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.
Report that Michael Flynn will be ‘exonerated’ this week: Let justice roll down like waters
By J.E. Dyer April 27, 2020
It’s been a very long road, and by now, most readers are quite familiar with the ins and outs of the Michael Flynn prosecution saga. He has been in suspense for months waiting to find out if he will be allowed to rescind his guilty plea in federal court to a manufactured perjury charge, entered in December of 2017.
This past Friday, the Justice Department moved on to a new phase by filing, under seal, “Brady” material long requested by Flynn’s defense. For many months, individuals in the DOJ resisted producing the material.
Attorney General Barr assigned a review of it outside the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, which has been prosecuting the Flynn case. Barr tagged the USA for the Eastern District of Missouri (EDMO) to perform the review, and it was that office that forwarded the material to the court on 24 April 2020.
Both Flynn’s lawyer, Sidney Powell, and sources in the DOJ cited by reporters and bloggers say the material is exculpatory for Flynn. Sean Davis at The Federalist cited an FBI source who told him the contents would reflect poorly on the Bureau as well.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/04/27/report-that-michael-flynn-will-be-exonerated-this-week-let-justice-roll-down-like-waters/
Michael Flynn should be ‘not only be exonerated’ but pardoned: Tom Fitton
Libya’s Hifter declares UN unity deal ‘thing of the past’ (abcnews, Apr 27, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/libyas-hifter-declares-unity-deal-thing-past-70370361
“Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter on Monday declared a landmark United Nations-brokered agreement to unite the country “a thing of the past,” and pledged his authorities would move toward creating a new government.
Hifter’s televised statement threatens to deepen the schism between east and west Libya and further complicate U.N. efforts to broker a political settlement to the civil war.
“The political agreement destroyed the country,” he said. “We will work to create the conditions for building permanent civic institutions.”
Hifter, commander of Libya’s east-based forces laying siege to the capital of Tripoli, controls most of eastern and southern Libya. The besieged administration in Tripoli rules just a corner of the country’s west. Both sides are supported by a network of fractious militias and foreign powers.
While Hifter has not yet dissolved any state institutions, such as the eastern-based House of Representatives, he said his armed forces “accept the people’s mandate to run the country.”
In a speech last week, Hifter asked Libyans to hold demonstrations and give him a mandate to rule. Despite a curfew imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, crowds thronged the streets of Benghazi and chanted slogans against the rival Tripoli administration.
The U.N. set up the Tripoli-based government, known as the Government of National Accord, in 2015 following the emergence of two rival centers of government — one allied with Hifter in the eastern city of Tobruk and one in Tripoli.
The agreement, frequently condemned by Hifter and his supporters, bestows international legitimacy on a western government under the leadership of technocrat Fayez Sarraj.
It also acknowledges the House of Representatives based in Tobruk as the country’s official legislature and grants consultative powers to the previous parliament based in Tripoli. Both bodies are largely powerless.
The agreement has so far failed to bring unity or stability to the divided country. The abrupt resignation of U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame earlier this year cast further doubt on the fate of Libya’s hamstrung political process.
Meanwhile, Hifter has ratcheted up his military campaign to seize Tripoli. Both sides have ignored calls by the U.N. and the West for a cease-fire so authorities can direct resources to the coronavirus pandemic.
In his speech, Hifter said his forces would continue their offensive “until the end.””
False belief poison cures virus kills over 700 in Iran (abcnews, Apr 27, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/false-belief-poison-cures-virus-kills-700-iran-70366003
“The false belief that toxic methanol cures the coronavirus has seen over 700 people killed in Iran, an official said Monday.
That represents a higher death toll than so far released by the Iranian Health Ministry.
An adviser to the ministry, Hossein Hassanian, said that the difference in death tallies is because some alcohol poisoning victims died outside of hospital.
“Some 200 people died outside of hospitals”, Hassanian told The Associated Press.
Alcohol poisoning has skyrocketed by ten times over in Iran in the past year, according to a government report released earlier in April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The national coroner’s authority said that alcohol poisoning killed 728 Iranians between Feb. 20 and April 7. Last year there were only 66 deaths from alcohol poisoning, according to the report.
Separately, the Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour said that 525 people have died from swallowing toxic methanol alcohol since Feb. 20, state TV reported on Monday.
Jahanpour said that a total of 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol.
He added that some 90 people have lost their eye sight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning.
Hassanian also said the final tally of people who lost their eye sight could be much higher.
Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed case.
Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks. It causes delayed organ and brain damage. Symptoms include chest pain, nausea, hyperventilation, blindness and even coma.
In Iran, the government mandates that manufacturers of toxic methanol add an artificial color to their products so the public can tell it apart from ethanol, the kind of alcohol that can be used in cleaning wounds. Ethanol is found in alcoholic beverages, though its production is illegal in Iran.
Some bootleggers in Iran use methanol, adding a splash of bleach to mask the added color before selling it as drinkable. Methanol also can contaminate traditionally fermented alcohol.
The consumption of alcohol is generally prohibited in Iran. However, minority Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians can drink alcoholic beverages in private.
Following the coronavirus outbreak, Iran’s government announced it would issue permission for new alcohol factories quickly.
Iran has currently some 40 alcohol factory that have been allocated for pharmaceutical and sanitizing items.
Already before the outbreak, the Iranian economy was struggling under severe U.S. sanctions blocking the sale of its crude oil abroad.”
Sky News – Iceland genetics expert says COVID-19 was ‘widespread in the UK very early’
A genetics company in Iceland is gathering data from COVID-19 patients, to build a detailed picture of the behaviour of the virus.
Founder Doctor Kari Stefansson also said that coronavirus was “widespread in the UK very early”.
Sky News – Why a COVID-19 vaccine may not be shared
The department of health’s former head of immunisation Professor David Salisbury says countries may become protective over a future coronavirus vaccine.
He also called on the UK government to be completely transparent about the advice it’s receiving.
Sky News – Iceland claims to have COVID-19 under control
Iceland’s strategy to ‘test, trace and isolate’ appears to be working in reducing coronavirus cases.
A higher percentage of the population has been tested than any other country in the world. Our Europe Correspondent Michelle Clifford reports from Reykjavík.
FRANCE – Car rams two police motorcyclists in Paris suburb -police
A motorist deliberately drove his car into two police motorcyclists on patrol in a Paris suburb on Monday, gravely injuring both, police unions said.
The incident took place in Colombes in the northwestern outskirts of Paris.
Video footage circulating on social media and on the website of daily newspaper Le Parisien showed one motorbike sandwiched between the crumpled bonnets of a police car and a black BMW. Debris from a second bike lay strewn on the road.
“Two police motorcyclists in a serious condition after being deliberately hit in Colombes by an individual who also rammed a police car. Thoughts with our colleagues,” the Synergie-Officiers union wrote on social media.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner hailed the response of officers who gave first aid to their comrades at the scene.
“My thoughts go out to the two injured policemen who were committed to protecting us,” Castaner wrote on Twitter.
Police sources called the incident a deliberate act. Sources familiar with the investigation said the perpetrator targeted the officers to avenge events in Palestine.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has so far not been called on to lead the investigation.
France has suffered major attacks by Islamist militants. Police and soldiers have been targeted on multiple occasions in recent years.
In October, an information technology assistant at the police headquarters in central Paris went on a knife rampage inside the building, killing four people before he was shot dead. He had converted to Islam a decade earlier.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-security/car-rams-two-police-motorcyclists-in-paris-suburb-police-idUSKCN2292W9
https://twitter.com/Dz__Power92/status/1254820193571950595
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itv News – Is the UK public beginning to tire of coronavirus lockdown rules?
Boris Johnson has claimed the UK is “beginning to turn the tide” on coronavirus but said a relaxation of lockdown would “risk a second major outbreak”.
The Prime Minister’s call to not lose patience comes as more businesses re-open and there’s more traffic on our roads.
Some firms have even taken staff back off the government’s Job Retention Scheme.
But despite signs of things getting busier, the majority of people are still sticking with the lockdown rules.
Combatting China, Cuba and Venezuela’s COVID-19 Propaganda War in Latin America
by Joseph M. Humire
The increasing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 might have originated in a Wuhan laboratory is sparking an intense global battle of credibility between Washington and Beijing. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), however, has already been fighting this war through an aggressive disinformation campaign against the U.S. in various parts of the world, including in Latin America.
Not since two Chinese colonels warned in 1999 that the country was engaged in “Unrestricted Warfare” against America has the U.S. government been on alert to the threat posed by China’s offensives worldwide.
In Latin America, this influence is shaped by China’s economic engagement: China has extended the region upwards of $142 billion in Chinese policy bank loans since 2007. Almost half these loans went to Venezuela, now bankrupt, where the regime of Nicolás Maduro has joined China and others in accusing the U.S. of manipulating the virus as a biowarfare weapon.
That belligerent behavior was followed by a medical “charm offensive” by China and Cuba, who have been sending doctors, medical supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to various countries in its geopolitical orbit. Even the Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba and one of China’s wealthiest citizens, has pledged to donate two million masks and 400,000 testing kits to 24 countries in Latin America.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15931/coronavirus-china-cuba-venezuela
Joe Biden’s relationship with China, ‘they make the Clintons look like cheapos’
Could China’s Coronavirus Surveillance Come to the US?
Violence increased in Afghanistan after US-Taliban deal, UN says
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/04/27/afghanistan-us-taliban-deal-violence-unama/
“Violence surged in Afghanistan in the weeks after the United States and the Taliban signed a deal supposed to pave the way for a peace process, a United Nations agency said Monday.
Afghans had enjoyed a period of relative calm ahead of the February 29 accord, but the conflict resumed almost as soon as the deal was signed, and the militant group has since rejected multiple calls for a ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“The report tracks a disturbing increase in violence during March at a time when it was hoped that the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban would commence peace negotiations,” the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement accompanying the release of its quarterly report.
More than 500 civilians were killed and over 700 injured during the first three months of the year, UNAMA said.
While casualty numbers rose in March, UNAMA noted that the overall toll for the first quarter of 2020 was down 29% from a year earlier, thanks to a lull in fighting in January and February – including a week-long partial truce – as U.S. and Taliban negotiators ironed out a withdrawal agreement.
Under the accord, American and other foreign forces have pledged to quit Afghanistan by July 2021 provided the Taliban stick to several security guarantees and hold talks with the government.
However, fighting spiked in March as the Afghan government and Taliban bickered over a number of issues, preventing negotiations between the two from opening.
“To safeguard the lives of countless civilians in Afghanistan and to give the nation hope of a better future, it is imperative that violence is stopped with the establishment of a ceasefire and for peace negotiations to commence,” UNAMA chief Deborah Lyons said.
The Taliban rejected the figures, claiming the report “conceals the daily crimes” committed by the government and U.S. forces.
UNAMA did, however, note that pro-government forces were responsible for more than twice as many child deaths than the insurgents were during the first quarter, mainly due to airstrikes and shelling.
Recent attacks have mostly been limited to rural areas and small towns. Under the framework of U.S.-Taliban deal, the insurgents have agreed not to attack cities.
The release of the U.N. report comes hours after the U.S. special envoy who brokered a deal with the Taliban called for the militants to implement a humanitarian ceasefire while Afghanistan tries to tackle its worsening coronavirus crisis.”
Saudi Arabia Purchases 60,000 Tons of Wheat From Ukraine
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2255391/saudi-arabia-purchases-60000-tons-wheat-ukraine
“Saudi Arabia’s state grain buyer SAGO on Monday said it bought 60,000 tons of Ukraine wheat from investment firm SALIC, marking its first purchase from agricultural investments overseas aimed at enhancing the country’s food security.
The Ukraine wheat cargo was bought at $248 a tonne, after the kingdom asked Saudi private investors with farmland overseas on April 6 to supply it with around 10% of its local needs this year.
The Saudi call comes as regional food importers scramble to beef up reserves as coronavirus lockdowns up-ended supply chains…”
Food Prices across Syria Double in a Year, Says WFP
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2255721/food-prices-across-syria-double-year-says-wfp
“Food prices in war-torn Syria have doubled in the past year to record levels, 14 times the average before the nine-year-old conflict, the World Food Program said Monday.
“Over the past 12 months, the price of WFP’s reference food basket has on average increased by 107 percent across Syria,” the UN agency said.
“This is 14 times the pre-crisis average and the highest ever recorded,” WFP spokeswoman Jessica Lawson told AFP.
Syria’s war has devastated the country’s economy since it started in 2011, and plunged 80 percent of its people into poverty, according to the UN.
Last week, millions of Muslims across Syria started celebrating the fasting month of Ramadan, many displaced from their homes and the large majority under lockdown to stem the novel coronavirus pandemic.
WFP said food prices had increased by 152 percent in the regime-controlled province of Sweida, followed by 133 percent in the central regions of Hama and Homs, also under the control of Damascus.
The Syrian capital followed, with prices jumping by 124 percent in just 12 months.
In Damascus, an AFP reporter said that over the past month a kilogram of tomatoes had doubled in price from 500 to 1,000 Syrian pounds.
A bunch of mint or parsley was going for triple the price three months ago, he said.
Syrians in regime-held areas have over the past year had to contend with price hikes, a fuel crisis and a plummeting Syrian pound on the black market.
The regime has blamed Western sanctions for the economic crisis, but analysts also say severe capital controls in neighboring Lebanon have contributed by hampering the influx of dollars to regime-held areas of Syria.
In February, authorities in Damascus launched a smart card system to allow families to access a limited amount of sugar, rice and tea at a discount.
Damascus has officially announced 43 cases of the COVID-19 illness, including three deaths. The UN has announced one fatality in the northeast of the country.
The war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions from their homes.”
Pakistan’s Imran Khan says youth can learn ‘Islamic values’ from Turkish series Ertugrul
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ramadan-pakistan-imran-khan-says-youth-learn-islamic-values-turkish-series-ertugrul
“Pakistan’s Prime Minister has said the country’s youth can learn Islamic ethics and values while sitting in front of the TV this Ramadan, after state-run broadcaster PTV began broadcasting the hit Turkish series Dirilis: Ertugrul, known as “Resurrection: Ertugrul” in English…”
Ramadan lights brighten spirits for Michigan Muslims under lockdown
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-times-american-city-celebrates-ramadan-lights
“The city, known as the capital of Arab America, sees bakeries teeming with customers, mosques spilling over with worshippers and heavy traffic after midnight as families join together to socialise around feasts of Arab food.
This year, however, Ramadan has returned under unfortunate circumstances.
With social distancing guidelines in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no large gatherings. Mosques have temporarily shut their doors. There are fewer people around iftar tables and Dearborn’s famed eateries are only serving food to go.
Adjusting to the new realities, some activists are organising a “Ramadan Lights” contest to celebrate the holy month.
In a somewhat recent tradition, some Muslim Americans have started decorating the facades of their homes, and community groups are making a fun competition out of it.
Halal Metropolis, an arts and culture collaborative from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the advocacy group Michigan Muslim Community Council, and Ramadan Suhoor Festival have announced a competition to pick the best lit-up homes for Ramadan in the area.
“Given Michigan’s shelter in place orders, which have closed the state’s mosques, museums, restaurants, and more, these organisations are hoping to create a bit of holiday cheer and to call attention to the local house decorating practices that make the city’s Muslim community so visible in this special season,” the groups said in a statement earlier this month.
Sense of celebration
Sally Howell, the co-founder of Halal Metropolis and a professor of Arab American studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said an “exuberant street life” develops in and around Dearborn during Ramadan. But this year, Ramadan was going to inevitably change. Even the solidarity in communal prayers at the mosque will be missing.
“The restaurants, they’re not going to be open. And there are not going to be these big parties or festivals taking place,” Howell told MEE. “What we’re hoping is that in calling attention to the lights, we would be providing some of that cheer and some of that sense of celebration.”
Participants are encouraged to submit photos of their decorated homes via an online form.
Ramadan Suhoor Festival, which was cancelled this year, had brought thousands of people together last year for pre-dawn meals, known as suhoor, served by dozens of food trucks under rows of decorative lights.
The festival embodied the cheerful togetherness of Ramadan in Michigan’s Muslim community.
Hassan Chami, a pharmacy owner who put the festival together, said the idea started a few years ago by bringing 10 pop-up food stands to a small parking lot in Dearborn.
The event was an instant success, drawing hundreds of people and prompting the organisers to move it to a larger space in the neighbouring city of Dearborn Heights. The expanded festival attracted huge crowds and grabbed the attention of local and national media outlets last year.
Chami said the festival aimed to create unity and bridge the gap between different components of the greater community – Shia and Sunnis; Arab Muslims and non-Arab Muslims; and Muslims and non-Muslims.
The event was also a charitable one, as the organisers donated the proceeds to the Amity Foundation, a local group that aids underprivileged families.
“We’re going to continue on with the mission of sharing by donating N-95 masks to hospitals and funeral homes in the area,” Chami told MEE.
As for the Ramadan Lights contest, Chami said it will be a celebration of the holy month.
“We’ll make it a fun thing. The plan is to keep the spirit of Ramadan high and the community very festive during these hard times,” Chami told MEE.
Acknowledging Ramadan
Kimberly Ismail, chair of Dearborn’s City Beautiful Commission, a municipal body that promotes business and residential aesthetics, said she was “excited” that the contest will encourage more people to decorate their homes.
“It’ll get more people to decorate and just acknowledge Ramadan a little bit more and make more of a presence in the city, which will be good because we need that,” Ismail told MEE.
It was too late for the City Beautiful Commission to be officially involved in the contest, but Ismail herself will be a judge in the competition.
As part of the project, the organisers will highlight and promote community organisations and individuals doing humanitarian work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“When I see our community stepping up and just going to town with all the giving that it does, there really isn’t a more joyful presence than that,” said Ismail, who won the Michigan Volunteer of the Year award from Governor Grechen Whitmer last year.
“And that’s what I believe Ramadan really represents. It represents giving back to your community.”
Dearborn City Council President Susan Dabaja, who is one of the judges for the Ramadan Lights contest, highlighted some positive aspects of the “different” conditions this year in a message she shared on Facebook.
“Staying home allows us more time to delve deeper into our relationship with God, connecting more spiritually with our inner-selves, and praying for better and healthier times for all humanity,” she wrote.
“It allows us more time with our closest loved ones, whether they live with you or you connect virtually – because you’re not out rushing from one thing to another.”
Howell, a historian who has written extensively about the Muslim community in Michigan, said the popularisation of Ramadan culture over the years turned night into day in Dearborn and lit the city up.
But as Ramadan celebrations become more visible in Michigan every year, anti-Muslim hate is on the rise nationwide, and Dearborn continues to be the target of misinformation campaigns about “creeping sharia” and “no go zones” by far-right internet users.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump retweeted a divisive post antagonising Muslim Americans with a specific mention of Ramadan.
“Let’s see if authorities enforce the social-distancing orders for mosques during Ramadan (April 23-May 23) like they did for churches during Easter,” the post by conservative writer Paul Sperry said.
Howell said the “proud, confident, extroverted, unashamed” expression of Muslim identity may have an underlying message: “We belong here. This is our community. This is our city. We’re American, too.”
“What could be more American than holiday lights to decorate your house,” the professor said.”
Doctors Without Borders warns of malaria outbreak in Yemen
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200427-doctors-without-borders-warns-of-malaria-outbreak-in-yemen/
“Doctors Without Borders (MSF) yesterday warned of an “increasing risk of malaria outbreak in Yemen”, as rain floods the country…”
UK carries out first airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq since September
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200427-uk-carries-out-first-airstrikes-against-daesh-in-iraq-since-september/
“The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on Saturday that it carried out its first airstrikes against Daesh earlier this month, the first such operation in seven months. The targets were Daesh militants in Tuz Khurmatu located in the south of Kirkuk, Iraq.
The “successful operation” on 10 April involved a pair of British Royal Air Force Typhoon jets along with a Reaper drone. The planes were based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
“The pair of Typhoons, assisted by an RAF Reaper aircraft, identified Daesh terrorists occupying a group of fortified buildings in an isolated location west of Tuz Khurma[tu], known to be inhabited by active terrorist commanders and fighters,” according to an online update.
“The aircraft conducted a thorough check of the area for non-combatants, before using a combination of precision guided bombs to destroy the buildings,” it stated…”
U.S. faces tough U.N. battle if it pushes plan to extend Iran arms embargo
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-sanctions/u-s-faces-tough-u-n-battle-if-it-pushes-plan-to-extend-iran-arms-embargo-idUSKCN22930E
“The United States faces a tough, messy battle if it uses a threat to trigger a return of all United Nations sanctions on Iran as leverage to get the 15-member Security Council to extend and strengthen an arms embargo on Tehran, diplomats said.
Washington has shared its strategy, confirmed by a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, with Britain, France and Germany, who are council members and parties to the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that prevents Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.
Under that deal, a U.N. arms embargo on Iran is due to expire in October. A U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the embargo has been given to Britain, France and Germany, the U.S. official confirmed, but U.N. diplomats said it has not been shared with the remaining 11 council members, including Russia and China.
“It will be dead on arrival,” predicted a Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France to be adopted. Diplomats said the United States would likely struggle to get Russia and China to allow an arms embargo extension.
The Russian and Chinese missions to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia and China are also parties to the Iran nuclear deal.
If the council does not extend the arms embargo, the next step in the U.S. plan would be to try and trigger a so-called snapback of all U.N. sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, using a process outlined in the nuclear deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump quit the agreement in 2018 and described the accord from Barack Obama’s presidency as “the worst deal ever.”
“It’s very difficult to present yourself as a compliance watcher of a resolution you decided to pull out of,” said a European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Either you’re in or either you’re out.”
However, a State Department legal argument, seen by Reuters late last year, made the case that Washington could still spark a sanctions snapback because it is named as a deal participant in a 2015 U.N. resolution that enshrines the nuclear agreement.
Some U.N. diplomats said that while legal opinions on whether the United States could do this were split, ultimately it would be up to council members to decide whether to accept a U.S. complaint of “significant non-performance” by Iran.
It is a move likely to be challenged, diplomats said.
“It’s going to be messy from a Security Council standpoint because, regardless of what (Britain, Germany and France) think, Russia and China are not going to sign up to that legal interpretation,” said a European official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the U.S. plan in a tweet on Monday, telling Washington to “stop dreaming.”
Iran has breached several central limits of the nuclear deal, including on its stock of enriched uranium, in response to the U.S. withdrawal and Washington’s reimposition of unilateral sanctions that have slashed Iran’s oil exports. The Europeans are trying to save the deal, but have made little progress.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has long been pushing for the Security Council to extend the arms embargo, establish “inspection and interdiction measures, in ports and on the high seas, to thwart Iran’s continuing efforts to circumvent arms restrictions” and prevent Iran from working on and testing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”
Center in Madrid Distributes Ramadan Food Aid to Moroccan Diaspora
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/04/300819/center-in-madrid-distributes-ramadan-food-aid-to-moroccan-diaspora/
“The International Cultural Center for Coexistence in Madrid launched a food distribution campaign to assist Moroccans living in the region.
The initiative is part of a voluntary campaign to assist people who are suffering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The center recruited 50 volunteers to provide support and assistance to the families of the Moroccan community residing in Madrid since Spain declared a state of emergency and imposed quarantine restrictions.
The center, based in Madrid suburb Las Rosas, explained that the humanitarian campaign seeks to help people who were affected by the country’s quarantine due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The campaign also assists immigrants and some Moroccan citizens who were stranded since the beginning of the state of emergency…”
Moroccan Police Arrest 5 Suspects Laayoune Planning Migration by Sea
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/04/300765/moroccan-police-arrest-5-suspects-laayoune-planning-migration-by-sea/
“The prefectural police of Laayoune in southern Morocco have investigated five men on suspicion of their involvement in facilitating irregular migration.
According to a notice from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) on Sunday, April 26, the DGSN received information the suspects were planning to organize an irregular migration attempt. The suspects allegedly planned to carry out the operation by sea and to depart from the coast in the south of Morocco.
Based on their information, police arrested the suspects, aged between 18 and 43, in a car in Laayoune. Two are Moroccans with a history of criminal charges, two are nationals of a sub-Saharan country, and DGSN gave no information about the fifth.
Searches revealed three life jackets, five inflatable boats, and mobile phones used for communication to coordinate the criminal activity.
Police placed the suspects in custody. The investigation by the public prosecutor’s office aims to determine the extent of the criminal network and consequently at arresting any other involved individuals…”
Migrants: 200 homeless after fire on Greek island Samos
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/04/27/migrants-200-homeless-after-fire-on-greek-island-samos_fcbce206-cd43-4309-9642-c4b940a4eec2.html
“Dozens of asylum seekers were left homeless after a fire devastated a camp on the Greek island of Samos, an official from the immigration ministry said on Monday. ”Some 200 people have remained homeless”, the secretary of the migration ministry, Manos Logothetis, told the AFP news agency.
The fire started on Sunday night after an ”internal controversy” between residents at the camp, he added. A second fire was reported on Monday in a new series of clashes between ”Arabic-speaking African” migrants, according to a local police source. Anti-riot police were deployed to restore order and seven people were arrested during the operation. The camp is extremely overcrowded with nearly 7,000 people living in a facility built to host a maximum of 650 guests.”
200 migration reporters sign up for The Local’s solutions journalism training
https://www.thelocal.at/20200427/200-migration-reporters-sign-up-for-the-locals-solutions-journalism-training
“More than 50 editors, reporters and freelancers from almost 25 countries have been selected to take part in The Local’s first training sessions for journalists interested in covering migration from a solutions journalism perspective.
Almost 200 journalists and students applied to take part in The Local’s workshops, which are based on solutions journalism methodology and how this can be adapted to the migration beat.
The participants were selected to create a cohort with as diverse a range of experience as possible.
The first round of training will take place online between May 5th and 27th, with four sessions in total. Trainees will learn about and discuss best practices for reporting on migration, a step-by-step guide for finding and reporting a solutions-focused story (as well as guidance on publications, funding and awards that support this kind of journalism), and how to make your reporting as inclusive as possible.
The curriculum has been developed independently by The Local. As a news organisation founded by immigrants for immigrants, we know that migration can be good, bad and everything in between. We want to tell the whole story – and we want to use our experience to help other journalists tell the whole story.
In a nutshell, solutions-focused stories are those that look into a response to a problem in a clear and critical way. That means investigating exactly how the response was carried out, examining any limitations or problems by reviewing the evidence, and looking into what we can learn from the idea.
We believe that coverage of how people are responding constructively to challenges is an essential part of journalism. By including this kind of reporting, journalists can help combat limited perspectives and damaging stereotypes, give their audience a fuller picture of what’s happening in the world without telling them what to think, and make their reporting more inclusive.
Solutions-focused stories on The Local:
How women and mums are working to make Sweden’s suburbs safer
What lessons can Sweden learn from its Yugoslavian refugees?
No-go zone? How one of Sweden’s roughest areas edged out its drug gangs
The next round of training is set to take place in autumn 2020, either in face-to-face sessions or online, depending on health and safety and travel restrictions. Exact locations and times will be determined based on successful applicants’ availability and location, and each training session is free for participants.
The training is made possible thanks to the EU-wide project MAX (Maximising Migrants’ Contributions to Society). Funded by the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, MAX aims to expand the public narrative around immigration in Europe and highlight stories of real people who have migrated and the communities they have joined.”
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