Reader’s Links for October 28, 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

111 Replies to “Reader’s Links for October 28, 2020”

  1. Dorsey Just Lied To Congress And Claimed Twitter Never Censored President Donald Trump
    OCTOBER 28, 2020 By Jordan Davidson
    Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey lied to Congress on Tuesday during a Senate hearing focused on Big Tech’s content moderation policies when he claimed that his social media company has never censored President Donald Trump.

    “Just to be clear, we have not censored the president,” Dorsey said in response to Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. “We have not taken the tweets down that you’re referencing. We have added context with a label and we do the same for leaders around the world.”

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/28/dorsey-just-lied-to-congress-and-claimed-twitter-never-censored-president-donald-trump/#.X5mq9vDiRtg.twitter

  2. The Mobilization of the Mob

    Ready or not, here they come. The ground troops of the anti-Donald Trump resistance aren’t just biding their time until Election Day for Hidin’ Joe Biden. Hell no. They’re making their direct action checklists and checking them twice. They’re training for instigating.

    No matter the outcome at the ballot box, the left-wing mob is prepared to disrupt and destroy nationwide in the name of preserving “democracy.”

    Four weeks ago, I exposed the pot-bangers and lawn-crashers of the Sunrise Movement. That’s the constantly morphing, full-time front group for the Sierra Club that nurtures rent-a-rioters to agitate for everything from the “Green New Deal,” to Black Lives Matter and the “defund the police” movement, to the attacks at private homes of Senate Republicans — who just delivered the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Another key social justice player, ShutDown D.C., is teaming with Sunrise Movement guerilla warriors to mobilize students, community organizers and even federal employees to take to the streets on Nov. 3.

    http://www.theconservativeinsider.com/the-mobilization-of-the-mob/?roi=echo3-63321306529-56708817-fce5849ab13ef08e97b0826d6eab55e7

  3. Cook Political Report editor: Time to ‘sound the alarm’ on Biden’s likely victory
    Could Trump defy the polls for a second time?

    t’s time to “sound the alarm” that Joe Biden is likely to be the next president of the United States, said Dave Wasserman, US House editor for Cook Political Report, on Tuesday.
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    Wasserman was one of the few political commentators who correctly forecasted President Trump’s victory in 2016, writing in FiveThirtyEight two months before the last election that there is an “unusually high chance Donald Trump could win the Electoral College while losing the popular vote.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cook-political-report-biden-victory

  4. Dave Rubin interviews Joe Collins, who is running for Maxine Waters’s seat and has come out with a Kim Kasich style ad:

    Revealing the Corruption of Maxine Waters | Joe Collins | POLITICS | Rubin Report

  5. FRANCE – Vienne ( near Lyon ) OCTOBER 28 2020

    Turkish protesters in the Armenian district

  6. Moroccan Prison Guard Killed by IS-Linked Inmate
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/10/28/morocco-prison-guard-killed/

    “A Moroccan prison guard was killed by an inmate who was in jail for belonging to a militant cell linked to the Islamic State group, prosecutors said Wednesday.

    The detainee on Tuesday “took captive an employee in his cell and assaulted him with a metal object” at Tiflet prison on the outskirts of the capital Rabat, they said in a statement.

    “A rapid intervention unit was deployed to free the employee” but the officer was declared dead of his injuries in hospital, it added.

    Three other prison staff were wounded in the incident. The fate of the inmate was not reported.

    The prosecutor’s office said it had “ordered the judicial police to open a careful investigation to determine legal responsibility.”

    The detainee had been arrested in September near Rabat in an operation to dismantle an IS-linked cell…”

  7. Top Judge Brands Sanctions on Iran, Syria as Crime against Humanity
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/28/2378638/top-judge-brands-sanctions-on-iran-syria-as-crime-against-humanity

    “Iran’s Judiciary Chief Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi slammed the cruel sanctions imposed on the Iranian and Syria people as a crime against humanity.

    In a meeting with Syria’s outgoing ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday, Raeisi denounced the harsh economic and psychological war that the enemies have waged against people of Syria.

    “The cruelty of the enemy which has imposed sanctions even on vital goods needed by the Syrian and Iranian people is definitely a crime against humanity,” the Judiciary chief stated.

    He further underscored that the economic war has failed to force Iran or Syria to surrender, saying such hostile plots have only brought more disgrace on the enemies and strengthened the resistance.

    Describing resistance as the best and most effective strategy in the region, Raeisi underlined that active resistance will result in the liberation of not only the Golan Heights, but the whole occupied territories.

    In June, the US State Department and the Treasury said 39 Syrian individuals, including President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, had been designated for a load of new economic and travel sanctions.

    The law, known as the Caesar Act, places anyone who does business with the 39 named individuals and government entities in the cross hairs of the US Treasury.

    Iran had condemned the US sanctions against Syria as an act of economic terrorism that threatens the lives of innocent civilians.”

  8. Iran Denies Report of Spy Swap with US
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/10/28/2378695/iran-denies-report-of-spy-swap-with-us

    “Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed reports about the exchange of spies between Tehran and Washington.

    In an interview with ICANA on Wednesday, Zarif said the stories about an exchange of spies between Iran and the United States are totally false.

    He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran has already proposed the idea of exchange of all Iranian and American prisoners in all parts of the world.

    However, Zarif added, “the issue of bargain over two arrested spies with the US is a complete lie.”

    “We have put forward a suggestion for the comprehensive exchange of prisoners of the two sides. We have inmates held in various countries on the US’ orders, and have prisoners inside the US as well. We have people in the United States of America that have even served their illegal sentences, but the Americans prevent their return to Iran,” he deplored.

    In June, Iranian scientist and university professor Sirous Asgari returned home after his release from a US prison.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry later denied reports about a prisoner swap in the release of Asgari, saying the Iranian scientist was freed after being acquitted of charges.”

  9. Arab Coalition Destroys 2 Houthi Ballistic Missiles, 6 Drones Fired at Saudi Arabia
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2591531/arab-coalition-destroys-2-houthi-ballistic-missiles-6-drones-fired-saudi-arabia

    “The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi militias at Saudi Arabia.

    It said one missile was fired at the southwestern region of Jazan and the other at Najran.

    It accused the terrorist Houthis of deliberately targeting civilian locations.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the coalition destroyed six armed drones fired by the militias towards the Kingdom.

    Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki accused the Houthis of deliberately launching the aircraft at civilian locations in southern regions of the Kingdom.

    He slammed the Houthis and their backers for continuing to commit these terrorist acts, describing them as violations of international humanitarian law.

    These acts also reflect the Houthis’ aggressive terrorist approach through the use of drones against civilians, he added.

    It also reflects their despair in wake of their major losses on the ground in Yemen’s Marib and al-Jawf, he stated.

    He vowed that the coalition will hold to account the parties that plan and carry out such terrorist acts.”

  10. 3 Ethiopians held in connection with Ghulamah Mountain blaze
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/599716/SAUDI-ARABIA/3-Ethiopians-held-in-connection-with-Ghulamah-Mountain-blaze

    “Three Ethiopian infiltrators have been arrested in connection with the massive fire that broke out last week on Jabal Ghulamah or Ghulamah Mountain in Tanuma governorate in the southern Asir region, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

    The security spokesman at the Ministry of Interior said that the infiltrators set fire to the area following disputes between them, and they fled the site after the outbreak of the fire.

    The mountain blaze resulted in the burning of large numbers of wild plants on a vast region spread over an area of more than 4.7 million square meters…”

  11. Tucker: Hunter Biden documents suddenly vanish

    Tucker Carlson claims documents his team sent through a mail service regarding Hunter Biden suddenly went missing.

  12. Syria and Iraq among deadliest countries for journalists
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-iraq-among-deadliest-countries-journalists-report

    “Syria and Iraq remain among the worst places in the world for journalists, as each has more than 20 unsolved murders of news gatherers, according to a report.

    The analysis, released on Wednesday by the New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ranks the 10 countries with the biggest numbers of unsolved murders of journalists. This year, little has changed within the upper half of the rankings.

    Somalia, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan remained in the top four spots, in that order, for the fourth year in a row.

    “Incremental progress toward reducing the murders of journalists worldwide is fragile and could be thwarted by legal appeals and lack of political leadership, CPJ found in its latest report on impunity in retaliatory media killings,” the group said.

    The CPJ based the rankings on the number of journalists slain over the past decade.

    Since it began reporting on the killings of reporters internationally in 1992, the organisation has recorded 1,386 murders, and also found that 1,772 reporters have been imprisoned.

    In Syria, hundreds of media workers have been killed by government forces, militant groups and other parties since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011.

    Many media professionals are afraid to report on the risks and attacks they are exposed to for fear of losing their jobs or being subjected to domestic reprisals…”

  13. France dissolves Muslim NGO BarakaCity
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/france-barakacity-muslim-ngo-dissolution-crackdown

    “The French government dissolved on Wednesday French Muslim charity BarakaCity, government officials said, amid high tensions in the country following the murder of a teacher earlier this month.

    French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed on Twitter that the NGO was shut down during a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday.

    Darmanin justified the move over the NGO’s alleged ties to the “radical Islamist movement” and its “revelling in justifying terrorist acts” – accusations BarakaCity has rejected.

    Details outlined in the decree shared by Darmanin accused BarakaCity and its founder Idriss Sihamedi of “disseminating…hateful, discriminatory and violent ideas” via its social media accounts.

    The decree also brought up a 2016 televised interview in which Sihamedi declined to condemn the Islamic State (IS).

    BarakaCity, which operates in at least 26 countries, said it was banned following years of “slander and appalling lies”.

    “The attached decree is a web of lies, and many of these claims have already been refuted by your intelligence agencies which proceeded to dismiss them!,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.

    “The dissolution is based on defamation, we will fight until the end.”

    Sihamedi also took to Twitter to address Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and request asylum for himself and his staff, who he said had received death threats.

    “We are taking the last measures in France (even if they are slim) and are doing everything we can to move our headquarters to a country that respects Muslims and vulnerable people,” he added.

    The decision to ban BarakaCity comes as French authorities have launched a crackdown following the murder of Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee after showing his students a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of expression.

    In addition to arrests, Darmanin and other French officials had announced plans to dissolve a number of organisations suspected of supporting Islamic State-like ideologies.

    A number of French legal experts had cautioned last week that calls to dissolve such organisations would likely face legal challenges.

    Speaking to France Inter radio on 20 October, legal expert on public freedoms Nicolas Hervieu cautioned that despite the “race” to announce firm measures, many such decisions could end up being contested in front of the State Council if they did not go through due process.

    “We cannot dissolve an association simply because we don’t agree with its opinions,” he said. “A simple political animosity does not suffice. There has to be clear and direct calls for violence, hatred and discrimination, and not in an indirect manner or by links here and there.”

    Anger has risen in a number of Arab and Muslim-majority countries over the measures taken by France in the wake of the 16 October attack, as Erdogan has led calls for a boycott of French products.”

  14. Living in a sea of red: Muslims in Lehigh Valley fear four more years of Trump
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/living-sea-red-muslims-lehigh-valley-fear-return-trump

    “In the Lehigh Valley, one of the few districts of eastern Pennsylvania that escaped a sea of Republican red in 2016, a continuation of a Donald Trump presidency is not just conceivable, it’s entirely plausible.

    Though Allentown, a one-time manufacturing hub near the New Jersey border, has remained Democratic for the past 20 years, many of the surrounding counties, including Bucks, Schuylkill and Carbon, have become Republican strongholds.

    And according to the town’s Muslim residents, there is little to suggest that this election will be any different.

    “This is a volatile time, there is an air of hatred and violence and quite frankly I am worried about a culture of hostility spreading across the valley,” Hasshan Batts told Middle East Eye.

    “President Donald Trump has woken something in people and made it acceptable for hatred to reign; more important to me is to see people stand up and stick up for humanity and compassion.”

    Like many Muslims in the Lehigh Valley, a county considered a pivotal part of the race to the White House, the 45-year-old executive director of non-profit Promise Neighbourhoods, speaking in his personal capacity, said he was hopeful that Trump would lose the election, but added that the fear felt by those in the area extends beyond the man as president.

    “This is about the people who have elected him. Trump is one man. Even if he goes, what about everyone who supported him?” Batts asked rhetorically.

    Since becoming president, Trump has instituted different iterations of a travel ban on a series of Muslim-majority countries, has presided over some of the worst abuse of migrants and refugees on the US-Mexico border, has vilified Representative Ilhan Omar, among others, and has emboldened and refused to condemn white supremacy.

    “What has always struck me about him is his continuous misogny and hateful remarks about women. I can’t accept that,” said Sarah Baig, a 20-year-old student from Allentown.

    On the foreign policy front, Trump has fraternised with authoritarians including Brazil’s President Jair Bolsanaro and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and almost erased the Palestinians in a set of new deals in the Middle East.

    In 2020, his poor handling and mixed messaging during the Covid-19 pandemic has left more than 220,000 Americans dead, a majority of whom were people of colour.

    His time in office has also ushered in a 16-year-high in hate crimes across the US and left the country bruised and immensely polarised.

    According to the 2018 census, there are 369,000 people in the Lehigh Valley, with more than 82 percent of its residents being white. In Allentown, bouts of racist incidents have loomed large for people of colour and Muslims who live there.

    “I can say that it has become more hostile and scarier than before. It is not shocking because as a Black Muslim woman, the microagressions have always been there,” said Amaris R, a 20-year-old student from Allentown now studying in New Jersey.

    As a swing state, Pennsylvania is considered an integral part in the race to the White House.

    In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by just 0.7 percentage points or 44,292 votes. A series of strategists and analysts predict that the winner of the state this time will have an 80 percent chance of winning the presidency.

    Others say that this part of Pennsylvania is so important that whoever wins the Lehigh Valley’s neighbouring Northampton county usually wins the election.

    Whereas Philadelphia, Pittsburgh as well as the Lehigh Valley were among the counties that went to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and it is possible that it will remain marginally Democrat this time around too, Muslims, who make up about 5,000 of the community, aren’t taking any chances.

    “There is a lot mistrust towards Muslims, towards Black people, towards Latinx folks. And when we say we are in pain, when we say we are facing prejudice and discrimination, white people don’t believe it because they just don’t experience it,” Batts says.

    Across large swathes of rural eastern Pennsylvania, Trump signs are displayed on store fronts, hanging as flags from light poles, and affixed as placards on lawns outside homes, farms and warehouses.

    For many people of colour in Allentown, including Muslims, the spike in open support has raised the spectre of a second Trump presidency.

    “At the very least, more people seem more comfortable expressing support for him than they did four years ago,” Batts said.

    “Trump has brought out many of the hidden thoughts of people through his hate speech, which encourages political violence. At the end of the day, Donald Trump is the accelerant and the reason we can see such aggressive and violent political ideals,” said Nadira Kaleem, a 20-year-old student from Allentown.

    Though many Muslims aren’t particularly excited by the prospect of a Biden presidency, most are expected to vote for him, in a bid to get Trump out of office.

    Community organisers in the Lehigh Valley, like in some other parts of the country, lament the Democratic Party’s outreach to Muslim communities and even the larger Democratic electorate, pointing to the fact that ahead of this election.

    Biden did not choose to visit the district, instead making stops in Bucks and Luzerne counties over the weekend.

    Since Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012, Democratic support in the Lehigh Valley has declined, though polls do show Trump trailing Biden.

    One Muslim restaurant owner, who asked not to be identified, said he felt as if he had no choice but to vote for Biden.

    “I do have reservations about Biden; we are in a two-party system and so everyone has reservations about who they are voting for,” said Amaris R.

    As a former manufacturing area of Pennsylvania, the working classes of Lehigh Valley have in recent years fallen on hard times.

    In 2019, the poverty rate in the district was 13 percent, almost three percentage points higher than the rest of the country.

    Whereas Trump has been typically linked to lower-educated, white working-class Americans, in the Lehigh Valley many have begun to notice the number of signs supporting the president popping up outside bigger houses in more affluent suburbs as well.

    “These are physicians, nurses, professionals who are supporting Trump, despite knowing what he has done with Covid-19, for example, and despite knowing everything that has happened over the past four years,” said Mirza Baig, Sarah’s father and president of the Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley.

    Baig recalls that in September he had noticed one of his neighbours put up a Trump sign outside his home. He responded with a Biden sign. The next day Trump signs popped up across the neighbourhood. “Every one of them. It was surprising. These are all well-educated people,” Baig said.

    “Something has changed. When September 11 happened, we saw nothing like this. But now, we wonder if they were holding themselves back then, because clearly they want to show how they really feel, and how they see us, too.

    “Inherently, they feel that the immigrants have taken over. It is bringing out the white supremacist values in them. The people around us have been taxed more under Trump, so it can’t be the economy. They support him for some other reason,” he added.

    Baig says that part of the reason Trump signs dominate the landscape is because of the reluctance of persons of colour and Muslims to demonstrate support for Biden.

    “Some are actually in shock that they are surrounded by rednecks,” he added…”

    • the conservative tree house Tucker Carlson: Bobulinski Documents Intercepted and Removed From Overnight Package….

      Tucker Carlson revealed this evening that someone intercepted an envelope containing documents of evidence supporting the claims by Tony Bobulinski. The documents were mailed by a “well known overnight transport” company and mysteriously were removed in transit from New York to LA. I have a hunch what happened….

      I review this story from a position that I cannot fully explain. However, I have personal experience -recent experience- with a similar and rather unusual situation that cannot be explained by any method other than DHS surveillance. So here’s what I think took place.

      The package, likely a Fed-X delivery, was intercepted by FBI agents using mechanisms for tracking and surveillance that open targeting through portals connected to DHS.

      As an outcome of the U.S. Patriot Act, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security has an agreement in place with mail shipping companies, public/private services, that essentially allows them a portal to track all in-state and interstate mail deliveries.

      The FBI has access to this data network in the same way the FBI has access to federal transportation records. Just like when you book a flight and DHS portals are open that allow FBI to track your movements domestically. This type of portal is also accessed in private company transportation like Uber, Lyft etc. DHS, and as a consequence the FBI, can easily track your whereabouts.

      Without much hesitation I will bet the FBI was monitoring the communication of Bobulinski, and by extension the entire Tucker Carlson production network. Once the shipment was known to be taking place, the DHS portals are opened; the package is tracked; and the FBI moves in to intercept the delivery.

      The transport company doesn’t need to be participating because they are essentially unneeded. Their system network is connected to the FBI.

      That’s the likely scenario.

      Wanna bet?

      https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/10/28/tucker-carlson-bobulinski-documents-intercepted-and-removed-from-overnight-package/

  15. Iraq Kurdistan region thwarts attack by PKK on foreign diplomats
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201028-iraq-kurdistan-region-thwarts-attack-by-pkk-on-foreign-diplomats/

    “Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq said they foiled a planned attack by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) against foreign diplomats in the autonomous region.

    “Two specific sets of planned attacks, including one set by the PKK, were uncovered and prevented through the close coordination of police, security, intelligence and counter-terrorism officials across the Kurdistan Region,” the region’s security council said in a statement.

    At least 12 suspects with links to the PKK, as well as a number of other persons of interest planned to attack a foreign diplomatic mission in Erbil; assassinate members of that foreign mission; and carry out attacks on private companies from that country operating in the Kurdistan Region, the statement explained.

    The suspects also planned an attack on a major western brand in Kurdistan, the statement said, explaining that the Kurdish security forces intercepted the suspects and carried out several arrests including of two Syrian nationals.

    The PKK is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, European Union and Turkey.”

  16. Microsoft detects cyberattacks from Iran-linked actor engaged in intelligence collection
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-cyber-iran/microsoft-detects-cyberattacks-from-iran-linked-actor-engaged-in-intelligence-collection-idUSKBN27E01S

    “Microsoft Corp MSFT.O said on Wednesday that it detected and attempted to stop a series of cyberattacks from Phosphorus, which the company described as an ‘Iranian actor’, with the attacks aimed to target over 100 high-profile individuals.

    “Phosphorus, an Iranian actor, has targeted with this scheme potential attendees of the upcoming Munich Security Conference and the Think 20 (T20) Summit in Saudi Arabia”, Microsoft said in a blog bit.ly/2HHrz0Q, adding it believed Phosphorus is engaging in these attacks for intelligence collection purposes.”

  17. Two sentenced to death in Mali over hotel, restaurant attacks
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-security/two-sentenced-to-death-in-mali-over-hotel-restaurant-attacks-idUSKBN27D2T7

    “A Malian court handed a death sentence to a suspected jihadist and his co-defendant on Wednesday, his lawyer said, after he pleaded guilty to shooting five people to death in a 2015 attack and planning two other attacks targeting Westerners that killed 37…”

  18. See No Evil: Europe Supports Genocidal Regime in Iran

    Swiss and German economic deals might be aiding Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program…. The Swiss firm Ceresola TLS reached an agreement [in 2010] with the Rahab Engineering Establishment in Iran to deliver tunneling technology as part of a subway project. This is precisely the type of heavy earth-moving equipment Iran’s rulers need to burrow away nuclear facilities underground, as the regime did with the Qom and Natanz nuclear enrichment plants.

    The German company Krempel delivered to two Iranian companies insulating pressboards that were incorporated into Iranian missiles armed with chemical warheads, which were used by the Syrian regime in a chlorine gas attack in January 2018. The attack resulted in 21 injuries, including six children.

    The Association of Iranian Banks in Europe wrote in July: “45 percent of the EU exports to Iran came from Germany, which delivered goods worth 555 million Euro, with an increase of 31 percent compared to last year.”

    Europe’s most powerful economic engine, Germany, and the rest of the EU have sadly opted to align themselves with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the pressing issues of Iran’s nuclear program, and its stomach-turning human rights record.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16697/europe-iran-regime

  19. Kuwait: Egyptian man stabs woman after mistaking her for ex-wife
    https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-egyptian-man-stabs-woman-after-mistaking-her-for-ex-wife-1.74880303

    “An Egyptian man, working in Kuwait, has stabbed a woman compatriot in the street in the Gulf country, mistaking her for his ex-wife, a newspaper reported Sunday.

    The 32-year-old man stopped the victim who was on her way to visit her husband at a Kuwaiti hospital and stabbed her three times in the face, Al Anba reported, citing a security source.

    In investigations, the attacker admitted that it was the first time he saw the victim and that he had mistaken her for his ex-wife because the victim was driving a car similar to his ex-wife and wore a hijab veil that also looked like that of his ex-wife, according to the report.

    The 27-year-old victim was hospitalised and underwent several face operations, the source said. She is reported to be in stable condition.

    “Intensive investigations will be conducted with the accused to reveal the whole truth. He should also explain why he had a knife inside his car,” the source said.

    The assailant will be referred to public prosecution on charges of attempted murder.”

  20. Morocco Arrests Suspect Near Oujda for Facilitating Irregular Migration
    https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/10/323998/morocco-arrests-suspect-near-oujda-for-facilitating-irregular-migration/

    “Morocco’s police arrested on Wednesday a man for his alleged links with a network active in the organization of irregular migration in Saidia, a city near Oujda.

    Security services arrested the suspect, 30, while he was trying to transport maritime navigation equipment from a tourist complex, aboard a vehicle bound for a coastal area in Saidia.

    Eleven Moroccan candidates for irregular migration accompanied the suspect.

    The would-be irregular migrants were aged between 18 and 48, a statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said.

    DGSN said the arrest was in collaboration with the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

    Searches enabled police to seize an inflatable boat, a marine engine, eight oars, an air pump, 13 life jackets, nine liters of engine oil, and eight plastic drums containing 200 liters of fuel, DGSN announced.

    Police put the suspect and would-be irregular migrants in custody for further investigation to determine the circumstances of the case and to identify possible international ramifications of the criminal network…”

  21. Pakistan rejects Delhi’s terror mantra in joint US-India statement
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270263/pakistan-rejects-delhis-terror-mantra-in-joint-us-india-statement

    “Pakistan has strongly rejected a reference to Pakistan in the joint statement issued by India and the United States after their 2+2 ministerial dialogue as “unwarranted and misleading”.

    The US and India had signed a pact to share sensitive satellite and map data on Tuesday, prompting quick warning from Pakistan that the agreement will have serious repercussions for peace and stability in South Asia.

    The annual US-India strategic dialogue was held at a time of heightened tension in the region, with Indian troops confronting Chinese forces on their disputed Himalayan border and deteriorating ties between arch rivals in the region.

    In a joint statement issued after the talks held in New Delhi, Indian ministers – Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh – “called on Pakistan to take immediate, sustained and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist attacks, and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators and planners of all such attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai, Uri, and Pathankot”.

    “We reject the Pakistan-specific reference in the joint statement, issued by India and the US after their 2+2 ministerial dialogue, as unwarranted and misleading,” the Foreign Office said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

    “We take strong exception to Pakistan-related assertions made in the selective and one-sided joint statement, devoid of meeting the ‘objectivity criteria’. Failing to take cognisance of the grave humanitarian and human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), further aggravated by India’s unilateral and illegal measures of 5 August 2019, is tantamount to abdication of international responsibility,” it maintained.

    Gratuitous and self-serving references in joint statements cannot mask the fact that it is India that continues to be the nerve centre of state-terrorism in the region including Occupied Kashmir, besides being a safe haven for the perpetrators of hate crimes against Muslims and Islamophobia, said the foreign office.

    By seeking to project itself as ‘victim’ of terrorism, India cannot divert attention from the gross human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces and the resulting humanitarian crisis in IIOJK, it added.

    The international community recognises Pakistan’s efforts, sacrifices and success in the fight against terrorism. As a country that has suffered the most from cross-border terrorism, Pakistan would continue to contribute constructively to regional and global efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.

    It is important that partner countries take an objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing positions that are one-sided and divorced from ground realities, the FO stressed.”

  22. PM Imran urges Muslim leaders to ‘act collectively to counter Islamophobia’ in Europe
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2270248/pm-imran-urges-muslim-leaders-to-act-collectively-to-counter-islamophobia-in-europe

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan has written letters to heads Muslim states urging them to “act collectively” and counter the growth of Islamophobia in non-Muslim countries, especially in European nations.

    Anger has grown in the Muslim world over remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron in a row over blasphemous cartoons. The dispute has its roots in a knife attack outside a French school on Oct. 16 in which a man of Chechen origin beheaded Samuel Paty, a teacher who had shown pupils the cartoons in a civics lesson on freedom of speech.

    France has allowed displays of the cartoons. Macron paid tribute to Paty, describing him as a “quiet hero” dedicated to instilling the democratic values of the French Republic in his pupils.

    “Today, we are confronting a growing concern and restlessness amongst our Ummah as they see the rising tide of Islamophobia and attacks, through ridicule and mockery on our beloved Prophet (PBUH) in the Western world, especially Europe. The recent statements at the leadership level and incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran are a reflection of this increasing Islamophobia that is spreading in European countries where sizeable Muslim populations reside,” said the premier in his letter.

    He further said that in Europe, mosques are being closed, Muslim women are being denied their right to wear clothing of their choice and covert and overt discrimination against Muslim populations is widespread.

    “I believe the leadership in these countries, often acts out of lack of understanding of the intrinsic deep passion, love and devotion Muslims all over the world have for their Prophet (PBUH) and their divine book the Holy Quran.”

    The prime minister said a dangerous cycle of “actions and reactions” has been set in motion, with Muslims reacting to “hurtful actions” against their faith, resulting in further “discriminatory actions by governments against Muslim populations in their states, resulting in the marginalization of Muslims and the creating of space for radical, far-right groups to exploit the situation”.

    Imran elaborated that such marginalization leads to “radicalization and this vicious cycle continues to create increasing space for extremists on all sides”.

    Urging Muslim leaders to take the lead in “breaking this cycle of hate and extremism”, the premier said leaders of Muslim states must take the initiative to call for an end to this cycle of hate and violence.

    He further asked other Muslim leaders to collectively raise their voice and explain to leaders of European states that Muslims hold their faith in “deep-seated reverence and love”.

    “We must explain to the Western world that value systems differ for different social and religious and ethnic groups in the world. For Europeans and the Jews the Holocaust, which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom, has led to many Western, especially European states, to criminalizing any act of criticism or questioning of the Holocaust. We understand and respect that. However, there has to be an understanding by the Western world of giving a similar respect to Muslims, who have also seen their people killed in mass numbers from Bosnia to Iraq to Afghanistan, to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.”

    Imran said the pain is the greatest when Muslims see attacks on their faith through “mockery, ridicule and even abuse”.

    “The time has come for the leaders of the Muslim world to take this message with clarity and unity to the rest of the world, especially the Western world so an end is put to Islamophobia and attacks on Islam and our Prophet PBUH.””

  23. Armenian parliament changes law to form militias
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/azerbaijan-front-line/armenian-parliament-changes-law-to-form-militias/2022806

    “The Armenian parliament Wednesday adopted amendments in the law that allow the government to form a “people’s militia” from recruited civilians and confiscate assets in case of need.

    Militia groups should be formed according to the territorial principle and they report to the heads of the local administration, according to a new reading of the law, the parliament’s press service said in a statement.

    The main task of the militias will be assisting “forces during martial law,” it said.

    The groups will be provided uniforms, weapons and will be trained in military camps.

    Assets can be expropriated upon a Defense Ministry request on condition of further retributions from the government that will repay damages.

    In late September, Armenia declared martial law following a new escalation in the Upper Karabakh region.

    Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

    Four UN Security Council resolutions and two from the UN General Assembly, as well as international organizations, demand the “immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces” from the Azerbaijani territory.

    About 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory – including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions – has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

    World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have called for a new cease-fire.

    Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku’s right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia’s occupying forces.”

  24. Pakistan seeks to ‘control digital media’ amid anti-government protests
    https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-seeks-to-control-digital-media-amid-anti-government-protests/a-55422291

    “Representatives of tech companies and human rights groups and civil society have expressed concerns over the Pakistani government’s plan to access users’ data and remove “objectionable” digital material. S Khan reports.

    Pakistani authorities earlier this month approved a draft policy, called the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 or the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), triggering a backlash from rights groups and tech companies.

    Critics say that Prime Minister Imran Khan is seeking to control the digital space to prevent criticism against his government and the country’s powerful military.

    The Asia Internet Coalition, an association of leading internet and technology companies, wrote a letter to PM Khan on October 6, expressing its concern over his government’s measures. The coalition includes companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Expedia Group, Facebook, Google, SAP, Grab, LinkedIn, LINE, Rakuten, Twitter, Yahoo (Verizon Media) and Booking.com.

    Although the AIC complained about the lack of consultation on Islamabad’s digital policies, a report published by Dawn newspaper claims that the government also wants to gain access to users’ data apart from forcing the companies to shift their servers to Pakistan and remove “objectionable” content within a specified time.

    Pakistan’s Minister for Information Technology, Syed Amin ul Haq, told DW that Pakistan is an emerging market for digital business and that the government would not do anything to hamper its growth.

    “It is not true that stakeholders were not taken into confidence over the policy. We formed a committee in February to consult with all stakeholders. In September, the policy was approved by the Law and Justice Ministry, and by the Cabinet on October 6,” Haq said.

    A violation of fundamental rights
    “The policy seeks to remove provocative, anti-state, anti-army, anti-judiciary, obscene contents and hate materials. The companies will be required to appoint a focal person three months after the policy comes into force because we need to talk to someone if we have any complaint. Also, any company with more than 500,000 users must get itself registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority,” Haq explained.

    Opposition parties and civil society organizations say the government’s new digital policy is aimed at muzzling dissenting voices.

    “We believe the government would use it to block (former prime minister) Nawaz Sharif speeches. It is alarming that the authorities are bent on violating citizens’ fundamental rights,” Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, an opposition politician belonging to Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, told DW.

    Khan said the government is signatory to many international agreements that guarantee the freedom of expression and privacy of individuals. “Does the government want to send a message to the international community that it is ready to violate these agreements? If it is the case, Pakistan will have to face consequences.”

    Nighat Dad, executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation, says she will stop using social media if the servers are shifted to Pakistan. “Because I won’t be sure in what way my data would be used. The localization of servers is possible in countries where the data protection regime is very strong. I do not think it is the case in our country where malwares were used in 2011 to spy on people’s data,” she told DW.

    Social media momentum against the government
    Opposition against Imran Khan’s government and the military is growing in Pakistan. An alliance of opposition parties are holding anti-government rallies across the country, with former PM Sharif making fiery speeches from the UK, where he is currently in exile.

    Sharif’s speeches are banned on mainstream media channels, although they are making rounds on social media all over the country.

    “The government has controlled all local channels and newspapers, but it is still being criticized on social media. That is why the authorities want to control the digital media,” Asad Butt of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan told DW.

    M. Zia Uddin, a Pakistani journalist, says that big tech companies are unlikely to shift their servers to Pakistan. “Pakistani businesses benefit from the presence of high-tech companies. If the government pushes them against the wall, they might pull out their businesses, which would harm the country’s economy,” he told DW.

    ‘Fake news’ and ‘campaign against the army’
    Amjad Shoaib, a retired army general and defense analyst, says the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 would stop people from carrying out smear campaigns on social media against army generals and state institutions.

    “A social media user accused me of acquiring land illegally, which is a completely baseless claim. Similarly, I also read on social media that two generals who opposed the army chief were detained. Again, fake news. Other countries censor this kind of content, so why shouldn’t Pakistan do the same?” Shoaib said.

    The ex-general also slammed those who are opposing the shifting of servers to Pakistan. “They did it in India and the US. Why can’t they do it for Pakistan as well?””

  25. DAILY MAIL – Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg comes under fire as he tells Republican senators his platform ‘throttled’ users trying to post Hunter Biden revelations because ‘FBI warned Russia was spreading disinformation’

    Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg defended Wednesday Facebook limiting the reach of the New York Post article revealing contents of Hunter Biden’s hard drive

    Zuckerberg said the FBI warned him, and other Big Tech CEOs, of major ‘hack-and-leak’ misinformation campaigns ahead of the election

    ‘One of the threats that the FBI has alerted… was the possibility of a hack and leak operation in the days or weeks leading up to this election,’ Zuckerberg said.

    The Facebook CEO said the bureau did not specifically warn of the Post article

    He said they have seen an influx in disinformation campaigns ahead of Election Day from Russia, China, Iran and other domestic entities

    Mark Zuckerberg revealed Wednesday he was warned by the FBI to be on the lookout for the spread of ‘hack-and-leak’ disinformation, including ‘troves’ of documents, as the Facebook CEO defended his decision to limit the reach of the New York Post article revealing damaging contents of Hunter Biden’s emails.

    The Facebook chief executive told lawmakers during a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet that the bureau warned him ahead of time that these disinformation campaigns would be in influx ahead of Election Day.

    ‘One of the threats that the FBI has alerted our companies and the public to was the possibility of a hack and leak operation in the days or weeks leading up to this election,’ Zuckerberg said.

    ‘So you had both public testimony from from the FBI and in private meetings alerts that were given to at least our company, I assume the others as well, that suggested that we be on high alert and sensitivity that if a trove of documents appeared that that we should view that with suspicion that it might be part of a foreign manipulation attempt,’ he continued.

    Republican Senator Ron Johnson later pushed Zuckerberg on if the FBI contacted him regarding the New York Post story and its validity.

    ‘Did the FBI contact you and say the New York Post story was false?’ the Wisconsin senator asked

    ‘Senator, not about that story specifically,’ Zuckerberg admitted.

    ‘Why did you throttle it back?’ he asked.

    ‘They alerted us of a – to be on heightened alert around a risk of hack and leak operations around a release of trove of information,’ the Facebook founder said.

    ‘To be clear on this, we did not censor the content,’ he reiterated. ‘We flagged it for fact checkers to review, and pending that review we temporarily constrained its distribution to make sure it didn’t spread wildly while it was being reviewed.’

    He added, ‘But it’s not up to us either to determine if it’s Russian interference nor whether it’s true. We rely on the FBI and intelligence and fact checkers to determine that.’

    Zuckerberg appeared virtually, along with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, for a hearing regarding whether social media platforms and news distributors should still be protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

    This measure protects the tech companies from being held liable for content that users post. Some argue, however, that if websites continue to police what can be posted, they are no longer third-party and can therefore should be held liable for the content.

    They claim that it is needed to protect speech online.

    The hearing Wednesday also forced the three CEOs to face questions over how their respective platforms handle politics as Republicans continue to bash Big Tech for disproportionately censoring or stifling conservative voices.

    It also comes less than a week before the election and as Twitter and Facebook have faced intense backlash for blocking the spread of the New York Post story, which many questioned the validity of considering it revealed damaging information about Democratic Joe Biden so close to the election.

    Facebook argued it wanted to limit the spread of disinformation, as some of the claims in the article were unsubstantiated – even though the Post was citing directly from Hunter Biden’s hard drive, which was left at a computer repair shop.

    Zuckerberg claimed that the decision to lessen the spread was made as Facebook saw a rise in Russia, Iran and China attempting to use the social media platform to run disinformation campaigns just a weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

    ‘We also see continued attempts by Russia and other countries, especially Iran and China to run these kind of information operations,’ he told the panel Wednesday. ‘We also see an increase in, kind of, domestic operations around the world Fortunately, we’ve been able to build partnerships across the industry, noth with companies here today and with law enforcement and the intelligence community to be able to share signals to identify these threats sooner.’

    Facebook limited distribution of the Post’s main story, which had several offshoot stories from, while its outside fact-checkers reviewed the claims made in the article, spokesman Andy Stone said when the article was published two weeks ago.

    This meant that while it was under review, Facebook’s algorithms didn’t place posts linking to the story highly in people’s news feeds, which severely reduced the number of users who saw it during that time.

    The review did little to limit the spread the article, however, as the same day it was published the article was liked, shared or commented on almost 600,000 times on Facebook.

    Twitter took a much more aggressive approach to censoring the article by suspending accounts that posted it, and only allowing them back into their account after deleting the tweet containing the link.

    Dorsey also implemented shortly after the article was published earlier this month a measure that would block Twitter users completely form sharing the link in a post. Up until Wednesday afternoon, users were prompted with a screen claiming Twitter deemed the link ‘potentially harmful’ so they could not share it if they tried.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8890511/Zuckerberg-limited-spread-Hunter-Biden-revelations-FBI-warned-Russia-interferring.html

  26. Twitter censors hilarious ‘Weekend at Biden’s’ meme, creator speaks out

    The creator of the “Weekend at Biden’s” campaign ad has spoken against censorship after Twitter labeled the video as sensitive content.

    Nick Ward, who worked with “Say No To Joe PAC” to produce and create the video, spoke to The Post Millennial, saying that the video reached a million views in 48 hours before being labelled as “sensitive content” on Twitter.

    After its success on Twitter and YouTube, Ward said that the video was curbed, and soon after he received messages from viewers who said that they were unable to retweet the video.

    The original YouTube channel which uploaded the video is also omitted from Google’s search results. Searching “Weekend at Biden’s” will bring users to a re-uploaded video not associated with the “No to Joe PAC” YouTube channel.

    Ward believes that Twitter is intentionally capping videos that make Biden and his camp look bad, while promoting content that hurts the Republican Party.

    “It got marked as sensitive content, meanwhile, there was content promoted by Twitter showing Rudy Giuliani tucking his shirt in after taking a microphone out,” said Ward. “I admire Sacha Baron Cohen, but I think he has become more of an operative used to take down figures on a certain side of the aisle.”

    People were saying that they couldn’t share it, YouTube wouldn’t put it in their results. It got marked as sensitive content, meanwhile, content promoted by Twitter where Rudy Giuliani was putting a mic down his pants [in the Borat prank.]

    Ward spoke of the difficulty of casting the video, as actors were afraid that even appearing in a video that could be perceived as anti-Biden of pro-Trump would scare off potential cast.

    “This was actually hard to get made. Actors, people like that, telling me, ‘I like it and think its funny, but I can’t risk my career. I can’t go out and speak against Biden or appear to support the other side, and I might never work again.’ People said it was too risky for them.”

    Ward urged those on all sides of the political spectrum to take a moment and laugh at things that are supposed to be comedic.

    “Humor is a healing thing, and shining light on things that we’re not allowed to talk about is pretty healthy. I hope content like this can help bring us back together. I know people on both sides have been laughing at this. and to see that it gets censored.”

    https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-twitter-censors-hilarious-weekend-at-bidens-meme-creator-speaks-out

  27. Oh, the he11 NO!

    In stunning new findings released by the Dunning-Kruger Institute, Democrats were found to have added provisions to ban the Pledge of Allegiance, into the emergency aid package. The language, added by Pelosi and Schumer, was very clear of its intention:

    “The passing of this legislative package will also outlaw the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in all schools in the United States. This statute will go into effect immediately upon this bill’s passage. Anyone found guilty of reciting the Pledge will be charged with grand heresy, and punished by up to 10 years in a federal penitentiary and a fine of no less than $20,000.”

    https://anonmags.com/democrats-tried-to-slip-a-law-banning-pledge-of-allegiance-into-aid-package/

    Please ignore the ads..

  28. Man yells Allhuh Akhbar and attacks police with a knife in Avignon, France. Gets shot:
    https://www.europe1.fr/faits-divers/information-europe-1-avignon-un-homme-arme-dun-couteau-tue-par-la-police-4001930

    https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/status/1321764738381029382
    Police in Mecca, Saudi Arabia: one citizen arrested after attacking a guard at the French consulate with a sharp object.

    VIDEO
    https://twitter.com/kingslg/status/1321754081199730690
    Islamic terrorist who attacked the inside Nice Catholic Church in FRANCE is now arrested. He beheaded one woman and killed 2 others and left several other injured.

  29. Turks attempt to terrorize Armenians in Lyon
    https://freewestmedia.com/2020/10/29/turks-attempt-to-terrorize-armenians-in-lyon/

    Turks ‘search’ for Armenians in Lyon, France amid ethnic tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (VIDEOS)
    https://selangorexpress.com/world/turks-search-for-armenians-in-lyon-france-amid-ethnic-tensions-over-nagorno-karabakh-conflict-videos/

    Video shows Turkish and Azeri nationals ‘looking for Armenians’ in France
    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/video-shows-turkish-and-azeri-nationals-looking-for-armenians-in-france/ar-BB1aw1VZ?MSCC=1603455077