“Migration most serious threat to Europe”, says Hungarian defence minister

By HUNGARY JOURNAL 31 January 2019

Migration is the biggest threat to the safety of Europeans, the Hungarian defence minister Tibor Benko said ahead of a two-day meeting with his European Union counterparts in Bucharest.

Europe, and Hungary specifically, have entered a new phase in terms of security policy, Tibor Benko told MTI. Europe’s security has deteriorated considerably, he said, adding that routine solutions were not adequate for dealing with new types of security challenges.

The ministerial meeting will focus on European defence initiatives, coherence between the various defence training projects and military operations, Benko said. He urged European leaders to take the security threats facing the continent and its citizens seriously and start pursuing a new direction on migration. Benko added new global security challenges like terrorism, migration or cyberwarfare required a joint European response.

January 31, 2019 0

It works: Salvini’s border control policy reduces migrant arrivals by 95 percent

By EMMA R. 30 January 2019

Under the migration policy of Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, migrant arrivals in January 2019 are down by around 95 percent compared to January 2018.

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Official data shows that 3,176 illegal immigrants arrived in Italy in January 2018 under the leadership of the Democratic Party which had told Italians they were actively working to reduce the number of landings and had reduced the number somewhat compared to 2017.

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Much of the credit for the reduction of illegal migrant arrivals rests on the policy of Salvini who, last year, told migrant transport NGOs that they would not be welcome to dock in Italian ports and drop off migrants in what many referred to a “taxi service”.

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“For the first time, returns are superior to arrivals”, Salvini said following the release of the new statistics. After closing the ports, Salvini and the Italian government have focused on increasing deportations and, as a result, have seen more deportations of radical Islamists than any other country in Europe in 2018.

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While the number of migrants has been significantly reduced both in the Mediterranean and on the land border with Slovenia, the migrant transport NGO Sea Watch has continued attempts to land in Italy, with their vessel Sea Watch-3 currently off the coast of Syracuse with 47 migrants on board.

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Last week, Salvini ordered Italian authorities to investigate the vessel and the NGO and demanded that the Dutch government take in the migrants due to the fact the ship had been flying under the flag of the Netherlands.

January 30, 2019 0

Viktor Orban attacks George Soros, who “is open about wanting to take over European institutions”

By HUNGARY JOURNAL

The European Parliament’s debate on the rule of law in Hungary will be a “George Soros-type seance, an election rally, a campaign event”, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public Kossuth Radio.

Orban said he had always fought for “the Hungarian national interest” but he would not aid and abet next week’s “pro-migration campaign event” in Brussels.

The European left wing’s Spitzenkandidat, Frans Timmermans, who is currently the first Vice-President of the European Commission, is “Soros’s man”, he said, referring to the American-Hungarian billionaire.

“Soros is now open about wanting to take over European institutions”, the prime minister insisted.

The progress of the infringement procedures against Hungary, which the commission decided to step up on Thursday, is also a sign of Soros’s big influence “and that he wants to increase it even further”, Orban said. This attempt should be thwarted at May’s EP election, “where we want pro-migration MEPs to be left in minority”, he said.

Regarding the EP’s decision to triple the funding of “Soros’s NGOs”, Orban said that this was “a decision executing point six of the Soros-plan”. The initiative to couple funding with the rule of law in member states was a “primitive proposal”contrary to EU rules, he said. Such a ruling would need the votes of all member states, and he would never vote for it. “It will not become reality”, the prime minister said.

Orban said his ruling Fidesz party had always opposed such “anti-Hungary” decisions, while the Hungarian opposition had supported them.

January 29, 2019 0

Giza Pyramid mystery chamber may hold Pharaoh’s ‘meteorite throne’

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A huge void discovered inside the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt late last year may hold an iron throne carved from meteorites, according to new analysis of ancient religious texts.

Giulio Magli, Director of the Department of Mathematics and Professor of Archaeoastronomy at the Politecnico di Milano, studied the Pyramid Texts, religious writings carved into pyramid walls around 2400 BC. Based on his studies, Magli propose that it’s possible the throne of Pharaoh Khufu – or ‘Cheops’ – lies inside the chamber.

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“Of course it would not be melted iron but meteoritic iron, that is, fallen from the sky in the form of iron meteorites and again cited in the Texts,” Magli says in his paper.

Explaining the structure of the pyramid, Magli states that before arriving at the funerary chamber there is a gallery. “The newly discovered room is over this gallery, but does not have a practical function of ‘relieving weight’ from it, because the roof of the gallery itself was already built with a corbelled technique for this very reason,” he explains in a statement.

So what was this room used for? Magli offers a possible interpretation that falls in line with existing knowledge on Egyptian funerary religion as documented in the Pyramid texts: “In these texts it is said that the pharaoh,before reaching the stars of the north, will have to pass the ‘gates of the sky’ and sit on his ‘throne of iron.’”

Within the Pyramid there are four narrow shafts which Magli suggests represent said ‘gates of the sky’, adding: “The north one could well lead into the newly discovered room, and may contain an object needed by Cheops after crossing the doors – the ‘iron throne.’”

According to the textual analysis, Cheops’ throne may be similar to that of his mother, Queen Hetepheres, but instead of gold it would be coated with meteoritic iron sheets.

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It is believed ancient Egypt attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of ornamental or ceremonial objects. In 2016 it was confirmed that King Tut’s dagger originated from a meteorite. Meteoric iron is clearly indicated by its high nickel content.

Magli admits that his proposal is still just a theory, but says it’s one worth further exploration, suggesting a fresh investigation of the pyramid’s north shaft to determine if it does indeed lead into the newly-discovered
chamber.

January 29, 2019 0

Finnish police ordered not to speak of asylum seeker crime

COMING TO AMERICA!

Häme Police Department personnel received internal communications instructions on police information related to the current situation of asylum seekers.

The six-page guidance signed by the Police Chief and the Communications Officer of the Department has raised a lively discussion among staff in the facility. Many experienced police consider it exceptional.

Discussion has been raised by a daily police newsletter that “not mention the status of the suspect as an asylum seeker when reporting offenses”.

New regulations are also justified in the Communication Guidelines. Communication aims to promote security and social peace. Communication also aims to strengthen trust in police activities and to prevent radicalisation and racist phenomena.

The instruction reminds the police not to take sides. Asylum seekers should be treated neutrally, impartially and objectively.

The guidelines have also been extended to private, free-time discussions: “Police officers must, in accordance with their role, duties and behavioral responsibilities, treat asylum seekers in a neutral manner also in their personal leisure activities.”

The guidelines also cover the risks associated with the current situation: radicalisation of the population or asylum seekers, the spread of racism and the erosion of public order and security.

One of the risks is also the attitude of the police department’s own staff towards increasing workload and possible negative opinions on asylum seekers.

The memorandum estimates that “the registration of asylum seekers, asylum investigation and, subsequently, possible reversals, will involve the police more than usual for at least the next two years”.

January 28, 2019 0

Here’s Something the Press Won’t Tell You: Mexican Cartels Eat the Hearts of Their Victims

By Peter D’Abrosca

A fascinating report from News Australia published Jan. 20 reveals a startling fact about some of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartels: they rip out the hearts of their murder victims and eat them.

“But some barbaric factions of the gangs are believed to have even turned cannibal and actually eaten parts of their rivals,” the report said. “And in a particularly twisted initiation ritual, young members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel were forced to eat the hearts of murder victims. Local prosecutors claimed two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, remained unrepentant after they were drugged with crack then forced to eat human flesh by senior cartel bosses.”

Even with hundreds of stories about illegal aliens brutally killing Americans, (here) raping children, (here and here) and selling drugs en masse, (here) some Americans still support open borders.

Even though Mexico has an ever-increasing problem with beheadings, some Americans still support open borders.

Is a culture that cannibalizes its murder victims a bridge too far? Likely not for the Democrats, who will oppose President Donald J. Trump and his border wall at all costs.

See the source image

“A similar event took place in 2015 when hopefuls of La Familia Michoacana were forced to eat their rivals after torturing them and cutting them up while alive,” the report continued.

The report continued:EL BLOG DEL NARCO,LO

Los Zetas cocaine kingpin Heriberto Lazcano, who was killed in a shootout with Mexican Marines in 2012, was notorious for feeding victims to the lions and tigers he kept on his ranch.

But it was his practice of eating human flesh that thrust him into international headlines two years ago.

A reporter who spent time with him told El Blog del Narco, “After sentencing him (the victim) to death, he orders him to bathe, and even to shave his whole body and let him de-stress for two or three hours, even better sometimes he gave them a bottle of whisky to relax, then he ordered a very quick death so there is no adrenaline in the meat to prevent it getting bitter or hard.”

He would then devour the man’s buttock flesh in tamales after it had been cooked in lemon and served on toast.

January 24, 2019 0

Finland Identifies Over 200 Migrants Who Pose Security Threat

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While about two percent of Finland‘s rejected asylum seekers have been found to pose a security threat, the authorities are having trouble in locating them, as some have already left the country.

An intelligence risk assessment of 9,000 asylum seekers who have received negative asylum decisions since the autumn of 2017 has established that over 200 of them pose a potential danger, national broadcaster Yle reported.

The aim of the risk assessment carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation was to identify “individuals who have the potential to commit crimes in Finland,” who later will be prioritised for deportation. The list includes those who have been suspected of committing a crime at some point or those suspected of posing a threat to national security.

“It is determined by the whole picture, although attempted murder and assault on its own can also lead to prioritisation,” NBI crime inspector Ritva Elomaa told Yle.

The actual number of rejected asylum seekers who made the list and are still in the country may be much smaller than that the NBI assessment, though, as many are believed to have left the country.

The National Police Board admitted that the list of priority deportations will be subject to daily changes.

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Western culture has been under attack on multiple fronts and now is in crisis after years of demoralization.

“We have to go through the names on the list one by one and see who has already been deported”, police inspector Mia Poutanen told Yle.

The authorities’ campaign to identify and deport dangerous asylum seekers has been further complicated by the fact that the police are seldom informed about rejected asylum seekers that choose to leave the country of their own accord.

Furthermore, some individuals with criminal records may have reapplied for asylum, while international laws say they cannot be deported as long as their application is pending.

The Finnish police are trying to prevent their “disappearance” by interning rejected asylum seekers in detention centres until they can be deported.

“People who have committed serious crimes are usually in prison, and deportation takes place once their prison sentence has been served,” Poutanen explained.

However, this system doesn’t always work as intended, as the authorities identified as many as 5,000 “missing” asylum seekers in 2017.

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The risk assessment for rejected asylum seekers was commissioned by the government of Finland after the Turku stabbing on 18 August 2017, when rejected Moroccan asylum seeker Abderrahman Bouanane killed two and left eight injured in Finland’s first-ever terrorist attack. Bouanane was later given a life sentence.

In the past few weeks, a grooming gang scandal involving migrants and asylum seekers assaulting underage schoolgirls as young as 10 has left Finland deeply shaken.

Apart from drawing the condemnation of high-ranking Finnish politicians including Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and President Sauli Niinistö, it also sparked a citizens’ petition demanding the deportation of migrant sex offenders.

The initiativee, backed by over 100,000 Finns, has been supported by the right-wing Blue Reform party, whose leader Sampo Terho expressed himself in favour of “speedy deportations.”

You can read this article as it originally appears at Sputnik here.

January 24, 2019 0

Swedish Leader Calls to Seal Border

By Ben Warren

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A Swedish political leader is calling on his government to establish a limit on incoming refugees.

Various political parties, specifically the Social Democrats, are abusing migration policies for short-sighted political gain, according to Moderate party chairman Christian Sonesson.

“I believe that Sweden must introduce a total refugee [limit], and many other moderates consider it too,” said Sonesson. “The Social Democrats are now selling out our common welfare by introducing an even more generous migration policy.”

“[The Social Democrats] use migration policy to bring together [government support] in Parliament. Apparently, power is more important than the country’s well-being.”

An agreement entitling 20,000 migrants to be reunited with their families is reportedly the “generous” migration policy Sonesson is referring to.

Sonesson goes on to stress the significance of migration policies by saying they impact almost everything else a government is capable of doing.

He ultimately wants to bring all parties to the negotiation table for objective cooperation to solve the crises stemming from the nation’s migration policies.

Correspondingly, another Swedish politician slammed Sweden’s policies as the most “disturbed” in the Western world.

“It’s probably one of the most disturbed countries in the West. And it’s not just about immigration,” said Alternative for Sweden’s Gustav Kasselstrand. “It is about all the authorities we have today where most of them are taken over by left interests.”

“So it is clear that it will take time. It has taken decades to make Sweden what it is today, thus in a negative way. So it will take decades to fix the problems.”

January 24, 2019 0

Teen girl seriously injured in Germany after drunk Afghan refugee drags her off bus

capture

A 17-year-old girl was seriously injured in Minden, Germany after a drunk Afghan refugee dragged her off a bus by her hair, causing her to be run over by the bus while trying to escape the man.

According to a police statement, the girl was repeatedly harassed by the 22-year-old man while she waited at a bus terminal in Minden, near Hanover, with her 14-year-old friend just before 9pm local time on Saturday.

The girl and her friend sought safety from the man, and his 21-year-old friend, by running to a nearby bus, where the bus driver, 41, let them on. However, the persistent pair also got onboard and the 22-year-old dragged the girl from the bus by her hair – after it had started to move.

In the attack, the girl slipped and fell beneath the bus, causing it to run over her legs and leaving her with “severe injuries,” police said. As bystanders rushed to help the teen, the bus driver chased the men hoping to get a picture of them. He was reportedly slapped in the face by the 21-year-old.

Police and ambulance crews were called to the scene and the girl was transported to hospital. The aggressor and his companion were both found drunk by police a short time later and arrested.

The 22-year-old was charged with assault and brought before a district court the following day where he was ordered to remain in jail until his trial. His friend was released without charge on Sunday after sobering up.

January 23, 2019 0

No need to install: Microsoft has controversial fake news filter NewsGuard built into mobile browser

Corporate and neocon-backed startup NewsGuard is one step closer to its vision of bringing its “unreliable” news rater to every screen after Microsoft makes it an integral part of its Edge mobile browser.

Rather than having to download an app as before, Edge users on Android and Apple devices can now just click one button to enable its “green-red rating signal if a website is trying to get it right or instead has a hidden agenda or knowingly publishes falsehoods or propaganda.”

Among the green-rated websites: Voice of America, CNN, Buzzfeed, the Guardian, New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as left-leaning upstarts such as Vice News and Refinery 29. Ones that are given the red warning label of “failing to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability”: RT and Sputnik (obviously enough) and the right-wing Daily Mail, Breitbart and the Drudge Report, in addition to hundreds of other non-mainstream news websites such as Wikileaks.

Not only does the integration ensure that NewsGuard is present on every browser, and is easier to use than to ignore, but by making it a fundamental Microsoft-provided feature, the company gives it inherent level of trustworthiness, something akin to a bundled anti-virus feature, only this time the virus targets your brain, not your computer or iPod.

‘Totally transparent’

None of this is the slightest bit alarming if you believe that NewsGuard is an absolutely fair arbiter of what constitutes real news or propaganda.

Its pride of place is its “Nutrition Labels” which ape the precision of a list of calories, carbs, and saturated fats to give a supposedly scientific assessment of media reliability on nine different criteria. Among them: doesn’t repeatedly publish false content, avoids deceptive headlines, gathers and presents information responsibly, handles the difference between news and opinion responsibly.

The green-listed media outlets above apparently do not ever engage in these practices, or at least not knowingly. So CNN never misleads with its headlines, the Guardian never dresses up its agendas as news, and Buzzfeed stories are always accurate. One literally doesn’t have to go back three days to find dozens of examples to the contrary, but this would be too mind-numbingly pedantic a task.

Even regular readers of the green-tick media must be able to see these are judgment calls. What is even “presenting information responsibly”?

Perhaps realizing that their pseudo-scientific fancy diagram is insufficient, NewsGuard has stressed that they are not using shadowy methods like tech companies and are open to two-way communication.

“We want people to game our system. We are totally transparent. We are not an algorithm,” company co-founder Steve Brill told the Guardian.

This is how he explained the Daily Mail red warning.

“We spell out fairly clearly in the label exactly how many times we have attempted to contact them. The analyst that wrote this writeup got someone on the phone who, as soon he heard who she was and where she was calling from, hung up. As of now, we would love to hear if they have a complaint or if they change anything.”

On the other hand, RT did answer NewsGuard’s queries in detail. You can guess how much difference that made.

From anthrax scares to Russia fears

But who are these people that the Daily Mail or RT have to impress and why?

Brill himself is a veteran centrist journalist and author, his co-CEO Gordon Crovitz is a former Wall Street Journal columnist. After Brill, its second-biggest investor, along with his father, is Nick Penniman, the liberal publisher, and the third-biggest is Publicis Group, a multinational advertising agency.

Meanwhile, its advisory board includes Tom Ridge, the first-ever Homeland Security chief, and developer of another famous color-coded system, the terror alert, and Michael Hayden, the CIA director, also under George W. Bush. There are also several Obama and Clinton-era figures.

The overall picture emerges of a mix of establishment journalists, hawkish old-school Washington insiders, and so-called ethical businessmen.

They may all be experts in their fields, but if you believe that these are selfless neutral adjudicators you are probably beyond being helped by color charts. And this is not some one-off initiative either: NewsGuard is part of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy program, which combats purported election meddling, presumably primarily from Russia. The frontline of the information war is not customarily the place for impartial news judgment.

But I wasn’t an Edge user…

However much respectability NewsGuard enjoys through Microsoft, Edge has a laughably small – a fraction of a percent – market share on mobiles. In practical terms, even an increase of popularity of several thousand percent will only mean several thousand new users, and other browsers are available.

This would be that, if not for newsGuard’s self-proclaimed ambition “to expand to serve the billions of people globally who get news online.” This is just a beginning: there is an overarching plan where all public computers, from the school to the university to the library, are automatically equipped with the same “safe browsing” system.

And rather than as an individual warning, NewsGuard plans to make its designations work as an effective financial tool. The company, which has received $6 million in backing, also plans to soon work with advertisers, “keeping ads off unreliable news websites” to ensure “brand safety.” Fall foul of the green ticks, no money for you. Advertising managers are already demonetizing programs with alternative or controversial viewpoints elsewhere, and soon the process can be automated, and Brill is boasting that he is “happy to be blamed” – doing the dirty work for the platforms. No wonder alternative outlets in the US are openly opposed.

So, just like the use of NewsGuard in all public libraries in the faraway state of Hawaii (no money charged), it is best to look at the Edge integration is more of a test, a pilot project, a dry run. Latching NewsGuard onto a popular browser like Chrome, or a social network like Facebook, would stir tremors of public debate, as it has done in the past when similar initiatives have been tried. Instead, first they came for the Edge users.

January 23, 2019 0