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.
Intel Agencies Reportedly Blame China for Scrapping Evidence of Virus Outbreak, Point Finger at WHO (sputniknews, May 2, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/world/202005021079168771-intel-agencies-reportedly-blame-china-for-scrapping-evidence-of-virus-outbreak-point-finger-at-who/
“Beijing has repeatedly denied allegations by Washington about China’s purportedly distorted COVID-19 death toll, stressing that it has been transparent while reporting on the coronavirus pandemic.
The Five Eyes intelligence agencies of the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia have allegedly accused China of scrapping evidence of the coronavirus outbreak, in what they claim amounts to an “assault on international democracy”.
In a 15-page research dossier, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, the Five Eyes painted an alleged picture of “how the Chinese government deliberately covered up the coronavirus by […] destroying evidence from the Wuhan laboratory and refusing to provide live virus samples to international scientists working on a vaccine”, according to the Australian newspaper.
The dossier also claimed that Chinese authorities denied COVID-19 could be spread between humans until 20 January, “despite evidence of human-human transmission from early December”. The Five Eyes also blame the World Health Organisation (WHO) for supporting Beijing’s stance.
The accusations come after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters on Friday that Canberra “has nothing” in terms of evidence to support speculations that the COVID-19 outbreak came from a Chinese lab late last year.
Morrison added that although “we know it [the outbreak] started” in China’s Wuhan, and “the most likely scenario that has been canvassed relates to wildlife wet markets”, it is “a matter that would have to be thoroughly assessed”…”
China ‘disappeared’ whistle-blowers and destroyed evidence – leaked dossier into cover-up (express, May 2, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1276852/china-coronavirus-covid19-cover-up-beijing-world-health-organization-pandemic-donald-trump
“A LEAKED dossier compiled by five international intelligence agencies, including the UK, has accused China of a cover-up in relation to the coronavirus pandemic.
The report was put together by the so-called Five Eyes intelligence agencies, consisting of spies from the UK, the US Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
They claim Beijing took several weeks to admit COVID-19 could be transferred directly from human to human, costing health officials precious time which could have been used to prepare for the impact.
Their failure to act is being blamed for costing tens of thousands of lives, in what the document describes as an “assault on international transparency”.
It also accuses Beijing of blatant censorship in a bid to prevent news of the outbreak spreading, by deleting key search terms including Wuhan Seafood Market – where the illness was first identified – from search engines.
The 15-page report – obtained by Australian newspaper The Saturday Telegraph – examines the timeline during which news of the illness first filtered out.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release on January 5 about “mystery lung disease” which was affecting 11 people, having been alerted on December 31 by the Chinese authorities.
However, the press release stated: “Based on the preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission.”
On January 14 – nine days after its initial press release – the WHO stuck to its line, tweeting: “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China”.
However, the Five Eyes report states the People’s Republic of China (PRC) knew this information to be inaccurate.
The document states: “Despite evidence of human-human transmission from early December, PRC authorities deny it until January 20.
“The World Health Organization does the same. Yet officials in Taiwan raised concerns as early as December 31, as did experts in Hong Kong on January 4.”
Furthermore, the report suggests Chinese authorities silenced or “disappeared” doctors who attempted to raise the alarm, with the case of Li Wenliang, who was investigated by police for “spreading rumours”, only to die of the virus in February, particularly well publicised.
The authorities are also accused in the report of destroying evidence in laboratories and refusing to provide samples to doctors trying to develop a vaccine.
Additionally, it accuses China of censoring news of the virus from New Year’s Eve onwards, scrubbing search terms such as “SARS variation,” “Wuhan Seafood market” and “Wuhan Unknown Pneumonia” from search engines.
The question of what China knew, and when they knew it, is at the heart of any discussion about COVID-19.
A report carried in the South China Morning Post last month cited leaked data indicated China had identified at least 266 cases of the disease by the last day of the year, suggesting the first had been identified on November 17.
A separate report published in medical journal The Lancet by doctors from Wuhan’s Jinyintan Hospital dated the first known infection to December 1.
While worldwide cases of COVID-19 continue to soar, China appears to have got the situation under control, officially at least.
The total number of cases according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Research Centre standing at 83,959 – up just one on yesterday, while the official death toll is 4,637 – although the accuracy of these figures is also hotly disputed.
Professor Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the School of African Studies (SOAS), telling Express.co.uk earlier this week: “There is no doubt China has been under-reporting the actual number of cases.
“Ultimately, everything at every level in China is political and this is no different.”
Wuhan resident Liu Pei’en, whose father died at the beginning of February, likewise said the figures specifically for his home city were vastly higher than the official tally during an interview with ITV.
He said: “The real number should be 10 times higher than the reported number.
“The death toll now is 2,500. The real number in Wuhan should be more than 20,000.
“It is impossible that only more than 2,000 died. Impossible.”
US President Donald Trump has vented his anger at both China and the WHO is recent days…”
Three Civilians Killed in Bomb Blast Near Prison in Afghanistan’s East – Governor’s Office (sputniknews, May 2, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/asia/202005021079169799-three-civilians-killed-in-bomb-blast-near-prison-in-afghanistans-east—governors-office/
“Three civilians were killed and four others sustained injuries after a motorcycle bomb went off near a prison in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Laghman on Saturday, the governor’s spokesman said.
“A bomb blast in front of the Laghman General Prison left three civilians killed and four others, including prison director Noor Mohammad Niazi, injured”, Asadullah Dawlatzai said, adding that it was a motorcycle bomb.
Locals revealed that the explosion took place at 11 a.m. local time (06:30 GMT).
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.
Earlier this week, four Afghan policemen were killed and five others were injured as Taliban militants carried out an attack on a security checkpoint in the Nachin area of the country’s central province of Oruzgan.”
Iran cover-up: COVID-19 inmates being ‘disappeared’, claims British-Iranian prisoner (express, May 2, 2020)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1276876/iran-coronavirus-latest-covid19-jail-prison-tehran-rouhani-nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe
“IRAN is “disappearing” prisoners with suspected coronavirus, a British-Iranian man served a 10-year sentence after being convicted of spying has claimed…”
White Grooming Gang Victim Racially Abused by ‘Far-Left Groups’ Online (breitbart, May 2, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/02/white-grooming-gang-victim-racially-abused-far-left-groups-online/
“A woman who was sexually abused by Pakistani grooming gang members is now receiving racist abuse from “far-left groups” for speaking out online.
Speaking under the pseudonym “Ella”, the woman revealed that she was called “a white s**g, a white c***, a white whore, a white b***h and a f****** gori which is their name for a white person” by her abusers, who raped her more than 100 times in Yorkshire, Northern England.
“We need to understand racially and religiously aggravated crime if we are going to prevent it and protect people from it and if we are going to prosecute correctly for it,” she told YorkshireLive.
“Prevention, protection and prosecution — all of them are being hindered because we are neglecting to properly address the religious and racist aspects of grooming gang crimes.
“It’s telling them that it’s OK to hate white people.”
Police, prosecutors, and judges have indeed actively resisted treating grooming gang crimes — perpetrated overwhelmingly by Muslim, usually South Asian origin men, against non-Muslim, usually white working-class girls — as racist, and have even backed handing harsher punishments to people who have abused Asian girls and explained that the “shame” they experience makes victimising them more serious than victimising white girls.
Ella’s attempts to highlight the racial and religious aspects of her abuse saw her receive “a lot of abuse from far-left extremists, and radical feminist academics,” however.
“[They] go online and they try to resist anyone they consider to be a Nazi, racist, fascist or white supremacist,” she explained.
“They don’t care about anti-white racism, because they appear to believe that it doesn’t exist.”
One of the tweets Ella received referred to a “white virus” and described its “carriers” as “hideously selfish, hideously inferior and hideously white”, adding that “the malice and ugliness of these ‘people’” should not be underestimated.
On reporting the tweet, however, she was shocked to be told by the social media giant that it did “not breach any of Twitter’s community guidelines.”
“Twitter is creating an environment where hatred towards whites is ‘normalised’, and this leads to even more anti-Western attacks, like the ones against me and hundreds of other girls in Rotherham,” she said.
“It’s telling them that it’s OK to hate white people, and that’s fundamentally wrong.””
Far-Left Antifa Arrested for Plotting Armed Attack on French Police (breitbart, May 2, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/02/far-left-antifa-extremists-arrested-plotting-armed-attack-french-police/
“French police arrested two far-left Antifa extremists who were armed with firearms and plotting an attack on police officers.
The two individuals were arrested simultaneously in the commune of Corbas and the municipality of Bourg-en-Bresse, located north-east of the city of Lyon.
The elite French police tactical unit Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence (RAID) undertook the operations that led to the arrests after investigators had learnt the pair had acquired firearms to carry out an attack, LyonMag reported on Thursday. The leftists are said to have prior criminal records and to be aged around 50.
The leftist arrested in Corbas was detained alongside another man whose apartment he was living in. The latter individual was released after proving that the many weapons found in his home were purchased legally.
The alleged plot against the police comes after members of the “ACAB Collective” made death threats against police officers in December, sending letters to the personal addresses of officers.
“ACAB” — or “All Coppers Are Bastards” — has become a familiar slogan used by far-left Antifa across France, Germany, the United States, and other countries.
In November of last year, a female Antifa extremist using the name “Marie ACAB-Land” was arrested in Paris at the first anniversary of the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement after it was claimed she had been spying on police officers. The 21-year-old had previously been arrested in Toulouse for documenting and photographing officers at another protest.
Attack plots against police in France by leftists are not new. An attack was foiled last year when five Antifa were arrested in August. They were allegedly plotting an attack on a hotel in Biarritz during the G7 conference, with some sources alleging they wanted to burn the hotel down with the officers inside.”
Misery of Italy’s migrants grows not from virus but lockdown (abcnews, May 2, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/misery-italys-migrants-grows-virus-lockdown-70468763
“They are known as “the invisibles”: Undocumented African migrants who, even before the coronavirus outbreak plunged Italy into crisis, barely scraped by as day laborers, prostitutes, freelance hairdressers and seasonal farm hands.
Locked down for two months in crumbling apartments in a mob-infiltrated town north of Naples, their hand-to-mouth existence has grown even more precarious with no work, no food and no hope.
Italy is preparing to reopen some business and industry on Monday in a preliminary easing of its virus shutdown. But there is no indication that “the invisibles” of Castel Volturno will get back to work anytime soon, and no evidence that the government’s social nets will ease their misery.
“I need help. Help me. For my children, for my husband, I need help,” said a tearful Mary Sado Ofori, a Nigerian hairdresser and mother of three who has been holed up in her overcrowded apartment block. She ran out of milk for her 6-month old, and is getting by on handouts from a friend.
A patchwork team of a volunteers, medics, a priest, a cultural mediator and local city hall officials are trying to make sure “the invisibles” aren’t forgotten entirely, delivering groceries daily to their choked apartments and trying to provide health care. But the need is outstripping the resources.
“There is an emergency within the COVID emergency which is a social emergency,” said Sergio Serraiano, who runs a health clinic in town. “We knew this was going to happen, and we were waiting for it from the beginning.”…”
India says 2 soldiers killed in Pakistani firing in Kashmir (abcnews, May 2, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/india-soldiers-killed-pakistani-firing-kashmir-70468798
“Two Indian soldiers were killed and another wounded in Pakistani firing in Kashmir, the Indian military said Saturday, as tensions continued to escalate along the volatile and highly militarized frontier between the archrivals in the disputed Himalayan region.
Pakistan’s military said a young woman was wounded when Indian soldiers fired rockets and mortars along the frontier on Friday. In the past, the countries have accused each other of starting border skirmishes in the divided region, which both claim in its entirety.
Col. Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesman, said Pakistani soldiers late Friday targeted forward posts in the western Uri area along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the two countries. He said the attack was a violation of the 2003 cease-fire accord.
Kalia said three soldiers were wounded, with two of them dying at a hospital. Indian soldiers “retaliated strongly,” he said, a phrase used after almost every such confrontation.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it summoned an Indian diplomat on Saturday to protest alleged cease-fire violations that wounded a young woman…”
French soldier killed in anti-insurgent operations in Mali (abcnews, May 2, 2020)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/french-soldier-killed-anti-insurgent-operations-mali-70469331
“France’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that a French soldier has been killed in Mali during operations against “armed terrorist groups.”
A military tanker belonging to the French-led Operation Barkhane was hit by an improvised explosive device on April 23 in the Liptako region of southeast central Mali.
Two soldiers were wounded by device and were taken for care immediately. One is currently in a stable condition but the other died of his injuries.
In a statement Saturday, Defense Staff Chief Gen. François Lecointre noted his “deep sadness to the memory of this soldier who died for France.”
Operation Barkhane, which succeeded Operation Serval but has a much wider geographic scope, is targeting Islamist groups in Africa’s Sahel region.”
Has all of Europe been cheated by Italy – 96% of all those who died are said not to have died of the coronavirus.
No head of government like Italy’s Giuseppe Conte harassed his citizens like this.
The police and the military have been compelling citizens not to leave their homes for six weeks now.
If you want to buy a liter of milk, you have to fill out an extensive form.
With a speech characterized by despair, politician and art historian Scarbi Scatenetao caused a sensation in the Italian parliament.
Over 96% of all so-called “corona dead” are said not to have died of the pandemic at all.
(The subtitle of this Speech is in German)
“https://player.vimeo.com/video/412447555”
I have no idea why it didn’t show in the post?
Let’s give the Site-details on which the Video is embedded instead
https://www.new-swiss-journal.com/post/wurde-ganz-europa-von-italien-betrogen-96-aller-verstorbenen-sollen-keine-corona-toten-sein
Mississauga Mayor, Bonnie Crombie is all warm and fuzzy about broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer. This woman is a danger to Canadian values.
Is she aware of the statements made by.Muslim scholars in Canada?
Imam Mazin Abdul-Adhim, living in London, Ontario, the Canadian head of Hibz ut-Tahrir, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood hoods. An immigrant from Iraq, this man calls afor the caliph, Shari’ah law and proudly states Canadian soldiers are war criminals.
She and ALL Canadians should be aware of Islamic school’s statements:
“It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to Impose its laws on all nations and to extend its powers to the entire planet”.
Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood hoods
“Here, we allow the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Dr. El-Tantawi Attia, Executive Director, Dundas Street mosque, Muslim Association of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“We do not work for anything else and anybody else but the establishment of Allah’s government”.
Maulana Asad Jafri, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I understand an ignorant person, who has listened to Justine Thursday, might not recognize the threat to Canadian security, the Muslim Brotherhood hoods put all of us in with comments like “Islam is not incompatible with free and open secular democracies”,
however one should be aware that the Islamic Circle of North America, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, issues statements like “Islam is totally INCOMPATIBLE with Western democracy”.
Mark Twain said “Rags, wretchedness, poverty and dirt, those signs and symbols that indicate the presence of Muslim rule more surely than the crescent flag itself abound”.
Recommended reading for Bonnie Crombie, Justine Trudeau, media people kind and politicians:
The Qur’an
Sayyid Qutb
Submission by Thomas Quiggin
Bonnie Crombie
Mississauga City Council – April 29 2020
Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his sister, reappears in public after 20-day absence and amid rumors about his health
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days as he celebrated the completion of a fertilizer factory near Pyongyang, state media said Saturday, ending an absence that had triggered global rumors that he may be seriously ill.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported that Kim attended the ceremony Friday in Sunchon with other senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo Jong, who many analysts predict would take over if her brother is suddenly unable to rule.
State media showed videos and photos of Kim wearing a black Mao suit and constantly smiling, walking around facilities, applauding, cutting a huge red ribbon with a scissor handed by his sister, and smoking inside and outside of buildings while talking with other officials.
Seemingly thousands of workers, many of them masked, stood in lines at the massive complex, roaring in celebration and releasing balloons into the air. A sign installed on a stage where Kim sat with other senior officials read: “Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory; Completion Ceremony; May 1, 2020.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-north-korea-kim-jong-un-public-appearance-20200501-bo7l5qzovbc2ha4acgwxsu5yti-story.html
Kim Jong-un dead? Suspicions over latest picture as expert warns it ‘doesn’t look right’
PICTURES apparently proving North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is alive and well may not be all they seem, an expert in the secretive country has said, pointing out there is no way of verifying when the photographs were actually taken.
[…] journalist Roy Calley, author of Look With Your Eyes and Tell the World, an account of his numerous visits to the Hermit State as a tourist, is not convinced.
He told Express.co.uk: “Maybe I’m just being cynical but it does not look right to me.
“There is no way of telling when this picture was taken
“They have history with this kind of thing – he went missing before, for 40 days, and when he returned he was walking with a cane because of an operation.
“The thing is he is not a fit human being whatever way you look at it.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1276926/Kim-jong-un-dead-north-korea-latest-picture-kim-yo-jong-donald-trump
=============================================
North Korea’s Kim seen smoking during factory visit after weeks of health rumours
CNN – Erin Burnett asks: Why would North Korea release this photo now?
CBC – Kim Jong-un making public appearances, says North Korean state media
Escalation of peace of a corona-related arrest in Berlin.
Video in German, but it’s a no-brainer: police yells things like “get on the ground”:
https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7903483_14667f53
The video has a dumpert watermark. There must be a clean version somewhere, did a quick YT search but found nothing.
I forgot to mention that the suspect spat the police woman in the face. I think that in Germany, that counts as assault, and in times of an epidemic probably earns you jail times. In the Netherlands, you can get 1.5 years in jail for that.
Afghanistan: “Corona doesn’t harm Muslims” – mass Ramadan prayers held despite COVID-19 spread
Followers of Salafist mullah, Maollawi Mujib Rahman Ansari gathered near Gazer Gah Sharif pilgrimage site, in Herat, to attend Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan despite the coronavirus spread.
Footage shows people praying without keeping social distance regarded essential to fight the spread of the virus.
“We don’t care about the coronavirus. We believe Allah created the coronavirus. I think it is just a creation of Allah, just as we are. It was Allah’s will to create such a virus,” said one of the attendees.
“We are Muslims. We believe in Allah. The coronavirus doesn’t harm Muslims and we don’t care about COVID-19. We 100% don’t care” added another worshipper.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Afghanistan has registered 2,335 cases of the coronavirus cases with 68 deaths relates to the disease.
Mass prayer defies COVID-19 measures in Afghanistan during Ramadan
Arrest on Soetendaalseweg, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Police officer (lightly) rammed by car, one shot fired:
https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7902363_7e39ff50
The suspect who first runs away and then tries to enter the car had been approached by police before. He looks turkish to me.
Story here (dutch and english)
https://www.facebook.com/112regiozuidholland/posts/2005351386274844
Man slashes own neck with broken beer bottle in the Netherlands. Police enter his appartment, he gets tasered on balcony:
https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7902419_2dbf3cda
The man who runs to the left at start of the video is a paramedic.
I don’t know anything else about this story. Don’t know if it’s quarantine-related, ramadan-related or drug-induced psychosis (or combination).
CBC – ‘Hateful’ graffiti found on Vancouver’s Chinese Cultural Centre
Vancouver police are asking for help in identifying a male suspect after someone defaced several large windows of the Chinese Cultural Centre with what officers called “hateful” graffiti.
India Reports Two Pakistani Terrorists Dead After Clash in Northern Kashmir (sputniknews, May 2, 2020)
https://sputniknews.com/india/202005021079172206-india-reports-two-pakistani-terrorists-dead-after-clash-in-northern-kashmir/
“The situation in the disputed region remains tense, with constant attacks on Indian forces and frequent clashes between the government and the militants that oppose New Delhi.
Indian security forces have killed two terrorists who were hiding in a cowshed in Handwara, northern Kashmir. According to reports, the men forced the owner to let them in, holding him at the gunpoint. And the moment, there is no official information about the identities of the deceased.
Kashmir police have confirmed the incident on their official Twitter account…”
Merkel’s Party Backs Public Islamic Prayer Broadcasts During Ramadan (breitbart, May 2, 2020)
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/02/merkel-party-back-public-islamic-prayer-broadcasts-during-ramadan/
“Several German parties, including the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Chancellor Angela Merkel, have expressed support for allowing public broadcasts of the Islamic call to prayer during Ramadan across Germany.
The CDU, Social Democrats (SPD), and Greens have all welcomed granting special permissions to mosques across the country to broadcast the call to prayer during Ramadan, with some citing “solidarity” during the Chinese coronavirus outbreak as the reason.
“We are in an exceptional situation in which the constitutionally protected practise of faith and religious life in Germany have been enormously restricted for a good reason,” CDU religious policy spokesman Christoph de Vries told Die Welt.
He added that he “therefore considers temporary permission to allow the call to prayer as a symbolic sign of solidarity and common ground to be justifiable”.
Lars Castellucci of the SPD stated that it was up to local authorities to decide whether or not to allow the broadcast of the call to prayer, but urged that “It would be a good thing for them to be allowed in this exceptional situation for the time of Ramadan — as a sign of solidarity and comfort for the believers.”
The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) roundly rejected the idea, with religious spokesman Volker Münz saying the party did not support the measure and denying comparisons between the call to prayer and the ringing of church bells, saying the phrase “Allah hu Akbar” was a “claim to power”.
Germany is not the only country to consider allowing the call to prayer. In the city of Mississauga in Canada, located just outside of Toronto, Mayor Bonnie Crombie amended local laws to allow the Islamic prayer to broadcast during the month of Ramadan, according to the Toronto Sun.
“Council’s decision today to support the symbolic broadcasting of the call to prayer during Ramadan this year will provide inspiration, familiarity, and comfort to our city’s Muslim community during this challenging time,” the mayor said.
The public broadcast of the call to prayer has been a debate in other Western countries in recent years, too, including in Sweden, where the right to broadcast the call on Fridays was granted to a mosque in the city of Växjö in 2018.”
After rumours about health, North Korea state media report Kim Jong Un appearance
SEOUL (Reuters) – After weeks of intense speculation about the health of Kim Jong Un, state news agency KCNA said on Saturday the North Korean leader attended the completion of a fertilisers plant north of Pyongyang, the first report of his appearance since April 11.
Reuters could not independently verify the KCNA report.
https://www.oann.com/kcna-reports-north-korea-leader-kim-jong-un-resuming-public-activity/
The art of re-emergence: North Korea leader Kim appears after long gap
SEOUL (Reuters) – When North Korea broke a three-week silence on leader Kim Jong Un’s public activity on Saturday, it offered no clue where he has been during a period of intense global speculation about his health and whereabouts, or why he was hidden from the public for so long.
Instead, state media simply showed him surrounded by aides and appearing confident at a gleaming fertiliser factory that is believed by outside experts to be part of a secret nuclear-weapons programme.
https://www.oann.com/the-art-of-re-emergence-north-korea-leader-kim-appears-after-long-gap/
BREAKING: Sources Close to John Durham Say Criminal Actions Laid Out in Recent DOJ Documents Enough to Bring Charges Against Obama Deep State Officials (VIDEO)
Lou Dobbs reported on Friday that sources familiar with the John Durham investigation say Durham believes the criminal actions laid out in recently released documents are sufficient to bring charges against Obama FBI and DOJ.
This is very big news!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/breaking-sources-close-john-durham-say-criminal-actions-laid-recent-doj-documents-enough-bring-charges-obama-deep-state-officials-video/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=the-gateway-pundit&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content=weekend
Instant classic: AP’s image for ‘assault-style’ gun ban story
By J.E. Dyer May 1, 2020-
We ran a headline earlier on Justin Trudeau’s new ukase, which prohibits what he calls “military-grade, assault-style” weapons in Canada. The edict will reportedly affect some 1,500 listed guns.
There’s room for plenty of commentary about the executive move by Trudeau, and all the usual issues attending gun bans. This one weasel-words the prospect of confiscation, but clearly is expected to involve that. It is noticeably deficient in tangible assurances to gun owners. It speaks of a two-year “grace period” in which decisions will be made about (implied) confiscations and (possible) “grandfathering” of ownership. That sounds like a ploy for getting as many Canadians as possible to just give up their guns, as they wait in increasing frustration for an actual grandfathering plan that will never come.
At any rate, the AP story itself couldn’t be more classic as an example of the mainstream media’s reporting on firearms. AP chose to run the story, entitled “Canada bans assault-style weapons after shooting rampage,” with this image:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/05/01/instant-classic-aps-image-for-assault-style-gun-ban-story/
Germany: Several protesters detained at anti-lockdown demo in Berlin
Channel 4 – The ‘ostrich alliance’: world leaders who deny the threat of coronavirus
They’ve been dubbed the ‘ostrich alliance’ – the handful of world leaders who’ve taken the ‘stick your head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist’ approach to coronavirus. Like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, who’s dismissed it as hysteria.
Central Park hospital to close as New York COVID-19 cases fall
An emergency field hospital erected in Central Park to treat COVID-19 patients is to close, the group running it announced Saturday, as coronavirus cases continue to decline in New York.
Some dozen tents, with ventilators, went up on a lawn opposite Mount Sinai Hospital at the end of March as the Big Apple boosted hospital capacity for the outbreak’s peak.
Samaritan’s Purse, a US-based Christian global relief agency, said the temporary hospital had treated 191 people infected with coronavirus and would stop admitting new patients from Monday.
It will take approximately two weeks to treat the last patients before the tents are decontaminated and taken down, it added in a statement sent to AFP.
“This marks a significant turning point in the coronavirus outbreak in New York because it means the case numbers are declining to the point that the local healthcare system will be able to meet the needs,” the charity said.
The field hospital proved controversial, with LGBT groups pointing out that staff and volunteers are required to sign a “statement of faith” stressing that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
Saturday’s announcement comes after the US military hospital ship USNS Comfort sailed out of New York on Thursday.
The navy vessel and Central Park hospital were part of a massive operation to double the number of hospital beds in New York state to 110,000.
That included converting the Javits Convention Center and the home of the US Open tennis tournament into emergency field hospitals.
But hospital admissions came in much lower than the worst-case projections because of the city’s weeks-long shutdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo has said.
Javits is due to close its temporary hospital next week.
Cuomo announced Saturday that 299 New Yorkers had succumbed to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, marginally up from the 289 recorded the day before.
He added that hospitalizations and intubations continued to fall.
Cuomo is expected to this week extend a stay-at-home past May 15 for the state’s badly affected areas.
The illness has killed almost 19,000 people across New York state, in one of the world’s worst outbreaks.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200502-central-park-hospital-to-close-as-new-york-covid-19-cases-fall
GREECE – SAMOS – Muslims set the camp ablaze a second time the day just after the first fire
the new temporary camp on Samos
SAMOS
SAMOS
Two videos of Arabic-speaking people fighting in the Van Lierestraat, Katwijk, the Netherlands. A knife is pulled.
https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7903597_47b6b769
A dutch-speaking woman and man can be heard in the second video (it seems to me they’re screaming out of a window, in any case they’re not in the frame).
Has the Outbreak Woken Up the Europeans? – Zooming In
Armed police patrol 24/7 in Chinese city; China refuses investigation of virus origin
Elon Musk Deliberately Nukes Tesla Stock Price
Hong Kong police spray tear gas at protesters
CBC – Federal government says Canada Post must deliver Epoch Times despite union objection
Union rep asked minister to halt delivery of coronavirus issue over carrier concerns it could stoke hate
The federal government has declined a request from a postal workers union local in Toronto to issue an order stopping delivery of a special coronavirus edition of the Epoch Times, because it doesn’t meet the criminal threshold for hate speech.
The special eight-page edition is headlined, “How the Chinese Communist Party Endangered the World.” It includes an editorial arguing the coronavirus should be called the “CCP virus,” a reference to the Chinese Communist Party, as well as an opinion piece that raises questions over whether the virus could have been created as a bioweapon by the Chinese military.
Derek Richmond, vice-president of the Scarborough local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in northeastern Toronto, said copies started showing up in some mail stations in the city last Friday. Several union members expressed concern the newspaper could fuel hatred toward the Chinese Canadian community, Richmond said.
The next day, Richmond wrote to Public Services Minister Anita Anand, the minister responsible for Canada Post, to ask for an interim order to stop delivery of the newspaper.
“We felt that Canada Post was very irresponsible in accepting this material, and it’s putting not only the Asian community at risk of xenophobia, but our letter carriers as well,” said Richmond.
A spokesperson for CUPW’s national executive committee said the union is aware of the concerns and has brought them to the attention of Canada Post.
“CUPW considers this item to be inflammatory, and we disagree with our members being put in a position to have to distribute this messaging. We will continue to monitor the situation,” said Carl Girouard, the national grievance officer for CUPW, in an email to CBC News.
Anand notified Richmond on Monday that she wouldn’t take steps to stop delivery, but assured him that her “officials will look into this further.”
“Decisions made by Canada Post to deliver or refuse delivery of neighbourhood mail are subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” wrote Cecely Roy, a spokesperson for the public services minister, in an email to CBC News.
“An initial assessment of this material does not appear to meet the required criteria of the offence of wilful promotion of hatred, as established in the Criminal Code of Canada. However, further assessment is ongoing.”
CBC News reached out to the Canadian publisher of Epoch Times, Cindy Gu, to ask about Richmond’s request and Anand’s response but did not receive a reply before publication.
Earlier in the week, in an email to CBC News, Gu said the Epoch Times has recently been distributing sample copies in select areas of “a special edition on Beijing’s coverup that led to a global pandemic,” because the newspaper considers the information to be important to Canadians.
“We regard this sampling as an act of good citizenship,” she wrote.
The Epoch Times is a non-profit media organization founded by Chinese immigrants in the U.S. in 2000. It is closely associated with followers of Falun Gong, a religious practice that was declared a cult by the Chinese government in 1999. Falun Gong members have been persecuted by the Chinese government, including being jailed and tortured, according to human rights groups.
In a statement to CBC News, Canada Post said the agency is obligated to deliver any mail that is properly prepared and paid for, unless it is considered non-mailable matter.
“The Courts have told Canada Post that its role is not to act as the ‘censor’ of mail or to determine the extent of freedom of expression in Canada,” the agency said in a statement.
“This is an important distinction between Canada Post and private sector delivery companies. Any views we may have about the content do not change our obligation to deliver.”
‘We simply asked questions’
In a statement Thursday, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the umbrella body for U.S. spy agencies, said it concurs with “the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.”
The statement also says the U.S. will continue to rigorously examine intelligence to “determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, [China].”
Gu, the publisher of the Epoch Times, says the Wuhan lab is a small part of their reporting on the coronavirus.
“We simply asked questions like many others. In the past, CCP top military officials openly talked about the development of bioweapons. Whether the virus is engineered or not has neither been proven nor disproven at this point,” she wrote in an email.
Scientists who have compared changes in the novel coronavirus genome against other coronaviruses say the virus almost certainly evolved naturally and recently made the leap from wild animals to humans just as both SARS and MERS coronaviruses did, probably as the result of close animal-human contact.
Letter carriers upset
After CBC News published a story about the newspaper on Wednesday, Canadians in Calgary, Whitehorse, Ottawa, several rural Ontario locations and Montreal reached out to report receiving a copy, though they are not subscribers to the weekly paper.
Two letter carriers in Toronto, both of Asian descent, wrote to their union to express concerns over the Epoch Times. CBC News is not naming them because they say they could face disciplinary action for speaking out.
“The title of this particular newspaper could cause a lot of hatred toward Asians,” wrote one carrier in an email to the union.
“There is a difference between Chinese and Chinese Communist Party, but in reality, people would ignore the difference and blame everything on the Chinese.”
Another carrier echoed those thoughts in an email to the union.
“Not only are there a number of our own employees that are offended by this content, but this flyer will be sent all over the [Greater Toronto Area],” he wrote. “During this sensitive time with the COVID-19 pandemic, such content may provoke hatred and discrimination toward the Chinese-Canadian community.”
But Gu, the publisher of the Epoch Times, says the newspaper clearly distinguishes between the Chinese government and the people.
“Some people may have erroneously conflated criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with criticism of the Chinese people. The Chinese Communist Party does not represent the Chinese people or China,” she wrote.
“Understanding the difference is vital and will eliminate racial tension, as people come to understand that the criticism of the handling of the virus is of the CCP, not the Chinese people.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-post-federal-government-epoch-times-1.5549462?cmp=rss
Coronavirus: Is China Getting Better
Beijing Military Compounds Tighten Security Amid Pandemic | CCP Virus | COVID-19 | Coronavirus
1,764 views
•May 2, 2020
192
Just how much civil unrest is happening in China?
Is there some type of opposition group that can threaten the families of Military Officers?
Lockdown 3.0: Relaxations And Restrictions In Red, Orange And Green Zones
Madness in Michigan!
“Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic”
Jeffrey A. Tucker – May 1, 2020
Excerpts:
In my lifetime, there was another deadly flu epidemic in the United States. The flu spread from Hong Kong to the United States, arriving December 1968 and peaking a year later. It ultimately killed 100,000 people in the U.S., mostly over the age of 65, and one million worldwide.
Nothing closed. Schools stayed open. All businesses did too. You could go to the movies. You could go to bars and restaurants. John Fund has a friend who reports having attended a Grateful Dead concert. In fact, people have no memory or awareness that the famous Woodstock concert of August 1969 – planned in January during the worse period of death – actually occurred during a deadly American flu pandemic that only peaked globally six months later. There was no thought given to the virus which, like ours today, was dangerous mainly for a non-concert-going demographic.
https://www.aier.org/article/woodstock-occurred-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic/
After Midnight – Sunday Morning – 12:30AM – August 17, 1969
“Hmm, how convenient… Check out this death chart…”
Scroll down to see chart
By Kane – May 1, 2020
https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/hmm-how-convenient-check-out-this-death-chart/
Circuit breaker measures to ease progressively from May 5 | Task force press conference (May 2)
COVID-19: Singapore to allow home-based food businesses, food retail outlets to resume from May 12
Leaked Documents Show China Hid Info On Virus Human Transmission; Secret Social Monitoring Exposed
Be sure and pay attention around 18 minutes when he starts reading from “Road to Serfdom”.
“We Would Have Called It Fake News”
By J. B. Williams – May 1, 2020
Excerpt:
Imagine that in June of 2019, one of those many “conspiracy theorists” had posted all over social media that by April 1, 2020, the American government would be totally controlling…
When you can leave your home for any reason
Who is an “essential worker”
Which businesses can remain open and which ones can’t
Who can work and who can’t
Where you can shop and where you can’t
What you must wear when they allow you to leave your home
How often you need to wash your hands
What you can buy and what you can’t
What you can eat and what you can’t
What you can say and what you can’t
Who you must listen to and who you can’t
Where you have to stand in public, complete with mandatory footprints on the floor
Who can keep their business and who can’t
What entertainment options you have and which you don’t
How many people can “peaceably assemble” and where
Whether or not you can attend the church of your choice
Whether or not you can see your doctor
Which illnesses matter and which ones don’t
The cause of death, despite evidence to the contrary
When and where you can travel
That the CDC would be the new lawmaking branch of government
We ALL would have called the “conspiracy theorist” nutty, all of it “fake news” or a bad April Fool’s Day joke…
We would have said “our government can’t and won’t ever do that”… and we would have been wrong.
We would have said “the American people will never stand for it”… and we would have been wrong about that too.
Yet, here we are at the end of April 2020 and all of this has happened in a country where things like this “could never happen.” It has happened… The “conspiracy theorist” would have been proven right. The rest of us, proven wrong…
https://newswithviews.com/we-would-have-called-it-fake-news/
Just one more thing. Roll up your sleeve….
“Blood Tests May Be Needed To Fly?
Weasel Zippers via Axios – May 1, 2020
https://www.weaselzippers.us/448083-blood-tests-may-be-needed-to-fly/
Arms Ban Extension to Trigger Iran’s Harsh Response, Spokesman Warns
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/05/02/2255626/arms-ban-extension-to-trigger-iran-s-harsh-response-spokesman-warns
“Iran has sent a clear message to the US that extension of a UN arms embargo will draw a harsh response from the Islamic Republic, the Iranian administration’s spokesman said…”
ISIS Kills 10 PMF Fighters in Coordinated Attack in Iraq
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2264156/isis-kills-10-pmf-fighters-coordinated-attack-iraq
“ISIS militants killed at least 10 Iraqi militiamen in a coordinated assault overnight near the central city of Samarra, security officials said Saturday, adding to concerns the extremist group that once controlled large areas of the country is staging a comeback.
The military and the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite militias allied with the government, confirmed the attack in separate statements. It was the deadliest of a series of attacks in recent weeks that come as authorities are grappling with a worsening economic crisis and trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak…”
Islamic Affairs Ministry launches Iftar program in Bosnia, Argentina, Malaysia
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/592601/SAUDI-ARABIA/Islamic-Affairs-Ministry-launches-Iftar-program-in-Bosnia-Argentina-Malaysia
“The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center in Sarajevo, launched the program of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for Ramadan Iftar (breaking fast) for the year 1441 AH, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Hani Bin Abdullah Momena and a number of Bosnian officials.
King Fahd Cultural Center’s Director Dr. Mohammed Bin Hassan Al Sheikh stated that given the global health conditions this year, the program will be implemented through food baskets distributed to the needy people in all regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He indicated that the program will be implemented in the rest of the Balkan countries also covered by the program, stressing it will be implemented in Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro and it will benefit 60,000 individuals.
He thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their continuous support to their brothers in Bosnia and Herzegovina through these projects, especially in light of the spread of the Coronavirus.
The Ministry, represented by the King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, launched the program for Ramadan Iftar, which targets nearly 4,000 individuals in Argentina…”
Turkey calls on UAE to stop hostile stance against Ankara
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200502-turkey-calls-on-uae-to-stop-hostile-stance-against-ankara/
“On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government to stop its hostile stance against Turkey.
This came in a statement by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy in response to a question regarding a statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation targeting Turkey.
“The statement issued today by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is an attempt to hide a hypocritical policy of a country that provides all forms of support to coup plotters,” asserted Aksoy, stressing that Turkey has always shown respect for the political unity of Arab countries and the territorial integrity of their lands.
He also stated that from this standpoint, Turkey has stood with legitimacy in Libya and supported the efforts of a political solution, adding that Ankara will continue its principal position.
Aksoy insisted that the “ugly” and “baseless” accusations made by the UAE administration were attempts to conceal its own “destructive policies”, Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
He pointed out that the UAE has provided weapons, military supplies and mercenaries for years to the coup plotters in Libya.
Aksoy further explained that the international community is aware of the UAE’s movements of shaking international stability, security and peace in the entire region, including Yemen, Syria and the Horn of Africa, not just Libya.
Aksoy continued: “In this context, the UAE’s support for terrorist groups, on top of which Al-Shabaab movement, and separatist activities in Yemen are not a secret, and we call on the UAE administration to stop taking a hostile stance against our country and not cross lines.”
“We stress again that stability and security in the region can be achieved through supporting the Libyan political agreement and the legitimate Government of National Accord (GNA), and not through illegal gangs that indiscriminately target civilians,” he asserted.
In December 2015, the Libyan parties signed a political agreement in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, which led to the formation of a presidential council leading the GNA, in addition to the extension of the parliament, and the establishment of a higher state council, but General Khalifa Haftar has sought to hinder and topple it for years.”
Experts: ‘UAE waging immoral war against Morocco’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200502-experts-uae-waging-immoral-war-against-morocco/
“Moroccan experts unanimously agree that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is waging an “immoral revenge war” against their country, due to Rabat’s political stance on Arab issues, most notably the siege of Qatar and the war in Yemen and Libya.
During the past few days, Morocco was subjected to an attack by UAE-sponsored “electronic flies”, accusing the country’s government and its president Saadeddine Othmani of failing to contain the coronavirus crisis and to secure the population’s needs, while rumouring that Morocco is heading into a famine.
The term “electronic flies” is used by activists to describe the troll-like social media accounts that pump out propaganda messages.
In their response to the attack, Moroccan media launched the hashtag “Thank you Othmani”, which went viral on social media platforms.
In a symposium entitled “Beyond the electronic flies attack on Morocco: Backgrounds and targets” organised by the local news website Banassa on Thursday evening, political analyst Manar Al-Salimi stated: “We are talking about an immoral and revenge war that the UAE is waging against Morocco, which can be interpreted in multiple directions.”
Al-Salimi added:
There is an excruciating war going on and “electronic flies” are one of its manifestations.
He pointed out that Morocco is a “well respected country with a strong historical influence,” reminding Abu Dhabi that Rabat “was the UAE’s guarantor to join the United Nations.”
The political analyst described the war launched against his country as: “A retaliation against its political stances, most notably Morocco’s refusal to endorse the siege of Qatar and the war in Yemen and Libya; in addition to expressing its unwillingness to interfere in the ongoing conflict in Libya, after planning the Skhirat Agreement initiative, which has been hindered by General Khalifa Haftar, the UAE’s protégé.”
In December 2015, the Libyan warring parties signed a political agreement in the Moroccan city of Skhirat, which resulted in establishing the Presidential Council of Libya to lead the Government of National Accord (GNA), extending the parliament’s mandate, and forming the Supreme Council of State. However, Haftar sought for years to block and cancel the accord.
On 5 June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain decided to cut ties with Qatar, after accusing the Qatari authorities of supporting terrorism. Consequently, Doha denied these allegations, and condemned what it referred to as a “defamation campaign based on lies and fabrications”.
Journalist Abdel Samad Benabad confirmed that the attack launched by the UAE-sponsored “electronic flies” failed to:
Disrupt social and political harmony in Morocco during a time when all national components came together to combat the pandemic.
Benabad added that Morocco managed to move from: “A stage of steadfastness to proving a sense of creativity in facing the coronavirus pandemic, in a way that tempted many Western countries to discuss positively the Moroccan experience. We heard French politicians talking about it with admiration.”
He indicated that the Western world’s admiration for the Moroccan endeavour to contain the spread of the virus: “Has angered those who refuse to recognise successful experiences, and prompted them to use electronic flies to attack Rabat. However, Morocco countered the attack and managed to frustrate the scheme and exposed the perpetrators and the ill intentions behind the vicious campaign.”
As for Khaled Al-Shayat, a political analyst and professor of international relations at Mohamed I University in Oujda, he considered that the campaign launched by the UAE is:
A profitable business for the people who work in it. However, the attack has no tangible effect on the image of Morocco in general, as it is restricted to the virtual world.
Al-Shayat confirmed that: “This method is part of a general tendency to sabotage other countries and is a sign of bad faith in directing foreign policies.”
He continued: “We will not be surprised if there is an attack on the territorial integrity of Morocco, because no one can anticipate to what extent these countries can be hostile, due the fact that these states are still emerging and act recklessly.”
Abu Dhabi has not made any comment on the aforementioned accusations.”
Erdogan: ‘Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline is a regional peace project’
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200502-erdogan-trans-anatolian-natural-gas-pipeline-is-a-regional-peace-project/
“On Thursday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined the benefits of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) in an article he penned for the latest issue of The Diplomat magazine.
In his article entitled TANAP: Regional Development and Peace Project, published in collaboration with The New York Times, Erdogan described TANAP as a regional peace project, describing it a solid example of the long-lasting positive relations between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
“Turkey’s process of change over the last 18 years created a suitable environment for channelling energy resources from this region to Turkey and Europe,” he expressed.
Erdogan also highlighted that the world’s energy map is changing.
According to the article, Turkey has acted as a secure bridge between the source countries and the consumer markets and it will continue to do so in the future.
The aim of the TANAP Project is to bring natural gas produced from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz 2 gas field to Europe passing through Turkey.
One of the biggest energy projects in the region, TANAP was officially inaugurated in June 2018. On 20 November, 2019, Erdo?an and his Azerbaijan counterpart Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the project’s European link in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne.
“TANAP is the Silk Road of energy. Besides its strong and sustainable economy, peace-oriented foreign policy and stable administration approach, Turkey also neighbours rich natural gas and oil reserves due to its geographic location. So far, Turkey has acted as a secure bridge between the source countries and the consumer markets, and it will continue to do so in the future,” Erdogan concluded.”
Taliban, U.S. engage in Twitter spat amid rise in Afghanistan violence
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-taliban/taliban-u-s-engage-in-twitter-spat-amid-rise-in-afghanistan-violence-idUSKBN22E0KR
“Representatives of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Taliban insurgents engaged in a rare public spat on Saturday, venting on social media about the stalling Afghan peace process.
After lengthy talks behind closed doors, the Taliban and United States signed an agreement in February for reduced violence and a move towards talks with the Afghan government, but attacks by the group have increased since then.
Sonny Leggett, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, used Twitter to address his Taliban counterpart on Saturday, saying U.S. forces wanted the peace process to move forward, but would respond if the militant group continued to increase attacks.
“Attacks generate attacks, while restraint produces restraint. If the violence cannot be reduced – then yes, there will be responses,” Leggett, said on Twitter, tagging and addressing Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Mujahid responded that the path to a resolution lies in the implementation of the Doha agreement.
“Do not harm the current environment with pointless & provocative statements,” Muhajid tweeted to Leggett, adding, “we are committed to our end, honor your own obligations.”
The Taliban say the United States has not pushed the Afghan government to implement a prisoner exchange mentioned in the agreement, which stipulated the exchange of 6,000 prisoners – 5,000 members of the insurgent group and 1,000 of the Afghan forces.
Leggett conceded there has been a reduction of violence against cities and against coalition forces.
“But we spoke of ALL sides reducing violence by as much as 80% to pave the way for peace talks,” Leggett added, referring to increased attacks on Afghan forces.
The Taliban have mounted more than 4,500 attacks since signing a deal with the United States, according to data seen by Reuters. The provinces hardest hit are ones with the most COVID-19 infections, which are spreading rapidly across the war-torn country.”
Iranian forces accused of throwing 57 Afghans into river, killing at least 23 of them
https://www.khaama.com/iranian-forces-accused-of-throwing-57-afghans-into-river-killing-at-least-23-of-them-04759/
“Some of the Afghan migrants have accused the Iranian forces, border guards, of throwing 57 people into a river which resulting in to the killing of at least 23 of them, it has been reported.
Certain of the survivors of the incident have claimed that the Iranian border guards initially arrested the migrants from a bordering region and later threw them in to Harirod River.
According to reports, the incident took place earlier last week as the migrants were on their way to Iran, apparently for work opportunities.
The local officials in Herat have not commented regarding the involvement of the Iranian border guards in the incident but confirm that the public health authorities have received the dead bodies of several people who had apparently drowned.
Meanwhile, the acting minister of foreign affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar has reportedly appointed a delegation to thoroughly investigate the incident.
This is not the first reports emerge regarding the alleged torture and killing of Afghan migrants by the Iranian border guards but numerous such incidents have been reported during the past several years.”
Trump Exposes the ‘Great Disparity’: Islam Good; Christianity and Israel Bad
BY RAYMOND IBRAHIM MAY 01, 2020 1:55 PM EST
Ramadan is upon us and many Americans—not least the millions who were denied church access during Easter—are wondering: will mosques experience the same ban or will the usual double standard prevail?
Among those wondering is America’s president, Donald Trump. Recently asked at a press briefing why he retweeted a tweet by author Paul Sperry—“Let’s see if authorities enforce the social-distancing orders for mosques during Ramadan (April 23-May 23) like they did churches during Easter”—Trump said:
I would like to see that…. I would say there could be a difference. But we’ll have to see what will happen. Because I’ve seen a great disparity in this country; I’ve seen a great disparity. I mean, I’ve seen a very strong anti-Israel bent in Congress with Democrats…. The things they say about Israel are so bad, and I can’t believe it. So I would be interested to see that, because they go after Christian churches, but they don’t tend to go after mosques. And I don’t want to see them go after mosques, but I do want to see what their bent is…. Our politicians seem to treat different faiths very differently; and they seem to think—I don’t know what happened to our country—but the Christian faith is treated much differently than it was, and I think it’s treated very unfairly.
Needless to say—and despite the fact that at least some mosques, including in NYC, America’s coronavirus “epicenter,” were reported as open for Ramadan—Trump’s otherwise accurate observations were lambasted by politically active Muslims and their American allies/dupes. The terrorist-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) did what it does best—accusing Trump and his administration of being “insulting … Islamophobic, white supremacist and racist.” All the Daily Beast could do was throw its hands up in the air and appeal to the Islamic deity in an article titled, “Allah Willing, Let This Be Donald Trump’s Last Ramadan in Office.”
Meanwhile, back in the real word, the concerns Trump raised—particularly of the “great disparity” in how Islam is treated on the one hand, and how Israel and Christianity are on the other—have been validated over and over again, and often in more insidious ways.
Thus, in August 2019, after the Consortium for Middle East Studies (CMES), a program run by Duke University and the University of North Carolina, hosted what was described as a “Three-Day Anti-Israel Hate-Fest,” the U.S. Dept. of Education warned it in a letter to stop misusing federal grants by advancing “ideological priorities.”
The letter further accused the consortium of “lack[ing] balance as it offers very few, if any, programs focused on the historic discrimination faced by, and current circumstances of, religious minorities in the Middle East, including Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Yadizis, Kurds, Druze, and others.” Instead, “there is a considerable emphasis placed on understanding the positive aspects of Islam, while there is an absolute absence of any similar focus on the positive aspects of Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion or belief system in the Middle East. This lack of balance of perspectives is troubling…”
While the Dept. of Education letter was directed at CMES, virtually every other Middle East Studies department in America—whence so many Middle East “experts,” “analysts,” and policymakers emerge—can be accused of the same exact things, including whitewashing and promoting Islam, while ignoring its victims.
Nor is this double standard limited to higher education; basic indoctrination begins in public schools. For example, Caleigh Wood, an eleventh grade Christian student in a Maryland high school received a failing grade because she refused to compromise her faith by making a written profession of the Muslim creed or shahada—“There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”—which formally converts its reciters to Islam.
School officials denied her father’s request that she be allowed to be given an alternative assignment. She was, moreover, forced to view a series of pro-Islamic PowerPoint slides, which included the following statements: “Most Muslims’ faith is stronger than the average Christian”; “Men are the managers of the affairs of women” and “Righteous women are therefore obedient.”
Responding to the Supreme Court’s refusal to review Wood’s case, her lawyer, Richard Thompson, echoed Trump:
I’m not aware of any public school which has forced a Muslim student to write the Lord’s Prayer or John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Yet, under the pretext of teaching history or social studies, public schools across America are promoting the religion of Islam in ways that would never be tolerated for Christianity or any other religion. It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court did not take this opportunity to clarify the test which lower courts should use when ruling on establishment clause and free speech challenges to public school classes on religion….Many public schools have become hot beds of Islamic propaganda. Teaching Islam in schools has gone far beyond a basic history lesson. Prompted by zealous Islamic activism and emboldened by confusing court decisions, schools are now bending over backwards to promote Islam while at the same time denigrating Christianity.
In short, Trump is right: There is “a great disparity in this country”; there is “a very strong anti-Israel bent”; and “the Christian faith” is “treated very unfairly.”
Worse, the many “disparities” in the public education system—those mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg—are insidiously dangerous in ways that the very visible disparity of having mosques open for Ramadan during COVID-19 are not. For it is through schools—to say nothing of the indoctrination emanating from media, Hollywood, and the newsrooms—that the worldview of young Americans is forged. Hence the often inexplicable admiration and/or sympathy for Islam; hence the often inexplicable contempt and worse for Christianity and Israel.
Turkey rescues asylum seekers pushed away by Greece
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-rescues-asylum-seekers-pushed-away-by-greece-154391
“A Turkish coast guard team has rescued a boat carrying 62 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea, which was turned away from the Greek side, officials said on May 1.
The Greek coast guard confiscated the fuel and broke the engine before pushing it to Turkish waters, officials from Interior Ministry told Anadolu
Agency, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.
At least 48 asylum seekers were rescued off the coast of Turkey’s northwestern Çanakkale province on April 29.
Another 14 asylum seekers, including three children, were rescued off the coast of western Izmir province of the country.
The Turkish coast guard filmed the Greek side pushing the asylum seekers away instead of rescuing them.
The asylum-seekers include 25 Afghans, 22 Congolese, 10 Somalian, 4 Syrian, and one Iranian.
Turkey has been one of the main routes for asylum seekers wanting to reach Europe, especially since Syria’s civil war started in 2011.
Turkey hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.”
Turkish lessons to be aired for Australia, New Zealand
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/turkish-lessons-to-be-aired-for-australia-new-zealand/1826192
“Turkey’s state-run cultural institute said Friday it will teach the Turkish language to Australians and New Zealanders as it continues cultural activities in a digital environment because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Upon the great interest of Australians and Turkish-origin community members, Turkish language courses will start,” Yasemin Temelat, the head of Yunus Emre Institute’s Melbourne office told Anadolu Agency.
She said courses are already in service for those in many countries, including Jordan, UK, Qatar, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Romania, and Poland.
Temelat said her organization wants to support Turkish-Australian relations with activities in culture, art, history and language education.
“We foresee attendance to Turkish education activity, which will be held on the digital platform, from all states of Australia, as well as from New Zealand,” she said.
Lessons are free-of-charge and Temelat said those who want information about the course taught by expert teachers from the Institute can get details by sending an email to melbourne@yee.org.tr.
Registrations is open until May 3 and lessons will start May 4.
The course will be 36 hours divided into six hours during weekly lessons. Those who successfully complete the course will be given Turkish Language Certificate.
The lessons will be held Monday, Wednesday and Friday until June 12.
The Yunus Emre Institute is a public foundation that works to promote the Turkey’s language, history, culture and art to increase cultural exchange.”