Reader’s Links for February 12, 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

101 Replies to “Reader’s Links for February 12, 2021”

  1. France, Germany, UK Condemn Iran’s Production of Uranium Metal
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2801191/france-germany-uk-condemn-irans-production-uranium-metal

    “The ‘E3′ group of leading European powers – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – on Friday condemned Iran’s decision to produce uranium metal, which they said was in breach of commitments made by Iran to the international community.

    The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, had said earlier this week that Iran had followed through on its plan to make uranium metal, after Tehran had alarmed Western nations with its intent to produce the material with which the core of nuclear weapons can be made.

    “We strongly urge Iran to halt these activities without delay and not to take any new non-compliant steps on its nuclear program. In escalating its non-compliance, Iran is undermining the opportunity for renewed diplomacy to fully realize the objectives of the JCPOA,” said the E3 in a statement.”

  2. 65 Citizens, Residents Arrested on Corruption Charges in Saudi Arabia
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2800861/65-citizens-residents-arrested-corruption-charges-saudi-arabia

    “Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday the arrest of dozens of nationals and residents over corruption charges, in the latest series of crackdowns on corruption in the Kingdom.

    The Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) said it has arrested 65 Saudis and residents, while 411 were still under investigation, for crimes of fraud, bribery and other.

    Nazaha noted that among the arrested were 48 government employees in a number of ministries, municipalities and judicial bodies for their involvement in bribery, abuse of office and power, and fraud.

    In a statement, the Authority said the accused included officials and employees of the ministries of defense, interior, justice, municipal and rural affairs and housing, education, and environment, water and agriculture, the Presidency of State Security, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, and the General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection.

    The arrest charges include bribery, abuse of influence and power, as well as fraud and forgery, the statement said, noting that 460 inspection raids were carried out by the Nazaha teams over the current month.

    The arrest of the suspects was made after carrying out investigations into the alleged involvement of 411 people, Nazaha stressed, adding that the legal procedures were being completed prior to referring the detainees to the competent courts.”

  3. Gravitas: Myanmar Coup: Will Facebook decide the fate of Myanmar?
    1,596 views
    •Feb 12, 2021

  4. Saudi Arabia calls on UN to hold Houthis accountable for terror attacks
    https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/603447/SAUDI-ARABIA/Saudi-Arabia-calls-on-UN-to-hold-Houthis-accountable-for-terror-attacks

    “Saudi Arabia has called on the United Nations Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility in ending threats posed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia to international peace and security and to hold the militia accountable” for its violent activities.

    In a letter, Abdallah Al-MouallimiAl-Mouallimi, the permanent Saudi representative to the UN, also urged members of the council to strongly condemn acts of terrorism by the Houthis.

    The letter highlighted the continuing attacks on the Kingdom launched by the militias from Yemen “in a flagrant violation of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.”

    One recent example given was a Houthi strike on Feb. 11 that targeted Abha International Airport, in the Kingdom’s Asir region, during which a civilian aircraft was set on fire.

    “Such an act of terrorism that targets civilian infrastructure and threatens innocent civilian travelers is a heinous war crime, and the Houthi militias must be held accountable in accordance with international humanitarian laws,” Al-Mouallimi said in his letter.”

  5. Jagmeet Singh – a Canadian lawyer, leader of the New Democratic Party and rest of the iceberg

  6. Biden administration says it aims to close Guantanamo Bay by end of term
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/biden-administration-working-close-guantanamo-bay-prison

    “The Biden administration has launched a formal review of the US military prison camp in Guantanamo Bay with the intention of closing the facility, the White House has said.

    Speaking to reporters on Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said closing the high-security prison camp before Biden leaves office “certainly is our goal and our intention”….”

  7. Indian Govt Says ‘Not conceded any territory to China’ | LAC | English News | India-China standoff

  8. Blast hits local gov’t office in Somali capital
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210212-blast-hits-local-govt-office-in-somali-capital/

    “A bomb explosion on Friday evening targeted a local government office near Somalia’s biggest market in the capital Mogadishu, Anadolu Agency reports.

    Confirming the blast, Somali police spokesman Sadaq Adan Ali told Anadolu Agency by phone a grenade was hurled at a local government office near Bakaara market in the Hodan district.

    No casualties were reported, he said, adding further investigations were underway.

    No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Somali-based Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for many recent attacks in the Horn of Africa country.

    Al-Shabaab militants have stepped up attacks on security forces as operations by Africa Union Mission Forces and the Somali National Army continue pushing the group from its strongholds in the country.”

  9. 7 countries meet in Greece to discuss Mediterranean gas, Gulf states take part
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210212-7-countries-meet-in-greece-to-discuss-mediterranean-gas-gulf-states-take-part/

    “The foreign ministers of seven countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Greece and Cyprus) are scheduled to meet for a summit termed the “Friendship Forum” in Athens on Thursday, to discuss developments in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.

    El-Sharq TV (affiliated with Saudi Arabia) quoted a diplomatic source stating that the meeting is dedicated to developing a common vision among the concerned countries, to handle the file of East Mediterranean gas and boost multilateral cooperation in several fields.

    The source explained that this comes in light of regional and international changes and the desire of these countries to conclude more conventions and work together to benefit all participating parties.

    The source pointed out that the foreign ministers of the participating countries are meeting precisely at this time to deliver an early message to the new US administration that these important and influential countries have rules and principles for dealing with the issues of the East Mediterranean and Middle East regions.

    The source noted that the summit aims to press the European Union to unify efforts to protect its interests in the East Mediterranean, namely the region’s gas reserve.”

  10. Dozens dead as Houthi offensive in Yemen’s north escalates
    https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2021/2/12/dozens-dead-as-houthi-offensive-in-yemens-north-escalates

    “Fighting in Yemen’s north has left dozens dead and wounded, a government source said Friday, as Houthi rebels battle to seize a strategic oil-rich region.

    Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have resumed an offensive to seize Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold, with reports of heavy clashes with pro-government forces, including air strikes pounding a rebel convoy.

    “Dozens of people have been killed and wounded on both sides,” a government source told AFP, claiming that “most of the deaths were Houthis hit by air strikes.”

    The loss of Marib would be disastrous for the beleaguered leadership.

    On Thursday night, Houthi fighters fired a missile into the suburbs of Marib “killing eight soldiers and wounding many others,” he added.

    Military sources said the Saudi-led coalition launched several air strikes on Houthi positions near Marib, including destroying a rebel convoy of eight vehicles, killing all.

    Marib lies some 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of the capital Sanaa, which the Houthis have held — along with much of the north — since 2014.

    Residents in Marib said the city was on alert and that government forces had appealed on local tribes to support them.

    This month the rebels launched a new push for Marib, and also escalated attacks against Saudi Arabia, drawing condemnation from the international community.

    Yahya Sarie, spokesman for the Houthis’ armed wing, claimed responsibility for the most recent attack, with drones and missiles fired Thursday at the southern Saudi garrison town of Khamis Mushait, a key airbase.

    That attack was intercepted before it reached its target.

    On Wednesday, the rebels mounted a drone attack on Saudi’s southwestern Abha airport, leaving a civilian plane ablaze.

    The upsurge in violence comes shortly after the United States decided to remove the rebels from its list of terrorist groups, in order to ensure humanitarian work in Yemen is unimpeded, and to pave the way to restart peace talks.

    Yemen’s grinding conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, according to international organisations, sparking what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

    On Friday, the UN agencies warned that about 400,000 children aged under five are in danger of dying of acute malnutrition this year.”

  11. Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into US
    https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/biden-administration-to-allow-25000-asylum-seekers-into-us-1.1613150671927

    “The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed.

    The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum-seekers in Mexico with active cases will be allowed in the United States on Feb. 19, authorities said. They plan to start slowly with two border crossings each processing up to 300 people a day and a third crossing taking fewer. Administration officials declined to name them out of fear they may encourage a rush of people to those locations.

    The move is a major step toward dismantling one of former President Donald Trump’s most consequential policies to deter asylum-seekers from coming to the U.S. About 70,000 asylum-seekers were enrolled in “ Remain in Mexico,” officially called “Migrant Protection Protocols,” since it was introduced in January 2019.

    On Biden’s first day in office, the Homeland Security Department suspended the policy for new arrivals. Since then, some asylum-seekers picked up at the border have been released in the U.S. with notices to appear in court.

    Biden is quickly making good on a campaign promise to end the policy, which the Trump administration said was critical to reversing a surge of asylum-seekers that peaked in 2019. But the policy also exposed people to violence in Mexican border cities and made it extremely difficult for them to find lawyers and communicate with courts about their cases.

    “As President Biden has made clear, the US government is committed to rebuilding a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “This latest action is another step in our commitment to reform immigration policies that do not align with our nation’s values.”…”

  12. Turkey slams ‘Friendship Forum’ held in Athens
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-slams-friendship-forum-held-in-athens-162349

    “Ankara on Feb. 11 criticized the Greek foreign minister’s “unfounded accusations and slander” against Turkey at a meeting of the “Friendship Forum” in Greece’s capital Athens.

    “At a press conference at the end of the forum, which claims that it does not target any country, Nikos Dendias’s unfounded accusations and slander against Turkey show that this initiative is not based on friendship but in fact on hostility towards Turkey,” Hami Aksoy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement in response to a question.

    The Philia Forum was held in Athens on Thursday with the participation of foreign ministers of Greece, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and the Greek Cypriot administration.

    “The Greek/Greek Cypriot duo threaten peace and stability in the region by blocking the positive agenda that the EU is trying to create with candidate country Turkey and by doing politics while depending on others,” Aksoy said.

    “We call on the duo to act with good sense, and other countries in the forum not to become victim of others’ games,” he said.

    It is not possible for any forum in the region to establish a successful cooperation and friendship mechanism without including Turkey and Turkish Cypriots, he added.”

  13. Turkish lawmakers blast US letter on Turkey
    https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-lawmakers-blast-us-letter-on-turkey-162359

    “Decrying its slander against Turkey, a group of key Turkish lawmakers on Feb. 12 criticized a letter sent by 54 U.S. senators to President Joe Biden.

    “[The letter] is the latest example of hostile attempts against Turkey which are condemned to fail and inconsistent with the spirit of alliance,” wrote the 87 Turkish lawmakers, all members of the Turkey-U.S. Parliamentary Friendship Group.

    “The signatory Senators’ baseless and irresponsible allegations targeting our domestic and foreign policy in no way conform to our strategic partnership with the U.S. nor to our alliance under NATO,” it added.

    “It is of importance that our two countries, enjoying a relationship of alliance and friendship on the basis of common political values, act in mutual respect and sincere dialogue, while taking into consideration their respective sensitivities with regard to the many challenges they face,” said the Turkish lawmakers.

    The lawmakers expressed surprise that in “our allies and friends [there is] of a group of politicians who have yet to recognize that ever since its founding, the Republic of Turkey is, and has always been, a fully independent modern democratic state based on the rule of law, ensuring that the people’s will shall always prevail unconditionally without discrimination against its citizens on the basis of race or color.”

    The Tuesday letter by the U.S. senators urged Biden to push Turkey on its human rights record.

    The letter, written by Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Marco Rubio, falsely alleges that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “has taken the country down an increasingly authoritarian path” and “marginalized domestic opposition” as well as “silenced or co-opted critical media outlets.”

    The Turkish lawmakers decried the contradiction in branding the protesters who raided the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6 “terrorists” while trying to whitewash as “innocent human rights advocates” members of the FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, which killed 251 people and injured thousands.

    “The signatory Senators’ bolstering of FETO’s slanders is a hypocritical attitude which casts doubt on the sincerity of U.S. officials’ statements denying any ties to the attempted coup,” the Turkish lawmakers said.

    “While calling on the signatory Senators to act in common sense, we expect responsible politicians to support their ally instead of criticizing us in our struggle against FETO members or other terrorist organizations trying to harm Turkey,” it added.

    The defeated 2016 coup in Turkey also left nearly 2,200 injured in less than 12 hours.

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

    Turkish officials have for years been pushing for the U.S. to extradite Gülen from his residence in the state of Pennsylvania.

    Despite providing evidence that the coup attempt was organized on Gülen’s orders, Ankara’s efforts at extradition have been rebuffed by U.S. officials.”

  14. Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-neutralizes-3-ypg-pkk-terrorists-in-northern-syria/2142779

    “Turkey has “neutralized” at least three YPG/PKK terrorists attempting to infiltrate the area of its cross-border anti-terror operation in northern Syria, the National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

    “We have not and will not let the terrorist YPG/PKK to disrupt peace and security in the Operation Peace Spring region. Taking all precautions in the region, our heroic commandos prevented another infiltration attempt and neutralized three YPG/PKK terrorists,” it said on Twitter.

    Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

    Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

    In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.”

  15. Afghanistan-Pakistan: Hazara Shiites, prime targets of Sunni extremists
    https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/reporters/20210212-afghanistan-pakistan-hazara-shiites-prime-targets-of-sunni-extremists

    “On both sides of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, members of the Hazara minority, who practice Shia Islam, have become a prime target for various Sunni terrorist groups such as the Taliban and Islamic State group. In southwestern Pakistan, the Hazaras live in ethnic ghettos. Little information filters out from this highly unstable region, which is off-limits to foreigners. Over on the Afghan side, the Hazaras are also targeted by jihadist groups and those who can afford it now ensure their own security. Our reporters went to meet them.”

  16. zero hedge – ‘High Steaks’ As Israeli Startup Prints World’s First Ribeye

    Israeli-based Aleph Farms Ltd. has created the world’s first slaughter-free steak using three-dimensional “bio-printing” and real cells from a cow.

    Aleph teamed up with biomedical researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to print lab-grown ribeyes intended for human consumption without slaughtering an animal.

    “It incorporates muscle and fat similar to its slaughtered counterpart,” the company said in a press release, adding that its steaks taste just like a “juicy ribeye steak you’d buy from the butcher.”

    Didier Toubia, Co-Founder and CEO of Aleph Farms, called the 3D printed meat a “breakthrough.” He added, “this milestone for me marks a major leap in fulfilling our vision of leading a global food system transition toward a more sustainable, equitable, and secure world.”

    While lab-grown meat is in its infancy, it will take the company a couple of years to advance the technology to scale production up to be commercially available.

    If you thought 3D printed steaks are weird – readers may recall not too long we reported California food company Eat Just Inc. received the all-clear by Singapore to sell lab-grown chicken meat.

    So the question we ask readers: Will lab-grown meat cut down on Co2 emissions as livestock herds would be decreased, or will the fake meat produce more Co2 emissions as it would take more energy in labs to grow it?

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/high-steaks-israeli-startup-prints-worlds-first-ribeye

    ==========================================
    1976 – Louis de Funès – The Wing or the Thigh

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wing_or_the_Thigh

  17. the epoch times – Tucker Carlson Says Show Is Being Targeted for Cancelation

    Fox News’ Tucker Carlson said on the Thursday night episode of his program that his show has been targeted for cancellation.

    Carlson said that “in the last several weeks, and particularly in the last 24 hours, the call to take this show off the air by groups funded—for real—by the Ford Foundation, or by George Soros, by Michael Bloomberg, by Jeff Bezos, has become deafening, going after our advertisers, going after the companies that carry our signal into your home.”

    What’s more, he added, there has been a “cowardice and complicity” on behalf of the “entire media class in all of this,” suggesting that eventually, reporters at legacy news outlets will be targeted as well.

    Writing for Fox News’ website, Carlson added that it may be part of a larger campaign to silence Fox News and other media, noting that some legacy news outlets have dedicated resources calling for the channel to be taken down. One columnist for The New York Times, he added, “has written three separate columns demanding that someone yank this news channel off the air immediately” and on Wednesday, “suggested that ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’ was somehow guilty of terrorism and violence, something that we’ve opposed consistently for four years.”

    “Fox is the last big organization in the American news media that differs in even the smallest ways from the other big news organizations. At this point, everyone else in the media is standing in crisp formation, in their starched matching uniforms and their little caps, patiently awaiting orders from the billionaire class. And then there’s Fox News off by itself, occasionally saying things that are slightly different from everyone else,” Carlson wrote.

    He added: “These are craven servants of the Democratic Party. They are feline, not canine. All of their aggression is passive aggression.”

    But over the past several weeks, there has been growing pushback against corporate media for their attempts to call for the cancelation of other media outlets and journalists.

    Former New York Times investigative reporter and Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald described the phenomena this week in his article: “Teams of journalists at three of the most influential corporate media outlets … devote the bulk of their ‘journalism’ to searching for online spaces where they believe speech and conduct rules are being violated, flagging them, and then pleading that punitive action be taken (banning, censorship, content regulation, after-school detention).”

    The attempts to silence others is “now the prevailing ethos in corporate journalism,” he said, adding that such organizations have no desire to take on “real power centers” such as the “military-industrial complex, the CIA and FBI, the clandestine security state, Wall Street, [and] Silicon Valley monopolies.”

    heepochtimes.com/tucker-carlson-says-show-is-being-targeted-for-cancelation_3694663.html