Reader’s Links for July 2, 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

62 Replies to “Reader’s Links for July 2, 2020”

  1. Iran Nuclear Spokesman Confirms ‘Incident’ Near Natanz Nuclear Site (sputniknews, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007021079773517-iran-nuclear-spokesman-confirms-incident-near-natanz-nuclear-site/

    “The facility in Natanz in the central Iranian province of Isfahan is the country’s primary uranium enrichment facility. Iran began expanding its enrichment programme after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, which curbed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

    An under-construction building near the Natanz nuclear power plant was damaged in an “incident” on Thursday morning, state news agency IRNA reports, citing a spokesman for Iran’s nuclear energy agency.

    Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokersman for the Atomic Energy Organisation, said the plant’s reactor wasn’t damaged and there were no casualties.

    Kamalvandi said the damaged building was a “warehouse” but did not go into further detail. He said the nuclear plant is “operating as usual”, as quoted by IRNA, while authorities are investigating.
    There has been no word of construction works at Natanz as of late. The country’s primary enrichment facility is located some 250 km south of Tehran and is monitored by international inspectors as part of Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

    Iran has gradually boosted uranium enrichment, including at Natanz, in response to the US quitting the landmark deal and reinstating crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

    According to a June report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium – the basic fuel for nuclear power reactors – surpassed 1,570 kilograms, up from 1,020 kilograms in February and well above the 202.8-kg limit set in the nuclear deal.

    The report stated that Iran has also been enriching uranium to a purity of up 10 4.5 percent, above the allowed 3.67-cap.

    Iran maintains that is has no goal of developing nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful in nature. Tehran frames the roll-back of its JCPOA commitments as a means to exert pressure on the European signatories of the deal, which it says failed to shield the country from US pressure.”

  2. Massive Shelling Begins Between India and Pakistan Day After Terrorists Kill Soldier, Civilian (sputniknews, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/india/202007021079772624-massive-shelling-begins-between-india-and-pakistan-day-after-terrorists-kill-soldier-civilian/

    “On Wednesday, a paramilitary forces officer and a civilian were killed, with three other security personnel injured after a group of terrorists attacked a convoy in the Sopore area of Kashmir. According to police officials, a three-year old boy, a relative of the dead civilian, was rescued in the attack.

    The Indian Army accused Pakistani troops of an unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Shahpur sector of Poonch along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday morning.

    According to Indian Army officials, heavy mortar fire and other weapons were used by Pakistani soldiers to which the “troops are giving a befitting reply”.

    “No lives have been lost so far”, the officer said, adding that the fight is still underway.
    On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia after one person was killed and five others were injured during a firefight on 29 June and 30 June. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry accused Indian forces of targeting civilians with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars, and automatic weapons along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB).

    However, the Indian Army claimed that a group of terrorists were trying to sneak into the Indian side of Kashmir and troops spotted them 400 metres inside the LoC. The military neutralised one terrorist and recovered ammunition from his possession.

    Last month, India alleged that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 2,000 times this year, while Islamabad blamed India for violating the ceasefire 957 times during the same period.”

  3. Thomas Sowell/Black Wisdom Matters – The State of Racism in America

  4. U.N. Chief Guterres Renews Call for More Global Governance, Bureaucratic Regulation (breitbart, Jul 2, 2020?
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/07/02/u-n-chief-guterres-renews-call-for-more-global-governance-bureaucratic-regulation/

    “U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his call for “more robust global governance” Wednesday, adding the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), regional authorities such as the African Union and the European Union (E.U.) to a list of organizations he says can bring “order” to a future world disrupted by the coronanvirus pandemic…”

  5. Defund the Border Police! Pro-Migrant NGO Captain’s Radical Call (breitbart, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/02/defund-the-border-police-pro-migrant-ngo-captains-radical-call/

    “Carola Rackete, a sea captain and pro-migrant activist, has demanded that the European Union defund its border agency Frontex, claiming that the political bloc and several of its member states are preventing migrants from being transported to Europe.

    The German national, who last year rammed Italian border patrol vessels to force her ship full of migrants into an Italian port, said that Frontex must be defunded and accused the EU of wanting to see migrants drown in the Mediterranean sea.

    Rackete said migrants were drowning in the Mediterranean, “because the European Union wants them to drown, to scare those who might attempt to cross. They drown because Europe denies them access to any safe routes and leaves them no options other than to risk their lives at sea,” Infomigrants reports.

    She went on to accuse Frontex of facilitating “the racist border policy of European states. We have to tear down Fortress Europe, created to let the poor die off the Mediterranean shores where no one sees them.”

    Referencing the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, Rackete said that activists should not only defund police but defund Frontex as well. “If #BlackLivesMatter in the US demands to defund the police departments, we consequently have to demand to #DefundFrontex in Europe,” she said on Twitter. A Frontex spokesman called the idea “nonsense”.

    The remarks are not the first controversial statements from the far-left activist. Last year, Rackete demanded the EU take in at least half a million migrants from Libya and said Europe should take in “climate refugees”.

    “The collapse of the climate system causes climate refugees, which we naturally have to absorb. In some African countries, caused by industrialised countries in Europe, the food base is being destroyed,” she said.

    Rackete, who was formerly a captain of a vessel belonging to the German NGO Sea-Watch, had also come into conflict with populist Italian Senator Matteo Salvini. The populist had served as Interior Minister when she rammed border police boats last year and enforced a policy blocking migrant transport NGOs from Italian ports.

    In July of last year, Rackete announced she would be pursuing defamation charges against Salvini who did not hesitate to criticise her actions on social media, accusing her and Sea-Watch of human trafficking.”

  6. Fight on platform of metro station Van der Madeweg in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The guy in the ripped white shirt doing the sucker punching is moroccan, not sure about his victims. The guy who goes down first wears red-white-and-blue pants, which are the colors of the dutch flag.
    https://www.dumpert.nl/item/7942403_67c33b57

    • I think they’re tourists though, they don’t look dutch. Also, dutch people don’t wear flag-pants

  7. A scarily predictive Tucker Carlson interview from a year ago:

  8. Father of teen killed in Seattle’s CHOP has heartbreaking plea to the public

    • Why did Gislaine buy an estate in New Hampshire for a “million dollars” (you can’t get a run-down bungalow in Vancouver’s poorest neighborhood for that little – is it a misprint)? Gislaine should have secretly liquidated her assets and gotten the eff out of Dodge before the FBI finally woke up and came for her. How could she be so stupid? Now some glory-seeking DA is going to pave his way to Senatorhood by putting her away for life when she could be living in Majorca and playing a little tennis as she enjoys her trust fund and her savings?

  9. EXCLUSIVE: Secret ANTIFA plan to overwhelm police officers EXPOSED (pee in the back of a cop car)

  10. Black Lives Matter is a revolutionary movement that calls for abolishing the family, prisons, police and capitalism and is funded by globalist, George Soros.

    Muslim youth in Canada are being told “Prepare for Jihad and be the lovers of death. “Life itself will come searching after you. You should yearn for an honourable death and you will gain perfect happiness”. Capitalism is evil.

    I pity the useful idiots who cannot comprehend how evil these groups are. I can appreciate a few weak people who like to spend their lives surrounded by love and unicorns but “they” will be what change our lives and rid us of our Freedom.

  11. Teenager in court charged with murdering two sisters in Wembley country park (telegraph, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/02/teenager-court-charged-murdering-two-sisters-wembley-country/

    “An 18-year-old man has been remanded into custody after appearing in court charged with the murders of two sisters in a London park.

    Danyal Hussein appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning accused of killing sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London, in the early hours of Saturday June 6.

    The women were found stabbed to death the following day.

    Hussein, of Guy Barnett Grove, Blackheath, south-east London, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and British nationality during the four-minute hearing.

    He wore a grey jumper and grey jogging bottoms and was flanked by three security guards.

    He was not asked to enter any pleas to the charges – two counts of murder and a further count of possession of an offensive weapon.

    District Judge Angus Hamilton remanded him in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday.

    Police previously released pictures of senior social worker Ms Henry, from Brent in north-west London, and photographer Ms Smallman, from Harrow in north-west London, dancing with fairy lights before they were killed.

    The pair had met with friends during the evening to celebrate Ms Henry’s birthday, officers said.”

  12. Former Top EU Official: ‘I Pray for Joe Biden’s Success’ Against Trump (breitbart, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2020/07/02/former-top-eu-official-i-pray-for-joe-bidens-success-against-trump/

    “A former top European Union (EU) official is openly pining for former Vice President Joe Biden to win the November general election.

    Donald Tusk, a one-time prime minister of Poland and until last year the president of the European Council—the body responsible for defining the EU’s political direction, took to social media on Thursday to signal his backing of Biden.

    “I’ve always believed in the Republican ideals and greatness of America,” Tusk wrote, noting his own history as an “anti-communist” opposition leader in Poland during the Cold War. “Reagan was my hero. And I got to know Donald Trump really well. These are the reasons why I pray for Joe Biden’s success.”…”

  13. Swedish City Sees 55 Arson Attacks So Far This Year (breitbart, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/02/swedish-city-sees-55-arson-attacks-this-year/

    “The Swedish city of Lund has seen at least 55 arson attacks so far in 2020, with cars and several buildings being set ablaze including schools.

    In the last several months, at least three schools in the city have been set on fire, with the latest taking place on Tuesday night when a fire was started at the Mårtenskolan elementary school. The blaze damaged the facade but was put out after an alarm had been triggered. A security guard attempted to extinguish if before emergency services arrived.

    The fire comes after an arson attack on a preschool in May resulting in it being totally burnt down. Another school was set on fire in June, but the damage was not extensive as the fire was caught soon after it was started, Swedish newspaper Expressen reports.

    Ewa-Gun Westford, a press spokeswoman for Lund’s police, said officials were looking into the series of arson attacks and left the possibility open that they may be related.

    “We look at each fire that arises individually, just like any other crime. But for quite a long time, there have been a number of fires that have been set in Lund. So we’re also looking at if there could be a connection,” Ms Westford said.

    So far, according to Westford, police have not identified any suspects in the arson attacks. The spokeswoman admitted that the while police were actively investigating the incidents, the work was difficult.

    Even when Swedish authorities catch arsonists, not all receive harsh punishments. Such was the case with a teen in the city of Gävle. He was sentenced to just probation after being found guilty of torching 21 cars in a single night in February.

    Car fires have been regularly seen in many of Sweden’s so-called “vulnerable areas” or no-go zones, with one of the largest incidents taking place in Gothenburg in 2018 that saw over 100 cars burnt in a single day.”

  14. Austrian Govt Ministers Under Police Protection After Death Threats from Turkish Grey Wolves (breitbart, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/02/austrian-ministers-police-guards-after-death-threats-turkish-grey-wolves/

    “Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer and Integration Minister Susanne Raab have been placed under police protection following death threats from the far-right Turkish Grey Wolves after a series of riots last week in Vienna.

    Both ministers, who are members of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), have been given police protection since Tuesday night. They are currently being guarded by the elite Cobra unit of the Austrian police force.

    Austria’s domestic security agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has also commented on the matter, saying: “We are investigating online hate and death threats against officials of the Republic of Austria.”

    “I am not intimidated by the threats. I will not deviate from my course and will continue to take decisive action against extremist ideologies such as political Islam and influences from Turkey,” Integration Minister Raab said, according to tabloid Kronen Zeitung.

    The death threats come as tensions continue to remain high between Austria and Turkey following a series of riots between the far-right Grey Wolves and Kurdish supporters of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and their far-left Antifa allies. Clashes occurred last week in the heavily migrant-populated Vienna district of Favoriten.

    The Turkish media responded to the clashes by claiming that Austria, which banned the public display of PKK symbols and flags last year, was “a PKK country”.

    Chancellor Kurz, meanwhile, slammed the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier in the week, saying “that there must be an end to Turkey trying to influence the people here in Austria and instrumentalising them for their conflicts”.

    “Because I know exactly what Turkey is trying to do here: namely to use Turks in Europe to sow strife and to create moods here and there above all for Turkey’s own interests,” he said.”

  15. A European court backs 3 migrants, rules against France (abcnews, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/european-court-backs-migrants-rules-france-71572687

    “The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that France violated the rights of three asylum-seekers who lived for months on the streets with no means to meet basic needs such as food, housing and health care.

    The court considered that the three migrants — an Afghan, a Russian, and an Iranian — “have been victims of a degrading treatment reflecting a lack of respect for their dignity.”

    France is “responsible for the conditions in which they lived for months in the street … with permanent fear of being attacked and robbed,” the court said in a statement, noting the “absence of adequate response” from authorities.

    The court ordered France to pay fines ranging from 10,000 to 12,400 euros ($11,280 to $13,986) to each of the three migrants.

    The European court has ruled several times against France on its treatment of migrants, saying the country is in breach of Europe’s human rights convention forbidding inhuman or degrading treatment.

    In February 2019, the court ordered France to pay 15,000 euros ($17,000) to an Afghan migrant for failing to protect him when, as a 12-year-old, he lived alone in a makeshift migrant camp in Calais, in northern France.”

  16. Aid group seeks port for 180 migrants rescued in Med Sea (abcnews, Jul 2, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/aid-group-seeks-port-180-migrants-rescued-med-71573385

    “Aid group SOS Mediterranee says it waiting for a port to disembark 180 migrants rescued at sea, and says five requests to Italian and Maltese port authorities have gone unanswered.

    The Ocean Viking ship resumed rescue operations in the Mediterranean sea on June 22, after riding out the coronavirus outbreak at its port in Marseille, France. SOS Mediterranee said Thursday it picked up a total of 180 migrants in four separate rescues over the past five days and that “the situation is unbearable” on board.

    Last year, key European Union members agreed to a redistribution plan for migrants rescued at sea, but its enforcement has been uneven at best. SOS Mediterranee called for the deal to be implemented, saying people are still continuing to flee Libya and cannot be kept in limbo at sea.

    There was no immediate comment from the Italian interior ministry.

    Italy officially closed its ports during the coronavirus lockdown to try to contain the outbreak, but migrants have continued to be brought ashore, albeit in smaller numbers. Just this week, Italian aid group Mediterranea disembarked 43 migrants in Sicily, while last week the German group SeaWatch put in quarantine some 28 migrants who tested positive for the virus while at sea.”

    • I put on a mask for the first time today.
      Why did I bother with lipstick?
      And a face-shield. (I passed on Tyvek suit, though.)

      Rip Van Winkle emerges. Briefly.

      Very few people scurried about in the ordinarily bustling lobby of my building. All masked, of course. I said “hi” to everybody, but just got darting glances, furtive scampering.

      Every building has different elevator rules. Posted in English, Chinese, and Spanish – in that order. Along with warnings of video surveillance, 24/7.

      Most of the parking lot is blocked off. There was a moving van and one man hauling cardboard boxes.

      It’s a ghost town.
      It may be a while before I go out again.

      • Good for you for going out, Yucki. I’m not being flippant about masks–i understand the wearing of them. It’s just me. Try to get sun once in a while, though. Good fer ya.

      • Medical imperative drove me out.
        Looks like I should be ok till the system begins to approach normal. Probably less “ok” because treatment has been delayed, but that’s the way it is.

        Only minimal, absolutely urgent medical care is available. NONE of the specialists to whom I’d be referred are seeing patients. Imaging facilities, labs, all that stuff – not gonna happen. Not at the hospitals with which I’m affiliated.

        This hoax may well kill me and others like me. So I stay in and make the best of it.

        Wear a mask or don’t. Gloves, whatever. You’re not more or less moral. Bragging rights, Karen vs. anti-Karen?

        I will say I’m offended by trivialization – and exploitation – of a situation that’s deadly serious for me. That’s compromised the quality of my life and will continue to do so … for a while, anyway.

        Prophylaxis, effective treatments will reduce risk of death from this disease. For the one or two percent of people similarly vulnerable.

        I am certain this too shall pass.
        That my future holds long walks by the ocean, stomping on fresh-fallen snow. Hugs with far-flung family mere hours away by plane.

        The Lord is just and merciful.
        Shabbat shalom.

    • I will not wear a mask, and to the old bat who told me I am a terrible person that only thinks about myself, I say so be it. now the guilt push is on.

  17. Oakland County couple charged with felonious assault after pointing gun at Black woman in Orion Township

    Oakland County prosecutors have charged an Independent Township husband and wife with felonious assault after the wife pointed a gun at a Black woman outside of a restaurant in Orion Township on Wednesday night.

    The couple has been arrested and their guns confiscated. Their identities won’t be released until after they are arraigned Thursday on the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of four years in prison.

    A 1-minute video clip of the altercation was viewed more than 12 million times on Twitter as of late Thursday afternoon, leading to passionate debates on social media about what constitutes self-defense.

  18. Saudi-Led Coalition Launches Operation Against Yemen’s Houthis
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/07/02/saudi-coalition-operation-yemen/

    “The Saudi-led military coalition Thursday launched a major operation against Yemen’s Houthis, warning it would target the rebel leadership after missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

    Residents of rebel-held capital, Sanaa, told AFP they heard large explosions and saw plumes of smoke on Wednesday. This follows at least a dozen air strikes on the international airport, close to an air force base.

    The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said the coalition launched 57 air strikes on Sanaa and their northern stronghold of Saada, according to the Yemini television channel Al-Masirah.

    There were no official reports of casualties, but the rebels said a woman and girl were killed in Saada. Additionally, a number of children were wounded…”

  19. Prince Khalid Bin Salman: UN Report Illustrates Iran Regime’s Dark Vision
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2366291/prince-khalid-bin-salman-un-report-illustrates-iran-regime%E2%80%99s-dark-vision

    “Iranian involvement in attacks against Saudi Arabia reveals the regime’s intention for the region, said Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman on Wednesday.

    “The UN report confirming the Iranian regime’s involvement in sabotage attacks on the Kingdom illustrates the regime’s dark vision for the region, while countries in our region work to promote positive relations, and provide stability and security,” Prince Khalid tweeted.

    “The Kingdom’s decision to request an independent UN investigation confirmed what we already knew about the Iranian regime. The international community must do its part in maintaining the arms embargo in order to end the crimes and hostility of this regime,” he added…”

  20. Saudi Arabia Asks Int’l Community Not to Ignore Iran’s Threat
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2366761/saudi-arabia-asks-int%E2%80%99l-community-not-ignore-iran%E2%80%99s-threat

    “Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi has told the Security Council that it expects it to extend an arms embargo on Iran over its regime’s role in destabilizing the region.

    In a videoconference in New York, he called for “not giving Iran the chance to have a more destructive behavior.”

    The diplomat said Wednesday there are ongoing contacts with Russia and China, which have rejected a resolution drafted by the United States to extend the arms embargo that is set to expire on October 18.

    He hoped that both Moscow and Beijing would change their positions for the sake of regional and international stability.

    The Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed on Tuesday a report submitted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council in which he confirmed Iran’s direct complicity and responsibility in sabotage attacks that targeted Aramco’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities last year.

    Al-Mouallimi warned that if the arms embargo expired, then Iran would improve its weapons exports to its proxies in the region.

    “Iran does not only constitute a threat to regional stability, but international stability as well,” he said.

    Saudi Arabia is working with its international partners to end Iran’s threat to the international community, he added.”

  21. Houthis Pump Fuel to Loyalists, Deny Vital Sectors
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2366716/houthis-pump-fuel-loyalists-deny-vital-sectors

    “Yemenis in Sanaa and other Houthi-held towns have been suffering from a shortage in oil byproducts for three weeks in a row due to a crisis generated by the Iran-backed coup militias. The oil crisis had hit vital sectors and paralyzed them.

    While the fuel crisis has largely impacted the livelihoods of thousands of Yemenis, Houthis continued their policy on profiting from selling oil on the black market and saving large stocks of it to give to its loyalists and to pump into its war effort.

    Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani warned against the social repercussions entailed if Houthis continue to propagate the fuel crisis.

    The Yemeni minister, in official statements, referred to video footage documenting hundreds of oil convoys being seized and held by Houthi gunmen…”

  22. Houthis Acknowledge Pillaging 72% of Oil Revenues in Hodeidah
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2366676/houthis-acknowledge-pillaging-72-oil-revenues-hodeidah

    “Last week, Houthi militias acknowledged seizing around $60 million from fixed oil revenues estimated at $84 million without informing the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths’ office, which is tasked with monitoring the private account receiving legal revenues from oil trade at the Hoddeidah ports.

    Houthis have plundered 72% of total revenues and spent almost half of it on their war effort, Yemeni government economic committee member Fares al-Jaadabi told Asharq Al-Awsat…”

  23. US seeks to seize gasoline in four Iran tankers bound for Venezuela
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200702-us-seeks-to-seize-gasoline-in-four-iran-tankers-bound-for-venezuela/

    “US prosecutors late on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to seize the gasoline aboard four tankers that Iran is shipping to Venezuela, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to increase economic pressure on the two US foes, Reuters reports.

    The government of Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro has flaunted the tankers, which departed last month, to show it remains unbowed by US pressure. The United States has been pressing for Maduro’s ouster with a campaign of diplomatic and punitive measures, including sanctions on state oil company PDVSA.

    Gasoline shortages in Venezuela, like Iran a member of OPEC, have grown acute due to the US sanctions, and the country has undergone an economic collapse. Still, Maduro has held on, and the failure to unseat him has been source of frustration for US President Donald Trump, some American officials have said privately…”

  24. Turkey: UNSC must remind UAE of duty to international law
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200702-turkey-unsc-must-remind-uae-of-duty-to-international-law/

    “The UN Security Council must remind the United Arab Emirates (UAE) it is bound by international law against “destructive and malicious policies” in the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey told the international body, Anadolu Agency reports.

    Turkey’s ambassador to UN Feridun Sinirliogu accused the UAE on Wednesday of embarking on a campaign to stifle democratic movements in the region, citing Abu Dabi’s “excessive ambition” to dominate the wider region “resulted in nothing but human suffering.”

    The UAE is a part of a Saudi Arabian-led coalition that launched a devastating air campaign to roll back Houthi territorial gains in 2015, further escalating the crisis in Yemen.

    Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict that has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

    “UAE’s actions amounted to war crimes, causing mass civilian casualties and systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure through air strikes,” Sinirlioglu said in a letter to the Council and Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

    Turning to Libya, which has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Sinirlioglu said Abu Dabi is supporting renegade commander Khalifa Haftar and wants to oust the legitimate UN-recognized Government of National Accord.

    The government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by Haftar’s forces.

    “The same military playbook used in Yemen was also applied here, by bombing civilians and civilian infrastructure and cooperating with extremist, radical groups,” said the Turkish envoy.

    He said the UN also recorded systematic violations of an arms embargo by the UAE and deployment of mercenaries from Syria, Sudan, Chad and other nations to Libya.

    Abu Dabi also supports the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria in its offensive against democracy, civil movements and civilians, said Sinirlioglu, adding the UAE is offering financial and logistical support to the PKK terror group to carry out attacks in Turkey.

    “The UAE’s efforts to undermine the UN’s efforts and credibility continue unabated,” he added.

    He said the UAE failed to create an “axis of unstable and fragile states that it can easily manipulate in the region,” which led to an understandable “frustration” of the UAE.

    The UAE “must respect the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of other states and it must stop instigating instability in the region and beyond,” Sinirlioglu added.”

  25. Canadian arrested in Egypt early in 2019 returns home after release, needs medical treatment
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200702-canadian-arrested-in-egypt-early-in-2019-returns-home-after-release-needs-medical-treatment/

    “Yasser Albaz, a Canadian engineer who was arrested at Cairo airport at the end of a business trip in February 2019, has been released and is back in Canada but needs medical treatment, his family said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in February he had raised the case of Albaz during a meeting in Addis Ababa with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

    “We are happy to announce that Yasser Albaz has been released by Egyptian authorities and has arrived this morning at Toronto Pearson International Airport,” his daughter Amal Ahmed Albaz said in a statement.

    “Yasser’s health has deteriorated and our top priority will be his much needed medical treatment,” she added.

    Albaz’s family said last year his passport was confiscated when he attempted to board a flight to Canada and an Egyptian official told him his name had been flagged for a probe.

    Sisi has overseen a crackdown on dissent that has targeted liberal opponents as well as the Islamists who briefly held power after the Arab Spring. Tens of thousands of people have been detained.

    Neither the Canadian foreign ministry nor the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa were immediately available for comment.”

  26. Pakistan Army ‘vehemently’ denies presence of Chinese troops in the country
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252929/pakistan-army-vehemently-denies-presence-of

    “The Pakistan Army on Thursday “vehemently” denied the presence of Chinese forces in the country after unsubstantiated reports circulated in Indian media claiming the presence of Beijing’s combat aircraft at a forward Pakistani air base.

    Indian media claimed that after the recent Sino-India clash in the Galwan Valley area of Ladakh – part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region – additional deployment of army troops has been made along the Line of Control (LoC) and China has deployed combat aircraft at Gilgit-Baltistan’s Skardu Air Base.

    Referring to the news as “irresponsible and far from truth”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said no such movement or induction of additional forces has taken place…”

  27. Turkey arrests 6 PKK terrorists in N. Syria
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-arrests-6-pkk-terrorists-in-n-syria/1897467

    “Turkish security forces have arrested at least six YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, near the country’s southern border, the National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

    They carried out terrorist activities to disrupt an environment of peace and security, the ministry said on Twitter.

    Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terrorist operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable peaceful settlement by locals: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.”

  28. Klaus: Today’s EU does not support freedom
    https://rmx.news/article/article/klaus-todays-eu-does-not-support-freedom

    “Speaking in front of politicians from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, former Czech President Václav Klaus said that today’s European Union follows the wrong path that does not lead to democracy or friendly cooperation between European countries.

    “As we all know, Germany will take over the Presidency of the European Union Council in a few hours. But it will only be a formal matter. For people in other, especially smaller EU member states, Germany holds the permanent presidency,” he said, pointing out that Germany is the unofficial decision-maker when it comes to EU issues.

    Thus, according to Klaus, there is no reason to celebrate Germany officially taking over the presidency.

    Commenting on the current state of the EU, the 79-year-old former Czech President criticized the economic recovery plan worth 750 billion euros proposed by the European Commission. Klaus warned that the strategy, which includes a joint liability guarantee for money borrowed on financial markets, is a clear threat to the existence of nation-states in Europe and today’s model of European integration. He also believes that the pandemic is just a pretext for enforcing this plan and will lead to further European unification.

    Besides the EU plans, Klaus also criticized multiculturalism, feminism, and globalism. At the same time, he condemned the radical changes that appeared during the pandemic.

    “What we have been experiencing in recent weeks – the rewriting of history and the destruction of monuments and statues of significant personalities of our nations – is a silent revolution that will destroy us. I believe that you in AfD know all this as well as I do, perhaps even better,” he said.

    Klaus is a frequent guest of the AfD party, which focuses mainly on anti-immigration policies. In the past five years, the party became a member of both the German Federal Assembly and parliaments of all 16 federal states.”

  29. US EMBASSY IN MOSCOW DEFIANTLY CELEBRATES LGBT “PRIDE”
    The US Embassy in Moscow also included this statement, “This June, we celebrate Pride Month by applauding LGBTI activists and their allies.” The U.S. embassy is applauding homosexual activists who often work to indoctrinate children. So the Trump administration has such offensive messages in Russia, which does not kill homosexuals. Next, I visited the website of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, in the same day, June 30. Sure enough, there was no message from the Trump administration about celebrating June as homosexual “pride” month. The respect the U.S. has for Saudi Arabia and its Islamic laws surpasses any respect the US has for the gay agenda. Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, kills homosexuals. So if the US effort is about protecting homosexuals, why does the Trump administration target Russia, not Saudi Arabia? The fact that the Trump administration is defiantly provoking Russia, which does not kill homosexuals, by displaying a homosexual flag in its embassy in Moscow while its embassy, which displays no homosexual flag in its building, in Saudi Arabia remains silent over Saudi killings of homosexuals is enough evidence that the US government in its promotion of the gay agenda will not forgive Russia for protecting children from homosexual propaganda and indoctrination, but it will give special allowances to Saudi Arabia that kills homosexuals, as it has already given. Julio Severo
    https://libertysentinel.org/us-embassy-in-moscow-defiantly-celebrates-lgbt-pride

  30. DÉJÀ VU: GSK RECYCLES ITS PROBLEMATIC ADJUVANT INTO COVID-19 VACCINES
    President Trump’s May appointment of Moncef Slaoui to head up Operation Warp Speed (the White House initiative launched to speed up US coronavirus vaccine development and distribution) furnishes an additional hint that GSK is well-positioned to profit from Covid-19. Slaoui is a 30-year GSK veteran who closed out his Glaxo career as head of the company’s global vaccines business and who is credited with having “spearheaded a profound overhaul of GSK’s pharmaceutical R&D” and developed a “robust vaccines pipeline.” It so happens that Slaoui is also one of the world’s experts in “electroceuticals”—a burgeoning field that seeks to introduce electrical impulses into the brain via nanotechnology, microdevices, microchips, implants and other forms of brain-machine interfaces. Given how closely these technologies align with the dystopian agenda of vaccine technocrats like Bill Gates, it would probably be wise to keep a close eye on what Slaoui and GSK get up to in the coming weeks and months. Children’s Health Defense Team
    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/deja-vu-gsk-recycles-its-problematic-adjuvant-into-covid-19-vaccines/

  31. RUSSIA: OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT PUTIN’S CONSTITUTION CHANGES
    In truth, the Kremlin had left the opposition with a thankless task. While they opposed the plan to nullify Putin’s term limits, a lot of popular measures included were difficult to oppose without offending large swaths of voters: for instance, civil servants being prohibited from holding foreign bank accounts and citizenship, a ban on giving away any Russian territory, and a guarantee that the minimum wage will not be lower than the cost of living. Like it or not, some people were also attracted by the clause banning same-sex marriage and another one saying ethnic Russians are to be recognized as the founders of the state. Another popular change was the provision recognizing the modern Russian Federation as the successor to the USSR and preserving its legacy as the victor in WWII, fueling the sort of militarism many liberals find distasteful. Another issue is that polls have consistently shown a majority of Russians actually want Putin to remain in power after the 2024 election. Western media coverage of the process has been rather bizarre, focusing almost solely on the Putin term-limits issue while ignoring or glossing over the fact that the vast majority of Russians still clearly support his system. Once upon a time, this was attributed to the power of ‘state TV,’ but today, when the internet is beginning to overtake the zombie box as the primary source of news, that unsophisticated trope is clearly redundant. Russia is not a dictatorship, and Putin is not a dictator. The setup is ‘soft’ authoritarian and it relies on the consent of the majority to keep power. The provisions in the new constitution – most notably term limits for future presidents and immunity after leaving office – also suggest the president wants to continue with a form of representative government. The Kremlin is clearly not trying to go down the Chinese or Soviet route, but also doesn’t want to embrace Western-style ‘liberal democracy.’ Much as Russia itself is both in Europe and Asia but truly ‘of’ neither, its government structure and electoral procedures are also clearly going to remain somewhat unique. After Wednesday’s vote, it’s evidently what most Russians themselves want. At least for the foreseeable future, anyway. Nevertheless, expect the endless US/UK media headlines predicting Russia’s imminent collapse to keep coming. For over 20 years, they have been consistently wrong, and they’ll almost certainly be inaccurate for at least 20 more. Bryan MacDonald
    https://www.rt.com/russia/493536-constitution-changes-vote-west-reaction/
    +
    PRESIDENT PUTIN THANKS RUSSIANS FOR SUPPORT & TRUST AFTER VOTE: CHANGES WILL STRENGTHEN RUSSIA’S SOVEREIGNTY
    video – 3 mins 17 secs [Russian – need to turn English subtitles on]

  32. Tom Fitton on Durham probe: It’s been 15 months, no action by DOJ, Congress

    Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton explains why Judicial Watch is suing the State Department for records about requests allegedly made by former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power to ‘unmask’ American citizens.

  33. Thomas Sowell wrote this before the Iron Curtain came down. What is happening now must be crushing his soul…

    Excerpt from his book, Thomas Sowell – The Problems of Marxism: