Reader’s Links for June 4, 2020

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

108 Replies to “Reader’s Links for June 4, 2020”

  1. Iran Signs 2-Year Electricity Export Deal with Iraq
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/06/04/2279468/iran-signs-2-year-electricity-export-deal-with-iraq

    “The two sides signed the agreement during a visit to Baghdad by Iran’s Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian, stressing their determination to broaden cooperation in the energy sector, despite American pressure on the Iraqi government to reduce economic ties with its neighbor.

    Ardakanian in an interview highlighted the achievements of his one-day visit to Baghdad, where he signed the contract with the Iraqi Electricity Ministry.

    The new agreement, he said, covers 2020 and 2021, while the previous deals had lasted for one-year periods.

    He said Baghdad paid Tehran about $400 million — half of Iraq’s due debts to Iran for electricity supply — thanks to the Iranian Embassy’s follow-up efforts in the Iraqi capital.

    The minister also noted that he discussed with Iraqi officials a three-year cooperation plan earlier signed between the countries’ private sectors to reconstruct Iraq’s electricity industry.

    He further announced plans for a visit by Iranian technical teams to Iraq next week to pen two important agreements on reducing power grid losses and repairing electricity equipment, according to Press TV.

    Heading a delegation of electricity experts, Ardakanian visited Iraq on Wednesday and held meetings with senior officials, including Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Salih and Electricity Minister Majid Mahdi Hantoush.

    The Iraqi Prime Minister’s office said in a statement that Kadhimi had, in his meeting with Ardakanian, stressed Baghdad’s willingness to develop the best of relations with its neighbors.

    The two sides exchanged views on cooperation opportunities in the energy sector and boosting bilateral ties between the two neighboring states, according to the statement.

    Kadhimi also underlined the need for maximum efforts to resolve complicated problems gripping the region.

    Separately, the Iraqi president’s office released a statement on Ardakanian’s meeting with Salih, saying the latter called for bilateral interactions, especially in the fields of electricity and water.

    The two officials, the statement read, also explored ways to enhance bilateral relations in all sectors in line with mutual interests.

    Iraq and Iran share a 1,400-kilometer-long border. Except for gas and power, Iraq depends on Iran for everything from food, fruits and vegetables to machinery and home appliances.

    Iranian energy accounts for between 30 and 40 percent of the electricity consumed in Iraq.

    Over the past months, Washington has been pressing Baghdad to stop buying natural gas and electricity from Tehran as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at choking off Iran’s revenue.

    Illegal US sanctions are preventing Iran from repatriating its money.

    Last month, Iraq’s former electricity minister Luay al-Khatteeb said Iran will remain a key source of energy to the Arab country for years to come until suitable alternatives materialize.”

    • “Hong Kong protesters gather for banned Tiananmen vigil as lawmakers pass national anthem law”
      CNA – June 4, 2020

  2. 24,544 Moroccans Received Spanish Citizenship in 2019
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/304807/24544-moroccans-received-spanish-citizenship-in-2019/

    “Moroccans are the top foreign community to acquire Spanish citizenship, said a recent press release from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).

    Approximately 24,544 Moroccans received Spanish nationality in 2019, followed by Ecuadorians (8,145), and Colombians (7,512).

    During its latest press release on June 4, INE said that 2019 was marked by an increase in the number of foreign residents acquiring Spanish nationality compared to a year earlier.

    Last year, a total of 98,858 individuals residing in Spain acquired Spanish nationality. The number represents an 8.9% increase.

    Approximately 47.1% of foreigners who acquired Spanish nationality last year were men and 52.9% were women.

    “People between 30 and 39 constituted the large group in terms of acquisitions of Spanish nationality, almost equal to that of those under 10 years.”

    Available data shows that the most frequent country of birth in terms of acquisitions of Spanish citizenship was Spain itself, with 21,861 individuals. The majority were children under 10.

    Among those born outside of Spain, the most frequent country of birth was Morocco, with 11,625 acquisitions of nationality.

    In addition to newly acquired citizenships, Moroccans remain the largest foreign community in Spain, statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Labor said in May.

    Approximately 864,546 Moroccans were legally established in Spain as of January 1, representing an increase of 6.3% from a year earlier.

    Around 253,624 Moroccans were registered with the social security administration in Spain by the end of April.

    Recent statistics from INE show Moroccans at the top of the list of non-EU foreign workers contributing to social security in Spain, followed by Chinese (78,442), Colombians (70,089) and Ecuadorians (66,551).

    The total number of foreigners affiliated with the Spanish social security agency reached 1,972,552 in the first four months of 2020, down 5.4% compared to the same period of the previous year. The difference is largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

  3. Murdered housemaid’s torture was filmed
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2235728/1-murdered-housemaids-torture-filmed/

    “A minor housemaid, who had been beaten to death, was frequently tortured and the incidents were recorded on video, police said on Thursday.

    Officials, who had obtained a four-day physical remand of the suspects as they probe the case, said on Thursday that they have managed to obtain access to the cellular devices of Hasan Siddiqui and his wife Umme Kulsoom.

    They added that they recovered some videos from the devices which showed the minor, Zahra bibi, being tortured.
    Officers added that among the videos, they also found an image which shows the minor domestic worker, who had been hired as a caretaker for the couple’s infant, locked up in a large birdcage, allegedly as a punishment.

    A police officer, who is part of the investigation team, told The Express Tribune that the couple used to assault the domestic worker frequently before the incident surfaced.

    He added that they have recovered multiple videos in which the victim could be seen being tortured.

    When asked if the videos were recorded by the couple, the officer said that so far they have not obtained any evidence which proves that the couple had filmed the obscene videos. However, he said that they are still scouring the data obtained from the cellphones and there is a chance they could come across data which could be important for the case.

    Moreover, the officer said that the victim’s father and the couple had an agreement for her services. Per the agreement, a sum of Rs80,000 had been paid to the Zahra’s father against her services for eight months. Further, both parties had agreed that if the victim serves for longer, her family will be entitled to an additional payment.

    The officer added that Siddiqui used to breed birds for a living apart from dealing in property to earn his livelihood.

    Another case

    Police in the federal capital on Thursday rescued a minor housemaid from her abusive employer.

    Lohi Bhair police said that they received reports that a minor housemaid was being tortured in a house within their jurisdiction.

    After obtaining a search warrant, police officials said they raided the premises along with a lady police officers. Inside, they found a seven-year-old girl in a room with signs of injuries on her arms and legs.

    The girl told the police that she was a resident of Multan and the couple for whom she worked for in the federal capital used to torture her if she made a mistake.

    Police have arrested Azhar Abid while they have registered a case against his wife.”

  4. EU proposes to ‘top up support’ for refugees in Turkey
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/eu-proposes-to-top-up-support-for-refugees-in-turkey-155326

    “The European Commission on June 3 proposes to release a payment of €485 million ($545 million) for Turkey to support Syrian refugees in 2020.

    The institution presented a budget amendment on June 3 suggesting “to top up support for refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis by a total of €585 million.”

    €100 million ($112 million) will be allocated to Jordan and Lebanon, while Turkey receives the rest.

    The proposal reflects the current circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic “with no immediate end in sight of the Syrian crisis”, EU commissioner for enlargement and neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi explained in a statement.

    “The European Union continues to show strong solidarity with our partner countries Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as with the refugees they are hosting”, he added.

    According to the plan, €485 million transfer will extend the functioning of two established programs in Turkey until the end of the next year.

    The program, Emergency Social Safety Net, provides monthly financial assistance to more than 1.7 million refugees.

    The other one, Conditional Cash Transfers, helps over 600,000 refugee children to attend school.

    The funding is part of 2016 EU-Turkey deal, meant to stop irregular refugee flows and improve the conditions of Syrian refugees in Turkey.

    The EU had pledged €6 billion ($6.5 billion) aid for the refugees.

    According to EU’s latest data, all operational funds have been committed, €4.7 billion ($5.3 billion) contracted and €3.4 billion ($3.8 billion) disbursed.

    In previous communications, the EU promised to pay €4 billion ($4.5 billion) by 2020.

    If the current proposal is approved by the European Parliament and the EU member states, the €485 million will top up the €4 billion.

    The full €6 billion amount is expected to be paid by 2025.

    Turkey currently hosts 3.58 million Syrian refugees, more than any country in the world.”

  5. Syria: ISIS attacks oil well, asks for kickbacks
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/06/04/syria-isis-attacks-oil-well-asks-for-kickbacks_23562d44-14bd-4f74-a9ba-2d48219c2bda.html

    “ISIS militants on Thursday attacked one of the main oil installations in eastern Syria in a region controlled by US-backed Kurdish forces, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

    It said ISIS cells in the region of Dayr az Zor stormed the Azraq oil well, which is part of the Tanak oil field on the eastern shore of the Euphrates.

    Sources said the militants threatened workers at the facility and drivers transporting oil cargo at a local level, forcing them to pay ISIS kickbacks on oil traffic”

  6. Polish police arrest three members of migrant smuggling gang accused of aiding 600 illegal immigrants
    https://rmx.news/article/article/polish-police-arrest-three-members-of-migrant-smuggling-gang-accused-of-aiding-600-illegal-immigrants

    “Polish authorities have detained three people suspected of illegally assisting in the smuggling of 600 foreigners mostly from Asia and Middle East into Poland.

    According to the spokeswoman of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CB?P) Iwona Jurkiewicz, following an investigation, officers have determined that members of this organized crime group helped foreigners stay in Poland illegally.

    She stated that the criminals organized documents which allowed the foreigners to apply for work and temporary residence permits. The group was also meant to represent the foreigners during administrative processes with the Polish government.

    The spokeswoman of the Vistula Border Guard Unit, Dagmara Bielec-Janas, pointed out that almost 600 foreigners from Pakistan, Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Iran, and India may have illegally resided in Poland thanks to the smuggling group.

    Police are also saying that members of the trafficking group may have earned up to €920,000 in total for assisting the foreigners.

    Dagmara Bielec-Janas, Spokeswoman of the Vistula Border Guard:
    600 foreigners from Pakistan, Syria, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Iran and India may have illegally resided in Poland thanks to the trafficking group.

    Bielec-Janas also explained that three Poles suspected of associating with the group were arrested on May 27 in Warsaw, two men and a woman.

    The detained were accused by the prosecutor’s office for participating in an organized criminal group, as well as facilitating the residence of foreigners in Poland with the aim of material benefit.

    The prosecutor’s office has decreed that the suspects require a police guard, are forbidden to leave the country, and are not allowed to contact other suspects.

    The suspects may face up to five years in prison for their crimes.

    The CB?P explained that these were not the first cases associated with smuggling. In March 2019, authorities detained 16 persons, 13 Poles and three Ukrainians for assisting foreigners to stay in the country illegally. In January, March and April of 2020, 13 additional suspects were arrested.”

    • MEMRI – Syracuse, NY Imam Khadar Bin Muhammad: Protests Do Not Help And We Cannot Win an Armed Resistance

      Khadar Bin Muhammad, the imam of Masjid Bilal Ibn Rabah in Syracuse, New York, posted a video to his Facebook page on May 27, 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd.

      He said that the Muslim response to the killing of black civilians by police should not be armed retribution, and that Islam forbids killing policemen in a “cowboy manner.”

      He called upon his viewers to leave America for Africa because America is unsafe for African Americans and in order to take African American purchasing power elsewhere.

      Adding that there are many countries willing to accept them, Bin Muhammad said:

      “I’m talking about grabbing our bags, grabbing our money, and going to invest in a place where we can be safe together.”

    • MEMRI – American Islamic Scholar: Muslims Should Not Participate in Riots Following Death of George Floyd

      On May 31, 2020, American Islamic scholar Najeeb “Al-Anjelesi,” who is originally from Los Angeles, posted a video on the Pure Islaam Youtube channel as well as his Facebook page addressing the protests in the U.S. following the death of George Floyd.

      Al-Anjelesi, who had been teaching Islam in Montgomery, Alabama, as late as 2017, said that the riots in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere in the United States are considered strife, chaos, and corruption according to Islam, and that participating in these riots is forbidden according to Islamic texts.

      He said that the killing of George Floyd by police officers was undoubtedly an act of oppression, but that these riots are also forms of oppression.

      Adding that one cannot “redress oppression with oppression,” Al-Anjelesi said that when a Muslim imitates the “stupidity” of the infidels, it will lead to his failure.

    • JUNE 04 – Sweden: Hundreds defy coronavirus restrictions at BLM demo in Malmo

  7. Former CIA officer explodes on Secy Esper: ‘Get the hell out of the Pentagon’

    Democrat and Former CIA Officer Bryan Dean Wright says if Secretary of Defense Mark Esper doesn’t see what’s going on he should leave.