Reader’s Links, Aug. 5, 2020

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

87 Replies to “Reader’s Links, Aug. 5, 2020”

  1. NATIONAL REVIEW – New Disclosures Confirm: Trump Himself Was the Target of Obama Administration’s Russia Probe

    Assertions that the focus was ‘the Trump campaign’ are now known to be ludicrous
    Long-sought documents finally pried from U.S. intelligence agencies prove that the Obama administration used the occasion of providing a standard intelligence briefing for major-party candidates as an opportunity to investigate Donald Trump on suspicion of being a Russian asset.

    I say investigate Donald Trump advisedly.

    As I contended in Ball of Collusion, my book on the Trump-Russia investigation, the target of the probe spearheaded by the FBI — but greenlighted by the Obama White House, and abetted by the Justice Department and U.S. intelligence agencies — was Donald Trump. Not the Trump campaign, not the Trump administration. Those were of interest only insofar as they were vehicles for Trump himself. The campaign, which the Bureau and its apologists risibly claim was the focus of the investigation, would have been of no interest to them were it not for Trump.

    Or do you suppose they moved heaven and earth, surreptitiously plotted in the Oval Office, wrote CYA memos to cover their tracks, and laboriously sculpted FBI reports because they were hoping to nail . . . George Papadopoulos?

    My book was published a year ago. It covered what was then known about the Obama-administration operation. In collusion with the Clinton campaign, and with the complicity of national-security officials who transitioned into the Trump administration, the Obama White House deployed the FBI to undermine the new president, dually using official investigative tactics (e.g. FISA surveillance, confidential informants, covert interrogations) and lawless classified leaks — the latter publicized by dependable journalists who were (and remain) politically invested in unseating Trump.

    Now the paper trail is finally catching up with what some of us analysts long ago surmised based on the limited information previously available.

    You don’t like Donald Trump? Fine. The investigation here was indeed about Donald Trump. But the scandal is about how abusive officials can exploit their awesome powers against any political opponent. And the people who authorized this political spying will be right back in business if, come November, Obama’s vice-president is elected president — notwithstanding that he’s yet to be asked serious questions about it.

    How to Conceal a Politicized Investigation

    It seems mind-boggling that, for so long, the FBI and Justice Department were able to keep a lid on the documents now being released. President Trump could have directed their disclosure at any time over the last four years. But when you think about it, concealing the paper trail was the easy part. The real challenge was: How to continue the probe even after Trump had taken office and was, at least nominally, in a position to shut it down?

    The Obama officials, including holdovers who transitioned into the Trump administration, pulled that off by intimidation: not-so-subtle suggestions that they could disclose damaging allegations at any time (e.g., the notorious “pee tape”), and that White House efforts to inquire into the scope of the investigation would be portrayed as criminal obstruction.

    Prior to the 2016 election, the FBI intentionally concealed the existence of the Trump-Russia probe from the congressional “Gang of Eight” (the bipartisan leadership of both houses and their intelligence committees). Senior Republicans were thus kept in the dark regarding purported suspicions that the Republican presidential campaign was a Russian front, unable to pose tough questions about the probe’s gossamer predication.

    Crucially, the Trump-Russia fabulists managed to sideline two Trump loyalists who would have been positioned to thwart the effort: national-security adviser Michael Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. That left in place Obama holdovers and Trump-appointed placeholders. They were indifferent to Trump himself and cowed by the prospect of being framed as complicit in a Trump–Russia conspiracy, or a cover-up.

    The paper record is profoundly embarrassing, so it is only natural that the FBI and Justice Department resisted its disclosure. But documents about the investigation were demanded by congressional investigators starting years ago — particularly by the investigation led in the House by then–Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.).

    Congress’s investigation was stonewalled. The more revelation we get, the more obvious it is that there was no bona fide national-security rationale for concealment. Documents were withheld to hide official and unofficial executive activity that was abusive, embarrassing, and, at least in some instances, illegal (e.g., tampering with a document that was critical to the FBI’s presentation of “facts” to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court).

    Democrats wanted this information suppressed all along. So of course, once Democrats took control of the House in 2019, there was no possibility of pressing the question of why the Justice Department and FBI failed to comply with House information demands back in 2017–18, when Republicans led the relevant committees.

    One wonders, though, why the GOP-controlled Senate had so little interest in finding out why this paper trail stayed hidden despite repeated inquiries. Ditto the House Republican leadership in the first two years of Trump’s term. It is hard to draw any conclusion other than that the GOP establishment bought the “Russian interference in our democracy” hysteria.

    Moscow always meddles in U.S. elections. The 2016 interference was par for the course and, as always, utterly ineffective. This time, though, Democrats were perceived as the victims, rather than the beneficiaries. For once, they and their media megaphone demanded that the political class treat Russia as a serious threat. On cue, Washington Republicans genuflected, lest they be portrayed as covering up for Trump, or as soft on Putin. Meanwhile Democrats, the party of appeasement (very much including appeasement of Moscow through the Obama years), were transmogrified into Russia hawks. And Russia hawks they’ll remain . . . right up until the moment Joe Biden takes the oath of office.

    • Sean Hannity mentioned Dr. Daniel Wallace – Part 2

      “Why Lupus Patients May Hold The Key To Whether Hydroxychloroquine Could Work – Part 1”
      DoctorOz – April 8, 2020
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44AniIdSGEU

      “Why Lupus Patients May Hold The Key To Whether Hydroxychloroquine Could Work – Part 2”
      DoctorOz – April 8, 2020

      • “An E.R. Doctor Infected With Covid-19 Back At Work After Using Hydroxychloroquine and Z-Pak Protocol”
        DoctorOz – April 8, 2020

  2. “EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Oz Discusses The Hydroxychloroquine Study Outcome With Dr.Didier Raoult” Part 1 – 32:31 minutes
    DoctorOz – April 15, 2020
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy1cPT1ztko

    “French Doctor Studying Hydroxychloroquine Reveals His Latest Research Findings” Part 2 – 8:23 minutes
    DoctorOz – April 16, 2020

    • “French doctor faces questions over hydroxychloroquine”
      FRANCE 24 English – June 24, 2020

      Excerpt: Comment by ChrisKardiake – 3 weeks ago (edited)

      To give an insight about what happened in France during the Covid Crisis for the US/English friends:
      -1 they made a committee (like the task force in the US) after the first meeting Raoult resign because for him they just talkin about statistics and hypotetic vaccine…
      -2 Raoult start to test, isolate and treat all ppl which come to his institute in Marseille (with HC and Asytomisine, with a scanner an cardiogram and a potatium dosage), and all “doctors” become mad on TV because confinement was the only solution! And this guy is crasy, “it’s so sad to see all those ppl which gonna die :/”
      -3 Government (because of the specialists comittee) forbid the use of HC (because it’s deadly) and said that masks and testing are useless and you can only call hospital when you can’t breath.
      -4 all media in France try to prove that Raoult is a fraud and he’s wrong since the start, after two or 3 interviews in mainstream TV where Raoult destroy the “jounalists” they giv’ed up..
      -5 The Lancet gate
      -6 End of confinement, and now we have to test everyone and mask are mandatory in public but all the “specialists” still said that Raoult don’t really know what’s talking about… And HC is still a poison and we still hope for a vaccine…
      -7 29000 dead of Corona in France . In Raoult institute 18 dead out of 3400 positive and in the Marseille area 163 dead out of 4937 positive.
      -8 Of course they make a commission to evaluate what happened about the COVID and Raoult talk true, his numbers are far better than the ones of Paris.
      -9 The guys from Paris who was in charge say it’s lie, but Raout prove that he just use their numbers, end of the story for now.
      And -10 All real studies now prove that HC was not so deadly and all others drugs are not really efficient. :/
      (And yes i suck at english)

  3. “HUGE UPSET! Commie Leftist Cori Bush Defeats Lacy Clay in Missouri District 1 Democrat Primary”
    By Jim Hoft – August 4, 2020
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/huge-upset-commie-leftist-cori-bush-defeats-lacy-clay-missouri-district-1-democrat-primary/

    “.@CoriBush thanks @BernieSanders
    during her victory speech:

    ‘Let me also thank somebody who stood with me that did not have to stand with me, [somebody] that you all probably know very well — I gotta call out Senator Bernie Sanders.'”
    Rose Movement – August 5, 2020 – Twitter
    https://twitter.com/Rosemvmt/status/1290868292236836864

    • Correction:
      Dr. Procter Interview: “Can we get rid of COVID-19 before a vaccine is ready to go?” – August 1, 2020 – Podcast

      “Brian Proctor, MD in McKinney, TX – Early Detection Cure for COVID-19 (Corona Virus) for $50?!?”
      Pat Leal – July 24, 2020

  4. https://youtu.be/0MMiZlgt4gs

    USA Watchdog. Impressive 33 min. interview with Alex Newman. Gets stronger with every minute. The only way to win this war is to stand up and band together.

    There exist many religious people who are missing the red-pilled cherry on top, and many non-religious, red-pilled people who are not demoralized. These two groups must find each other for the sake of the common good. Perhaps the tie that can binds is the little-known aspect of the prevalence of Satan worship at the heart of the leading communist opinion leaders. This hyper-religious aspect of communism should shock the garden-variety socialists in our midst.

    • That has always been my feeling on this. Even for those who kept some PM, its better that the economy keeps rolling along and civilization is intact and the PM cache just gets dusty than suddenly its worth a lot of money but you can’t do anything with it except pay bribes to get away from whatever newly minted totalitarian SH we may be in.

  5. Oregon Supreme Court video on Everyone’s Unconscious Bias https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA-z4mS_Evg
    May 11, 2020

    https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/03/new-multnomah-county-district-attorney-takes-over/
    Oregon Public Broadcasting

    https://www.opb.org/radio/programs/think-out-loud/article/land-transfer-bias-in-courtrooms-rural-schools/Oregon Supreme Court Justice Adrienne Nelson says unconscious racial bias — … a video that jurors can watch before a trial starts … At the same time, the Oregon Judicial Department is launching what it calls a strategic campaign, which includes partnering with organizations to bring equity to “underserved, vulnerable or marginalized” Oregonians …

  6. FDA buries informed dissent.
    Link visible via Google search, apparently not via FDA search

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/nda/2009/022117s000_ClinPharmR_P1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiTy5f5ioTrAhWslnIEHVFPBJ0QFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw0U7A1gGU0VAUVKXI6ynzG0


    This reviewer is unclear why the CDTL placed this review critiquing each point raised by this reviewer in
    DFS only 1 day prior to the expected completion of the amended OCP review. What is even more unclear
    is why this was placed in DFS before the expected completion of this reviewer’s amended review why this
    reviewer was not notified.
    As the points of contention between the CDTL and this reviewer in her review are too numerous to
    mention an impartial outside medical review shall be requested as the points of contention are of such
    major importance to the public health. However I will provide one illustration of the types of problems with
    the CDTL’s analyses.
    With regard to cardiac toxicity the CDTL makes the following statement:
    “In the 15 May 2008 as well as in the 10 June 2008 OCP reviews, despite Dr. Stockbridge’s
    conclusions in the DCRP review of 23 April 2008, OCP continued to conclude that the data
    supported a severe risk of cardiac toxicity associated with asenapine. On page 22 of the OCP
    review, in section 2.2.2, Summary of Major Conclusion),

    • Discover the Networks – Oprah Winfrey

      November 2013 interview with BBC’s Will Gompertz

      Excerpt:

      In the same interview, Winfrey was asked if the problem of racism in America had been solved, to which she replied:

      “Of course the problem is not solved…. As long as there are people who still—there’s a whole generation—I say this, you know, I said this, you know, for apartheid, South Africa, I said this for my own, you know, for my own community in the South—there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.”
      https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/oprah-winfrey/

      “Oprah: Racists Have to Die for Racism to End”
      OnlyWaxing – November 15, 2013

    • She makes me sick too. She has managed to do quite well for herself financially, considering how much bitching she and her friends do about racism.

  7. Controversial Danish Politician Plans to Burn the Quran in Sweden to Support ‘Brotherly People’ (sputniknews, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/202008051080063133-controversial-danish-politician-plans-to-burn-the-quran-in-sweden-to-support-brotherly-people/

    :Hard Line party leader Rasmus Paludan, who has made a name for himself with anti-Islamic taunts, described the upcoming Quran burning in an immigrant-heavy area as “the least he could do” to help “Sweden’s occupied enclaves”.

    Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish nationalist party Hard Line, who rose to prominence for Islam-critical performances that include Quran-burnings, intends to expand his activities northward and pay a visit to neighbouring Sweden.

    By his own admission, Paludan was invited to burn the Quran by street artist Dan Park. The Quran burning will take place on 28 August near a mosque in Malmö’s immigrant heavy Rosengård district.

    Paludan described the action as “standing up for his brotherly people” in Sweden.

    “Our Swedish brothers are being exterminated in their own country, so the least we can do to help them is to show up in one of their occupied enclaves and tell our honest opinion about the Quran”, Paludan said in a statement. “The Quran will burn in Rosengård”, the party wrote.

    While Hard Line barely missed the threshold to enter parliament, Paludan has made himself known for burning Qurans across Denmark’s immigrant quarters, which he sees as exercising his right to free speech and freedom of religion. In doing so, he has survived several attacks and assassination attempts.

    Videos of the subsequent confrontations are often shared on social media, where his party enjoys a substantial following. The most recent assault occurred in June when Paludan was nearly stabbed to death by a Muslim who ran toward him with a knife. Paludan is under constant police protection, which costs millions of kroner. According to the police, the price tag for protecting Paludan between 1 January 2019 to election day on 5 June 2019 was a staggering DKK 100 million ($14 million).

    Before becoming a full-time politician, Paludan was a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Copenhagen. Paludan’s views and statements have led to multiple legal controversies. In 2019, he was convicted of expressing racist views. In June 2020, he was sentenced to a three-month prison term, with two months suspended.

    Swedish street artist Dan Park is no stranger to controversy either, and has been arrested, fined, and sentenced to jail for hate speech in Swedish Courts several times for his art.

    One of his notable works includes a poster depicting triple murderer Juha Valjakkala posing with a shotgun and the text “A Man’s Gotta Do What a Man’s Gotta Do”. In another instance, Park was arrested for a collage depicting an Afro-Swedish student activist in chains with the caption “Our Negro slave has run away”. In yet another instance, Park placed a jar labelled Zyklon B and a swastika outside the premises of a Jewish congregation in Malmö. He also made a parody commercial for clothing giant H&M with killer John Ausonius as a model.

    Park himself insists that his works are not a display of racism or hate, but rather sarcastic commentary on current events and against political correctness in Sweden. Park describes himself as a believer in the freedom of speech and a contrarian who always goes right if society goes left, and vice versa. In Denmark, his works have been exhibited in the House of Parliament.”

  8. Unusual lightning bolt strikes China’s high-rise; China army dance threatens to destroy

  9. Sadiq Kahn told to ‘get a grip!’ – MP demands Mayor ‘do his job’ after latest bloodshed (express, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1318988/sadiq-khan-london-news-violent-crime-latest-stabbing-greg-hands

    “LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan has been told to “get a grip” on crime in the capital after another horrific 48 hours of bloodshed.

    Police said five people were shot and eight more stabbed in a weekend violence. Shootings were reported in Brixton, Croydon and Hackney, while there were stabbings in Hackney, Harlesden, Islington, Southwark and Holborn.

    Now a London MP has called on Mr Khan to step up to the plate and concentrate on making the city a safer place.

    Greg Hands, Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, said: “Khan needs to get a grip and do his job – and stop filling our inboxes with press releases and stunts on every national issue of the day.”

    Mr Hands hit out after the scale of the violence across the capital last weekend became clear.

    A man in his early twenties was repeatedly stabbed in Orpington as families ate and drank outside a nearby pub in the hot weather.

    Police were called by paramedics, who took the man to a south London hospital.

    A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

    “Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident. No arrests have been made.”

    Earlier in the weekend, two men, aged 30 and 31, were shot and stabbed after a fight in Mandeville Street, Hackney, at about 1.10am on Saturday.

    Detectives said two men — who are the same age as the victims — had been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm. Both were released under investigation.

    In a separate incident just minutes later, a man in his 20s was found with a gunshot wound in London Road, Croydon.

    Armed officers and paramedics attended and took him to hospital. No arrests have been made.

    Emergency services were called to Harlesden High Street at 4am on Saturday following reports of a group fighting.

    At the scene, officers and paramedics found a man in his 30s with stab injuries.

    He was rushed to hospital where his condition was assessed as not life-threatening.

    A Met Police spokesman said: “Police were called just before 4am on Saturday, August 1 to High Street, Harlesden following reports of a group fighting.

    “Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a man thought to be in his 30s with stab injuries.

    “He was taken to hospital and his injuries are not being treated as life-threatening or changing.

    “When officers arrived all other parties had left the scene. No arrests and Inquiries are ongoing.”

    A further two young men turned up at a south London hospital with gunshot injuries last Friday evening.

    Police had earlier been called to Akerman Road in Brixton, where they found damage to two parked vehicles but no trace of victims at that time.”

  10. Top BAME Teacher: BLM Encouraging Institutional Racism, ‘Decolonising’ Education ‘Divides Us’ (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/top-teacher-blm-wants-encourage-institutional-racism-decolonising-education-will-divide-us/

    “Leading British educator Katharine Birbalsingh has warned that “decolonising” the school curriculum will not help pupils progress in life and will, in fact, create more social divisions.

    Ms Birbalsingh, who founded and leads the high-performing Michaela Community School in London, also said that Black Lives Matter’s call to “decolonise” education by replacing white men with minorities is itself “a big example of institutional racism”.

    Birbalsingh said that the compulsory teaching of minority ethnic figures in British history would only serve to “divide us”.

    She said: “Nothing in our schools is compulsory, apart from the Holocaust. In my opinion, a big example of institutional racism is exactly what Black Lives Matter wants to encourage, they want schools to teach fewer dead white men like Dickens or Churchill and more black authors and historical figures.”

    The outspoken free school headmistress, who puts academia at the forefront in training her pupils, made the remarks during a webinar of The Equiano Project, reported by The Times on Wednesday.

    The Equiano Project is a debate forum which aims to “promote the values of freedom, humanism, and universalism”, focusing on issues of culture, politics, and race. It was founded by Inaya Folarin Iman, who is on the board of Toby Young’s Free Speech Union.

    According to international media, black kids can’t understand Shakespeare, can’t be held to grammatical standards and now it is racist to expect them to turn up on time.

    Give me the old-school racist any day of the week.

    This liberal racist madness is far more destructive.

    Black Lives Matter has been at the fore of demands to slash representations of white people in public places — sometimes doing so forcibly themselves — over past ties to slavery or allegations of racism.

    Ms Birbalsingh also criticised calls to dumb down musical education by prioritising grime rappers like Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo — or “Stormzy” — over Mozart, which she said will not aid the intellectual development of pupils.

    Last month, the leading educator — whose free school receives government funding but is not controlled by local authorities — had criticised American university Rutgers’ decision to stop teaching proper grammar in favour of so-called “critical grammar” in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

    “‘Proper English is racist,’” Ms Birbalsingh paraphrased the policy.

    She continued: “What is our world coming to? I have a school full of black and brown kids who are taught proper English and doing well at it, thanks very much.

    “To deny children the opportunity to write and speak well is a SCANDAL! How dare you all behave like this.”

    She further said during The Equiano Project webinar that hyper-focus on racism is a distraction from a person’s personal and professional development. Birbalsingh said: “Anyone who has ever overcome any obstacle in life knows that if you spend all your time worrying about how insurmountable it is, you will never overcome it.

    “I am not going to spend my time begging the white man to undergo unconscious bias training, it’ll distract me from doing what does work, which is getting kids to learn their algebra, turn up on time, and deliver.

    “The problem with getting angry about racism is it’s distracting. It leaves you with less energy to help you succeed, like working hard, getting married, and being a good parent.”

    Speaking to Spiked in June, the educator said that while it was important to talk about racism in society, she did not want to “encourage our children to be victims”.

    “And that is something that I think the Black Lives Matter movement does and it undermines much of the work we do at school in trying to empower our children to take personal responsibility and grab life by the horns.

    “Yes, there are obstacles, and yes, there is racism. But the way to succeed is to find a way to jump over those obstacles, not to sit and complain that life is hard, not to put your hand out to the white man and tell him to give you something. I want kids to take control of their lives, and victimhood does not help anybody,” the teacher concluded.”

  11. 2,700 Evacuated, 22 Injured as Fires Sweep French Region, Cause Unknown (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/2700-evacuated-22-injured-as-fires-sweep-french-region-cause-unknown/

    “Fires fueled by strong Mediterranean winds have raced across multiple towns in the Marseilles region of France, leaving at least 22 people injured, destroying several businesses and forcing the evacuation of 2,700 tourists, nursing home residents and others.

    Some 1,800 firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, battled the worst fires through the night around the town of Martigues. They were still working Wednesday to extinguish it more than 14 hours after it broke out Tuesday, according to the local fire service.

    Its flames spread quickly from a wooded area toward the sea, eight kilometres (five miles) away, sweeping through residential areas and multiple campgrounds. Firefighters rushed to evacuate campers via land and sea.

    The cause of the fires is not known.

    Eight civilians and 14 firefighters suffered minor injuries in the Martigues blaze and five others that erupted in the area Tuesday, the fire service said. The other fires were brought under control in the towns of Port-de-Bouc, Aubagne-Carnoux, Gignac-la-Nerthe and Fontvieille.

    Given continued winds Wednesday morning and dry and hot weather across France, authorities have banned any controlled fires in the area or construction work involving sparks or hot equipment until the fires are extinguished.

    Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin rushed to the site overnight, and firefighting teams were sent in from other regions to help.”

  12. Berlin Police: 210 Rapes from March to July, Half of Cases Involve Migrants (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/berlin-police-210-rapes-from-march-to-july-half-of-cases-involve-migrants/

    “According to statistics released by police in the German capital of Berlin, the city saw 210 rapes between March and July, an average of two rape cases per day.

    The State Police criminal investigation unit, known in Germany as the Kripo, said that cases of serious rape in Berlin are surging, and of the 210 cases reported between March and July at least 50 of the victims were children below the age of 16.

    The Kripo also say that around half of the suspects in the rape cases come from a foreign background — far higher than the migrant population of Berlin, which amounts to around 29.9 per cent of the city’s total residents, Focus reports.

    Marcel Luthe, a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), commented on the statistics, saying: “The far disproportionate proportion of foreign suspects shows that the causes urgently need to be clarified and discussed transparently. And then effective crime prevention must be pursued.”

    Berlin has seen a steady rise in reported sex crimes in the last several years, with 2019 seeing 4,809 cases — up 15 per cent form the year prior.

    One in five victims is said to be under the age of 21 and over a third of the alleged perpetrators have been from migrant backgrounds.

    The release of the statistics comes just weeks after a German court convicted and sentenced a group of migrants in the city of Freiburg for gang-raping a German teen girl over a period of four hours in 2018 after they had drugged her at a local nightclub.

    Eight of the men were Syrians, with others coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and one man being a German citizen. They were handed meagre sentences of three to five and a half years in prison.

    Since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, rapes and sex attacks involving migrants have been a major issue in Germany and other countries.

    In Sweden, broadcaster SVT revealed in 2018 that migrants were behind 56 per cent of rapes and attempted raped and represented eight-in-ten assault rape cases.”

  13. Muslim in France Films Himself Slaughtering Sheep in Bathtub for Eid (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/muslim-in-france-films-himself-slaughtering-sheep-in-bathtub-for-eid/

    “A Muslim resident of the southern French city of Nice recorded himself slaughtering a sheep in his bathtub for the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday and posted the video on social media.

    The graphic video was posted on the social media platform Snapchat and was shared at least 1,000 times before the clip was brought to the attention of the general public by local populist National Rally politician Philippe Vardon, who publicised it on Twitter.

    “Each year the eid al-Adha is the occasion of sordid scenes, now shared with pride on social networks,” Vardon wrote.

    The video, which is a series of short clips, shows the Muslim man taking a sheep in his car, the sheep walking around his apartment, and then the slaughter of the sheep in the bath, which can be heard struggling to breathe while bleeding to death.

    According to a report from local newspaper Nice-Presse, the man in the video, who shows his face twice, was reported to the police by Mr Vardon, as the home slaughter of animals is illegal in France and only three slaughterhouses were permitted to slaughter sheep for the Islamic festival in the region…”

  14. Greece: Seven Dead After Car Transporting Migrants Runs Through Roadworks (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/greece-seven-dead-after-car-transporting-migrants-runs-through-roadworks/

    “A car believed to be transporting migrants who recently entered the country crashed into roadworks on a highway in northern Greece overnight, killing seven people and injuring five, police said.

    Police said the crash occurred just before 1 a.m. local time Wednesday, outside the northeastern city of Alexandroupolis, when the car ran through roadworks and into a cement base on which toll booths are to be installed.

    Authorities said all of the dead and injured were men. Two were severely hurt and hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Their nationalities were not immediately available.

    Thousands of migrants head to Greece from nearby Turkey, most hoping to make their way to more prosperous European countries farther north. Although most arrive on eastern Aegean islands near the Turkish coast, many cross the land border in north-eastern Greece.”

  15. Greeks Catch Syrian Drug Trafficker on Turkish Frontier, Move to Strengthen Border (breitbart, Aug 5, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/05/greeks-catch-syrian-drug-trafficker-on-turkish-frontier-move-to-strengthen-border/

    “Greek police have arrested a Syrian migrant carrying nearly 1,500 illegal pills near the Turkish frontier as the government is set to begin strengthening the border fence at Evros.

    The Syrian migrant is believed to have smuggled the drugs across the Turkish border with police officers from the Alexandroupolis Drug Enforcement Agency catching and detaining him near the frontier.

    After searching the Syrian, the officers were able to find 353.1 grams worth of cannabis in two separate packages and a total of 1,413 pills in two more packages. Officials also seized two mobile phones and have charged the man with importing illegal narcotics, Proto Thema reports.

    The border fence along the Turkish border at Evros is also scheduled to be reinforced and expanded, with work set to start on the expansion next month.

    The Greek Police (ELAS) has reached out to five major construction companies to bid for the project which will first reinforce existing fencing that was damaged by migrants and others earlier this year when Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the gates to Europe for migrants residing in Turkey.

    Some of the damage to the border fence, allegedly by a European Union-funded Turkish armoured vehicle, was even caught on video and published by Greek media after being released by the Greek government.

    The second part of the project will see a new border fence erected in the area near Ferres and is estimated to be around 27-kilometres long.

    Greece looks to reinforcer the border before migrants return to the area, something that was promised earlier this year at the end of March by Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.

    “When the coronavirus pandemic is over, we are not going to deter any immigrants who want to return to the Greek-Turkish border in Pazar,” Soylu said.”

  16. Johnson & Johnson Announces Agreement with U.S. Government for 100 Million Doses of Investigational COVID-19 Vaccine

    Company working to ensure broad global access to COVID-19 vaccine candidate, following approval from regulators

    more :

    https://www.jnj.com/johnson-johnson-announces-agreement-with-u-s-government-for-100-million-doses-of-investigational-covid-19-vaccine

    =====================================================
    twitter @megtirrell

    And with J&J-US govt supply agreement just now, here’s where pricing lining up for first contracts for #COVID19 vaccines in US:

    J&J: ~$10/dose

    Pfizer: $19.95/dose

    Moderna: guiding toward $32-$37/dose depending on size of contract

    (AZ lowest but grant also supports dev)

    =======================================================
    twitter @megtirrell

    For context, the $32-$37/dose Moderna cites for smaller volume agreements of #COVID19 vaccine is 60% more (on low end) than Pfizer price of $19.95/dose agreement with U.S. govt.

    Moderna notes price would be lower for larger volume agreements.

    Price would go up after pandemic.

    https://twitter.com/megtirrell/status/1290994148925988864

  17. Biden campaign announces largest ad buy ever by a presidential candidate

    Pretty soon it’ll be hard to escape Joe Biden on your television. Or your radio. Or your phone.

    The Biden campaign on Wednesday is announcing what it says is the largest TV ad buy ever by a presidential candidate, with $220 million set aside for commercials to air through the fall and another $60 million budgeted to reach audiences digitally on social media or gaming platforms.

    Biden’s team is planning to reach voters in at least 15 states, with messages that feature the former vice president speaking directly to camera about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fall.

    Signaling the states they see as most competitive, the Biden campaign said their ads will target: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Colorado, Virginia, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Texas.

    And given the 15-state reach of the TV campaign plus the buys on digital platforms, it’s likely most Americans will be unable to miss at least some of Biden’s advertising, either on traditional broadcast TV channels in swing states; during coverage of sporting events on cable channels; as they watch video clips on their Vevo feed; or while playing online games.

    Most of all, many Americans can expect to see Biden for longer periods of time — 60 seconds, up from the usual 30 seconds for a political spot. Top Biden strategist Mike Donilion said that’s designed to give voters a “fuller, clearer message.”

    […]

    The other face that will be highlighted in Biden’s ads? His soon-to-be-announced running mate.

    “You can expect to see her out both in terms of our paid media and she’ll have a robust presence on our campaign moving forward,” deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said.

    The VP pick is expected to be announced next week.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-campaign-2020-largest-political-ad-buy-presidential-candidate/

  18. Canada’s top doctor says pandemic may last years, even with vaccine

    Theresa Tam, is warning Canadians to get used to COVID-19 restrictions, like wearing masks and social distancing.

    Rules like these could be around for years, even with an effective vaccine

    • Canada announces deals in place to secure COVID-19 vaccine candidates | FULL

      The Canadian government has signed new deals with pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and Moderna to secure millions of doses in 2021 of the coronavirus vaccine candidates each company is currently developing.

      Procurement Minister Anita Anand made the announcement on Wednesday morning after Pfizer had tweeted news of the deal shortly before markets opened earlier that day.

      “We are increasingly focused on the next stage of our recovery, including preparing Canada for mass vaccinations,” said Anand in a press conference, stressing the need to diversify supply chains.

      “Today we are taking an important step forward.”

      • I remember the swine flu, the need for all to get the shot. A friend who was a nurse had to get the shot in order to carry on working. She got the shot, approximately 8 hours later this healthy woman was hospitalized, something was attacking her nervous system was the explanation, she remained immobile for a year and died.

    • CBC – COVID-19 pandemic measures could be in place for years, even with a vaccine

      Theresa Tam made the comments amid growing hopes that a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year.

  19. India: Masked Modi prays at controversial temple site

    …. ahead of a ceremony to lay the foundation for a temple at a flashpoint holy site in the northern city of Ayodhya.
    ====================================
    Ayodhya dispute

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayodhya_dispute
    ========================================

  20. Take heart, Durham-doubters: A recent report means more than it may seem
    By J.E. Dyer August 5, 2020

    RedState has had a couple of good posts by blogger “Shipwreckedcrew” on Monday and Tuesday this week, and they’re a timely reminder that we have things we can read into recent developments that carry implications for the John Durham investigation.

    On Monday, the RedState post was about a tweet from Paul Sperry, sent on 1 August, in which he spoke of hearing from his sources that U.S. Attorney John Bash (Western District of Texas; Shipwreckedcrew has it as Eastern) will be expanding the scope of his probe into the “unmasking” problem during the Obama administration.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2020/08/05/take-heart-durham-doubters-a-recent-report-means-more-than-it-may-seem/

  21. President Trump Fires ‘Deep-Swamp’ Officials – Donald Says They “Betrayed American Workers” By Outsourcing Jobs

    President Trump has often stated his appreciation for the American worker. And he doesn’t like it when they get “betrayed.”

    In his view, if a company gives preference to outsourcing or other forms of foreign labor, then that’s a very big problem.

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/fire-deep-officials-trump-workers/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=gjwhg

  22. Will Democrats accept election loss? New report says no.
    by Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent |
    | August 04, 2020 08:25 PM

    For weeks, there have been news reports and commentary on whether President Trump will “accept” the results of November’s election. The president started it on July 19 when he was asked, on Fox News Sunday, “Can you give a direct answer you will accept the election?”

    “I have to see,” Trump said. “I have to see. No, I’m not going to just say yes. I’m not going to say no, and I didn’t last time, either.”

    The answer set off a long trail of headlines: “Trump declines to say whether he will accept November election.” “Trump won’t commit to accepting result if he loses election.” “Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses.” The president has continued to stir the pot since then, most notably with a tweet asking whether, because of potential problems with voting by mail, the Nov. 3 election should be postponed.

    So there is much discussion of Trump and the election results. But there is another, equally pressing question: Will Democrats accept the results of the election if Joe Biden loses? A new report suggests the answer could be no.

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/will-democrats-accept-election-loss-new-report-says-no

  23. Rashida Tlaib wins re-election race with ease
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/rashida-tlaib-wins-reelection-defeats-brenda-jones

    “Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib comfortably fended off a serious primary challenger, all but securing re-election for a second term in her heavily Democratic district in Michigan.

    Tlaib quickly rose to national prominence after being elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, becoming one of the first two Muslim women in Congress.

    An outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, she became the target of frequent right-wing attacks, including by the president himself.

    On Tuesday, she defeated Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones. Preliminary results showed Tlaib with a substantial lead of almost double of Jones’s vote tally (61,090 to 31,487). The congresswoman declared victory early on Wednesday.

    Tlaib thanked her friends and supporters, stressing that “the work continues”….”

  24. Iraq: Daesh killed or abducted 7,600 Yazidis
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200805-iraq-daesh-killed-or-abducted-7600-yazidis/

    “The extremist group Daesh killed or abducted more than 7,600 Yazidis in its brutal attack in the summer of 2014, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) has revealed.

    “Today marks the sixth anniversary of the genocide of the Yazidis in the Sinjar district and the Nineveh Plain regions at the hands of the criminal gangs of the Islamic State, and [which] killed 1,200 of them, and displaced more than 360,000 others,” explained the IHCHR. The “events left more than 83 mass graves and more than 6,400 Yazidis were abducted.”

    The IHCH has urged the Iraqi parliament to compensate Yazidi families for their losses. The commission also called on the international community to help Yazidis who were abducted to be able to return to their families.

    The Yazidis are a religious group who live in the city of Sinjar, 130 kilometres west of Mosul. The city is near the Iraq-Syria border and is home to people of Kurdish, Arab, and Yazidi ethnicity. Some also live in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia, and Georgia.

    In June 2016, the UN declared that Daesh had committed genocide against the Yazidis and wanted to eradicate the religion and its followers.”

  25. Saudi migrant workers ‘packed as animals’ and ‘forced to drink from toilet’
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200805-saudi-migrant-workers-packed-as-animals-and-forced-to-drink-from-toilet/

    “Saudi Arabia’s treatment of migrants has come under sharp criticism from rights groups following allegations that detainees are “are packed as animals” and forced to “drink from the toilet”.

    These are the horrific conditions in Al-Shumaisi Detention Centre, according to detainees awaiting deportation from the kingdom. Many of those arrested by Saudi officials for working illegally find themselves in the Al-Shumaisi Detention Centre, a huge complex designed to hold 32,000 inmates. Detainees often don’t know how long they will be kept at the centres, or what charges have been levelled against them.

    We are packed as animals. We sleep on metal beds with no mattress, no proper sanitation

    Ibraahin told the Guardian through a translator. “We drink water from the toilet. If you have money you can buy clean water. If don’t have any, you just take dirty water from the toilet.”

    Another inmate arrested for being undocumented while working as a camel shepherd complained about the lack of food. “We are given bread and very little rice. Dry rice and no protein. The food they provide is of bad quality. There are no lemons, no vegetables.”

    Both men told the Guardian that when they were arrested the police asked for bribes and said they would be released if they paid. “If you have money and give the bribe, nobody will take you to jail,” Ibraahin is reported saying.

    Reports of the inhumane conditions within Saudi detention centres was met with sharp criticism from rights groups who pointed to the kingdom’s failure to uphold basic standards.

    “[Despite] the terrible overcrowding, insanitary conditions, lack of adequate healthcare and physical abuse in Saudi Arabia’s immigration detention centres, Saudi Arabia has done little to improve them or take steps to treat detainees with dignity,” Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said.

    “In a time of increased dangers from Covid-19, Saudi Arabia should move beyond small-scale detainee releases and take real steps to overhaul these detention centres and rethink its mass deportation policy,” added Coogle.”

    • “Drinking out of the toilet”
      Steel toilet-faucet one-piece designs. Like alien facilities aliens on our border, AOC-the-Mouth babbled the same thing.
      Dead give-away, talking-points for global, Soros-type NGOs.
      => In Saudi, there won’t be any WATER-filled toilets. That’s not the way they do it in the region.

  26. Saudi Arabia constructs uranium ore facility with help from China
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200805-saudi-arabia-constructs-uranium-ore-facility-with-help-from-china/

    “Saudi Arabia has constructed a facility for extracting uranium “yellowcake” from ore with help from China, Western officials revealed to the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

    According to the officials, the facility is located in a sparsely populated area in the north-west of the Kingdom. The Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement, however, that it “categorically denies” having built the facility in that area, although it acknowledged that it has contracts with China on uranium exploration within certain other areas of the country.

    “Yellowcake” is a powdered and milled form of uranium ore, an element occurring naturally throughout Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The ore is processed chemically into a fine powder before being put through further processes to enrich the uranium, enabling it to power nuclear energy plants and even be used in nuclear weapons if highly enriched.

    The Saudi government maintains that minerals such as uranium are extracted as a key part of its strategy to diversify its economy. The uranium is used for non-military purposes at the moment, as Riyadh plans to acquire nuclear energy capabilities; the Saudi energy minister announced this last year.

    However, concerns have been raised about the potential capability of Saudi Arabia to acquire its own nuclear weapons. US senators have sought full details of contracts for nuclear cooperation with the Kingdom, and Israeli researchers have recommended ways of keeping the nuclear development peaceful. Israel also expressed its confidence back in 2018 that the US would limit Saudi Arabia’s future nuclear development and prevent it from attaining weapons-grade nuclear material.

    Despite Riyadh’s guarantee to use any nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes only, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said two years ago that he would develop nuclear weapons if Iran manages to do so.

    China’s assistance in the construction of the “yellowcake” facility is also a concern to the US, which wants to keep Beijing’s influence out of the Middle East.”

  27. Pakistan will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its Kashmiri brethren: PM says on Youm-e-Istehsal
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258079/pakistan-will-stand-shoulder-to-shoulder-with-its-kashmiri-brethren-pm-says-on-youm-e-istehsal

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday expressed that Pakistan will always be with its brothers and sisters in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) until they get the right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the United Nations as per the relevant UNSC Resolutions.

    Issuing a message on one year of unprecedented atrocities, genocide, blatant human rights violations and complete lockdown by Indian occupation forces in Kashmir, the premier said that the day marks 365 days of the unprecedented, inhuman military siege and communication blockade since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.

    “It is a crime against humanity that has destroyed lives, crippled livelihoods, and imperilled the very identity of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK),” the premier stated in the message.

    “Let me be absolutely clear: Pakistan will always be with its brothers and sisters in IIOJK. We will never accept, and neither will the Kashmiris, the illegal Indian actions and oppression of the Kashmiri people,” PM Imran said…”

  28. FC soldier martyred, two injured in firing from across Afghan border
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258172/fc-soldier-martyred-two-injured-in-firing-from-across-afghan-border

    “A Frontier Corps (FC) soldier was martyred while two others sustained injuries due to firing from across the Afghan border on Wednesday, according to a statement of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The military’s media wing said that mortar and heavy weapons were used during the firing in Bin Shahi area of Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)…”

  29. Indian doctor detonated car bomb in deadly attack targeting jail in East of Afghanistan
    https://www.khaama.com/indian-doctor-detonated-car-bomb-in-deadly-attack-targeting-jail-in-east-of-afghanistan-09000/

    “An Indian doctor detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) in the initial phase of a deadly attack on a jail in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, it has been reported.

    According to local media reports emerging from India, a medical graduate, hailing originally from Malayali of Kerala of India, detonated a car bomb close to the provincial jail in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of India.

    Identified as Ijaz, who had recently graduated from medical faculty in China, the suicide bomber detonated the car bomb to allow the other assailants storm the jail.

    He reportedly left Kerala to join the offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Khurasan (ISIS-K) in March of 2016.

    Ijaz was reportedly treating the wounded ISIS Khurasan cadres before volunteering to carry out the deadly suicide attack which left at least 30 people dead.”

  30. Kuwait to dismiss 50% of expats working in government ministries
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-to-dismiss-50-of-expats-working-in-government-ministries-1.72974010

    “Governmental ministries have begun laying off expats, especially those working in non-technical fields, Al Rai reported.

    A source told Al Rai, “The process of terminating expats working in the governmental agencies will happen gradually and we will be notifying them to ensure that the work is not affected.”

    More than 50 per cent of expats working for sub contractors, hired by governmental agencies, will likely be laid off in 3 months. As for those hired directly by the ministries, they have already been moved to companies that are subcontractors for governmental ministries.

    The head of the parliamentary Human Resources Development Committee, MP Khalil Al Saleh, told Al Rai, “The committee has taken concrete steps to address the issue in the demographic imbalance. We will be holding a meeting next week to prepare a report, with data and statistics, that we will present to the National Assembly.”

    The MP also added, “We have achieved what we agreed upon to solve the problem, especially since there are expats that are working in non-technical jobs in the governmental sector.”

    Al Saleh stressed on closing the Kuwaitisation file that deals with expats working in non-technical jobs. He called on the Civil Services Commission to adhere to resolution 11/2017 that deals with achieving Kuwaitisation in the public sector, which would lead to 100 per cent of the public sector workforce being Kuwaiti.

    Kuwaitisation
    Kuwaitisation, a governmental policy introduced in 2018, aims at shifting the workforce balance so that the majority of jobs are done by Kuwaitis, not expats. As of December 2019, there are 120,000 expats, out of the 3 million residing in Kuwait, working in the public sector. Back in 2018, around 50,000 expats working in governmental agencies were laid off.

    Currently, 90 per cent of the 1.4 million Kuwaiti population works in the public sector…”

  31. Pakistan: 33 injured in attack during Kashmir rally
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-33-injured-in-attack-during-kashmir-rally/1932685

    “At least 33 people were injured here when suspected terrorists hurled a hand grenade during a Kashmir rally, according to police.

    The rally was organized by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the country’s mainstream religious party, in connection with the first anniversary of India’s revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s decades-long special status.

    Two suspected terrorists on a motorcycle threw a grenade at protesters in the city’s eastern district and fled, police said.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

    JI spokesman Zahid Askari told Anadolu Agency at least five activists were critically injured, while others sustained minor injuries.

    The rally continued despite the attack, he added.

    JI Chief Senator Sirajul Haq said activists would not cower to “cowardly” attacks.

    He blamed “Indian agents” responsible for the attack, who could not digest the expression of solidarity with Kashmiris.

    Pakistan observed “Exploitation Day” Wednesday to condemn New Delhi’s annexation of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.”

  32. Council of Europe calls for Turkey to halt detainee abuse
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/turkey/2020/08/05/council-of-europe-calls-for-turkey-to-halt-detainee-abuse_6e6782b8-aa2d-43cf-84f0-8d0370213cde.html

    “The Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of the Council of Europe has warned that it continues to receive an alarmingly high number of reports of detainee abuse in Turkish detention facilities.
    It noted in a report on a visit conducted in 2019 that the abuse had allegedly been inflicted also on women and children and urged the president to intervene, making it clear that such behaviour would no longer be tolerated.
    The CPT pointed out, however, that the seriousness of the abuse had decreased since its previous visit in 2017.
    The CPT stressed that the reports collected in 2019, corroborated by medical evidence, included cases of detainees being subjected to kicks, punches, and blows from sticks after the person arrested had already been handcuffed or under control.
    The Council of Europe also noted that it continued to receive, as it had in 2019, numerous reports of excessive use of force and abuse by motorised squads operating in Istanbul called ‘Yunus’.
    The CPT thus called on the authorities to exercise greater control over these units.”

  33. Russian Military Expert Felgenhauer: Russia Will Defend Armenia From The Turks Even With Nuclear Strike

    The Ottoman caliphate redux.

    Russian Military Expert Pavel Felgenhauer: Russia Will Defend Armenia From The Turks; If Necessary, Russia Will Save Armenia With A Nuclear Strike

    MEMRI, August 3, 2020:

    On July 29, Turkey announced the launch of joint large-scale tactical and tactical flight exercises involving Turkish and Armenian ground forces and air forces. The exercises, taking place July 29-August 10, include live firing and involve some 5,000 personnel, 150 units of military armored vehicles, up to 150 units of artillery and air defense systems, and up to 30 jets, helicopters and drones. They are being held in Azerbaijan, in the areas of Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh. Ground exercises are being held in Baku and Nakhchivan August 1-5, with artillery, armored vehicles, and mortars striking simulated targets.

    It should be noted that earlier that month, on July 12, tensions rose once again on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, when Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused Armenia of attempting to attack Azerbaijan’s positions at the Tovuz section of the border with artillery systems. “Starting from the afternoon on July 12, units of the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the ceasefire on the direction of the Tovuz region of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, were subjected to fire on our positions using artillery mounts. There are losses on both sides. Currently, there are fights in this direction. Our units control the operational situation,” the Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported.

    https://gellerreport.com/2020/08/russian-military-expert-felgenhauer-russia-will-defend-armenia-from-the-turks-even-with-nuclear-strike.html/