[Breitbart] Another non-governmental organization, which contracted with the federal government to resettle refugees across American communities, is having to close its doors after President Donald Trump froze the government’s refugee resettlement program.
Immediately after taking office, Trump signed an executive order to indefinitely suspend the refugee resettlement program — ensuring that hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars flowing to NGOs contracted to resettle refugees would come to a halt.
As a result, Connecticut-based Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), which has lost out on $4 million in taxpayer funds to resettle refugees since the executive order, is shutting its doors and having to fire staff, according to NPR:
A Connecticut organization that helps refugees and other immigrants get established in the U.S. says it’s shutting down offices after the Trump administration ordered sudden cuts in federal funding. The organization has also laid off about half of its staff. [Emphasis added]
Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, or IRIS, is closing its main office in New Haven and making plans to close its Hartford office. [Emphasis added]
IRIS is only the latest NGO involved in refugee resettlement to close offices and fire staff. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) have both had to drastically cut refugee services, losing millions in taxpayer dollars.
The NGOs are now suing the Trump administration, claiming refugee resettlement is required by Congress though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the president has broad authority over immigration.
Under former President Joe Biden, annual refugee resettlement ticked up to more than 100,000 in a single year, and hundreds of thousands more were considered “refugees” after the administration massively expanded parole to include certain nationals.
A refugee to the U.S. costs American taxpayers anywhere from $60,000 to $133,000 over the course of their lifetime, estimates from the Center for Immigration Studies have found.
[TWZ] Despite 18 months of attacks by the Houthis, the U.S. does not have a clear idea of how many standoff weapons they possess or how they get all of them.
The U.S. remains puzzled about how many weapons the Houthis have or where they get them all, a senior U.S. defense official told The War Zone, adding that the militants are highly innovative when it comes to developing their arsenal. Meanwhile, numerous airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies on Houthi targets in Yemen have not halted the rebel group’s ability to produce the weapons and use them at will, the official said.
"There’s some debate as to what’s in their magazine," the official told The War Zone during a media engagement at the Air and Space Forces Association Air Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado. "There’s a good bit right now we don’t know about the Houthis."
The official spoke a day before the U.S. officially designated Ansar Allah — the official name of the Houthis — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/08/2025 00:22 ||
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[11146 views]
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#1
Let me just throw out a guess, yes I know, call me crazy, but I'll go with it anyway:
#3
My guess is their arsenal is dependent on their port facilities, roads, bridges & airstrips. Blocking all those out would diminish, IMNSHO, their use of weapons against the rest of the world.
[Breitbart] Leftist lawmakers in Britain have argued that being in possession of pictures of Muslim women without their hijab headscarves should be a crime akin to child pornography.
Impending legislation originally intended to crack down on revenge porn should include the prohibition against having images of Muslim women’s faces without their hijab if the photos were taken without their express permission.
The Women and Equalities Committee in the House of Commons argued that such pictures should be considered “non-consensual intimate images” and, therefore, come with similar penalties as possessing child pornography, including lengthy prison sentences, the Daily Mail reported.
If government ministers sign off the committee’s proposal, it could become a crime in Britain as early as this year.
At present, the law defines “intimate” images as those in which a person is seen fully or partially nude, is engaging in a sexual act, or is seen using the bathroom.
Responding to the call to criminalise some pictures of Muslim women without hijabs, David Spencer of the Policy Exchange think tank said: “Tackling the problem of ‘revenge porn’ is clearly important – but expanding this to so-called ‘culturally intimate’ images risks extending the criminal law too far.
“The police cannot be expected to wade into so-called ‘cultural’ issues when officers are already struggling to deal with the volume of stabbings, sexual assaults and thefts that occur every day. The Government should be cautious about creating yet more criminal offences.”
Remarkably, the proposed rule is already in a state of de facto enforcement in the United Kingdom, as illustrated by a recent case of an English police force withdrawing the mugshot of an Islamic State terrorist and reissuing it with her wearing a full-face covering after a court challenge.
It also comes as the Labour government is considering enshrining a contentious and some warn dangerous definition of so-called Islamophobia, which opponents have argued would provide special protections under the law to Muslims and create a “back door” blasphemy law in Britain.
The Labour Party itself has already adopted the definition of Islamophobia set out in 2018 by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report on British Muslims.
The APPG claimed that some “classic Islamophobia” should include assertions of “Muhammed being a paedophile, claims of Muslims spreading Islam by the sword or subjugating minority groups under their rule.”
The report went on to claim that reporting on the child rape grooming gangs scandal, in which predominantly Pakistani-heritage Muslims sexually preyed upon young white girls, contained “Islamophobic tropes”.
Labour’s plans to institute the APPG’s definition have even been criticised by anti-Islamophobia campaigner Fiyaz Mughal, who said in January: “Any definition needs to have a number of caveats attached which protect the right of individuals to question religion, to question certain behaviours attached to cultural elements and the right to have free speech defended in relation to blasphemy.
“Bad behaviour wherever it is, in whichever religious group, needs to be called out. This does not mean that all Muslim or all Pakistani men are bad. But when there is a concentration of issues within a certain group, we must hold the line in defence of our core values.”
This year's Chechen zakat amounts to one dollar.
[KavkazUzel] The amount of obligatory alms for Muslims during Ramadan this year in Chechnya was 100 rubles.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, in the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District, muftiates often declare the start date of Ramadan to be days different from those established by the Russian MRB. Local theologians are guided by the appearance of the Moon in the sky. However, this year, in all the republics of the North Caucasus, the month of Ramadan began on March 1. The Russian MRB also named this date as the start date of the month of fasting.
During Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. The annual Muslim religious tax (zakat al-fitr) is collected from each adult family member on the day Ramadan ends and is intended for almsgiving during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Believers must pay kaffarat for a day of fasting missed for one reason or another.
Mufti of Chechnya Salah Mezhiyev announced the minimum amount of property from which zakat is paid, as well as the amount of zakat al-fitr (zakatul-fitr) and kaffarat this year, the Chechnya Segodnya news agency reported on March 6.
"This year, zakatul-fitr according to the Shafi'i madhhab was 3 kg of wheat (or rice in extreme cases) for each family member, kaffarat 1 kg for each missed fast. For those wishing to pay everything in cash, one must rely on the madhhab of Abu Hanifa, whose zakatul-fitr was 100 rubles, kaffarat 50 rubles," the agency quoted Mezhiyev as saying.
Let us recall that the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kabardino-Balkaria also published information on the amount of zakat al-fitr on March 6. In this republic, the minimum amount of zakat al-fitr also amounted to 100 rubles.
[AyPee] The Trump administration said Friday that it’s pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.
The notice came five days after federal agencies announced they were considering orders to stop work on $51 million in contracts with the New York City university and reviewing its eligibility for over $5 billion in federal grants going forward. And it came after Columbia set up a new disciplinary committee and ramped up its own investigations into students critical of Israel, alarming free speech advocates.
But Columbia’s efforts evidently didn’t go far enough for the federal government.
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement Friday.
She later posted on X that she’d had “a productive meeting” with the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, and anticipated “working together to protect all students.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Mohammad Sharifullah, accused of organizing the explosion at the Kabul airport, who was detained by American law enforcement, admitted that he instructed several people who were preparing a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow. This was stated by the US Department of Justice.
According to investigators, Sharifullah organized the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021, at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American soldiers and about 160 civilians. During interrogation, he also said that on behalf of ISIS (a terrorist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation), he shared instructions on how to use weapons with Islamists who were preparing an attack on Crocus.
"Sharifullah also acknowledged that he recognized two of the four militants detained [in Russia] as those he had previously instructed," the U.S. Justice Department reported on its website on March 5.
As reported by Regnum news agency, terrorists attacked Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024. They shot at people with machine guns and set the building on fire. As a result of the terrorist attack, 144 people were killed and another 551 were injured. The son of the owner of Crocus Group, Emin Agalarov, said that the approximate damage from the terrorist attack in Crocus amounted to 150-200 million dollars.
FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov stated that the Security Service of Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus. He advocated recognizing this agency as a terrorist organization.
On March 3, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, announced the completion of the investigation into the terrorist attack in the concert hall. He emphasized that the investigators completed their work in less than a year. The materials were handed over to the accused and their lawyers for review.
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] President Donald Trump ...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down... is set to implement a new travel ban that would bar individuals from Afghanistan and Pakistain from entering the United States, according to a new report from Rooters. This comes after Trump drafted an executive order that directed cabinet members to recommend a list of countries for bans where their "vetting and screening information is so deficient."
The ban would add to a list of ''red'' countries whose people are barred from coming to the US. The list of countries that Trump had on the list when he implemented a travel ban in his first term included Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea ...hereditary Communist monarchy distinguished by its truculence and periodic acts of violence. Distinguishing features include Songun (Army First) policy, which involves feeding the army before anyone but the Dear Leadership, and Juche, which is Kim Jong Il's personal interpretation of Marxism-Leninism, which he told everybody was brilliant. In 1950 the industrialized North invaded agrarian South Korea. Twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force opposing the invasion, with the United States providing around 90% of the military personnel. Seventy years later the economic results are in and it doesn't look good for Juche... , Somalia, Sudan ...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans... , Syria, Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south... , and Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... . Afghanistan would then be added to the list as a result of a draft proposal, according to the New York Times
...which still proudly claims Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... . Pakistain is also being recommended for the list, Rooters reported.
The measure is part of an effort to further vet those that are coming into the United States as the Trump administration is heavily focused on national security threats from other countries, including with illegal immigration.
The new restrictions could bar thousands of Afghans who were previously cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees by the Biden administration after the Afghanistan withdrawal. The disastrous withdrawal saw the reemergence of the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... , as well as the deaths of 13 US soldiers at Abbey Gate. The alleged terrorist behind the bombing attack was recently captured by the Trump administration.
As part of his efforts to strengthen US security, President Trump signed an executive order in January mandating enhanced screening of foreign nationals entering the US. The order also instructed members of Trump's cabinet to put together a list of countries that would need greater scrutiny for security purposes because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient."
Head of #AfghanEvac, an activist coalition pushing the resettlement of Afghans with the US government, Shawn VanDiver, said, "While no official announcement has been made, multiple sources within the US government suggest a new travel restriction could be implemented within the next week,"
Given the increasing challenges in both Afghanistan and Pakistain, where Islamist Death Eaters continue to threaten stability, Trump's directive reflects his ongoing commitment to ensuring US security. His actions come as part of a broader initiative to enhance screening and safeguard the country from potential threats.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/08/2025 00:00 ||
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[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban/IEA
#1
Bravo! Seems like a no-brainer, but that's just what we had as "president" for the last 4 years.
[APNEWS] Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... 's latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip.
The Death Eater group accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Paleostinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas front man Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the ''best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages'' is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far.
On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a ''last warning'' to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages. The White House meanwhile confirmed it had held unprecedented direct talks with the Death Eater group, which Israel and Western countries view as a terrorist organization.
''Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,'' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. ''Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!''
Posted by: Fred ||
03/08/2025 00:00 ||
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[11135 views]
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Several 12-aircraft ARCLIGHT strikes would eliminate the problem permanently. No population to hide among = no Hamass. Permanent end to the "Gaza" problem. Distasteful, but it's the only thing GUARANTEED to work.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/08/2025 10:14 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I'm thinking bouncing Hamas in Qatar would be more productive than further rubbling Gaza.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. More than 50 security forces killed in clashes with Assad supporters in Latakia
[Regnum] More than 50 security forces were killed in clashes between government forces and supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian province of Latakia, Al Jazeera reported
“More than 50 members of the Syrian security forces were killed in clashes in the province,” the channel quotes the head of security in Latakia as saying.
In turn, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the transitional government of Syria, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, stated that his country had passed another test and “suppressed the uprising” of Assad’s supporters in Latakia, Tartus and Homs.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 7, clashes occurred in Latakia between supporters of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and forces of the country's new government. As a result, 28 protesters from among the supporters of the former head of the republic were killed.
A curfew was imposed in Latakia due to unrest. Security forces were deployed in the provincial capital, after which fierce gunfights took place in the Ziraa quarter and in the area of the criminal investigation department. Then units of the Syrian army loyal to the new government entered the city.
Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova noted that Russia is alarmed by the sharp aggravation of the situation in Syria. The diplomat added that in the conditions of the transition period that Syria is currently experiencing, national accord, strengthening the security of citizens, and respect for their legal rights regardless of religious or national affiliation are of primary importance.
More from regnum.ru Curfew imposed in Syria's Latakia due to unrest
The curfew was imposed due to clashes between the security forces of the new government and supporters of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian province of Latakia. This was reported on March 7 by the Syrian state agency SANA.
“The General Security Directorate in Latakia province has announced a curfew until 10:00 a.m. (March 7 – Ed.),” the provincial administration said in a statement.
In addition, security forces have been deployed in the provincial capital of the same name, where fierce firefights are taking place in the Ez-Ziraa quarter and near the criminal investigation department.
Director of the Public Security Department in Latakia, Mustafa Knefati, announced that militias destroyed public facilities in the city of Jableh. It is also noted that rallies in support of the Syrian Defense Ministry and security agencies were held in the capital of Syria, Damascus, and in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs, with several dozen people attending. A curfew has also been imposed in the provinces of Tartus and Homs, neighboring Latakia, amid the worsening situation.
Even more from regnum.ru SANA: Syrian army enters Latakia and Tartus to fight Assad supporters
Units of the country's army subordinate to the interim government of Syria entered the cities of Latakia and Tartus to fight militias supporting the former president of the republic, Bashar al-Assad. This was reported on March 7 by the Syrian agency SANA.
It is noted that the Internal Security Directorate also announced the start of a “large-scale operation” during which it plans to comb administrative centers, nearby settlements and mountainous areas.
In addition, the administration representatives called on the militia to lay down their arms.
Yet more from regnum.ru Peskov: Russian Armed Forces' security in Syria is ensured at the proper level
The necessary security of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria's Latakia, where clashes between supporters of the country's former president Bashar al-Assad and the forces of the new Syrian government began earlier, is provided at the proper level. This was stated on March 7 by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov.
“The necessary security of our military personnel is ensured at the proper level,” he said during a briefing in response to a relevant question.
Peskov also refrained from commenting on the actions of the Syrian army, since the Kremlin does not know all the details of what is happening.
"We are alarmed by the sharp deterioration of the situation in Syria. Information is coming in about large-scale clashes in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus involving Syrian security forces and armed groups calling themselves "local resistance," Zakharova said in a commentary published on the Foreign Ministry website.
She noted that a large number of people were reported killed and wounded on both sides, and a curfew had been imposed in a number of major cities in the country.
“In these critical circumstances, we call on all authoritative Syrian leaders who are able to influence the further development of the situation ‘on the ground’ to do everything possible to quickly stop the bloodshed and prevent casualties among the civilian population,” the diplomat emphasized.
Zakharova added that in the conditions of the transition period that Syria is currently experiencing, national harmony, strengthening the security of citizens, and respect for their legal rights regardless of religious or national affiliation are of primary importance.
Foreign Ministry representative reaffirms Russia's principled position in support of Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity
"We expect that all states that have influence on the situation in Syria will contribute to its normalization. We are committed to closely coordinating efforts with foreign partners in the interests of a speedy de-escalation of the situation," the diplomat said.
Posted by: badanov ||
03/08/2025 00:00 ||
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[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[TWZ] Despite 18 months of attacks by the Houthis, the U.S. does not have a clear idea of how many standoff weapons they possess or how they get all of them.
...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
