

    Georgetown Law Professor Stomps All Over, Jumps Up and Down on, Then Sets Fire to the House Democrats’ Narrative

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks before Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

    In the following tweet thread, Georgetown Law School Professor Randy Barnett expertly identifies the House Democrats’ hypocrisy and profound dishonesty, destroying their entire case.

    Barnett writes that the Senate gave the Articles of Impeachment all the respect they deserved.

    He points out that “criticizing Senators for rejecting the *substance* of the House case is entirely different than criticizing them for not allowing the House to correct any deficits in their case in the Senate.” They brought an incomplete case to the Senate and it’s not the Senate’s role to finish it. They are tasked with reviewing the evidence gathered by the House and making a judgment on whether or not to remove the President.

    “Based on what I’ve seen with my own eyes these last few years, I am convinced the USA would be very well served to intensely review every single case Adam Schiff has EVER prosecuted.” I agree 100%. The Senate Committee Chairmen, surely including Lindsey Graham who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, must investigate the origins of the whistleblower’s complaint and Schiff’s level of involvement. Did he orchestrate the whole scheme? If it’s proven that Schiff coordinated with the whistleblower to create a case of impeachment against the President, I would go so far as to say that he belongs in jail. He has not only distracted the country, he has created further division between Americans.

    https://www.redstate.com/elizabeth-vaughn/2020/02/02/georgetown-law-professor-stomps-on-house-democrats-in-thread/

  9. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/thailand-sees-apparent-success-treating-virus-with-drug-cocktail/articleshow/73879572.cms

    Bangkok: A Chinese woman infected with the new coronavirus showed a dramatic improvement after she was treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Thailand’s health ministry said Sunday. The 71-year-old patient tested negative for the virus 48 hours after Thai doctors administered the combination, doctor Kriengsak Attipornwanich said during the ministry’s daily press briefing.

    “The lab result of positive on the coronavirus turned negative in 48 hours,” Kriengsak ..

    Read more at:
    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/thailand-sees-apparent-success-treating-virus-with-drug-cocktail/articleshow/73879572.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

  10. This is the moment the United kingdom left the European union, described by the media as “hundreds”

  12. Belgian police have reportedly shot a woman who was attacking people with a knife in Ghent, Belgium.

    Details of the incident, which has happened more or less in parallel with a radical Islamic terrorist attack in Streatham, London, which also involved multiple stabbings, are scant, with the public prosecutor’s office having declined to comment as of the time of publication.

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/02/02/knife-attacker-shot-after-stabbings-in-ghent-belgium/

  13. The Foreign Policy of US Democrats: An Assessment Ahead of the Iowa Caucuses

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Foreign policy issues only rarely play a major role in American presidential elections, and when they do, it is usually at times of acute international crisis or warfare. Such matters had received little attention in the 2020 debates among the Democratic presidential hopefuls—until the targeting killing of Qassem Soleimani and the reentry into the news cycle of Trump’s peace plan. The leading Democratic candidates have since made statements about the role of the US in the world, deployment and use of force, the nuclear deal with Iran, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There are differences among the candidates, but they all promise to radically change American foreign policy.

    It is now primary season for the Democrats in the run-up to the US presidential election, and the party’s focus has predictably been on domestic rather than foreign affairs. That pattern is now changing in the wake of the targeting killing by the US of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani and Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian “Deal of the Century”. In the last television debate to take place before the Iowa caucuses scheduled for February 3, the six remaining candidates debated major foreign policy issues. (A few other candidates, such as former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, might join the Democratic primaries later on.)

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/foreign-policy-us-democrats/

  15. This Labour MP had her local area hit by Islamic terrorists today. This is her current pinned tweet.

    https://twitter.com/BellRibeiroAddy/status/1223002686901116928?s=20

    To tackle racism at its root we must confront the brutal legacy of the British Empire, apologise and make meaningful reparations for the historic wrongs of slavery & colonialism.

    How can I be an equal in Parliament if this is how Parliament treats people that look just like me?

  16. A radical Islamic extremist who plotted to massacre the staff of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2010 has been released by Swedish authorities, despite plotting more attacks while in prison.

    The man, who has not been identified by name, is said to be in his forties and was one of three Swedish citizens arrested as co-conspirators in the 2010 plot who were initially imprisoned in Denmark but later moved to Sweden, Aftonbladet reports.

    During his time in prison, the Muslim radical is said to have plotted even more attacks, with instructions on how to make a bomb and a map of Copenhagen’s public transportation system being found in his cell.

    He is also said to have behaved poorly after being transferred to a Swedish prison and told prison officials he was ready to “kill and murder” during his stay.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/01/islamic-terrorist-who-plotted-danish-newspaper-massacre-released-in-sweden/

  17. On the night before the Senate impeachment trial began, someone broke into veteran Washington investigative journalist John Solomon’s car parked near the White House and stole his laptop, according to a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department report obtained by RealClearInvestigations.

    The computer contained notes on Ukraine and former Vice President Joe Biden and other sensitive information, Solomon, 52, said in an interview. He said he was preparing to launch a new podcast and news site at the time.
    John Solomon: Laptop stolen then recovered, but mystery remains.
    Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia

    Though the laptop has since been recovered, the investigation is still open. “The case has been assigned a detective and is under investigation,” MPD spokesman Sean Hickman told RCI.

    https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2020/02/02/paul_sperrys_notebook_theft_near_white_house_of_investigative_reporter_john_solomons_laptop_122236.html

  18. Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday unveiled an alarming new plan to punish companies that knowingly disseminate “disinformation” online. The Massachusetts senator’s proposal would hold firms like Facebook and Twitter criminally and civilly responsible for platforming users who spread lies intended to undermine voter turnout. She also hinted at expanding her efforts to other areas of speech.

    It’s an odd position for Warren, whose own claims about her past and identity have caused her endless trouble. But it is a good example of progressives’ increasingly authoritarian and anti-free speech instincts.

    Her plan, which mainly focuses on Election Day disinformation, would almost surely be unconstitutional. And if it did survive constitutional review, who would be charged with determining what counts as “disinformation” in the future? Will there be an army of government fact-checkers sifting through Twitter accounts, or will Warren farm out the task of monitoring billions of daily interactions to our trusted media?

    https://nypost.com/2020/01/29/liz-warrens-plan-to-control-online-speech-is-straight-out-of-orwell/?utm_source=reddit.com

  20. MORE KNIFE ATTACKS: Belgian police shoot ‘knifeman’ who stabbed two people on busy high street in Ghent – just minutes after machete terror attack in London

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7958407/Belgian-police-shoot-knifeman-stabbed-two-people-Ghent.html

    AND HERE we have the photo & name of London stabber who had just been released from jail:

    Suspect who grabbed a knife and injured THREE people in ‘Islamist-related’ attack before being shot dead by armed police ‘was under surveillance’

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7958201/Man-SHOT-south-London-street-broad-daylight-sparking-armed-police-shutdown-area.html

  23. MEMRI – Former Guantanamo Detainee Moazzam Begg: Jihad Specifically Refers to Military Conflict

    Moazzam Begg, a British Muslim of Pakistani descent who had been detained at Guantanamo Bay between 2002 and 2005, was interviewed in an episode of the Unscripted Podcast that was uploaded to YouTube on January 17, 2020.

    Begg said that he had joined the mujahideen in Bosnia during the Bosnian War and that this was part of his process of becoming more religiously observant.

    Podcast host Dr. Salman Butt said that it is refreshing to hear people refer to the conflict in Bosnia as Jihad, and Begg said that the concept of Jihad will remain a sacred and “pristine” Islamic belief until Judgement Day.

    He emphasized that Jihad is not limited to an internal struggle and that key Islamic scholars have specifically said that Jihad is a military pursuit.

    He said that Muslims and their scholars need to take control of the narrative and be brave and bold enough to remain true to the Quran and the Sunnah.

    Furthermore, Begg said that the Muslims will eventually have to rise up against their oppression because Islam is being slowly undermined in the West and the East.

    He added that future generations need to be raised with the knowledge that they will ultimately be religiously obligated to rise up.

    Moazzam Begg is currently the Outreach Director at Cage, a London-based advocacy organization that focuses on Muslims who were detained during the War on Terror.

  24. A convicted sex offender who argued that pedophiles are victims of discrimination and that laws against sexual contact with children violate his rights has been granted an appeal.

    The legal victory this month was not based on what the court called the defendant’s “unusual” strategy of promoting pedophilia but on the constitutional right to a speedy trial.

    The now-31-year-old Gary Wolchesky was first arrested in 2009 but it took seven years before his trial started.

    In a 44-page decision released Jan. 28, a three-judge appellate panel said that part of this delay was the fault of Wolchesky, who insisted on representing himself. But part of the delay also was the result of the investigation and new charges that were later added on.

    Read More: NJ predator, who says pedophiles are victims of law, wins appeal | https://nj1015.com/nj-child-predator-who-says-pedophiles-are-a-persecuted-minority-wins-appeal/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

  25. Bangkok (AFP) – A Chinese woman infected with the new coronavirus showed a dramatic improvement after she was treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Thailand’s health ministry said Sunday.

    The 71-year-old patient tested negative for the virus 48 hours after Thai doctors administered the combination, doctor Kriengsak Attipornwanich during the ministry’s daily press briefing.

    “The lab result of positive on the coronavirus turned negative in 48 hours,” Kriengsak said.

    “From being exhausted before, she could sit up in bed 12 hours later.”

    The doctors combined the anti-flu drug oseltamivir with lopinavir and ritonavir, anti-virals used to treat HIV, Kriengsak said, adding the ministry was awaiting research results to prove the findings.

    https://www.breitbart.com/news/thailand-sees-apparent-success-treating-virus-with-drug-cocktail/

    Good thing they spliced in the HIV genes into the coronavirus!

  26. Drones Downed Near Russia’s Hmeimim Launched From Idlib Zone – Russian Military (sputniknews, Feb 2, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202002021078207158-drones-downed-near-russias-hmeimim-launched-from-idlib-zone/

    “Drones downed on Sunday near Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Syria were launched from the Idlib de-escalation zone, Maj. Gen. Yuri Borenkov, the commander of the Russian Centre for Syrian Reconciliation, said.

    “On 1 February, at about 11 p.m. Moscow time [20:00 GMT], Russian Hmeimim airbase airspace control means discovered unmanned aerial vehicles launched from an area of the Idlib de-escalation zone under the control of illegal armed units. Means of electronic warfare of the airbase intercepting and disabled all UAVs by disrupting their control systems”, the message read.

    No casualties and damage have been registered at the base after the attack, and the base is currently operating in a normal mode.

    In January, the Syrian army started an offensive in the west of Aleppo over militants’ daily shelling of the city’s residential areas…”

  27. Attackers Blow Up Sinai Gas Line Between Israel and Egypt, Pipeline Remains Intact – Reports (sputniknews, Feb 2, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202002021078207786-gas-line-between-egypt-and-israel-blown-up-by-unidentified-attackers—reports/

    “Israel has reportedly been supplying natural gas to Egypt since late last year. The supply line was reportedly attacked late on Sunday in the Sinai Peninsula. There have been no reports on casualties yet.

    Tel Aviv reportedly confirmed that there was attempted sabotage of the pipeline, The Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told reporters that the gas supply continues and the authorities have launched a probe into the incident.

    “At this time, the natural gas is flowing from Israel to Egypt. The matter of the explosion, as it was, was examined by the ministry in coordination with all relevant parties”, Steinitz said, cited by Israeli Public Broadcasting Kan media outlet.

    Al Jazeera broke the news earlier on Sunday saying that the incident occurred earlier in the day in Egypt’s Bir Al-Abd located in the northern Sinai area. The attackers reportedly remain unidentified as no militant or terrorist group has reportedly claimed the responsibility yet.

    Netizens have shared alleged footage from the scene of the incident, blaming militants for the Sunday’s attack.

    Terrorists blew up these particular gas lines at least three times during the first six months of 2011 before Cairo suspended gas supplies to Tel Aviv, The Jerusalem Post said.
    The new agreement on gas supplies between Egypt and Israel reportedly follows a $15 billion decade-long deal signed by Delek Drilling and Houston-based Noble Energy in February 2018 to supply 64 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Egypt from the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, located off Israel…”

  29. Afghan militant shell kills 7 from same family in Pakistan (abcnews, Feb 3, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-militant-shell-kills-family-pakistan-68708014

    “At least seven members of the same Pakistani family were killed Sunday when their home was hit by a mortar round fired from across the border in Afghanistan by suspected militants, Pakistani police said.

    Four children, two women and a man were killed in Bajur district, once a Taliban stronghold inside Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local police official, Shahab-ud- Din. He said other civilians were also wounded.

    Police and local officials provided no further details on the shelling. Police gave the name of the owner of the home that was struck, but did not say if he was among the casualties or if he was present at the time of the attack. Authorities said an investigation was underway.

    Pakistan’s militant groups are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan, and Bajur district was once a haven for Taliban insurgents. Pakistan says the army has cleared the area in recent years, although violence persists. Militants who were not killed have mostly fled across the rugged mountains into neighboring Afghanistan.

    Terror attacks in Pakistan plummeted by more than 85% over the last decade, from nearly 2,000 in 2009 to fewer than 250 in 2019, according to a tally put together by Pakistani think tanks. The steady decline underscores the long-haul nature of fighting terror.

    Pakistan’s success in tackling terror is essential amid American attempts to wind down the war in Afghanistan and withdraw U.S. troops.”

  30. Thief Breaks Into John Solomon’s Car Night Before Impeachment Trial, Steals Laptop Containing Explosive Information on Ukraine and Joe Biden

    Thief Breaks Into John Solomon’s Car Night Before Impeachment Trial, Steals Laptop Containing Explosive Information on Ukraine and Joe Biden
    Cristina Laila by Cristina Laila February 2, 2020 825 Comments

    6.2KShare 398Tweet Email

    John Solomon

    Someone broke into investigative reporter John Solomon’s car parked near the White House the night before the senate impeachment trial began.

    The thief stole John Solomon’s laptop which contained sensitive information on former Vice President Joe Biden and Ukraine.

    The break-in, which happened across from the White House’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building, was described as a “professional job” and authorities believe the individual(s) used a sophisticated electronic jamming device to open the car’s lock.

    “It’s a pretty professional job,” John Solomon told RCI of the break-in, “but it’s probably just a coincidence.”

    “It was probably just a street criminal searching for pass codes,” he added. “Or it could be someone searching for my Ukraine stuff, we don’t know at this point.”

    It appears to be a targeted political hit because Solomon said nothing else was taken from his car, including cash.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/thief-breaks-into-john-solomons-car-night-before-impeachment-trial-steals-laptop-containing-explosive-information-on-ukraine-and-joe-biden/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=weekend

    Richard: The Dems have returned to breaking and entering to get info, things are going to get real nasty in the near future.

  31. Burkina Faso: Gunmen kill 20 civilians in attack (BBC, Feb 2, 2020)
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51348523

    “As many as 20 civilians have been killed in an overnight attack in north-western Burkina Faso.

    Unidentified heavily armed men on motorbikes carried out the attack on a village in Bani municipality, north of the capital Ouagadougou, on Saturday night, AFP news agency says.

    The attack comes a week after 39 people were killed when militants attacked a market in Silgadji town.

    The Sahel region has seen an increase in jihadist violence in recent months.

    News of Saturday’s attack came as France announced it would send a further 600 soldiers to the Sahel region, bringing the total number of French troops to more than 5,000.

    Last year saw the highest death toll due to armed conflict in the region since 2012, with more than 4,000 people killed.

    The security crisis in the Sahel began when an alliance of separatist and Islamist militants took over northern Mali in 2012. France then launched a military intervention against them.

    Although a peace deal was signed in 2015, it was never fully implemented.

    New armed groups have since emerged and expanded to central Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, including groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS).”

  32. Bangkok (AFP) – A Chinese woman infected with the new coronavirus showed a dramatic improvement after she was treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Thailand’s health ministry said Sunday.

    The 71-year-old patient tested negative for the virus 48 hours after Thai doctors administered the combination, doctor Kriengsak Attipornwanich during the ministry’s daily press briefing.

    “The lab result of positive on the coronavirus turned negative in 48 hours,” Kriengsak said.

    “From being exhausted before, she could sit up in bed 12 hours later.”

    The doctors combined the anti-flu drug oseltamivir with lopinavir and ritonavir, anti-virals used to treat HIV, Kriengsak said, adding the ministry was awaiting research results to prove the findings.

    https://www.breitbart.com/news/thailand-sees-apparent-success-treating-virus-with-drug-cocktail/

    Good thing they spliced in the HIV genes into the coronavirus!

    Also:

    Novel Coronavirus News
    @nCOV19
    A look inside the newly built hospital for #CoronaVirus patients in #Wuhan. This is the one which they built in 10 days and just check out the rooms they’re like bunkers.

    https://twitter.com/nCOV19/status/1224012751405756416

  34. ROMANIA – Romanian bakery removes Sri Lankans after pressure from village

    The owner of a bread factory in the central Romania village of Ditrau, an area inhabited mainly by Hungarian ethnics, has decided to remove two Sri Lankans who worked as bakers in his factory after pressure from the local community, Mediafax reported.

    The factory owner’s decision to hire two workers from Sri Lanka had sparked outrage in the village and more than 2,000 locals signed a petition calling for a referendum to stop what they called the “immigrant inflow”. The factory’s representatives initially asked the locals to be more understanding and kind and explained that the migrant workers had been hired legally because company couldn’t find local workforce.

    In a popular meeting held on Saturday, February 1, at the Ditrau popular council, the villagers complained about the bread factory owner’s attitude towards them. They said that those who worked at the factory did long hours and were underpaid. They added that if work conditions were better and wages were higher, more of them would work at the bread factory and the owners wouldn’t have to hire foreigners.

    The mayor of Ditrau, who moderated the meeting, said the high school in his village has a dual education class that trains bakers and that they should be hired in the area. He also said the City hall would get involved to make sure this happens. He added that Ditrau has got much bad publicity because of this situation, which he believes was not caused by the workers from Sri Lanka but by the bakery owner’s behavior.

    The factory owner was not present at the meeting but sent a letter in which he apologized for the inconveniences caused to the locals and offered to remove the two workers from Sri Lanka from the production process. He added that the two men were no longer living in Ditrau and that the locals would not be “bothered” anymore. He also called on the locals looking for jobs to go to him and promised to publicly announce all job openings and other important decisions of his firm.

    After an ad-hoc consultation, the locals decided not to accept the bakery owners’ apologies yet and write a petition with all of their demands.

    Romanian activist entrepreneur Stefan Mandachi, who became famous after building a one-meter highway to protest the poor infrastructure in the country, said he would hire the two Sri Lankan workers in one of his restaurants.

    “If I the entrepreneur in Ditrau, I would have given up the two foreign workers for nothing in the world. I would have preferred to close the restaurant, sell the business, make a revolution, but I wouldn’t have given up on the two bakers. Not because I have a good heart, but as a form of protest against the State that drove all Romanians across borders. The state has harassed both employees and employers, until the country became empty,” Mandachi wrote in a Facebook post.

    “I will employ them as bakers in any of my restaurants, at the risk of losing customers or causing riots,” he continued saying that he would also open a restaurant in Sfantu Gheorghe (a bigger city close to Ditrau), where he will hire foreigners, warning the “fools with feudal thinking” to avoid his restaurants.

    https://colombogazette.com/2020/02/02/romanian-bakery-removes-sri-lankans-after-pressure-from-village/

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

    Residents in Romanian village rise against Sri Lankan workers at local bread factory

    The residents of Ditrau, a village in the central-north Romanian region, are outraged that a local bread factory has hired two Sri Lankan workers. The villagers have asked the local authorities to organize a referendum for stopping what they call the “immigrant inflow”, Digi24(dot)ro reported.

    Meanwhile, the bread factory’s owners say they had to bring foreign workers because they can’t find employees locally.

    The residents in Ditrau have created a Facebook group “Migráns mentes ditrot akarunk” (We want Ditrau without migrants) that has already reached 2,500 users, to protest against the presence of foreign workers in their village. The group includes hateful posts targeting the two workers and the bakery’s owner.

    On Wednesday afternoon, a group of 200 villagers gathered at the local church and went to the City Hall to discuss the matter. The local authorities decided to organize a popular assembly on Saturday.

    The locals are afraid that the two workers from Sri Lanka will bring more foreign workers, putting the community in danger. The local priest Biro Karoly explained that the people’s fears stem from an older conflict, from 1986, between the locals and the Roma community, in which a man lost his life. “Our request is to get us back the security in which we have lived so far, so that we are no longer afraid of what will happen. We are not afraid of the two, but of the fact that our safety is affected,” the priest said, according to Digi24(dot)ro.

    Meanwhile, the bread factory’s owner and several employers of the factory defended the two foreign workers saying that they are hardworking. They also said the two men came to work in Ditrau to support the families they left behind, similarly to Romanians who went to work in Western Europe, which is why the local community should be more tolerant.

    “We also worked abroad and they accepted us, so we have to accept them now,” a bakery worker said.

    Piumal and Amahinda are 22 and 49, respectively, and were employed with legal forms, through a recruitment firm, at the largest bread factory in the Gheorgheni region, according to Agerpres. The owners of the factory in Ditr?u say they wanted to hire local labor force, both from Harghita and from other counties, but they were not successful, which is why they decided to look for bakers outside the country.

    “Last year, we brought a baker from Hungary, who is the head of the bakers, and two weeks ago, the employees from Sri Lanka arrived, through a recruitment firm. We are very pleased with them, they are very good workers, understanding, honest, serious, in two days they learned the stages of production, they work just like the other bakery employees,” said Kollo Katalin, the manager of the company that owns the factory.

    She added that, within a month, the factory will bring five more foreign workers: four from Nepal and one from Sri Lanka. The company needs skilled workforce as it is in the process of expansion, with European funds.

    According to the factory’s representatives, the two workers from Sri Lanka initially stayed at a host in the village, who received threats, so they had to move to a neighboring village, where they were also badly received. In the end, the company decided to move the workers to Gheorghieni, a bigger town nearby.

    “I would like to tell people that we are no longer in the Middle Ages. We are in 2020 and I think they should be more understanding and kind. I also do not understand the anti-human behavior they show and what they have against these people from Sri Lanka, who are just like us, they are good people,” said the factory manager.

    “In Sri Lanka, they earn USD 60, so the minimum wage here (about EUR 280 per month net – e.n.) means a lot of money to them. They came to support their family and do no harm to those here. We take responsibility for them if they do something wrong, but it will not be the case,” she concluded.

    Ditrau is a village in Harghita county with a majority population of ethnic Hungarians. The Hungarian community in Romania generally follows the Hungarian-language media in Budapest and has adhered to the anti-EU and anti-immigration messages promoted by Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, according to G4Media.ro, quoting a survey carried out by the Democrat Hungarian Union (UDMR) in 2018.

    https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-ditrau-sri-lanka-workers-bakery

  36. Haniyeh Settles in Qatar, Has No Plans to Return to Gaza
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2111556/haniyeh-settles-qatar-has-no-plans-return-gaza

    “Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh has decided to settle outside Gaza for a long period, extending to late 2020 or 2021, according to Hamas officials.

    Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that this decision is related to internal arrangements within Hamas and others related to complications on his movement from and to the Strip.

    They denied claims that Egypt might have prevented Haniyeh from returning to Gaza, saying he didn’t have such plans.

    According to the sources, Haniyeh has decided to settle in Qatar for the time being and it is not yet known whether his family will join him or not.

    Hamas’s affirmation that Haniyeh will remain abroad comes in light of leaks about Egyptian dissatisfaction with his visit to Iran.

    He has drawn Egypt’s fire by traveling to Iran to take part in the funeral ceremonies for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by US raid in Baghdad on Jan. 3, Israeli media reported.

    Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt was not okay with this visit but matters were eventually settled.

    Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau member Khalil al-Hayya said Haniyeh’s Iranian visit had caused tensions with Egypt.

    “Our brothers in Egypt rebuked us for visiting Iran, but [Hamas] has its independent stance,” Hayya said.

    During his visit to Iran, Haniyeh delivered a speech in which he called Soleimani “the martyr of Jerusalem.”

    Hamas justified the visit as recognition of Soleimani’s role in supporting the “resistance.”

    Haniyeh started a foreign tour on December 2 with a visit to Cairo. This is his first tour since he assumed Hamas’ leadership in May 2017.

    Earlier, he visited Turkey, Qatar, Oman, Iran, and Malaysia. Haniyeh seeks to visit other countries, such as Russia, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Kuwait.

    “Haniyeh will remain abroad and continue to run Hamas until he has completed all the tasks and all the goals of his foreign tour,” Hamas reported.”

  37. Saudi Arabia Supports UNAOC with $1 Million
    https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2109806/saudi-arabia-supports-unaoc-1-million

    “High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos hailed Saudi Arabia’s key role in promoting peace and shunning violence, as he received on Friday the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Abdallah al-Mouallimi.

    Mouallimi handed him a check of one million dollars, dedicated to supporting the plan of action, activities and programs of the UN Office for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

    He added that the Kingdom appreciates the role of the alliance and its efforts in spreading a culture of peace and tolerance, strengthening the role of diplomacy and protecting religious sites.

    He said the world is in urgent need to consolidate the values of coexistence and build bridges of peace in light of escalating violence, spread of hate speech, interference in the internal affairs of countries and spread of sectarian ideology, Mouallimi continued.

    The support that the Kingdom provided to UNAOC is part of USD3 million that Saudi Arabia pledged to provide to back its plan of action, activities and programs over the next three years.

    In another meeting, Mouallimi received in New York Deputy Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, Khawla Matar.

    They reviewed UN efforts to end the conflict in Syria. Mouallimi highlighted Saudi support for efforts aimed at reaching a political solution and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s solidarity with the Syrian people.

    Further, he denied to Al Arabiya television a report in Syria’s al-Watan newspaper that he had invited Syria’s regime Ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, to his house where he was hosting a dinner.

    He explained that he had hosted a dinner in honor of Saudi Minister of State Dr. Fahad al-Mubarak and that Jaafari was not among the guests, who included dozens of UN envoys.”

  39. Turkey president meets Hamas political chief
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200202-turkey-president-meets-hamas-political-chief/

    “Turkey’s president received in Istanbul the political chief of Hamas on Saturday.

    The closed-door meeting was held between Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh at the Vahdettin Pavilion, lasting one hour and 15 minutes.

    Erdogan had held a phone call with his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, on Friday, when he reiterated Ankara’s support for Palestine in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan for the Middle East.

    The two leaders had also discussed the latest developments and issues in the region…”

  40. 8 soldiers killed in al-Shabaab attack in Somalia
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200202-8-soldiers-killed-in-al-shabaab-attack-in-somalia/

    “At least 18 people including eight Somali government soldiers and 10 al-Shabaab militants were killed, and more than 13 others wounded when fighters from al-Shabaab attacked Somali National Army and African Union peacekeeping mission troops bases in the middle Shabelle region on Sunday.

    Hassan Ibrahim, a military official in the region, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that the main attack took place at AMISOM and SNA base in the vicinity of Qalimow in the region.

    “The terrorist group al-Shabaab attacked our base in Qalimow on Sunday morning. Eight soldiers were killed, more than 13 others wounded but we have killed more than 10 al-Shabaab militants,” Ibrahim said.

    The group also attacked several other observation points with mortar shells, he said, adding that they did not know how many people were killed or wounded.

    Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Qalimow attack that it has killed over 13 soldiers.

    The attacks came a day after double blasts in Somali capital Mogadishu, killing over 4 soldiers and wounding Kahda district deputy commissioner, claimed by al-Shabaab.”

  41. Saudi Arabia blocks Iran from Islamic grouping’s meeting: Tehran
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-saudi-oic-meeting/saudi-arabia-blocks-iran-from-islamic-groupings-meeting-tehran-idUSKBN1ZW0OP

    “Saudi Arabia has barred an Iranian delegation from an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah on Monday where U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan will be discussed, the Iranian foreign ministry said.

    Saudi authorities have not issued visas for the Iranian participants, ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.

    “The government of Saudi Arabia has prevented the participation of the Iranian delegation in the meeting to examine the ‘deal of the century’ plan at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,” Mousavi said, the Fars news agency reported.

    Mousavi said Iran has filed a complaint with the OIC and accused Saudi Arabia of misusing its position as the host for the organization’s headquarters. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.

    Iranian officials have condemned Trump’s plan for resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine as a non-starter after it was officially announced last week. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan, saying it heavily favours Israel and will deny them a viable independent state.

    Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in a proxy war as they vie for influence across the Middle East. They support opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.”

  42. Ukraine wants larger compensation for its citizens killed in plane shootdown in Iran
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-crash-ukraine/ukraine-wants-larger-compensation-for-its-citizens-killed-in-plane-shootdown-in-iran-idUSKBN1ZW0QP

    “Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Kiev was not satisfied with a size of compensation Iran had offered to families of Ukrainians killed in the downing of a plane near Tehran last month and would seek larger payments.

    “As for the Iranian side, they immediately offered us $80,000 for each family… It is too small. We will press for a larger amount,” Zelenskiy told Ukrainian “1+1” TV.

    The airliner was struck by a missile on Jan. 8 shortly after it left Tehran en route to Kiev. Iran admitted its forces had shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane in error, after initially denying it had a role in the incident. All 176 people aboard, including 11 Ukrainians, were killed.

    Zelenskiy also said that Ukraine still was waiting for Iran to hand over the black boxes of the plane.”

  43. New shooting reported at Jamia Millia Islamia university
    https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/new-shooting-reported-at-jamia-millia-islamia-university-1.1580671628817

    “A shooting took place near gate number five of Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday night.

    According to Jamia Coordination Committee, the two unidentified people opened fire. One was wearing a red coloured jacket and riding a red scooter.

    People including some students of Jamia Millia Islamia University gathered outside the Jamia Nagar police station following the shooting.

    The students returned from the Jamia Nagar police station after their complaint was registered.

    People also gathered in protest outside the university following the firing by two scooter-borne unidentified people. The protestors chanted slogans against Delhi Police.

    The Station House Officer (SHO) is present at the spot. An investigation is underway.

    According to Jamia Coordination Committee, the firing was done by two unidentified persons. One of them was wearing a red-coloured jacket and driving a red colour scooty.

    No injuries were reported in the incident.

    This is the third firing incident in the national capital in the last few days.

    On January 30, a juvenile brandished a country-made pistol and fired at and injured a Jamia student, Shadab Farooq, who was part of the group that was protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) near the university.

    The juvenile has been sent to 14-day protective custody by the Juvenile Justice Board.

    On February 1, a man, identified as Kapil Gujjar, fired aerial shots at an anti-CAA protest site in Shaheen Bagh. Gujjar’s weapon has been seized and sent on police remand for two days by a Delhi court.

    No injuries were reported in that incident.”

  44. Egypt’s population to hit 100 million at home next week: CAPMAS
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/362720/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-population-to-hit–million-at-home-next-wee.aspx

    “Egypt’s population will hit 100 million people next week, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Saturday.

    The country’s population reached 99.945 million at 10 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, CAPMAS added.

    The number excludes Egyptians abroad, which are estimated at over 9 million people.

    Cairo is ranked Egypt’s most populated governorate with 9.924 million persons, followed by Giza with 9.75 million people then Sharqia with 7.536 million, CAPMAS pointed out.

    South Sinai governorate got the last place in terms of Egypt’s population with about 108,742 persons, followed by North Sinai with 450,528 people and then Matrouh with 477,172, it noted.

    Since 2017, Egyptian officials have described the country’s rapid population growth as an “actual catastrophe” that threatens national development plans and demands immediate attention, just like the country’s war against terrorism.

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi repeatedly said that the current rate of population growth poses a threat to the nation and restricts Egypt’s progress.

    Last year, Egypt launched a two year initiative dubbed, “Two Is Enough”, to encourage people to have fewer children.

    It is mainly financed locally, with the Social Solidarity Ministry spending EGP 75 million Egyptian pounds ($4.7 million) and the UN providing EGP 10 million.”

  45. FIFA to Help African Football Reach World-Class Standards
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/02/292611/fifa-to-help-african-football-reach-world-class-standards/

    “The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) is ready to support African football to achieve world-class standards, announced FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino on Saturday, February 1…

    “FIFA will donate €1 billion so that every African country can build a world-class stadium. As far as good governance is concerned, there is work to be done. We did it at FIFA and we are trying to do the same at CAF. We just started,” announced the Swiss-Italian administrator…”

  46. Morocco’s BCIJ Arrests 6 Suspects Active in Irregular Migration Operations
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/02/292586/moroccos-bcij-arrests-6-suspects-active-in-irregular-migration-operations/

    “Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) arrested six suspects for organizing irregular migration operations on January 31.

    The suspects are part of a criminal network that used forged documents to make the process of visa applications easy for candidates, a statement from the BCIJ has said.

    The BCIJ, an anti-terrorism unit with good reputation across the world, made the arrests in different cities including Casablanca, Rabat, Agadir, and Khouribga.

    During the operation that led to the arrest, security services also seized several items that the network used for forgery, including a printer, a scanner, 34 stamps from public institutions, banks and local authorities, administrative documents on would-be illegal immigrants, 11 civil status documents, and 20 birth certificates…”

  48. Man, 20, is stabbed outside Naira Marley concert at London’s O2 Academy in Brixton
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7959401/Man-20-stabbed-outside-Naira-Marley-concert-Londons-O2-Academy-Brixton.html

    “A man in his 20s was stabbed outside an afrobeats concert at London’s O2 Academy in Brixton on Sunday night.

    Police officers and an ambulance rushed to Stockwell Road, Lambeth, at around 9.40pm to reports that a young man had been stabbed outside the venue where Naira Marley was playing.

    The victim’s wound was not said to be life-threatening and the concert was allowed to go ahead.

    However, many were left furious and confused outside the concert hall after they said staff had shut the doors and refused to let anyone else in…”

  49. Catholic Church in Nigeria Appeals to the West: ‘Make Known the Atrocities’
    https://www.breitbart.com/africa/2020/02/02/catholic-church-in-nigeria-appeals-to-the-west-make-known-the-atrocities/

    “The president of the Nigerian bishops’ conference has launched an appeal to the West to “make known the atrocities” being suffered by Christians throughout the country.

    Nigeria is living in an unprecedented climate of insecurity not seen since the civil war of 1967-1970, which is particularly affecting Christians, said the President of the Bishops’ Conference, Augustine Obiora Akubeze, Archbishop of Benin City.

    While “in the past security problems were limited to the north-east of Nigeria, now there is insecurity throughout the whole country,” the archbishop said in an interview with the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

    In the face of this “serious lack of security and the increase in anti-Christian attacks,” the prelate called on Western governments and media to “make known the atrocities” taking place in Nigeria. “In this way our government may feel pressure and act,” the archbishop said, and in this way the other nations of the international community may “feel a moral obligation to protect the lives of Christians and all Nigerians who are constantly attacked and killed by Boko Haram and the Islamist Fulani herdsmen.”

    The archbishop decried the fact that:

    …ninety-five percent of the government representatives are Muslims, in a country where there are about 50 percent Christians and the ones who should ensure our safety belongs to a sect of a religion, to a single ethnic group, in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic nation.

    Meanwhile, the executive branch does not do enough to stem “the emergency represented by the violence of the Islamist Fulani herdsmen” and to protect churches and convents, he said.

    “The lack of significant prosecutions against them further fuels the belief that they enjoy the support of the federal government,” Akubeze said. Meanwhile, given the lack of state assistance, security is left entirely to the Christian community that has to pay even “to have the protection of the police during Sunday Masses.”

    Referring in particular to the recent kidnapping of four seminarians, one of whom was later executed, Archbishop Akubeze recalled that this is nothing new for the local Catholic community since “many priests and religious have been kidnapped recently.”

    Catholics are not the only victims of religious violence in the country, however. This past month, the Rev. Lawan Andimi, a local leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, was beheaded by jihadists in the northeast after having been kidnapped in early January by an armed group of the so-called Islamic State.

    “So Buhari is shocked by the killing of Lawan Andima?” the bishop asks. “Many Nigerians wonder whether the president lives in a parallel universe.”

    “How can he be surprised after some of us have attended numerous mass burials of Christians killed by Boko Haram?” he added.

    His appeal to the international community is to talk as much as possible about the “atrocities taking place in Nigeria” and to put pressure on the local government to establish measures to protect the community. The prelate said:

    Our hope is that the nations of the European Union and the United States will feel a moral obligation to protect the lives of Christians and all Nigerians who are constantly attacked and killed by Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen.

    For his part, Archbishop Matthew Manoso Ndagoso of Kaduna, the diocese where the four seminarians were kidnapped by jihadists last month, summarized the situation succinctly: “We are under siege.””

  50. Myanmar students flown home from coronavirus-stricken Wuhan

    YANGON – Dozens of Myanmar students were evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan early Sunday, government officials said, the latest foreign nationals to be flown home from the region.…

    The students had been holed up with dwindling food supplies in the city of 60 million, which is in virtual lockdown.

    “Honestly, I have one big potato and three packs of instant noodles and some rice,” Si Thu Tun, one of 60 students from Myanmar trapped in Wuhan, told online news outlet the Democratic Voice of Burma last week.…
    https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/02/02/myanmar-students-flown-home-from-coronavirus-stricken-wuhan/

    • Many have asked that since this Coronavirus appears to have caught everyone’s attention with the turn in the ECM on January 18th, 2020, the questions have poured in asking if this was a major event given our model had been projecting a rise in disease would begin in 2020 coinciding with the new Solar Cycle which should be the lowest in probably 200 years+ meaning colder weather. There is certainly an interesting correlation that we should not ignore. This at the very least warrants a review of the Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918.

      https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/disease/coronavirus-the-ecm/