Reader’s links for June 5th, 2022

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

34 Replies to “Reader’s links for June 5th, 2022”

  1. NIGERIA – ‘Blasphemy’: Man Killed In Abuja, Corpse Set On Fire

    A member of a vigilante group was killed in the Lugbe area of Abuja for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad….

    A member of a vigilante group was killed in the Lugbe area of Abuja for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.

    Daily Trust gathered that the mob killing occurred at the Timber market section of Fruit Market in Federal Housing Estate, Lugbe.

    Eyewitnesses said the victim, a Muslim, was known of the act of insulting the prophet and the latest was on midnight of Saturday.

    But the mob action took place around 1pm on Saturday after seeking refuge in the vigilante office in the market.

    It was gathered the local security outfit was outnumbered before he was killed in front of the office, thereafter, burnt.

    “The guy is known as Small Hundaru, that was not his first time of insulting the prophet before the action was taken,” said Halilu, a trader at the market.

    “He was caught after buying food in the market in the afternoon, because when the blasphemy occurred it was just few people who were there, then a stick was used to hit him in the head. Though he had a gun with him, it was retrieved before the beating.

    “Thereafter, he was stoned before he ran to the office. His colleagues at the office were aware but they couldn’t shield him due to the number of people that chased him. After he was unconscious, petrol was poured over him and not to stoke any fear in the market, he was burnt in front of the office.”

    When our reporter visited the scene, the scorched tyres used in burning him could be seen while traders locked their shop in anticipation of any violence.

    However, with the presence of policemen, the place was calm but three persons were said to have been shot by the policemen.

    https://dailytrust.com/breaking-man-killed-for-blasphemy-in-abuja-corpse-set-on-fire

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    video –
    https://www.kossyderrickent.com/2022/06/video-ahmad-usman-real-name-of-northern.html

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    • CBC – NIGERIA – More than 50 people dead after [ MUSLIM ]gunmen attack worshippers at Nigeria church, lawmakers say

      Many children were among those killed in attack during Sunday mass, according to a local legislator

      Gunmen opened fire on worshippers and detonated explosives at a Catholic church in the city of Owo in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, leaving dozens feared dead, state lawmakers said.

      The attackers targeted the St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state just as the worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday. Many children were among the dead, legislator Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole said.

      Authorities did not immediately release an official death toll.

      A doctor at a hospital in Owo told Reuters that at least 50 bodies had been brought in to two hospitals in the town from the attack. The doctor, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press, also said there was a need for blood donations to treat the injured.

      Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber, also said at least 50 people had been killed, though others put the figure higher. Videos appearing to be from the scene of the attack showed church worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed.

      It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the church.

      https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/dozens-dead-church-attack-nigeria-1.6478338
      graphic :

    • There are three countries you stay away from, meaning you don’t set foot in: Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.

    • CBC – Anti-Islamophobia march marks one year since London, Ont., attack

      Hundreds of people, including Justin Trudeau, joined a march against Islamophobia in London, Ont.

    • CBC – Feds seek special advisor to combat Islamophobia in Canada

      Ahmed Hussen says the application process is open for a special representative to combat Islamophobia in Canada.

    • Shops in Kuwait remove Indian products after Prophet remarks by Indian official

      Superstores in Kuwait remove Indian products from their shelves after remarks on the Prophet Mohammed by an official in India’s ruling party prompted calls on social media to boycott Indian goods.

      Gulf countries on Sunday condemned the remarks made by the spokesperson for Indian Prime Minister that were described as “Islamophobic”.

  2. DAILY MAIL – Trans women cyclists who used to compete as men take first and second place in new ‘non-binary’ race – leaving young mother in third

    The independent race aimed to be inclusive for trans and non-binary people

    It was won by Emily Bridges who was pictured on the podium on social media

    It comes amid a heated row about trans rights in elite sports such as cycling

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10885307/Trans-women-cyclists-second-non-binary-race-leaving-young-mother-third.html

  3. bloomberg – US to Let Eni, Repsol Ship Venezuela Oil to Europe, Reuters Says

    The US could allow Italy’s Eni SpA and Spain’s Repsol SA to ship Venezuelan oil to Europe as soon as July to make up for Russian crude, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

    The US State Department gave the two companies the green light to resume shipments in a letter, according to the report. Volumes are not expected to be large and any global oil-price impact will be modest, one of the sources told Reuters.

    The companies, which have joint ventures with Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA, can count the cargoes toward unpaid debts and late dividends on the condition that they go to Europe, it added.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-05/us-to-let-eni-repsol-ship-venezuela-oil-to-europe-reuters-says
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    reuters – U.S. to let Eni, Repsol ship Venezuela oil to Europe for debt -sources

    HOUSTON/WASHINGTON — Italian oil company Eni SpA and Spain’s Repsol SA could begin shipping Venezuelan oil to Europe as soon as next month to make up for Russian crude, five people familiar with the matter said, resuming oil-for-debt swaps halted two years ago when Washington stepped up sanctions on Venezuela.

    The volume of oil Eni and Repsol are expected to receive is not large, one of the people said, and any impact on global oil prices will be modest. But Washington’s greenlight to resume Venezuela’s long-frozen oil flows to Europe could provide a symbolic boost for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

    The U.S. State Department gave the nod to the two companies to resume shipments in a letter, the people said. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration hopes the Venezuelan crude can help Europe cut dependence on Russia and re-direct some of Venezuela’s cargoes from China. Coaxing Maduro into restarting political talks with Venezuela’s opposition is another aim, two of the people told Reuters.

    The two European energy companies, which have joint ventures with Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA, can count the crude cargoes toward unpaid debts and late dividends, the people said.

    A key condition, one of the people said, was that the oil received “has to go to Europe. It cannot be resold elsewhere.”

    Washington believes PDVSA will not benefit financially from these cash-free transactions, unlike Venezuela’s current oil sales to China, that person said. China has not signed onto Western sanctions on Russia, and has continued to buy Russian oil and gas despite U.S. appeals.

    The authorizations came last month, but details and resale restrictions have not been reported previously.

    Eni and Repsol did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

    OTHERS EXCLUDED

    Washington has not made similar allowances for U.S. oil major Chevron Corp, India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC) and France’s Maurel & Prom SA, which also lobbied the U.S. State Department and U.S. Treasury Department to take oil in return for billions of dollars in accumulated debts from Venezuela.

    All five oil companies halted swapping oil for debt in mid-2020 in the midst of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign that cut Venezuela’s oil exports but failed to oust Maduro.

    PDVSA has not scheduled Eni and Repsol to take any cargoes this month, according to a June 3 preliminary PDVSA loading program seen by Reuters.

    Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez tweeted last month she hoped the U.S. overtures “will pave the way for the total lifting of the illegal sanctions which affect our entire people.”

    OUTREACH TO CARACAS

    The Biden administration held its highest level talks with Caracas in March, and Venezuela freed two of at least 10 jailed U.S. citizens and promised to resume election talks with the opposition. Maduro has yet to agree on a date to return to the negotiating table.

    Republican lawmakers and some of Biden’s fellow Democrats who oppose any softening of U.S. policy toward Maduro have blasted the U.S. approach to Venezuela as too one-sided.

    Washington maintains further sanctions relief on Venezuela will be conditioned on progress toward democratic change as Maduro negotiates with the opposition.

    Last month, the Biden administration authorized Chevron, the largest U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela, to talk to Maduro’s government and PDVSA about future operations in Venezuela.

    About that time, the U.S. State Department secretly sent letters to Eni and Repsol saying Washington would “not object” if they resumed oil-for-debt deals and brought the oil to Europe, one of the sources told Reuters.

    The letters assured them they would face no penalties for taking Venezuelan oil cargoes to collect on pending debt, said two people in Washington.

    CHEVON CONSIDERATION

    Chevron’s request to the U.S. Treasury to expand its operations in Venezuela came as the State Department issued the no-objection letters to Eni and Repsol. The person familiar with the matter in Washington declined to say whether Chevron’s request remained under consideration.

    The U.S. oil major did receive a six-month continuation of a license that preserves its assets and U.S. approval to talk with Venezuelan government officials about future operations.

    It was not immediately clear if Washington had okayed the prior crude-for-fuel swaps European companies conducted with PDVSA until 2020, exchanges that provided relief to gasoline-thirsty Venezuela.

    China has become the largest customer for Venezuelan oil, with as much as 70% of monthly shipments destined for its refiners.

  4. INDIA – Twitter spaces conducted by Islamists making open calls to murder BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma: Here is a snippet

    Nupur Sharma has been at the receiving end of the unabashed hatred from the Islamists and ‘left-liberal-secular’ journalists for expressing her views on Prophet Muhammad on Times Now on Friday (May 27).

    […]

    During a debate on the disputed Gyanvapi structure, Sharma argued that people can mock Islamic beliefs in response to objectionable remarks against Hinduism. She pointed out that Prophet Muhammad had married a six-year-old Aisha, and he had consummated his marriage when she was nine years old.

    https://www.opindia.com/2022/05/islamists-calls-for-murder-of-bjp-spokesperson-nupur-sharma-on-twitter-spaces-here-is-a-snippet/

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    INDIA – BJP’s Nupur Sharma suspended, Naveen Jindal expelled over remarks on Prophet

    The development comes hours after the party issued a statement seeking to defuse a row over controversial comments allegedly made by Nupur Sharma against Prophet Mohammed.

    The BJP on Sunday suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad that triggered protests and condemnations.

    The development comes hours after the party issued a statement seeking to defuse the row .

    Expelling Jindal, the BJP said his views on social media vitiate communal harmony and are in violation of its fundamental beliefs.

    “Your primary membership is immediately terminated and you are expelled from the party,” a communication from its Delhi president Adesh Gupta said.

    A communication to Sharma from the party’s disciplinary committee said she has expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters, which is in clear violation of its constitution.

    “Pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party and from your responsibilities, assignments if any, with immediate effect,” it said.

    The BJP earlier asserted that it respects all religions and strongly denounces insult of any religious personality. Party general secretary Arun Singh said in a statement that the party is strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion.

    The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy, he said.

    Though the BJP did not name the spokesperson or referred to the comments need on the TV show there has been a widespread protest against Sharma’s comments on the television channel against the Prophet.

    On Friday, clashes broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur after members of two groups threw stones at each other over a call to shut down markets in protest against her statement made in the context of the controversy over the Gyanvapi issue.

    Singh said, “During the thousands of years of history of India every religion has blossomed and flourished. The Bharatiya Janata Party respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion.”

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nupur-sharma-naveen-jindal-suspended-from-bjp-s-primary-membership-reports-101654424808492.html

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    INDIA – BJP suspends Nupur Sharma for comments against Prophet Mohammed; says party respects all religions

    Party sources said the decision has been taken to defuse a row following backlash from inside and outside the country

    Cracking the whip, the BJP today suspended party spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect while distancing itself from her alleged inflammatory comments against Prophet Mohammed in a television debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque issue.

    Issuing a strongly worded statement, party general secretary Arun Singh said the BJP is “strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion and does not promote such people or philosophy.”

    Though Singh did not name anyone or the context, the party’s central disciplinary committee issued a letter to Sharma saying that she had “expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various issues, which is in clear violence of Rule 10 (a) of the constitution of the party.”

    “I have been directed to convey to you that pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party, and your responsibilities/assignments if any, with immediate effect,” member secretary Om Pathak said.

    The party also suspended Delhi media in-charge Naveen Kumar Jindal, who allegedly posted a tweet about the Prophet but later deleted it.

    The statement, one of the rare ones the BJP has issued either to retract or distance itself from any statement of a spokesperson or a leader, comes in the wake of widespread protests by Muslims inside and outside the country. Aimed at sending a clear message to party leaders, it follows RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat questioning the need to look for a “Shivling in every Masjid”.

    Several cases have been registered against Sharma for hurting religious sentiments during the television news debate on the Gyanvapi issue.

    Violence erupted in Kanpur on Friday as mobs allegedly started stone pelting over Sharma’s remarks. Several persons, including police personnel, were injured during the clashes.

    Reports also suggest social media backlash in Muslim majority nations over the statement, a reason perhaps the BJP issued the statement in English. Some superstores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain reportedly “removed Indian products” after “insulting remarks against Prophet Mohammad” by Sharma, described as “PM Modi’s close aide” trended.

    Sources claim the issue also found mention in party president JP Nadda’s ‘Know BJP’ meeting with Ambassadors/High Commissioners, including Turkey.

    Arun Singh stated categorically, “During the thousands of years of history of India every religion has blossomed and flourished. The Bharatiya Janata Party respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion.

    “India’s Constitution gives the right to every citizen to practice any religion of his or her choice and to honour and respect every religion.

    “As India celebrates 75th year of its Independence, we are committed to making India a great country where all are equal and everyone lives with dignity, where all are committed to India’s unity and integrity, where all enjoy the fruits of growth and development,” he added.

    Seeking immediate action, complaints against Sharma in different parts of the country alleged she used “abusive, false and hurtful words against the Prophet and religion of Islam and hurt the feelings of Muslims”.

    Though Sharma claimed that she has been receiving death and rape threats on social media after a “so-called fact-checker” circulated a “heavily edited video” from the debate. “Ever since I’ve been receiving death and rape threats, including beheading threats against me and family members,” she was quoted as saying.

    Citing security threat to their families, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal urged media to not make their address public after their suspension letters with respective home addresses went viral on the social media.

    Meanwhile, Nupur Sharma has issued a clarification on Twitter, unconditionally withdrawing her statement. She stated that “it was never my intention to hurt anyone’s religious feelings.”

    https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/bjp-suspends-party-spokespersons-nupur-sharma-naveen-jindal-from-primary-membership-401233

  5. American Thinker – How Would NATO Fare on the Battlefield with Russia?

    On February 24, President Vladimir Putin of Russia ordered an invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces attacked on multiple fronts, only to meet fierce resistance. In response, the Russian Army has shifted gears. It is now advancing slowly and methodically, executing a war of attrition against the Ukrainian Army. The outlook for Ukraine is grim. Russia seems certain to achieve victory, albeit with heavy losses and with massive damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure and population.

    Meanwhile, the West has not been idle. Russia is now the most sanctioned country on earth. Ukrainian troops are training in NATO facilities in Germany. America regularly passes on intelligence to the Ukrainian military. There are persistent rumors of NATO advisers operating with Ukrainian troops in combat. The Biden administration has also provided billions of dollars in military assistance, culminating in a $40-billion aid package.

    Even so, NATO support is unlikely to prevent a Russian victory. As a result, there is mounting pressure for an American-led intervention. Numerous elected officials, academics, and former military officers across the Western world have called for the imposition of a no-fly zone or for the deployment of troops to Ukraine. The initiation of hostilities between Russia and NATO is now a real possibility.

    There is just one problem with this proposal. A successful NATO intervention in Ukraine is a military impossibility. War would result in catastrophic damage to NATO infrastructure across Europe and the deaths of thousands of allied soldiers. Washington would quickly be faced with the temptation to use nuclear weapons to restore the situation in its favor.

    Although this reading of the military situation may seem apocalyptic, it is supported by the facts on the ground. The balance of forces in Eastern Europe overwhelmingly favors the Kremlin, despite months of fighting in Ukraine. NATO ground troops are not postured to intervene. While in theory there are around 100,000 American soldiers in Europe, they are scattered across 19 countries from Portugal to Lithuania. A large fraction is lightly armed paratroopers, support personnel, or motorized infantry who could do little in the face of Russia’s huge army. In any case, it would take months to reposition them for war. On paper, our NATO allies possess thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery, but their professionalism in many cases is questionable. Moreover, the necessary large-scale joint training has not occurred in decades. NATO officers commanding huge formations of allied troops would be forced to improvise their operational procedures — a recipe for disaster under any circumstances, let alone in a great power conflict.

    It would take years to build up NATO’s arsenal to the point at which it could successfully challenge Russia on its own terrain. Even then, victory would not be assured. It is doubtful that NATO could achieve air superiority over Eastern Europe. The combat record of older Soviet-era air defenses against Western cruise missiles in Syria has been impressive. More recently, the S400 air defense system has been successfully employed in Ukraine to destroy aircraft at ranges in excess of 100 miles. Russia’s top-line S550 has successfully destroyed targets at ranges up to 300 miles in testing and is allegedly capable of intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles.

    Russia, therefore, possesses the capacity to interdict the air space over a vast swath of Eastern Europe. Any aerial campaign over Ukraine would turn into a bloodbath for allied pilots. Lacking air superiority, NATO would be forced to achieve victory against the Russian Army in ground combat. That would involve sending tens of thousands of soldiers into a meat grinder in which the odds favor the Kremlin. It is uncertain how allied troops would perform in an environment without air superiority, a situation that the United States has not faced since the early days of the Korean War. In any case, at each echelon from the battalion upwards, the Russian Army possesses complete tactical superiority over its allied equivalents in military assets, from electronic warfare to signals to mechanization to fires, especially howitzers and rocket artillery.

    Russia’s superiority over NATO in fires is worth remarking on. Artillery plays a defining role in Russian military doctrine. Each Battalion Tactical Group (BTG) — the Russian Army’s basic maneuver unit, roughly equivalent to a reduced-size mechanized infantry brigade in the U.S. Army — possesses a battery of howitzers. (Around 80 BTGs are currently fighting in Ukraine, compared to just three American brigades permanently stationed across the entire European continent.) The Russian Army maintains entire divisions of rocket artillery along its frontier, dwarfing the assets available to any combination of NATO forces in Europe. At every echelon, the sheer quantity of artillery available to Russian commanders greatly exceeds that available to their NATO counterparts.

    Nor does Russia possess the advantage in quantity alone. The quality of Russian artillery in training, integration with ground forces, and weapons performance also vastly exceeds that of NATO, according to a 2017 RAND report. Russian artillery in every class far outranges its American equivalents, across all classes of howitzers and rocket artillery. Meanwhile, the United States Army has never conducted the kind of integrated campaign with rocket artillery that the Russian Army is successfully executing in Ukraine. American rocket artillery assets in Europe consist of a few batteries falling under a division that exists purely on paper. The U.S. Army in Europe possesses a few dozen MLRS systems compared to several thousand in the Russian Army. Nor is there any indication that the Pentagon has conducted any kind of preparation to counter Russian tactical superiority in fires. The assets to do so simply do not exist, placing allied troops at a serious disadvantage if war breaks out.

    NATO is courting disaster by considering a military intervention under these conditions, let alone escalating tensions by pouring weapons and money into a doomed cause. This is not to say that NATO’s arsenal is worthless. The Ukrainians alone have inflicted thousands of casualties. Yet Western officials must recognize that the enemy has a vote. The Russian response to hostilities will be devastating. We can expect them to target NATO infrastructure across the world — almost certainly including the American homeland — with their arsenal of hypersonic missiles. The loss of life will be immense. The damage to allied military assets and decision-making centers would take years to repair.

    Meanwhile, even if NATO brigades and divisions managed to reach the front lines, they would face the real prospect of annihilation at the hands of the Russian Army. We simply do not know how Western governments will react to the loss of thousands of soldiers. Political instability in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy, among many other places, does not bode well for the outbreak of war. Under these circumstances, the possibility that the White House would choose to reverse any initial setbacks by using nuclear weapons cannot be ruled out.

    Russia and NATO stand at the precipice of an existential trap. A NATO victory in any kind of war with Russia in Europe is unlikely without recourse to nuclear weapons. Total defeat for the alliance at the hands of the Russians is highly probable. The United States must do everything it can to avoid this possibility by disavowing any intention of engaging in hostilities, desisting from arming Ukraine, and encouraging both sides to negotiate a peace deal.

    Jesus said, “Agree with thine adversary quickly.” We are running out of time to forestall the worst crisis in human history since the Second World War.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/06/how_would_nato_fare_on_the_battlefield_with_russia.html

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    al jazeera – Putin warns of hitting ‘new targets’ if Kiev gets new missiles

    The Russia president issues a new warning to the West against providing Ukraine with long-range missiles as it attacks Kiev.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West against providing Ukraine with long-range missiles, as Moscow claimed it had struck targets in Kiev, destroying tanks and other armoured vehicles supplied by Western countries.

    Putin warned that he would hit new targets if advanced rocket systems were supplied to Ukraine, adding that new arms deliveries to Kiev are aimed at “prolonging the conflict”.

    Moscow “will draw the appropriate conclusions and use our arms…. to strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting,” the Russian leader said without specifying which targets he meant.

    His remarks come days after US President Joe Biden announced the US would send “rocket systems that can strike into Russia”, but a day later announced he had decided to provide Ukraine with “more advanced rocket systems and munitions”, without mentioning the systems by name.

    Ukraine has been seeking Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) such as the M270 and M142 HIMARS to hit troops and weapons stockpiles at the Russian forces’ rear.

    While Kiev has stressed it would not hit targets inside Russia, there are concerns that providing such weapons would risk drawing the US and its NATO allies into direct conflict with Moscow.

    Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the US decision to supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems could exacerbate the conflict.

    Putin also insisted it would not bring on any fundamental changes on the battlefield.

    Speaking to the Rossiya-1 state television channel, he said the “fuss” around Western weapon supplies to Ukraine was designed to drag out the conflict.

    “We understand that this supply from the United States and some other countries is meant to make up for the losses of this military equipment,” Putin said.

    Russia says it destroyed donated tanks in Kiev

    Russia said on Sunday it had used long-range missiles to destroy tanks supplied to Ukraine by Eastern European countries during attacks on Kiev.

    “High-precision, long-range missiles fired by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the outskirts of Kiev destroyed T-72 tanks supplied by Eastern European countries and other armoured vehicles that were in hangars,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

    A barrage of air raids shattered five weeks of eerie calm in Ukraine’s capital on Sunday, reportedly pounding railway facilities and other infrastructure.

    There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine that the Russian attacks had destroyed tanks.

    Nuclear plant operator Energoatom said one cruise missile buzzed the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear plant, about 350km (220 miles) to the south, on its way to the capital and cited the dangers of such a near miss.

    Moscow on Wednesday sharply criticised the US decision to supply similar rocket systems and munitions to Ukraine.

    “We believe that the US is deliberately pouring oil on the fire. The US is obviously holding the line that it will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

    Earlier, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency RIA Novosti that Moscow viewed US military aid to Ukraine “extremely negatively”.

    Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov warned such a move would be a “serious step towards unacceptable escalation”.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/5/russia-to-strike-new-targets-if-kyiv-sent-long-range-rockets
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    reuters – Putin warns United States against supplying Ukraine longer range missiles

    LONDON, June 5 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin warned the United States in an interview broadcast on Sunday that Russia would strike new targets if the West supplied longer-range missiles to Ukraine for use in high-precision mobile rocket systems.

    The United States has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kiev such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

    President Joe Biden last week said Washington would supply Ukraine with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, after he received assurances from Kyiv that it would not be used to target Russia. read more

    Putin said the arms shipments were “nothing new” and changed nothing but cautioned that there would be a response if the United States supplied longer-range munitions for the HIMARS systems which have a maximum range of up to 300 km (185 miles) or more.

    If longer-range missiles are supplied, “we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting,” Putin told the Rossiya-1 state television channel in an interview.

    Putin said the range of the Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) HIMARS systems depended on the munitions supplied and that the range announced by the United States was around the same as Soviet-made missile systems that Ukraine already had.

    “This is nothing new. It doesn’t change anything in essence,” Putin said. He said the arms merely replaced those that Russia had destroyed.

    Putin did not identify the targets Russia would strike, but said the “fuss” around Western arms supplies was designed to drag out the conflict.

    The U.S. Department of Defense said it was supplying Ukraine four M142 HIMARS systems along with the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that it said had a range of over 40 miles (64 km) – double the range of the howitzers it supplied.

    ‘CRACKING NUTS’

    The war in Ukraine, Europe’s biggest ground invasion since World War Two, has shown the limits of Russia’s post-Soviet military power with significant losses and several changes of strategy in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance.

    Speaking about the drones delivered by Western states to Ukraine, Putin said Russian air defences were “cracking them like nuts”. Dozens, he said, had been destroyed.

    Although Russian officials have warned that the U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems would exacerbate the conflict, Putin said it would not bring on any fundamental changes on the battlefield.

    The interview, which the Kremlin said was recorded on June 3 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, showed Putin sitting before a large wall map of Russia, Europe and Central Asia.

    Asked about Ukrainian grain exports, he said the best solution would be to transport it through Belarus but said that sanctions would have to lifted from the Russian ally. read more

    Since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, Ukrainian grain shipments from its Black Sea ports have stalled and more than 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in silos.

    Putin and Russian officials do not use the words war or invasion, saying it is a “special military operation” aimed at preventing the persecution of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

    Putin also casts it as a turning point in Russian history: a revolt by Moscow against the United States, which he says has humiliated Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

    Ukraine says it is fighting for its very survival against a Russian imperial-style land grab that has irrevocably divided the two biggest Eastern Slav peoples and sown death and destruction across Europe’s second largest country by area.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-warns-west-russia-will-strike-harder-if-longer-range-missiles-supplied-2022-06-05/

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    KIEV – JUNE 05 2022

    • The world is heading into WWIII this is because the leaders of the Democrats are working to destroy Western Civ and turn the entire world into a socialist hellhole. I don’t see any peaceful solution that doesn’t require all of the nations that are part of Western Civ surrendering to Russia and China. Our choices are war or slavery,I have made my choice you make yours.

    • 2021 – NATO leaders pose for “family photo” at summit in Brussels

      ( video – 1 min 53 )

      https://twitter.com/benoitm_mtl/status/1532927802915291136

      ========================

      ( video – 2 min 31 )

      Leaders are set to commit to reducing NATO militaries’ climate impact, and to lowering the bar for any retaliation to cyber attacks.

      Space, Afghanistan and political reforms to make NATO more responsive in a multipolar world are on the agenda.

    • 2022 – NATO summit: World leaders pose for “family photo” in Brussels

  6. A little anecdote from today.

    So, I’m out doing my grocery shopping, it was urgent. I arrived at the cash and there was only one customer, a woman in her late twenties, who had just finished emptying her cart onto the counter.

    I figured it wouldn’t be long before I could do the same because I’m behind her. I was wrong!

    She had one item that she was contesting the price. She took her iPhone and started scrolling to find the competitor’s price to save maybe one dollar. She couldn’t find the Internet flyer but she didn’t quit.

    And I’m behind her with my small cart waiting a full ten minutes as she is scrolling her iPhone to find a better price.

    I told her next time to bring the paper flyer because it will be faster. She says “all is fine, I’ll find it”.

    So, as she is scrolling through her iPhone, I mention the government intrudes on your phone, they know a lot about you and your habits. She looks at me in the most sarcastic way, with utter contempt for me. The young cashier joined in. They thought I was a crazy Conspiracy idiot.

    I was going to mention the new government app for express lanes at toll booths where we longer have to stop to pay the toll because the government captures your licence plate before you pass and credits your bank account for the toll payment. But the customer wasn’t worth it because I knew she wouldn’t listen to a crazy person like me.

    CONCLUSION: We are outnumbered by the younger generation who think they know all.

  7. Jun 06, 2022 Rajasthan: Muslim cleric threatens to ‘chop off tongues’ of people who insult Prophet Muhammad’
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/city/jaipur/rajasthan-muslim-cleric-threatens-to-chop-off-tongues-of-people-who-insult-prophet-muhammad/videoshow/92039762.cms
    A Muslim cleric threatened to ‘chop off tongues’ of people who insulted in Prophet Mohammad. The incident was reported from Rajasthan’s Bundi. The Muslim cleric was caught on camera issuing open threats to ‘cut off the tongues of those who insult Prophet Muhammad’. The Muslim cleric went on to say that ‘people’s hands and tongues will be chopped off, eyes will be gouged out’ over Prophet Mohammad’s insult.”

  8. 6 JUN 2022 Controversial Remarks On Prophet Mohammed: Protest By Qatar And Kuwait A Wake Up Call For India
    Time to rein-in party cadres so that the hard work put in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform political relations with the Gulf region is not frittered away by rising intolerance in India.
    https://www.outlookindia.com/national/controversial-remarks-on-prophet-mohammed-protest-by-qatar-and-kuwait-a-wake-up-call-for-india-news-200540
    Sunday’s protests by Qatar and Kuwait, two important members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a wake up call for India. Irresponsible comments by ruling party spokespersons can have a negative impact on India’s foreign policy. Moreover this has come on the heels of the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom report which was released a few days back.
    The loose talk by BJP’s spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, its Delhi media head, who tweeted the offensive remarks is now being dubbed by the Indian embassy in Qatar as the views of “fringe elements’’ but this is far from the truth. Rising intolerance and religious polarisation have become common and could lead to widespread social unrest, affecting not just India’s image as a secular pluralistic democratic nation but also indirectly its growth story. It is time for the government to check the belligerence of the ruling party cadres who have pretty much got away with flouting the law.
    The government has taken swift action by suspending BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelling Naveen Kumar Jindal, the chief of its Delhi media cell Naveen Kumar Jindal, for the controversial comments on Prophet Muhammad and the tweets that followed. The comments have led to a demand for boycott of Indian goods and Indian movies. If this spreads across the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, where around seven million Indians work, it could be disastrous all around.
    The irony is that India’s relations with the Gulf region had never been better. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has played the catalyst in transforming political and economic relations with the region. It would be unfortunate if all the hard work of the PM in changing the equation between the region and India go to waste unless New Delhi does a course correction in its domestic politics.
    Also it is time for party spokespersons to talk more sensibly on television channels. It is common sense that any controversial statements on the Prophet is sacrilege to Muslims not just in India but around the world. The reactions to such words were bound to reverberate.
    The Indian embassy in Qatar, while issuing a long statement that the tweets by the party spokesperson did not in any way reflect the views of the government, which respected all religions, also added that “Vested interests that are against India-Qatar relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments.” This could be true, but such elements inimical to India’s growing friendship with the Arab world, are emboldened when New Delhi does not keep its house in order. A pragmatic government must take care to ensure that such forces do not get the chance to fish in troubled waters.
    The rulers of the Gulf states generally keep aloof from commenting on the domestic issues of other countries. Most of the rulers of the Gulf kingdoms are authoritarian and often abuse their own citizens, however when it comes to comments on the Prophet they do react as they cannot ignore the sentiment of faithful Muslims from the mosque and the bazaar.
    Growing religious intolerance in India was also mentioned in the US report.Secretary of State Antony Blinken said while releasing the review on religious freedom, spoke of rising intolerance around the world and pointed a finger at India.
    “For example, in India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths. We’ve seen rising attacks on people in places of worship,” Blinken said. The MEA in its reaction thrashed the report.