Reader’s Links for September 4, 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

123 Replies to “Reader’s Links for September 4, 2020”

  1. Fitzgerald Video: California Schools – ‘Become a Leftist or Drop Out’

    The push to make leftist activism a requirement for graduation in the state of California.
    Fri Sep 4, 2020 Sean Fitzgerald

  2. Lying to the Leader

    If they lie to their own dictator, will they tell us the truth?
    Fri Sep 4, 2020 Michael Ledeen

    Two years ago, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping sent Xu Lingyi, the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission on Disciplinary Inspection, to the province of Shaanzi, to investigate charges that many luxury villas had been constructed over the past decade. The investigation led to the production of a 20,000-word document that shows that Xi is still being deceived by local officials, despite a purge of those involved, and the destruction of many of the villas they constructed.

    The Xi’an report has found a home at the Epoch Times, which obtained the full text. It documents the widespread practice of lying, even to the top levels of the Chinese state. And odds are long that if they lie to the dictator, they will lie to us without blinking.

    Lying is commonplace in China; indeed it is a basic tool for advancement. At each level of society, those with real information have many good reasons to invent it. There is invariably a dollar sign attached to each lie, while the truth has a price tag.

    Over the past decade, United States counterintelligence has become acutely aware of this Chinese threat, and action against China has increased accordingly:

  3. Serbia, Kosovo to open Israel embassies in Jerusalem

    JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel and Kosovo have agreed to establish diplomatic ties and Kosovo, along with Serbia, will open embassies in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.

    Netanyahu’s statement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump made a similar announcement in Washington, where he met with leaders of Serbia and Kosovo as they agreed to normalize economic ties between them.

    “Kosovo will be the first country with a Muslim majority to open an embassy in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said. “As I’ve said in recent days – the circle of peace and recognition of Israel is expanding and more countries are expected to join.”

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-serbia-kosovo-usa-jerusalem/serbia-kosovo-to-open-israel-embassies-in-jerusalem-idUSKBN25V2GF?utm_source=reddit.com

  4. Chinese regime ‘disappears’ 20 people daily—tactics revealed; State media’s new attack on Pompeo

    • Not really on paper they have some weapons that are good but how reliable are they in the real world.

  5. EXCLUSIVE: US soldier punches a black man to the ground and sits on his chest until police arrive after he lunged at him, ‘spat on his car and made disparaging remarks about the military

    A shocking video captured in Western New York appeared to show a white man in military fatigues punching a black man several times in the face, before pinning him to the ground and sitting on his chest.

    The violent exchange, captured on video by Said Hamideh and obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, occurred along Elmwood Avenue, in Buffalo, on Thursday afternoon.

    In footage of the incident, the black man, who Hamideh believed to be mentally ill, is seen walking towards the white soldier and lunging toward him. As the two men make contact, the soldier punches him hard to the side of his face.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8696681/Shocking-video-shows-white-soldier-punching-black-man-sitting-chest.html

    • To destroy a civilization you have to destroy the moral code that is a major part of the foundation of the civilization.

  6. Swedish 11-Year-Old Assaulted in Multicultural Malmö for Crucifix Necklace (breitbart, Sep 4, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/09/04/swedish-11-year-old-assaulted-multicultural-malmo-crucifix-necklace/

    “An 11-year-old boy in the southern Swedish city of Malmö was allegedly assaulted by a gang of unknown perpetrators who called him a “pig bastard” and commented on his crucifix necklace.

    The alleged attack is said to have taken place on July 28th, but the report to the police was only made by the child’s mother earlier this week.

    The mother said the incident occurred as her son and his friend were playing football in the Varvsparken park area.

    Police press spokesman Calle Persson told Nyheter Idag: “He told us that several guys came up and asked why he had a cross on his necklace. He replied that it was because of his religious affiliation.”

    The spokesman added: “They asked if he ate pig and called him ‘pig bastard’. Then he was pushed to the ground, and he injured his arm or wrist.”

    The incident is currently being investigated as a hate crime, but police have no suspects. Even the ages of the attackers remain unclear.

    The case comes after it was revealed last week that a church in Malmö had been attacked and vandalised for seven days in a row.

    According to L’Observatoire de la Christianophobie, a French anti-Christian attack watchdog, a statue of Jesus was destroyed by the vandals along with at least 30 church windows at the church in the district of Västra Skrävlinge.

    “They went to church, smashed windows, made a disturbance, and knocked over the statue. Now we have guards, and the police are involved,” local priest Mikael Göth said.

    Last year in Rome, Italy, a migrant from Morocco also attacked a man after noticing he was wearing a crucifix. The victim, a homeless man from Georgia, was stabbed and nearly had his throat slit after he and the Moroccan engaged in a heated argument.”

  7. summit news – Bill Clinton Declares Trump Will ‘Sandbag’ Himself Inside White House If He Loses

    “He probably won’t even come to Biden’s inauguration.”

    Bill Clinton mocked President Trump Wednesday, declaring that the incumbent will lose the election and then sandbag himself within the White House, refusing to leave.

    Appearing in an interview with two time election loser Hillary Clinton who proclaimed that Trump will “cheat” and “sneak” to try to win the election, the former President imagined what Trump would do if Biden wins.

    Host April Ryan suggested that inauguration Day coverage might consist of a “split-screen” with Biden being sworn in, while on the other screen “the military going in” to forcibly remove Trump from the White House.

    “I was just thinking he probably won’t even come to Biden’s inauguration,” Bubba interjected.

    “He’ll be stacking sandbags in front of the White House,” Clinton added.

    The pair later argued that while they and the Democrats want to people to feel ‘welcome’ in America, even if they politically disagree with them, while Trump “needs you, us, to be unwelcome, to not be part of his America. Because he can’t live without somebody to badmouth.”

    “Then he’d have to get up every morning and decide to go to work and figure out what to do. And that’s boring,” Bill Clinton noted.

    “All he knows how to do is be a reality TV star and that’s what he’s going to continue to do,” Hillary bitterly chimed in.

    Declaring that Trump “is a clear and present danger to our freedoms, our liberties, [and] our unity,” Hillary said people need to vote for Biden as if their “lives and livelihoods depend on it.”

    Trump himself took aim at Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday, after she was caught sneaking into a salon earlier in the week.

    In-person hair salon visits are still not allowed in San Francisco, unless you are a Democratic politician, apparently.

    https://summit.news/2020/09/04/bill-clinton-declares-trump-will-sandbag-himself-inside-white-house-if-he-loses/

  8. Wear a mask while having sex, Canada’s top doctor suggests

    OTTAWA (Reuters) – Skip kissing and consider wearing a mask when having sex to protect yourself from catching the coronavirus, Canada’s chief medical officer said on Wednesday, adding that going solo remains the lowest risk sexual option in a pandemic.

    Dr Theresa Tam said in a statement there is little chance of catching COVID-19 from semen or vaginal fluid, but sexual activity with new partners does increase the risk of contracting the virus, particularly if there is close contact like kissing.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada-sex/wear-a-mask-while-having-sex-canadas-top-doctor-suggests-idUSKBN25T2Y9

  9. CNN investigates Sweden’s controversial Covid-19 strategy

    After an initial surge, Sweden now has one of the lowest coronavirus death rates in Europe. CNN’s Max Foster looks at the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

    • JULY 2020 – CNN – No proof,’ Official defends Sweden’s controversial Covid-19 move

      Sweden’s State Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that, despite the country’s high mortality rate, the no-lockdown strategy has “served us very well.”

  10. Moon of Alabama – DHS: Russia Will Interfere With U.S. Elections By Promoting Alleged Russian Interference With U.S. Elections

    The Hill writes :

    Russian media and other groups are intentionally “amplifying” concerns around mail-in voting in order to undermine the 2020 U.S. elections, a report compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made public Thursday found.

    “Russian state media, proxies, and Russian-controlled social media trolls are likely to promote allegations of corruption, system failure, and foreign malign interference to sow distrust in democratic institutions and election outcomes,” the Office of Intelligence and Analysis wrote.

    […]Those scenarios are the Color Revolutions Coming Home and they are promoted not by Russian media but by the U.S. establishment.

    […]A group of Democratic Party insiders and former Obama and Clinton era officials as well as a cadre of “Never Trump” neoconservative Republicans have spent the past few months conducting simulations and “war games” regarding different 2020 election “doomsday” scenarios.

    Per several media reports on the group, called the Transition Integrity Project (TIP), they justify these exercises as specifically preparing for a scenario where President Trump loses the 2020 election and refuses to leave office, potentially resulting in a constitutional crisis. However, according to TIP’s own documents, even their simulations involving a “clear win” for Trump in the upcoming election resulted in a constitutional crisis, as they predicted that the Biden campaign would make bold moves aimed at securing the presidency, regardless of the election result.

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/09/dhs-russia-will-interfere-with-us-elections-by-promoting-russian-interference-with-us-elections.html

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

    CNN – This American was tricked into writing Russian propaganda

  11. Two US Citizens Charged With Attempting to Provide Material Support to Hamas – DoJ (sputniknews, Sep 4, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/us/202009041080369884-two-us-citizens-charged-with-attempting-to-provide-material-support-to-hamas—doj/

    “The US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday announced a federal criminal complaint charging Michael Robert Solomon, 30, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, with conspiring and attempting to provide material to support Palestinian militant group Hamas.

    Both men were taken into custody Thursday evening and made initial appearances Friday before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung in the US District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The defendants will remain in custody until a formal detention hearing scheduled for September 9.

    “This case can only be understood as a disturbing example of the old adage, ‘The enemy of your enemy is your friend,’” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the DoJ’s National Security Division in a Friday news release.

    “As alleged in the complaint, these defendants sought to use violence against the police, other government officials and government property as part of their desire to overthrow the government. While planning these activities, the defendants met individuals whom they believed to be members of the foreign terrorist group Hamas. Thinking that they shared the same desire to harm the United States, they sought to join forces and provide support, including in the form of weapons accessories, to Hamas,” he added.

    The defendants claim to be members of the Boogaloo Bois, an extremist group with an objective of overthrowing the government, according to the DoJ.
    According to allegations in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit, Solomon openly carried firearms in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis following the May 25 death of George Floyd. Both men interacted with witnesses during that time. Witnesses told FBI agents that Solomon and Teeter possessed firearms and ample ammunition and discussed committing acts of violence against police officers.

    “Solomon and Teeter shared with the CHS [confidential human source] and another individual whom they believed to be a more senior member of Hamas (and who was actually an undercover employee of the FBI), their ideas about destroying government monuments, raiding the headquarters of a white supremacist organization in North Carolina, and targeting politicians and members of the media,” the release explains.
    The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”

  12. Report: Mass Migration Drains Social Security Funds (breitbart, Sep 4, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/04/report-mass-migration-drains-social-security-funds/

    “Mass immigration drains Social Security funding, despite immigrants’ payments, says a report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

    “Mass immigration is not going to save Americans’ Social Security program … [because] migrants take out much more than they pay into the program in taxes,” Spencer Raley, the director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said September 4.

    If the U.S. labor market were not flooded by new immigrants, “Americans would earn more [each year] while working longer careers,” so putting more money into Social security and also reducing their reliance on Social Security funding, Raley said.

    Overall, immigrants arrive at age 31, work for fewer years, and earn less money, so they contribute less to the Social Security fund and use more of the funding, he said.

    Overall. U.S.-born workers get 95 cents back for every dollar they contribute to Social Security, while immigrants get $1.10 back for every dollar they contribute.

    Business groups claim that immigrants will pay into Social Security and save the program, he said. “That comes down to, time and time again, there are a lot of employers out there that don’t want to pay a fair market wage… this [save] Social Security claim is being used as to bring in more immigrants.”

    “What immigration does is that it drives up the wealth gap in America — so the top few in the country can make more and more off their investments … [aad] what you end up with a much larger low-income workforce and the middle of the country being left behind” as jobs are moved to the coasts, he said.

    Immigration also reduces the willingness of CEOs to buy labor-saving technology that allows Americans to get more work done each day. A report on population growth published July 2020 by the Lancet journal says:

    Developments in robotics and artificial intelligence … could substantially change economic growth. Already, economic output in some countries is becoming less tied to labour inputs, with digital technologies widening the gap between productivity and employment. In the future, technological advances might provide a solution to the decline in the workforce.

    The report noted that Japan’s emphasis on robots and other labor-saving technology does help economies grow, even with fewer workers; “Despite huge declines in population forecasted this century, Japan remained the fourth-largest economy in 2100,” said the Lancet.

    The FAIR report, “Mass Immigration Won’t Save Social Security,” says that Social Security can be strengthened by reforms which exclude poor migrants who earn little, who reduce Americans’ wages, and who rely more on federal aid and welfare.

    “While the situation may be dire, it’s still possible to save the Social Security programs that millions of Americans rely on every year,” the report says:

    A good start to fixing this problem would be to pass the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, or similar legislation. Introduced by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and David Perdue (R-Georgia), the RAISE act would end unfair chain migration and replace it with a system that attracts immigrants who hold job skills that are currently needed in the U.S. economy, as well as the education and language ability required to succeed at a high level.

    Officials must also start enforcing Trump’s “Public Charge” almost-established reforms:

    … 63 percent of non-citizen households are currently enrolled in at least one welfare program, compared to just 35 percent for U.S. citizen households.[13] And, according to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), more than 13 million immigrants will be on welfare by 2030.[14]

    Low-earning households almost always take in far more in Social Security benefits than they contribute to the program throughout the duration of their careers. Enforcing the “public charge” rule would help ensure that those migrants who enter the United States earn enough to support themselves and their families. These higher incomes would lead to increased contributions to the Social Security program.

    “For those who are trying to sell the American public the myth that Social Security can only be saved by mass immigration, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee,” said Dan Stein, the president of the FAIR. “We clearly can’t immigrate ourselves out of our Social Security deficit.””

    • This is one of the reasons the left supports the mass migration, they want to create chaos and by destroying the Social Security System they will create a lot of angry people.

  13. Ten Soldiers Killed in Overnight Ambush in Central Mali
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/09/04/central-mali-ambush/

    “At least 10 Malian soldiers were killed in an overnight ambush in a central region near the Mauritanian border where armed jihadist groups are rampant, security and local sources said Friday.

    It is the third time Malian security forces have suffered heavy losses since the military took power in a coup on August 18.

    According to an internal security ministry report seen by AFP, 10 soldiers were killed, including a senior officer, in the attack in Guire and four vehicles were torched.

    An elected official from the Guire region confirmed the toll.

    “In the night, shots prevented us from sleeping, it looked like bombs, our houses were shaking,” the official told AFP by phone.

    A local administrator speaking on condition of anonymity said men on motorcycles had been in the area since Monday.

    Four Malian soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded on August 27 in a jihadist ambush near the central town of Mopti, before the army killed 20 enemy fighters, it said. The army said it also suffered major equipment losses.

    Four soldiers had been killed five days earlier when their vehicle was hit by a bomb.

    That incident also occurred in central Mali, a volatile, ethnically-diverse region that has been badly affected by the jihadist revolt…”

  14. No Talks with US, Iranian Official Says After Russian Mediation Offer
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/09/04/2341405/no-talks-with-us-iranian-official-says-after-russian-mediation-offer

    “Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi dismissed any plan for negotiations with the US after the foreign minister of Russia expressed readiness to help Tehran and Washington hold talks.

    Asked by Tasnim about Sergei Lavrov’s idea of Russian mediation between Iran and the US for direct negotiations, Vaezi said, “We have no intention of negotiating with Americans, and we have declared our stance very clearly.”

    Tehran has already made it clear that the US must accept that it has made mistakes, realize that it has adopted the wrong policy of sanctions on Iran, and admit that it has made a mistake, he added…”

  15. Iran Condemns Charlie Hebdo for Insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/09/04/2341315/iran-condemns-charlie-hebdo-for-insulting-prophet-muhammad-pbuh

    “Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the move by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to recirculate cartoons about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam.

    In a statement on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said any insult to and disrespect for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other divine prophets is not acceptable at all.

    “The French magazine’s offensive move, which has been repeated on the pretext of freedom of speech, has hurt the feelings of the world’s monotheists, is a provocative move and an insult to the Islamic values and beliefs of over one billion Muslims in the world,” he noted.

    “Unlike the offensive move made by the magazine, freedom of speech is a great value which must be used in a constructive way in line with the peaceful coexistence of human beings and further understanding among religions,” the spokesman added.

    Charlie Hebdo has republished the same cartoons about the Great Prophet and Islam that prompted a deadly attack on the magazine in 2015.”

  16. Reports:160 Documents to Be Signed between UAE, Israel in Washington
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2487691/reports160-documents-be-signed-between-uae-israel-washington

    “Israeli and Emirati negotiators, who met in Abu Dhabi on Monday, have exchanged drafts of at least 160 documents expected to be signed between the two countries in Washington, political sources in Tel Aviv said.

    According to the sources, each side would study the documents ahead of signing them during an official ceremony which the United States wants to organize on September 14.

    The sources said that White House advisor Jared Kushner, who is US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, informed Israel and the United Arab Emirates that the US administration wants the agreements to be struck before the Jewish New Year.

    However, the two sides were not hopeful on completing their task by then, over local and international legal issues which require time for examination.

    The possible delay has compelled the leaderships of both countries to discuss either postponing the signing of the agreements until next month or signing some of them and delaying the rest.

    “If the Americans insist on their planned date, then only some of the documents will be signed by the two sides this month,” the sources said.

    Israel and the UAE announced on August 13 that they would normalize diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by Trump.

    Officials from both countries have said they are looking at cooperation in defense, medicine, agriculture, tourism and technology.

    In an interview with Israel Hayom, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis said: “We have a golden opportunity that comes only once in every generation. We are working 18 hours per day. Regional cooperation is one of the most important files in the agreements.”

    “We are talking about commercial deals worth $500 million in the initial stages, and this will keep rising all the time,” the Minister added.

    Israel’s national carrier El Al on Thursday announced a first cargo flight to Dubai, days after its groundbreaking commercial passenger trip to the UAE.

    The cargo flight is scheduled to take off from Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on September 16, the airline said in a statement.”

  17. Arab Quartet Urges Qatar to Abandon Support for Terrorist Groups
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2487521/arab-quartet-urges-qatar-abandon-support-terrorist-groups

    “Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, the member states that make up the Arab quartet, have called on Doha to abandon its policy of supporting terrorist organizations by providing extremists with platforms to spread their message.

    Qatar, according to the quartet, has been granting extremists a chance to appear on its media networks and propagate their ideology.

    This demand was echoed in a joint letter, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, written by the UN permanent representatives of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE and given to the president of the UN Security Council.

    The letter comes in response to false claims made by the Qatari UN permanent representative before the UNSC and other international organizations and agencies.

    The quartet representatives, in the letter, said that measures taken by their states against Doha were in response to Qatar’s continued support for terrorism, extremism and interference in the internal affairs of neighboring countries. They added that the measures were in full accordance with international law, noting that the statements made by the Qatari representative in front of dispute-resolving international bodies are misleading.

    The representatives stressed that the governments of the quartet states have the utmost respect and appreciation for the people of Qatar.

    The quartet demanded that Qatar honors its international obligations, including the 2013 Riyadh Agreement, its 2014 implementation mechanism, and the 2014 complementary Riyadh Agreement.

    Condemning Doha giving extremists the chance to spread their message through state-owned media platforms, the quartet also called on the Gulf state to abandon its policy of supporting extremism, terrorist groups and foreign interference in neighboring countries.

    Emphasizing that quartet states remain open and ready to reach a sustainable and honest diplomatic solution to the Qatari crisis, the representatives underlined that Doha’s behavior and refusal to address its support for terrorist groups continues to prevent a peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

  18. Saudi Arabia appoints first labor attaché to the Philippines
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/597523/SAUDI-ARABIA/Kingdom-appoints-first-labor-attach-eacute-to-the-Philippines

    “The labor attaché of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of the Philippines, Muhammad Bin Obaidullah Al-Mutairi, has started his work as the first labor attaché to the country.

    The Kingdom’s ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Abdullah Al-Bussairy received him at the embassy headquarters in the capital, Manila, during the opening of the Kingdom’s first labor attaché office abroad.

    During the ensuing meeting, they reviewed the functions of the labor attaché and the tasks related to what would help strengthen cooperation between the two friendly countries to raise the level of efficiency of workers to be attracted to work in Saudi Arabia and contribute to the development of recruitment procedures and speeding up the tempo of providing services to the citizens.

    This labor attaché is the first of seven attachés, who will soon be operating in several countries, including Egypt, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, as the Kingdom aims to facilitate recruitment of workers for the citizens, to examine the workers and ensure their suitability for the Saudi labor market, and educate the workers on the residency and labor regulations in the Kingdom.”

  19. Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia arrests clerics in new crackdown
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-saudi-arabia-arrests-clerics

    “New wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia
    Saudi authorities recently launched a new arrest campaign, detaining a famous religious figure, a Quran reciter, a university professor and many others, according to the Prisoners of Conscience account on Twitter, which documents human rights abuses in the Gulf kingdom.

    In August, authorities arrested well-known academic Dr Abdullah Basfar, an associate professor at the department of Sharia and Islamic studies at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and former secretary general of the World Book and Sunnah Organisation, according to the Twitter account.

    Security agencies also arrested university professor Saud al-Funaisan, former dean of the faculty of Sharia at Al-Imam University in Riyadh, last March, but his arrest was revealed only a few days ago.

    Since Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman came to power in the summer of 2017, the Saudi government has arrested hundreds of clerics, journalists, academics and cyber activists over their critical views of the government.

    UAE companies ‘circumvent’ sanctions on Iranian oil
    Several Iranian companies are operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to bypass US sanctions imposed on Tehran’s oil exports, as the Gulf country is strengthening its economic ties with Iran, according to a report published by the news website Alkhaleej Online.

    Mustafa Shahin, a professor of economics at the University of Oakland in the US, told the paper: “UAE companies are circumventing the global system for marketing and promoting Iranian oil in order to escape from US sanctions. But, the US has certain systems that enable it to control the performance of companies and reveal their assets”.

    The UAE topped the list of Arab countries trading with Iran in 2017, with trade volume at $11.1bn. Iranian exports amounted to $4.5bn, while Emirati exports amounted to $6.6bn, according to the report.

    Emirati exports to Iran rose sharply by 16.8 percent in 2019. Additionally, 80 percent of Iranian financial transfers take place via the UAE, while Iranian investments in the Gulf state are estimated at $300bn, according to the Alkhaleej Online report.

    Gasoline crisis in Syria

    Syria is facing a severe shortage of gasoline, leading to long queues at gas stations in many regions, according to a report published by the London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

    The crisis has triggered predictions that a price increase is coming to the war-torn country…”

  20. Khalifa Haftar sued in US court for $50m over alleged rights abuses, war crimes
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/libya-khalifa-haftar-us-lawsuit-war-crimes

    “Two Libyan families are suing Khalifa Haftar for alleged war crimes in a US court, accusing the US national of murder and a starvation siege that forced civilians in a Benghazi neighbourhood to eat grass and tree bark.

    The claim was filed on Thursday in the district court of eastern Virginia by two relatives of Haftar’s alleged victims, Ali Abdalla Hamza and Salimah Jibreel, who say that the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) is responsible for the deaths of their family members.

    The lawsuit focuses on the LNA’s siege of Benghazi in 2016, particularly the district of Ganfouda where repeated air strikes by Haftar’s forces pinned down hundreds of civilians…”

  21. Guantanamo prisoners: US court says due process not for them
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/defense-expected-ask-review-courts-ruling-against-due-process-gitmo-detainees

    “A federal appeals court in DC recently ruled that Guantanamo Bay prisoners are not entitled to due process – a landmark decision that could have an overarching effect on the prison camp’s war court trials, and one defence lawyers are expected to try and challenge.

    A three-judge appeals panel for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously last week to uphold the indefinite detention of Abdulsalam al-Hela, a 52-year-old Yemeni citizen who was held at a CIA black site for over a year-and-a-half before being transferred to Guantanamo in 2004, where he has been detained without charge or trial ever since.

    Last week’s decision rejected Hela’s appeal, but also took a step further into what some would call “judicial activism” by ruling on the constitutional requirements – or rather lack thereof – at the war court.

    “It’s significant because an appeals court – a federal appeals court – held for the first time categorically that the due process clause does not extend to detainees in Guantanamo.

    They just shut it down,” David Remes, one of Hela’s defence lawyers in the case, told Middle East Eye.

    The decision means judges at Guantanamo’s war court are not necessarily obliged to consider the rights of detainees or their cases through the lens of the US constitution…”

    • This is following the Geneva Convention, unlawful combatants have no rights their captors don’t want to give them.

  22. UN: Greece must improve refugee overcrowding
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200904-un-greece-must-improve-refugee-overcrowding/

    “Two high ranking UN Refugee Agency officials on Friday ended a visit to Greece calling for a drastic improvement in the living conditions of refugees in camps, Anadolu Agency reports.

    UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioners for Protection and Operations Gillian Triggs and Raouf Mazou said their four-day visit also looked at the COVID-19 management response and child protection.

    In addition they looked at alternatives to detention, refugee integration, accommodation transition, and cash programs from the Greek state’s refugee agency.

    While they praised Greece for showing “solidarity and compassion with thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers” despite challenges including a severe economic crisis and now the COVID-19 pandemic, they raised questions.

    “There are critical gaps and issues that must be addressed, including the urgent need to drastically improve living conditions and reduce overcrowding at the reception facilities on the Aegean Islands, as well as ensuring the full inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in the COVID-19 response,” they said.

    More than one million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe through Greece since 2015, said UNHCR.

    While the numbers of those arriving since have significantly dropped over the past five years, there are still people who continue to arrive in need of protection.

    “We reiterate our calls to the authorities to ensure access to territory and protection against refoulement for those in need of protection and also for long-term solutions to help refugees integrate into the country,” the officials said.

    The officials proposed “concrete measures” to the Greek authorities to help with refugee self-reliance and integration programs, saying they are ready to support them.

    “Effective access to social protection and integration schemes are key, and they stand to benefit refugees, their local communities, and wider society,” said Triggs.

    Triggs and Mazou met with Greek government officials, NGOs, humanitarian partners, refugees and asylum-seekers in Athens and Lesvos.

    They said they consulted with refugees, including refugee women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and unaccompanied children, in need of safe homes or reunification with family members abroad.

    During their visit, they also met with families departing to Germany as part of a relocation project supported and funded by the European Commission.”

  23. Quetta IED explosion injures four during Friday prayers
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2262512/quetta-ied-explosion-injures-four-during-friday-prayers

    “At least four people were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED), mounted on a motorcycle parked near a mosque, went off on Quetta’s Sariab road on Friday.

    The blast occurred during Friday prayers. Security forces had cordoned off the area, and shifted the injured to a nearby medical facility.

    At least five people, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed and 21 others injured in a powerful bomb blast in the Pak-Afghan bordering town of Chaman on August 10.

    As per the security officials, unknown miscreants planted an improvised explosive device (IED) on a motorcycle parked on Mall Road in Chaman near the office of the District Police Officer (DPO).

    Security officials said that the blast ripped through the congested Mall Road area of the border town…”

  24. Terror charges added to FIR against Maryam, Safdar
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2262486/terror-charges-added-to-fir-against-maryam-safdar

    “Police on Friday included an anti-terrorism law clause in the FIR against PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, her husband Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar and 14 other party members for the recent attack on the Lahore office of the country’s top anti-graft body.

    Safdar was later granted interim bail by an anti-terrorism court September 11. The PML-N leader maintained in his bail application that the police had registered a false and baseless case against him on political grounds.

    The court issued directions to the police to provide it with the record of the cases against Safdar…”

  25. Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 70 FETO terror suspects
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-arrest-warrants-out-for-70-feto-terror-suspects/1963089

    “Turkish authorities Friday issued arrest warrants for 70 people across the country over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

    The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara said in a statement that warrants were issued for 27 suspects linked to the Turkish Land Forces Command who were found to be in frequent contact with terror group members via telephone communication.

    Also, among them are eight soldiers on active duty.

    Anti-terror police have arrested 19 of them so far in simultaneous operations, hunt for eight others are underway.

    Separately in Balikesir, arrest warrants were issued for 15 suspects over their alleged links to FETO.

    Operations have been launched in 10 provinces to arrest the suspects.

    Meanwhile, security forces arrested 26 FETO suspects in operations across 12 provinces.

    The arrests came after the prosecutors in the Aegean Usak province issued arrest warrants for 28 people.

    Police are still looking for the remaining suspects.

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

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

  26. Italy to close overcrowded center on Lampedusa, relocate migrants to ships
    https://rmx.news/article/article/italy-to-close-overcrowded-center-on-lampedusa-relocate-migrants-to-ships

    “The overcrowded migrant center on the Italian island of Lampedusa will be closed today, and about 1,200 refugees will move to three ships, where they will be quarantined for two weeks.

    The Lampedusa refugee center, located about 100 kilometers off the Tunisian coast, has a capacity for only 100 people. But in recent weeks, several hundred migrants have arrived on the island every week.

    The local authorities used to move them to Sicily, to which the island belongs and which also receives refugees from humanitarian ships. On Wednesday, 350 migrants, who boarded the humanitarian vessel Sea-Watch 4 after being saved from boats in the Mediterranean, arrived in Palermo.

    The head of the Sicilian regional government, Sebastiano Musumeci, has repeatedly asked the government in Rome to help with the influx of refugees. Two weeks ago, he threatened to close migration centers in the region and issued a decree banning migrants from entering Sicily.

    He justified the decree by saying that he could no longer ensure compliance with anti-coronavirus measures. Migration centers in Sicily are overcrowded, and dozens of refugees have fled from them this summer. However, Musumeci’s decree was suspended by a Palermo court following a complaint from the Italian government.

    On Wednesday, Musumeci and Lampedusa Mayor Salvatore Martello met with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who promised government vessels to accommodate the migrants on Lampedusa as well as financial assistance.

    The center in Lampedusa will be temporarily closed and renovated, bringing its capacity to 190 people, Martello said on Thursday. Before his talks with Conte, members of the Liga party, whose boss Matteo Salvini enforced a strict anti-immigration policy as interior minister last year, demonstrated in front of the parliament in Rome.

    Salvini closed ports to NGO ships until other EU countries promised to take over the arriving migrants. That is why last year only 11,471 refugees arrived in Italy via the Mediterranean and 23,370 a year earlier, while in 2017, 119,369 migrants arrived.

    According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, 19,340 migrants have arrived in Italy since January this year, of which 16,150 were in Sicily.

    The Canary Islands have experienced a fivefold onslaught of migrants

    The Canary Islands have seen a fivefold influx of refugees this year, with more than 4,000 migrants coming ashore, according to UNHCR. On Wednesday, the local coast guard rescued 67 adult Africans from four boats, and on Tuesday, they rescued 39 refugees from two boats.

    The leaders of the Canary Islands, who also urgently asked for help from the central Spanish government in August, are being criticized by humanitarian organizations for letting the migrants be quarantined on a cargo ship in unfavorable conditions…”

  27. Tucker: Why Silicon Valley is doing all it can to help the Biden-Harris ticket

    Technology executives in San Francisco are the product of left-wing universities that trained them to hate this country.

    • Former Defense Secretary Hagel on Trump’s comments: It’s degrading and despicable

      Former defense secretary Chuck Hagel talks to CNN’s Jim Acosta about President Trump’s remarks about former White House chief of staff John Kelly at a White House press briefing.