Reader’s Links for August 16, 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

64 Replies to “Reader’s Links for August 16, 2020”

  1. Her documentary:

    https://youtu.be/9HFxVvrXjCg

    I don’t know much at all about this woman, or her integrity. We do know she supports the President, however, which isn’t a bad start.

    As an aside, I’ve observed recently that openly declaring support for PT may be satisfying on one level, but not so much on another. I had just this opportunity a couple of days ago, but such is the depth and effectiveness of the anti-Trump msm campaign that those who’ve imbibed the Kool-Aid offer only blank-faced response to real facts. There will be little success in enlightening anyone at this stage, I fear, who does not already have an inkling of even a fraction of what VTB expounds.

    In the scenario I experienced, the person made an anti-PT statement in the work place with the assumption that all present would agree with it. Typical of the leftist animal, it blithely assumes possession of a moral superiority that does not exist.

    • That’s a form of “shibboleth”. I make a joke about how stupid George Bush or Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump is and if you don’t laugh along in agreement then you are an enemy soldier. That way they can find out what side you’re on quickly and efficiently and slay you if you turn out to be the enemy.

  2. Indian Police Arrest Man Who Announced Reward for Head of Karnataka Legislator’s Kin (sputniknews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/india/202008161080183964-indian-police-arrest-man-who-announced-reward-for-head-of-karnataka-legislators-kin/

    “Four persons were killed and about 60 policemen injured in inter-faith violence in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on 11 August, triggered by a religiously provocative social media post. Police had arrested P. Naveen, a relative of Karnataka legislator A. Srinivasa Murthy, from India’s main opposition Congress party.

    Police in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have arrested a former political activist who had announced a reward of about US $ 68,000 for anyone killing Naveen, nephew of Bengaluru legislator A. Srinivasa Murthy. Naveen was arrested for an offensive social media post, which had triggered neighbourhood riots during the night of 11-12 August, in which three persons died in a firefight with police and another succumbed to injuries in hospital later.

    Uttar Pradesh police arrested the former political activist Shahzeb Rizvi on Sunday from Meerut, 80 kilometres east of national capital Delhi. Rizvi, in a video, had announced the reward to anyone “who brings the head” of Naveen, for hurting “Muslim community’s sentiments”.

    A senior police officer of Meerut, Ajay Sahni said, Rizvi was arrested after a preliminary investigation on charges of “wanton vilification or attacks upon religion, race…”

    Rioters in Bengaluru had also torched the residence of Murthy and a police station, in addition to dozens of vehicles. Karnataka Police have arrested over 200 people and detained many others for questioning in the case.”

  3. Joe Biden Accused of ‘Interventionism’ Over His Call to Back Turkish Opposition to ‘Defeat’ Erdogan (sputniknews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202008161080184058-joe-biden-accused-of-interventionism-over-his-call-to-back-turkish-opposition-to-defeat-erdogan/

    “Biden, a fierce advocate against so-called ‘Russian meddling’, has openly said that the US should work to unseat the Turkish president and make sure he “pays the price” for daring to cooperate with Russia.

    Turkey has accused Joe Biden of meddling in its internal affairs after an interview emerged in which the Democratic presidential candidate flirts with the idea of unseating Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    “US Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s remarks (made in December but reported by the media today) reflect the games being played over Turkey and their interventionist attitudes,” Erdogan’s spokesman Fahrettin Altun tweeted on Saturday.

    He added that Biden’s plans regarding Erdogan were “not in line with democracy” and suggested that the Trump administration would find them “unseemly”.

    The comments came in response to a resurfaced clip of Joe Biden, which was filmed in January as part of his interview to The New York Times.

    Biden, then a Democratic front-runner in the presidential race, said in the video that the United States should be “making it clear that we support opposition leadership” in Turkey.

    The former vice president added that Washington should “’embolden’ the Turkish opposition to get more from them and to be able to take on and defeat Erdogan”. He clarified that Erdogan should not be defeated in a “coup” but rather “by the electoral process”.

    He also brought up the Turkish president’s refusal to drop a Russian military hardware deal despite continued pressure from Washington. Turkey received the first batch of Russia’s S-400 air defence systems last year and agreed this June to buy a second one.

    The United States in response removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jets programme, quietly froze arms sales to the country and threatened it with economic sanctions.

    “He has to pay a price. He has to pay a price for whether or not we’re going to continue to sell certain weapons to him,” Biden said of Erdogan. “In fact, if he has the air defence system that they’re flying F-15s through to see how they can try to figure out how to do it.”
    Joe Biden – a member of the Obama administration, which enabled the war in Syria with its risk-averse approach and strengthened Turkey’s Kurdish enemy PKK and its Syrian offshoot PYD – has publicly clashed with Erdogan in the past.

    In 2014, the then-vice president was forced to apologise to Erdogan for saying that Turkey was to blame for the strengthening of jihadists in Syria and Iraq.”

  4. EU: Asylum Applications Tripled in One Month Despite Coronavirus (breitbart, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/16/eu-asylum-applications-have-tripled-since-may-despite-coronavirus/

    “Asylum applications are once again rising in Europe, with the number of new applications in June being three times higher than the month before.

    The EU’s European Asylum Support Office (EASO) said that it recorded 28,039 first-time asylum applications in June, three times as many as in May. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHR) noted the same trend, and said it recorded 10,517 crossings in the Mediterranean sea in July.

    The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, is also said to have reported an increase in illegal migrant activity in July, up a third since the month before, Der Spiegel reports.

    According to the EASO, the wave of numbers could be explained by the fact that many EU member states have relaxed their strict coronavirus quarantine measures and noted that overall asylum applications this year have seen a decline of 37 per cent compared to 2019.

    While countries like Greece have seen a significant decline in the number of illegal migrants since the coronavirus outbreak, Italy has seen a substantial rise in the last several weeks with the island of Lampedusa being overwhelmed.

    Earlier this month, the mayor of Lampedusa, Toto’ Martello, said the island had completely run out of space to house migrants and questioned why the government had not declared a state of emergency.

    As new migrants arrive, so too have concerns that they could be infected with COVID-19 and could spread the virus, causing a fresh wave of infections.

    Last month, migrants escaped from a facility under coronavirus quarantine in the town of Siculiana in Sicily. Local police were told to simply ask them politely to return to the centre — instructions that were largely ignored.

    Just a short time later in northern Italy, over 130 migrants who had been relocated from the south tested positive for coronavirus in a reception facility in the city of Treviso.”

  5. UN Tells UK: Don’t Use Navy to Stop Illegals, Migrant Numbers Are ‘Low and Manageable’ (breitbart, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/16/un-tells-uk-not-use-navy-stop-illegals-claims-migrant-numbers-low-manageable/

    “The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have told the UK not to use the navy to repel illegal boat migrants coming from France, claiming that Britain can cope with the constant stream of new arrivals because numbers are “low”.

    More than 4,500 illegals have crossed the English Channel and landed on Britain’s shores in the first eight months of 2020 — more than double the 1,890 who arrived in the whole of 2019.

    Last week, the British government announced that it had asked the military to aid UK Border Force and is considering an Australian-style push-back programme to force boats of illegal migrants back to France.

    Not only are the French reportedly playing hardball over accepting back the migrants, but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the IOM — which has said that mass migration is “inevitable, desirable, [and] necessary” — are telling the UK not to repel the boats, either.

    The bodies claimed in a press release that they were “troubled by the proposal to intercept boats and return those attempting to cross the English Channel irregularly”, alleging it could cause “harmful and fatal incidents”.

    “Although increasing numbers of people have been crossing the Channel by boat this summer, the numbers remain low and manageable,” the globalist bodies said, implying that the UK should simply continue to accept the high number of illegal incursions into Britain.

    “People forced by wars and persecution to flee their homes and people on the move frequently embark on risky journeys in many parts of the world,” they added.

    While the agencies talk of people ‘fleeing’ wars and persecution, migrants who cross from France to the UK travelled through several safe countries in which they should have claimed asylum — including France itself. The UNHCR even admitted in May that 70 per cent of the Mediterranean boat migrants do not qualify for refugee status.

    “Our collective response should be comprehensive and complementary — from saving lives to combating smuggling rings, expanding legal options, and ensuring that all those who are in need of protection can effectively access it,” Pascale Moreau, UNHCR Director for Europe, said, effectively ruling out nations’ rights to reinforce their borders and repel illegal aliens.

    While UN leaders such as its general-secretary, António Guterres, have claimed that “migration is inevitable and will not stop”, other countries have proved that position wrong.

    During the 2015 Europe migrant crisis, Hungary became the gateway between the Balkans and Western Europe for migrants from the Middle East. The government of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán built fences and walls, increased border patrols, and pushed back illegals at the border, reducing the numbers of migrants from 391,000 in 2015 to just 1,184 in 2017.

    Australia was also a success story, with its Operation Sovereign Borders. By repelling boats at sea, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reduced the number of migrants from 20,000 a year to zero by 2015. The antipodean country had also come to blows with the United Nations, which has been claiming for years that turning back migrant boats was illegal. However, Australia’s High Court ruled in 2015 that maritime interceptions were legal, setting a precedent for nations worldwide.

    Mr Abbott recently gave a word of warning to the UK that unless it got tough on illegal immigration, the nation would suffer its own migrant crisis. He also dispelled the myth that stopping boats was dangerous, pointing out that destroying the smugglers’ business model ultimately saves lives at sea. The method was also proven by then Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini, whose practice of rejecting the boats resulted in a drop in deaths in 2018 as migrants stopped taking the dangerous journey from Africa to Europe.

    “This is the fundamental truth that policy makers in Britain need to understand. To stop people from setting out for Britain in unseaworthy boats, you have to ensure that they never arrive; or that if they do arrive they are swiftly sent back. Especially if people setting out for Britain in overloaded dinghies are going to be rescued and taken where they want to go, the boats will keep coming,” Mr Abbott said in June.

    “Plainly, this will require a degree of determination and planning on Britain’s part. The French may not like to hear ‘they shall not pass’ from Britons… Still, in the long run, this is for France’s good too; as the only way to clear the camps in Calais is to ensure that none of their occupants can ever get across the Channel and stay,” he added.”

  6. Swedish Police Stop Attempted Quran Burning in No-Go Area (breitbart, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/16/swedish-police-stop-attempted-quran-burning-no-go-area/

    “Swedish police have intervened in plans by a street artist to burn a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Malmö’s notorious Rosengård no-go area.

    Swedish street artist Dan Park was set to burn the Islamic holy book on the 28th, alongside Danish lawyer Rasmus Paludan, who has had a history of invoking protests, often violent, by travelling into Muslim areas to engage in similar stunts.

    Swedish police have denied Park a permit to hold his meeting, with Park claiming that the cancellation came due to security reasons, Nyheter Idag reports.

    “We applied for permission outside the mosque in Rosengård, or elsewhere in Rosengård. They denied that, for security reasons. They claimed there would be too much violence, too much provocation,” Park said.

    “On the other hand, they proposed Fridhemstorget instead. It is a quieter area about a kilometre from the city library. There aren’t that many Muslim immigrants there, they thought,” he added.

    According to Park, police noted the fact that the 28th is a Friday with Muslims likely to be praying at the mosque and they could see the burning as a deliberate provocation.

    “I told the police, you’re bowing to the violence. You are afraid that there will be violence, so then you give in. The violent get to decide on freedom of expression,” Park said.

    Last year, Rasmus Paludan was involved in an incident in a suburb of Copenhagen in which he and another supporter threw a copy of the Quran into the air. The event led to civil unrest in the area and saw at least 23 arrested after locals set fires and attacked police.

    Just months later, a Syrian asylum seeker was sentenced to 60 days in prison after striking Paludan with a rock during a demonstration in Viborg. The migrant was just one of a number of people who have been arrested for attacking Paludan over his stunts.”

  7. Greek Man Arrested over ‘Racist’ Post in Response to Migrants Destroying Property (breitbart, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/16/greek-man-arrested-racist-post-response-migrants-destroying-property/

    “Police arrested a Greek man on Chios after he wrote a social media post calling for locals to find “alive or dead” migrants he accused of destroying property.

    The 42-year-old was arrested after making a post on Facebook calling for action against migrants he accused of destroying islanders’ property. Along with demanding locals act, he added that the migrants were “WANTED: alive or dead.”

    The post was seen by a member of the “Racist Crimes Observatory” which, according to newspaper Proto Thema, reported the post to the police. The group describes itself as “recording racist crimes in Greece with a view to reporting them to the public prosecutor’s office”.

    A similar reporting group in Sweden, named Näthatsgranskaren, was credited with an increase in hate speech prosecutions in Sweden 2018. The group, which received European Union funding, revealed that most of the people they reported to prosecutors were women over the age of 65.

    The man is not the first to report migrants engaging in damaging the property of Greek locals in recent weeks.

    Last week, Proto Thema reported that three migrants at the notorious Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos had chopped down five and a half tons of olive groves, causing “financial ruin” to the property owner.

    Just days later, another migrant living at the Moria camp was arrested for stealing an estimated €6,000 worth of goods from a house in the Mytilene area.

    Greek churches have not been spared from migrant vandalism and theft, either. Last month, two migrants, aged 27 and 30, were arrested on Chios after breaking into a chapel and stealing various liturgical items.

    In May, the government of Hungary donated $30,000 to help repair Christian churches on Lesbos that had been damaged by migrants.”

  8. North Macedonia police find 80 migrants, arrest truck driver (abcnews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/north-macedonia-police-find-80-migrants-arrest-truck-72403577

    “Police in North Macedonia said Sunday they have found 80 migrants during a routine check in the central part of the country and arrested a truck driver for suspected migrant smuggling.

    Police said in a statement that 79 Pakistanis and an Eritrean were found Saturday in the truck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the capital, Skopje.

    The truck driver, a 20-year-old North Macedonian national identified only by his initials A.F., was arrested as he tried to flee. He faces up to five years in jail if convicted.

    The migrants were transferred to the migrant shelter in the southern border town of Gevgelija, pending deportation to Greece.

    In two separate operations on Friday, police said they found a total of 55 migrants, including children, and arrested two men.

    The Greek border with North Macedonia was closed earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But trafficking networks remain active, ferrying migrants who make their way from Turkey into Greece and then attempt to head north, through Serbia, to more prosperous countries in the European Union.

    Police said that in July alone they had detained a total of 567 migrants attempting to illegally pass through North Macedonia and had arrested nine people, including three Serbian nationals, suspected of migrant trafficking.”

    • What BS. Dead people get to vote by mail along with many others who have no right to vote. Will he also tell people that the Secretary of State is not a political appointment? The vote should be counted ON Election Day, just to avoid any one from crying foul like him ,Joy Behar, Hill, Obama, Joe, Scary Nancy, Schumer, Nadler, Bernie, ……..

    • zero hedge – Mueller Aide Weissmann Urges DOJ Attorneys ‘Not’ To Help On Investigations

      […]Andrew Weissmann, one of the top prosecutors with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, has derided the Clinesmith plea while actually calling on Justice Department attorneys to refuse to help on ongoing investigations that could implicate aspects of his own prior work.

      […]It is the same troubling position that was once taken by Sally Yates, who told an entire federal agency not to assist the President in his travel ban.

      […]Weissmann’s public effort to derail the Durham investigation and his distortion of the Clinesmith guilty plea only reinforces the view of many of us that the Durham investigation must be completed and made public

      https://www.zerohedge.com/political/mueller-aide-weissmann-urges-doj-attorneys-not-help-investigations

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

      RedState – There Is A Big “CYA” Footnote In The Mueller Report Seeking to Put Distance Between FBI Attorney Clinesmith and Special Counsel Prosecutors (Updated)

      […]Never underestimate the duplicity of Andrew Weissmann in efforts to cover his own tracks and throw off the scent of ethical hounds pursuing him.

      […]At the time the Mueller Report was drafted, Weissmann and the others knew what Clinesmith had done. They knew that the Carter Page FISA — based nearly entirely on the Steele memos — was not supported by sufficient probable cause going all the way back to the initial application in October 2016.

      […]To circle back to the original point — the Mueller Report wanted everyone to know when the “excrement hit the rotary oscillator” with regard to Clinesmith that “He didn’t work for us”.

      And when the Information was filed as a public document on Friday, Andrew Weissmann went into full-tilt spin mode on Twitter to beat back the implications that follow by claiming the Durham investigation found a “non-crime” to have taken place.

      https://www.redstate.com/shipwreckedcrew/2020/08/16/there-is-a-big-cya-footnote-in-the-mueller-report-that-attempts-to-put-distance-between-clinesmith-and-special-counsel-prosecutors/

  9. CBC – Why Leslyn Lewis is a PC leadership candidate worth watching for

    …. making History like Kamala Harris in America

  10. Cologne Antifa Extremist Group Funded by University Student Fees (breitbart, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/16/cologne-antifa-extremist-group-funded-university-student-fees/

    “Cologne University students have donated at least €8,500 from their student fees towards a far-left extremist Antifa group which is under observation by the German security services.

    The Cologne General Students’ Committee (AStA) has donated thousands of euros since at least 2010 to the Antifa AK extremist group, according to budget documents. Following the revelation, the local Green University group expressed their full support for Antifa.

    “Antifa AK is the student body, and the student body is Antifa!” the Green group wrote on Facebook. It added that Antifa AK was “a working group of the student body of the University of Cologne and thus an integral part of it”, Die Welt reports.

    According to the newspaper, the Antifa AK group is on a list of extremist groups observed by the Federal Office for the Protection fo the Constitution (BfV). Germany’s domestic intelligence agency described it as an organisation that “pursues anti-constitutional goals” and “therefore it is an extremist group”.

    Students at the University of Cologne pay semester fees of €28o, €205 of which goes to the AStA which is linked to the student government.

    The youth wing of the Social Democrats, the Jusos, and the Greens both dominate the student government and have always voted in favour of giving Antifa student cash. The opposition, the Christian Democrat-affiliated RCDS and the Liberal University Group, has voted against the spending but is a minority in the student government.

    German security services are currently monitoring at least 47 Antifa extremist groups, with the BfV stating that there are far more extremist leftist groups not mentioned in official reports.

    Earlier this month, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the BfV claimed that Antifa members were plotting attacks on police officers, populist politicians, and other political enemies. The offices noted that some members had trained with Kurdish militia in northern Syria.

    In June, the BfV warned that growing Antifa violence could even result in targetted assassinations, as groups within the far-left scene become more extreme.”

  11. German food company to change racist name of popular sauce (abcnews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-food-company-change-racist-popular-sauce-72403972

    “One of Germany’s best-known food companies said it will rename a popular spicy dressing because of the racist connotations of its name.

    Food company Knorr will change the name of its “Zigeuersauce,” or “gypsy sauce” to “Paprika Sauce Hungarian Style,” the German weekly Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday.

    “Since ‘gypsy sauce’ can be interpreted in a negative way, we have decided to give our Knorr sauce a new name,” said Unilever, the international consumer goods group that owns Knorr. Unilever could not independently be reached for comment on Sunday.

    The popular spicy sauce, a staple in many German households, will within a few weeks show up with the new name in supermarkets across the country, Bild am Sonntag reported.

    Civil rights groups have for years called for the renaming of the brand, but in 2013, the company rejected the demand, the German news agency dpa reported.

    The renaming of the brand follows recent international debates over racism, especially in the United States, where big national companies have also renamed traditional brands in response to concerns about racial stereotyping.

    “Zigeuner” is a derogative German expression for the Roma and Sinti minority groups who have lived in many European countries for centuries. Roma and Sinti are still discriminated against in Europe. They often live below the poverty line and on the margins of society without equal access to education, jobs, or the opportunity for upwards mobility.

    The terms “Zigeunersauce” has been used in Germany for more than 100 years to describe a hot sauce based on tomatoes with small-chopped pieces of bell pepper, onions, vinegar and spices like paprika. It’s mostly served with meat.

    A popular dish with the sauce that’s often served in traditional German restaurants is called “Zigeunerschnitzel,” or “gypsy schnitzel.” That name is also still used on many menus across the country nowadays — despite much criticism.

    Roma and Sinti organizations in Germany have long pointed out that the sauce is not even part of their traditional cuisine and they have also demanded for years that the name be abolished.

    The head of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma welcomed Knorr’s decision to no longer use the term.

    “It is good that Knorr reacts to the complaints of apparently a lot of people,” Romani Rose told Bild am Sonntag. However, he added that more than the discriminating nature of the sauce’s name, he was worried by the increasing racism against minorities in Germany.

    He noted how some soccer fans in Germany chant the words “Zigeuner” or “Jude” — Jew — to insult players or fans of opposing teams during matches.

    In June, Germany’s official anti-discrimination watchdog said it received significantly more complaints about racism in 2019 than the year before. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency said it received 1,176 complaints about racism last year, an increase of 10% compared to 2018.

    The number of complaints about racism has more than doubled since 2015, the agency said.

    There have also been a rising number of racists attacks in Germany recently, including the killing of nine immigrants in Hanau in February and the attack on a synagogue in Halle last year by far-right extremists.”

  12. Somalia police report blast, gunfire at Mogadishu hotel (abcnews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/somalia-police-report-blast-gunfire-mogadishu-hotel-72405653

    “A Somali police officer says a car bomb went off at a beachside hotel in Mogadishu, the capital, followed by heavy gunfire.

    Capt. Mohamed Hussein said that a burst of gunfire could be heard on Sunday inside the Elite Hotel, a newly built beachside hotel often frequented by young people and the city’s elite.

    There was no immediate word on casualties from the attack which shattered a period of calm of a few months following a spate of bomb attacks earlier this year. Somalia’s homegrown Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, who are allied to al-Qaida, often carry out such attacks in the country’s capital.”

    • Somalia forces end rebel siege of Mogadishu hotel; 15 killed (abcnews, Aug 16, 2020)
      https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/somalia-police-report-blast-gunfire-mogadishu-hotel-72405653

      “Somalia’s security forces on Sunday ended a nearly five-hour siege by Islamic extremists at a beachside hotel in Somalia’s capital, said police and a government spokesman.

      At least 15 people were killed when the attackers invaded the Elite Hotel, a new establishment popular with Mogadishu’s young people, said Col. Ahmed Aden, a police officer.

      Security forces later killed all four attackers and rescued dozens of people who were trapped inside the hotel, Ismail Mukhtar, spokesman of Somalia’s information ministry told The Associated Press…”

  13. “Is there a politician ‘with the spine to tell the truth’ on COVID-19: Alan Jones”
    Sky News Australia – August 13, 2020

  14. “COVID-19 inconvenient truth: Even when you lock it down ‘it finds a way back’” Sky News Australia – August 16, 2020

  15. Saudi-Led Coalition in Yemen Shoots Down Houthi-Launched Ballistic Missile (sputniknews, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202008161080187289-saudi-led-coalition-in-yemen-shoots-down-ballistic-missile-heading-for-saudi-arabia/

    “Yemen’s Houthi militia have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes against military bases, airports and cities inside Saudi Arabia in recent years. The Yemen conflict began in 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Gulf countries began a military intervention to try to restore the southern Arabian nation’s ousted president to power.

    The Saudi-led coalition has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Saudi Arabia, a coalition spokesman said Sunday.

    The missile was reportedly aimed at ‘civilian targets’ in southern Saudi Arabia, with the thwarted attack coming following the interception of two missiles and one drone reportedly launched toward the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, about 100 km northwest of the Yemeni border, on Thursday.

    Also Sunday, Houthi television network Al Masirah TV reported that coalition forces and mercenaries had violated the Stockholm ceasefire agreement nearly 150 times over the past 24 hours, including 15 flybys of reconnaissance drones, 23 artillery strikes, three attacks by aviation and 105 attacks using live bullets.

    Fighting between the coalition and the Houthis escalated in May, after a brief truce introduced amid the coronavirus crisis expired.

    The Saudi-led coalition began a military intervention in Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to restore ousted President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to power. Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia in early 2015 after a series of uprisings culminated in the Houthi takeover of much of the country, including Sanaa, the capital city. Over the past five years, the coalition has made little progress in ousting the Houthis from their positions, and the militia group has gone on the offensive, firing rockets, ballistic missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia itself. In September 2019, the Houthis struck two major Saudi oil processing facilities, temporarily halving Saudi Arabia’s oil production.

    Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused Iran of aiding the Houthis militarily and providing them with the advanced missiles and drones at their disposal. Iran has denied the allegations, pointing to the naval blockade of the country by coalition forces. The Houthis themselves have pointed to the existence of a large stockpile of Soviet-era missile systems in the country, which they claim have been repaired and upgraded for use against the coalition. Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US and allied forces had intercepted a major Iranian weapons shipment off Yemen destined for the Houthis containing RPGs, assault rifles, 21 surface to air and land attack missiles, and several anti-tank missiles, with the shipment said to be the third of its kind seized by the US since late last year.

    The war in Yemen is thought to have claimed the lives of over 100,000 people, with the United Nations fearing that as much as 75 percent of the country’s population of 28.5 million is in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The US suspended most of its aid deliveries to areas controlled by the Houthis in March, citing its alleged misuse by the militants. In late March, Yemeni councils urged residents to avoid making contact with protective face masks reportedly airdropped by Saudi aircraft, claiming that they may have been contaminated with the coronavirus.

    Parties to the Yemen conflict met in Stockholm, Sweden in December 2018, where they agreed to a series of measures aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement to the war. Both sides have since repeatedly violated the ceasefire. Late last month, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths warned that the UN-brokered Yemen peace talks might fail completely, and said that if that happened the country could “enter a new phase of prolonged escalation,” including the “uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, and…severe and threatening economic decline.””

    • Wonder how they did it, who manufactured the system …?

      Yemen and Libya are showrooms for drones/missiles and systems to counter them. Like the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) served as testing ground prior to WWII.

  16. How did we get to where we are today? Did the world listen to Barack Hussein Obama and his unusual slant on Islam?

    Obama quotes:

    1. “The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam”
    Amir Mushtag Kahn, leader of Jamel-e-Islami / Muslim Brotherhood hoods -“I will cut the tongue and eyes of those who want to end blasphemy laws.

    2. “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.”
    Most Americans might prefer the sweet sound of the talking guitar in Dire Straits song Brothers in Arms — cranked as loud as the call to prayer.

    3.”Islam has always been part of America”. Cough cough
    Muslim Brotherhood hoods. “Death to America – bring down their miserable house from within.”

    4.”As a student of History, I also know civilizations debt to Islam”.
    He must have skipped the part of the Muslim invaders / the Crusades to drive them out of the lands they invaded.

    5. “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance”.
    Qur’an 5:33. Crucify or amputate the hands and feet of those who make war against Islam”.

    6. “Islam has always been part of America”.
    Sheikh Ahmed Badran “Once Muslims come to power, they will NEVER allow the Infidels to rule over Muslims”.
    Muslim Brotherhood hoods “ Bring down their miserable house from within”.

    7. We will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities”.
    Education City – the Qatar Foundation has invested more than 400 million in American Universities -Islamic Studies.
    Joe Biden thinks they should teach Islam in elementary schools.

    8. “These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance and dignity of all human beings”.
    Muslim Brotherhood hoods and Imams, Islamic Scholars, “Islam is NOT compatible with Western democracy “.

    9. “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not to be in competition. Instead they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress and tolerance, the divinity of all human beings”.
    The Qur’an: Shari’ah Law there is no separation in Mosque and State. Shari’ah law supersedes ALL laws of any land.”

    10. “I made it clear that America is not —and never will be — at war with Islam”.
    masumeer.org Shiite Imam Jaffer H. Jaffer: “ We must support leaders like Khamenei, Sistani, when they stand up to Trump’s bullying”.

    11. “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism— it is an important part of promoting peace”.
    The Qur’an 3:10-112. Muslims are the best of people, Jews have earned Allah’s anger.
    2:91. FIGHT and KILL unbelievers until the “religion is Allah’s”. Islam rules ALL societies.

    12. “ So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed”.
    Mohammed 624 Battle of Bedr, Ohod, Expedition Against Jews, siege of Medina – extermination of the Jews. “Could not let the sword rust in its sheath so long as Islam had attained supremacy.”

    13. In ancient times and in our times the Muslim communities have been a forefront of innovation and education”.
    The invading Muslims raped, robbed caravans, made people convert or die.
    Still raping- Rotherham, stabbing……..

    14. “Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality”.
    The Qur’an 5:17 / Muslim Scholars: “Christians – believers in divinity of Christ are
    unbelievers”.
    3:151 Strike terror in unbelievers.
    8:12. Allah will terrorize unbelievers; Muslims should behead them.

    15. “ Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality”.
    “If at first warfare was suspended during the Holy months, Mohammed soon tore down this barrier. The Muslim robbed wagons, slew some of the escorts, and took others prisoners. He issued a Proclamation of War against Infidels that was lawful at any time”.

    16. “ The Holy Koran tells us, O mankind! We have created you male and female, and we have made nations and tribes that you may know one another”.
    The Qur’an 47:4 Behead and slaughter the unbelievers, take others captive.
    8:39. Fight the unbelievers until Islam reigns supreme.

    17. “I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week and wish you a blessed month”.
    Ruwaybidha – When the Prophet (saw) spoke about the idiot who speaks about public affairs.

    18. “We’ve seen the results of generations of Muslim immigrants- farmers and factory workers, helping us lay the railroad [lol] and build our cities, the Muslim innovators who helped build some of our highest skyscrapers and who helped unlock the secrets”.
    9-11 9-11 9-11, Orlando, Fort Hood………

    19.” that experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider part of my responsibly as president of the United States to fight against stereotypes of Islam whatever they appear”.
    Revered Islamic Scholar, Sayyid Qutb: “ We need not rationalize Islam to them, need not appease their desires and distorted concepts. We will be extremely outspoken with them.

    20. “I also know Islam has been part of the American story”.
    Sayid Qutb, the revered Islamic Scholar: “ The foremost duty of Islam in this world is to depose the jahiliyyah from the leadership of man, and to take the leadership into its own hands and enforce the particular way of life which is its permanent feature.
    NO political system or political power should put hindrances in the way of preaching Islam. It should leave every individual free to accept or reject it, and if someone wants to accept it, it should not prevent or fight against him. If someone does this, it is the duty of Islam to fight him until either he is killed or until he declares his submission.”

    Did Obama ever say “In God we trust”?

  17. “MN HD 67A DFL John Thompson Terrorizes MplsPD Lt Bob Kroll’s House & Neighborhood” by Publius Jr – August 16, 2020

    This video shows what a kind of person the Democrats will be voting for in Minnesota House District 67A from September to November 3rd, 2020. Imagine him in a hearing at the MN Capitol, or on the floor of the State House. The retiring Rep Tim Mahoney was far better a person than this guy. John Thompson traveled 20 miles north of his House District to Hugo Minnesota, where the Minneapolis Police Federation Union Head Lt Bob Kroll and his wife Liz Collins, an anchor of the CBS station WCCO, lives. The video is a little over an hour long. Candidate John Thompson starts in at 4 minutes and 40 seconds in.

    John Thompson accuses the neighbors of being white supremacists, racists, etc. He denounces Blue Lives Matter. The assembled did not have a permit to protest in front of Lt Bob Kroll’s house, nor block the street. Why is this sort of campaigning allowed to occur?
    https://www.saintpaulrepublicans.us/2020/08/16/mn-hd-67a-dfl-john-thompson-terrorizes-mplspd-lt-bob-krolls-house-neighborhood/

    “Protest from outside the house of Bob Kroll, President of Minneapolis Police Union” Unicorn Riot – August 15, 2020

  18. sky news – Coronavirus: How Greater Manchester Police are enforcing fines in pubs

    Sky News goes on patrol with police in Oldham, where COVID-19 cases are rising, to check that pubs are obeying restrictions.

  19. MEMRI – American Islamic Preacher: Islam Is Under Constant Attack because It Is the Religion of Resistance

    American Islamic preacher Fadel Soliman, the Director of the Bridges Foundation, was interviewed on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) on July 28, 2020.

    He said that Islam is the only religion that is under constant attack because it is the only religion of resistance.

    He elaborated that Islam commands its followers to resist against injustice and corruption.

    Soliman added that the attacks against Islam should make Muslims proud of being part of a religion that “irritates” corrupt and unjust people.

    According to its website, the mission of the Bridges Foundation is “opening communication channels to narrow the existing gap – of knowledge and understanding – between Muslims and non-Muslims, through educating both sides about each other’s culture.”

  20. Turkey and EU row BOILS over: Brussels sends warning to Erdogan as tensions erupt (express, Aug 16, 2020)
    https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1323581/turkey-greece-war-eu-news-world-war-3-ww3-mediterranean-sea

    “TURKEY and the EU’s tensions over Ankara’s controversial seismic surveys close to a Greek island continue to rise.

    The European Union has been dragged into the dispute between Greece and Turkey over Ankara’s decision to send military vessels to the disputed east Mediterranean region to accompany the research vessels Oruc Reis, where it will undertake the surveys close to Megisti. And now the bloc has sent a warning to Turkey after it warned its Yavuz energy drill ship would extend operations in disputed Mediterranean waters off Cyprus until mid-September.

    Yavuz will be accompanied by three other Turkish ships according to a maritime notice that added “all vessels are strongly advised not to enter” the area.

    A standoff has intensified in recent weeks between Turkey and EU-member Greece over oil and gas exploration rights at sea, and even involved a minor collision between their frigates last week.

    EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell sent a stern warning to Turkey and called for an immediate halt to its activities and the beginning of dialogue.

    Turkey’s renewed drilling plan covers a zone delineated by Cyprus and Egypt and raises tensions.

    He said: “This action runs counter and undermines efforts to resume dialogue and negotiations, and to pursue immediate de-escalation.”

    Cairo and Athens signed a territorial zoning deal earlier this month.

    While Paris has stepped in to criticise what it calls Turkey’s provocations, Ankara says it will not back down from defending its legal rights.

    But President Tayyip Erdogan remains defiant and said on Saturday “the language of sanctions and threats” will not deter Turkey.

    He said: “We will never bow to banditry on our continental shelf. We will not back down against the language of sanctions and threats.”

    He said the Oruc Reis, which is between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete, will continue work until August 23.

    The vessel has been shadowed by Greek frigates and on Wednesday warships from the two sides were involved in a mild collision.

    EU foreign ministers met via video conference on Friday and warned Turkey’s naval movements would lead to a “heightened risk of dangerous incidents”.

    They said a deterioration in the relationship with Turkey was having far-reaching strategic consequences for the entire EU, well beyond the eastern Mediterranean.

    Relations between Greece and Turkey have long been fraught with tension. Disputes have ranged from boundaries of offshore continental shelves and airspace to the ethnically split island of Cyprus. In 1996 they almost went to war over ownership of uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea.

    Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said they discussed on Sunday a standoff over disputed territory in the eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara is at loggerheads with Athens and the EU.

    After the meeting in Santo Domingo, Mr Pompeo said on Twitter they discussed “the urgent need to reduce tensions”.

    Separately Cavusoglu, in a briefing afterwards, said he explained the “rightful cause” pursued by Turkey in the region.”

  21. Friendship with Israel Treason against Islamic World: Iranian Speaker
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/16/2328658/friendship-with-israel-treason-against-islamic-world-iranian-speaker

    “Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf condemned the United Arab Emirates’ agreement on normalization of ties with Israel as a brazen treason against Islamic and humanitarian values.

    In an address to a Parliament session on Sunday, Qalibaf took a swipe at the Emirati authorities for signing the deal with the criminal Zionist regime.

    Denouncing the UAE-Israel agreement as a blatant treason against humanitarian values, Islamic teachings, the Muslim community, and the cause of Palestine, Qalibaf said the enemies of humanity and betrayers have revealed their true colors.

    The entire Islamic ummah (community) considers those striking up a friendship with the Zionist regime as betrayers, criminals and accomplices in all past, present, and future crimes committed by the Israeli regime, the Iranian speaker added.

    He underscored that the Islamic community and the Palestinian nation’s battle with the Zionist regime will never stop and will gain momentum.

    Iranian officials have expressed full support for Palestine after a recent agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel on the establishment of diplomatic relations.

    On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the UAE for the grave mistake of striking a deal with Israel on normalization of ties, warning the UAE about the consequences of allowing the Zionist regime to gain a foothold in the region.”

  22. Top General: Iran to Shift Stance on UAE
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/08/16/2328711/top-general-iran-to-shift-stance-on-uae

    “Iran’s highest-ranking military commander unveiled a change in the approach adopted by the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces on the United Arab Emirates after its ruling regime struck a deal with the Zionist regime on normalization of ties.

    In remarks at a conference held in Tehran on Sunday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri denounced the UAE’s decision to start a friendship with the Israeli regime and warned Abu Dhabi of the consequences it will have to face if Iran’s interests in the Persian Gulf are threatened.

    “Definitely, the Iranian nation’s attitude towards this neighboring state (UAE) will change fundamentally, and the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces will also deal with that country with different calculations,” he said.

    The top commander made it clear that Iran will not tolerate any incident in the Persian Gulf or any threat to its security, whatsoever, and will hold the UAE culpable for the trouble.

    Deploring the Abu Dhabi regime for brazen declaration of diplomatic relations with a regime detested by the entire free world, the Iranian general said the Zionist regime is committing atrocities in disregard to the teachings of Judaism.

    It is totally unacceptable for an Arab and Muslim state like the UAE to launch overt political and economic relations with the criminal regime that is killing, imprisoning and displacing Palestinians, Major General Baqeri added.

    Iranian officials have expressed full support for Palestine after the recent agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel on the establishment of diplomatic relations.

    On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the UAE for the grave mistake of striking a deal with Israel on normalization of ties, warning the UAE about the consequences of allowing the Zionist regime to gain a foothold in the region.”

  23. Qaeda in Yemen Execute Dentist for ‘Spying’
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2451366/qaeda-yemen-execute-dentist-%E2%80%98spying%E2%80%99

    “Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen executed a dentist accused of spying for the government and guiding US drone strikes targeting the extremists, a local official said on Sunday.

    The militants shot Motthar al-Youssoufi on Saturday, then crucified his corpse and left it outside his health center in Somaa district of the al-Baida province, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

    According to the official, the terrorist group plans to execute another Yemeni accused of spying.

    The militant group operates in the al-Baida province after retreating from positions in the south and east of the country, the local official added.”

  24. Bahrain, Oman discussing normalisation deals with Israel, US: reports
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/8/16/bahrain-oman-discussing-normalisation-deals-with-israel-us-reports

    “Israel and the United States are in talks with Bahrain and Oman in order to persuade them to enter into an agreement to normalise relations with Israel, similar to the one the Jewish state signed with the UAE last Thursday, the Haaretz reported on Sunday.

    After the signing of the peace treaty with the UAE, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt for supporting the deal, while Israeli press speculated that Bahrain, Oman, and Sudan could sign peace deals with the country in the near future.

    On Saturday, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa congratulated UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed on what he described as the UAE’s “historic” peace deal with Israel, the Bahraini official news agency reported…”

  25. Pakistani man arrested for forging Kuwait residency permits
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/pakistani-man-arrested-for-forging-kuwait-residency-permits-1.73223865

    “The General Department of Residence Inquiry Affairs apprehended a Pakistani national for forging 60 visas and selling them to a recruiting agency for around 20,000 Kuwaiti dinars, Al Qabas reported.

    A security source told Al Qabas, the case came to their attention after the recruiting agency filed a complaint against the accused, as they realised that they were being scammed and the permits were forged.

    Although the incident happened back in February, the agency did not know that the documents were forged until recently when the permits came up for renewal…”

  26. Chinese company pledges to build ‘dynamic’ Gwadar Port
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2259736/chinese-company-pledges-to-build-dynamic-gwadar-port

    “The newly constructed Pak-China Friendship Green Park in Gwadar would be gradually built into the most distinctive cultural landscape in the area, said Zhaang Baozhong, Chairman of China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) on Saturday.

    He said the company will join hands with the local people of Gwadar to build a dynamic Gwadar Port with a stronger economy and a better environment.

    “I hope the whole city of Gwadar will benefit from the development of Gwadar Port and realize a “win-win” situation between economic and ecological development,” he said.

    According to a reported published by China Economic Net (CEN), named after Pak-China Friendship Green Park, this plantation was completed last week under the cooperation of the sister cities Gwadar and Puyang in Henan Province, China, as well as China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC).

    The park is located on the south side of China-Pakistan Friendship Road leading to the port and laid under Hill Koh-e-Batil, covering an area of 60 acres.Gwadar has a hot desert climate, characterized by little precipitation and high variation between summer and winter temperatures.

    Serious soil salinisation has led to a low survival rate of plants.Faced with these difficulties, COPHC has made great efforts to transform the ecological environment of Gwadar by improving the coverage of plantation in this area, and it has successfully planted hundreds of tropical economic tree species that can adapt to high temperature, salt and alkali, wind and sand, and draught.”

  27. Around 500 animals go ‘missing’ from Islamabad zoo
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2259752/around-500-animals-go-missing-from-islamabad-zoo

    “At least 513 animals have been reported as having gone ‘missing’ from Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo, The Express Tribune learnt on Saturday.

    A report issued by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) – which was managing the zoo then – in July 2019, there were a total of 917 animals of and birds of different species…”

  28. Pakistan apprises D-8 members of worsening human rights situation in IIOJK
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2259801/pakistan-apprises-d-8-members-of-worsening-human-rights-situation-in-iiojk

    “During a special virtual session of D-8 Commissioners, Pakistan apprised participants of the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the wake of a year-long inhuman military siege, communication blackout, and egregious violations of human rights.

    The session, co-chaired by Turkey (as the current chair) and Bangladesh (as the incoming chair), was attended by D-8 Commissioners/Representatives and the D-8 Secretary General.

    Director General EC&OIC Tariq Karim participated in the meeting as Pakistan’s Commissioner for the D-8.

    He said during the session that despite widespread international condemnation, the Indian occupation forces continued to brutalise and disenfranchise the Kashmiris.

    He stressed the importance of the world community and brotherly nations taking steps to alleviate sufferings of the Kashmiri people and to promote the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.

    In his interventions, Karim appreciated efforts to organise the special session of the D-8.

    He also highlighted the unprecedented global health and economic challenges posed by Covid-19, saying that “smart lockdown” policy and other measures taken by the government have led to a significant improvement in the pandemic situation in Pakistan with a notable reduction in new cases and fatality rate.

    The Pakistan’s commissioner highlighted the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s major initiatives to combat the pandemic including $8 billion relief package for vulnerable groups; Ehsas Emergency Cash Programme; and “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” for developing countries. He expressed Pakistan’s readiness to enhance international cooperation to combat the pandemic.

    In his remarks, the D-8 Secretary General Dato’ Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari updated member states on the activities and initiatives of the Secretariat.

    He informed about the steps taken by the Secretariat and D-8 Health and Social Protection programme office (D-8 HSP) in order to provide support and strengthen cooperation among member states in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The secretary general also apprised the participants on the status of various D-8 projects/initiatives.

    The meeting also discussed various issues related to preparations for the 10th D-8 Summit to be held in Dhaka. The D-8 Commissioner for Bangladesh briefed on the programme and events being planned for the next summit.

    Pakistan is a founding member and key contributor to the D-8 activities. Other members include Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria and Turkey.”

  29. Turkey slams French-Greek Cyprus defense deal
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-slams-french-greek-cyprus-defense-deal-157424

    “A defense agreement signed between France and Greek Cyprus is against the 1960 treaties that provide equilibrium between Turkish and Greek Cypriots on the island and poses a risk for the already fragile stability and security, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement over the weekend.

    “The agreement in question is against the 1960 Treaties and the equilibrium established by these treaties. There is also a risk of disrupting the efforts to ensure stability and security in the eastern Mediterranean,” Hami Aksoy, the spokesperson of the ministry, said.

    Signed in 2017, the defense agreement between Paris and Nicosia took effect on Aug. 1 but was announced by the two sides on Aug. 15 amid continued tension between Turkey and Greece over the overlapping continental shelf claims in the eastern Mediterranean.

    France has deployed an airplane carrier and warships to the region for joint exercises with Greece after French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean.

    The announcement of the defense agreement with Greek Cyprus is seen as part of French ambitions to be more visible militarily in the Mediterranean.

    Recalling the 1960 treaties that created equilibrium between the two sides on the island, Aksoy stressed, “The Greek Cypriot administration, which does not represent the entire island nor Turkish Cypriots, is not competent and authorized to make such an agreement.”

    Aksoy also highlighted the recent French military deployment and actions in the region, saying, “It is unacceptable for France to take steps to further increase the tension in the current period, to organize joint exercises with the Greek Cypriot Administration in this context and to deploy military aircraft here contrary to the 1960 Treaties, albeit temporarily.”

    Turkey supports the reaction and statements made by the authorities of Turkish Cyprus on the defense deal between Greek Cyprus and France, Aksoy stated.

    “We invite France, permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, to act more responsibly on Cyprus-related issues that are on the U.N. agenda.””

  30. Turkey to fully protect rights in E Med, Libya, Aegean: Erdo?an
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-fully-protect-rights-in-e-med-libya-aegean-erdogan-157426

    “Turkey is fully focused on protecting its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, and the Aegean, the nation’s president said on Aug. 15.

    Turkey is also focused on stopping terrorist groups in Syria and northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said in Rize on the Turkish Black Sea, speaking to the public and local members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

    “We’re conducting the most comprehensive and successful operations in history against terrorist groups,” he said.

    Since 2016, Turkey has launched several cross-border operations in both northern Syria and northern Iraq to eliminate the YPG/PKK terrorists there who plan attacks against Turkey and try to set up terror corridors.

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

    “We’re currently focused on achieving the rights and interests of our country in every field at the most advanced level all over the world,” Erdo?an said, adding that this is Turkey’s real agenda.

    Erdo?an underlined that the country is also striving to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic and its fallout, as well as strengthening the Turkish economy.

    Turkey has become a source of hope for all oppressed regions, including Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar’s Rakhine state with its oppressed Rohingya, and Libya, he said.

    Turkey’s freedom of religion

    Turning to Greece’s mistreatment of the Turkish minority in the country, Erdo?an said: “Our expectation is that Greece acts sensibly, not as incited by others, and to put an end to policies akin to state terrorism, especially against our brothers in Western Thrace.” Greece’s Western Thrace region – in the country’s northeast, near the

    Turkish border – is home to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000.

    Decrying attacks on Turks’ mosques and schools in Western Thrace, Erdo?an said that Turkey, in contrast, spent five years renovating the ancient Orthodox Sümela Monastery in its Black Sea region, which recently restarted mass services.

    “We have no problem with anyone over freedom of religion. Everyone in this country can live safely according to their faith,” Erdo?an said.

    Eastern Mediterranean

    On Ankara’s energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Erdo?an said Turkey is fully justified in its exploration in terms of both international maritime law and established conventions.

    Turkey will continue to defend its rights “using all its means,” he said.

    “Turkey will never bow to banditry on its continental shelf, nor will it pull back in the face of sanctions and threats.”

    “We will never hesitate to respond to the slightest harassment of our ship,” Erdo?an said, adding that Turkey never seeks to stir tension or claim the rights of others.

    He stressed that Turkey defends the rights of the nation as well as the Turkish Cypriots.

    Erdo?an said the only solution to the dispute lies through dialogue and negotiation and urged Athens to respect Turkey’s rights.

    Turkey has consistently opposed Greece’s efforts to declare an exclusive economic zone based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean.

    ‘Turkey guards its legitimate rights, interests in E Med’

    Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 15 that Turkey is protecting its legitimate rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and the EU should focus on those taking unilateral and provocative actions in the region.

    Responding to a statement from a Friday EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting reaffirming the bloc’s “full solidarity” with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, the ministry said on Twitter that Europe should take action against those who defy the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

    Ömer Çelik, a spokesman for the AKP, also said Turkey would not make any concessions on Turkey’s “Blue Homeland,” meaning its maritime borders.

    Çelik said the threatening language of some actors is doomed to fail while those who pursue dialogue on a legal basis will prevail.

    The “Greek drama” in the Eastern Mediterranean has no legal basis, and France is making “frivolous” statements, he added.

    Arguing that Athens wants to turn its own policy into the EU’s, Çelik said French President Emmanuel Macron sought to cover up his failures in other issues through interference in the Eastern Mediterranean.

    Vice President Fuat Oktay, for his part, said Turkey is trying to expand cooperation and diplomacy in its region, especially the Eastern Mediterranean.

    Stressing that the Oruç Reis – a Turkish-flagged energy exploration ship – is resolutely operating within Turkish maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean, he said actors seeking to confine Turkey to its mainland are doomed to lose in the end.”

  31. Harmful bacteria lurk in Istanbul street food, says research
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/harmful-bacteria-lurk-in-istanbul-street-food-says-research-157452

    “Many popular snacks sold by street vendors in Istanbul failed to clear safety tests, with lab reports of samples that showed the presence of harmful bacteria.

    Pathogenic bacteria were detected in most of the foods sold on the street such as rice, chicken döner, sandwich and kokoreç (lamb intestine), reported in year-long research by a group of academics and scientists from Istanbul Geli?im University.

    “Staphylococcus aureus” was found in 65 percent of the foods tested, while “e.coli” was detected in 25 percent of those products.

    These bacteria are known to cause food poisoning, infections or serious illnesses.

    Street foods were examined in a laboratory environment to measure their microbiological quality, then a survey was conducted to measure the food safety knowledge of street vendors, and finally, hand samples were taken from them in three stages of the research.

    “We found salmonella in 10 percent of the foods tested. It is also a bacterium that causes typhoid,” said Murat Do?an from the research group.

    “Since salmonella is a very risky bacterium, it may cause major problems in the human body when ingested. Millions of people died in the past from typhoid fever,” Do?an added.

    Noting that the study was the first comprehensive research conducted in the country for the evaluation of street foods in terms of food safety, he pointed out the potential damage of microorganisms found in food.

    Underlining that “staphylococcus aureus,” also known as staph, causes food poisoning in particular, the researcher noted that the biggest threat to public health is “e.coli.”

    “This bacterium is fecal-borne, a major threat to public health. There is a major problem in terms of food safety in street foods. This situation should be taken under control as soon as possible,” Do?an stressed.

    Among the list of street foods that contain bacteria of e.coli include chicken döner, rice with chicken, Albanian style fried diced liver, sandwich, and toast, according to the research.

    Problematic results were obtained in terms of hygiene in nine out of 10 hand samples received from vendors within the scope of the research.

    The research pointed out that sellers should wash their hands frequently rather than wear gloves, while the environment where the products are stored should also be disinfected.

    Speaking to Demirören News Agency, many street vendors claimed that the results of the research are not correct and do not reflect the truth.

    “We do not sell something that our customers wouldn’t like to eat. We must always give the best to get customers,” said Halil Ece, a kokoreç seller.

    “We are careful to not work without wearing our masks and gloves,” he added.

    Another rice seller noted he was careful not to work without his mask and gloves even before the outbreak of COVID-19.

    “Whenever a customer comes, I disinfect the tables with a washcloth,” he said.”

  32. NRW police swoop on ‘clan crime’, hitting gambling and car races
    https://www.thelocal.de/20200816/nrw-police-swoop-on-clan-crime-hitting-gambling-and-car-races

    “Police in North Rhine-Westphalia carried out sweeping raids against “clan criminality” early on Sunday, with searches focused in the Ruhr area.

    In more than ten districts police raided shisha bars, betting shops, amusement arcades and cafes with clan connections. Hundreds of officers were involved.

    Meanwhile during traffic controls, sports cars suspected of involvement in illegal racing were confiscated.

    The NRW state government has been taking a tough line against clan crime for over two years.

    NRW Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul (CDU) described the strategy on Sunday as a “policy of a thousand pinpricks” and a “zero tolerance strategy”. Similar raids last took place in early 2019.

    In the back of one internet café police found a room in which slot machines and card tables were set up. Access to the room was hidden behind a locker. The police suspect that the machines were not registered.

    In another bistro on the same street, officers found three presumably illegal gaming machines and a poker table.

    Essen’s police chief Frank Richter said that crimes related to gambling “could be an important pillar of criminal clans”.

    Crimes of money laundering, tax evasion and illegal gambling are all now being investigated, he announced on Sunday.

    The officials in Essen also acted against illegal car races. Officials stopped four illegal street races. Four cars with an estimated total value of over €400,000 were seized, including a sports car worth €250,000.

    In Duisburg, officials discovered a presumably illegal gambling hall. It was located in a supposed cafe, a police spokesman said.

    “The point is to show those who make these cities unsafe in everyday life that it’s over,” said NRW Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul (CDU) during a visit to a site in Essen.

    Police in NRW say there are 104 criminal clans at work. In the years 2016 to 2018 alone, about 6,500 suspects from the scene are said to have been responsible for more than 14,000 criminal acts.”

  33. Germany: Outrage over video of officer placing a knee on man’s neck
    https://www.dw.com/en/germany-outrage-over-video-of-officer-placing-a-knee-on-mans-neck/a-54589932

    “A police officer in the city of Dusseldorf was caught on video restraining a young man by placing his knee on his neck. Authorities are looking into the incident, which has been likened to that of George Floyd.

    Authorities in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said on Sunday that they were investigating an incident of possible police misconduct after a video surfaced on social media showing a police officer placing his knee on a suspect’s neck.

    During the video, which lasted 15 seconds, people at the scene could be heard shouting at the officers, demanding that they release the suspect.

    Police: Suspect attacked officers

    According to the Dusseldorf police report, the incident took place on Saturday evening, when officers were called to the city’s old town to handle a raucous crowd near a restaurant.

    After the group was rounded up, a young man who was not involved in the incident but was at the scene allegedly interrupted the operation.

    Dusseldorf police said the suspect then assaulted the officers, had to be restrained and was subsequently sent to the station for identification. He was later released.

    Outrage on social media

    The video caused outrage on social media, with many comparing it to the case of George Floyd, an African-American man who died when a Minneapolis police officer placed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes.

    The incident will be investigated by a different police department to ensure neutrality, officials said. In this case, the responsibility will fall to the police department of the nearby city of Duisburg…”

  34. German Green party youth wants to ‘replace’ police
    https://www.dw.com/en/green-party-germany-defund-police/a-54586813

    “The German Green party’s youth organization, the Grüne Jugend, has defied the party leadership’s line by calling for a radical reduction of the powers of state security forces, according to a newspaper report.

    The Grüne Jugend wants to “gradually eliminate state force as a means to resolve conflicts and replace it with prevention and cooperation,” according to a policy paper seen by the taz newspaper.

    The organization’s aim, the paper said, was to create a “liberated society that slowly overcomes violence and repression as a means to solve social problems.”

    Like police-defunding campaigns in the US, the Grüne Jugend argue that many of the tasks currently being carried out by the police could be performed much better by other state representatives, such as social workers or care workers with psychiatric training.

    As examples, the paper named dealing with victims of domestic or sexual abuse, homeless people, refugees, or drug addicts.

    The paper also calls for disarming many police operations, not allowing officers to carry pepper spray as standard, and banning the use of dogs and horses to manage demonstrations.

    Other demands include the nationwide introduction of theanti-discrimination law that Berlin passed earlier this year, which specifically bars the police from discriminating according to skin color, gender, religion or mental or physical disability.

    ‘Perpetrators in uniform’
    The Grüne Jugend paper occasionally uses provocative language, describing some police officers as “perpetrators in uniform” and arguing there was a “structural problem” in the force.

    It added that there were “thousands of cases of police brutality a year that no one is called to account for.”

    The German police has been dogged by accusations of unnecessary violence,right-wing culture in the ranks, and deliberate racial profiling. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has refused to green-light a study into racial profiling in the police.

    Grüne Jugend spokesman Georg Kurz called the plans “first steps towards binding the police to principles of the rule of law.”

    “It is a disaster for democracy if it can be ascertained that unlawful police violence remains without consequences in most cases,” he said.

    The Green party itself has yet to comment directly on the paper. “We are constantly exchanging ideas with Grüne Jugend, but it is an independent organization with its own leadership and its own ideas,” spokeswoman Nicola Kabel told the taz.

    Irene Mihalic, domestic policy spokeswoman for the Green party in the parliament, and herself a police officer, said the paper contained, “a lot of interesting impulses,” but that she did not like the “tone and the often polemical evaluations.” “Most police officers do a very good job and have nothing to do with racism,” she told the taz.”

  35. CBC – Greece expels migrants, abandons them at sea: reports

    The New York Times is reporting that Greece has been illegally expelling migrants for months, sending them out to sea in lifeboats.