Reader’s links, January 3, 2021

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

45 Replies to “Reader’s links, January 3, 2021”

  1. “Gender dysphoria is characterised by a severe and persistent discomfort in one’s biological sex.

    It typically begins in early childhood, ages two to four, though it may grow more severe in adolescence.

    But in nearly 70 per cent of cases, childhood gender dysphoria resolves.

    Historically, it afflicted about 0.01 per cent of the population, and almost exclusively boys.
    Before 2012, there was no scientific literature on girls aged 11 to 21 ever having developed gender dysphoria.

    In the past decade, that has changed dramatically. ”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9106895/ABIGAIL-SHRIERS-investigation-exploding-numbers-girls-wanting-change-sex.html

    Childhood. To see parents as gods. To fixate on. To identify with. Latch onto for security in a random world. And forced tip toe around insecure egos.

    Communism, islam and Sexsquirrelity offer the angry way out. Antifamily cults – death is life -portrayed as good. Their new family now.

    Sheltering under the Biggest Lies in plain sight, is peace.
    https://youtu.be/K-FZWBuwTew

    A world that once welcomed children in, now see them as inconveniences or blank canvasses. And when the truth comes along, as sure as an American Election, the monkeys are going to tear it down.

    • “…before 2012, there was no scientific literature on girls…”

      How’s this for the power of suggestion?

      • More old news and another way Canadians have paid under Justine Trudeau.

        Justine Trudeau fired Psychologist Kennith Zucker, the head of the Gender Identity Clinic. A settlement, of more than a half million dollars, was reached with the former head of the Clinic.

        The Center for Addiction and Mental Health apologized to Zucker. and acknowledged that the external review erroneously described his interactions with patients and noted that their report was made public without his review or comment.

        Once again Trudeau knows more than anyone.

  2. Gunmen kill many Hazara Shia coal miners in southwest Pakistan (aljazeera, Jan 3, 2021)
    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/3/gunmen-kill-at-least-11-from-shia-minority-in-south-west-pakistan

    “Gunmen have opened fire on a group of minority Hazara Shia Muslim coal miners after abducting them, killing 11 in the southwestern Balochistan province, a Pakistani official has said.

    Moazzam Ali Jatoi, an official with the Levies Force which serves as police and paramilitary in the area, said the attack took place early on Sunday near the Mach coalfield, about 48km (30 miles) east of the provincial capital, Quetta.

    Jatoi said armed men took the coal miners to nearby mountains where they opened fire on them. He said six miners died on the spot and five others were critically wounded and died on the way to hospital.

    Jatoi said an initial investigation revealed the attackers identified the miners as belonging to the Hazara Shia community and took them away for execution, leaving others unharmed.

    Local television footage showed security troops surrounding a desolate mountainous area diverting traffic and guiding ambulances to pick up the bodies.

    Security forces were also seen spreading out in the mountains to search for the attackers.

    No group has immediately claimed responsibility but Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni hardline group, has targeted the minority Hazara community in Balochistan province in the past…”

    • “Hazaras are predominantly Shi’a Muslims, mostly of the Twelver sect with some Ismaili and Sunni Muslims. Since the majority of Afghans practice Sunni Islam, this may have contributed to the discrimination against the Hazaras.” -wiki

      “The term Twelver refers to its adherents’ belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi” – wiki

      CiS – Communism, islam and Sexuals. Anger has no greater fury than these femaled scorned

  3. Vatican Honors All Migrants ‘Displaced Like Jesus’ (breitbart, Jan 3, 2020)
    https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2021/01/03/vatican-honors-all-migrants-displaced-like-jesus/

    “The Vatican has urged greater attention to migrants in the new year, inviting the faithful to see them as people who have been “displaced like Jesus.”

    “One year ends, a new one begins, let’s walk again the path made with our brothers and sisters #DisplacedlikeJesus,” declared the Vatican’s office for Migrants and Refugees in a tweet Sunday.

    “Building the Kingdom of God is a commitment that all Christians share,” the message added, citing Pope Francis, and “it is necessary that we learn to collaborate.”

    In a video message embedded in the tweet, Pope Francis explains that he had chosen the theme “Forced like Jesus Christ to flee” for his message for the 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees to remind people of what Jesus experienced as a child “displaced and a refugee.”

    The pope’s message for 2020 declared that the tragedy of internally displaced people is “one of the challenges of our contemporary world, especially because of “situations of conflict and humanitarian emergencies, aggravated by climate change.”

    “I have decided to devote this Message to the drama of internally displaced persons, an often unseen tragedy that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated,” the pontiff noted, adding that the health crisis “has relegated to the bottom of national political agendas those urgent international efforts essential to saving lives.”

    During the flight into Egypt, “the child Jesus experienced with his parents the tragic fate of the displaced and refugees,” Francis said in his message, citing a 1952 text by Pope Pius XII, “which is marked by fear, uncertainty and unease.”

    “Unfortunately, in our own times, millions of families can identify with this sad reality. Almost every day the television and papers carry news of refugees fleeing from hunger, war and other grave dangers, in search of security and a dignified life for themselves and for their families,” Francis said.

    “In each of these people, forced to flee to safety, Jesus is present as he was at the time of Herod,” he continued. “In the faces of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers and prisoners, we are called to see the face of Christ who pleads with us to help.”

    “If we can recognize him in those faces, we will be the ones to thank him for having been able to meet, love and serve him in them,” he said.

    Two weeks ago, the Vatican insisted that a focus on the coronavirus pandemic must not draw people’s attention away from migrants.

    “The pandemic must not make us forget other dramatic situations, such as violence and abuses against migrants,” said Father Fabio Baggio, a Vatican official at the office for Migrants and Refugees.

    Commemorating the U.N.’s International Migrants Day Friday, Father Baggio said that “a whole series of dramas that existed before the pandemic are still there and some are even aggravated. Among these, there was also the tragedy of displaced persons, refugees, migrants who were raped or whose rights have been violated.”

    We need to overcome “the human instinct to focus on ourselves when we are faced with a dangerous situation” in order to “look beyond, to notice the situations of others.”

    This is a “temptation present in our world, understandable because it is part of our nature,” he said.

    “We are all in the same boat and no one can be left behind,” the Vatican official said. “Here we are all saved together.””

    • St. Peter’s Square has held more than 300,000 people. Good place for a refugee camp. Use the Egyptian obelisk sun god monument as a centre tent post.

  4. If a Dystopian family shows excessive numbers of cars in their driveway, do they get the same harsh treatment if all the cars are plugged in?

    Zerohedge, despite its misinformation agenda, has a huge reach:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/unmasked-canadian-police-bust-illegal-gathering-family-during-new-years

    If professional financial analysts are correct, Dystopia is increasing its money supply much faster than any other country in the world while simultaneously suppressing interest rates. This is a known mechanism to create inflation. Whether it creates hyperinflation depends on the degree to which each component is applied. The question remains: if it is a known mechanism to create hyperinflation, why are smart Canadian bankers and government economists going along with it? Perhaps they are making too much money to complain, and the fact cancel culture exists. I think the answer is also related to Dear Leader’s action at the very beginning of his administration.
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/financialpost.com/news/economy/from-a-billion-dollars-to-zero-canada-empties-its-coffers-of-gold/wcm/2da87420-d44b-4901-a4f9-167127cf9092/amp/

    This decision to sell the remaining gold reserves of the country was of no meaningful financial consequence, so was meant for symbolic utility. But to whom was this gesture intended?
    https://mobile.twitter.com/canadianpm/status/689906363003191297?lang=en

    Similar to the possibility that O had Airforce 2(?) fly over NYC for no good reason as a form of virtue signal.

    Of course, I realize I am out on something of a limb with this dot connecting, but these leaders did what they did for definite reasons. Given the immaturity and intellectual dwarfism presented by Dear Leader, his ability to be impressed and manipulated by Soros is almost certain.

    So, under Dear Leader we are shown his commitment to using Canada in a globalist role with this gold-selling gesture, including its use of a potentially hyperinflationary financial mechanism. We are also shown, under his watch, the nation-wide effort to cultivate, in hyperdrive, a police state by using false-positive PCR test results. We know his stated admiration for the Red Chinese controlled-economy model. We know, in retrospect, that he purchased with taxpayer money the fealty of Dystopia’s msm because he knew the pandemic was planned to be executed in the near future, and its complicity was essential to a successful execution.

    So what’s next? With global debt galactic, a black swan event could start a domino-effect default of the precarious world banking system. It would be easy to say this is a conspiratorial statement if nothing I point out is true, but the facts are there. The globalists, having proven the efficacy of a false pandemic to gain wide control, have now the economic debt levers to pull if they so choose. It only requires a single domino to get the ball rolling:

    https://www.visualcapitalist.com/debt-to-gdp-continues-to-rise-around-world/

    Just dots.

  5. Demonstrations in Iran and Iraq to condemn Soleimani’s killing | World News | WION News

  6. As more and more Chinese youth say No to joining the PLA, CCP starts making examples out of them

  7. Activist Calling Herself ‘Black Panther Of Oxford’ Seeks ‘Race Offender’ Registry Similar To Sex Offender Registry

    A U.K. activist who leads a Black Lives Matter-inspired political party has called for a “race offenders” registry — a national database of anyone “accused” or “charged” with racism. The registry would bar those on it from certain jobs and from living near people of color.

    Sasha Johnson, the activist calling for the registry, calls herself the “Black Panther of Oxford” and was seen regularly at BLM protests in the United Kingdom earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported. She spoke to crowds “wearing camouflage trousers, a black beret and a stab-proof-style vest,” the outlet added.

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/activist-calling-herself-black-panther-of-oxford-seeks-race-offender-registry-similar-to-sex-offender-registry?itm_source=parsely-api?utm_source=cnemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=010321-news&utm_campaign=position4

  8. States
    Maricopa County Treasurer Resigns in Disgust, Joins Recall Effort Against Officials Obstructing Voter Fraud Investigation

    Royce Flora has integrity.

    Former Maricopa County Treasurer Royce Flora has resigned from his post in disgust and will be working to recall some of his former colleagues.

    Flora stated that he is abdicating his position because “the political environment at the county has become so toxic I have no desire to endure further abuse.” He will be replaced by State Rep. John Allen, who was previously scheduled to take over the position in mid-January.
    Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman is denying that there is anything wrong with his operation.

    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/maricopa-county-treasurer-resigns-in-disgust-joins-recall-effort-against-officials-obstructing-voter-fraud-investigation/

  9. More Than 400 Ex-intelligence Officers to Investigate Election Irregularities
    By Terri Wu
    January 2, 2021 Updated: January 3, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Over 400 people from the Intelligence Community (IC), military, law enforcement, and the judiciary have formed a loose network to investigate irregularities in the 2020 election.

    Robert Caron, one of the organizers of this network, began his intelligence career with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He later worked for the Special Situation Group, a task force established by President George H.W. Bush that includes strategic planning, technologies, and foreign and domestic investigations.

    He told The Epoch Times that he was recruited to the network in 2014, during which time many in the intelligence community (IC) were seeing an increase in improper operations. Many IC officers were withholding information from their leaders, and their leaders were withholding information from the public. Caron mentioned that in 2014, Lt. General Michael Flynn called out then-President Barack Obama for “not acting properly on intelligence.”

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/more-than-400-ex-intelligence-officers-to-investigate-election-irregularities_3640420.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mb-2021-01-03

  10. If enough senators challenge the election results, Trump wins
    By Andrea Widburg
    5-6 minutes

    Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) officially stated that he will object to the Electoral College vote count to be held in the Senate on January 6. May this courageous man be the first of many senators to take a stand against the overwhelming evidence of election fraud. If neither candidate wins enough Electoral College votes on January 6, Trump should win — and it’s all in the Constitution without the need for any strained statutory interpretations.

    Let me start with an overview of what happens on January 6. It’s crucial to appreciate how this can end if Hawley is joined by several senators who refuse to certify Electoral College votes achieved through manifest fraud. I’ve culled this information from Petr Svab’s excellent article at The Epoch Times (hat tip to Dan Bongino):

    The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution is the primary authority for events on January 6. The Electoral Count Act (3 USC §15) plays a role, but, thankfully, that act is probably unconstitutional in one very specific and important way.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/12/if_enough_senators_challenge_the_election_results_trump_wins.html

  11. Forcing citizens to take COVID vaccine ‘entirely unlawful,’ says Irish doctor
    ‘If someone gave me … ten million dollars, I would not take that vaccine,’
    Dr. Dolores Cahill said at the Truth Over Fear Summit.
    By Lianne Laurence – December 12, 2020
    https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/forcing-citizens-to-take-covid-vaccine-entirely-unlawful-says-irish-doctor

    “Professor Dolores Cahill: Why People Will Start Dying A Few Months After The First mRNA Vaccination” Angel Realm – January 3, 2021
    https://brandnewtube.com/watch/professor-dolores-cahill-why-people-will-start-dying-a-few-months-after-the-first-mrna-vaccination_sfK2lFUVeYySRqH.html

    • The video “Professor Dolores Cahill: Why People Will Start Dying A Few Months After The First mRNA Vaccination” Angel Realm – January 3, 2021 is excellent. I dont know if you read the “America’s Frontline Doctors Position Paper On COVID-19 Experimental Vaccines” which can be found
      at https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/americas-frontline-doctors-urge-opposition-to-experimental-vaccine-mandates-prescribe-caution-more-transparency/

      These ladies come to the same conclusion about what happens to your body with this experimental vaccine. I think it was the geneticist who said your genes are changed forever. Maybe Vlad put this video up on the main page after you posted it, but if he didnt, I think its a must watch. 13min max, and we see different professionals coming up with same conclusion again about this experiment. Actually, it seems the science says this will kill people, so in our rulers view, this is no experiment, they know exactly what they are doing.

  12. Trump Responds to Michigan AG’s Push to Sanction Attorneys Over Election Lawsuits

    President Trump fired off on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel after she announced the state would seek to sanction attorneys who “intentionally misrepresented claims of voter fraud.” The president blasted Nessel and called the attorneys “true patriots fighting for the truth.” Nessel is teaming up with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to push for sanctions against Republican lawyers, one of which is the ousted pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell

    President Trump shared an article about Nessel writing, “These lawyers are true patriots who are fighting for the truth and, obviously, getting very close. AG should be sanctioned. Fight on!”

    https://trumptrainnews.com/2020/12/28/trump-responds-to-michigan-ags-push-to-sanction-attorneys-over-election-lawsuits/

    • The Dems are waiting until Biden is sworn in to start attacking the Trump supporters, this action shows what will happen if Biden is sworn in, Congress has to act to save the Republic.

  13. It’s More than an Uptick in Crime, Atlanta
    4-5 minutes

    It’s hard to go anywhere in the political world when crime is rising almost uncontrollably in your city. Keisha Lance Bottoms is the mayor of Atlanta and has been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.

    First mayor and then…where? At one point, she was being considered for Biden’s VP but was obviously passed over for Kamala Harris.

    Bottoms may not go anywhere considering that crime is on the rise. Atlanta has experienced its deadliest year in decades, and much of it has to do with Bottoms sitting back and watching it all happen.

    BLM protests, anti-police protests, and more have resulted in a significant amount of crime.

    However, if you listen to Bottoms, it’s only an “uptick” in crime.

    https://theteapartydaily.com/its-more-than-an-uptick-in-crime-atlanta/

  14. Lawyer for Reagan, Bush argues that Barack Obama should be attorney general in Biden administration

    ‘Besides, it’s perfect preparation for subsequent additional public service on the Supreme Court’

    Should President-elect Joe Biden appoint former President Barack Obama to be his attorney general? That’s what a former attorney for two former Republican presidents is advocating.

    POLL: Will you be spending Christmas with your family or social distancing?

    Douglas Kmiec, professor emeritus of constitutional law at Pepperdine University School of Law who served in the Office of Legal Counsel for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W Bush, claimed in an essay for The Hill that appointing Obama as head of the Justice Department would “re-establish the rule of law.”

    According to Kmiec, Biden, as president, “will need to be highly capable at reassuring estranged voters — Democrat, Republican or independent — that he is governing in the national interest” — and appointing Obama as attorney general accomplishes such a monumental task.

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/gop-lawyer-argues-barack-obama-should-be-biden-attorney-general?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New-Trending-Story_WEEKEND%202021-01-03&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News

  15. DoD Slams Biden Over False Claims His Team Was Denied Information

    The Department of Defense slammed Democrat Joe Biden for claiming without evidence that his team has not received all of the information that they need during the transition period, saying that U.S. officials have given Biden’s team more resources than Biden’s team initially requested.

    “My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies. We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch up that our adversaries may try to exploit,” Biden claimed yesterday. “But as I said from the beginning, we have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.”

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-slams-biden-for-claiming-that-his-team-is-being-denied-access-to-information

  16. Biden’s National Security Adviser Says Iran’s Missile Program Must Be ‘On the Table’ in JCPOA Talks
    https://sputniknews.com/us/202101031081640430-bidens-national-security-adviser-says-irans-missile-program-must-be-on-the-table-in-jcpoa-talks/

    “Speaking to CNN host Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Biden’s incoming national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Tehran’s ballistic missile program “has to be on the table” when it comes to negotiations regarding the possible US return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or so-called Iran nuclear deal.

    “Our view is that ballistic missiles, and Iran’s ballistic missiles has to be on the table as part of that follow-on negotiation”, Sullivan told Zakaria, when asked what the Biden team will seek to achieve in nuclear talks with Iran. “We also believe that there can be conversations that go beyond just the permanent five members of the Security council… [], and that involve regional players as well. And that in that broader negotiation, we can ultimately secure limits on Iran’s ballistic missile technology.”

    Sullivan shared concerns that Iran is “closer to nuclear weapons than it was a year ago”, noting that the 3 January, 2020, US assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Qasem Soleimani, did not make America safer and has not contributed to US interests in the Middle East.

    The incoming national security adviser’s comments come not long after the Iranian president stressed that Iran’s ballistic missile program is a “non-negotiable” issue…”

  17. At Least 100 Killed in Attack on Local Villages in Western Niger, Mayor Says
    https://sputniknews.com/africa/202101031081639344-at-least-100-killed-in-attack-on-local-villages-in-western-niger-mayor-says/

    “The most recent attack in the terrorism-stricken country occurred in mid-December, when 28 were killed and hundreds injured, with the Boko Haram claiming responsibility for the atrocity.

    At least 100 civilians were killed and others wounded on Saturday by attackers in the Nigerien villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye in the western Tillabery region in Niger, a stone’s throw from the border with Mali, Almou Hassane, the mayor of the Tondikiwindi commune that administers both villages confirmed. The attacks were waged by “terrorists who came riding about a hundred motorcycles”, the top official commented on the latest attack to rock the landlocked Sahel nation’s embattled western Tillaberi land.

    The attack occurred on the day of the announcement of the preliminary results of the first round of the presidential election in Niger, which saw former Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum leading…”

  18. Headquarters of Saudi Forces in Southern Yemen Rocked by Explosion, Report Says
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202101031081639891-headquarters-of-saudi-forces-in-southern-yemen-rocked-by-explosion-report-says/

    “The headquarters of the Saudi forces in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan was hit by an explosion, the Yemeni Belqees TV broadcaster reported on Sunday.

    According to the media outlet, the blast occurred in the province’s area of Shukra.

    Meanwhile, the Yemeni Almasdar Online news portal reported, citing sources, that an explosive device was planted at the gates of the school, which currently hosts the military committee headed by the Saudi-led coalition…”

  19. Lifting Anti-Iran Sanctions Sole Way for US to Rectify Trump’s Policies: Shamkhani
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/01/03/2425237/lifting-anti-iran-sanctions-sole-way-for-us-to-rectify-trump-s-policies-shamkhani

    “TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani reminded the White House that removal of the sanctions against Iran would be the only option to correct the outgoing US administration’s wrong strategies.

    “America’s perceptual war to magnify a trivial issue such as its return to JCPOA will not be successful,” Shamkhani said in a post on his Twitter account on Sunday.

    “The complete and definitive lifting of all sanctions is Washington’s sole option to correct Trump’s failed strategy of maximum pressure,” he underlined.

    President of Iran Hassan Rouhani has called on the next US administration to learn lessons from the futility of sanctions against the Iranian nation, abide by the law and resume honoring its commitments.

    In remarks in November, Rouhani highlighted the global rejection of the harmful policies the US government has adopted over the past three years, saying the next US administration has an opportunity to correct the mistakes and return to the international law.”

  20. Iraq Not to Support Any Decision against Iran: Envoy
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2021/01/03/2424792/iraq-not-to-support-any-decision-against-iran-envoy

    “Baghdad does not support any decision against Tehran, Iraqi Ambassador to Iran Nasir Abdul Mohsen Abdullah, referring to a recent US attempt to re-establish a team of experts within the UN to monitor sanctions on Iran.

    “Iraq has been fundamentally against the proposal at the United Nations,” Abdullah said in an interview with IRNA on Saturday.

    On Thursday, the outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump voted against the UN’s budget of $3.231 billion for 2021, citing disagreements on Israel and Iran.

    Only Israel sided with the US, as the other 168 nations voted in favor of the annual budget that is traditionally approved by consensus.

    With regard to Iran, the US was unhappy due to the lack of support for its attempt to re-establish a team of experts within the UN to monitor sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

    The Iraqi ambassador said Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has sent a message to Iran to underline that Iraq does not support any decision against the Islamic Republic.

    “Iran is a friendly and brotherly neighboring country and we have close relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Abdullah said. “Iraq’s strict policy has always been to oppose any decision or action against all its neighbors, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran.”…”

  21. Boat Seeks Mediterranean Port of Safety for Migrants
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2719136/boat-seeks-mediterranean-port-safety-migrants

    “A Spanish-flagged humanitarian ship on Sunday was seeking a port of safety for 265 migrants its crew rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in the last few days.

    The Open Arms charity tweeted that its vessel on Saturday had safely brought aboard 96 migrants who had been adrift in a wooden boat with without life vests in international waters. It said the passengers, most of them from Eritrea, included two women and 17 minors and were suffering from hypothermia.

    In a separate operation two days before that rescue, Open Arms took aboard 169 migrants, who had departed Libyan shores, where many human traffickers are based.

    The traffickers launch vessels, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats, crowded with migrants who hope to reach European shores to seek asylum.

    Italy and fellow EU nation Malta have often refused docking permission to the humanitarian rescue boats, contending that most migrants want to reach jobs or relatives in northern Europe. Italian and Maltese government authorities have insisted other European nations do their share.”

  22. Saudi woman can change name without consent of guardian
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/602091/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-woman-can-change-name-without-consent-of-guardian

    “RIYADH — The Agency for Civil Status at the Ministry of Interior has confirmed that a Saudi woman’s name can be changed without referring to her guardian.

    “This requires taking an online appointment and personally contacting the Civil Status office to complete the procedures in accordance with the nature of the submitted request.”

    The Civil Status Agency also announced that a citizen can change his/her ID data such as family name, name of children and marital status by visiting one of the branches or departments of the Civil Status.

    It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Interior has made amendments recently in the executive regulations of the Civil Status Law…”

  23. Islamic State group claims responsibility for attack on Pakistan’s Shia Hazara minority that kills 11
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/398061/World/International/Islamic-State-group-claims-responsibility-for-atta.aspx

    ““The throats of all coal miners have been slit, after their hands were tied behind their backs and (they were) blind folded,” a security official told Reuters.

    Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on Sunday that killed 11 miners from Pakistan’s minority Shia Hazaras in Baluchistan province.
    The attack took place early on Sunday morning in the Mach area of Bolan district around 100 kms southeast of Baluchistan’s capital Quetta, killing the miners who were in a shared residential room near the coal mine where they worked, officials said.

    “The throats of all coal miners have been slit, after their hands were tied behind their backs and (they were) blind folded,” a security official told Reuters, requesting anonymity as he is not allowed to speak to media.

    A video clip making the rounds on WhatsApp groups, apparently shot by a first responder, showed three bodies lying outside the room and the rest inside in pools of blood…”

  24. Turkey: 3 YPG/PKK terrorists ‘neutralized’ in N.Syria
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkey-3-ypg-pkk-terrorists-neutralized-in-nsyria/2096868

    “Turkish security forces neutralized three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

    The ministry said on Twitter that two terrorists were trying to infiltrate the Operation Peace Spring zone, south of Turkey’s border, while another attempted to launch an attack in the Operation Euphrates Shield area.

    They were neutralized by Turkey’s “hero commandos,” it added.

    Turkish authorities use the word “neutralized” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured…”

  25. 5 terrorists ‘neutralized’ in southeast Turkey
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/5-terrorists-neutralized-in-southeast-turkey/2096755

    “Five terrorists were “neutralized” in southeastern Turkey, the country’s interior minister said on Sunday.

    The provincial gendarmerie commandos neutralized the terrorists and seized their arms and ammunition in a cave in the Mt. Gabar in the Sirnak province, Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter.

    Soylu did not specify the terrorists’ affiliation, but the PKK terror group has been active in eastern and southeastern Turkey.

    Turkish Interior Ministry said in a statement that two of those neutralized were wanted terrorists listed in the Interior Ministry’s gray category…”

  26. Afghanistan sees rise in targeted killings of civilians: report
    https://www.dw.com/en/afghanistan-sees-rise-in-targeted-killings-of-civilians-report/a-56118482

    “Afghanistan saw one of the most violent years in terms of assassinations in 2020, according to data published on Sunday by The New York Times (NYT).

    Despite a lack of official figures, the NYT documented the deaths of 136 civilians and 168 security force members last year — one of the worst years in Afghanistan’s recent history.

    Many of the killings are unclaimed, with many people blaming the Taliban. Others say government factions or militants from the “Islamic State” (IS) armed group could be responsible.

    The NYT points out that the recent attacks reflect a shift away from the Taliban’s former strategy of targeting high-profile officials. Instead, the unclaimed attacks have been terrorizing journalists, civil servants and human rights workers as well as rank-and-file security forces.

    Alongside the numerous assassinations, there were other large-scale attacks, such as the killing of over 20 students at Kabul University in November — an attack claimed by IS militants active in the country.

    The revelations come as the Afghan government and Taliban forces prepare to restart peace talks in Qatar on Tuesday.

    Who is carrying out the attacks?
    Many government officials believe the Taliban to be responsible for the attacks as they seek to force a desperate government to submit to their terms in the peace deal negotiations.

    “The Taliban aim to divide the people and trigger criticism and frustration against the government’s security institutions with these assassinations,” Javid Faisal, an adviser to the National Security Council, told the AFP news agency…”