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.
Hong Kong Protests Go On Despite Coronavirus
This is why I have lost all faith in British Police
Singapore reports five new cases, four linked to new cluster at SAFRA Jurong
Alexandra Hospital using robot technology to inspect COVID-19 patients in isolation
LGBT rights or muslim immigrants? Place your bets!
LGBT rights lobby says Pride chairman should quit over refugee comments
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/03/lgbt-rights-lobby-says-pride-chairman-should-quit-over-refugee-comments/
LGBT rights group COC Amsterdam has called on the chairman of the city’s Gay Pride foundation to step down following remarks he made about refugees on a radio programme. Frits Huffnagel made the comments on public radio show Spraakmakers earlier this week during a discussion about the refugee problems on the border between Turkey and Greece. ‘We see a child and we think “oh how sad”, but we don’t see the father standing behind him who might have carried out war crimes or the mother in the background who facilitated it,’ Huffnagel, a VVD stalwart, said during the discussion. ‘These people should not come here.’ The COC has sent an open letter to the Pride organisation condemning the comments. ‘We would recommend you take serious measures, not least of which is the resignation of the chairman,’ the letter said. This year’s Pride boat parade is due to include a boat of refugees for the first time. Meanwhile, Dutch aid groups have called on local councils to ‘show leadership and generosity’ by accepting at least 500 children who have been stranded in Greek refugee camps. Thousands of children without parents are being denied water, food, education, medical care and a roof over their heads, the organisations say. They hope Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht and Nijmegen will take the lead in forming a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to persuade the government to change its mind. France, Finland and Portugal have already said they will accept some of the children, as have several German mayors. ‘Our appeal to Dutch local authorities is to follow the German example,’ the aid groups say. ‘Show that you are prepared to take in some of this vulnerable children and make this known. This is the only way we can get the cabinet to act.’
GREECE – EU prepares 500 million euros for refugees in Turkey: sources
The EU is preparing an additional 500 million euros in aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey to ease tensions with Ankara, European sources told AFP on Thursday.
The funding offer comes after EU officials accused Turkey of “blackmail” by opening its border with Greece last week to thousands of refugees trying to reach Europe.
The spat had raised the spectre of a repeat of the 2015-2016 migrant crisis.
The money will be in addition to the six billion euros allocated in 2016 to finance programmes to support roughly 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
That was part of an EU-Turkey deal that dramatically cut the flow of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he had already rejected an EU offer of one billion euros.
“They tell us, ‘we will send you a billion euros.’ Who are you trying to fool? … We don’t want this money,” he said.
Turkey has yet to react to the latest offer.
The commission, the EU’s executive arm, will also propose to facilitate visas for Turkish nationals heading to Europe.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meanwhile announced on Wednesday the release of 170 million euros in emergency aid “for the most vulnerable in Syria” during his visit to Ankara.
Rights groups have accused Turkey of using migrants as bargaining chips by pushing them towards the Greek border. But they also condemned Europe for failing to provide greater assistance.
Thousands have arrived at the frontier since Erdogan announced that Turkey would no longer stop them trying to enter the European Union.
Erdogan has repeatedly bemoaned a lack of support from Europe for his military incursions into Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting against Russia-backed Syrian government forces.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/eu-prepares-500-million-euros-for-refugees-in-turkey-sources/
Turkey: Migrants adapt to life at makeshift camp on Greek border
Migrants and refugees continued to wait at a makeshift camp near Pazarkule Sinir Kapisi in the hopes of crossing the Turkish border into Greece on Thursday. Migrants have continued to arrive at the spot ever since Turkish authorities announced the recent opening of their western borders with the European Union.
Footage shows refugees in makeshift tents on the Turkish side of the border trying to shelter from the elements as they await updates while some washed clothes.
“I want to go to the [other] side, in Europe. You know why? Because my country, in Somalia, we have war. And, for example, when you want to go to school, you cannot come back to [your] home, or [you are] dead, maybe the terrorists find you,” said Somalian refugee Yahya.
Large numbers of migrants have been heading towards Turkey’s European borders since last week, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that authorities would no longer stop migrants from trying to enter the EU.
Migrants seeking to cross into Greece have been turned away by the Greek authorities, whose security forces have deployed tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons.
VICE News – Migrants Trying to Enter Europe Are About to Be Stuck Between the Greek Army and Turkish Police
EDIRINE, Turkey — Thousands of refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and elsewhere have been trying to push their way across the Turkish border with Greece to find their way to Europe, only to find themselves forced back with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
On Wednesday, Turkish officials say at least one person was shot dead by Greek security forces, but Greek authorities have denied the killing.
VICE News spoke to half a dozen refugees today who witnessed Greek security forces firing live rounds at migrants rushing the border fence at the Pazarkule crossing early this morning.
Turkey: Migrants seen queuing at border, outside shops near frontier with Greece
Large queues of refugees and migrants were filmed at the Pazarkule crossing point, near Edirne, on the Turkish side of the border with Greece, on Thursday. The migrants have been arriving at the border ever since Turkish officials announced the opening of their western borders with the European Union.
Footage also shows a makeshift migrant camp erected close to the border, as well as layers of barbed wire at the Greek frontier. Refugees are also shown queuing outside a shop in Karaagac near Edirne.
Large numbers of migrants have been heading towards Turkey’s European borders since last week, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that authorities would no longer stop migrants from trying to enter the European Union.
Migrants seeking to cross into Greece have been turned away by the Greek authorities, whose security forces have deployed tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons.
Greece: Muslim family hides out in countryside after crossing Evros border river
Muslims were filmed camping in the countryside near Pythio, Evros, on Wednesday night, close to the border between Turkey and Greece.
Footage shows a family from Afrin camping in the fields and warming themselves around a fire, on their fifth day of travelling following Turkey’s opening of its western borders. The Muslims entered Greece after paying smugglers to get them across the Evros River, which runs along much of the Turkish-Greek border.
Huge numbers of Muslims have been heading to Turkey’s European borders since last week, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the government would no longer stop migrants from entering the European Union.
Muslims seeking to cross into Greece were turned away by the Greek authorities, who deployed tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons.
Not welcome | EU ‘greets’ Muslims with gas
The EU is deploying additional security to its external border with Turkey, as masses of Muslims make their way towards Greece.
It comes after Ankara – following an intensification in fighting in Syria’s Idlib province – said it would no longer prevent displaced people from attempting to enter Europe.
Greece has reacted angrily to the Turkish move. It’s now turning away anyone attempting to enter the country illegally, and has suspended asylum applications – a decision that the UN refugee agency has said lacks any legal basis.
The crisis has left thousands of Muslims stranded at Europe’s borders.
Others are searching for alternative routes into the EU – including via the Mediterranean.
‘We can’t stay here’: new arrivals set up shelter in Greece’s overflowing refugee camp
Muslims who recently landed on the island of Lesbos set up shelter in the overcrowded Moria camp, where newcomers live in makeshift huts crammed together in olive groves that flank the official shelter.
Originally built to house around 3,000, the site is now home to some 19,000 people living in abysmal conditions.
europravda – Turkey calls for EU help as bloc scrambles for Greek border solutions
Turkey has called for more help with migrants after ‘opening the door’ and causing increased movement on the Greek border.
Meanwhile, NGOs slam the EU for what they see as a lack of humanitarian response.
HD – 2 min 07
CBC – Greek police keep up pushback at Turkish border
LESBOS -MYTILINI
Greece: Crowds march through Thessaloniki in pro-migrant demo
A pro-migrant demonstration was held in Thessaloniki on Thursday, with crowds seen marching through the streets holding banners and chanting slogans.
The protest was organised in support and solidarity with migrants, as thousands have been trying to get into Greece with people being stranded at the Greek-Turkish border.
The protest was watched by riot police, with no major incidents reported.
ATHENS- Antifascists pro-migrants
Claim: Turkish Military Helping Migrants Cross Greek Border, Making Sure Smugglers Don’t Charge Too Much (breitbart, Mar 5, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/05/claim-turkish-military-helping-migrants-cross-greek-border-making-sure-smugglers-dont-charge-too-much/
“The Turkish armed forces stand accused of helping to smuggle migrants across the Greek border after the Turkish government opened the gates to Europe last week.
The accusations stem from an interview with a Turkish soldier named Ahmet who claimed that his commander had ordered him and his fellow border troops to show the migrants how to reach Greece.
“He said that there are lots of refugees coming here and that we will show them the way to Greece,” Ahmet told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, whose journalists on the ground at the border added the Turkish troops had moved migrants from a makeshift camp and brought them to local boat owners to be ferried across to Greece.
“We have checked that everything has gone well and that the smugglers do not charge too much. We also have intelligence about where and when it is safe to get over,” the Turkish soldier said.
“I would think I have helped between 700 and 800 migrants cross the river in three days,” Ahmet claims.
The attempts at crossing the border have been met with some resistance from the Greek authorities and some media have claimed that Greek border guards shot and killed a Syrian migrant, a claim that Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas dismissed as “fake news” and “Turkish propaganda”.
The claims that the Turkish military are helping to smuggle migrants into Greece comes just days after allegations that the government was using state-owned trains and unmarked buses to ship migrants to the Greek border area.
Turkish people smugglers have also allegedly dropped their prices to as little as £11, with one smuggler named Semih stating: “Of course I see it as my duty. It’s money that motivates me. I want them to go away from here [the migrants] so that Turkey’s economy gets better. That’s all that matters to me.”
There are an estimated 3.6 million asylum seekers in Turkey and earlier in the week President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that millions were on their way to Europe.”
Iranian Diplomat Hossein Sheikholeslam Dies From Coronavirus – Reports (sputniknews, Mar 5, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202003051078486753-iranian-diplomat-hossein-sheikholeslam-dies-from-coronavirus—reports/
“Sheikholeslam was hospitalised earlier after he tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to media reports.
Hossein Sheikholeslam was hospitalised earlier after he tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to media reports. The Iranian diplomat, former adviser to the foreign minister and deputy head of the International Assembly of Islamic Religions Approximation, has died, Tasnim News reported on Thursday.
Sheikholeslam passed away at Tehran’s Masih Daneshvari Hospital, according to Fars News Agency.
Iran remains one of the contries most affected by the new coronavirus outside China, where the new disease outbreak was first registered last December. The current death toll from coronavirus in Iran stands at 107, with over 3,500 people infected. Schools and universities have been closed in the country till 20 March due to the outbreak.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said that the virus has affected almost every region in the country.”
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Family, neighbors of lawyer also test positive for coronavirus in N.Y.
This is the Young Israel congregation.
Logan Paul & James Charles Join Antifa?
The Petition to Release the #GroomingReport is Live
CORONAVIRUS: Did Trump Make the US Less Safe?
MEMRI – UAE Cleric: Muslim Refugees in the West Are Obligated to Integrate, Coexist with Non-Muslims
On January 18, 2020, a Syrian woman named Umm Muhammad called in to a show on Abu Dhabi TV (UAE) hosted by Jordanian-born UAE Islamic scholar Sheikh Waseem Yousef.
She said that she is a refugee in Norway along with her family, and that she sends her six children to public schools in Norway, where they are being taught about Judaism, Christianity, atheism, and other non-Islamic religions.
She said that the curriculum includes a visit to a church during the holidays, and she asked what she should do to prevent her children from leaving Islam.
Sheikh Yousef responded that she should raise her children as Muslims and that she should teach them to integrate and coexist with members of other religions.
Harshly criticizing Muslims who believe that saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” to non-Muslims is heresy, Sheikh Yousef elaborated that since Norway is welcoming Umm Muhammad’s family as refugees and providing them with education, healthcare, housing, protection, and financial support, her family is obligated to be grateful and to integrate and live in brotherly coexistence with the Christians and Jews who are welcoming them.
He argued that the Muslims are the real infidels because they allowed sectarianism to destroy countries such as Syria in the name of God, and he instructed Umm Muhammad to not sow the seeds of sectarianism in the very country that is keeping her safe and providing for her family. S
heikh Yousef also said that Umm Muhammad should view the non-Muslims in Norway as her friends, compatriots, and brothers.
He added: “Heresy is denying the grace you have been given.”
PICS – INDIA – VARANASI ( Benares )
Cremation on ghats
Cremations in progress at Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi.
In Hindu traditions, cremation is one of the rites of passage and the Ghats of Varanasi are considered one of the auspicious locations for this ritual.
At the time of the cremation or “last rites”, a “Puja” (prayer) is performed. Hymns and mantras are recited during cremation to mark the ritual.
The Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats are dedicated to the cremation ritual.
Annually, less than 2 in 1000 people who die in India, or 25,000 to 30,000 bodies are cremated on various Varanasi Ghats; about an average of 80 per day.
This practice has become controversial for the pollution it causes to the river.[10] In the 1980s, the Government of India funded a Clean Ganges initiative, to address cremation and other sources of pollution along the Ghats of Varanasi.
In many cases, the cremation is done elsewhere and only the ashes are dispersed into the river near these Ghats.
https://varlamov.ru/3816346.html
Iran: WHO “does not recommend” coronavirus travel restrictions
irector of Emergency Operations of the WHO (World Health Organisation) Richard Brennan said the WHO has not recommended travel restrictions to Iran or to any other country in Tehran on Thursday.
“Some countries and some travel companies, such as airline companies, have decided for their own reasons to institute those restrictions,” Brennan said, as several airlines have temporarily suspended flights to and from Tehran and several cities in Northern Italy and Asia.
Brennan’s comments came as the WHO delegation met with Iranian officials to asses their management of the Coronavirus outbreak. Brennan praised the quality of care seen during a hospital and clinic visit, adding that the “the nursing staff are very hardworking very dedicated.” 32 laboratories across the country are able to test for the disease, and soon there will be 41. “That’s really impressive progress in a relatively short period of time,” he said.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mohsen Baharvand, thanked both the WHO delegation and neighbouring countries who have brought “equipment to identify the virus” to Iran, which was facing “a little lack” of equipment.
According to the latest reports by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), at least 97,500 people worldwide have been infected by the COVID-19 so far and over 3,300 people have died. There are currently 3,513 cases confirmed in Iran.
PHILIP HANEY ASSASSINATED – ATP’s DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY
video – 15 minutes 37 seconds
Coronavirus & Prepping Basics | What You Need to Know
Singapore jails Indonesian maid for giving money to ISIS-linked JAD
https://thedefensepost.com/2020/03/05/singapore-jails-indonesian-maid-isis-jad/
“An Indonesian maid was jailed for two years in Singapore on Thursday, March 5 for giving money to an Islamic State-linked organization blamed for a string of attacks in her home country.
The affluent city-state is home to over 250,000 maids from neighbouring Indonesia, and has seen a string of cases where foreign domestic helpers have allegedly been radicalized.
Anindia Afiyantari allegedly donated Sg$130 (US$94) last year to charities used as fronts by Indonesia-based Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), described by prosecutors as among “the most dangerous terrorist organizations” in Southeast Asia.
It has been blamed for attacks, including the stabbing of Indonesia’s security minister Wiranto and deadly suicide bombings at several churches.
“The accused’s actions of plotting to finance terrorist acts… strike at the very heart of Singapore’s harmony,” prosecutors said, according to court documents.
The 33-year-old – who earned Sg$600 a month – was introduced to radical religious teachings by other Indonesian domestic helpers in Singapore.
As well as donating to charities, she uploaded videos of bombings and killings by Islamic State to Facebook and created new accounts when her posts were blocked, prosecutors said.
Two other Indonesian maids were jailed in Singapore last month – one for 18 months and the other 45 months – after pleading guilty to charges of financing terrorism…”
Yemen’s Houthi Militias Confiscate Properties of MPs in Sanaa
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2164481/yemen%E2%80%99s-houthi-militias-confiscate-properties-mps-sanaa
“Houthi militias have carried out new violations in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, including confiscating properties and looting the homes of 35 MPs.
This campaign follows the death sentence issued by the Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court on Tuesday against 35 Yemeni pro-government deputies on charges of cooperating with the Arab Coalition.
Those charged include Parliament Speaker Sultan al-Burkani, his deputy Abdulaziz al-Jabari, and Chief of Staff Sagheer bin Aziz.
The Houthi violations on Wednesday pushed the legitimate government to renew its demand to designate the group a terrorist organization.
An MP representing the General People’s Congress said his home was stormed by Houthi militants for the second time after his first house was confiscated by the group in 2017.
Sources close to an MP told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi gunmen stormed his house in Sanaa and gave his family a one-day ultimatum to leave. They threatened his relatives to expel them and arrest them if they didn’t move out voluntarily.
The Houthis accused the lawmakers of “treason” and supporting the legitimate government and the Arab Coalition, and demanded that they be executed and their properties confiscated.
Abdul Basit Ghazi, a Yemeni lawyer who heads the Defense Authority of the Abductees and Prisoners, which provides legal representation to detainees, said the court had earlier postponed issuing the verdicts.
Yet, it later held its session in the presence of Houthi leaders and issued the death sentences.
In April last year, Houthis forced lawmakers under their control in Sanaa to drop the immunity off MPs who support the legitimate government after parliament convened in a landmark session in Seiyun.
Since taking control over Sanaa, the group has been seeking to terrorize its opponents using different tactics, such as looting their funds and homes, and holding illegal trials to convict them.”
Dubai ruler holds daughters captive and has harassed Princess Haya: UK judge
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/dubai-ruler-imprisoning-daughters-and-has-harassed-ex-wife-uk-judge
“The emir of Dubai is keeping his daughters Latifa and Shamsa captive and has conducted a campaign of harassment against his now former wife, Jordan’s Princess Haya, a British judge has ruled.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum organised the kidnapping of Latifa, who attempted to flee Dubai in 2018, and her older sister Shamsa, who in 2000 temporarily escaped her family in the UK, an English court has heard.
Alleged by the princess but deemed unproven by the judge, however, was that the emir was attempting to marry off their 11-year-old daughter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The judgments of Sir Andrew MacFarlane, president of the UK High Court’s family division, come as part of an acrimonious custody battle over Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya’s children, which threatens to destabilise the UK’s diplomatic relationship with one of its closest partners in the Gulf.
Sheikh Mohammed is also the prime minister and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates, while Princess Haya bint Hussein is the half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan.
After attending months of closed-door hearings, Middle East Eye and other British media organisations can reveal dramatic details of Princess Haya’s allegations and the judge’s conclusions.
MacFarlane has concluded that virtually all of Princess Haya’s allegations of harassment are true on the balance of judgement.
They include: that the emir sent a helicopter to rendition her to a notorious Emirati prison, or at least intimidate her with the prospect; twice had a gun left in her rooms; threatened to take her children away; and mocked her over an adulterous relationship with her bodyguard.
As part of this harassment, the court heard, Sheikh Mohammed unilaterally divorced the princess, backdating it to the 20th anniversary of the death of her father, King Hussein of Jordan, who died in 1999.
Investigations blocked
The split between the ruler of Dubai and his wife burst into public view in April, when Princess Haya left the UAE for London with their two children and settled into her Kensington home.
Sheikh Mohammed then asked the High Court to force the children’s return to Dubai, prompting Princess Haya to respond with applications for a forced marriage protection order and non-molestation orders.
Central to the princess’s claims were the fates of two of the emir’s daughters with another wife: shiekhas Latifa and Shamsa.
Shamsa, it was claimed and believed by the judge, fled her family in 2000 in the United Kingdom, only to be recaptured by Emirati agents in Cambridge, sedated and then rendered by helicopter from the family’s Newmarket home.
Now 38, Shamsa is believed held captive in Dubai. Attempts by Cambridgeshire police to travel to the UAE and follow up investigations into her disappearance were blocked by prosecutors.
The court heard the UK Foreign Office received freedom of information requests about this matter, which were refused on the grounds such information could harm relations with friendly foreign countries.
Thirty-five-year-old Latifa, meanwhile, is said to have made two unsuccessful attempts to flee the wealthy emirate. After the first, in which she tried to drive to Oman, Latifa was detained for three years. During a second attempt in 2018, Latifa made it as far as India’s Malabar coast, where her vessel was violently stormed by Indian, and later Emirati, forces.
Both daughters are now in Sheikh Mohammed’s custody. They were called as witnesses by Princess Haya, though not released, nor were their testimonies allowed to be taken.
In court, Princess Haya alleged that her marriage began to dissolve when she took an interest in Latifa’s wellbeing. She had also at that time been conducting an extra-marital affair with her British bodyguard.
According to Princess Haya, a doctor trusted by the paternal family saw Latifa and declared her entirely well. It was then, the princess said, she began to become more sceptical of the account of Latifa’s wellbeing and condition given by Sheikh Mohammed.
The Jordanian princess described to the court a visit to Latifa’s locked and guarded house in December 2018: “She opened the door, looked at me, embraced me, and burst into tears. She cried for a long time. She looked vulnerable.”
The conditions, the princess said, were “akin to a prison”.
Latifa has recounted “constant torture” at one stage of her first period of detention. Though MacFarlane made no particular reference to torture, he said he found her overall account credible.
Campaign of intimidation
Though Princess Haya’s affair is said to have begun at some stage in 2017/18, things appear to have come to a head in January 2019, soon after she began visiting Latifa and taking an interest in Shamsa.
In February, the princesses’ trusted staff were removed and replaced with persons she “had previously found troubling”, the judge found. The next month, her representative in the royal court was told to leave – “a huge slap in the face”, according to the princess.
On 11 March 2019 – “one of the longest and most frightening days I ever remembered living” – a helicopter landed unannounced outside Princess Haya’s home. The pilot, she alleged, said he had come to take someone to Awir, a notorious desert prison.
The princess says were it not for her young son clinging onto her leg, she would have been taken away. “Flight documents with respect to the helicopter have been disclosed and show that one of the crew was one of the three people named by Shamsa and [an employee of the emir] as being involved in Shamsa’s removal from England in 2000,” the judgement said.
heikh Mohammed contends that the helicopter’s visit was “simply a mistake”.
Throughout this period, Princess Haya received anonymous notes left around her home. “We will take your son – your daughter is ours – your life is over,” one is alleged to have said.
Twice in March 2019, the princess found a gun lying out in her rooms, with the muzzle pointed at the door and the safety catch off. Two months later Sheikh Mohammed is said to have told her, “You and the children will never be safe in England”.
In June, a threatening poem by the emir titled “You lived and died” was published, which the princess says was a public threat to her and announcement of her “betrayal”.
McFarlane said in his judgement that “save for some limited exceptions, the mother has proved her case with respect to the factual allegations that she has made”.
“These findings, taken together, demonstrate a consistent course of conduct over two decades where, if he deems it necessary to do so, the father will use the very substantial powers at his disposal to achieve his particular aims.”
Media restrictions
Multiple hearings have been held since July, always attended by Princess Haya. Sheikh Mohammed refused to make an appearance at the High Court in London, however, despite being called as a witness.
The emir has changed his legal team several times and tried to keep MacFarlane’s judgement from becoming public, with appeals made to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court waved away.
Sheikh Mohammed was found to have “not been open and honest with the court”.
In a statement, the emir said: “This case concerns highly personal and private matters relating to our children. The appeal was made to protect the best interests and welfare of the children. The outcome does not protect my children from media attention in the way that other children in family proceedings in the UK are protected.
“As a head of government, I was not able to participate in the court’s fact-finding process, this has resulted in the release of a ‘fact-finding’ judgment which inevitably tells only one side of the story. I ask that the media respect the privacy of our children and do not intrude into their lives in the UK.”
The judgements and details surrounding them are hugely embarrassing for him, and contradict his assertion that Shamsa and Latifa were troubled young women who were rescued and are now safe with their family.
The emir and princess have both been mainstays on the British social scene for some time, and are known to be friendly with Queen Elizabeth II.
Relations with Jordan, too, may be strained by the case. The judgement reveals Princess Haya received diplomatic immunity from the Hashemite kingdom, which is cash-strapped and has close ties to the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
Strict reporting restrictions have been in place until now, however, MacFarlane lifted some following an appeal by several UK news outlets.
In an earlier judgment, McFarlane ruled in favour of Princess Haya and media organisations who had argued that details of the proceedings should be made public.
McFarlane said that publishing the fact-finding judgement would “provide some measure of additional security for the children” and allow for the “orderly operation of the security services”, as well as correcting the “largely false account” of Princess Haya’s actions presented by her husband.
Sarah Palin, the barrister representing a group of media organisations including the BBC and the Guardian, had also argued that publication was also in the public interest as part of a wider debate about “the deterioration of the human rights situation in the UAE, the extent to which its rulers are breaching international human rights law… and whether the ‘tolerant’ oasis, the UAE promotes itself as, is a sham”.”
US: Turkey has ‘full right to defend itself’ in Syria
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200305-us-turkey-has-full-right-to-defend-itself-in-syria/
“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced unwavering support for Turkey in Syria on Thursday as Ankara seeks to thwart an Assad regime offensive in the country’s northwest, Anadolu Agency reports.
“We believe firmly that our NATO partner Turkey has the full right to defend itself against the risk that’s being created by what Assad, the Russians and the Iranians are doing inside of Syria,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.
“Hundreds of thousands of Syrians from all faiths, but predominantly Muslim, are being harmed by what the Assad regime, the Russians and the Iranians are doing inside of Idlib. The Turkish government has asked us for a handful of things. We’re evaluating all of those requests,” Pompeo said.
The UN estimates that 900,000 people have been displaced since the regime began its campaign in December with the assistance of Russian air power and Iranian fighters…”
Iraq’s angry protesters returns to the streets
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200306-iraqs-angry-protesters-returns-to-the-streets/
“Iraqi demonstrators started on Thursday morning to close several roads and traffic intersections and burn tires in Basra province, south to denounce the mechanism of choosing a candidate to form the next government, local witnesses said. The
German news agency, DPA quoted the witnesses as saying that angry demonstrators have started since the early morning hours to cut off the commercial intersection and burnt tires and prevented the passage of vehicles and citizens.
According to the sources, the intersection is critical in the province. It leads to a group of important roads such as the demonstrations square in the navy yard, the military hospital, Basra Court of First
Instance and Basra General Traffic Directorate. The witnesses said the protesters chanted slogans demanding the fulfilment of their demands including expediting the nomination of an independent candidate to form the next government.
The Iraqi security forces were deployed in the province’s streets, calling on the protesters to retreat to the central demonstrations square, reopen closed roads, and restore the movement of vehicles.”
Turkey eyes $120B investment potential in Libya
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/turkey-eyes-120b-investment-potential-in-libya/1755932
“Turkish investors should harness Libya’s $120 billion investment volume — especially in the contracting sector — said the chairman of the Turkey-Libya Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) on Thursday.
“There is a call from Libya in this direction,” said Murtaza Karanfil, adding that Libya was undergoing a reconstruction process and that there were major opportunities in all of the country’s sectors.
“During the reconstruction process, houses, public buildings and roads will be rebuilt in Libya,” said Karanfil.
Turkey exports a wide variety of products to Libya including jewelry, furniture, poultry, carpets, semi-finished steel, hygienic towel, diaper, vegetable fixed oil, plastic profile, plastic packaging materials, medicine and clothing.
Due to difficulties in the country — where Turkish contractors had undertaken their first overseas projects — projects worth $19 billion remain unfinished, Karanfil said.
He explained that Turkish contractors currently had a total of $4 billion in receivables due to losses including collateral, machinery and equipment.
“With an agreement to be signed between the two countries, we expect serious progress in the resolution of commercial problems in the coming period in contracting,” he noted.
“We believe that as soon as we resolve the old issues on receivables, we will take things from where we left off in Libya and move them to much better points,” Karanfil said.
Referring to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the Chinese economy, he said China’s share in Libya’s imports is around 13%.
“We [Turkey] can well turn China’s share in Libya and African countries to our favor using the advantages of our geopolitical location and by correct process management,” he said.
He also said that Turkey’s exports to Libya exceeded $2 billion in 2012 and peaked before declining due to political upheaval in the country.
“Exports increased again in 2017 and reached $1.9 billion in 2019, with an increase of 29% compared to the previous year,” Karanfil added.”
Are Germany and the EU prepared for a new influx of refugees?
https://www.dw.com/en/are-germany-and-the-eu-prepared-for-a-new-influx-of-refugees/a-52651926
“Thousands are stranded on the Greek-Turkish border. Some have drawn parallels to the 2015 crisis but both Berlin and Brussels reject the comparison. DW breaks down what’s changed since then, and where problems remain.
Thousands of migrants and refugees have gathered at the Turkish-Greek border, desperate to make it into the European Union. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Europe to share the migrant “burden.” Some now are drawing parallels to the 2015 migrant influx, saying the past few weeks have felt like deja vu — but whether the EU is any better prepared than it was five years ago remains to be seen.
What happened in 2015?
At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016, Germany took in around 1 million asylum-seekers — many fleeing conflicts in countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and who were looking for safety in Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to rally the country with the phrase: “We can do this” (“Wir schaffen das”). Thousands of volunteers nationwide stepped up to support the new arrivals — but the rallying cry rang hollow to border authorities and local officials who were swamped and felt unsupported.
“The problem in 2015 was that the countries in southern Europe simply waved through unregistered refugees and sent them in the direction of northern Europe,” Heiko Teggatz, the head of the federal police union, told DW. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
The authorities who registered the new arrivals and took on their cases lacked not only personnel, but key equipment. As recently as 2017, nearly 40% of the immigration offices in Germany lacked technical equipment used for identification — with many names incorrectly spelled in the system and fingerprints attributed to the wrong person.
Much of the work fell to Germany’s nearly 11,000 municipalities, who were responsible for housing as well as integrating the new arrivals. Due to a lack of space, many asylum-seekers were placed in makeshift centers built from shipping containers, or housed in gymnasiums.
“From the perspective of the municipalities, a situation like the one in 2015 should not be repeated,” Alexander Handschuh, the spokesperson for the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, said. “That would lead to an overload.”
What’s changed in Germany since then?
Although many stepped up to help during the crisis in 2015, the arrival of refugees and the bureaucratic chaos that ensued also fed into the rise of right-wing populism in Germany. In 2017, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) garnered enough support to enter the German parliament for the first time after campaigning on an anti-immigration platform.
Five years later, Merkel stands by her decision and says it was necessary to avert a humanitarian crisis, but she also says that “mistakes” were made in the way it way handled.
Read more: Germany: Thousands of protesters demand EU open borders
New systems and personnel have helped Germany’s towns and municipalities become better prepared to handle new arrivals — up to a certain point. Cross-border cooperation within the EU has also improved, including the creation of a central data bank which stores the fingerprints of asylum-seekers.
The German government has also since pushed for increased security at the country’s borders, with around 3,000 to 5,000 officers. Teggatz told DW that the police powers have also been expanded so that officers are also now allowed to use pepper spray and water cannons to deter “unauthorized border crossings.”
Where does the EU stand?
Politically, things have taken a turn to the right. Efforts to come up with an EU-wide asylum policy have failed, with countries including Hungary and Poland rejecting efforts to distribute migrants equally among member states. “Hot spotarrival points in Greece and Italy remain under pressure, with authorities there arguing that they’ve been left alone by Brussels.
An EU project following the developments over the past few years came to the conclusion that in response to the situation in 2015, governments enacted “very restrictive measures” to discourage migrants and refugees.
“Nothing has really changed for the better since 2015,” Professor Sabine Hess, one of the project leaders and a cultural anthropologist at the University of Göttingen, told DW.
Hess noted that politicians have only been able to come up with ideas on bolstering the borders “instead of thinking about the global problems that cause people to flee.”
What is the EU-Turkey refugee accord and is it still active?
In a bid to prevent another wave of migration into Europe, the EU and Turkey signed a deal in 2016 to regulate the flow of migrants. Under the agreement, Turkey agreed to prevent human traffickers from sending refugees to the EU and to take back Syrian refugees who arrived in Greece.
In exchange, Brussels agreed that for every Syrian refugee sent back to Turkey, another would be resettled in the bloc. The EU also agreed to provide Ankara with financial assistance and speed up EU accession talks, as well as loosening visa requirements and extending the customs union.
Under the deal, migrant arrivals in the EU dropped off significantly compared to the situation in 2015 and in 2016.
Since then, the EU has either already paid or has budgeted around €6 billion ($6.7 billion) in financial aid and projects for the around 3.6 million Syrian refugees who are being hosted by Turkey. Ankara has regularly complained that the EU has not held up its part of the bargain, and that payments have been slow. Due to concerns about rule of law in Turkey, the EU has also not yet followed through on membership talks or loosening visa requirements.
When Erdogan announced his country’s borders with the EU were open over the weekend, many viewed the move as a signal that the deal was off.
However, both Germany and the EU said this week that they continue to operate under the assumption that the deal with Turkey is still being implemented — although they’ve strongly criticized the move.
Both France and Austria have slammed Turkey for “blackmailing” the EU, while Merkel said it was “completely unacceptable” that Turkey is using refugees as political pawns.
What role is Frontex playing?
Since the mass arrival of asylum-seekers in 2015, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency — or Frontex — has played an increasingly important role in the EU’s refugee policies.
“After the crisis of 2015, a pool of officers for rapid intervention was created, and that’s the pool we’re drawing on right now to deploy in Greece — both at the sea border and at the land border,” Frontex spokesperson Ewa Moncure told DW.
This week, Greece requested additional support from Frontex, which helps member states patrol the external borders of the European Schengen Area.
The German government said this week that it will send 20 additional officers to support Greek authorities at the border as well as an amphibious helicopter. There are currently 60 German federal police officers taking part in Frontex operations in Greece.
Frontex is also building up its own standing corps after a new regulation went into effect in 2019, with the agency getting a massive budget boost amounting to €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) in the coming year.
“We are still using the old mechanism that is used for the rapid deployment — but in the future that will be more flexible,” Moncure said.”
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Nigeria: Muslim Mob Burns Home, Tries to Kill Muslim Singer Accused of ‘Blasphemy’
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/03/05/nigeria-muslim-mob-burns-home-tries-kill-muslim-singer-accused-blasphemy/
“A mob of aggrieved Muslims in Kono State, Nigeria, attempted to tear down the house of and kill a singer who they believe insulted Muhammed on Wednesday, leading religious authorities to release a call for public calm over the matter.
The angry mob also staged a protest outside the office of the Sharia police, known as the Hizbah, who they felt were not taking sufficient steps to punish the man for blasphemy. They also complained that similar incidents of people speaking freely in criticism of Islam regularly occurred across the state but were not fully investigated.
“Already the police are on top of the situation since the incident occurred,” Hizbah commander Harun Ibn Sina told Vanguard in an interview. “We have visited the residence where it took place.”
“The people were trying to demolish the house and kill the accused person involved in the blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad,” he continued. “The police were there but the person that sang the song had escaped.
Sina also tried to issue a call for calm, explaining that the Sharia police were handling the situation and urged the public not to try and take the law into their own hands.
“Those who came to show there concern felt like the government was doing nothing about it,” he explained. “I wish to call on the public to remain calm as the parents of the singer are with the police and they are on top of the situation.”
The singer, known as Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, is himself said to belong to the Tijjaniya sect of Sunni Islam popular across western Africa, many of whose members believe that its founder Ibrahim Niass was a more influential figure than Muhammed.
Family members of the singer are also facing retribution for their relative’s supposed crimes. Many have already been subject to violent attacks after protesters, the majority of whom are young men, set fire to his family home. His family since been forced to go into hiding.
Kano state, located in northern Nigeria, is one of the most densely populated Muslim areas in the country. Sharia law, therefore, applies statewide, with those found guilty facing sentences from life in prison to execution.
In 2015, the state’s Sharia High Court sentenced nine people also from the Tijaniya sect for blasphemy, after the group reportedly described Niass as “greater than the Prophet Muhammed,” making it the first time Nigeria had imposed the death sentence since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.”