Reader’s Links for January 8, 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

58 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 8, 2021”

  1. Indonesian cleric who inspired extremists freed from prison (abcnerws, Jan 8, 2021)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indonesian-cleric-inspired-extremists-freed-prison-75122044

    “A convicted firebrand cleric who inspired the Bali bombers and other violent extremists walked free from an Indonesian prison Friday after completing his sentence for funding the training of Islamic militants.

    Police said they would continue to monitor the activities of Abu Bakar Bashir, who is now 82 and ailing, and his son said Bashir for now would be avoiding activities outside his family due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Bashir was imprisoned in 2011 for his links to a militant training camp in the religiously conservative Aceh province. He was convicted of funding the military-style camp to train Islamic militants and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

    Bashir has accumulated 55 months of sentence reductions, which are often granted to prisoners on major holidays, such as Independence Day, religious holiday exemptions and illness, said Rika Aprianti, the spokesperson for the corrections department at the Justice Ministry.

    “He is released as his sentence ends and expires,” Aprianti said, adding that her ministry had close cooperation with the National Police’s counterterrorism squad and the National Counterterrorism Agency to provide security during the cleric’s release.

    Bashir, wearing a white robe and mask, was escorted by members of the police anti-terrorism squad known as Densus 88 and left in a car waiting at dawn outside the Gunung Sindur prison in West Java’s Bogor town, Bashir’s son, Abdul Rohim, told The Associated Press.

    He said the family, lawyers and a medical team accompanied Bashir, who returned to his home in Central Java’s Solo city, about 538 kilometers (334 miles) east of the capital, Jakarta. An ambulance also followed the entourage.

    National Police spokesperson Ahmad Ramadhan said the police would continue to monitor Bashir’s activities…”

  2. Pakistan’s military tests guided multi-launch rocket system (abcnews, Jan 7, 2021)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pakistans-military-tests-guided-multi-launch-rocket-system-75109819

    “Pakistan’s military said Thursday it successfully conducted a successful test flight of a rocket system capable of carrying a conventional warhead up to a range of 140 kilometers (about 90 miles).

    In a statement, miliary leaders said the weapon system, called Fatah-1, will give Pakistan’s army “capability of precision target engagement deep in enemy territory.” It said President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and the military leaders congratulated scientists and troops on the “successful” flight test…”

  3. From Africa Unauthorized and I can only disagree with the second sentence.
    The End of Donald Trump
    by Hannes Wessels
    Most people I know are thrilled the Trump era is over. And watching his performance in his final days they may be right; but with him gone and Democrats about to take control of the White House and both houses of congress, I lament the lost opportunities and from a place far away from America, I fear for the future.

    Trump came to power with what I thought was a laudable agenda based on sound principles. Importantly, he expressed his pride in the underlying goodness of traditional American values and core beliefs based on Christian fundamentals. This infuriated the progressive elites of the metropolitan East and West coasts and the ‘establishment’ which the president liked to refer to as ‘the Swamp’. He seemed to understand the plight of the American working class and moved to cut taxes. He wanted to secure his country’s borders, cut better trade deals for America, confront China’s expanding global aggression, pressure the presumptuous Europeans to spend more on their own defence and extricate US troops from costly, unwinnable wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. He rightly pointed out that America was indulgent to its enemies and started to withhold aid to countries he considered hostile. Closer to home, he criticised African governments and was rude about the state of some countries, though anyone familiar with contemporary Africa will struggle to disagree with his opinions. Through Mike Pompeo, his secretary of state, he did what no Western politician would dare to do and expressed concern about the safety of South African farmers. Though many of his goals have been frustrated, to a large extent as a consequence of relentless harassment, he achieved much that is positive during his term of office. Unfortunately, there is more to do and that opportunity is denied him. The new administration will move quickly to undo what was done and reverse course.

    Against this backdrop, as a white African who has long believed that what is loosely known as ‘Western Civilisation’, with roots going back to the great Greek philosophers, bolstered by a Christian bedrock, has been, on balance, a force for good in the world, spawning and growing some of the most successful polities in history, bringing health and happiness to millions, maybe billions of people. While most disagree, I also believe that this same ‘Western Civilisation’, that was introduced to Africa during the now reviled colonial era, brought countless benefits that accrued from the introduction of the rule of law, health and education services and competent governance. However, under the guise of ‘African Nationalism’, most of those systems and structures have been destroyed and replaced by home-grown autocracies which have in most cases, governed badly, bringing poverty and misery to the majority. Unlike most Europeans and Americans, I have borne sad witness to what actually happens when this process unfolds, and I fear we in Africa were only the first dominos to fall as Western leaders turn their backs on their old beliefs and their past.

    For Christians everywhere looking for spiritual guidance they are certain to be disappointed. The current Pope would have been better placed as a populist politician. A committed socialist, he seems to care more about the ‘woke’ issues of the day like combatting capitalism, Islamophobia and global warming than protecting persecuted believers and ministering to his congregation. The Anglican Church, led by a long line of feckless liberals, estranged from traditional British values, have alienated most of their following and weakened the old faith-based bonds that made Britons proud and the country a role-model for the world. Today in Britain, much of the leadership at local and national level is in the hands of people who hail from countries and cultures that are not well known for tolerance of dissent or good governance.

    At the political level, Western Europe provides no leadership that talks confidently about the role the Christian ethos played in their path to being rich and influential. In Germany, little or no mention of Martin Luther, the power of Protestantism and the part played by the people and ideas that once empowered the nation. Everywhere, in the developed democracies, religious and political leaders are found on their knees pledging respect and affection for all but their own faith, even ones that openly demand the death and destruction of those very people who have delivered on the Christian commitment to inclusivity and freedom of worship.

    In schools and universities around the world pupils and students are being taught that their European-Christian heritage is synonymous with slavery, colonialism and capitalist inspired plunder and that they must accept guilt for the alleged crimes of their ancestors because they are undeserving beneficiaries of their malfeasance. This message has hit home hard and generations to come are convinced that they must spend much of the rest of their lives suffering justifiable punishment for their bloodline, their faith, and their inheritances. Part of the penance they must pay will include acceptance of the end of meritocracy; in their lives ahead they will have to embrace the fact that no matter how hard they work or perform, they will likely be denied opportunities in education and their chosen careers, simply because of the colour of their skin.

    With the election of Joe Biden, this sad course of events is set to accelerate, not least because his Vice President, Kamala Harris, a racist who hails from the radical left, is likely to assume the presidential reigns sooner rather than later. Their policy programme looks set to strengthen and consolidate the liberal tyranny that seeks to destroy western democracy as we know it.

    Uncontrolled immigration into the US will speed up the process of marginalizing and diluting the soon to be white minority. An abrupt move to socialism will increase the burden placed upon the predominantly white, working and middle-class while the number of people wholly dependent on the State for their survival ratchets up. The new administration is likely to be largely bereft of conservative whites who hold dear their country’s history and traditional mores and culture.

    In a way this follows the same path we went down in southern Africa and I fear there is little doubt where it leads to. America is on a path to self-destruction and that is not good for many of us in this topsy-turvy world. But for the Chinese and all those who seek the final erasure of all semblances of Western civilization, it is a bonanza.

    • This could be your big break Johnny.

      The left would push it, instant millions

      50 Different Sex Positions to keep you safe
      By JohnnyU

      I will try and find the old anonymous poem that ends with
      “Perhaps there’s more got on the floor than any other way”.

    • 1.7.21: ANTIF@ BUSTED! He did not CONCEDE! Stay away from MSM!
      AWK NEWS – January 7, 2021

      • Except he DID say that there WILL be a peaceful transition of power on Jan 20th.

        Believe me, no one wanted a 2nd Trump term more than me, and we here at VTB. And the disappointment is palpable. But President Trump did SAY there will be a transition of power on the 20th.

        • I agree.
          The word ‘concede’ is for the weak and the vanquished.
          Trump is neither and that is why he didn’t use it. He will not go down in history with the word ‘concede’ in his bio.

        • He fought for the people and the Republicans, the people fought for him but Republicans stabbed him in the back. If he is alive and healthy after the Civil War he will be a shoo in as President.

        • That’s true, President Trump did SAY there will be a transition of power on the 20th. Maybe the transition of power could be a new VP.

  4. Iran’s Leader Ali Khamenei Bans Coronavirus Vaccines from Britain, U.S. (breitbart, Jan 8, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2021/01/08/irans-leader-ali-khamenei-bans-coronavirus-vaccines-from-britain-u-s/

    “Iran will not import American Pfizer-BioNTech or Britain’s Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccines, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced Friday.

    He used a televised speech to warn the import of American and British vaccines were “forbidden,” citing the surging death tolls from the virus in both countries as evidence for their rejection.

    “I really do not trust,” them, Khamenei said of those nations. “Sometimes they want to test,” their vaccines on other countries, adding, “I’m not optimistic about France either because of their history of infected blood.”

    Khamenei was referring to the French contaminated blood scandal of the 1980s and 1990s, however he affirmed the import of vaccines from other “safe” places, and remains supportive of Iran’s efforts toward producing a vaccine.

    The country began testing its vaccines on humans December. The product is expected to hit the local market in spring.

    Hardliners in Iran have long opposed the U.S-made vaccines, despite the fact the country has struggled to contain outbreaks of the virus…”

  5. Ex-Govt Minister Could Face Prosecution for Separating Child Brides from Migrant Husbands (breitbart, Jan 8, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/01/08/danish-ex-minister-could-tried-splitting-underaged-migrant-marriages/

    “A former migration minister faces procecution because she ordered child brides to be removed from their older migrant adult husbands during the 2016 Europe Migrant Crisis, an act lawyers have claimed was illegal.

    Inger Støjberg used the order in 2016 when she served as immigration and integration minister in the previous Danish government and separated 23 couples where one partner in the adult relationship was legally a child in Danish law.

    Lawyers Anne Birgitte Gammelfjord and Jon Lauritzen presented a report to the Danish parliament, the Folketing, outlining the basis on which a case could be brought against the former minister, newspaper Berlingske reports.

    The lawyers say that not only is there a basis for a trial against Ms Støjberg, but added that an indictment could lead to a conviction, as well. Støjberg has been under attack by activists over the child brides policy almost constantly since 2016, with parliamentary hearings over the policy to protect children in 2017 and an investigation in 2020, which stated that the former minister had “misled” parliament.

    The matter will now go to a vote in the Folketing and according to Berlingske, three parties, the ruling Social Democrats, Venstre, and the Conservatives, remain undecided on how they will vote.

    The anti-mass migration Danish People’s Party (DF) said they were against impeaching the former minister along with the New Right, whose leader Pernille Vermund stated: “For us, it is absolutely crucial that not a single witness has said that the minister has ordered them to do something illegal.”

    Five other parties, including the Social Liberal Party, Socialist People’s Party, and Liberal Alliance, have said they will move to impeach Støjberg.

    Imam Oussama El-Saadi of the Aarhus mosque had criticised the former Danish government for separating the couples at the time the policy was active, saying in February 2016 that Denmark must respect migrant families, regardless of the age of brides.

    “One should look at these cases from a different perspective. It is an extraordinary humanitarian situation, and I think you have to take care of these families. They’re married, and even if the man is twice as old as they have built a family. We have to accept that it is a different culture, and we can not destroy family life,” the imam had said.

    Since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, child brides have been a growing problem in several European countries.

    In 2018, the Swedish government faced backlash just hours after releasing a booklet on child marriages labelled “Information for Those Who Are Married to a Child” and revoked the brochure.”

  6. Why Was Capitol Security Loose on Jan 6? Trump Supporters Are Peaceful; GOP May Not Survive

  7. COVID-19 Pandemic: People leave London for greener pastures | World News | WION News

  8. Trump Supporters Storming the Capitol Reaction (Pt. 1) | Tulsi Gabbard | POLITICS | Rubin Report

  9. China places 11 mn people under lockdown as Shijazhuang witnesses dramatic rise in Covid cases

  10. Lt. General Michael Flynn: “The American People Will Not Be Fooled Again” by Deep State
    22,334 views
    •Jan 5, 2021

  11. Report: House members nearly come to blows as Congress preaches unity to America
    By Rusty Weiss January 8, 2021

    Two House members nearly came to blows and had to be separated by a Capitol staffer after several lawmakers had preached about coming together as Americans.

    The wild scene took place as lawmakers debated certifying the Electoral votes from Pennsylvania.

    An altercation reportedly took place between Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), though what prompted it remains unclear.

    Reporters in attendance, according to Fox News, suggest Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb’s characterization of the violence earlier in the day may have prompted the scuffle.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2021/01/08/report-house-members-nearly-come-to-blows-as-congress-preaches-unity-to-america/

    • (Richard: This video ties in with the anger shown in the video of the House speech, in the Mark Levin video and in the video about Trump not going to attend Biden’s inauguration.)

      What happened in Washington DC last night was simply Newton’s third law in motion

    • If there is anybody at FOX views who does not understand why President Trump says he will not be going to the inaugural ceremony, than they are Stupid with a dash of evil.

      Fake news is now feckless views.

  12. he Trump Coup Attempt That Wasn’t – Frontpagemag
    Matthew Vadum
    13-17 minutes

    Leftists and weak-kneed Republicans were quick to accuse President Donald Trump of attempting to overthrow the democratic process on January 6 as individuals bearing Trump campaign flags and paraphernalia ran amok in the United States Capitol while lawmakers were attempting to officially certify the results of the November 6 election.

    The election –don’t forget—that the Democrats stole with the connivance of those same Republicans.

    The disorder in the Capitol complex, during which an apparently unarmed Trump supporter, 35-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot to death by police, didn’t end the certification process, but merely delayed an official declaration a few hours. The barely sentient former Vice President Joe Biden, a left-winger now held hostage by even more radical elements of his anti-American party, hobbled across the finish line as he was pronounced president-elect early in the morning January 7 after lawmakers rejected a series of Republican objections to states’ presidential electors. Support for the objections collapsed after an angry mob took over the premises, smashing windows, breaking down doors, and occupying lawmakers’ offices.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/01/trump-coup-attempt-wasnt-matthew-vadum/

  13. Our #TommyRobinson thoughts on what’s happening in America
    Carly TR – January 8, 2021

    • Message from our #TommyRobinson Be prepared for political policing America
      Carly TR – January 8, 2021

  14. CCP FLU: NIGEL FARAGE shows terrible video of police dealing with a woman in her house. Also, new proposal to legalize child spies.

  15. THE SCREWS ARE TIGHTENING EVERYWHERE. This is part of the ‘Coup’.

    REDDIT bans subreddit group “r/DonaldTrump”

    Reddit has banned the subreddit group “r/DonaldTrump,” a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

    Why it matters: While not an official group or page hosted by the president, it’s one of the company’s largest political communities dedicated to support for President Trump.

    The big picture: It’s the latest in a string of platforms to take action against Trump’s accounts following the historic pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

    Twitch and Snapchat disabled Trump’s accounts.

    Shopify took down two online stores affiliated with the president.

    Facebook and Instagram banned Trump from posting for at least the next two weeks, and faced calls to boot him permanently, including from former First Lady Michelle Obama and high-ranking Hill Democrats.

    Twitter froze Trump out of his account Wednesday before reinstating him Thursday once he deleted problematic tweets.

    YouTube says it’s accelerating its enforcement of voter fraud claims against President Trump and others based on Wednesday’s events.

    TikTok is removing content violations and redirecting hashtags like #stormthecapitol and #patriotparty to its community guidelines.

    https://www.axios.com/reddit-bans-rdonaldtrump-subreddit-ff1da2de-37ab-49cf-afbd-2012f806959e.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=1100

  16. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Unveil Underground Missile Base Near Persian Gulf Coast – Photos, Video (sputniknews, Jan 8, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202101081081702049-irans-revolutionary-guards-unveil-new-underground-missile-base-near-persian-gulf-coast/

    “The base’s unveiling comes amid boiling tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US-Israeli alliance, with Iran blaming Tel Aviv for the November 2020 murder of a top nuclear scientist, and Washington beefing up its military presence in the Middle East following a December rocket attack on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad.

    Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has revealed the existence of a new top-secret underground missile base belonging to the IRGC Navy.

    Photos and video of the new base published by Iranian media shows senior officers touring the facility, walking past rows and rows of missiles of various classes and ranges. Footage shows long tunnels wide enough to allow for two-way traffic by mobile, truck-based missile launchers and supply vehicles.

    The IRGC wasn’t exactly subtle about who the unveiling of the missile base was meant to send a message to, with the video showing officers walking over flags of the United States and Israel painted on the floor as they entered the base.

    IRGC Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, who was on hand to inaugurate the new facility, said the base is “one of several bases housing the Guards’ Navy’s strategic missiles,” suggesting it would help “boost the country’s deterrence power”, and protect “the territorial integrity and independence of the country and the achievements of the Islamic Revolution” against any would-be “demons” threatening aggression.

    The commander added that the missiles housed at the base have a range of hundreds of kilometres, and have a high level of accuracy and destructive power, including anti-electronic warfare capabilities. According to Salami, the IRGC’s naval missiles are among the best in the world among coast-to-sea, surface-to-surface, air-to-sea and sea-to-air missile systems.

    Among the missiles seen in the photos and videos truck-based Noor anti-ship cruise missiles, which have an operational range of between 30 and 170 km, depending on the model, and the Qader – a medium-range anti-ship cruise missile with a 300 km range.

    Salami toured the facility with Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy.

    The location of the new facility was not revealed…”

    • Straka confirmed to the Washington Examiner that his Facebook group, the business page for the nonprofit group, and his personal account were all shut down Friday morning.

      He added that people merely associated with the page were also removed from Facebook.

      “Every volunteer, every paid employee, banned,” Straka said.

      “This is only the beginning of a total conservative shutdown if we don’t get help,” Straka added in a tweet to Sen. Ted Cruz asking for assistance.

      In another tweet, Straka referred to the censoring as “absolute mayhem.”

      “I have a dozen paid employees,” Straka said. “I have dozens of volunteers. ALL BANNED at the same time today. Absolute mayhem!! Is this the unity and healing of Joe Biden’s America??? This is horrifying.”

      https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/conservative-walk-away-facebook-page-removed

  17. Iran’s Supreme Leader Says ‘No Hurry’ For US to Rejoin Nuclear Deal, Demands End to Sanctions (sputniknews, Jan 8, 2020)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/202101081081708766-irans-supreme-leader-says-no-hurry-for-us-to-rejoin-nuclear-deal-demands-end-to-sanctions/

    “As President-elect Joe Biden is set to ascend to the White House, Iran is seeking to end the economic restrictions put in place by the Trump administration.

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued an ultimatum to the United States demanding the lifting of harsh economic sanctions but is not in a hurry to see Washington re-enter the 2015 nuclear agreement.

    In a publicly broadcast speech on Friday, the supreme leader said Iran does not insist on and is in no rush for the US to re-sign the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which established limits on Tehran’s nuclear enrichment. Instead, Khamenei demanded the alleviation of sanctions placed on the country.

    “Sanctions are a treachery and crime against the Iranian nation and must be lifted,” the country’s most powerful leader said.

    “But we must also plan our economy in a way that we could run the country well despite sanctions”, he said, reiterating the previous comments made by the Iranian leader that Tehran must attempt to nullify sanctions as well as see them lifted.

    Khamenei expressed his support for legislation that pressed Iran to increase its uranium enrichment to 20 percent. This move began on 4 January and drew criticism from the 6 countries in the European Union who are signatories to the nuclear deal.

    “When the other side implements almost none of its commitments as part of the JCPOA, it would be meaningless for the Islamic Republic to implement all its commitments under the JCPOA”, he added. “If they return to their commitments, we will too.”

    Further sanctions were put in place earlier this week targeting Iran’s steel industry.

    Khamenei issued criticism of the United States’ political system following the storming of the Capitol building in Washington by pro-Trump protesters on Wednesday…”

  18. Jihadist Attack Kills 13 in Northern Cameroon
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/01/08/cameroon-jihadist-attack-kills-13/

    “Thirteen civilians, eight of them children, died Friday when a woman suicide bomber blew herself up in a jihadist attack on a village in northern Cameroon, a traditional chief and a police officer told AFP.

    Cameroon’s Far North region is grappling with deadly incursions from neighboring Nigeria, where an insurgency launched by Boko Haram in 2009 has killed tens of thousands of people.

    Mahamat Chetima Abba, the traditional chief, or lamido, in the village of Mozogo, said the attackers arrived in the middle of the night, shouting “Allah Akbar” (“God is greater”) and brandishing machetes.

    The panicked villagers tried to run off into the nearby forest, and in the stampede the suicide bomber detonated her device, he said.

    The account was confirmed by a member of the local defense committee, who said his group had tried to repel the attack…”

  19. Turkey arrests 3 Syrians for kidnapping Syria child for ransom
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210108-turkey-arrests-3-syrian-for-kidnapping-syria-child-for-ransom/

    “Police in Istanbul have detained three suspects on suspicion of kidnapping a Syrian child for ransom, security sources said yesterday.

    The suspects, also Syrian, demanded $8,000 from the child’s family and threatened to sell the latter’s kidneys if the payment was not made, Anadolu Agency reported.

    One of the child’s relatives informed police and shared a picture which the abductors had sent the family showing the child with hands tied.

    Istanbul police launched an investigation and learned that the child was being held in the province’s Pendik district. The minor was recovered and the perpetrators taken into custody.”

  20. Middle East passports are least powerful in the world, global ranking finds
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210108-middle-east-passports-are-least-powerful-in-the-world-global-ranking-finds/

    “Middle Eastern passports have ranked low on this year’s Henley Passport Index, which ranks the travel documents according to the number of destinations their holders can travel to without obtaining a visa prior to arrival.

    Most states in the region remain in the bottom half of the quarterly index, with Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan locked in a race for the bottom spot.

    The ranking also takes into account the purchase of visas on arrival, visitor’s permits, and an electronic travel authority (FTA).

    Iraqi and Syrian passport holders have started the year with visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel to 28 and 29 countries respectively.

    Somalia and Yemen are hovering merely two spots above with 33 destinations.

    While Palestinian Territories, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Iran and South Sudan passports are hovering around the 40-destination mark.

    Higher up the table, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, each boast between 51 and 71 visa-free destinations.

    Several states including the UAE and Bahrain have gained one destination following their normalisation of ties with Israel late last year.

    Only two countries in the region, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have broken into the top half of the index.

    The UAE saw the biggest rise in this year’s passport index, climbing two places to 16th with the addition of two destinations.

    The Gulf state signed several mutually reciprocated visa-waiver agreements last year, when travel and visa deals were at an all-time low.

    The Emirati passport has leapt up the rankings in the last ten years, rising 29 places since 2010…”

  21. US reaffirms ‘long-term’ security partnership with Pakistan
    https://tribune.com.pk/story/2279187/us-reaffirms-long-term-security-partnership-with-pakistan

    “A senior US official has reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to a “long-term mutually-beneficial security partnership” with Pakistan after the two countries held strategic-level defence dialogue here the other day.

    Pakistan-US strategic level defence dialogue was held on Thursday but the two sides issued separate handouts on Friday. The US delegation was led Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs David Helvey, while the Pakistani side was headed by Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the Chief of General Staff.

    In a daylong session, issues ranging from regional security to the deepening of bilateral defence and security/military-to-military cooperation were discussed, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The discussions were held in very cordial and constructive manner with exchange of views and ideas from both sides, it added.

    The US Embassy in a separate statement Helvey thanked Lt Gen Mirza for Pakistan’s ongoing role in supporting Afghanistan peace negotiations and discussed the urgency of reducing violence and restarting meaningful negotiations between the Kabul government negotiators and the Taliban.

    Helvey also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a long-term, mutually beneficial security partnership with Pakistan, and discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation on counterterrorism…”

  22. Man Who Posed for Photos at Desk in Pelosi’s Office Arrested
    By Emel Akan
    January 8, 2021 Updated: January 8, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    WASHINGTON—A man photographed sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the D.C protests on Wednesday has been arrested and faces multiple charges, according to federal officials.

    Richard Barnett from Arkansas was arrested this morning in Little Rock, Arkansas, said Ken Kohl, first assistant for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington on Friday.

    Kohl told reporters during a conference call that Barnett was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building and grounds without authority. He is also charged for violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and for theft of public money or public property.

    Photos of Barnett that went viral on social media showed him casually sitting with his foot on a desk inside Pelosi’s office. He was seen taking the Speaker’s mail and leaving a quarter on her desk.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/man-who-posed-for-photos-at-desk-in-pelosis-office-arrested_3649524.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-01-08-3

  23. Frontex, arrivals in central Mediterranean tripled in 2020
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2021/01/08/frontex-arrivals-in-central-mediterranean-tripled-in-2020_e658919a-0e55-4850-93f8-5ba680521ba6.html

    “EU border agency Frontex said in a statement Friday that in 2020 the “number of irregular arrivals in the Central Mediterranean almost tripled to over 35,600, making it the most active migratory route into Europe”. “Despite the stark increase in departures from Tunisia, slightly more irregular migrants detected on this route had departed from Libya,” it said. It said the Canary Islands experienced a record number of arrivals of migrants on its shores in 2020, mainly because of a significant increase in the last four months of the year. In total, on the Western African migratory route more than 22,600 illegal border crossings were detected, eight times the tally from the previous year and the highest number since Frontex began to collect data in 2009, it said. The number of irregular migrants on the Western Balkan route rose by over three-quarters to around 27,000. In general, however, according to preliminary Frontex data, in 2020 illegal border crossings along the EU’s external borders fell 13% last year to around 124,000, in large part due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions put in place by various countries, resulting in the lowest number of illegal border crossings since 2013. The Eastern Mediterranean migratory route ultimately saw the biggest fall in the number of arrivals, down by over three-quarters to around 20,000.”

  24. EU-China Investment Deal: “It Spits in the Face of Human Rights”
    Soeren Kern
    15-19 minutes

    The EU has negotiated a controversial trade deal with China. The pact has been widely criticized because European leaders have sacrificed their professed concern for human rights on the altar of financial gain. The deal was negotiated in great haste by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. Pictured: Von der Leyen (then Germany’s Defense Minister) is honored by Chinese officials at the National Defense University in Beijing on October 22, 2018. (Photo by How Hwee Young/AFP via Getty Images)

    The European Union has negotiated a controversial trade deal with China. The pact has been widely criticized because European leaders, in their apparent rush to reach an agreement, have sacrificed their professed concern for human rights on the altar of financial gain. Indeed, precisely one week after the deal was signed, China launched a massive crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16929/eu-china-investment-deal

  25. Bizarre moment crowd of protesters waving American flags march down a street in MELBOURNE chanting ‘Donald Trump, four more years’ as chaos breaks out in Washington DC

    Protesters carrying American flags in Melbourne have pledged their allegiance to the US president by marching down the street chanting ‘Donald Trump, four more years’.

    Trump supporters breached security and stormed US congress in Washington DC on Wednesday afternoon American time to stop the transition of power to president-elect Joe Biden.

    One female protester died after a gunshot to the chest in the Capitol building, thought is it not clear who opened fire.

    In a bizarre display of American patriotism, furious Australians took to the streets of St Kilda on Wednesday to show their loyalty to the armed Republicans.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9120311/Protestors-waving-American-flags-march-MELBOURNE-chanting-Donald-Trump-four-years.html