Reader’s Links for March 7, 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

127 Replies to “Reader’s Links for March 7, 2020”

  1. The Trudeau Government Has Appointed Omar Khadr’s Lawyer As A Judge

    https://www.spencerfernando.com/2020/03/06/the-trudeau-government-has-appointed-omar-khadrs-lawyer-as-a-judge/

    Move will generate further outrage.

    Nathan Whitling, who served as a lawyer for Omar Khadr, has been appointed as a Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.

    The move is the latest in a long-line of disturbing moves by the Trudeau government relating to Khadr, including giving him $10.5 million in taxpayers dollars, refusing to help the widow of the American medic he killed get a chance to sue him for the money, and even having Trudeau meet with Joshua Boyle, who had been married to Khadr’s sister for a time.

  5. Video from the Turkish part of the border shows migrants cutting and destroying the fence, throwing stones and a burning object to the Greek side.
    The operator got arrested for sneaking in.
    The reporter confirms there were Turkish civil policemen among the migrants, and that their transport was free and organized.
    The place at which the journalists were stopped was full of women and children, while on the other side, where they were not allowed to enter, there were almost entirely young men.
    https://www.btv.bg/video/shows/tazi-nedelia/video-sabota/migranti-za-politicheska-upotreba.html (6:00 min onwards)
    Reporters from the tax-payer funded TV say that shock granades as well as tear gass was shot at the Greek security services protecting the border, even before 1000 Turkish policemen were officially sent to “stop the Greek border police from pushing migrants back”(they are standing on the Greek side and “pushing” noone, it’s the Turkish police and migrants “pushing” themselves.

  6. Germany: The mother who made her family join the Islamic terrorists

    She wears a long white blouse and a dark hooded jacket, her long black hair is open. But she hides her face behind a folder.

    Trial start at the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court: Carla-Josephine S. (32 years old) is said to have gone with her three children (at that time 3, 6 and 7) to the ISIS territory in Syria. Her little son died in 2018 in a missile attack. This is not the only reason why the woman is on trial.

    The German woman (32 years old) from Oberhausen has had to answer as a suspected ISIS terrorist since Friday. According to the indictment, she allegedly made her children (whose custody she did not have alone) subject to the threat of war.

    She is even said to have handed her son Hazam over to a camp for child soldiers.

    At the beginning of the trial S. spoke about her life. She was the child of a divorced couple and had left school after 12th grade. Her first husband was Tunisian. With him she had three children. She believed in Islam, wore the burka and wanted to emigrate to Tunisia. She had designed books like “Our beautiful Islamic holidays”.

    But her husband had beaten her. “I just wanted to escape,” says Carla-Josephine in court. She then collected all the money she had from the employment office, sold her car and flew to Turkey with her children. Final destination: the war zone of Syria.

    This is exactly what she is accused of, among other things: She put her children in mortal danger and gave them ideological training. When her little son expressed doubts about Salafism, she reported him to the religious police and had him chastised! S. is said to have worked in Syria as a driver for a female combat unit and to have been in possession of a hand grenade. With her children she is said to have attended public executions. S. defends herself: “It was coincidence. We had just come from the dentist.”

    The judge goes, “Did you want your 6-year-old son to walk around with a Kalashanikov?” She said, “I couldn’t stop it.” When the boy had to go to camp, she advised him to bed-wetting at night so that he would be sent home again. And that’s how it happened. But supposedly the boy wanted to go back to camp on his own.

    The woman is now facing up to 15 years in prison. She has already been in custody for eleven months. The Higher Regional Court has scheduled eleven trial days until the end of April.S
    More:
    https://medforth.blog/2020/03/07/germany-the-mother-who-made-her-family-join-the-islamic-terrorists/

    • CORONAVIRUS does have a silver lining:

      Climate change or coronavirus? ‘Pick your evil’, protesters say

      Demonstrators led by Greta Thunberg say global governments have raised more alarm over virus than climate emergency.

      Protesters at a rally led by climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday denounced governments for taking urgent action against the coronavirus outbreak but failing to treat global warming as an emergency.

      Several thousand people braved the rain in Brussels with the 17-year-old Swede, marching through the city that is home to the European Union’s main institutions.

      Some supporters said they had put aside concerns about being infected with the coronavirus in a crowd to join the march.

      “It’s pick your evil. Do you want to die from global warming or from coronavirus?” said Gorkem, 40, wearing a face mask.

      Organisers said some 4,000 people attended the event, fewer than expected, probably because of the weather and concerns about the spread of the virus in large crowds.

      https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/climate-change-coronavirus-pick-evil-protesters-200306195937709.html

  8. WATCH: Vegan Activists Separate Hens From Roosters “So The Hens Aren’t Raped”

    Three vegan activists from Spain have shocked the public these days with their unusual actions.

    They are convinced that the roosters intentionally rape the hens, so they are firmly determined that the animals need to be separated from each other!
    Vegan activists from Almas Veganas say we must not differentiate between human and animal species – which is why they believe animals can also be raped.

    Activists say they plan to end the abuse and rape of chickens who are constantly running away from the roosters. “Roosters intentionally rape chickens and don’t think it’s an animal instinct,” activists say, and they will do everything in their power to prevent such acts. For the start, they suggest seperating the hens from the roosters.
    More:
    https://medforth.blog/2020/03/07/vegan-activists-separate-hens-from-roosters-so-the-hens-arent-raped/

    • WSJ – Saudi Authorities Widen Security Crackdown After Detaining Two Rivals to Crown Prince

      Sweep has sent a chill across the leadership in Saudi Arabia

      DUBAI—Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has embarked on a broad security crackdown by rounding up royal rivals, government officials and military officers in an effort to quash potential challenges to his power, Saudi royals and advisers familiar with the matter said Saturday.

      Members of the Saudi royal court have told allies that they detained two princes and their supporters because they were plotting a palace coup largely aimed at arresting the rise of Prince Mohammed, these people said.

      On Friday, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, masked guards with the royal court arrested Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a brother of Saudi King Salman, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the king’s nephew known as MBN. The guards also arrested one of MBN’s brothers.

      At the same time, security forces detained dozens of Interior Ministry officials, senior army officers and others suspected of supporting a coup attempt, according to these sources.

      Prince Saud bin Nayef, the father of the current interior minister and the governor of the kingdom’s eastern province has also been summoned for questioning by the royal court, according to two of these sources.

      The security sweep has sent a chill across the leadership of Saudi Arabia, where Prince Mohammed has spent three years consolidating power in anticipation of his expected ascension to the throne when 84-year-old King Salman dies, or if he decides to abdicate.

      The widening cracks within the royal family are surfacing as the kingdom faces stiff economic headwinds. Global crude prices are in retreat and Prince Mohammed’s efforts to wean the economy off oil have sputtered, with risk-shy investors largely staying clear of the kingdom. Foreign investment hit its lowest point in 14 years in 2017, and while it has ticked up since then, it remains far below levels before the financial crisis.

      On Saturday, allies of Prince Mohammed expressed public support for the crown prince on social media.

      The Saudi government didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

      Prince Ahmed and MBN were once seen as potential successors to King Salman. But Prince Mohammed moved swiftly to sideline his two rivals when he was named crown prince in 2017.

      The internal crackdown comes amid efforts by Prince Mohammed to refurbish his tarnished international image. Prince Mohammed has won international support for enacting a series of social and economic reforms that allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia for the first time and opened up the country to tourism.

      But those efforts have been clouded by the prince’s protracted targeting of Saudi critics, including jailing prominent women’s rights activists and the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist dismembered by a Saudi hit team after being lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

      In 2017, Prince Mohammed ordered the detention of scores of powerful businessmen and royals who were locked up at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel until many agreed to pay tens of millions of dollars to the royal court.

      The latest security sweep reignited concerns that King Salman’s health may be failing. U.S. officials said Saturday the king seemed to be in good health when he met Secretary of State Mike Pompeo two weeks ago in Riyadh.

      “The king was seen just a day earlier, so he is OK and none of us are aware of any plans of abdication,” said one the Saudi government advisers. “The trigger for the arrests is still a mystery.”

      Until the death of Mr. Khashoggi, Prince Ahmed kept a relatively low profile and resided mostly in London. He returned to Saudi late 2018, after receiving guarantees of protection from the U.K. and the U.S. In the weeks following his return to Riyadh, Prince Ahmed met senior members of the royal family, presenting himself as a kingmaker capable of rescuing the monarchy at a time of crisis.

      Prince Ahmed told them he wasn’t interested in a leadership position, according to people close to him. But he said he was backing several candidates within the royal family as potential replacements for Prince Mohammed as heir to the throne.

      While Prince Ahmed has been publicly quiet since then, members of the royal family spoke often in recent months about how he had removed the photographs of King Salman and MBS from the wall of his Majlis, a meeting area for those who come to visit the prince, said a person who participated in those discussions.

      “He is popular among the royals, but he is not seen as someone who would scheme and plot a coup,” said one Saudi royal familiar with the detentions. “His life was pretty quiet.”

      Prince Ahmed returned from a hunting trip on Wednesday and was detained early Friday, sources said. It couldn’t be learned whether his two sons, who have been unreachable since then, were also detained.

      https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-authorities-widen-security-crackdown-after-detaining-two-rivals-to-crown-prince-11583599676

  10. Former Hostage Taker Of US Diplomats Dies Of Coronavirus In Iran
    March 06, 2020
    Radio Farda
    Former hostage taker of US diplomats Hossein Sheikholeslam. FILE PHOTO
    Former hostage taker of US diplomats Hossein Sheikholeslam. FILE PHOTO
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    Former Iranian ambassador to Syria and a hostage-taker of U.S. diplomats, Hossein Sheikholeslam, died Thursday from a Covid19 infection, local news outlets report.

    An advisor to the Islamic Republic Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, 68-year-old Sheikholeslam was one of the leaders of the so-called “Muslim Student Followers of Imam’s Line,” who took 52 U.S. diplomats hostage, on November 4, 1979, and released them after 444 days.

    Sheikholeslam studied at the University of California at Berkeley before the Iranian revolution and later interrogated U.S. Embassy staff members during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979.

    Tested positive for the novel coronavirus two days ago, Sheikholeslam was taken to Masih Daneshvari hospital in Tehran, where all Iranian authorities infected with Covid-19 are treated.

    Former Iranian diplomat and hostage-taker Hossein Sheikholeslam during his visit of Tasnim News Agency on July 24, 2016. FILE PHOTO
    SEE ALSO:
    Who Was The Man Who Took US Hostages, Established Hezbollah And Died Of Coronavirus
    Sheikholeslam’s death was announced a day after the advisor to the speaker of parliament, Hossein Abdollahian, had insisted that he was recovering.

    Meanwhile, local media report that an elected representative of Tehran to Majles (Islamic parliament), Fatemeh Rahbar, is in a serious condition after contracting coronavirus.

    At the time of his death, Sheikholeslam was the deputy of the international affairs at the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.

    Before going to Damascus as Tehran’s Ambassador, Sheikholeslam served for seventeen years as the Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry deputy for political affairs.

    Eight percent of the Islamic Republic’s parliament has been infected with the disease, as well as the country’s deputy health minister and one of the deputy presidents, Masoumeh Ebtekar. Still the government insists only just over 100 people have died of the infection

    Ms. Ebtekar was also among the leaders of hostage-takers in 1979, after the downfall of Iran’s pro-West king, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Known as “Sister Mary” among the U.S. hostages, Ebtekar acted as the interpreter during the 444-day crisis.

  11. “BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Crowdstrike and Their PR Firm Now Distance Themselves from Russia’s Link to Wikileaks — HUGE DEVELOPMENT”
    by Joe Hoft – March 6, 2020
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/breaking-exclusive-crowdstrike-and-their-pr-firm-now-distance-themselves-from-russias-link-to-wikileaks-huge-development/

    “I’ll be joining Rick Fowler tomorrow morning for the Saturday Morning Update on
    @WMALDC at 7:30 AM ET for our weekly discussion of national security issues – hope you will join us!” Tony Shaffer – March 6, 2020
    https://twitter.com/T_S_P_O_O_K_Y/status/1236153592693866496

  12. “Exclusive: DHS Whistleblower Did Not Kill Himself, Claims His Pastor”
    Crossroads with JOSHUA PHILIPP – Premiered 16 hours ago

    • “#AmericanAssetsAtRisk #MilitaryandCiviliansTargeted Phil Haney Explains @realDonaldTrump” Pastor Greg Young – January 22, 2020
      Phil Haney: 3:03 – 17:37, 26:08 – 26:53
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-T17Qj1xQo

      “#PhilHaney #Whistleblower #NotSuicide @rmanning957 @limitgovt @realDonaldTrump” Pastor Greg Young – February 24, 2020

  13. FEMALE LINGUIST ARRESTED FOR EXPOSING UNDERCOVER HUMAN ASSETS TO IRAN
    by Stavros Atlamazoglou
    17 hours ago
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    Female linguist arrested for exposing undercover human assets to Iran
    An American woman who was working as an Arabic linguist for the Department of Defense (DoD) has been arrested for passing highly classified information to Iranian proxies.

    Mariam Taha Thompson, a civilian contractor, has been charged with transmitting intelligence of national-level importance to a man with known connections to Hezbollah, a Lebanese political and terrorist group funded and directed by Iran. At least eight foreign sources working for the U.S. government have been compromised because of Thompson.

    FBI special agents arrested Thompson in an overseas base in February. At the time of her arrest, Thompson was working for Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (SOJTF-Inherent Resolve).

    The DoD and FBI began their investigation on Thompson in late December, a few days after the U.S. strikes against Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq. The strikes were a response to the indirect fire attacks on a joint American-Iraqi base, which resulted in several wounded American warfighters. As a response to the U.S. strikes, Iran urged its militias to besiege the American embassy in Baghdad. Something that resulted in the targeted killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commanding officer of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, who came to Iraq to coordinate the siege of the American embassy.

    Immediately following the U.S. strikes, Thompson’s activity underwent a noticeable surge. While working in one of the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF) of SOJTF-Inherent Resolve, she repeatedly began accessing classified DoD systems, most of which were irrelevant to her work. In particular, she accessed files containing the identities and information of several human intelligence (HUMINT) sources. Moreover, she read several cables containing HUMINT reports.

    The counterintelligence investigation lasted for about six weeks. When the FBI agents stormed Thompson’s quarters, they found a note that contained classified DoD information, including the names of human assets and a warning to a Hezbollah operative who was monitored by the military.

    Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said that “while in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas. If true, this conduct is a disgrace, especially for someone serving as a contractor with the United States military. This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished.”

    Thompson is accused of violating Article 18 (794) of the U.S. Code which pertains to Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government. She had a Top Secret clearance.

    Assistant Director in the charge of the FBI’s D.C. office Timothy Slater stated that “human assets are the core of the U.S. government’s intelligence, and they have our assurance that we will go above and beyond to protect them.”

    The evidence that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has released indicate that Thompson became romantically involved with a Lebanese national who also happened to be a Hezbollah operative.

    And yet the most perturbing thing to emerge out of this case is the relative ease with which HUMINT sources, the hardest and arguably the most valuable assets in the intelligence community, were exposed by a civilian contractor who wasn’t even working on that project.

  14. Turkish Coast Guard Says Stopped Migrants From Entering Greece at Erdogan’s Order (sputniknews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202003071078501090-turkish-border-guards-say-stopped-migrants-from-entering-greece-at-erdogans-order/

    “The situation on the border between Turkey and Greece remains tense, with numerous refugees trying to reach Europe even after a ceasefire was announced in northern Syria, suspending a conflict that had caused a major influx earlier this month.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the Turkish Coast Guard to stop migrants that are attempting to enter Greece via sea routes.

    “On the orders of the president… permission will not be given for migrants to cross the Aegean Sea because it is dangerous”, the Coast Guard said. “The approach of not intervening against migrants wishing to leave Turkey remains in practice but this (new) approach covers sea crossings because of the dangers”.

    ?In a series of tweets, the Turkish authorities also accused Greece of violating human rights, claiming that the Greek Coast Guard leaves refugees in the middle of the sea “in a desperate position”…”

  15. Senior Member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Killed in Syria – Reports (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202003071078503215-senior-member-of-irans-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-killed-in-syria—reports/

    “A senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Farhad Dabirian, has been killed in Syria, the Iranian news agency Fars said on Saturday.

    The media outlet did not provide further details on the death of Dabirian, previously an IRGC commander in the central Syrian city of Palmyra, but described him as a “defender of the Sayida Zainab shrine”, a Shiite holy site near Damascus.

    Iranian troops deployed abroad are usually designated as the defenders of a particular shrine. In Syria, according to Tehran’s official position, there are only Iranian advisers who provide counselling support to Syrian forces in the fight against terrorism.

    The Fars news agency reported in February that a member of Iran’s IRGC had been killed following a rocket attack on the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.

    The IRGC soldier was identified as Hamidreza Babelkhani, according to the news agency, who stated that he was killed while working to ensure Iran’s national security.”

  16. Schoolboy fights for life after vicious London stabbing as capital’s bloodbath continues (express, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1252040/London-stabbing-Fulham-schoolboy-life-hospital-police-arrest-Sadiq-Khan

    “A SCHOOLBOY is fighting for his life following a stabbing in Fulham, west London.

    The 15-year-old was airlifted to hospital by London Air Ambulance following the incident on Townmead Road.

    Police have arrested one man on suspicion of attempted murder.

    Officers were initially called at 4.37pm to reports of a group of youths carrying weapons in the area.

    Officers were initially called at 4.37pm to reports of a group of youths carrying weapons in the area.

    The victim suffered multiple stab wounds, with police describing his condition as “life-threatening”.

    A Metropolitan Police spokesman commented: “A 15-year-old boy was found with stab injuries.

    “He was taken to a south London hospital by London’s Air Ambulance.

    “A crime scene is in place. A section 60 order for Hammersmith and Fulham borough has been put in place and will run until 04:00hrs on Saturday, March 7.”

    The section 60 order gives police additional stop and search powers for a limited period of time.

    Greg Hands, the Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, took to Twitter to express his horror.

    He wrote: “Another stabbing in Fulham.

    “I hope the victim pulls through and thanks to the police and ambulance service for their response.

    “More tragedyy in SW6.”

    A crime scene remains in place as police investigate the scene.

    On Saturday night two people were killed by stabbings in London and Coventry.

    The London incident took place in Barnet, to the north of the city.”

  17. Finland’s Millennial Feminist Govt to Help Greece… By Sending Border Guards to Help Migrants Claim Asylum (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/07/finlands-millennial-feminist-govt-helping-greece-by-sending-border-guards-help-migrants-claim-asylum/

    “Finland’s millennial feminist-led government faces a vote of no confidence after pledging to send personnel to the Greek border — to help migrants claim asylum.

    34-year-old Green League politician Maria Ohisalo, who serves as Minister of the Interior under 34-year-old Social Democratic party leader Sanna Marin in a red-green left-wing coalition government, said Finland was following the common European Union line to “reject Turkey’s attempts to use people as political pawns” — but also said that the Greek government’s decision to suspend asylum applications was “wrong”.

    The Greeks have been faced with huge pressure at their land border with Turkey, where thousands of migrants have massed, facilitated by transport provided by the Turkish authorities.

    The migrants have been making violent sallies against Greek border forces for days, often under cover of tear gas fire on the Greek lines by Turkish personnel — although the Turks claim this has only been in response to the Greeks firing tear gas at them.

    But despite going along with the official EU-mandated line of support for the Greek government and committing to “sending a four-guard unit to take part in a rapid border intervention operation” on the Greek border, according to public broadcaster Yle, the Finnish government has also denounced the Greek government’s decision to suspend asylum applications — and suggested any Finnish personnel on the ground will “try to support Greece” by receiving asylum seekers.

    “The Finnish government’s position here is clear. When we secure our borders, we are abiding by international obligations. International obligations include [observing] the right to apply for asylum. This is one of the areas where we will try to support Greece,” said Maria Ohisalo.

    Danish personnel operating in Greek waters with Frontex, the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency, have already boasted of having defied orders from Greek senior officers to turn back illegal migrants arriving in Greek territorial waters by sea, instead bringing them to the Greek island of Kos.

    The Finns Party — formerly the True Finns — is calling for a vote of no confidence in the left-wing government over its contradictory position on the border crisis, which was further complicated by finance minister Katri Kulmuni, 32.

    Kulumni, filling in for the prime minister — who had jetted off to New York to attend United Nations events marking International Women’s Day — stated: “We support Greece in ensuring its external borders hold. Connected to this is the fact that international law and human rights must be observed.”

    The Finns Party deemed that this amounted to obfuscating the government’s position, as supporting Greece’s efforts to hold its border while also insisting on its supposed obligations to receive people claiming to be asylum seekers are mutually exclusive positions.

    For its part, the Finnish government has insisted it will not turn away any migrants who arrive at its own border.”

  18. Nearly 8 in 10 Greeks Support Government’s Border Control Policy (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/07/nearly-8-in-10-greeks-support-governments-border-control-policy/

    “A total of 76 per cent of the Greek public support the tough border control policy enacted by the conservative Greek government, according to polling.

    The poll, which was conducted by polling firm Pulse, found that just 18 per cent of the Greek public thought the measures currently being taken by the government to stop large numbers of migrants entering the country was wrong.

    The results also showed that 84 per cent of Greeks were very concerned about Turkey’s attitude toward the border situation, Greek newspaper Proto Thema reports.

    Respondents were also asked about their concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus in Greece, which has around 45 confirmed cases so far. Just under half of those surveyed, 42 per cent, said they were concerned about a major outbreak occurring in Greece.

    The ruling New Democracy (ND) party also remain the most popular in the country, with 39 per cent of the vote in the poll, ahead of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) headed by former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, which scored 25 per cent.

    The polls are likely to be welcome news for the Greek government which has been hit with several accusations by Turkish authorities in recent days, including allegations that border guards had fatally shot a Syrian migrant earlier in the week.

    Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas slammed the Turkish allegations as “fake news”, saying: “Video showing fatality on Greek-Turkish border is fake news. We call upon everyone to use caution when reporting news that furthers Turkish propaganda.”

    Since Turkey opened the gates to migrants last week, tensions at the land border between Greece and Turkey have been high. Migrants have attacked Greek border officials while attempting to force their way into the country.

    On Friday, Mr Petsas presented a video on social media that alleged the Turkish government was arming migrants with tear gas and was releasing prisoners and sending them to the border area as well.”

  19. PICTURES: Greek Border in Flames as Migrants Keep Trying to Break Through (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/07/pictures-greek-border-flames-migrants-keep-trying-break-through/

    “Dramatic pictures and video are emerging of fires raging along the border between Greece and Turkey, as migrants — aided and even armed by the Turks, according to the Greeks — continue their efforts to force their way in.

    The European Union, including the United Kingdom, funnelled billions of euros to the Islamist government in Ankara in an effort to persuade it to bring the migrant crisis under a modicum of control after hundreds of thousands of illegal border crossings, often by sea, in 2015-16.

    That deal unravelled at the end of February 2020, as Turkish president Reep Tayyip Erdogan announced migrants were free to pass through his country and into Europe, seemingly as punishment for the West’s failure to offer sufficient support to his invasion of Syria, which has become fraught with danger as his forces clash with the Russian-backed Syrian government in Idlib province.

    “Right now, let’s be honest, the [EU-Turkey] agreement [on migration] is dead,” said Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with CNN.

    “And it’s dead because Turkey has decided to completely violate the agreement, because of what happened in Syria,” he added.

    Prime Minister Mitsotakis accused the Turkish government of having “systematically assisted, both at land and at sea, people in their effort to cross into Greece,” but vowed that “Europe is not going to be blackmailed over this problem by Turkey.”

    Social media gives some indication of just how tense the situation on the Greek border has become, with video footage purporting to show Turkish police firing tear gas over the border at Greek police — in response to the Greeks firing tear gas at them, the Turks claim — and heavily armed soldiers from either country staring each down through border fencing as they patrol the frontier, just yards apart.

    The history of relations between the two countries has been far from easy, with Greeks having inhabited what is now the Turkish heartland for more than a thousand years before the Turks arrived there, and Greeks continuing to comprise a very substantial minority of Turkey’s population right up until the 1920s — when a combination of war, genocide, and population exchange all but eliminated their presence.

    Turkey continues to menace its much smaller neighbour down to the present day, laying claim to a number of Greek islands and violating Greek airspace and territorial waters hundreds or even thousands of times every year.”

  20. Greece Denounces ‘Fake News’ as Turkey Claims Five Migrants Shot at Border (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/07/greece-denounces-fake-news-as-turkey-claims-five-migrants-shot-at-border/

    “Greece has accused the Turkish government of spreading “fake news” propaganda amid claims as many as five migrants have been shot dead on the border.

    Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Greek police had killed “at least five people” and that the Greek border forces had intentionally tried to pierce rubber dinghies used by migrants in an effort to sink them.

    “Greece persecutes those people,” Erdogan alleged in the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah on Friday, saying: “Those [Greek] politicians should know that human life is not cheap.”

    “Are the borders open or closed? We don’t have time to discuss it anymore. It is done. Refugees are leaving on their own,” he added.

    President Erdogan also noted that he had refused an invitation from Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borisov to hold a trilateral summit that would include Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, saying that he rejected it because of the Greek police’s alleged treatment of migrants.

    “Our borders will not close. Bulgarian prime minister Borissov has asked to meet in Sofia and invite Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On the day he proposed it, there were two deaths at the border. I don’t want to be in the same place and in the same photo as him,” Erdogan claimed.

    Greek Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis, meanwhile, sayid there has been no “excessive violence” against migrants at the border and that Greek forces had used “proportionate measures”

    Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas also hit back at Turkey, claiming the country was not only actively spreading fake news about the border situation but was facilitating human trafficking as well.

    Others have also claimed that the Turkish government has not only been bussing in migrants to the border area but has been arming them with tear gas and actively helping them get across the border into Greece.

    A Turkish soldier reportedly told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter he had been given specific orders to help migrants get across the border.”

  21. Greek villagers enlisted to catch migrants at Turkey border (abcnews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/greek-villagers-enlisted-catch-migrants-turkey-border-69452257

    “Over the years, villagers who live near Greece’s border with Turkey got used to seeing small groups of people enter their country illegally. The Greek residents often offered the just-arrived newcomers a bite to eat and directed them to the nearest police or railway station.

    But the warm welcomes wore off. When Turkey started channeling thousands of people to Greece, insisting that its ancient regional rival and NATO ally receive them as refugees, the Greek government sealed the border and rushed police and military reinforcements to help hold back the flood.

    Greeks in the border region rallied behind the expanding border force, collecting provisions and offering any possible contribution to what is seen as a national effort to stop a Turkish-spurred incursion.

    In several cases, authorities asked villagers familiar with the local terrain to help locate migrants who managed to slip through holes cut in a border fence or to cross the River Evros — Meric in Turkish — that demarcates most of the 212-kilometer (132-mile) border.

    “We were born here, we live here, we work here, we know the crossings better than anyone,” Panayiotis Ageladarakis, a community leader in Amorio, a village that lies some 300 meters (yards) from the river banks.

    Other villages also responded to the call for volunteer trackers. Small groups of unarmed men monitor known crossing points after dark.

    “We sit at the crossings, and they come,” Ageladarakis told The Associated Press as he drove a pickup truck with a fellow Greek border village resident along a rough track at night. “We keep them there most of the time, call police and they come and arrest them. Then, it’s a matter for the police. We aren’t interested in where they take them. We just try to help this effort taking place by the army and the police.”

    Help for the border units also came from Evros businesses and store owners. Nikos Georgiadis, head of the local restaurant owners’ association, said his colleagues delivered food and water to units stationed at four points on the border.

    “They also asked us for masks and gloves, and we’ll try to find some,” he said.

    Ageladarakis said all the migrants he encountered over the past few days were cooperative.

    “These people are frightened. Nobody has caused any trouble,” he said.

    But the village community leader said that in his view, the people he encountered did not look like they were fleeing wars in their own countries.

    “There’s nobody coming from a war,” he said. “None of them are refugees. They’re all illegal migrants and that’s why they’re trying to get into Europe (this way).”

    Greek authorities said that out of a the 252 people arrested for illegal entry over the past week as of Friday, 64% were Afghans, 19% Pakistanis, 5% Turks and 4% Syrians, while the others were from Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Egypt.”

  22. Tear gas shot two ways over migrants at Turkey-Greece border (abcnews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/erdogan-travel-brussels-amid-standoff-eu-69451781

    “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to be in Brussels next week for a one-day working visit, his office said amid a charged conflict between Turkey and the European Union over migrants and refugees.

    Thousands of migrants headed for Turkey’s land border with Greece after Erdogan’s government said last week that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to EU territory. Greece deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter the country from the sea or by land.

    A statement from Erdogan’s office said he would travel to Brussels on Monday. The statement did not specify where he would be during his one-day visit or the nature of the work taking him to the Belgian capital, but the European Union’s headquarters are in Brussels.

    The announcement came hours after European Union foreign ministers meeting in Croatia on Friday criticized Turkey, saying it was using the migrants’ desperation “for political purposes.”

    More clashes erupted Saturday between Greek police and Europe-bound migrants gathered on the Turkey side of a border crossing near the Greek village of Kastanies. Like previous confrontations this week, officers in Greece fired tear gas to impede the crowd and Turkish police fired tear gas back at their Greek counterparts.

    Journalists saw groups of mostly young men trying to pull down a fence with ropes and throwing rocks at the Greek border forces. At least two migrants were injured.

    A Greek government statement issued Saturday said that around 600 people, aided by Turkish army and military police, threw tear gas at the Greek side of the border overnight. There were several attempts to breach the border fence, and fires were lit in an attempt to damage the barrier, the statement said.

    “Attempts at illegal entry into Greek territory were prevented by Greek forces, which repaired the fence and used sirens and loudspeakers,” the statement read.

    Thousands of migrants have slept in makeshift camps near the border since the Turkish government said they were free to go, waiting for the opportunity to cut over to Greece.

    “It is very difficult, but there is hope, God willing,” said Mahmood Mohammed, 34, who identified himself as a refugee from Syria’s embattled Idlib province.

    Another man who identified himself as from Idlib said he was camped out in western Turkey both to get away from the war at home and to make a new life for his family in Europe or Canada after crossing through the border gate.

    Erdogan announced said last week that Turkey, which already houses more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, would no longer be Europe’s gatekeeper and declared that its previously guarded borders with Europe are now open.

    The move alarmed EU countries, which are still enduring political fallout from a wave of mass migration five years ago.

    Erdogan has demanded that Europe shoulder more of the burden of caring for refugees. But the EU insists it is abiding by a 2016 deal in which it gave Turkey billions in refugee aid in return for keeping Europe-bound asylum-seekers on its soil.

    In a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, Erdogan said the Turkey-EU migration deal is no longer working and needs to be revised, according to the Turkish leaders’s office.

    The European foreign ministers acknowledged Turkey for hosting millions of migrants and refugee, but said the 27-nation EU “strongly rejects Turkey’s use of migratory pressure for political purposes.” The ministers called the situation at the Greece-Turkey border unacceptable and said the EU was determined to protect its external boundaries.

    Greek authorities said they thwarted more than 38,000 attempted border crossings in the past week and arrested 268 people — only 4% of them Syrians. They reported reported 27 more arrests Saturday, mostly of migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    Greece has described the situation as a threat to its national security. In response it has suspended asylum applications for a month and said it will deport new arrivals without registering them. Many migrants have reported crossing into Greece, being beaten by Greek authorities and summarily forced back into Turkey.

    Turkish authorities say one migrant was killed by bullets fired by Greek police or border guards near the border crossing. Greece denies the accusation. A child also drowned off the island of Lesbos when a boat carrying 48 migrants capsized.

    On Saturday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu renewed accusations of Greek authorities mistreating migrants.

    “Their masks have fallen. The ruthlessness of those who gave lectures on humanity has become evident,” Soylu said.

    Soylu claimed that some 1,000 Turkish special operations police deployed on the border had started to thwart the actions of the law enforcement teams assembled by Greece to drive the migrants back.

    The minister also predicted that Greece would not be able to “hold on to its borders” during the summer, when the river that delineates most of the Turkey-Greece border gets shallower and easier to cross.

    Soylu has said Erdogan instructed Turkish authorities to prevent migrants from attempting to reach the Greek islands in dinghies to avoid “human tragedies.” Hundreds have drowned attempting the comparatively short but dangerous voyage from Turkey’s coast.”

  23. Spain arrests 89 for speed boat smuggling of migrants, drugs (abcnews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/spain-arrests-89-speed-boat-smuggling-migrants-drugs-69451919

    “Spanish police have arrested 89 people suspected of belonging to a crime ring that smuggled both migrants and hashish from North Africa to mainland Spain.

    The Civil Guard said Saturday that the smuggling network allegedly used speed boats to bring people and drugs across the Strait of Gibraltar from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in northern Africa.

    The national law enforcement agency said investigators found evidence that 11 speed boats carried a total of 269 people and over 10,000 kilograms of hashish. The ring used radar systems and lookouts on the coast to avoid detection, the police alleged.

    The migrants allegedly were held by the traffickers in Spain until their families paid 5,000 euros ($5,600), the police said.

    The Civil Guard did not say when the 89 arrests took place. It said another 39 people are under investigation in the case.

    The police agency said its officers so far confiscated over 10 tons of hashish, 26 boats, 29 vehicles, 250,000 euros ($282,000) in cash and 12 fire arms, during the investigation.

    Ceuta is one of Spain’s two northern African enclave cities on the Mediterranean coast. Spain’s southern coast is a major entry point for illegal drugs in Europe.”

  27. Chinese regime ramps up propaganda efforts amid coronavirus outbreak: World should thank China?

  32. Brazil’s Response to Coronavirus, Huawei, & Phase One China Trade Deal—Eduardo Bolsonaro [CPAC 2020]

  33. Why did it take so long for the Singapore COVID-19 cluster at SAFRA Jurong to surface?

  34. Did a Singapore General Hospital patient catch COVID-19 from another patient in the same ward?

  35. Coronavirus: 13 new cases in Singapore; nine linked to Safra Jurong cluster | THE BIG STORY

  37. 8 nurses, patients infected with COVID-19 at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, south of Seoul
    7,189 views
    •Mar 5, 2020
    83

  38. Singapore launches SG Clean initiative to curb spread of viruses amid COVID-19 outbreak

  39. Individual responsibility important to curb COVID-19 spread as border controls become less effective

  40. Wuhan man says hospitals kick out cancer patients to make room for coronavirus patients;

  41. 2. How terrorists are treated in Canada

    Pamir Hakimzadah,
    “Fulfilling the wishes of God”, caught in 2004 in Istanbul, sent back to Canada

    “All non-Muslims should be killed”. Tried to join ISIS in Syria in 2016

    Released must meet with Imam for deradicalization

    According to the Qur’an
    Against them make ready your strength atop the utmost of your power, including steeds of War, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, who he may not know, but whom Allah doth know. whatever he shall spend in the cause of Allah, shall be repaid unto you, and he shall be treated unjustly.

    o you who believe! take not my enemies as friends (or protectors), offering them (your) love, even though they have rejected the Truth that has come to you, and have ( on the contrary) driven out the Prophet and yourselves (from your homes), (simply) because you believe if he have come to strive in MY Way and to seek My Good Pleasure, ( take them not as friends), holding secret converse of love( and friendship) with them: for I know full well all that he conceal and all that he reveal. and any of you that does this has strayed from the Straight Path.

    Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth (even if they are) of the people of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

    Those who reject our signs, we shall soon cast into the Fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, we shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

    Therefore when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. but those who are slain in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost.

    I have been commanded to fight against the people till they testify La ilaha illAllah ( there is no true God except Allah) and that Muhamma is His slave and Messenger, and to establish As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and to pay Zakat; and if they do this, then their blood and property are secured except by the rights of Islam, and their accountability is left to Allah.

    Islamists are spreading intimidation to influence politicians, the media, and others from approaching their institutions, schools, and mosques that spread terrorism, in Canada. Any criticism you will be accused of the OIC’s made up word “Islamophobia”.

    Jordanian citizen Othman Awad Hamadan freed after posting pro-ISIS on line, even though people from Canada’s Border Services stated “He puts Canadian at risk”.

    Kevin Omar Mohamed released even though the Parole Board stated “He is a high risk to public safety “.

    Justine tells Canadians we must not jump to any conclusions.

    • You can’t fight the whole problem, but you can express your concerns to your MP, MLA, and Senators without being accused of Islamophobia. MP’s and MLA’s are always asking for your opinions. So write to them. You don’t need a stamp for a letter to an MP in Ottawa, and you can use email.
      If Muslims are putting pressure on politicians, then we should too.
      No need to mention Islam.
      Just use the words terrorist, the quote from Canada’s Border Services, and the Parole Board.
      You can give one or two examples of terrorists making threats, being released and then going on to carry out terrorist attacks, even after going through deradicalization programmes.

      You can ask them questions about the legal system that makes it possible to release people who pose a danger into our society, and let them know you don’t approve. Some Conservatives are talking about being tough on crime.
      There are things we can do, we’re not helpless.

      When Gavin Boby contests the building of mosques in Britain, he uses the local by laws and building codes.
      We have to pressure our politicians to use our laws.

      Letters might not make a difference in a single case but they’re not wasted, you’re also bringing it to the attention of politicians. They deal with so many issues, they aren’t aware of everything that is going on.

      This is what I do anyway. Instead of feeling helpless. It’s about the only thing I can do these days, I’m not out and about much because of health issues.

  42. Swedish Populist Leader Reported to Police for Handing Out ‘Sweden Is Full’ Flyers (breitbart, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/07/swedish-populist-leader-reported-to-police-for-handing-out-sweden-is-full-flyers/

    “Swedish populist leader Jimmie Åkesson has been reported to the police for inciting “hate” after handing out “Sweden is full” flyers in Turkey this week.

    Swedish attorney Behrang Eslami reported the Sweden Democrat (SD) leader to the police, claiming that Åkesson was engaging in incitement against a group of people by handing out the flyers near Turkey’s border with Greece.

    “I believe that it is everyone’s right to seek asylum in Europe or in Sweden,” Elsami told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

    “To go down and try to persuade people, who are fleeing for their lives and in need, not to go to Europe. It is in principle wrong and it violates human rights,” he claimed.

    Åkesson responded to the police report, telling broadcaster TV4, in comments reported by Nyheter Idag, that he considered himself a voice for many Swedes, pointing to recent opinion polls that have shown his party as the most popular in the country.

    “I think it is pretty clear when you look at opinion polls and other things that the Swedish people want a more restrictive immigration policy than the one we have had so far,” he said.

    Lawyer Anton Strand, who was hired by Åkesson, also dismissed the police complaint, telling Nyheter Idag: “It seems to me that people have sought attention rather than wanted to make a serious complaint.”

    “Notifying a person without basis can in itself constitute a criminal act and my client is also considering reporting the lawyer to the Law Society,” he added.

    Åkesson’s handing out of the flyers, which stated, “Sweden is full. Don’t come to us! We can’t give you more money or provide housing. Sorry about this message,” is not the first time a country or politicians have tried to dissuade migrants from coming to Europe.

    In 2018, Belgium launched a social media campaign directed at migrants, stating that many of the promises made by people-traffickers about Europe were actually myths.”

  46. “Where do you want to go?”
    “Go Germany.”
    “Where is your passport?”
    “Passport in the sea.”

  47. Hotel collapse traps 70 in eastern China

    Around 70 people were trapped after the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China on Saturday evening, officials said.

    At least 38 people have so far been rescued from the rubble of the 80-room Xinjia hotel in coastal Quanzhou city, said the local government.

    Footage circulating on microblogging platform Weibo showed rescue workers combing through the building’s wreckage in the dark and reassuring a woman trapped under heavy debris as other wounded victims were carried into ambulances.

    The hotel’s facade appeared to have crumbled into the ground, exposing the building’s steel frame, and a crowd had gathered around the area as the evening wore on.

    Officials have yet to confirm whether anyone died in the accident.

  48. At Least Nine People Injured in IED Blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan – Reports (sputniknews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202003071078504634-at-least-six-people-injured-in-ied-blast-in-pakistans-balochistan-/

    “Weeks after seven people were killed and 25 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack near a religious rally in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan’s Quetta city on 17 February, another blast was reported today in the same province.

    At least nine people were injured in a blast in Pakistan’s south-western city of Chaman in Balochistan province on Saturday.

    The blast site is reportedly located a few kilometres away from the nation’s border adjoining Afghanistan.

    According to preliminary information, the explosives were planted on a motorbike. A bomb disposal squad has been called to ascertain the nature and impact of the blast, according to police…”

  49. Taliban Refutes US Intelligence Information Claiming Movement Will Not Fulfill Peace Deal (sputniknews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202003071078504801-taliban-refutes-us-intelligence-information-claiming-movement-will-not-fulfill-peace-deal/

    “On Friday, the NBC News broadcaster reported, citing three US officials, that the government collected “persuasive intelligence” proving that the Taliban movement did not intend to fulfill the peace deal inked with the US in Qatar’s Doha last week.

    The Taliban group refutes the US intelligence information that suggests the movement has no intention to comply with the peace agreement with Washington, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban political office, said on Saturday.

    “We deny categorically US intelligence statements for NBC News that the Taliban do not intend to comply with the agreement. The process … is going well so far, and such comments by US officials cannot be confirmed”, Shaheen said, as cited by TOLOnews.

    The peace deal stipulates, among other things, a withdrawal of foreign troops from the Afghan territory over the next fourteen months in exchange for guarantees that the country will not become a safe haven for terrorists. The deal also envisages the commencement of intra-Afghan talks on March 10 given that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are released by that time.

    However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said shortly after that Kabul never committed to releasing this many prisoners as a precondition for the talks, but rather as a part of them.”

  50. Six Taliban Members Killed, 10 Injured in Clashes With Police in Eastern Afghanistan (sputniknews, Mar 7, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202003071078504981-six-taliban-members-killed-10-injured-in-clashes-with-police-in-eastern-afghanistan/

    “Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable security situation. The government has struggled to contain the Taliban movement, which has been waging a war against Kabul for almost two decades.

    Six Taliban members have been killed and 10 others injured in clashes with local police officers in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman, the Afghan government army’s eastern division, known as the 201 Selab Corps, said on Saturday in a statement.

    “Taliban militants attacked a local police post in Alishang district of Laghman province yesterday, due to the clash between Taliban and local police officers, 6 Taliban members were killed and 10 others were injured”, the statement read.

    Last Saturday, the Taliban and Washington signed a peace deal that stipulated, among other things, a withdrawal of foreign troops from the Afghan territory in exchange for guarantees that the country would not become a safe haven for terrorists.

    Despite the signing of the agreement, the Taliban said earlier this week that it would further attack the Afghan forces in the wake of Kabul’s refusal to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.”