Reader’s Links for July 10, 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

74 Replies to “Reader’s Links for July 10, 2020”

  1. Rights and Responsibilities.

    Covid-19

    If governments ran a mortuary system from imposing compulsory taxes on those within it’s borders, then not only would they be crying out and demanding a street clap for all its workers, they would be locking Citizens indoors until clap-time.
    Instead local funeral parlours are doing great business.

    Likewise, this burden for a National Health Service, that cannot adapt quickly.

    However, with a free-market of competitive medical care – of those who want your business – they would be on every street corner like a religious cult or alternate medicine outlet instead of grouped at single prestigious addresses to pass their patients around.

    For the SpaceX of medicine, the virus is an opportunity, a gift, and anything China could throw would make them stronger, and Communist Party officials sick from gluttony would always travel to.

    Others just complain there is a conspiracy, when it’s right before their eyes.
    https://vladtepesblog.com/2020/07/09/readers-links-for-july-9-2020/comment-page-1/#comment-543539
    H/T ET

  2. China to Take Countersteps in Response to US Sanctions on Xinjiang (sputniknews, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/asia/202007101079844258-china-to-take-countersteps-in-response-to-us-sanctions-on-xinjiang/

    “China will take measures in response to the US sanctions against the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, a representative of the Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, said Friday.

    “The US decision is a blunt intervention in China’s internal affairs and a serious breach of key norms of international relations. We reject and condemn this”, the diplomat said.

    According to the representative, “China has decided to take countermeasures regarding US citizens and organisations for unbecoming behaviour on issues related to Xinjiang”.

    The statement comes as a response to recent US sanctions on the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB) and four current or former Chinese officials, imposed on Thursday under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act that allows Washington to apply sanctions against Beijing over alleged human rights violations.

    According to the US, China has been holding up to one million ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in re-education camps in the autonomous region, abusing their rights. China has repeatedly refuted the accusation, stating that the only reason for detentions in the area is linked to “fighting violence, terrorism, and separatism”. Beijing also stressed that the facilities called “re-education camps” by the US are actually education centres, where Uyghurs can learn the official language.”

  3. Le Pen Calls for ‘Decisive Steps’ to Fight Islamist Radicalisation in France (sputniknews, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/202007101079847183-le-pen-calls-for-decisive-steps-to-fight-islamist-radicalization-in-france/

    “In February, France’s President Emmanuel Macron pledged a crackdown on Islamic separatism, also vowing to end a system that stipulates foreign countries sending imams to preach in French mosques.

    In a communique released on Thursday, president of the French party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, called for more practical steps to resolve the threat of “Islamist radicalisation” in the country.

    She recalled a recent parliamentary report that expressed concern over “the reality” of such radicalisation, also pointing out that “a minority of the French population of Muslim faith tends” to accept “intransigent” behaviour under the guise of religion.

    Le Pen also referred to a similar report issued by French MPs in 2019, when they voiced alarm about “the rise in religious communitarianism which is spreading in enclaves where separatism intends to impose” its own laws that are different from those of France.

    In an apparent criticism of Emmanuel Macron’s handling of the issue, the National Rally head noted that she wonders how many Salafist mosques have been closed since the French president’s promise in February to fight Islamic separatism in the country.

    She emphasised that the time is ripe to take “decisive steps” in the face of spreading “Islamist totalitarianism, an ideology which does not recognise the separation of religion and the state, a great principle of democratic and pluralist societies”.

    “We must put an end to compromises and complacency. It is now necessary to prohibit all the radical Islamist groups operating in certain areas and enjoying total impunity to remind that in France […] no religious dogma should prevail over the destiny of the French people”, Le Pen underscored.

    She also highlighted the need to “stop a massive and anarchic immigration which only reinforces the communitarianism, paving the way for spreading radical Islamism”.

    Macron Vows to Grapple With Islamist Separatism
    The remarks followed Macron pledging in mid-February to restrict other countries from sending imams and Islamic teachers to France, part of the French government’s efforts to prevent “separatism”.

    “This end to the consular Islam system is extremely important to curb foreign influence and make sure everybody respects the laws of the republic”, he told reporters during a visit to the eastern French city of Mulhouse at the time.

    Macron added that the government had asked the French Muslim Council (CFCM), which represents Islam in the country, to focus on training imams on French soil and ensuring they can speak French and not spread radical Islamist views.

    “The problem is when in the name of a religion, some want to separate themselves from the republic and therefore not respect its laws. […] Mosques financed with transparency with imams trained in France and respectful of republican values and principles, that’s how we will create conditions so that Muslims in France can freely practice their religion”, the French president said.

    He referred to 300 imams who are annually sent to France, vowing that the practice will stop as of next year. The country’s Muslim community remains the biggest of its kind in Europe.”

  4. German Authorities Claim People Smugglers Tracking NGO Ships and Directing Migrants to Them (breitbart, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/10/german-authorities-claim-people-smugglers-tracking-ngo-ships-sending-migrants/

    “The German Joint Analysis and Strategy Centre for Illegal Migration (Gasim) has claimed that people smugglers in North Africa are actively tracking migrant transport NGO vessels and sending migrants to them.

    The agency, which is based in Potsdam, analyses information on illegal migration and smuggling operations for several federal authorities including the Federal Criminal Police Office, Federal Police, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

    An internal Gasim report, obtained by German newspaper Die Welt, has claimed that smugglers in Libya are very aware of the return of migrant transport NGOs in the Libyan search and rescue (SAR) zone in recent weeks.

    “In the presence of NGO ships, concerted departures from Libya were noted. According to refugees and migrants, smugglers use the tracking function on various websites to determine the location of NGO ships and contacted them in individual cases using a satellite phone,” the report stated.

    The report backs up earlier accusations by Italian prosecutors in 2017 that NGOs were working directly with people smugglers in Libya to help transport migrants to Europe.

    Gasim stated that NGO vessels had brought more than two-thirds of the migrants who arrived in the first two months of this year, before the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, to Italy and Malta.

    In those first two months, migration numbers to Italy surged by 948 per cent compared to the year before when populist Senator Matteo Salvini served as Italy’s interior minister and enforced a strict policy of rejecting NGO vessels from Italian ports.

    Even without the presence of NGO vessels, the Gasim report claims many migrants have tried to cross to Europe anyway. “Despite the absence of NGO ships, more than 800 migrants reached the Italian island of Lampedusa on their own in late April/early May or were taken in by excursion and commercial ships in the Maltese SAR zone,” they said.”

  5. “Trailer – Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World”
    Free To Choose Network – July 2, 2020

    • “Thomas Sowell – Congressional Testimony”
      Liberty Pen – May 31, 2013
      From the Bork Confirmation Hearings, Thomas Sowell responds to Congressional questions regarding affirmative action, judicial activism and other issues. Orrin Hatch, Joe Biden, Howell Heflin, Gordon Humphrey.

  6. Head of Migrant NGO Under Fraud Investigation Now Accused of Sexually Abusing Migrant (breitbart, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/10/head-of-migrant-ngo-fraud-investigation-accused-sexually-abusing-migrant/

    “Father Antonio Zanotti, who is currently under investigation by Italian authorities for fraud, has been accused of sexually abusing a migrant under the care of his pro-migrant NGO.

    The migrant originally came forward two years ago, claiming that he had suffered sexual abuse while under the care of the Oasis 7 organisation in Bergamo which takes in migrants and minors who face difficult situations.

    The migrant filed hard evidence, in the form of photographs and short videos, to prosecutors. The migrant told prosecutors that Father Zanotti, a Capuchin friar, had forced him to perform sexual acts and was threatened him with beatings if he did not comply, Il Giornale reports.

    “After about three or four months after my arrival at Oasis 7, the friar began to approach me sexually. Then, after inviting me to drink in his room, he put his hands in my genitals. Although it was not my desire to have sex with the friar, I could not resist,” the migrant said this week.

    “Father Zanotti’s claims were more and more insistent and pressing. He touched me constantly. And he forced me to take Viagra (once he even made me swallow three tablets) so that he could satisfy himself,” he added.

    Zanotti has been under house arrest since June 17th after being accused of personally profiting from migrants and abusing public funds meant for the migrants under his care.

    Sexual abuse of migrants by members of NGOs has been a reoccurring problem in several countries in recent years.

    Last year, the head of the Italian NGO Mama Africa was accused of sexually abusing a young boy in Togo between 2007 to 2014.

    A similar case also took place in Switzerland last year in which a migrant accused a Swiss pro-migrant activist of sexually abusing him while the Swiss man worked for Amnesty International in 2008.

    In 2018, the House of Commons international development committee in the UK published a damning report claiming that sexual abuse was an “endemic” problem across foreign aid NGOs.”

  7. “G day, How’s it hangin”, Australia opens the doors of permanent residency for Hong Kongers
    8,807 views
    •Jul 10, 2020

  8. Turkey’s State Council Annuls 1934 Ruling to Turn Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Into Museum (sputniknews, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007101079848950-turkeys-state-council-annuls-1934-ruling-to-turn-hagia-sophia-in-istanbul-into-museum-reports-say/

    “Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Hagia Sophia, formerly the Church of the Holy Wisdom, which used to be an Orthodox Christian cathedral before becoming a mosque and then a museum, could become a mosque again, with free admission.

    Turkey’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, has annulled the 1934 decree converting Hagia Sophia into a museum, meaning that it can now be used as a mosque, CNN Turk reported on Friday.

    While the decision has been taken unanimously, it can be appealed within 30 days.

    The State Council has confirmed the fund that owns Hagia Sophia has decided to hand over the building for public use as a mosque at no cost.

    There’s no information so far about when worship services will start.

    Ankara has repeatedly stressed that it considers the status of Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul, its domestic affair and opposes any foreign interference in the decision.

    Turkey’s has been opposed by UNESCO, the EU, the US and Christians around the world, with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew warning that the move “would turn them against Islam”.

    The Church of the Holy Wisdom was completed in 537 AD during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great, and remained the main cathedral of the Orthodox Church until the conquest of Constantinople by the crusaders in 1204, after which the building was briefly turned into a Catholic cathedral.

    In 1261, the Byzantines recaptured the city and the Church of the Holy Wisdom once again became the main Orthodox cathedral.

    Nearly two centuries later, in 1453, the city was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and turned into a mosque. It remained a mosque until 1931 when it was closed to the public for four years. It was re-opened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.”

  9. 9,000 People Evacuated In Jianxi, China; Financial Troubles For Chinese Military Company?|Crossroads

  10. India-China Should Be Partners, Not Rivals: Chinese Envoy To India’s Video Message

  11. Why So Little National Media Attention On The Siege Underway In Portland For Over A Month

  12. UK announces first sanctions against human rights violators | China | Human Rights | Epoch News

  13. ‘How Islam moderated slavery’: BBC blasted for piece explaining the ‘nice’ way to treat humans as property

    In the current climate of heightened racial tensions, marked by worldwide protests and the tearing down of colonial-era statues, it has emerged that not all slavery was created equal – at least, according to the BBC.

    As celebrities, politicians, and the public at large parse their social-media histories for any evidence of untoward or potentially racially offensive comments, jokes, memes or otherwise, it appears the BBC is the latest institution to have views expressed in the past come back to haunt it.

    In an archived article from 2009 discussing slavery and Islam, critics highlight how the BBC included such grim subheadings and points as “How Islam moderated slavery,” including “Islam treated slaves as human beings as well as property” and how, mercifully, “Islam barred Muslims from enslaving other Muslims.”

    Though the BBC writer does acknowledge that Islam“made freeing slaves a virtuous act,” and makes several other concessions in the piece, it still apparently strayed too close to apologetics for slavery, in the eyes of many irate tweeters, becoming an exercise in whataboutery and deflecting blame on to Christians and white people.

    Many were particularly irked, given the plight the Yazidi suffered at the hands of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) jihadists in the so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

    The article resurfaced after reports emerged that Al-Qaeda had begun to rebrand itself as a “champion of the oppressed” to capitalize on the groundswell of support for anti-racism, anti-establishment, and anti-colonialist movements across the Western world in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of the Minneapolis police department.

    https://www.rt.com/uk/494362-how-islam-moderated-slavery-bbc/

    =============================================
    BBC – Slavery in Isla

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/slavery_1.shtml

    ==============================================

  14. BBC – Hagia Sophia: Turkey turns iconic Istanbul museum into mosque

    Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree converting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul – founded as a cathedral – into a mosque.

    Earlier Turkey’s top administrative court annulled the museum status of the world-famous cultural site.

    […]Mr Erdogan’s decree hands control of the Ayasofya Mosque, as it is known in Turkish, to Turkey’s religious directorate, to reopen it for worship.

    […]But the Council of State, Turkey’s top administrative court, said in its ruling on Friday: “It was concluded that the settlement deed allocated it as a mosque and its use outside this character is not possible legally”.

    “The cabinet decision in 1934 that ended its use as a mosque and defined it as a museum did not comply with laws,” it said.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53366307
    ==================================================
    al jazeera – Turkey reconverts Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque

    President Erdogan declares iconic cultural site reopen to Muslim worship after a court ruling.

    Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia open to Muslim worship after a top court ruled that the building’s conversion to a museum by modern Turkey’s founding statesman was illegal.

    […]”The decision was taken to hand over the management of the Ayasofya Mosque … to the Religious Affairs Directorate and open it for worship,” the decision signed by Erdogan said.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/turkey-court-revokes-hagia-sophia-museum-status-200710131419431.html

    ================================================
    twitter

    Turks chant pro- Erdogan &Allahu Akbar slogans outside Hagia Sophia to celebrate its conversion to a mosque.

    https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1281603922302504966

    =================================================

  15. Bolsonaro feels ‘very good’ and praises hydroxychloroquine

    Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro assures that he feels “very good” and campaigns once again for the use of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug whose effectiveness against coronavirus is not scientifically proven and that keeps dividing the global scientific community.

    • WHO chief breaks down in tears, says ‘we cannot defeat COVID-19 as a divided world’

      World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shed tears during press briefing on Thursday calling COVID-19 a ‘common enemy’ and saying that humanity cannot fight this pandemic as a divided world.

  16. Trump and Netanyahu Face their Rendezvous with Destiny

    The next few weeks boils down to a historic moment of truth.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needn’t take heed of the “friendly advice” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson proffered on Wednesday. As UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba did earlier this month, Johnson published an article in Yediot Ahronot threatening Israel with various disasters if Netanyahu implements his plan to apply Israeli sovereignty in areas of Judea and Samaria in conformance with President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

    Johnson’s “friendly” threats should surprise no one. Since 2017, when he began serving as Britain’s foreign minister under then-Prime Minister Theresa May, Johnson, demonstrated amply that he is no great friend of Israel, or of anyone else.

    After leading the fight for Brexit as Mayor of London, as foreign minister Johnson was quick to align all of Britain’s foreign policies with the European Union, as if he were its most obedient member. He did so not only at Israel’s expense, but at the expense of Anglo-American ties.

    When the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to the council’s structural anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism, not only did Johnson not follow suit, he sped off to Geneva, appeared before the UNHRC and pledged Britain’s undying allegiance to the body.

    https://cms.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/07/trump-and-netanyahu-face-their-rendezvous-destiny-caroline-glick

  17. London stabbing: Police officer in hospital after being attacked with knife in Hendon (express, July 10, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1307922/london-news-hendon-stabbing-police-officer-hospital-latest-crime-update

    “A POLICE investigation has been launched after an officer was stabbed on duty in North London.

    Police were called shortly after 1pm following reports of a man seen in possession of a knife on Hendon Way near Brent Cross. The Met Police has confirmed an unnamed officer was stabbed in the arm while chasing a suspect. The officer has been taken to hospital for treatment and his condition is not life threatening.

    The force confirmed a taser was used and a man has been arrested on suspicion of GBH.

    He has been taken to hospital as a precaution.

    North West BCU Commander Roy Smith said: “This is another example of the dangers our officers face on a daily basis as they go about their duty protecting the people of London.

    “Knowing that there were reports of a man in possession of a knife, this police constable and his colleagues ran to challenge and apprehend him – these are truly brave actions.

    “I have visited the injured officer in hospital and thankfully he should make a full recovery from his injury.”

    More to follow…”

  18. US Afghan War Veterans Suffered ‘Devastating Health Conditions’ Due to Toxins, Radiation at Base (sputniknews, Jul 10, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/us/202007101079850119-us-afghan-war-veterans-suffered-devastating-health-conditions-due-to-toxins-radiation-at-base/

    “Almost two decades of war in Afghanistan have taken their toll on US servicemen, not only via battles with terrorists, but also due to the military’s apparent negligence of adverse environmental conditions at one or more bases and a general lack of information regarding related hazards.

    The House Subcommittee on National Security has ruled to de-classify a significant array of documents from the Department of Defence that suggest that American troops, stationed at Camp Stronghold Freedom at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan between 2001 and 2005, were constantly exposed to several types of hazardous toxins and even radiation, and have since been suffering health issues likely connected to the conditions at the base.

    Democratic chairman of the subcommittee Stephen Lynch and his fellow committee members have indicated that the poisonous conditions at the K2 base could have resulted in numerous medical issues for some of the 10,100 veterans who fought in the Afghanistan war and were stationed at Camp Stronghold Freedom. The lawmakers noted that so far these soldiers, who have showed “cancer rates five times higher than” their fellow servicemen, were denied the disability and health-care benefits they deserved and called on the rest of Congress to act in order to fix the situation.

    “It is deeply troubling that despite clear evidence they were exposed to toxic and radioactive materials, these courageous veterans and their families are being denied treatment and benefits for their service-connected disabilities, which include cancer and other devastating health conditions,” chairman Lynch stated.

    Republican member of the subcommittee Mark Green, in turn, noted that there has been “a mounting body of evidence” that the K2 servicemen were exposed to “highly toxic chemicals and radioactive materials”, and that the matter had been known to the DoD, according to a number of now-declassified reports from 2001, 2002 and 2004. The lawmakers noted that the efforts to declassify the reports were taken in order to “gain justice” for the veterans, and to help them in making “informed healthcare decisions” based on the actual information about the hazards they had been exposed to.

    “Americans who served at K2 put their lives on the line to protect our country, and for years their government has denied them answers. The Oversight Committee will continue to seek justice on behalf of our K2 heroes and work to ensure that our service members and veterans are appropriately compensated for their sacrifice,” Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee which includes the Subcommittee on National Security, stated.

    Serving on Contaminated Soil
    The released reports show that the American troops at the K2 base were almost constantly exposed to the vapours of petrochemical products, such as jet fuel, and volatile organic compounds, which could pose “adverse health effects to personnel”. The toxins were found at numerous locations throughout the base, including in the tent city where soldiers lived, and seemingly contaminated the soil.

    The majority of the US servicemen were also exposed to the vapours of tetrachloroethylene – a chemical that is mostly used in cleaning compounds and is suspected to increase the risks of “bladder cancer, multiple myeloma, or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma”.

    The K2 soldiers were also “frequently” exposed to Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), which was deemed one of the “greatest [health] problems” among the troops, due to its ability to settle in deep in lungs and even penetrate into the bloodstream.

    Camp Stronghold Freedom was also located in the direct vicinity of a former missile site called “Site 1” that was found to contain “small pieces of depleted uranium” back in 2001. And while the US base was deemed to be at a safe distance from it, the DoD reports suggested that while most soldiers only came in daily contact with background radiation levels, less than 10% of them encountered levels “four times above background”.

    Base Officials Purportedly Toned Down Health Concerns

    The committee members indicated that the release of previously classified reports is just the beginning of their work, promising to conduct a “full investigation” of the K2 troops’ exposure and why was it allowed despite the existing concerns regarding environmental hazards.

    According to the testimonies of US Air Force Master Sergeant Paul Widener, the soldiers serving at the base were “repeatedly” informed about the hazards, but were told that they pose “no significant risk” to them. He added that the base command held no “briefings on toxic exposure” and didn’t recommend wearing, let alone provide, protective equipment for the soldiers.

    The Department of Defence has not commented on the release of the documents by the committee so far.”

  19. ***DAVE CULLEN: THE “GLOBAL CRISIS NEEDS GLOBAL GOVERNANCE” NARRATIVE
    video – 16 mins 10 secs

  20. ***DR KELLY VICTORY IS EXPLAINING EVERYTHING (THE TRUTH) ABOUT COVID-19 & MASKS
    video – 17 mins 31 secs

  21. 35 Troops Killed in Nigeria Jihadist Ambush, 30 Missing: New Toll
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/07/10/35-troops-killed-nigeria/

    “The death toll from a jihadist attack on a military convoy in northeast Nigeria has risen from 23 to 35, while 30 troops are still missing, security sources said Thursday.

    Fighters linked to the so-called Islamic State group ambushed the convoy on Tuesday at Bulabulin village, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

    Twenty-three soldiers were initially thought to have been killed in Tuesday’s attack, and many were listed as missing. But security sources said more bodies had now been found in a nearby bush.

    “We lost 35 soldiers from the ambush. Eighteen others were injured while 30 are still missing. Their fate is not known,” a security source told AFP. “More bodies were recovered in the bush by rescue teams which led to a rise in the deaths,” he said.

    Another source confirmed the new toll…”

  22. Iran Foreign Ministry Sets Up Headquarters on Gen. Soleimani’s Case
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/07/10/2303504/iran-foreign-ministry-sets-up-headquarters-on-gen-soleimani-s-case

    “Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a headquarters to pursue legal actions against the American assassination of top commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, a spokesperson said.

    Speaking to reporters at a press conference in the city of Isfahan on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said legal actions are underway to pursue the case of assassination of General Soleimani, who was martyred in a US airstrike in Iraq in early January.

    While the Iranian Judiciary has taken a series of measures against the US for the assassination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a special headquarters to pursue those efforts, Mousavi added.

    He further emphasized that the efforts to pursue the case of assassination of General Soleimani is on the agenda of all pillars of the Islamic Republic, saying the international organizations’ move to declare the US assassination illegal was a result of the diplomatic efforts by Iran.

    In a recent report, Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, underlined the “unlawful” nature of the operation, and said the US had failed to provide sufficient evidence of an ongoing or imminent attack against its interests to justify the strike.

    Also on Thursday, the rapporteur said the US has put the world at unprecedented peril with its assassination of the commander, warning that it was high time the international community broke its silence on Washington’s drone-powered unlawful killings.

    On January 3, a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport assassinated General Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. The attack — that also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) anti-terror group, along with several others — came while General Soleimani was on an official visit to the Iraqi capital.”

  23. German Intelligence Warns of Iranian Cyber Spying
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2381616/german-intelligence-warns-iranian-cyber-spying

    “The annual report of the German Federal Intelligence Service warned against Iran’s increasing use of IT infrastructures to access sensitive information with the aim to circumvent sanctions.

    There are increased cyber activities by Iran in Germany, the 388-page report said, detailing the internal threats faced in the country. The report pointed to Iran’s increasing ability in recent years to launch cyber-attacks, which it said were linked to tensions in the Gulf region.

    The aim of these attacks is to “circumvent the sanctions imposed on Iran and to provide decision-makers with basic information about the planned political maneuvers,” it underlined.

    The intelligence report also spoke of widespread activity by Iranian intelligence and the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force within German soil, adding that espionage operations were conducted against Jewish, pro-Jewish and Israeli targets.

    “Even if there is no explicit danger against precise persons or targets, it can be assumed that these spies are present to carry out operations and attacks against specific targets,” it emphasized.

    It also pointed to the Islamic Center in Hamburg, which is considered “the most important representation of Iran in Germany”, in addition to the Iranian embassy. The report said that the center has established a national network of contacts within many Shiite mosques and societies and exerts a significant influence on them.

    On Turkish intelligence activity in Germany, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned of the Turkish intelligence services’ ability to easily recruit agents in Germany “because of the large number of the Turkish community,” which accounts for about 4 million people.

    The report said that there were 9,000 Turkish spies were working for Ankara intelligence pursue Kurdish opponents and supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen around the world.

    On the Lebanese Hezbollah’s threats, the report said: “We must expect the party to continue planning terrorist acts.”

    It added that there were 1,050 members belonging to Hezbollah in Germany – the same number that the report mentioned in the previous year.

    On the other hand, the federal intelligence monitored an increase in the number of the Muslim Brotherhood by about 300 members. Those accounted for 1,350 members inside Germany in 2019, compared to 1,040 in 2018.

    The German Islamic Group, with its headquarters in Cologne, is classified as the most important organization for Brotherhood supporters in Germany.”

  24. Gilead: Remdesivir drug reduces risk of death in severe coronavirus patients

    Family emergency medicine physician Dr. Janette Nesheiwat talks to FOX Business’ Jackie DeAngelis about the Gilead study regarding remdesivir.

    • CNBC – Fmr. FDA chief on Remdesivir data that shows improved Covid-19 recovery

      Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb joins “Closing Bell” to talk about Gilead’s coronavirus treatment that has been shown to reduce the risk of death in sick patients by 62 percent compared with standard care.

      Gilead, the company that produces this drug, said its findings must be further investigated in future trials.

    • yahoo- Coronavirus: Remdesivir may reduce deaths in COVID-19 patients: Gilead

      Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Brian Sozzi discuss the latest coronavirus news with Yahoo Medical Contributor and Columbia University Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Dara Kass.

    • reuters – Gilead says remdesivir cuts death risk

      Gilead Sciences said additional data from a late-stage study showed its antiviral remdesivir reduced the risk of death and significantly improved the conditions of severely ill COVID-19 patients.

  25. Kuwait may charge Bangladesh envoy in human trafficking case
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200710-kuwait-may-charge-bangladesh-envoy-in-human-trafficking-case/

    “Details of human trafficking in Kuwait which saw the arrest of an MP from Bangladesh suggests that the scandal is not simply a case of one single rouge lawmaker. It now seems that Dhaka’s very own ambassador to the Gulf state is embroiled in criminal activity normally associated with the criminal underworld.

    Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was forced to issue a warning against the country’s Ambassador to Kuwait, SM Abul Kalam, for his alleged involvement in human trafficking, which saw the arrest of Mohammad Shahid Islam in June for a host of offences.

    Momen warned earlier this week that Bangladesh would not spare its ambassador if Kuwait were to bring charges against him over alleged human trafficking. “The government maintains zero tolerance against money laundering and human trafficking.” Punishment is a must, no matter which party they belong to, Momen is reported saying…”

  26. UN: 700 people died recently in Syria camps holding Daesh families
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200710-un-700-people-died-recently-in-syria-camps-holding-daesh-families/

    “The United Nations has revealed that 700 people have recently died in two camps in north-east Syria, in which around 70,000 family members of Daesh fighters are currently being detained.

    The UN’s counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Vorontsov informed a news conference yesterday that the residents of the Al-Hawl and Roj camps, consisting primarily of women and children, have been facing “very dire conditions” and approximately 700 have recently died as a result of “lack of medicine, [and] lack of food.”

    The large number of deaths have reportedly created “feelings of anger”, Vorontsov said, urging the international community to help to tackle “the huge problem”.

    According to the official, keeping the families within the camp for an even longer period of time “is very dangerous”, warning that “they could create very explosive materials that could be very helpful for terrorists to restart their activities” within the region…”

  27. Deutsche Pravda – Coronavirus in the USA: Trump’s downfall?

    A superpower laid low by the coronavirus: Infections in the USA continue to rise and the economy is on life support. Will the pandemic cost President Trump the election?

    Guests: Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson (KCRW Radio Berlin), Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico), Daniel Hamilton (Johns Hopkins University)

    Daniel Hamilton is a professor for Poltical Science at Johns Hopkins University. Currently he is a Robert Bosch-Fellow in Berlin. He says: “Pandemic, recession, systemic racism — all made worse by Donald Trump. It’s a combustible brew.”

    Matthew Karnitschnig is chief Europe correspondent for „Politico“. His view: „The pandemic is Trump’s Waterloo. The main question now is not if he will lose, but rather by how much.”

    Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is program director at KCRW, a Radio station based here in Berlin and affiliated with the US broadcaster NPR. And she says: „Donald Trump’s performance regarding COVID-19 may not matter, because recessions lead to reelection losers.“

  28. Pakistani terrorist among 2 killed in Paktiya province of Afghanistan: MoD
    https://www.khaama.com/pakistani-terrorist-among-2-killed-in-paktiya-province-of-afghanistan-mod-08949/

    “The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces killed a Pakistani terrorist and one of his accomplices during an operation in South-eastern Paktiya province.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the security forces killed the terrorists during a raid in Samkanai district of Pakitya.

    MoD also released the National Identity Card of the slain Pakistani terrorist who has been identified as Jawad Ali.

    The anti-government armed militants including Taliban have not commented in this regard so far.

    Paktiya is among the relatively volatile provinces in South-eastern parts of country, bordering the porous regions along Durand Line. Both Taliban and al Qaeda are active in some remote regions of the province.”

  29. “80-year-old badly beaten inside grocery store bathroom, suspect at large”
    by Adam Ford – July 10, 2020

    Excerpt:

    “Someone found him inside the bathroom and he was bleeding on the floor,” said Lopez’s son, who added that the attacker continued beating his father even after he had given up his wallet, kicking and striking him in the head and “leaving him on the floor begging for his life.”

    In a written statement, the sheriff’s department said, “At this time, there is no evidence indicating this is a hate crime and seems exclusively to be a robbery”
    https://disrn.com/news/80-year-old-badly-beaten-inside-grocery-store-bathroom-suspect-at-large/

  30. Hagia Sophia converted into mosque as Erdo?an signs decree
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hagia-sophia-converted-into-mosque-as-erdogan-signs-decree-156455

    “President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an issued a decree on July 10 to formally declare the Hagia Sophia as a mosque, minutes after Turkey’s administrative court annulled a 1934-dated decision that paved the way for the use of the 15-century-old structure as a museum.

    Erdo?an’s decree cited the Council of State’s verdict as the basis of his move for the transfer of the powers concerning the use of the Hagia Sophia to the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).

    Crowds were observed to be gathered in front of the Hagia Sophia after news broke out on the status change.

    The Council of State issued its ruling in a statement late afternoon July 10, ending a years-long legal process over the status of the Hagia Sophia upon the appeal of an Istanbul-based association.

    The court based its verdict on the fact that the Hagia Sophia was a property of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han Foundation and registered to be used only as a mosque. The decision to grant a status of museum to the Hagia Sophia was given by former President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1934.

    The reasoning of the Council of State stressed that the government in 1934 had no powers to change the status of the religious structure.

    Earlier in the day, Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak and Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül expressed their expectations of opening the Hagia Sophia to worship for the Muslims in separate tweets.

    Albayrak cited a line from a poem by Turkish poet Necip Faz?l K?sakürek that read “Wait for it, folks! Either today or tomorrow, the Hagia Sophia will be opened!”

    The matter of Hagia Sophia’s status came up when Turkey marked the 567th anniversary of the conquest on May 29 by reading passages from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the Hagia Sophia.

    Erdo?an had proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a building at the heart of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires and today one of Turkey’s most visited monuments.

    Later, the debate over the site has turned into a domestic political row and prompted international criticism from religious and political leaders worldwide.

    Istanbul-based Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, urged Turkey earlier this week to keep Hagia Sophia as a museum. Bartholomew argued that its conversion into a mosque “will turn millions of Christians across the world against Islam.”

    While France’s Foreign Ministry said on July 2 that the sixth-century structure must remain open to all, Greece said that Turkey risked opening up “a huge emotional chasm” with Christian countries if it pressed ahead with a proposal to convert the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.

    “Hagia Sophia is a world heritage monument… Many countries, culminating in the intervention of the U.S State Department, highlighted this very point, urging Turkey not to take steps which would create a huge emotional chasm between the Christians of the world and Turkey,” Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas told a news briefing.

    Erdo?an said on July 3 that criticism of Turkey over the possible conversion of Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia monument from a museum to a mosque “is an attack on Turkey’s sovereignty.”

    “Accusations against our country about Hagia Sophia directly target our sovereign rights,” said Erdo?an, responding to concern over the proposal from the West, particularly Greece, France and the United States.

    “We are determined to continue to protect the rights of Muslims, our country’s majority faith, as well as members of all other faiths and religions,” he added at the formal opening of another mosque in Istanbul.

    Earlier, Turkey said it was “shocked” at a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Erdo?an not to go ahead with the plan.

    Pompeo had said in a statement that the museum status should be maintained “as an exemplar of [Turkey’s] commitment to respect the faith traditions and diverse history that contributed to the Republic of Turkey, and to ensure it remains accessible to all.””

  31. Mullah Krekar convictions upheld
    https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2020/07/10/mullah-krekar-convictions-upheld_bcf4ddde-0adf-40c5-af6d-74665e8f3c66.html

    “A Bolzano appeals court on Friday upheld all the convictions in a trial into a jihadi cell in Italy featuring an Islamist leader recently extradited to Italy from Norway, Mullah Krekar.

    The man’s 12-year prison term was upheld.

    Krekar was found to have been the ‘spiritual leader’ of the Rawthi Shax jihadi cell, which was dismantled by Italian security police in the autumn of 2015.”

  32. Canada Loses Track of 35,000 Migrants Set for Deportation
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/10/canada-loses-track-35000-migrants-deportation/

    “The Canadian government has admitted that it has lost track of two-thirds of the 50,000 migrants targeted for deportation orders, most of them failed asylum seekers.

    The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has lost track of 34,700 migrants, mainly failed asylum seekers, up for deportation, a report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada revealed this week.

    “The accumulation of enforceable removal orders is an ongoing problem within the Canada Border Services Agency,” the report stated. It added: “Most of the measures have been enforceable for many years and have involved, among others, criminals and failed asylum seekers.”

    The report slammed the CBSA for having “poor quality” data and lamented “basic weaknesses in case management, which led to avoidable delays in the treatment of thousands of cases”.

    According to Le Figaro, Canada has seen a surge in asylum applications in recent years, reporting 50,000 requests in 2017, 55,000 in 2018, and 64,000 in 2019.

    While Canada has taken in tens of thousands of Syrian migrants following the migrant crisis of 2015, the country has also had a major issue with migrants crossing the border illegally from the United States, primarily Haitians who have had their asylum status revoked in the USA.

    Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a reversal in policy shortly before Canada closed its border with the United States, due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

    Calling it a “temporary measure”, Trudeau stated that the closure of the border would also see asylum seekers coming into the country through unofficial border crossings would be rejected and returned.

    Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said asylum seekers would not be detained by authorities but would be turned around and sent back to the USA.

    Mass migration has had a profound impact on Canada in recent decades and has been the main driver of population growth in the country.

    In last year’s federal election 41 electoral districts in Canada were now ethnic minority-majority areas, eight more than the previous election just four years before.”

  33. Islamist Acquitted for Sword Attack Outside Buckingham Palace Jailed for Terror Plot on Gay Pride Festival
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/10/islamist-acquitted-sword-attack-buckingham-palace-jailed-terror-plot-london-gay-pride-parade/

    “A jihadist who was acquitted in 2018 of terrorism after attacking a police officer with a sword outside of Buckingham Palace while yelling “Allah hu Akbar” has been jailed for a terror plot to attack London’s gay pride festival.

    Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 28, from Luton, was found guilty in February on plotting deadly terror attacks on London landmarks including Madam Tussauds, an iconic open-top double-decker sightseeing bus, and the gay pride festival.

    The former Uber driver was sentenced on Thursday to ‘life’ imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years in jail, according to The Guardian.

    The court had heard that Chowdhury had practised beheading techniques, as well as stabbing methods, and attended a firing range with the intention of obtaining a firearm in preparation for the multi-location terror attack.

    Chowdhury had been acquitted of terrorism in 2018, after he had been arrested outside of Buckingham Palace, swinging a samurai sword whilst yelling: “Allah hu Akbar!”

    The Islamist had driven his car at police officers guarding Queen Elizabeth II’s official residence, before disembarking and attempting to stab at the officers on August 25th, 2017, before being subdued.

    A suicide note found by Chowdhury’s sister read: “The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire. They go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy.

    “They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight.”

    The 2018 court also heard that he had expressed support for Islamic State.

    The Islamist’s lawyer managed to get him acquitted, however, by convincing the jury that his client did not want to murder anyone but simply wanted to be killed by police officers, otherwise known as ‘suicide by cop’.

    However, The Guardian reports that a week after his acquittal and release in 2018, he had posted online of the virtues of martyrdom, and shared a picture of the policeman who subdued him, calling him a “cuck”.

    It was these social media posts that triggered an undercover sting operation by counterterrorism.

    Befriending four undercover officers pretending to be Islamic extremists, he told them how he had fooled the jury, but that his true intention was to “whack” a soldier at the palace.

    “I told them why I did it. I told them that they are filth, even in their own courts and yet after all that, every single person on the jury, Allah made them say not guilty, yeah, this is the imaan [faith], right,” Chowdhury told an undercover agent, according to Sky News.

    The convicted terrorist had told one undercover officer that he would attack one million non-Muslims for “the pleasure of Allah”.

    It was after Chowdhury told them of his plans to cause mass injury and death using a vehicle, knives, or a gun, that he was arrested three days for before the beginning of the gay pride parade in London in July 2019.”