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.
UK Muslim charity calls for investigation into ‘police harassment’
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-muslim-charity-calls-watchdog-investigate-police-harassment
EU donates $60m to help Yemen curb coronavirus spread
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200519-eu-donates-60m-to-help-yemen-curb-coronavirus-spread/
“The European Union (EU) yesterday said it would distribute €55 million ($60 million) to help Yemen in its fight against the novel coronavirus…”
Jordan siphoned $3bn foreign aid to offshore accounts, World Bank analysis shows
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200519-jordan-siphoned-3bn-foreign-aid-to-offshore-accounts-world-bank-analysis-shows/
“Jordan has topped a list of countries which appear to have siphoned large sums of foreign aid into offshore bank accounts, World Bank analysis shows.
In 2018-19, Jordan received £2.13 billion ($2.6 billion) in foreign aid, including £110 million ($134 million) from Britain.
According to the study, over a ten-year period, $3.13 billion was transferred out of Jordan and into offshore accounts located in havens. The movements coincided with increases in foreign aid donations.
“Our results document cleanly and robustly that aid disbursements are associated with wealth accumulation in offshore accounts,” the report reads.
Adding an estimate that an average of 7.5 per cent of aid received by any given country is stolen by its elites.
The World Bank report also found that large sums of money were transferred out of Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ivory Coast and Senegal, coinciding with inflows of foreign aid.
Jordanian officials and media, however, have been quick to deny the allegations, according to a report by the Times…”
US sanctions Chinese firm for aiding Iran’s Mahan Air
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200519-us-sanctions-chinese-firm-for-aiding-irans-mahan-air/
“The US sanctioned a Shanghai-based firm Tuesday for allegedly working on behalf of Iran’s Mahan Air airliner, reports Anadolu Agency.
The Treasury Department said Saint Logistics Limited was blacklisted for “acting as a general sales agent (GSA) for or on behalf of Iranian airline Mahan Air,” which Washington previously sanctioned in 2011 for its support of the external operations branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
A GSA is a third-party company that provides services to an airline.
“The Iranian regime is using Mahan Air to support an illegitimate and corrupt regime in Venezuela, just as it has done for the regime in Syria and for terrorist proxy groups throughout the Middle East,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
“We will not hesitate to target those entities that continue to maintain commercial relationships with Mahan Air,” he added.
The US accuses Saint Logistics of providing various services to Mahan, including booking freight flights for the airliner between China and Iran.
Any property owned by Saint Logistics subject to US jurisdiction is frozen and US persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with the firm, and anyone who does conduct business with the company may then be subject to designations.”
Press freedom activists condemn Iraqi-Kurdish authorities’ arrest of journalists
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/5/19/press-freedom-activists-condemn-iraqi-kurdish-authorities-arrest-of-journalists
“The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the Kurdish Iraqi authorities to immediately drop all charges against four journalists who were arrested last week for covering a protest in the city of Duhok.
Kurdish security forces carried out a mass arrest campaign at a rally on Saturday led by teachers against months of unpaid salaries.
Among those seized were at least eight journalists affiliated with media outlets linked to opposition parties including Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Ramadhan Artesey, the journalists’ lawyer, said security forces also confiscated the journalists’ equipment. Four reporters were released several hours later and the remaining four were detained until Monday, when they were released on bail set at 2 million Iraqi dinars (1,680 USD).
The four were charged with participating in an unauthorised protest…”
Saudi Arabia tells courts to end flogging
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-tells-courts-to-end-flogging-1.1589919744239
“Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Justice, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Shaikh Dr. Walid Bin Mohammad Al Samani, issued a circular to all courts informing them to abolish flogging and instead hand down jail time, fines, or other alternative punishments, in implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in this regard, Saudi media reported.
The most high-profile flogging in recent years was of the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes on charges of insulting Islam.
For decades, if someone in Saudi Arabia got drunk in public, that person could have been flogged in a public square.
Now, as part of his effort to reshape how the kingdom is run, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has done away with flogging as punishment, and dampened the international condemnation that came with it.
Offenders will now be spared the rod and will get fines, jail time instead or both or other alternative penalties.
Saudi officials hailed the move to abolish flogging as another bold reform by the Crown Prince.
Flogging was most often part of the punishment for so-called moral crimes such as public drunkenness or what judges deemed to be inappropriate contact between unrelated women and men.”
I can’t imagine PT letting Obama off the hook if he can get him. A crime is a crime:
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2020/05/obama-suffered-scandal-upon-scandal.html?m=1
Moroccan Police Arrest 5 for Deliberately Smoking During Ramadan
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/05/303139/moroccan-police-arrest-5-for-deliberately-smoking-during-ramadan/
“Moroccan police in Marrakech arrested on May 16 five individuals for deliberately smoking in public during the month of Ramadan.
The five teenagers, reports Al Massae, were not only arrested for breaking the fast in public, but also for violating the state of emergency.
Article 222 of the Moroccan constitution criminalizes breaking the fast in public during the holy month.
The group included two girls and three young men. The arrest took place in the streets of the Gueliz district, according to the same source.
The five suspects were then put in custody pending trial before a judge on charges “in the act.” The trial will take place remotely due to the country’s state of emergency.
The five individuals risk a fine between MAD 300 and MAD 1,300 ($30 to $130) for violating the state of emergency, in addition to one month to six months in jail for breaking the fast in public…”
Morocco to Acquire Missiles, Missile Defense Systems from MBDA France
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/05/303122/morocco-to-acquire-missiles-missile-defense-systems-from-mbda-france/
“Morocco’s head of government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, approved decree No. 346.20.0, issued on May 11, for the procurement of a set of weapons from French arms company MBDA France.
The approval came after the government secured a €192.1 million loan agreement with BNP PARIBAS on April 28.
Morocco’s Directorate of National Defense and MBDA France concluded the armament contract, says a statement in Morocco’s May 18 Official Bulletin.
The MBDA France group is a world leader in manufacturing missiles and missile defense systems. It was created in December 2001, following a partnership between Airbus (holding 37.5% of the company’s shares), Bae Systems (37.5%), and Finmeccania (25%). The armament company has partnerships with over 90 armed forces worldwide.
The future acquisition will be part of Morocco’s five-year plan, established in 2017, to reach “regional supremacy” by modernizing the military equipment of its army, airforce, and navy.
From 2008 to 2018, France sold €1.8 billion worth of military equipment to Morocco, including a FREMM frigate in 2008 (Naval Group) and two spy satellites in 2013 (Airbus and Thales).
In February 2019, Morocco concluded a set of military agreements with French arms manufacturers for a total value of €400 million.
Although France and Morocco share long-standing relations, the US is the country’s primary arms supplier. France provides 44% of Morocco’s weapons while the US accounts for 53% of Morocco’s arms provision. Italy provides 1.4%.
So far, Morocco has devoted $20 billion to its strategic objective. Morocco’s arms acquisition deals with the US alone totaled $10.3 billion in 2019.
The North African country is currently the second biggest arms exporter and the seventh-greatest military power in Africa, according to Global Firepower’s 2019 military strength ranking.”
19 killed, wounded as gunmen attack mosque in Parwan province
https://www.khaama.com/19-killed-wounded-as-gunmen-attack-mosque-in-parwan-province-08846/
“Unknown gunmen attacked a mosque in Parwan provice of Afghanistan killing at least 7 people, the local security officials said.
A source in Parwan Police Headquarters confirmed that the gunmen attacked the mosque in Charikar city earlier tonight, killing 7 and wounding at least 12 others.
The source further added that the gunmen stormed the mosque in a village located in the outskirts of Charikar city.
No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, the security sources say the area where the attack has place is under the control of Taliban militants but the group has rejected its involvement in the attack.”
Children, women among 12 killed, wounded in Taliban IED attack in Zabul
https://www.khaama.com/children-women-among-12-killed-wounded-in-taliban-ied-attack-in-zabul-08848/
“An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Taliban militants, ripped through a civilian vehicle in Zabul province, killing or wounding at least 12 civilians.
Tariq Arian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said the Taliban militants had planted an Improvised Explosive Device on a roadside in Mizan district of Zabul.
According to Arian, the bomb went off, targeting a civilian vehicle which killed 4 civilians including two children.
He also added that the explosion also wounded 8 others including four women and children.
The Taliban group has not commented regarding the incident so far.”
Description of Muhammad —The Historians’ History of the World, 1905
His nervousness, hysterical nature, the violent convulsions and cataleptic fits which seized him from time to time, the vivid dreams and mental delusions produced by his feverish and excited fancy, might well engender in himself and others the belief that he had relations with angels and spirits, and was a sharer in divine visions and inspirations. Mohammed had already passed his fortieth year when he “began to feel the travail of new ideas”.
Mental health problems a growing issue for European teens: WHO
https://www.dw.com/en/mental-health-problems-a-growing-issue-for-european-teens-who/a-53503149
“One in four teens in Europe has mental health troubles, a new study from the WHO has revealed. Feelings of pressure due to school work have gone up in a third of European countries.
A rising number of European teenagers are suffering from mental health issues, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) published on Tuesday. The study, known officially as the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC), reveals a decline in adolescent mental well-being in many European countries between the years 2014 and 2018.
Researchers looked at the health and social behavior of over 22,000 schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15 in Canada and Europe.
The results: mental well-being decreased as children age, with adolescent girls particularly affected. “One in four adolescents report feeling nervous, feeling irritable or having difficulties getting to sleep every week,” the study said.
Researchers also noted differences between genders that varied according to age and socioeconomic status. In over a third of countries, teens from low-income families were more likely to report multiple mental health concerns. Some 41% of boys said they felt mentally healthy compared to 33% of girls.
Mounting pressure at school
The number of children who felt pressure from schoolwork had gone up in a third of the countries examined, the study said. More than one in 10 students reported they had been the victim of cyberbullying in the two months leading up to the study.
“That increasing numbers of boys and girls across the European region are reporting poor mental health — feeling low, nervous or irritable — is a concern for us all,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe.
Kluge called for greater access to mental health services for teens, saying it would pay off threefold in “health, social and economic gains to today’s adolescents, tomorrow’s adults and future generations.”…”
One gay young man in South Korea went to a nightclub and infected 170 people: 89 club attendees and 81 contacts (family, friends) across 11 provinces in the country.
https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=&bid=0030
the rebel – Canadian doctor: Coronavirus has emptied hospitals
A Canadian doctor speaks anonymously about the coronavirus death rate, and how he’s put in 14-hour shifts in which he attends to ZERO patients!
‘Resistance journalism’ in Trump era is ‘fact-free’: Glenn Greenwald
Ken Starr urges judge in Flynn case to resign
Sidney Powell With Lou Dobbs: Sullivan Schedules Oral Arguements
https://tennesseestar.com/2020/05/18/exclusive-the-treasury-department-spied-on-flynn-manafort-and-the-trump-family-says-whistleblower/
PA State Senator leads protest against health secy, calls for resignation
Pennsylvania health official Rachel Levine ordered nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients; insight from Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania state senator.
Coronavirus shock: Why patients who test positive twice for coronavirus do not pass it on
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1284488/coronavirus-South-Korea-study-immunity-reinfection-test
“SOUTH KOREAN researchers have found that patients who get reinfected with COVID-19 cannot transmit the virus.
The study was conduced by South Korea’s disease control centre, and its findings are a major boon to those seeking immunity.
The South Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention examined 285 COVID-19 survivors who had recovered, tested negative and then tested positive for a second time.
Some coronavirus patients have tested positive again up to 82 days after becoming infected, but the South Korean lab found that people who tested “re-positive” were not found to have spread any lingering infection.
Virus samples collected from them could not be grown in culture in the lab, indicating that they were shedding non-infectious or dead virus particles.
Carol Shoshkes Reiss, a professor of Biology and Neural Science at New York University, said: “Although somebody can recover and no longer be infectious, they may still have these little fragments of [inactive] viral RNA which turn out positive on those tests.”
Bloomberg reported the research shows that antigen tests cannot distinguish between dead and viable virus particles, potentially giving the wrong impression that someone who tests positive remains infectious.
A recent study in Singapore showed that recovered patients from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, are found to have “significant levels of neutralising antibodies” nine to 17 years after initial infection.
Previously, the KCDC’s director, Jeong Eun-kyeong, raised the possibility that the virus may have been “reactivated” in people, rather than the patients being re-infected.
It comes after the country reported on Friday that 91 recovered coronavirus patients have tested positive for the disease again.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced it had sent a team to the city of Daegu, the worst hit area, to investigate why patients there were testing positive more than once.
Some of the patients testing positive again showed no symptoms, while others were suffering from fevers and respiratory issues, according to the Financial Times.
South Korean health officials said it remains unclear what is behind the trend, with the preliminary findings from the investigation in Daegu not expected to be released until next week.
The findings will be welcomed by countries starting to ease lockdown but which had become uncertain over the immunity acquired by COVID-19 survivors.
It will add impetus to a need to develop and distribute an accurate antibody test for home use that tells people whether they have had the virus.
They will also reinvigorate calls for “immunity passports”, which would allow recovered patients to travel without the worry of restrictions and quarantine.
The results mean health authorities in South Korea will no longer consider people infectious after recovering from the illness.
South Korea has been praised for its handling of the pandemic, seeing only 11,078 cases and 263 deaths.
It comes as deputy chief scientific adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, said she would draw “particular lessons” from South Korea when asked about what the UK has learnt from overseas.
Dame Angela told the Downing Street briefing on Tuesday that the UK is looking to emulate the countries contact tracing system.
Ministers are now preparing to ramp up the search for those with symptoms of COVID-19 by using an NHS app and a team of contact tracers.”