Reader’s Links for October 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

115 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 16, 2020”

  1. Libya arrests notorious people smuggler wanted by Interpol
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201016-libya-arrests-notorious-people-smuggler-wanted-by-interpol/

    “Libyan authorities have arrested notorious people smuggler Abd Al-Rahman Al-Milad, also known as Bija, the BBC reported.

    Libya’s internationally-recognised government announced the arrest of Al-Milad on Wednesday, two years after the UN Security Council imposed sanctions against him and five others over people smuggling in Libya…”

  2. Moscow evacuates Russian children from Syria camp
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201016-moscow-evacuates-russian-children-from-syria-camp/

    “Moscow has evacuated 27 Russian children from Syria’s infamous Al-Hol camp where the displaced family members of former Daesh fighters are being held. Russian children’s rights commissioner Anna Kuznetsova announced that a Ministry of Defence aircraft flew overnight with the children and landed at Moscow’s Chkalovsky Airport earlier today.

    The children are between the ages of two and thirteen, and will undergo medical examinations and spend time in quarantine before being sent to their relatives across Russia. “Seventeen children will go to Dagestan,” explained Kuznetsova, “four to Penza region, and two to each of the following regions: Tyumen, Volgograd and Chechnya.”

    This is the third such evacuation of Russian nationals, particularly children and orphans, many of whom were born during the ongoing nine-year conflict…”

  3. UK, Qatar sign defence cooperation agreement
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201016-uk-qatar-sign-defence-cooperation-agreement/

    “The UK and Qatar have announced the signing of a preliminary military agreement aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of defence.

    This came in a statement issued by the UK Ministry of Defence on Wednesday.

    The statement reported that the Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah and his British counterpart Ben Wallace signed a cooperation agreement during their participation in the opening ceremony of the Joint Squadron Command Building No. 12, at the Coningsby base in Lincolnshire, UK.

    The agreement includes allowing the use of the UK base by the Qatari Air Force, which has recently purchased nine Hawk aircraft.

    In a speech on the sidelines of the event, the British minister affirmed the beginning of a new phase of long-standing cooperation between his country and Qatar in the field of defence.”

  4. ‘Something close’ to genocide in China’s Xinjiang, says U.S. security adviser
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-xinjiang/something-close-to-genocide-in-chinas-xinjiang-says-u-s-security-adviser-idUSKBN2712HH

    “The U.S. national security adviser said on Friday that China was perpetrating “something close to” a genocide with its treatment of Muslims in its Xinjiang region.

    “If not a genocide, something close to it going on in Xinjiang,” Robert O’Brien told an online event hosted by the Aspen Institute, while highlighting other Chinese crackdowns including one on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

    The United States has denounced China’s treatment of Uighur and other minority Muslims in Xinjiang and imposed sanctions on officials it blames for abuses. It has not, though, so far termed Beijing’s actions genocide, a designation that would have significant legal implications and require stronger action against China.

    The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang and activists say crimes against humanity and genocide are taking place there. China has denied any abuses and says its camps in the region provide vocational training and help fight extremism.

    O’Brien referred to seizures by U.S. customs of “massive numbers” of hair products made with human hair from Xinjiang.

    “The Chinese are literally shaving the heads of Uighur women and making hair products and sending them to the United States,” he said.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in June it had detained a shipment originating in Xinjiang of hair products and accessories suspected of being forced-labor products made with human hair.

    In June, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo labeled as “shocking” and “disturbing” reports that China was using forced sterilization, forced abortion and coercive family planning against Muslims in Xinjiang.

    He said last month Washington was considering the language it would use to describe what is happening in the region but added: “When the United States speaks about crimes against humanity or genocide … we’ve got to be very careful and very precise because it carries an enormous weight.””

  5. Mother punched through SUV window by unhinged leftist who didn’t like her Trump flags — all while victim’s daughter, 11, watches from back seat

    Stay classy, Trump haters

    Leftists continue to lose their minds — or believe they can get away with blatant violence — in public places full of surveillance cameras.

    Police in Fall River, Massachusetts, said a mother was driving with her 11-year-old daughter in the area of South Main and Hall streets last week when two women in another vehicle apparently didn’t take too kindly to the mom’s flags supporting President Donald Trump that were flying off both sides of her SUV, WHDH-TV reported.

    Police provided the station with surveillance video showing the initial part of the confrontation, as the Trump supporter’s vehicle is within the yellow

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/mother-punched-over-trump-flags?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202020-10-16&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM

  6. Kuwait court sentences Egyptian to life in prison for joining terrorist group Daesh
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-court-sentences-egyptian-to-life-in-prison-for-joining-terrorist-group-daesh-1.74610656

    “Kuwait’s top court has upheld an earlier verdict sentencing an Egyptian expatriate to life imprisonment for joining the terrorist Daesh group and attempting to kill five US soldiers, according to Al Rai newspaper.

    The convict was also charged with deliberately damaging a US army vehicle by ramming a cleaning truck he was riding into a vehicle carrying five US servicemen in an area south of the capital Kuwait City.

    He was arrested in 2016 and later handed down the life imprisonment by a lower court…”

  7. 678 Pakistanis on tourist visas denied entry into UAE
    https://gulfnews.com/uae/678-pakistanis-on-tourist-visas-denied-entry-into-uae-1.74614575

    “A total of 678 Pakistanis on visit or tourist visas who reached Dubai on various airlines were denied entry into UAE for not complying with the entry conditions, the Pakistan Consulate General announced on Friday.

    Out of the total, 558 passengers have already been sent back, while remaining 120 passengers will be sent back through various flights during next 12 hours, the consulate added in a statement to the media. The Consulate General’s help desk is working round the clock to assist the passengers.

    Pakistani nationals have been urged to fulfil minimum entry requirements as well as possessing a visa for Dubai if they want to land at any Dubai airport.”

  8. Drive-by shooters target elderly couple’s home after outraged leftists demanded removal of their ‘Thin Blue Line’ flag

    Nine shots were fired, six hit the home — and one bullet pierced several walls of the residence

    When an elderly north Seattle couple decided recently to fly a “Thin Blue Line” flag outside the home they’ve lived in for more than 30 years, they knew their decision to support police wouldn’t be popular, KIRO-TV reported.

    hey were right.

    And what started as angry comments, demands that they take down the flag, and graffiti on the street in front of their residence appears to have escalated into a drive-by shooting last week, the station said.
    What are the details?

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/drive-by-elderly-couple-thin-blue-line-flag?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202020-10-16&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM

  9. Morocco’s DGST Assists Spain in Dismantling Terror Cell
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/322853/moroccos-dgst-assists-spain-in-dismantling-terror-cell/

    “Spain’s police announced on Friday the dismantling of a terror cell in collaboration with Morocco’s security services.

    Morocco’s state media said Spanish police arrested two suspects in the Spanish enclave of Melilla and in Mogan, a town in the southwestern part of the Island of Gran Canaria.

    The suspects have alleged ties with a terror organization.

    MAP quoted Spain’s police, who touted collaboration with Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance to dismantle the terror cell.

    “This operation was carried out thanks to the collaboration of the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) of the Kingdom of Morocco and Europol,” the Spanish national police said.

    The statement added that the operation came “within the framework of the commitment of the Spanish police in the fight against the global threat posed by jihadist terrorism.”

    The Spanish police said an investigation into the case began when experts in counterterrorism detected the presence of a terror structure with ramifications abroad.

    According to Spain, the cell was “ideologically linked to the terrorist organization of al Qaeda, whose ultimate goal is to impose an Islamic caliphate through jihad.”

    Investigations led police to identify the two individuals suspected of involvement with the terror organization.

    Spanish police also reported that the terror organization was taking advantage of “vulnerability indicators” among some women, targeting people who are “easily manipulated and influenced.”

    Police carried out searches at the arrestees’ houses, where investigators seized numerous pieces of electronic equipment, telephones, and documents.

    The seized items are subject to technical expertise.

    This is not the first time Morocco’s security services have assisted Spain’s police in dismantling terror cells or apprehending terrorists.

    On May 8, Spanish police arrested a Moroccan man in Barcelona for his alleged ties with ISIS.

    The arrest was in collaboration with Morocco’s DGST and the US’ FBI.

    Morocco’s government maintains a leadership role in the counter-terrorism field. The North African country also collaborates with international partners in the fight against terrorism, including Spain, the US, and France, among others.

    In addition to DGST, all of the other security units in Morocco collaborate in counter-terrorism efforts.

    The country introduced in 2015 the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ), which reinforced Morocco’s system to address the scourge of terror threats.

    Morocco’s BCIJ has arrested hundreds of ISIS members and dismantled a score of terror cells over the years, both domestically and in cooperation with other countries such as Spain.

    Several countries consider Morocco’s approach against terrorism a solid and exemplary model.

    The latest US Department of State’s annual anti-terror report described Morocco’s approach as effective in its capacity to mitigate the threat of terrorism in the region and beyond.”

  10. Trump Administration Will ‘Clarify’ Section 230 Regulations After Big Tech’s Electoral Interference

    It’s about time.

    The Trump administration announced on Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission will be issuing a clarification regarding Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which has given special immunities to Big Tech firms which exempt from liability for content published on their platforms.

    “Members of all three branches of the federal government have expressed serious concerns about the prevailing interpretation of the immunity set forth in Section 230 of the Communications Act. There is bipartisan support in Congress to reform the law. The U.S. Department of Commerce has petitioned the Commission to ‘clarify ambiguities in section 230.’ And earlier this week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out that courts have relied upon ‘policy and purpose arguments to grant sweeping protections to Internet platforms’ that appear to go far beyond the actual text of the provision,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wrote in a statement.

    “As elected officials consider whether to change the law, the question remains: What does Section 230 currently mean? Many advance an overly broad interpretation that in some cases shields social media companies from consumer protection laws in a way that has no basis in the text of Section 230. The Commission’s General Counsel has informed me that the FCC has the legal authority to interpret Section 230. Consistent with this advice, I intend to move forward with a rulemaking to clarify its meaning,” he added.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/trump-administration-will-clarify-section-230-regulations-after-big-techs-electoral-interference/

  11. Two NATO trucks set ablaze in Khyber
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2268668/two-nato-trucks-set-ablaze-in-khyber

    “Two container truck carrying Nato supplies to Afghanistan were set on fire by unidentified miscreants on Bara Road near Jalandher village in Khyber district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.

    A security official told The Express Tribune that the attackers fired gunshots at the trucks, forcing the drivers to abandon the vehicles and escape.

    Later, they set the trucks on fire. The drivers remained unhurt. One of the drivers requesting anonymity said the trucks were transporting four armored vehicles for Nato forces.

    Police officials said security forces had launched a search operation in the area.

    In July last year, a driver had suffered bullet injuries when militants attacked a container truck carrying supplies to Nato troops in Afghanistan in Khyber district.

    That incident took place at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border road near Takhta Baig checkpost.

    Pakistan is a major transit supply route for the NATO mission in landlocked Afghanistan.

    Most supplies and equipment required by foreign forces in Afghanistan are usually shipped through Pakistan, although US troops increasingly use alternative routes through Central Asia.

    Trucks travelling through Pakistan to supply US-led forces have frequently been attacked during Nato’s 20-year intervention in Afghanistan.

    In 2011, around 20 trucks were ablaze in a rocket attack on a NATO trucking terminal in Quetta.”

  12. Turkey, Denmark ink maritime agreement
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-denmark-ink-maritime-agreement-159186

    “Denmark and Turkey have signed an agreement to give mutual equivalence to seafarers of the two countries.

    The agreement paves the way for Turkish seafarers to work in Danish-flagged ships, Adil Karaismailo?lu, the Turkish transportation and infrastructure minister, tweeted on Oct. 15.

    “We serve Turkish maritime as one of the countries that train the most seafarers in the world,” he said.”

  13. Envoy: So-called ‘spy’ puts Turks in Austria at risk
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/envoy-so-called-spy-puts-turks-in-austria-at-risk/2009081

    “The Turkish community in Austria is under pressure amid the so-called confessions of a Turkish spy, which Turkey says are baseless.

    Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Turkish ambassador to Austria Ozan Ceyhun said the allegations are baseless accusations against the Turkish intelligence agency.

    “I have clearly explained to journalists from different countries that this person does not have any relationship with Turkish intelligence and my country,” Ceyhun said.

    He added that Ankara is watching the response of Austrian government ministers to the allegations with sadness.

    “There are multiple channels of communication between Austria and Turkey,” he said. “They could get in touch with us. But, so far, Austrian authorities did not give us any information on this issue.

    The Turkish ambassador also expressed his concerns on the possible effects of the misinformation on the Turkish community in the country.

    According to reports in the Austrian press last month, a man named Feyyaz Ozturk went into a police station in Vienna, claiming that he had been recruited by the Turkish intelligence agency.

    He allegedly recounted that he had been ordered to assassinate several Kurdish-origin politicians in Austria, the reports said.

    Turkey last month strongly denied the accusations, saying “anti-Turkey circles” were behind them.

    Despite this, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced last month that the judiciary would file charges on suspicion of espionage, adding: “Influence by a foreign power in Austria will not be accepted.”

    Austria is home to a Turkish immigrant community of more than 200,000 constantly subjected to racism and Islamophobia.”

  14. Cities of Portland, Oakland sue Homeland Security and DOJ

    The cities of Portland and Oakland have filed a suit against the federal Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, alleging both have engaged in unconstitutional overreach of federal law enforcement in response to social justice protests.

    The suit cites the deployment of federal officers “either secretly or with little warning” to Portland, the continued authorizing of special deputy U.S. Marshal status to Portland police despite Portland’s objections, the deploying of federal law enforcement to non-federal property with “virtually limitless jurisdiction,” and the erecting of a fence around the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in a city right-of-way without a permit.

    The cities allege the federal government under President Donald Trump has violated the so-called anti-commandering rule, which says that the federal government can’t require states or its officials to enforce federal law.

    The 48-page suit alleges the federal practices mark a “monumental policy change” that harms the cities’ abilities to safely govern and police, and has only contributed to further civil unrest. Past local collaborations with federal law enforcement have been voluntary and consensual, the suit notes.

    https://www.gopusa.com/?p=96404?omhide=true

  15. Nigerian protests against police brutality upended by deadly violence
    https://observers.france24.com/en/20201016-they-want-instill-fear-so-disband-us-nigerian-protests-against-police-brutality-upe

    “Since last Thursday, Nigerians in cities such as Lagos, Ughelli and Abuja have taken to the streets in protest against the SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) police unit, long accused of operating with impunity and brutalising the country’s youth. However, police violence, shown in numerous videos posted to Twitter, have upended what were peaceful protests. According to Amnesty International Nigeria, “Nigerian police have killed at least 10 people since the start of protests against callous operations of SARS”, and “hundreds of protesters have been injured and arrested”.”

  16. NY Post Editor on Hunter Biden Scandal Report: ‘Judge It for Yourself’
    By Jack Phillips
    October 16, 2020 Updated: October 16, 2020

    The New York Post’s opinion editor said the publication has been “very transparent” with how it handled a hard drive that allegedly belonged to Joe Biden’s son Hunter and contained purported emails that point to deals with Ukrainian and Chinese officials. He calls on readers to “judge it for yourself without letting the narrative be shaped for you before you’ve had a chance to read it.”

    “We were very transparent about what we knew and what we didn’t know. And we reported it out very meticulously. And then, [in the] morning we published it,” said Sohrab Ahmari, the editor, in an interview with Epoch Times on Friday.

    After the story was published earlier this week, it quickly went viral on various social media websites. However, it was later found that Twitter blocked sharing the article and added warning labels, while a Facebook executive, Andy Stone, said the platform would limit the spread of the article and allow its third-party fact-checkers to evaluate the contents. Some users who shared the link were locked out of their Twitter accounts, including New York Post itself and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/ny-post-editor-on-hunter-biden-scandal-report-judge-it-for-yourself_3541771.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-10-16-2

  17. GOP Files FEC Complaint Against Twitter Over Blocking of Hunter Biden Article

    The Republican National Committee (RNC) on Friday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and claimed that online censorship of a New York Post article about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China is an “illegal corporate in-kind political contribution” to Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign.

    The committee said that it “believes that Twitter has violated [the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act] and the Commission’s Regulations by making corporate in-kind contributions to Biden for President,” according to the complaint. Fox News first reported on the filing on Friday.

    The complaint was filed against Twitter after the company moved to block sharing of the NY Post’s article. It also locked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s and a Trump campaign’s account out over claims related to the report.

    The RNC asserted that Twitter “engaged in arguably the most brazen and unprecedented act of media suppression in this country’s history, and it is doing so for the clear purpose of supporting the Biden campaign.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/gop-files-fec-complaint-against-twitter-over-blocking-of-hunter-biden-article_3541831.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2020-10-16-2

  18. China’s Turning Point

    A major catastrophe on the horizon?
    Fri Oct 16, 2020 Michael Ledeen
    78

    China appears to be on the brink.

    The communist regime is threatening our ally, Taiwan — one of several Asian countries seeking closer ties with the United States while China’s domestic turmoil grows.

    In a recent column in China’s state-sponsored Global Times, editor-in-chief Hu Xijin warned, “As the secessionist forces’ arrogance continues to swell, the historical turning point is getting closer.”

    “The only way forward is for the mainland to fully prepare itself for war and to give Taiwan secessionist forces a decisive punishment at any time,” he wrote.

    Taiwan’s opposition party has been seeking closer cooperation with the United States. But, Hu wrote: “The more trouble Taiwan creates, the sooner the mainland will decide to teach Taiwan independence forces a hard lesson.”

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/10/china-faces-historical-turning-point-michael-ledeen/

  19. Erdogan Declares War on Arabs

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing to insult and threaten Arabs, specifically those living in the Gulf.

    Many Arabs are concerned about Erdogan’s threats against their countries and his ongoing meddling in their internal affairs. Some Arabs are saying that the time has come to stand up to Erdogan and end his “malicious” schemes against Arab countries.

    In the past few days, many Arabs took to social media and other platforms to condemn Erdogan’s latest offensive remarks and veiled threats against their countries.

    They were responding to statements by Erdogan, who on October 1 told Turkish lawmakers, “Some countries in our region did not exist yesterday, and they may not exist in the future, but God willing, we will continue to raise our flag in this region forever.” He was apparently referring to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and other Gulf countries.

    The Turkish president was speaking at the opening of the 27th legislative session of his country’s parliament. Commenting on the death of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Erdogan said, “He [The Emir of Kuwait] was “a different, rational and wise leader, unlike the rulers of some countries in the region, whose rulings do not correspond to reason, logic and fairness.”

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16608/erdogan-declares-war-on-arabs

  20. Locals Skeptical as Chinese Authorities Claim No New Virus Cases, Issue Strict Containment Measures
    By Nicole Hao
    October 15, 2020 Updated: October 15, 2020
    Print

    Authorities at the epicenter of China’s latest COVID-19 outbreak claimed on Oct. 15 that they have found no new infections after testing 8.8 million residents.

    But local residents expressed skepticism, as Beijing dispatched medical experts to the coastal city of Qingdao on Oct. 14 and two officials were dismissed for mishandling the outbreak.

    Beijing city ordered on Oct. 14 that Qingdao residents should avoid visiting the capital in coming days. Anyone who wishes to visit must present a negative nucleic acid test result from within the previous seven days, as well as an app-generated health QR code that is green—which means the person is free of the virus.

    “I don’t believe the scale of the outbreak that authorities announced. I don’t trust the test kits’ quality and accuracy,” a Qingdao resident surnamed Tai said in a recent phone interview. Fearing reprisals for speaking to foreign media, Tai chose to only identify himself by his last name.

    “The situation in China is that government officials will be dismissed once they report more infections. They underreport the scale and quarantine the people who might be infected.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-authorities-claim-no-new-cases-as-they-issue-strict-virus-containment-measures-locals-skeptical_3540830.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2020-10-16

  21. Hunter Biden demanded Chinese billionaire pay $10 million for ‘introductions alone,’ emails show

    Hunter Biden was receiving a $10 million annual fee from a Chinese billionaire who has been accused of corruption and with whom he sought to increase the cash flow with a joint business ownership, an August 2017 email from Mr. Biden shows.

    The money was for “introductions alone,” said Mr. Biden, son of Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden. Another email to Hunter Biden from a consultant says that a 10% stake in an unnamed company will go to “the big guy?” The “big guy” was not identified.

    Hunter Biden hooked up with the billionaire, Ye Jianming, chairman of the CEFC China Energy Co. conglomerate, during his father’s vice presidency.

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/15/hunter-biden-demanded-chinese-billionaire-pay-10-m/