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.
Hungary seen wrongly holding asylum seekers in transit zones (abcnews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungary-wrongly-holding-asylum-seekers-transit-zones-70311535
“Hungary’s practice of keeping asylum seekers in a closed transit zone on the border with Serbia qualifies as “unlawful detention,” according to an nonbinding opinion issued Thursday by a senior official at the European Union’s highest court.
Over the past few years, Hungary has introduced increasingly tough anti-immigration measures and built transit zones made out of shipping containers in the wake of the 2015 migration crisis, when some 400,000 people passed through the country on their way to Western Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban boasted recently that “there is not a single Muslim migrant in Hungary.”
Priit Pikamae, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, was critical Thursday of several anti-immigration rules applied by Hungary, including one which makes it possible to reject asylum applications from anyone arriving from Serbia.
Because Serbia refuses to take back asylum seekers rejected by Hungary, Hungary often seeks to have them deported to their countries of origin instead of judging their claims on merit.
Pikamae also found that asylum seekers in the transit zone are in “a situation of isolation and a high degree of restriction of the freedom of movement … to such an extent that is constitutes detention.”
Since Hungary has not complied with European directives for the detention of asylum seekers, “the detention of the asylum seekers in question must be classified as unlawful.”
Pikmae noted that while a recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights found that the detention of asylum seekers did not constitute a deprivation of the “right to liberty and security,” he recommended that the Court of Justice of the European Union “offer a higher level of protection” to asylum seekers in the Hungarian transit zone than what is guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
The EU’s Court of Justice, based in Luxembourg, is beginning its deliberations over the case. While it is not forced to follow the opinion of the Advocate General, the court’s rulings are often similar to the opinions.
Reacting to Thursday’s opinion, Hungary’s justice minister insisted that the country’s “regulations and practices comply with EU and international law.”
“The Hungarian government will continue to protect the borders of Hungary and Europe and will do its utmost to prevent the formation of international migrant corridors,” Judit Varga said in a Facebook post.
A lawyer with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which advocates for the rights of asylum seekers and has been a frequent target of government smear campaigns, welcomed Pikmae’s recommendations.
The opinion “gives hope to people who have been detained in the transit zones for a very long time, half of whom are children, that Hungary will not only examine their asylum applications on their merit but that they also may regain their liberty,” Barbara Poharnok said in a statement.”
Usama bin Laden wanted to kill Obama so ‘totally unprepared’ Biden would be president, declassified docs show
Gregg Re
By Gregg Re | Fox News
President Obama endorses his former vice president as the Democrat Party’s agenda shifts to the left; Fox News contributors Karl Rove and Donna Brazile react.
Usama bin Laden wanted to assassinate then-President Barack Obama so that the “totally unprepared” Joe Biden would take over as president and plunge the United States “into a crisis,” according to documents seized from bin Laden’s Pakistan compound when he was killed in May 2011.
The secretive documents, first reported in 2012 by The Washington Post, outlined a plan to take out Obama and top U.S. military commander David Petraeus as they traveled by plane.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/osama-bin-laden-wanted-to-kill-obama-so-biden-would-be-president-declassified-docs-show
Bosnian minister urges migrant deportation in virus crisis (abcnews, Apr 23, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bosnian-minister-urges-migrant-deportation-virus-crisis-70313139
“Bosnia’s security minister on Thursday proposed the deportation of migrants from the Balkan country, alleging that they pose a potential security threat and a severe economic burden amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fahrudin Radoncic also said migrants who could not provide passports or other identification documents should be imprisoned rather than accommodated in migrant camps in Bosnia.
“(Migrants) who do not want to show their identity cards will not be allowed any more to use our migrant and refugee camps,” he said. “They will go straight to jail. And we will keep them there for 1 year to 5 years until we can establish their identity — this is our proposal for a new law.”
He provided no date for when the proposed legislation would be ready for debate in parliament.
The comments reflect growing frustration in the small Balkan country with the influx of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in the Middle East, Africa or Asia, who hope to move on towards Western Europe. Most end up trapped in Bosnia as Croatia, the next country on the migration route, has imposed strict border controls.
“We want to (ease) the burden of taking care of 8,000 to 9,000 people here, we just can’t handle that, especially now, with the virus situation,” Radoncic said. “We also want to psychologically discourage new migrants from coming here after the pandemic ends and borders open again.””
Iranian General Orders ‘Naval Forces To Destroy Any American’ Ship In Persian Gulf That Threatens Security
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Gen. Hossein Salami ordered his naval units on Wednesday to destroy American naval vessels if they threaten the “security” of Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.
“I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran’s military or non-military ships,” Salami said. “Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran’s strategic priorities.”
Salami has gained more attention in the IRGC, which is a designated terrorist organization, after President Donald Trump terminated his terrorist colleague Qassem Solemani earlier this year.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/iranian-general-orders-naval-forces-to-destroy-any-american-ship-in-persian-gulf-that-threatens-security
Gun Show T Shirt slogan, “Mess With The Best Die Like The Rest.”
Salami – sliced or minced? fried with egg?
Diana West – 3 New Videos
http://dianawest.net/
Today’s posts – 2 Videos
#1 “Is Robert DeNiro Putting the “Russia” Back in RussiaGate? with Special Guest Diana West”
Jason Goodman – Streamed live 102 minutes ago
Interesting theory about Putin being the Spider at the center of the web pulling all the strings.
The speculation at the end fits with the evidence about the research starting in the Us and being shur down because it was too dangerous and then moving to Wuhan with several million dollars being funnled from the US to that lab. The idea that Putin was behind the move to stop Trump winning is believable but so is the Hillary was behind it and the Obama was behind it. More believable is the idea that China looking at their economy collapsing saying that they were going to take out the Western economies so the West wouldn’t win the struggle between China and the world. Xi wants to level the playing field after the crash, this doesn’t mean that Diana and Jason are right about what they are saying about the people in the US that are either proven or suspected members of the Deep State.
Tore Says Show Podcast – April 22, 2020
HR 1 – Roger Stone
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tore-says-show/e/69048712
A Silver Lining to the Pandemic Could Be Economic Distancing From China
WASHINGTON—The COVID-19 pandemic is going to have serious implications for how businesses think about China. Souring sentiment against the Chinese communist regime over the past few weeks may force many corporate boards to alter their whole supply chains in a very short time.
There will be a “forced decoupling” from China, meaning cutting off economic ties for national and strategic reasons, according to Kyle Bass, hedge fund manager and founder of Hayman Capital Management.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/a-silver-lining-to-the-pandemic-could-be-economic-distancing-from-china_3322741.html?utm_source=Epoch+Times+Newsletters&utm_campaign=06678d758d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_22_08_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4fba358ecf-06678d758d-242193805
McConnell Says He Supports Letting States Declare Bankruptcy Amid Pandemic
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Wednesday that he supports letting states declare bankruptcy as their budgets face a spending crunch amid the pandemic, rather than go down the road of more federal deficit spending.
“I would certainly be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route. It saves some cities. And there’s no good reason for it not to be available,” McConnell said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mcconnell-says-he-supports-letting-states-declare-bankruptcy-amid-pandemic_3322925.html?utm_source=Epoch+Times+Newsletters&utm_campaign=06678d758d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_22_08_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4fba358ecf-06678d758d-242193805
Iran’s Ayatollahs Will Struggle to Survive the Oil Slump
by Con Coughlin
At a time when Iran’s Islamic regime is already facing unprecedented pressure over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as its disastrous handling of the economy, the global slump in oil prices could well prove to be the final straw for the ayatollahs.
Even before this week’s dramatic collapse in global oil prices, which saw the key gauge of U.S. crude prices, the West Texas Intermediate benchmark, tumble into negative territory for the first time in history, the mullahs were already under intense pressure over their catastrophic running of the country during their four decades in power.
A combination of the regime’s clumsy attempts to cover up the true extent of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, combined with the disastrous impact the US sanctions are having on the Iranian economy, have resulted in the regime facing the most sustained period of domestic dissatisfaction since the 1979 revolution.
With the collapse in the global oil market, the pressure on the ayatollahs is set to increase even further as they risk losing a vital income stream at a time when the country’s economy is already on its knees.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15923/iran-struggle-oil-price
Turkey: Erdo?an Is Getting Coronavirus Dancing to His Tune
When a group of military officers attempted a putsch to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in July 2016, the Islamist strongman replied with two reflexes: survival, and a vigorous political campaign to make political gains from the failed coup. He succeeded in both.
Most Turks, including Erdo?an’s opponents, weary of decades of military coups, united behind him to resist the putsch that ended up killing 250 people and wounded more than 2,000. Erdo?an’s approval rating rose sharply from 45% before the failed coup to 67.6% in its aftermath. For many observers, that was not a surprise. Only a year earlier, Erdo?an had gambled over the Turks’ collective security concerns and won.
In the general elections on June 7, 2015, Erdo?an’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since it came to power in November 2002.
After the initial shock, and as the AKP was forced into coalition negotiations with unwanted political partners, Turkey was suddenly gripped by a wave of terror attacks, including a suicide bombing in the heart of Ankara that killed more than 100 people — the worst single terror attack in Turkey’s modern history. For a while, bombs exploding here and there became almost part of daily life. Erdo?an refused to open coalition talks with any of Turkey’s adversaries and, instead, called a repeat election in November 2015. His gamble paid off: the AKP easily won a parliamentary majority by increasing its national vote by 8.5 percentage points (to 49.5%) within a span of five months. Once again, threatened by a lethal force, the Turks united behind their strong leader.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15914/erdogan-approval-coronavirus
Venezuela: Maduro’s Cuban Army
More than fifty countries in the Euro-Atlantic and Hispanic Free World consider the Venezuelan regime led by dictator Nicolás Maduro to be illegitimate. This view also seems to be shared by millions of Venezuelans, more than four million of whom have fled the country’s political oppression and economic depression.
The main reason for the charge of illegitimacy stems from the view that Maduro’s victory for a second six-year term as president in Venezuela’s 2018 national elections was fraudulent. Opposition protests have failed to dislodge the socialist-led regime, which has so far been sustained by Chinese loans, Russian weapons and Cuban troops. The Venezuelan people, disenfranchised and disarmed, have, in addition, been bullied into submission by pro-regime neighborhood revolutionary leftist gangs called “colectivos.”
Despite Venezuela’s loss of democracy and rule of law, the US Administration of President Donald J. Trump has recently offered Venezuela’s citizens a glimmer of hope. On March 26, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, backing a federal investigation — in which U.S. attorneys in Washington D.C., New York, and Florida are cooperating — unveiled an indictment of Maduro for drug trafficking, corruption, money laundering and support for terrorists.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) included in the indictment 14 officials from Maduro’s inner circle. The DOJ also announced a bounty of $15 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest. The charges against Maduro and his associates have already prompted a retired Venezuelan General, Cliver Alcala, named in the indictment, to surrender to U.S. authorities. Two nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, remain in a U.S. prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15921/venezuela-maduro-cuban-army
CubaChina.Russia has observer status in that game.
Russia has a spoon in every dish.
China’s quietly outraged: Uncle Vlad sent a planeload of infected Chinese business people back from Moscow. China’s reporting only a couple dozens are ill, but that’s a loooong flight.
Putin – quietly – closed that border early. His citizens are NOT welcoming their little infected neighbors. They would NOT be treated well in hospital.
Knife Crimes Hit Record High in England, Wales in 2019
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/04/23/2249860/knife-crimes-hit-record-high-in-england-wales-in-2019
“TEHRAN (Tasnim) – England and Wales suffered their worst year for knife crime since records began, with the number of offenses involving such sharp instruments soaring by seven percent in the year ending in December, according to official figures.
The number of offences involving knives and sharp instruments rocketed by 7 per cent to 45,600 in the year.
But the true figure is likely to be significantly higher, because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) did not include Greater Manchester Police’s total due to IT issues, the Independent reported.
In London, the number of fatal stabbings rose by 13 per cent in the year, although the figure fell by 8 per cent nationally.
The areas with the highest rate were London, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands.
But while London saw a 5 per cent rise, offences in the West Midlands rocketed by 13 per cent and West Yorkshire fell by 9 per cent.
The offences included in the figures were homicide, attempted murder, threats to kill, assault with injury, assault with intent to cause serious harm, robbery, rape and sexual assault.
The ONS said an increase in robbery – which accounted for 44 per cent of knife offences – contributed to the historic rise, while assault was the largest category.
The number of bladed article possession offences rose by 11 per cent in the year, which the report said was influenced by increased police stop and search operations.
In 2019, police recorded 5.8 million crimes in England and Wales in total.
The figures showed a 2 per cent increase in the number of homicides, although the figure includes the 39 Vietnamese people who were found dead in a lorry in Essex.
In January, three men, believed to be from the Sikh community, were stabbed to death in Ilford, east London, prompting calls for a change of mayor, amid claims that the incumbent Sadiq Khan has, in the words of one rival mayoral candidate, “lost control of our streets.””
Yemenis Repel Saudi-Led Coalition Infiltration Attempts
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/04/23/2249892/yemenis-repel-saudi-led-coalition-infiltration-attempts
“Yemen’s army said it has repelled several infiltration attempts by the Saudi-led military coalition on various fronts, killing or wounding dozens of mercenaries…”
US Forces Have No Business in PG 7,000 Miles Away from Home: Zarif
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/04/23/2249882/us-forces-have-no-business-in-pg-7-000-miles-away-from-home-zarif
“ran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reminded Washington that American forces “have no business 7,000 miles away from home” and are provoking Iranian sailors in the Persian Gulf…”
Missouri Throws The First Punch
Missouri threw the first punch in the fight to hold China accountable for their actions that led to this pandemic. The state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against China, on Tuesday, seeking damages for the “enormous loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil” this pandemic has caused.
Missouri explains that it’s not just the people who have gotten sick and the people who have died from the Coronavirus but the billions of dollars it has cost the state as well.
https://insidescooppolitics.com/archives/1682
‘Plain Robbery’: Lebanese Fume as Dollar Savings Hit by Financial Crisis
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2249106/plain-robbery-lebanese-fume-dollar-savings-hit-financial-crisis
“Ziad Abdallah has watched with growing alarm as Lebanon’s financial meltdown has threatened the savings he spent 25 years building up in his dollar account.
First his Lebanese bank reduced dollar withdrawals, then it stopped them entirely. Now the central bank has issued rules saying any withdrawals must be in the collapsing Lebanese pound at a rate likely to mean he will face a loss.
“This is appropriation of wealth,” said the shop owner who returned to Lebanon from abroad after the 1975-90 civil war, joining a call to rebuild a nation that had long prided itself on offering banking stability even in the most turbulent times.
This cornerstone of Lebanon’s economy has now been shaken to its core, as long-brewing economic troubles and the country’s mounting national debt spilled over into a full-blown banking crisis even before the coronavirus outbreak added a fresh blow.
Lebanon’s fixed exchange rate has been a major casualty. The Lebanese pound has been pegged at 1,500 to the dollar since 1997, a guarantee that meant pounds and dollars were both widely used. It gave Lebanon’s diaspora the confidence to repatriate capital, building deposits that helped finance the state.
The official peg remains for some essential goods, but the currency has plunged to about 3,500 on the unofficial market.
From this month, banks began allowing small depositors to cash out dollar savings, but at a rate of 2,600 pounds.
New central bank rules, effective for six months, will allow withdrawals from all US dollar accounts in pounds at a “market rate” still to be determined. The rules will allow up to $5,000 to be withdrawn each month, but banks can set lower ceilings.
The central bank said the policy aimed to help citizens and “ensure their purchasing power and a decent living”.
But Abdallah, like others, fears the new exchange rate for withdrawals will simply make them poorer.
“Whatever the rate is, it’s a loss, that’s how we feel,” he said, according to Reuters. “In any bank in the world, if you put your money, they must give it to you (in the same currency) as it was deposited.”
Lebanon, with one of the world’s highest levels of national borrowing, at more than 170% of economic output, defaulted on its foreign currency debt last month for the first time.
A government document showed the scale of the financial crisis, projecting banking sector losses of $83 billion — roughly 50% bigger than Lebanon’s gross domestic product.
Dismantling the peg
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said last week that depositors’ money “evaporated” in the months before the formation of his government in January, after months of protests against the political elite and to demand an end to corruption.
Diab said nobody would lose their deposits but said access would depend on a restructuring plan.
The International Monetary Fund says Lebanon needs a plan to rebuild confidence and tackle the root causes of the crisis.
Bankers say the central bank governor, Riad Salameh, has been limiting dollar withdrawals as part of a gradual process to dismantle the currency peg.
“He’s moving in the direction of really moving deposits from dollars to Lebanese pounds to minimize his foreign losses,” one senior banker said.
Former Finance Ministry adviser Toufic Gaspard said the measures were “helping the indebtedness of the central bank and the banks in dollars at the expense of the depositor.”
“This is plain robbery and it is anti-constitutional,” he said.
The pound has already halved in value in the open market, and continues to slide. In exchange houses, which would once freely convert at rates close to 1,500, the pound had slipped to 3,450/3,750 on Thursday.
Many banks that were closed for weeks during protests and then drew down the shutters again during the coronavirus outbreak have become a focus for public anger.
Withdrawals have at times been limited to as little as $100 a month as dollar liquidity dried up.
Depositors queuing outside several banks on Wednesday said they had little choice but to take out what they could at whatever rate was being offered.
“I’m losing. But I need the money,” said Mohamed Ezzeddine, 18, after withdrawing his modest savings at the 2,600 rate. “There’s nothing we can do.””
France Demands Iran Cease Ballistic Missile Activity after Satellite Launch
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2249161/france-demands-iran-cease-ballistic-missile-activity-after-satellite-launch
“France on Thursday condemned Iran’s launch of a military satellite into orbit, saying it violated a UN Security Council resolution, according to the Foreign Ministry.
France also calls on Iran to immediately cease all activity related to the development of ballistic missiles designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons, a ministry statement said.
“The Iranian ballistics program is a major concern for regional and international security. It contributes to the destabilization of the region and the rise in tensions,” it said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard conducted a space launch Wednesday that could advance the country’s long-range missile program. The move stoked already high tensions between Washington and Tehran.
President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian gunboats that harass Navy ships.
The launch was a first for the Guard, revealing what experts described as a secret military space program that could accelerate Iran’s ballistic missile development.
American officials said it was too early to know whether an operational Iranian satellite was successfully placed into orbit. Trump’s top diplomat accused Iran of violating UN resolutions.
At the Pentagon, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. John Hyten, welcomed Trump’s tweet as a useful warning to Iran. He drew a parallel between last week’s naval encounter in the Gulf and Wednesday’s space launch, which said was “just another example of Iranian malign behavior.”
“And it goes right along with the harassment from the fastboats. … You put those two things together and it’s just more examples of Iranian malign behavior and misbehavior,” Hyten said.”
Nigerian woman rescued in Lebanon after being posted for sale on Facebook
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/nigerian-woman-rescued-lebanon-after-being-posted-sale-facebook
“A Nigerian woman who was put up for sale for $1,000 on Facebook in Lebanon has been rescued, a government body representing Nigerians abroad has said…”
Alleged shooter in Lebanon’s largest civilian attack apprehended
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-alleged-shooter-in-lebanons-largest-civilian-attack-apprehended/
“Lebanese security forces last night detained a man thought to be behind the mass shooting which took place in the southern village of Baakline earlier this week, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
Mazen Harfoush was apprehended in the Chouf town of Ainbal after a two-day manhunt in the southern Lebanese region.
Internal Security Forces, military and local municipal police personnel took part in the search, setting up a 20-kilometre perimeter around Baakline village. Officers brought in police dogs to aid them, NNA reported.
According to local daily Al-Akbar, Harfoush “surrendered to [municipal police] without resistance before he was taken by Judicial Police to the Beiteddine police department”.
Harfoush is accused of killing nine people, among them six Syrian nationals, including two children aged ten and 15, and three Lebanese, with a knife, pump action rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Eight of the victims were males, and one a female, according to source quoted by the Daily Star, and include Mazen’s brothers, Fawzi and Karim Harfoush, and his wife, Manal Al-Timani.
Reuters reported the incident was a suspected “honour killing” – where a person is murdered for actions which “bring shame” to the family.
The Al-Akbar article corroborated the report, saying Harfoush “claimed that he committed the crime after suspecting that his wife was cheating on him with his brother Fawzi although he had no evidence.”
The report added that Harfoush killed his wife by stabbing her more than 13 times, before leaving the house in fresh clothes with a hunting rifle to seek out his second target, his brother Fawzi.
After hiding Fawzi’s body near the river, the accused tried to find his younger brother Karim, who, he believed, was aware of the affair.
On his search, Harfoush went on a killing spree, shooting dead a young Syrian man, and Arsal native Mohammed Awdeh after a chance encounter with the pair.
According to Al-Akbar, Harfoush “searched at an under-construction house and murdered four people including two children. His brother Karim appeared before him at that point, so he killed him with two gunshots”.
When questioned on why he killed six people who are not relatives, Harfoush claimed he lost control after murdering his wife and two brothers.
Member of Parliament from Baakline Marwan Hamadeh, likened the incident “to the shootings that happened in America”.
The incident is believed to be the largest mass shooting in Lebanon since 2002, when an Education Ministry official walked into the Beirut offices of the Private School Teachers Mutual Fund and killed eight co-workers.”
Iraq: Baghdad to give medics working with coronavirus infections land
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-iraq-baghdad-to-give-medics-working-with-coronavirus-infections-land/
“The Director of Karkh Health Department, Gasib Al-Hijami, yesterday announced the allocation of material rewards to doctors or medical staff who diagnose coronavirus patients.
In a letter sent to the region’s health departments Al-Hijami said doctors or medical staff who diagnose coronavirus infections will be offered plots of land as well as other material rewards in order to encourage them to identify cases. This will be in addition to letters of appreciation for each case diagnosed, he added.
Al-Hijami stressed that every case was being treated as a coronavirus infection until tests proved otherwise.”
Brother-in-law of Qatar Emir named new owner of $927m Ritz-Carlton London
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-brother-in-law-of-qatar-emir-named-new-owner-of-927m-ritz-carlton-london/
“When the iconic hotel, the Ritz London, was sold in March for some $927 million to a private Qatari investor, there were speculations over who the individual that managed to get their hands on one of the most prestigious real-estate in the capital was.
It now turns out that its none other than the brother-in-law of Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Details of the sale, including the bitter family feud between the previous owners of Ritz, were reported in the Financial Times.
Filings at the UK’s Companies House reveal that 40-year-old Qatari businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri is the new owner. He is the brother of Sheikha Al-Anoud, the second wife of Sheikh Al Thani, who has been the emir of the gas rich Gulf State since 2013.
Al-Hajri is said to have taken over a company as early as February that went on to acquired the group that ultimately owned the Ritz a month later on 25 March. No name was announced during the sale only that an unnamed Qatari had bought the hotel.
Despite being the brother-in-law of the emir, Al-Hajri is described as a businessman and an investor in his own right. He also owns an expensive riverside mansion in Turkey through a UK investment company, according to the FT.
The sale took place during a bitter row over the Barclay family’s fortunes, who previously owned the Ritz.
The Qataris are the single largest investors in the UK and are said to own more land in London than the Queen, according to the BBC.
The iconic London Shard building, which is the tallest in Europe, several skyscrapers in Canary Wharf and exclusive locations in Hyde Park are just some of the prime real estates which have come into the possession of the Qataris.”
Yemen: Houthis capture Al-Qaeda base
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-yemen-houthis-capture-al-qaeda-base/
“The Houthi movement and allied forces in the Yemeni army have claimed that they have captured a base belonging to an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, known as Ansar Al-Shariah. The base is in the Khasaf area in Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf Province.
According to the Long War Journal, video footage has emerged showing Houthi fighters touring the base, which includes an underground prison, but it is unclear when the footage was filmed. The Houthis also managed to seize explosive belts, ammunition and other items, including the notorious black flag used by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) but more commonly associated with Daesh…”
Saudi-backed fighters stage mutiny at Yemen border fronts over unpaid wages
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-saudi-backed-fighters-stage-mutiny-at-yemen-border-fronts-over-unpaid-wages/
“The battle fronts along the Saudi-Yemeni border have witnessed a mutiny among Saudi-backed mercenaries fighting on behalf of exiled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The incidents have taken place in the Jizan, Najran and Asir regions, which were historically Yemeni territories.
The discontent is reportedly over Riyadh’s refusal to pay their salaries which have been unpaid for six months.
The Yemen Press Agency reported that a video circulated showing Saudi forces shooting at a group of “Duty brigade and the 7th Brigade recruits” as they tried to advance towards the Al-Hamra area of Jizan, demanding their deportation to Yemen.
In a bid to clamp down on the internal strife, Saudi forces carried out a large-scale arrest campaign among the pro-Hadi fighters.
Most of the coalition-supported fighters defending Saudi’s borders are poor Yemenis recruited with the promise of an income, however it has been reported previously how many have been exploited with funds ceasing once they are injured in combat. The Saudis have also made use of extensive human-trafficking networks to recruit fighters, including Yemeni child soldiers.”
Le Monde: Turkish Drone shifting balance of military power in Libya
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-le-monde-turkish-drone-shifting-balance-of-military-power-in-libya/
“The French newspaper Le Monde has stated that since the beginning of the year the balance of military power in Libya has changed in favour of the Government of National Accord (GNA), after Turkey put a new generation of drones in service.
In an article that has recently been published on the newspapers website, Frédéric Bobin affirmed that the military escalation that took place in recent days near the Libyan capital of Tripoli, perpetuates a shift in the balance of powers at the expense of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar’s forces.
The newspaper pointed out that the shift of the current military balance in Tripoli is the outcome of increased Turkish participation alongside the internationally-recognised GNA, especially the introduction of a new generation of drones with more efficient technology.
“The balance of power has changed radically since the beginning of the year,” the newspaper quoted Wolfram Lacher, a researcher at the German Institute for International Affairs and Security in Berlin. Lacher stated that: “The reason is that Turkish drones and anti-aircraft defence systems installed by Ankara in Tripoli have had an impact on preventing Emirati flights from reaching Tripoli or Misrata.” Before that, Emiratis had been controlling the sky in the service of Haftar, according to the newspaper.
On military operations in the time of the coronavirus, the newspaper pointed out that the pandemic has had no impact on the ongoing fighting around the capital of Tripoli, despite international calls to end hostilities to better combat the virus.
According to the newspaper, a United Nations source condemned the ongoing clashes that hindered the health mobilisation against the coronavirus pandemic, citing it as a “real time bomb”.
The source pointed out that the official figures quote 48 injuries and one death, but the health system is not organised due to the ongoing violence.
It is worth noting that the forces of the GNA managed last Monday, within the Operation Peace Storm, to liberate six cities and two strategic areas from the Haftar militia, most notably Sabratha and Sorman, which means their control of the entire western coast to the Tunisian border.
The Operation Peace Storm was launched by government forces on 26 March, and it came in response to ongoing violations by the Haftar militia aimed at controlling Tripoli.”
Sudan: ‘US diplomat survives assassination attempt’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-sudan-us-diplomat-survives-assassination-attempt/
“A US diplomat survived an assassination attempt on Thursday in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Anadolu Agency reports.
The assassination attempt was made by an unidentified person who opened fire at his car when he was returning home, a diplomatic source told Anadolu Agency on the condition of anonymity.
The US official lost control of his vehicle as a result, the source said.
Sudanese police have initiated an investigation into the incident to determine if “the attack could be termed terrorism.”
According to a US travel advisory to Sudan before the coronavirus pandemic, Washington advised its citizens to “reconsider travel to Sudan due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.” It asked government personnel in the Northeast African country to use armored vehicles for official travel.”
May 2, 2019
China and the Sudan Coup
On April 11, 2019, Sudan’s long reigning president Omar Bashir was overthrown in a military coup after 30 years at the helm. China, one of his staunchest supporters, must now assess how to maintain its relationship with the African nation, which lies on a critical spot on the prospective Belt and Road route.
[…] Based on the precedent of China’s response to similar uprisings in the Arab world in 2011, it can be anticipated that Beijing will decide who it supports in Sudan on the basis of who is likely to be the first to restore stability and safeguard Chinese interests. Last year’s events in Zimbabwe reinforce this assumption. The Chinese did not intervene, and the long-term partnership between Zimbabwe and China has been maintained.
It is unlikely that the Chinese will take any significant steps in Sudan, such as sending assistance to either side (at least not openly). Nor are they likely to give personal support to any particular candidate for the leadership.
In the final analysis, the Sudanese have no substitute for China, and both parties understand this. Any Sudanese leader will have to maintain cooperation with Beijing and perhaps even try to expand it in order to strengthen his regime, provided that the West does not intervene and support a pro-Western, anti-Chinese leader.
The struggle between the US and China on commercial issues could push both sides to try to prove their supremacy by attempting to solve the Sudanese crisis in order to strengthen and expand their international influence.
https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/china-and-sudan-coup/
UN: Libya turning into ‘experimental field’ for arms as war heats up
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200423-un-libya-turning-into-experimental-field-for-arms-as-war-heats-up/
“Libya is turning into “an experimental field for all kinds of new weapons systems”, the United Nations’ acting special envoy said, with foreign supporters of its warring parties shipping in arms and fighters in violation of an embargo, Reuters reports.
Libya’s conflict escalated sharply this month, with fierce fighting on several different fronts in the west of the country despite urgent calls from the UN and aid agencies for a truce to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
The new wave of fighting has been fuelled by arms imported from abroad, the UN acting envoy Stephanie Williams said in an online news conference.
“We have something called the RPO-A flame thrower, which is some kind of thermobaric system that is being used in the southern suburbs of Tripoli. We have new UAVs (drones) that are being brought in, including a UAV that is essentially like a suicide UAV that explodes on impact,” Williams said.
“These are just two examples of very frightening systems that are being deployed in an urban setting which is completely unacceptable,” she added.
Concerns that the conflict may have taken a dark new turn emerged late on Wednesday when the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) said it was investigating a possible chemical weapons attack on its forces.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based Khalifa Haftar has been shelling the capital Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, since launching a military campaign to capture the city a year ago.
Pro-GNA forces have in recent weeks mounted their own offensives to drive back the LNA, capturing some towns in the northwest last week and moving towards Haftar’s main strategic centre in the region, the town of Tarhouna.
The LNA is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt, the GNA by Turkey, whose military support from January onwards has helped change the balance of power on the ground.
The GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said in a message to Reuters that the reports of fighters being affected by nerve gas in the Tripoli suburb of Salahedine were based on initial reports from field hospitals.
“The GNA is currently investigating,” he added. It will await a final report before informing the UN’s chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, the ministry said.
The LNA spokesman, Ahmed Mismari, described the report that chemical weapons may have been used, in a statement as “rumours and lies”.
Williams said it was “a very, very concerning report”.
“We as the UN call on all of those who are violating the arms embargo, including countries who sat down at the table in Berlin, signed up to respect the arms embargo, but yet continue to blatantly violate it. And that must stop.””
Syrians ‘tricked’ into fighting in Libya for rogue general Khalifa Haftar
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/4/23/syrians-tricked-to-fight-in-libya-for-warlord-haftar
“Young Syrian men were recruited by regime officers to travel to Libya for civilian work, only to find themselves forced to fight on the frontlines for rogue General Khalifa Haftar’s militias, sources revealed to The New Arab.
The families of about 250 Syrian men from the areas of As-Suweidah, Quneitra, and Damascus have called for the return of their sons from Libya, where they are fighting for Haftar’s self-described Libyan National Army (LNA), the sources told TNA’s Arabic-language service.
The young men were recruited at a military base near the Syrian city of Homs, the source said, told they work as security guards at oil fields for a company supervised by the Russian security firm Wagner Group.
Upon arrival in Libya, the Syrian men were reportedly transferred to a military base in the Marj region of eastern Libya, supervised by the UAE.
There they were informed they would undergo advanced military training to prepare the men to fight on the frontlines for Haftar-affiliated militias.
The sources told The New Arab that several Syrian men who objected and refused to participate were detained. Some were allegedly tortured.
‘Civilian capacity’
Mohammed Al-Zamel, 29, from Quneitra, told The New Arab that he was recruited to work in Libya as a “volunteer” in the oil fields.
He and several others met by a Syrian recruiter and a Russian officer. They were told they would be going to Libya to protect Russian soldiers, Zamel said.
Zamel said contracts were signed during this meeting which stated that they would travel to Libya “to protect security installations and guard the oil fields in a civilian capacity”.
Days after the contracts were signed, the volunteers were asked to gather in Quneitra so they could be transported to Homs, and then on to Libya.
Al-Zamel told The New Arab that he, along with several others, returned to their villages upon realising they would have to fight on the front lines for Haftar’s whose forces are currently besieging the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
He said that they were subjected to verbal harassment by regime and Russian officers and threatened with arrest.
Foreign forces
Libya is embroiled in a civil war between militias linked to Khalifa Haftar’s in the east and forces loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
Since Hafter’s forces launched an offensive on the Libyan capital in April 2019, both the LNA and the GNA have reiterated accusations that the other was deploying foreign forces in the battle.
The GNA is supported by Turkey, while the Haftar-backed eastern administration receives military supplies and other support from Egypt, the UAE and Russia.
In March, the unrecognised eastern Libya-based “authority” allied to Haftar established diplomatic relations with the Assad regime and signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to work together against “Turkish interference”.”
~ ~ That’s exactly reversed. ~ ~
How Turkey made Syrian rebels tools of foreigners and Libyan mercenaries
Thousands of Syrians are in Libya fighting for Turkey and for a ramshackle government in Tripoli that they have no stake or interest in.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/How-Turkey-made-Syrian-rebels-tools-of-foreigners-and-Libyan-mercenaries-614252
……..
Turkey tells Syrian rebels they will fight Russians in Libya – report
To boost motivation, Turkey is telling Syrian rebels it is sending to Libya they will fight Russians, the Investigative Journal said on Wednesday, citing sources in Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.
“Of course, there are no Russian soldiers there. If the Turks tell them there are Russian troops in Libya, and that the [Syrian rebels] will get to fight them, they believe they are fighting the same enemy that is destroying their cities in Syria… But of course, this is a lie, and Libya is not Syria. But these mercenaries believe whatever Turkey tells them….”
https://ahvalnews.com/libya-turkey/turkey-tells-syrian-rebels-they-will-fight-russians-libya-report
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: In 2017 Dr. Shi from Wuhan Institute of Virology Claimed She Kept a Large Reservoir of Bat Viruses and Related Vaccines
We first mentioned China’s Dr. Shi Zhengli weeks ago on April 9th, long before other news publications. About a week after our first post, Dr. Shi’s name was finally breaking into the mainstream media reports. Professor Shi Zhengli was even discussed on Tucker Carlson’s show as well.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/breaking-exclusive-2017-dr-shi-wuhan-institute-virology-claimed-kept-large-reservoir-bat-viruses-related-vaccines/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailypm&utm_content=daily
UN urged to launch plan for culture
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2205412/1-un-urged-launch-plan-culture/
“Pakistan has proposed the United Nations to launch strategies to measure the impact of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, on the culture sector, especially in vulnerable and developing countries.
The proposal came from Federal Minister for Education and Special Initiative Shafqat Mahmood during the first virtual meeting held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at its headquarters in Paris, said a statement.
It was the first virtual meeting of its kind held by the UNESCO that was attended by over 110 cultural ministers from around the world to discuss and mitigate the impact of the virus crisis on the culture sector.
Mahmood, in his country statement, briefed the meeting on priority areas of Pakistan’s response strategy to protect and preserve the cultural heritage.
He outlined steps taken by the government to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, creative industries, SMEs, museums, performing arts, cultural tourism and artistic education.
“I propose launch of national, regional and international level strategies under the auspices of UNESCO to measure the impact of the Covid-19 on culture sectors, especially in vulnerable and developing countries,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for allocation of enhanced budget support for the artists and cultural professionals; and for the “revival of cultural ecosystem” badly affected because of the virus-induced lockdown.
“Pakistan has adopted smart lockdown strategy to gradually open certain carefully selected businesses and industry, while enforcing strict and comprehensive safety protocols to protect workers and their business clients that will certainly help in
revival of the badly suffered cultural sector because of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the minister.”
D*ck Pics for De Blasio
4 Taliban militants killed while making a bomb inside a mosque in Ghazni
https://www.khaama.com/4-taliban-militants-killed-while-making-a-bomb-inside-a-mosque-in-ghazni-04711/
“A premature explosion killed four Taliban militants who were busy making a bomb inside a mosque in South-eastern Ghazni province.
The provincial government in a statement said the militants were busy making a bomb when the explosion took place, leaving at least four militants dead.
The statement further added that the incident took place in Andar district of Ghazni.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the incident so far.
The anti-government armed militants including Taliban militants frequently use improvised explosive devices to target the security forces and government personnel.
However, majority of such attacks inflict casualties or ordinary civilians while such attacks often kill or injure the militants, specifically when the explosives go off prematurely.”
Afghan forces kill Mullah Khaliq, capture 4 Taliban compounds in Balkh province
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-kill-mullah-khaliq-capture-4-taliban-compounds-in-balkh-province-04714/
“The Afghan forces killed a key Taliban commander, Mullah Khaliq alias Saifullah, and captured four compounds of the group during the operations in northern Balkh province.
The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Afghan forces conducted the operations in Qaland Kheli, Qarghanchi and Sayad Villages of Sholgara district of Balkh.
The statement further added that the Afghan forces fully cleared the three villages during the operations and captured four compounds of the Taliban group.
The Afghan forces also killled Mullah Khaliq alias Saifullah, one of the key commanders of Taliban during the operations, the 209th Shaheen Corps added.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the operations so far.”
More than 40 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Kandahar clashes
https://www.khaama.com/more-than-40-taliban-militants-killed-wounded-in-kandahar-clashes-04710/
“The Afghan forces killed at least 28 Taliban militants during separate clashes in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, the security officials said.
Gen. Tadin Khan, the Police Chief of Kandahar, said the Taliban militants attacked security posts in Sargo area of Spin Boldak district.
He said the Afghan forces effectively responded to the attack, killing at least 16 Taliban militants and wounding at least 9 others.
Gen. Tadin Khan further added that the security forces killed 12 Taliban militants and wounded at least 7 others during a similar clash in Mirazar area of Zherai dsitrict.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the clashes so far.”
Iraq releases 20,000 detainees amid COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/iraq-releases-20-000-detainees-amid-covid-19-pandemic/1815994
“The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council on Thursday announced that more than 20,000 detainees had been released so far as part of measures to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The council’s statement said that this decision came “in line with the decisions of the [Iraqi] Crisis Cell regarding reducing the risks of the spread of the coronavirus.”
The statement said that the number of defendants\detainees released as of April 22 had risen to 20,040.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iraq, the authorities have taken several measures to curb the virus, including a complete lockdown, suspension of flights, closure of universities and schools and ban on the entry of foreigners.
As of Wednesday, 1,631 coronavirus infections were confirmed across Iraq, including 83 deaths and a total of 1,146 recoveries.
Iraqi authorities expect to have fully contained the virus by next summer…”
Exclusive: Leaked CCP Document Says Virus In Harbin ‘Out of Control’;Patients Kicked Out of Hospital
Pay attention to hte report about the Chinese governments economic problems at around 3 minutes
THE TRUTH ABOUT VACCINES DOCU-SERIES: EPISODE 1 – ROBERT F KENNEDY JR INTERVIEW: SMALLPOX VACCINE
video – 1 hr 57 mins – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHWeJ0f_o3A&t=173s
PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER – EVERYTHING ELSE CAN WAIT
FIRST EPISODE IN A SERIES OF 9
‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge’ Hosea 4:6.
America was founded by Christians seeking freedom from tyranny. Those principles have guided our nation for almost 244 years. Never before has it been more crucial to stay informed about how vaccines work, what their risks are, and what rights you have related to them. The Truth About Vaccines took years in production and the timing could not have been more providential. This groundbreaking documentary produced by Christian couple, Ty and Charlene Bolliger, takes a long, hard, and honest look at all dimensions of the topic and debate, interviewing some of the world’s most knowledgeable experts in the field. You won’t find the information presented in this series anywhere within the mainstream media, nor on cable, or Netflix. This 9 part documentary starts airing at 9:00pm Eastern US time and continues for the next 9 days, sign up here to up watch this free program.
[From what I can gather, each video is only available without cost for a few hours, before the follow up is made available and the previous one removed. There are 9 in all. Therefore necessary to sign up for yourselves. Each episode is emailed to you as it becomes available. A wise investment of time I would suggest. (To purchase the whole set costs about £78.)]
https://go2.thetruthaboutvaccines.com/docuseries/order/
+
ANDY WAKEFIELD – PART 1 | DIDN’T WE LEARN FROM NAZI GERMANY
Trailer – 2 mins 9 secs
Dr. Andrew Wakefield shares how there really is no place in medicine for ANY mandated procedure. Nazi Germany taught us this, but this is exactly what is happening with mandatory vaccines.
THE COMMUNIST TAKEDOWN OF AMERICA
After becoming disillusioned with the Soviet system, Bezmenov defected to Canada. In the years that followed, he gave lectures, interviews, and presentations about how the Soviet Union subverted and took down nations – which they successfully did on a number of occasions. Bezmenov’s discussion on the “Stages of Communist Takeover” can be seen here [1984]. Bezmenov breaks the communist takeover into 4 distinct stages: Demoralization – Destabilization – Crisis – Normalization. As the TAKEOVER unfolds, here is the practical reality:
? Demoralization: During this stage the subversion focuses on destroying the moral fabric of a nation through control of the media and academia. Specifically in the United States, by destroying Christianity and its influence in society. The 45 communist goals in the U.S. includes: (25) Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. (26) Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural and healthy.” (27) Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.” (28) Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
Yuri Bezmenov assessed this phase was completed in America prior to 1985.
? Destabilization: the purpose of this phase is to change the status quo of the nation. Through major components of government, including defense/military, state department/foreign policy, and economic policies, the government expands into a massive bureaucracy grossly infringing on the liberties of the people. During this phase the government offers entitlements to the citizens to cajole them to go along with these “changes.”
? Crisis: A cataclysmic event creates fear and division in the nation. Through this crisis comes a revolutionary change in power that can come swiftly.
? Normalization: A “new normal” is established, the population submits to it, and communism begins to take root in real and lasting ways.
There are a number of people who have spent their lives studying the Communist Movement who believe we are in the midst of the takedown of America. The fact we have willingly shut down the greatest economy in the history of the world and, likely, destroyed it, seems to be evidence of that. The real war is on. The enemy knows it. Do we? John D Guandolo
https://www.understandingthethreat.com/the-communist-takedown-of-america/
Corona Crisis: Ireland, Sweden and New Studies
Coronavirus Lockdown Protests | Trump’s Plan to Reopen US
China’s Racism Must Be Called Out | Guangzhou
Harbin Has 200 Times More Cases Than The Official Number | NTD
4,904 views
•Apr 23, 2020
Exclusive: Leaked Documents Expose Second Wave of Virus Outbreak in North China
New US Military Budget Targets China | Uighurs in Trouble | China News Headlines
“Dog puts on mask when he hears ‘coronavirus’…”
by Kane – April 23, 2020
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/dog-puts-on-mask-when-he-hears-coronavirus/
“Chaos in Alabama Backyard…”
by Kane – April 22, 2020
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/chaos-in-alabama-backyard-two-dogs-chase-cow-into-pool/