Reader’s Links for July 14, 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

73 Replies to “Reader’s Links for July 14, 2020”

  1. Eastern-Based Libyan Parliament Gives Green Light to Egyptian Army to Interfere in Libyan Conflict (sputniknews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007141079876240-ankara-accuses-brussels-of-double-standards-in-eu-policy-on-libya—foreign-ministry/

    “The eastern-based Libyan parliament, which supports the Libyan National Army (LNA), has given go-ahead to the Egyptian armed forces to intervene in the Libyan conflict.

    In early June, Egypt put forward the Cairo peace initiative, outlining a path for a political settlement in Libya and calling for warring parties to cease fire since 8 June. The proposal was welcomed by the Arab League, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but was rejected by the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey.

    “We call for joint efforts between the two brotherly nations – Libya and Egypt – in order to defeat the occupier and maintain our common security and stability in our country and region,” the statement read.

    It added that the parliament “welcomes the words of the Egyptian President, spoken in the presence of representatives of Libyan tribes.”

    “The Egyptian armed forces have the right to intervene to protect Libyan and Egyptian national security if they see an imminent threat to the security of our two countries,” the statement added.

    Last week Egyptian armed forces conducted an exercise near Libya’s border. The drills, codenamed Resolve 2020, took place in the northwestern district of Qabr Gabis, some 37 miles (60 kilometres) away from the Libyan border.

    Libya has been suffering from internal conflict since its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. At the moment, the east of the country is ruled by the parliament, while the west is controlled by the Tripoli-based Government of GNA, which was formed with the help of the United Nations and the European Union. The authorities in the east cooperate with the LNA, which has been attempting to take control of Tripoli.”

  2. Iran’s Former Defence Ministry Worker Executed for Allegedly Spying for CIA (sputniknews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007141079881115-irans-former-defence-ministry-worker-executed-for-allegedly-spying-for-cia/

    “Tehran has executed a former Iranian Defence Ministry official over charges of alleged espionage for the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaeili said on Tuesday.

    The sentence against Reza Asgari, a retired employee of the ministry’s aerospace sector, was carried out last week, Esmaeili said, as quoted by the Mizan Online news agency, which covers judicial affairs. While supposedly working for the CIA, Asgari had handed over information about Iranian missiles.

    The death sentence against Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, accused of transferring information about Iran’s military commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq on 3 January, has not yet been enforced, according to the spokesman.

    Alongside these two defendants, a further three people have been sentenced to death in relation to unrest endured in November 2019, Esmaeili said.

    “The information that the sentences are confirmed is correct”, the spokesman noted.
    After their detention, authorities had found videos of setting a bank, public transport and places on fire, Esmaeili said, adding that the defendants sent these files to “international news outlets.”

    However, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported that two of them were arrested at the scene of an armed robbery.

    In mid-November, protests broke out in several Iranian provinces over the government’s decision to suddenly increase gas prices and introduce quotas for it. Some of them turned violent and resulted in casualties among demonstrators and security officers. Afterward, a number of counterrallies took place in protest against the unrest.

    Following these events, the US State Department said that more than a thousand people died in the riots, however, Tehran refuted these claims and said after six months that the number of casualties was over 220.

    According to President Hassan Rouhani, the demonstrations were organised by the US and Israel to undermine Iran’s national security.”

  3. Azerbaijan, Armenia Report Deaths in Border Row Amid Growing Tensions (sputniknews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202007141079878728-Azerbaijan-Armenia-Report-Deaths-in-Border-Row-Amid-Growing-Tensions/

    “The Azerbaijani Defen?e Ministry reported on Tuesday, amid escalation with neighbouring Armenia, that Maj. Gen. Polad Gashimov and Col. Ilgar Mirzyaev were killed in firing by the Armenian armed forces in the Tovuz region at the border.

    “On the night into July 14, violent clashes continued in the Tovuz region. We were engaged in devastating combat with the rival. Around 100 rival troops, a significant amount of military equipment and important objects were eliminated. The Azerbaijani army has also suffered damage. Maj. Gen. Polad Gashimov and Col. Ilgar Mirzyaev died heroically during clashes in the morning,” Deputy Defen?e Minister Karim Valiev told reporters.

    In a separate development, the Armenian Defence Ministry reported on Tuesday the death of two military officers resulting from firing by the Azerbaijani military amid border tensions.

    “As a result of firing by the rival at the north-eastern area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, Maj. Garush Ambartsumyan and Cap. Sos Elbakyan sustained fatal wounds,” ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan wrote on Facebook.

    Russia is Ready to Help
    The Kremlin is deeply concerned over clashes at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and calls on the parties to show restraint and cease fire, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

    “We are deeply concerned over the skirmish at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We call on both sides to show restraint and fulfil ceasefire obligations,” Peskov told reporters.
    “As we have already said at different levels, Russia is ready to act as a mediator as a co-chair of the Minsk group. You know that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held intense phone talks with his counterparts from Baku and Yerevan,” Peskov added.

    CSTO Calls for Ceasefire
    The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) expresses serious concerns over the tensions at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and calls for an immediate ceasefire, according to the CSTO Secretariat’s comment, provided to Sputnik by press secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov.

    The organization called for “immediate restoration of the ceasefire in the zone of CSTO responsibility”, extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished quick recovery to the injured people.

    “The unfolding situation does not promote normalization at the border between the two neighbouring countries, one of which, the Republic of Armenia, is a CSTO member state. It is a manifestation of a violation of the ceasefire agreements reached by the leaderships of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the statement read on.

    The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
    Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and several other surrounding districts date back to 1988 when the overwhelmingly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh autonomy announced that it was leaving the Soviet Azerbaijani Republic. It proclaimed independence in 1991. Azerbaijan retaliated by starting an offensive which resulted in the country losing control over the disputed territory.

    The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group has been mediating peace in the disputed region since 1992. Despite the fact that a ceasefire agreement between the sides was reached in 1994, clashes and on the border occur from time to time.”

  4. WHO says no return to normality for foreseeable future in pandemic

    WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu warns that there could be no going return to the “old normal” any time soon as figures show coronavirus infections accelerating in many other parts of the world.

    • europravda- W.H.O. chief warns of lack in ‘most critical ingredient of any response: trust’

      Wrong way! The World Health Organization warns of the dangers of the different tactics employed by different countries in the fight against the Coronavirus.

    • europravda- Can supercomputers help find a COVID-19 treatment?

      Europravda finds out how supercomputers are supporting researchers looking for coronavirus treatments.

    • bloomberg WHO: Reopening Schools Must Be Based on Scientific Data

      The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally and things won’t return to “the old normal” for some time.

      At a press briefing Monday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.”

      Tedros said that while numerous countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have brought outbreaks under control, too many others are seeing virus trends move in the wrong direction.

      Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.

  5. St. Louis couple who defended their home had rifle seized, may face indictment

  6. MEMRI – Texas-Based Shiite Scholar: Imam Khomeini Isn’t Just Any World Leader Like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin

    Shiite Islamic scholar Molana Shamshad Haider of the Islamic Education Center in Houston, TX was featured in a two-hour-long tribute to the leader of Iran’s Revolution Imam Khomeini in honor of the 31st anniversary of his death, the tribute was streamed live on the AIM Islam YouTube channel on June 6, 2020.

    He said that Imam Khomeini had been an international leader for all the Muslims of the world, and that this enabled him to inspire Muslims to support the people of Palestine, Kashmir, Yemen, and elsewhere.

    Haider elaborated that his role was greater in scope than leaders like Hitler, Mussolini, Napoleon, and Stalin, and he added that Islam should dominate the world and bring justice to humanity.

    The AhlulBayt Islamic Mission (AIM) is a Shiite Islamic organization, which is based in the UK and is endorsed by representatives of Ayatollah Khamenei in the UK and the Red Crescent.
    Le

  7. ‘Prevent’ counter-terrorism strategy is harming free speech on university campuses, says report (telegraph, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/13/prevent-counter-terrorism-strategy-harming-free-speech-university/

    “The UK Government’s counterterrorism strategy, known as Prevent, is harming free speech on campuses as students censor themselves to avoid suspicion, a report has found.

    Academics from the country’s leading universities claimed Prevent has reinforced negative stereotypes of Muslims on campuses.

    It also found that the strategy has fostered “a culture of mutual suspicion and surveillance” and has the effect of discouraging free speech within universities.

    The report – Islam and Muslims on UK University Campuses: perceptions and challenges – was led by researchers at SOAS University of London working with Lancaster, Durham and Coventry universities.

    Researchers also found that students and staff self-censor their discussions to avoid becoming objects of suspicion and are sometimes discouraged from exploring, researching or teaching about Islam….”

  8. Parents Failing to Impose Boundaries Spawned ‘Infantilised’ Millennial Generation (breitbart, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/14/parents-fail-impose-boundaries-spawned-infantilised-millennial-generation/

    “The failure of parents to impose rules on children has resulted in a generation of “infantilised” young people, for whom the only tolerable boundaries are their self-constructed “safe spaces”, according to sociologist Frank Furedi.

    In his book, Why Borders Matter, the emeritus professor of the University of Kent at Canterbury said the age group sometimes referred to as the snowflake generation is the result of three to four generations of parents failing to transmit their values to their children through boundaries.

    “Children develop by reacting against those lines, the boundaries that are set, and that is a very creative process to gain self-sufficiency and intellectual independence,” Furedi said, according to a Times report on Monday.

    Growing up with this lack of boundaries, Professor Furedi said, has left young people “disorientated”, with nothing against which to measure their own values or others. As a result, millennial adults are now incapable of listening to the value judgements of others, leading to them lashing out and decrying claims of racism and hate, Prof Furedi said, particularly surrounding the transgender movement.

    Without borders, they construct their own in the form of “safe spaces” where they can distance themselves from the opinions of people with whom they disagree. This fueled identity politics, Furedi said.

    “The thing about identity politics is that every expression they use is actually a contradiction. They talk about diversity — that’s one of the key values of identity politics — but identity politics is totally hostile to a diversity of viewpoints. So if you argue a different narrative to what they are arguing that is seen as racist, as offensive, as hate,” the retired Kent academic said.

    The failure to create borders and rules has also resulted in two other phenomena: a slowing of maturity and parents’ own “estrangement from adulthood” as they attempt to be their children’s friends.

    Professor Furedi said that young people are “kicking against open doors” and as a result, “the whole developmental process becomes compromised, and you do end up with a situation where the transition from childhood to adolescence takes much, much longer than ever before and the transition from adolescence to adulthood also takes much longer”.

    Recalling observing a man wearing a t-shirt with the slogan “I’m done with adulting”, the professor said that fathers are wearing the same t-shirts and listening to the same music as their sons. Mothers and daughters exhibit role reversals, where the daughter tells the mother what to wear.

    “[There is] almost this conscious effort not to be a father to your child or a mother but to be their best friend, which is not what children need,” he remarked.

    A study from September 2019 revealed that British millennials were the least happy out of all age groups, while another poll from August 2019 found that nine in ten Britons between the ages of 16 and 29 said that they felt their lives had no purpose or meaning.”

  9. French Government Releases Statistics Showing Rapid Demographic Changes Since 1968 (breitbart, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/07/14/french-government-releases-statistics-showing-rapid-demographic-changes-since-1968/

    “France Stratégie, a group affiliated with the French Prime Minister’s Office, has released data showing the growth in numbers of non-European migrant children in French urban areas. In one notable example, greater Paris saw a rise of 6.5 per cent in 1968 to 36.6 per cent in 2015.

    The group released the figures in an interactive form on its website which shows a variety of factors, including the percentage of children from birth to 18 who are either foreign-born or have at least one non-European parent. The release is extraordinary as the French government does not normally publish — or even officially collect — much in the way of statistics that relate to race or demographics, in line with French law.

    The website defines the category as a “person aged 0 to 18, immigrant of non-European origin or identified as a child in a household in which the reference person and/or his spouse is immigrant of non-European origin. If both parents are immigrants, the household reference persons are immigrants from outside Europe.”

    The figures cover several different years, starting in 1968 and ending in 2015. They show that the percentage of immigrant non-European children has increased in various cities, such as greater Paris where the average was 6.5 per cent in 1968 but has risen to 36.6 per cent in 2015.

    In some districts of Saint-Denis, in the heavily migrant populated department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the number of non-European migrant children is as high as 77 per cent. An area of Clichy-sous-Bois shows 83 per cent of children come from a non-European background in 2015.

    Marseille, another French city with a historical migrant population, has gone from 12.6 per cent of children coming from non-European backgrounds in 1968 to 22.8 per cent on average in 2015. In an area of Marseille’s 3rd arrondissement, the figure was as high as 70 per cent.

    Perhaps the most dramatic change has taken place in Strasbourg, where, in 1968, just 1.9 per cent of children came from non-European origins in the city that is home to the European Parliament. By 2015, the number had increased to 32.9 per cent, or one in three.

    Nantes has seen a similar rapid demographic shift from 0.9 per cent in 1968 to 15.8 per cent in 2015.

    The figures do not take into account the large number of migrants who have arrived since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015. Some areas are also labelled as “statistical secret” with no data displayed.

    Since 2015, France had had several years in a row of record-breaking numbers of asylum claims including an all-time record in 2019 of around 140,000 new asylum applications.

    Some areas, such as the notorious Seine-Saint-Denis, are said to be home to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. A 2018 report claimed between eight to 20 per cent of the population of the department are illegals.

    The massive demographic shifts in France have been labelled “the Great Replacement” by French author Renaud Camus. While many in the mainstream media and elsewhere have rejected the theory as a conspiracy, a poll in February of last year showed a quarter of French believed in it.

    Former populist MP Marion Marechal has also come out as a proponent of the theory, and last October rallied conservatives to resist the Great Replacement. She said: “The first major challenge, the most vital, is the Great Replacement, this demographic countdown, which already makes us realise the possibility of becoming a minority on the land of our ancestors.”

    Other countries, such as Germany, have also seen radical demographic shifts in recent decades. A report from last year revealed that a quarter of Germans now came from some sort of migrant background.”

  10. Hidden Hand
    https://youtu.be/KJsn6LHxaCE

    “Hidden Hand is right to remind people that:

    China and the CCP are not one and the same

    China has a party-state system of government that is authoritarian and not democratic

    China does not have Western-style rule of law

    it does not recognise universal human rights in the way we understand them.

    What is missing is a balanced discussion of the central debate about the appropriate approach to be taken in the West’s relations with China.

    As Peter Varghese, the former head of DFAT, recently put it, the choice for Australia is between trying to “contain” China or “engage and constrain”.”
    https://theconversation.com/amp/book-review-hidden-hand-exposing-how-the-chinese-communist-party-is-reshaping-the-world-142058

    A snake, a scorpion, a frog
    “We won’t strike you, if you give us your tog
    We’ll make what you wear
    Feed all your fare
    Dependent – now worship our god!”

  11. Defense: Alleged Timbuktu jihadi may be unfit for ICC trial (abcnews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/icc-trial-starts-alleged-jihadist-crimes-timbuktu-71768911

    “Defense lawyers for an alleged Islamic extremist told International Criminal Court judges Tuesday that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and could be unfit to stand trial on charges that he policed a brutal Islamic regime in Timbuktu after al-Qaida linked rebels overran the historic Malian desert city in 2012…”

  12. Turkey says it rejects EU condemnation over Hagia Sophia (abcnews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-rejects-eu-condemnation-hagia-sophia-71772025

    “Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday chided the European Union over its condemnation of a Turkish decision to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, saying the matter is an issue of national sovereignty.

    Last week, Turkey canceled the sixth-century former cathedral-turned-mosque’s 86-year status as a museum and said it would open for Muslim worship as of July 24.

    The decision sparked criticism in the United States, Greece, and other Western countries as well as from Orthodox Christian leaders. Pope Francis expressed sadness over the move.

    EU foreign ministers, holding their first face-to-face meeting in months on Monday, declared that they “condemned” the decision. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said there was “broad support to call on the Turkish authorities to urgently consider and reverse this decision.”

    Asked to comment on the EU criticism, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint news conference with his visiting Maltese counterpart: “We reject the word ‘condemnation.’”

    “This is a matter that concerns Turkey’s sovereign rights,” he said.

    He argued that there were several mosques in EU-member Spain that had been converted into churches.

    On Tuesday, Greece again expressed dismay at Turkey’s decision.

    “This decision is certainly painful to us as Greek Orthodox Christians but it also hurts us as citizens of the world,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “This is not a Greek-Turkish issue, it is not even a Euro-Turkish issue, it is global. It is a universal issue.”

    Mitsotakis added: “With this setback, Turkey is choosing to sever ties with the Western world and its values. It abandons a cultural direction of many centuries, preferring introversion. And it wraps with an artificial mantle of strength over its weakness.”

    Meanwhile, officials from Turkey’s religious affairs authority, said the landmark structure can remain open to visitors outside of prayer hours, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

    The Christian depictions inside are no obstacle to Muslim prayers, said the officials who are preparing the site for Muslim worship. They added however, that the figures would need to be covered with curtains or through other means during the prayers, in line with Islamic traditions that prohibit such representations.”

  13. Afghan officials: Kabul roadside bombing kills 4 civilians (abcnews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-officials-kabul-roadside-bombing-kills-civilians-71770617

    “A roadside bombing killed four civilians and wounded four others on Tuesday in eastern Kabul, Afghan officials said.

    The eight were riding in a packed car in the district of Surobi when the vehicle hit the roadside bomb, setting it off, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz. He added that the incident is under investigation…”

  14. “Americans could be wearing masks for years, researcher says” FOX59 News – July 13, 2020
    A researcher at Johns Hopkins University says Americans will be wearing masks for several years.

  15. U.S. rejects China’s claims in South China Sea, adding to tensions

    WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States on Monday rejected China’s claims to offshore resources in most of the South China Sea, drawing criticism from China which said the U.S. position raised tension in the region, highlighting an increasingly testy relationship.

    China has offered no coherent legal basis for its ambitions in the South China Sea and for years has been using intimidation against other Southeast Asian coastal states, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

    https://www.oann.com/u-s-hardens-stance-against-chinas-south-china-sea-resource-claims/

  16. The Chinese Application of the Security Law in Hong Kong—Why Now?

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In 1997, after 156 years of British rule, the United Kingdom transferred responsibility for the city-state of Hong Kong to China. Twenty-three years later, in 2020, China enacted a security law that extends its powers over Hong Kong in contravention of the terms of that transfer. In doing so, Beijing is signaling its determination to expand its area of ??control and influence even in the face of international criticism.

    In June 2020, Beijing enacted a security law that extended its power over Hong Kong in contravention of the terms agreed upon with Britain when the latter transferred the former colony to China. Beijing took this step without consulting the local parliament, as was required by the transfer agreement. It did so in defiance of both inevitable international criticism and the rioting and protests that have occurred in Hong Kong in recent months.

    Under the new law, 7.5 million Hong Kong residents will be subject to restrictions imposed on Chinese residents, including a life sentence for “subversion,” a routine indictment used by the Chinese government to imprison and silence its opponents and human rights activists. This is probably the most significant political change in Hong Kong since its transfer to China.

    https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/china-security-law-hong-kong/

  17. Erdogan Says Changing Hagia Sophia’s Status Fixed Historical Mistake Made in 1934 (sputniknews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202007141079883976-erdogan-says-changing-hagia-sophias-status-fixed-historical-mistake-made-in-1934/

    “Turkish authorities have fixed a historical mistake made in 1934 by turning Hagia Sophia from museum to a mosque, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday.

    “We have fulfilled the will of 83 million of our citizens. In 1934, who turned it into a museum? And now we are correcting this mistake. This is our sovereign right,” Erdogan said, specifying that Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque from a museum, not from a church.

    The president added that the Ottoman Empire took care of Hagia Sophia for centuries, and Turkey would continue preserving its cultural value…”

  18. Soldiers Sent to Patrol Migrant Quarantine Site in Italian Town, Reports Say (sputniknews, Jul 14, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/202007141079883387-soldiers-sent-to-patrol-migrant-quarantine-site-in-italian-town-reports-say/

    “Troops have been deployed to the Italian town of Amantea after locals protested against the community hosting coronavirus-infected migrants, the Guardian newspaper said Tuesday.

    Thirteen Bangladeshi immigrants were moved to apartment buildings in the town in the southern Calabria region after testing positive for the virus, prompting an angry outcry from residents.

    The soldiers have been patrolling the buildings to make sure that no one leaves quarantine, according to the British outlet. The Italian authorities did not say whether the military had been tasked with protecting the migrants from the angry locals.

    Calabria Governor Jole Santelli wrote on Facebook last weekend that 27 migrants had tested positive for COVID-19 after coming ashore in the port town of Roccella Ionica. She said her demands that they be quarantined offshore fell on deaf ears in Rome.

    Italian state news agency ANSA said on Tuesday that the Interior Ministry had suggested isolating arriving migrants at military facilities. The 13 Bangladeshis will reportedly be moved to the Celio military hospital in Rome.”

  19. huffpost Exclusive: Covid Test Data Held Back From Publication Over Community Cohesion Concerns

    Councils are concerned that the government’s plan to publish postcode-level data could lead to certain neighbourhoods being stigmatised.

    Postcode-level coronavirus testing data is being withheld from publication due to councils’ fears it could lead to certain communities being stigmatised.

    HuffPost UK understands some local authorities have raised concerns about the government’s plan to make public detailed testing data, first revealed on this website.

    Health secretary Matt Hancock has raised the issue at cabinet.

    Councils are worried that releasing the data could lead to people in certain areas becoming stigmatised – for example if those in particular neighbourhoods test positive in larger numbers than others.

    They are also concerned this could damage community cohesion, and that giving out data in too much detail could lead to individuals or families being identified.

    The issue of detailed coronavirus testing data has come under the spotlight after Leicester was placed into a local lockdown following an outbreak.

    Following a row over a “lost week” in the city, when the status of a local outbreak was not clear to council and public health leaders due to a lack of information, all councils began to get access to granular postcode data late last month.

    Government officials wanted to make the data public, with the first tranche slated for release two weeks ago, but the information has been held back after councils raised their concerns, a Whitehall source said.

    It came as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham called on the government to share more data privately with local authorities so they could better manage infections in their areas.

    He said ministers were “at risk of not observing their own law” by failing to provide daily data, which identifies patients, to councils.

    The Labour former health secretary also called for clarity on the threshold for government intervention if there was an outbreak.

    The metro-mayor said a high number of cases in Rochdale may be linked to a warehousing operation that had been the “focus of some extra work with regard to testing”.

    He said: “I think what we have seen through this is some of the lowest paid jobs have some working conditions which are, I’m afraid, leaving people exposed to picking up the virus.

    “That seems to be the common theme in some of the communities.”

    Burnham said testing data that included a person’s work postcode as well as their home postcode would help to get to the “root cause” of any outbreak.

    He added: “Working conditions remain a big concern. Many people who work in these places simply cannot afford to self isolate.”

    Appearing alongside Burnham at a joint press conference, Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram said a rise in cases in the south of the city involved people aged between 15 and 24 and work was going on to establish links between them.

    He said: “The only way we can do this, or the way we can be helped in doing this, is for the government to work collaboratively with us.”

    Burnham said: “We want to be in a position to take every possible measure we can to avoid a local lockdown.

    “It’s in everyone’s interest that councils have all the information they need to identify potential outbreaks then if they identify them, to respond quickly and effectively to them.”

    Hancock has previously said Manchester did have access to data, after Burnham called for more “track and tracing” information to be shared.

    Ian Hudspeth, chair of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: “More information is being shared with councils but we also need to see improvements to the individual case data, including making the data available daily, adding UPRNs [property reference numbers], and providing more information about workplaces.

    “The public and those working on the frontline need to have a complete picture of the impact this virus has had in our neighbourhoods and communities. With the right powers, flexibilities, data and long-term funding, councils can help to manage potential outbreaks and prevent the spread of infection.”

    https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/coronavirus-testing-data-councils-government_uk_5f0de1bdc5b648c301f02d00

  20. SPAIN – Barcelona – 2 Muslim terrorists arrested

    Detenidos dos yihadistas que planeaban atentar en Barcelona

  21. French protesters clash with police on Bastille Day

    France’s national holiday has been marred by scuffles between police and protesters, as thousands of people took to the streets of Paris to demonstrate against public health support measures they deemed insufficient.

    Streets in the center of the French capital once again descended into chaos as police officers in riot gear clashed with groups of angry protesters while France was celebrating Bastille Day.

    Videos posted on social media showed officers wearing helmets and body armor using tear gas and pepper-spraying crowds in a tense standoff. The protesters were seen throwing various objects at the police.

  22. Spain: Civil Guard finds group of migrants hiding inside scrap metal truck in Melilla

    The Spanish Civil Guard discovered eight migrants hiding inside a scrap metal truck heading to Almeria on Monday, in the port of Melilla.

    Footage distributed by the organisation on Tuesday shows the moment the agents find the migrants, as well as images of them emerging out of the heap of scrap metal.

    According to reports, the migrants had built small dwellings in the scrap metal and were located by a machine that detects heartbeats.

    The Civil Guard reported that the operation took several hours due to the extreme conditions of humidity and heat, which reached 40 degrees Celsius. They also confirmed that everyone was in good condition.

  23. BREITBART – Hillary Clinton: We Have to Be Ready if Trump Doesn’t ‘Go Quietly’

    Clinton proclaimed “we have to be ready” for President Donald Trump does not go quietly if he loses.

    Host Trevor Noah said, “It seems like America is on an ominous path to a November date when there is going to be a lot of questions in and around the election. Donald Trump is vehemently against mail-in voting. What do you make of this, and what do you think the path is to getting people the easiest access to casting their votes?”

    Clinton said, “Republicans have to prongs to their strategy to try and win. The first one is prevent as many people who think they won’t vote for them from voting. So you know, make the lines really long where young people vote, or African-Americans vote or Hispanics vote. Try to make vote-by-mail as difficult as possible, claim it’s fraudulent when indeed it’s not, in fact, that is how Donald Trump votes and everybody who knows about vote-by-mail understands that.”

    When asked what if Trump calms we can’t trust the election because of voting fraud, Clinton said, “Well, I think it is a fair point to raise as to whether or not, if he loses, he’s going to go quietly or not. And we have to be ready for that. But there have been so many academic studies and other analyses, which point out that it’s just an inaccurate, fraudulent claim.”

    She added, “Look, I want a fair election. If people get to vote and they, for whatever reason, vote for Donald Trump, OK, we’ll accept it. Not happily. But I don’t think that’s what will happen. Because I think the more people who can actually get to the polls, whether by mail or in person and get their votes counted, then we are going to have the kind of election we should have. And then it will be a win both in the popular vote and the Electoral College.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/07/14/hillary-clinton-we-have-to-be-ready-if-trump-doesnt-go-quietly/

  24. BREITBART – FOX 35 Investigation Reveals Inflated Florida Coronavirus Numbers

    A FOX 35 investigation released on Monday discovered an inflation of coronavirus cases by the Florida Department of Health. The Sunshine State’s health authorities misreported the number of persons testing positive for coronavirus in its aggregation and publication of test results from laboratories.

    FOX 35 anchor Charles Billi explained the impetus for the investigation. He said, “We found numerous labs that are only reporting positive test results, so they show a 100-percent positivity rate. That got our attention.”

    According to the latest publication of statewide test results from the Florida Department of Health, published on Friday, several testing facilities’ positivity rates for coronavirus tests were 27.66, 33.33, 37.10, 40, 43.13, 44.44, 50, 55, 57.14, 59.23, 60, 87.5, 91.18, and 100.

    Twenty-two labs reported 100-percent positivity rates. Two labs reported 91.18-percent positivity rates.

    The Florida Department of Health’s stated positivity rates and associated volume of coronavirus cases does not match claims made by the testing facilities, reported FOX 35:

    Countless labs have reported a 100 percent positivity rate, which means every single person tested was positive. Other labs had very high positivity rates. FOX 35 found that testing sites like Centra Care reported that 83 people were tested and all tested positive. Then, NCF Diagnostics in Alachua reported 88 percent of tests were positive.

    How could that be? FOX 35 News investigated these astronomical numbers, contacting every local location mentioned in the report.

    The report showed that Orlando Health had a 98 percent positivity rate. However, when FOX 35 News contacted the hospital, they confirmed errors in the report. Orlando Health’s positivity rate is only 9.4 percent, not 98 percent as in the report.

    “The report also showed that the Orlando Veteran’s Medical Center had a positivity rate of 76 percent,” added FOX 35. “A spokesperson for the VA told FOX 35 News on Tuesday that this does not reflect their numbers and that the positivity rate for the center is actually 6 percent.”

    The outlet added:

    “FOX 35 News went on to speak with the Florida Department of Health on Tuesday. They confirmed that although private and public laboratories are required to report positive and negative results to the state immediately, some have not. Specifically, they said that some smaller, private labs were not reporting negative test result data to the state.”

    FOX 35’s Robert Guaderrama is awaiting a response from state officials regarding the health department’s errors:

    Florida has a statewide positivity rate of 12.5 percent, according to the state’s latest claims of 266,119 “confirmed cases” among Florida residents against a state population of nearly 21.5 million.

    https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/07/14/fox-35-investigation-reveals-inflated-florida-covid-19-numbers/

  25. IRAN – Explosion at gas condensate plant northeast of Tehran

    The official Islamic Republic News Agency reported today, Monday, that an explosion occurred at a gas condensate plant in Kavian Fariman industrial zone, in Razavi Khorasan Province.

    According the head of fire department in Fariman, “fire at one of the gas tanks at the company’s plant lead to an explosion which caused heavy damage to this plant and the neighboring plant, but did not cause any casualties and the cause of the explosion is under investigation”, “Iran international” reported.

    The explosion is the most recent in a series of explosions and fires throughout Iran.

    https://www.shafaaq.com/en/world/explosion-at-gas-condensate-plant-northeast-of-tehran/

    • Iran hit by another unexplained explosion

      The blast at the Kavian Fariman industrial complex was the latest in a series of mysterious explosions and fires at Iranian nuclear and power facilities in recent weeks.

      (July 14, 2020 / JNS) Iranian police are investigating an explosion that started a fire at an industrial complex that contains gas-condensate storage tanks, Reuters reported on Monday.

      According to the report, which was based on Iranian news outlets, Javad Jahandoust, the fire chief at the Kavian Fariman industrial complex, said that six storage tanks were ablaze and one had exploded.

      The industrial complex is located south of the city of Mashhad. Jahandoust said the fire was under control, and that there were no casualties.

      This was the latest in a series of mysterious explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities in recent weeks.

      https://www.jns.org/iran-hit-by-another-unexplained-explosion/

      HD

  26. HELP. I have not been able to get on Vladtepes yesterday and most of today.
    This is what it says on the screen when I click on the site:

    Sucuri Website Firewall Not Configured
    this site you are visiting is using Sucuri Website Firewall and for some reason it is not configured properly. if you are site owner, please open a ticket here ASAP for us to look at it for you https //support.sucuri.net. if you are just visiting please try again in a few minutes.

    • It should be OK now. We had an issue yesterday. I won’t go into details but suffice it to say, this site has large enemies. For the moment, all is well. Please do report any issues you do get after this though.

  27. Ivory Coast Creates Special Military Zone After Jihadist Attack

    “Ivory Coast has created a special military zone in the north of the country, the government said Monday, less than a month after a deadly jihadist attack on a frontier post.

    The pre-dawn killing of 14 army personnel at Kafolo, on the country’s border with Burkina Faso, was the first assault by Islamist extremists on Ivorian soil since March 2016, when a raid on the southeastern beach resort of Grand-Bassam left 19 people dead.

    “Given the persistent insecurity at the borders between Ivory Coast, Mali, and Burkina Faso due to the presence of armed terrorist groups in these neighboring countries and following the attack,” the government has authorized “the creation of an operational zone,” according to a statement made at the end of a cabinet meeting.

    The zone will have a single central command for military operations.

    “This northern operational zone will make it possible to move from the phase of border surveillance to a defensive posture… in order to prevent any infiltration of these armed groups onto national territory,” the statement said.

    The attack at Kafolo has not been claimed but security sources believe it was carried out by the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an organization linked to Al-Qaeda.

    Around 60 people, including the jihadist leader who led the June 11 assault, were arrested before and after the attack, according to security sources.

    It took place in the same zone where Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso launched a ground-breaking joint operation to flush out jihadists in May.

    Ivory Coast shares a 550-kilometer (340-mile) border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist violence has claimed nearly 1,000 lives and forced 860,000 people from their homes over the past five years.”

  28. Iran Emerges Victorious from US Economic War: President
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/07/14/2306586/iran-emerges-victorious-from-us-economic-war-president

    “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country has overcome the US sanctions and successfully dealt with the economic war challenges by cutting reliance on the oil incomes.

    Addressing a Tuesday session of the Administration’s Economic Coordination Headquarters, Rouhani highlighted the special plans and policies formulated by his administration to address the economic problems.

    “The Americans were expecting that the country’s economy would come to a halt a while after the onset of the sanctions, but today we have managed to run the country with planning and reliance on oil-free economy.

    “This is a display of power and a major victory for the Iranian nation in the economic war,” the president added…”

  29. Sudan Requests International Support to Help Its 5 Million Refugees
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2389136/sudan-requests-international-support-help-its-5-million-refugees

    “Sudan has called upon the international community for financial support to be able to help the five million refugees who have settled in the African country.

    Sudan’s economy cannot fulfill the needs of the large number of refugees.

    The Secretary-General of the Sudanese Working Abroad Makeen Hamid Terab addressed the sixth meeting of the Arab Regional Consultation Process on the Coronavirus Effects on Migration and Refugee Affairs.

    The meeting was organized by the Migration and Refugee Affairs department at the Arab League…”

  30. Airstrikes on Northwest Syria after Blast Wounds 3 Russians
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2389896/airstrikes-northwest-syria-after-blast-wounds-3-russians

    “Russian warplanes carried out more than a dozen airstrikes in northwest Syria on Tuesday, opposition activists said, hours after a roadside landmine hit a joint Russian-Turkish patrol in the area wounding three Russian soldiers and an unspecified number of Turkish troops.

    The Russian military said the mine attack happened while Russian and Turkish troops were patrolling the M4 highway in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone.

    Russia and Turkey have been conducting regular patrols in Idlib province, the last major opposition stronghold in Syria. The M4 highway links Syria’s coast with the Iraqi border to the east.

    It said the wounded Russian soldiers were quickly evacuated to the Russian base at Hmeimim and their lives weren’t in danger.

    A Turkish armored vehicle that was taking part in the patrol was also damaged and some of its crew were wounded, the Russian military said. It didn’t say how many Turkish servicemen were involved.

    Later on Tuesday, Russian warplanes carried out more than a dozen airstrikes on opposition-held parts of Idlib that have witnessed relative calm since early March.

    Turkey and Russia had brokered a ceasefire that stopped a regime offensive that left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced…”

  31. Ballistic missile fired by Houthis fell inside Yemeni city of Ma’rib: Arab Coalition
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/595497/SAUDI-ARABIA/Ballistic-missile-fired-by-Houthis-fell-inside-Yemeni-city-of-Marib-Arab-Coalition

    “The Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said on Tuesday that a ballistic missile fired from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi militia fell in the middle of civilians and civilian objects in the Yemeni city of Ma’rib.

    In a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency late Tuesday, the spokesman of the Arab Coalition, Col. Turki Al-Maliki, said: “The Iran-backed Houthi militia launched this evening a ballistic missile from Yemen, the missile fell in the middle of civilians and civilian objects in Ma’rib city.

    “The Houthi militia continues to violate the international humanitarian law by indiscriminately launching ballistic missiles that fall on civilians and residential areas, threatening the lives of hundreds of civilians in the process,” Col. Al-Maliki said.

    “This launch is a deliberate escalation by the Houthi militia, targeting civilians and civilian objects in Yemen and neighboring countries,” Col. Al-Maliki added.

    The spokesman stressed that the Coalition forces will continue to undertake all decisive, deterrent measures to neutralize and destroy these ballistic capabilities to protect civilians in Yemen, and safeguard regional and international security.””

  32. Tunisia sentences woman to six months for Quran Facebook joke
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200714-tunisia-sentences-woman-to-six-months-for-quran-facebook-joke/

    “A Tunisian court has sentenced blogger Emna Chargui to six months in prison and a $700 fine for reposting a Facebook joke about the coronavirus written as if it was a Quran verse.

    “This is unfair and unjust … this proves that there is no freedom here,” Chargui, 27, told Reuters from home where she had been waiting for the ruling.

    She plans to appeal as allowed within 10 days…”

  33. Three Pakistani soldiers killed in militant attack
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/7/14/three-pakistani-soldiers-killed-in-militant-attack

    “Militants on Tuesday opened fire on Pakistani security forces, killing three soldiers and wounding eight others in the country’s troubled southwest, the military said.

    The incident took place near Gichak Valley in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

    “Security forces were on routine patrolling when they came under terrorist fire that killed three soldiers and wounded eight others including an officer,” a senior security official told AFP.

    The “condition of five security officials is critical,” a military statement said, adding that injured soldiers had been evacuated to a combined military hospital in the provincial capital Quetta.

    No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Baluch separatists demanding greater autonomy have been waging an insurgency for years in the region, while the province is also riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence…”

  34. ‘Vindicated Qatar’ says blockading states will face justice after ICJ ruling
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/7/14/vindicated-qatar-says-blockading-states-will-face-justice

    “Qatar on Tuesday welcomed a ruling by the International Court of Justice backing Doha in an aviation dispute with neighbours, saying the blockading countries will face justice for violating international rules.

    “We welcome today’s decision by the ICJ that will see the blockading states finally face justice for violating international aviation rules,” Qatar’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Jassim Saif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, said in a statement.

    The ICJ ruling allows Qatar to challenge airspace restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt over three years ago, before UN aviation body the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

    Saudi Arabia and the UAE said they respected the decision but denied the ruling dealt with the merits of the case…”

  35. Fight against FETÖ will continue relentlessly, says Turkey’s communications director
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fight-against-feto-will-continue-relentlessly-says-turkeys-communications-director-156556

    “Turkey has captured, tried and punished a number of culprits who were responsible for the botched coup on July 15, 2016 and will continue to hunt them down and bring them before justice, Turkey’s Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has said.

    “Many senior figures of FETÖ have already been brought to Turkey from abroad. They will never feel safe,” Altun told daily Hürriyet ahead of the fourth anniversary of the coup attempt.

    The government holds the terror organization FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fethullah Gülen responsible for the coup attempt.

    The government made sure that those who staged the coup attempt and other members of the organization are punished severely, and the fight against FETÖ has turned into an international struggle, according to Altun.

    “As Turkey becomes a global power, this fight is also becoming increasingly global. They will run and we will chase them. We will make them pay for the people who lost their lives and were injured during the coup attempt. They failed to intimidate us with threats and conspiracies, we will never not be undaunted,” he said.

    It was not only a coup attempt but also an attempt for the invasion of the country, but the people of Turkey, who fought for their country, for their honor and dignity, made history and July 15 became one of the symbols of independence, Altun added.

    “They wanted to surrender our will, but people fought back, risking their lives.”

    According to Altun, many changes have taken place since the coup attempt inside the country and abroad.

    Global powers’ perception of Turkey has altered in the country’s favor and they realized that people of Turkey united around the leader they elected, and that people stand behind every step Turkey takes in the international arena, he noted.

    “No one will ever dare to enslave this nation through coups, terror or other means designed to create tutelage. It is no myth or a fairy tale: They came, they saw and they were defeated. They will always face this reality,” Altun said.

    The coup attempt was also a turning point in the fight against the PKK/YPG, according to the senior official.

    “Turkey has shown a strong will under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to finish terrorist organizations off inside and outside the country. This was made possible by eliminating FETÖ members that infiltrated the security forces.”

    Cross-border military operations carried out in Syria and Iraq spoiled the plans of those who tried to create” a terror state,” Altun added.

    The events planned to commemorate the anniversary of the coup attempt, coordinated by the Directorate of Communications, will honor the spirt of “July 15” and carry it to the future, he said.”

  36. 18 Iraqis detained over ISIL terror links
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/18-iraqis-detained-over-isil-terror-links-156553

    “Police in the Turkish capital Ankara detained 18 Iraqi nationals for suspected links to the ISIL terror group, security sources said on July 14.

    The detentions were made on early on July 14 as part of an operation against the terror group, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the press.

    According to the information obtained by the Anadolu Agency, at least 20 suspects, who were found to be in contact in the conflict regions and with ISIL operatives, were identified in an operation by provincial police’s counter-terror teams, backed by the National Intelligence Organization (M?T).

    Police continued the hunt for two runaway suspects.

    Turkey, in 2013, was among the first countries to list ISIL as a terror group.

    The country has since been hit by the group numerous times in at least 10 suicide attacks, seven bombings, and four armed attacks, in which 315 people have been killed and hundreds others injured.

    In response, Turkey has launched military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further terror attacks.”

  37. Turkey says 62 terrorists neutralized in N.Iraq op
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-says-62-terrorists-neutralized-in-niraq-op/1910332

    “Turkish security forces have “neutralized” 62 terrorists so far as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, the defense minister said on Tuesday.

    Turkey’s fight against terrorism will resolutely continue until the last terrorist is neutralized, Hulusi Akar reiterated during a weekly video conference attended by chiefs of land, air and naval forces as well as chief of general staff.

    “On June 15, 81 targets belonging to terrorists were destroyed in six regions as part of the Operation Claw-Eagle,” Akar said.

    Turkish authorities use the term “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

    Turkey’s operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched in late May to ensure the safety of Turkish people and the country’s borders by neutralizing the threat of PKK, and other terrorist groups, who often use northern Iraq to plan cross-border attacks.

    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.

    Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

    “We strongly condemn the Armenian attack on the Tovuz district of Azerbaijan,” Akar said and extended his condolences to Azerbaijani people.

    Akar said Turkey will continue to stand by the Azerbaijan Armed Forces against Armenia, which has illegally occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, since 1991 through military aggression.

    Seven Azerbaijani soldiers were martyred, including a general and a major in a border clash with Armenian troops on Sunday.

    FETO dismissals

    Since 2016, more than 20,000 people employed in the military have been dismissed over their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup in Turkey, Akar said.

    Administrative actions were taken against a total of 24,060 people, he added.

    FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

    Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.”