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Hahahahahaha!
https://i.imgur.com/3L4N8I9.jpg
http://i.magaimg.net/img/2mw8.jpg
Obama portrait explained:
U.S. women’s hockey goalies may have to remove Statue of Liberty image from masks
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/winter-olympics-2018/2018/02/12/ioc-orders-u-s-womens-hockey-goalies-remove-statue-liberty-helmets/331918002/
Report: DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison Attended Dinner with Iran’s Rouhani, Louis Farrakhan
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/02/12/report-dnc-deputy-chair-keith-ellison-attended-dinner-with-irans-rouhani-nation-of-islam-founder-louis-farrakhan/
Apologies if this has been linked to before.
The war on western women? How about this stunt by the British Foreign Office?
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/foreign-office-employees-invited-to-wear-headscarves-to-work-to-mark-world-hijab-day-a3761146.html
Commonwealth in secret succession plans
The Commonwealth has secretly begun considering who might succeed the Queen as its head, the BBC has learned.
The issue is hugely sensitive because the role is not hereditary and will not pass automatically to the Prince of Wales on the Queen’s death.
The Commonwealth has set up a “high level group” to look at the way the international organisation is governed.
This group is meeting later, officially to review how the Commonwealth is run by its secretariat and governors.
However, senior sources added that the gathering in London would also consider what happens when the Queen, who turns 92 in April, dies.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43040240
Damascus warns Israel of “more surprises” in Syria
DAMASCUS, Feb 13 (Reuters) – The Syrian government said on Tuesday that Israel would face “more surprises” in future attacks on Syria’s territory, after Syrian air defences shot down an Israeli F-16 jet.
Syrian anti-aircraft fire downed the F-16 as it returned from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria early on Saturday. Both Iran and Russia are supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s near seven-year civil war.
“Have full confidence the aggressor will be greatly surprised because it thought this war – this war of attrition Syria has been exposed to for years – had made it incapable of confronting attacks,” assistant foreign minister Ayman Sussan said.
“God willing they will see more surprises whenever they try to attack Syria,” Sussan said during a Damascus news conference.
http://news.trust.org/item/20180213110906-1z9jp
Iran accuses West of using lizards for nuclear spying
Adviser to Khamenei says aid collectors for Palestinians sought to deploy reptiles whose skin ‘attracted atomic waves’
The former chief-of-staff of Iran’s armed forces said Tuesday that Western spies had used lizards to “attract atomic waves” and spy on his country’s nuclear program.
It was the latest in a long line of incidents of Western countries, including Israel, being accused of deploying secret agents from the animal kingdom.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-accuses-west-of-using-lizards-for-nuclear-spying/
Iran Unveils New Homemade Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missiles Amid Massive War Celebrations
As Tehran cracks down of protesters, military rolls out nuclear technology
Iran unveiled a series of new homemade nuclear-capable ballistic missiles during military parades held over the weekend, a move that experts view as a bid to bolster the hardline ruling regime as dissidents continue efforts to stir protest.
On the heels of an encounter between an Iranian drone and Israeli forces, Iranian leaders showcased their ballistic missile capabilities, which includes a nuclear-capable medium-range missile that appears to share similarities with North Korean technology, according to experts.
The nuclear-capable missile can strike Israel even when fired from Iranian territory, raising concerns about an impending conflict between Tehran and the Jewish state that could further inflame the region.
Iranian military leaders bragged the ballistic missile “can be launched from mobile platforms or silos in different positions and can escape missile defense shields due to their radar-evading capability,” according to reports in Iran’s state-controlled media.
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-unveils-new-homemade-nuclear-capable-ballistic-missiles-amid-massive-war-celebrations/
Why one Philly elementary school is paying kids not to fight
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/philly-school-paying-kids-peace-20180211.html
Justice for Gemmel Moore? Family wants answers in escort’s death at Dem donor’s home
Family and friends of a male escort found dead in the West Hollywood home of a high-powered Democratic Party donor last year continue to press for answers—in a case that has eluded the national media spotlight on incidents of sexual misconduct and racial injustice.
Gemmel Moore, 26, was discovered by police on July 27 inside the apartment of Ed Buck, 63. Buck is a well-known Democratic contributor, and has given more than $500,000 to an array of Democrats including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and a variety of state and local organizations in California.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office initially ruled the death an accidental methamphetamine overdose. But the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau on Aug. 14 announced they would investigate if there is any criminal culpability, after Moore’s family and friends disputed the initial finding.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/13/justice-for-gemmel-moore-family-wants-answers-in-escorts-death-at-dem-donors-home.html
Humongous wild boar dubbed ‘PIGZILLA’ caught rummaging through bins ‘just a few feet from primary school’
A humongous wild boar dubbed ‘Pigzilla’ has been caught eating out of bins ‘just a few feet from a primary school.’
Parents spotted the giant beast chowing down on some rubbish as they walked their kids to school in Hong Kong.
People have reacted in horror at the sighting, as boars can be incredibly dangerous – with razor sharp teeth and a huge amount of power in their front legs.
The short clip shows the animal with three of its little ones, who all seem to patiently wait at her trotters while she gets them a meal.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/humongous-wild-boar-dubbed-pigzilla-12011991
Venezuela oil production is plummeting
Venezuela’s main source of cash is dwindling at a breathtaking pace.
The country’s oil output in January fell to its lowest level in nearly 30 years, not including a brief oil strike in 2003, according to S&P Global Platts.
A monthly OPEC report published Monday revealed Venezuela pumped 1.6 million barrels of oil per day last month. Production in January was down 20% from a year ago.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/12/news/economy/venezuela-oil-production/index.html
Human rights body warns of deteriorating conditions in Venezuela
Washington (AFP) – Venezuela’s democratic institutions and human rights situation have undergone “marked deterioration” over the past two years, a regional human rights body warned in a report documenting abuses under President Nicolas Maduro.
The Inter-American Human Rights Commission said there were “serious obstacles” to political participation, increased repression and censorship, rising crime and insecurity and intensifying poverty.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/human-rights-body-warns-deteriorating-conditions-venezuela-211547584.html
Honduras lawmakers debate bill seeking to curb online speech
Tegucigalpa (AFP) – Lawmakers in Honduras are debating a bill that wants to fine administrators of social media networks for online comments deemed offensive or promoting “hate campaigns.”
The measure was introduced by a member of the ruling National Party as the country is wracked by protests claiming President Juan Orlando Hernandez won a new mandate through a rigged November election.
Much of the vitriol against Hernandez and the National Party is being expressed in social media. The opposition and other groups are also using online forums to organize the anti-government protests.
The bill calls for fines of up to $43,000 against those running websites or social networks on which text encouraging “hate and discrimination” are posted.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/honduras-lawmakers-debate-bill-seeking-curb-online-speech-220450439.html
California’s drought restrictions on wasteful water habits could be coming back — this time they’ll be permanent
Anyone caught wasting water in California may be fined as much as $500 under new rules being considered by the state water board, officials said Monday.
The State Water Resources Control Board is expected to adopt regulation coming before the board on Feb. 20 that would make it a crime to commit any of seven wasteful water practices — from lawn over watering to street median irrigation. Those rules would take effect April 1.
“These are permanent prohibitions on wasteful water uses,” said Max Gomberg, a climate and conservation manager for the state board. The ruling would formally make the rules part of the state code.
This means the powerful agency would no longer need a “drought emergency” declaration from the governor to act, like the ones issued by Gov. Jerry Brown during the state drought between 2012 and 2017.
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/12/californias-drought-restrictions-on-wasteful-water-habits-could-be-coming-back-this-time-theyll-be-permanent/
But rich people can still have Olympic sized private pools though, right?
This is California, of course the rich will keep their Olympic sized pools, the most they will be forced to do is erect a building to hid them from the poor.
CNN, Despite Trump Bump, Prepares for Dozens of Layoffs
A year ago, CNN was positioning itself as ready to take on Vice and BuzzFeed in the digital space. Now, the company is rightsizing as it prepares for AT&T’s embrace.
Besides the occasional Twitter-issued invective from the president and the errant journalism scandal, CNN has seemed largely indomitable during the last couple of years. Since taking over the flagging network in 2013, President Jeff Zucker has championed original documentary programming, enhanced the brand’s journalistic efforts, and moved away from some of the more promiscuous tactics of cable news that defined his early tenure—such as the occasionally breathless coverage of a tragically marooned cruise ship. He’s adroitly leveraged the daily rapture of the Donald Trump White House into the network’s highest revenues and ratings in its history. He’s also attempted to thrust the brand headlong into the digital space, with investments in video start-ups like Beme and Great Big Story, and the expansion of verticals such as CNN Politics and CNN Media, Brian Stelter’s digital hub that dovetails with the Sunday show Reliable Sources and creates a late-evening newsletter that has become essential reading for members of the media-entertainment elite. The New York Times reported that the digital operation generated $300 million in revenue in 2016.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/cnn-prepares-for-dozens-of-layoffs
Maybe they can pay the 0-admin retreads less.
That would help but I doubt if it will happen.
Britain to defy US demands that the ‘Beatles’ ISIS jihadis be sent back to the UK to face trial (dailymail, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5383113/US-wants-jihadis-tried-home-countries.html
“Britain is to reject American attempts to have captured Islamic State fighters tried in their home countries.
The Pentagon wants its allies to take responsibility for their own citizens.
But Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson will tell the Trump administration today that UK foreign fighters such as members of the ‘Beatles’ terror cell will not be allowed back in Britain…”
That’s racisss.
What’s wrong with the justice system in the Islamic countries where they committed the crimes?
If the Brits would do the right thing and punish the jihadis it would (possibly) stop some future kid from running away to become an Islamic martyr. Since it is highly unlikely Britain will keep them in the pen for more then a few years I agree punish them in the nations they were captured in, them be executed by their fellow Moslems.
Greek Migrant Camps Becoming ‘No-Go Areas’ for Children and Women at Night (breitbart, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/13/greek-migrant-camps-becoming-no-go-areas-children-women-night/
“A new report from the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, has claimed that conditions in the Greek island migrant camps have become incredibly dangerous for women and children who face the threat of sexual violence.
The UNHCR has demanded more action from the Greek government to protect women and children in the camps as they claim that even during the day some women have experience sex attacks while bathing, Deutsche Welle reports…”
We have the Obama portraits (and they seem fine)
By J.E. Dyer February 13, 2018
When I heard earlier today that there was some “thing” about the new official portrait of Michelle Obama — a social media kerfuffle, like a great disturbance in the force with a million voices crying out and whatnot — I wondered how bad it could possibly be.
People usually try to be polite, right? And presumably the Obamas would be painted in a manner conventional enough for the Smithsonian?
I’m feeling a little out of it, now that I’ve seen the portraits, because I don’t see the problem here. For one thing, the portrait of Michelle Obama looks recognizable to me. You wouldn’t have to spot me all the consonants. I’d know the subject for Michelle Obama even if you rolled me out of a sound sleep and showed it to me at 2 AM.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/13/obama-portraits-seem-fine/
30 Per Cent of Young Girls in Paris’s Troubled Suburbs Face FGM Threat (breitbart, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/13/30-percent-young-girls-paris-troubled-suburbs-face-fgm-threat/
“The threat of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the heavily migrant-populated Seine-Saint-Denis area in the suburbs of Paris could affect as many as 30 per cent of the children in the area, according to a French sociologist.
French sociologist and director of the Group for the Abolition of Sexual Mutilation (GAMS), Isabelle Gillette-Faye has claimed that the prevalence of FGM in the suburbs of Paris, often referred to as no-go areas, in the Île-de-France region are concerning.
Gillette-Faye said that the practice often involved much older children than in other regions of the world where FGM occurs in an interview with the region’s official website.
“In general, they undergo mutilations of type 2, that is to say, the removal of the clitoris and labia minora,” Gillette-Faye said.
The sociologist added that in France many victims are forced to go overseas to have the operation, often before they are forced into marriages.
In order to combat the spread of FGM, Gillette-Faye and her group GAMS, have been able to train medical practitioners and social workers to identify cases and work with authorities.
“We will be relieved when we have left circumcision two to three generations behind us. Families living in France are often resistant, as social and traditional pressures are very strong, and it is often the family remaining in the [original] country that decides.”
FGM has become a recognised issue across the Western world in recent years as the number of cases has exploded. In the UK, the number of cases is so high that last year a case was discovered or treated every hour.
Earlier this month, many celebrated “FGM Awareness Day” in order to highlight the problem. Surrey Police chose to spend the day on social media, not highlighting the problem of genital cutting, but rather investigating Twitter users for “Islamophobic tweets”.
In Ireland, doctor and Muslim scholar Ali Selim fully endorsed a form of the practice earlier this week saying: “I’m not an advocate of female genital mutilation but I am an advocate of female circumcision.””
Expert: Sweden Has Become a ‘Base’ for International Radical Islamic Extremist Networks (breitbart, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/13/expert-sweden-become-base-radical-islamic-extremists/
“Swedish researcher Peder Hyllengren of the Swedish Defence College has claimed that Sweden has become a hub of international Islamic extremism and that hundreds of Swedish residents have built up a vast network of jihadi contacts.
Hyllengren claimed that jihadi networks have been allowed to operate in Sweden for at least a decade and that Swedish lawmakers have been lagging on proper legislation to deal with the problem, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.
According to the researcher, Swedish residents have been in contact with Islamic terrorists like Mohamed Belkaid who was shot during a raid in Brussels by police who were searching for terrorist Salah Abdeslam who had participated in the 2015 Paris Bataclan massacre.
Hyllengren blamed the political correctness of the Swedish establishment for the inaction in fighting Islamic radicalism along with “the activism that existed against both the security services and those who tried to lift the seriousness of these issues. This meant that the threshold became higher for both politicians and others to enter this area.”…”
New Grassley-Graham find on ‘Russiagate’: Did Susan Rice email indicate withholding of info from Trump team?
By J.E. Dyer February 12, 2018
Add this one to the pile.
Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham published a letter today, in which they asked Susan Rice, formerly national security adviser to Barack Obama, to explain why she sent an unusual email to herself on the final day of the Obama administration.
The email reads like a “memorandum for the record,” meant to document an event Rice dates to 5 January 2017. Apparently, the time hack on the email is 12:15 PM (Eastern) on 20 January 2017.
In other words, it’s the last thing Rice did on the way out the door. That makes its contents curious, to say the least.
Grassley and Graham certainly find it so. They describe how they came to know of the email:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/12/new-grassley-graham-find-russiagate-susan-rice-email-indicate-withholding-info-trump-team/
‘We Are Not Visitors’: Muslims in Sweden Demand Mosque Call to Prayer (breitbart, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/13/not-visitors-muslims-call-prayer-sweden/
“Muslims in Sweden have applied for permission to broadcast the call to prayer, claiming the move would boost community self-esteem and assist with integration.
The Växjö Muslim Foundation submitted an application to the police requesting permission to send out a three-minute Islamic call to prayer each Friday from a loudspeaker attached to the front of a mosque in the city’s Araby district.
“We are just wanting Sweden to allow Muslims in Växjö to feel even more at home. The Islamic community should be proud of their culture, and not feel like they have to hide,” said Imam Ismail Abu Helal.
The imam told Smålandsposten he believes allowing the call to prayer could have a positive effect on the city, and that it would help enable Muslims to better integrate into Araby, a district in which already by 2008, 58 per cent of residents were recorded to have had foreign backgrounds.
“I think that [allowing the call to prayer] is good for integration, and it will provide confirmation of religious freedom,” said Abu Helal. “Muslims are not visitors in Växjö, we live here.”…”
Dutch Secondary Schools Avoid Trips to Cities Hit by Terrorist Attacks – Reports (sputniknews, Feb 13, 2018)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201802131061614867-netherlands-school-trips-attacks/
” At least 25 percent of Dutch schools avoid trips to the cities that were hit by terrorist attacks, while some schools no longer organize trips to European capitals and prefer visiting smaller cities, DutchNews.nl online news platform reported Tuesday, citing a poll conducted by the DUO educational research bureau…”
Radical left billionaire Tom Steyer triples down on obsession with painting Trump as madman
By LU Staff February 12, 2018
Among liberal’s many schemes for evicting Donald Trump from the White House, one of the more widespread is the plan to invoke the 25th amendment, also known as the “crazy man’s clause.”
In July of 2017, Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, told his fellow Donks, “If you’re an elected Dem and you’re not talking impeachment or 25th amendment, find a new party.”
Now it’s Democratic money man Tom Steyer who is fantasizing about having the president declared unfit to continue serving. To that end, Steyer had assembled a panel of mental health officials and nuclear weapons experts to support his months-long campaign.
A former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist, Steyer plans on consulting with his group of experts Monday night to discuss Trump’s mental health and nuclear ambitions.
https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/12/radical-left-billionaire-tom-steyer-triples-obsession-painting-trump-madman/
Swedish Left Pushing for ‘Skin Color Registry’ to Weed Out Discrimination (sputniknews, Feb 13, 2018)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201802131061617430-sweden-left-race-registry/
“At the same time, the Left Party vehemently opposes collecting the exactly same type of data on ethnicity and creed for the sake of crime-fighting.
The Swedish Left Party has urged the Nordic nation’s Statistics Bureau to start collecting data on citizens’ skin color, ethnicity and religion. The decision to do so was taken at the party congress against the will of the party board, national broadcaster SVT reported.
The motion on “equality data” is designed to eliminate discrimination and bias by identifying the vulnerability of different groups. According to the Left MP Daniel Riazat, one of the masterminds behind the motion, there is no problem whatsoever collecting this sort of data based on the grounds of self-identification and anonymity.
“The most important thing is to have evidence when talking about structural discrimination,” Riazat told SVT, brushing aside the risk of the statistics being misused.
Left spokesman for migration issues Christina Höj Larsen was also pleased with the decision that openly challenged the party’s leadership.
“I’m proud to be an anti-racist speaker in a party that pushes for putting anti-racism in the foreground,” Höj Larsen said, stressing the necessity of highlighting issues such as ethnicity in terms of discrimination.
Incidentally, the very same Left Party vehemently opposes the idea of re-introducing the practice of recording criminals’ ethnicity, which was effectively abandoned in the mid-2000s as “unethical.” Calls to resume “ethnical profiling” started rolling in amid the speculated prevalence of foreign-born citizens in certain crimes, such as sexual assault. According to Riazat, these are completely different debates, despite striking similarities.
“Linking crimes with ethnicity or religion is racism. This debate has been discarded a long time ago,” Riazat explained.
However, the proposal, disparagingly dubbed ‘skin color registry,’ has run aground from the very beginning. Statistics Sweden’s own press officer Nizar Chakkour voiced skepticism over the Left’s “equality data” as unconstitutional.
“Should this be self-appreciated? I myself was born in Poland to a Polish mother and a Syrian dad and was raised [in the Swedish city of] Lund. I would then say I’m Scanian [Swedish province],” Chakkour told SVT. “Should they want skin color in the register as well? I don’t think this is compatible with the law,” he added.
Political scientist Marie Demker of the Gothenburg University argued the Left was on a “slippery slope,” as such data can be used to confirm prejudice, which was contested by Left MP Momodou Jallow, another campaigner for “equality data,” Dagens Nyheter reported.
?”Big thanks to all those who supported the motion on equality data and to you who pushed the issue inside and outside the Left Party!” Riazat tweeted.
Previously, the idea of collecting “equality data” was proposed in the city of Botkyrka, but slammed as “leftist race registry” by the Conservative Party.
Founded in 1917, the Left Party has its roots in the Communist Party of Sweden. It has never been part of the government and gathered 5.7 percent of the vote in the 2014 general election.”
Harvard prof, Trump hater Laurence Tribe floats fake claim dossier source died in plane crash
By Howard Portnoy February 12, 2018
On Sunday, a Russian jet carrying 71 people crashed shortly after taking off from Moscow. A day later, Harvard law professor and virulent Trump hater Laurence Tribe tweeted out the rumor that among the casualties was Sergei Millian, a Belarus-born businessman and friend of George Papadopoulis “who had emailed Kushner and is said to be behind one of the most salacious claims in the dossier on Trump’s involvement with Russia.”
The rumor turned out to be totally unfounded, a likelihood Tribe himself was aware of when he posted his tweet, which ended with the caveat “Probably just coincidence.”
After learning the truth, Tribe scrubbed the tweet, replacing it with a lukewarm mea culpa for having jumped the gun:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/02/12/harvard-prof-trump-hater-laurence-tribe-floats-fake-claim-dossier-source-died-russia-plane-crash/
Tip-off received on Al-Nusra, White Helmets plotting chemical weapons provocation in Syria – Moscow (RT, Feb 13, 2018)
https://www.rt.com/news/418649-alnusra-white-helmets-chemical-provocation/
“Russia’s Center for Reconciliation in Syria says it’s been warned that Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorists brought in chlorine containers to a local village, where they aimed to work with the White Helmets to stage “a provocation.”
Late on Monday, the center received a phone call from a resident of the village of Serakab in Idlib province about the planned incident.
According to the source, on the afternoon of February 12, rebels from the Jabhat Al-Nusra (Al-Nusra Front) terrorist organization brought three cars packed with more than 20 cylinders of chlorine along with personal protective equipment to Serakab.
Additionally, according to the caller, representatives of the local branch of the White Helmets, wearing individual means of protection, conducted rehearsals of “giving first aid” to “local residents” who were supposedly suffering from poisoning.
The information received from the Idlib resident raised a red flag for members of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria.
According to the center, this indicates that Jabhat Al-Nusra terrorists along with the White Helmets are plotting another “provocation” with the use of poisonous substances in Idlib province, aimed at accusing the Syrian authorities of using chemical weapons against local residents.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in October that the notorious Idlib chemical incident in April, which was used by the US as a pretext to strike Syria’s Shayrat Airbase, might have been staged.
Presenting photographic evidence of a crater from the scene of the chemical incident, the head of the Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Ulyanov, told a UN briefing that the bomb which dispersed the deadly chemical agent was most likely detonated on the ground and not on impact from a Syrian airstrike. “Most likely, an improvised explosive device was located on the surface,” Ulyanov said…”
Worked before.
US tells anti-IS coalition to ‘keep eyes on prize’ (acnews, Feb 13, 2018)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-tells-anti-isis-coalition-eyes-prize-53037171
“The Trump administration, increasingly concerned that the 74-strong coalition it cobbled together to destroy the Islamic State group is losing sight of the prime objective, pressed its partners on Tuesday to refocus their efforts, overcome rivalries and concentrate on the task at hand: the eradication from Iraq and Syria of the extremist group.
The alarm U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sounded at a coalition gathering in Kuwait came with the fight at a critical moment and the mission shifting from offensive military operations to stabilization.
Distractions are adding up, such as Turkey’s fighting with U.S.-backed Kurdish rebels in Syria and intensifying anti-American rhetoric from Turkish leaders. Meanwhile, renewed spillover from Syria’s civil war, including hostilities between non-coalition actors — Iran, its proxies in Syria, and Israel — risk creating a new conflict in an already crowded battle space…”
Turkey: Erdogan warns of ‘Ottoman slap’ as US continues support for YPG
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of the prospect of an “Ottoman slap” as the US continues to provide financial support for YPG Kurdish militants in Syria, during a speech to the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) Party’s parliamentary group in Ankara on Tuesday.
The Turkish leader stated “it’s very clear that those who say ‘if you hit us, we’ll hit back hard,’ have never in their lives gotten the Ottoman slap.”
We just got through bombing a group of Russian Contractors what makes him think he is scarier then Putin?
He’s delusional.
Look at the faces of his rapt mobs. A very dangerous person.
Whose “prize”?
Our DECLARED interests are so constrained they make sense only to the most blinkered of the MAGA base. Remains to be seen if the goals we BROADCAST are quite so limited.
Tillerson, always the measured statesman, is restating the party line. Mattis repeats the mantra, ‘only ISIS, only ISIS’, and no doubt means it. But that’s nonsense, of course.
ISIS is a mutation of al-Q and the MB, facilitated by the Turk and certain “friends” of ours in the Gulf. The “coalition” has always been a myth, a PR confection. [See link from 2016 below.]
The Kurds aren’t our mercenaries, as our narrowly focused military seem to presume. Defeating ISIS is necessary for them, but certainly not sufficient given the blood loss they’ve sustained. Their own disunity is what continues to defeat them. We’re counting on it, so is Russia.
ISIS has been nothing but a boon for Iran. 0 and his people who remain entrenched at the DoD – plus the “echo chamber” of media and think-tank lackeys – managed to depict Iran as the “good guy” against cannibal beheaders.
It was a magnificent stroke. The Ayatollahs used it to build a formidable army of proxies who’ve taken a vast stretch of Mesopotamia. They’ve advanced decades in military prowess by learning on the ground from their ally, Russia. Now they’re poised to pounce on the Levant.
Maybe we should pay less attention to global pronouncements of intent. I’m suspicious of sweeping policy statements from a President who prefers the subtle [sneaky] deal.
Notice he’s not saying, “Mission Accomplished!” We might be “mopping-up” for some time. Energetically, as in killing a couple hundred “pro-regime” forces here and there. Oh well, deconfliction is never perfect.
I think Henry Kissinger gets it:
Kissinger: Trump’s Foreign Policy Style Is ‘Remarkable and New… People Need to Open Their Eyes’
https://www.westernjournal.com/kissinger-trumps-foreign-policy-style-remarkable-new-people-need-open-eyes/
…….
Competing visions for Syria and Iraq: The myth of an anti-ISIS grand coalition
https://www.aei.org/publication/competing-visions-syria-iraq-us-grand-strategy/
How Iran Is Learning From Russia In Syria
http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/how-iran-learning-russia-syria
Turkish shelling near hospital in northern Syria kills 1 (abcnews, Feb 13, 2018)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkish-shelling-hospital-northern-syria-kills-53040837
“A monitoring group and a hospital manager say shells have landed near the only hospital in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin, killing one person and wounding five.
Turkey is conducting a cross-border operation in the enclave to rout a U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militia that Ankara considers to be a “terrorist” group.
Jiwan Mohamed, the Afrin hospital manager, says the shell landed about 50 meters (yards) from the hospital on Tuesday, killing a taxi driver bringing in wounded.
It’s the first shelling to hit the center of Afrin town since the offensive began on Jan.20.
Mohamed says the attack disrupted baby deliveries, cut electricity to one hospital section and sent panicked patients to the streets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the shell landed near the hospital entrance.”
Erdogan warns Greece, Cyprus over gas search, Aegean islets (abcnews, Feb 13, 2018)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/erdogan-warns-greece-cyprus-gas-search-aegean-islets-53039172
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a warning Tuesday to neighboring Greece, Cyprus and international companies exploring for gas in the eastern Mediterranean not to “step out of line” and encroach on Turkey’s rights.
Meanwhile, Greek authorities said a Turkish coast guard vessel rammed a Greek coast guard boat off a couple of uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea over which the two NATO allies nearly went to war in 1996. There were no injuries.
Erdogan made the warning in an address to legislators of his ruling party as Turkish warships continued to impede a rig from reaching a location off Cyprus where Italian energy company Eni is scheduled to drill for gas.
“We recommend that foreign companies don’t allow themselves to be an instrument of issues that surpass their limits and strength, by trusting the Greek Cypriot side,” he said. “Their show of strength lasts only until they see our ships and our planes.”
Turkey opposes the drilling, which it says disregards the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots. It also claims as its own part of the area Cyprus has designated for exploratory drilling.
The Cypriot government says it has a sovereign right to drill, and that if the search is successful, any income would be shared equitably if the island is reunified.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades refrained from direct comment on Erdogan’s statements, but said Turkish naval activity should cause no public alarm.
“There’s no reason for anyone to worry,” he told reporters in Nicosia. “Actions are being taken in such a way so as to avert any kind of crisis.”
The European Union on Monday cautioned Turkey to respect the territory of its member states and to avoid ratcheting up tensions.
Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded in 1974, after a failed coup by supporters of union with Greece. The island joined the EU in 2004, but only the southern part enjoys full membership benefits.
Many in Turkey also dispute Greek ownership of uninhabited Aegean islets near Turkey’s coastline. The two countries have a long history of rivalry, and have thrice come close to war over Aegean rights and Cyprus since 1974.
“Opportunistic attempts concerning gas exploration off Cyprus and concerning Aegean islets are not escaping our attentions,” Erdogan said.
Greece’s coast guard said nobody was injured in the collision around midnight Monday, although the Greek vessel suffered damage to the stern where the Turkish boat hit it with its bows.
A coast guard statement said the Turkish vessel was conducting “dangerous maneuvers,” and struck the Greek vessel inside Greek waters…”
Since China is working hard to become the Greeks new Patron I wonder if they will back Greece in a war against Turkey?
Greece isn’t going to war against anybody. They’re deadbeat socialists with zero leverage. Pathetic.
They’re hostages to the potential invaders the Turk can release as “refugees” with a flick of his wrist. The EU can make them keep only so many before the people explode. Then the EU will have to help out. They own so much Greek debt, they’re compromised themselves.
China will pick up some fine Greek property at bargain prices. A new port, perhaps a fancy forward base. No war. Not till they’re good and ready.
The Latest: Russia says US trying to control east Syria (abcnews, Feb 13, 2018)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-russian-media-us-strike-kills-russians-syria-53040843
“Russia’s foreign minister is accusing the United States of trying to maintain control over eastern Syria.
Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday the “Americans have taken dangerous unilateral steps.” He added that “those steps look increasingly as part of efforts to create a quasi-state on a large part of Syrian territory — from the eastern bank of the Euphrates River all the way to the border with Iraq.”
He said the U.S. moves are eroding Syria’s territorial integrity by sponsoring the creation of power structures independent from Damascus, noting that Moscow has raised those concerns in contacts with the U.S.
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces have been competing for control of the oil-rich eastern province of Deir el-Zour with Russian-backed Syrian troops that are reinforced by Iranian-supported militias.”
Lavrov: …eroding Syria’s territorial integrity…
Getting all Westphalian on us. Ha!
The Latest: Germany says Iraq soon safe for refugees’ return (abcnews, Feb 13, 2018)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-migrants-reported-missing-river-crossing-53041509
“Germany’s development minister is heading to a conference on Iraq reconstruction in Kuwait with the message that the country is growing safe enough that refugees should start to consider moving home from Europe.
Gerd Mueller said in a statement Tuesday that with recent victories over the Islamic State extremist group, Germany is committed to help rebuild destroyed villages and cities in order to create the “conditions for the Iraqi refugees in Germany to return to their homeland.”
He says “the security situation is already allowing the return of internally displaced persons.”
Mueller said he will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss the “possibility of closer cooperation for the return of refugees from Germany” and Berlin’s “expectations.”
He said the impetus for reconstruction needs to come from the Iraqi government.”
Pakistani police have arrested four people accused of stealing spinal fluid from women.
The suspects told women they had to provide blood samples to qualify for financial assistance from the Punjab government, police told BBC Urdu.
However, they extracted spinal fluid instead, and attempted to sell it on the black market, police added.
The gang is thought to have stolen spinal fluid from over 12 women, including a teenager.
The authorities became aware of the scheme after a man noticed that his 17-year-old daughter felt weak after the procedure.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-asia-43042867
A UK judge has upheld an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has spent more than five years evading the law inside Ecuador’s London embassy.
Mr Assange’s lawyers had argued it was no longer in the public interest to arrest him for jumping bail in 2012 and seeking shelter in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where prosecutors were investigating allegations of sexual assault and rape made by two women. Assange has denied the allegations.
https://www.9news.com.au/world/2018/02/14/00/19/uk-judge-rules-on-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-s-arrest-warrant-in-london?
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has formally asked President Jacob Zuma to resign, a senior party official has confirmed.
The decision to “recall” him “urgently” followed marathon talks of the ANC’s top leadership body.
Mr Zuma, 75, agreed to step down, but only in the next three to six months, the official added.
Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, has been dogged by corruption allegations.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43039928
Family and friends of a male escort found dead in the West Hollywood home of a high-powered Democratic Party donor last year continue to press for answers—in a case that has eluded the national media spotlight on incidents of sexual misconduct and racial injustice.
Gemmel Moore, 26, was discovered by police on July 27 inside the apartment of Ed Buck, 63. Buck is a well-known Democratic contributor, and has given more than $500,000 to an array of Democrats including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and a variety of state and local organizations in California.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/13/justice-for-gemmel-moore-family-wants-answers-in-escorts-death-at-dem-donors-home.html
Paddock autopsy
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4375783/Vegasautopsy.pdf
SWEDEN – Uzbek asylum seeker pleads guilty to terrorism over Stockholm truck attack that killed five people
AN UZBEK ASYLUM seeker who confessed to wanting to mow down “infidels” in an April 2017 Stockholm truck attack that killed five people pleaded guilty to terrorism charges today as his trial opened.
Rakhmat Akilov appeared in the Stockholm courtroom, handcuffed amid tight security, wearing green prison clothes and with a shaved head and a beard, accompanied by his lawyer Johan Eriksson.
Akilov, whose Swedish asylum application had been rejected in 2016, had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) on the eve of his assault in one of Europe’s safest cities, though the jihadist group never claimed responsibility.
On the afternoon of Friday, 7 April, Akilov stole a beer delivery truck and barrelled down a bustling pedestrian shopping street, swerving wildly to hit as many people as possible.
He killed five and injured 10.
Rakhmat Akilov took the truck… and drove it the way the prosecutor described. He killed five people and physically injured 10,” his lawyer Johan Eriksson told the court.
“The motive was to instigate fear and to get Sweden to end its participation in the coalition against the Islamic State,” he added.
Akilov fled the scene and was arrested several hours later thanks to public transport video surveillance images. He confessed in police questioning.
Comments have been disabled as a trial is ongoing
http://www.thejournal.ie/stockholm-truck-attack-3849352-Feb2018/
From whom is this Uzbek seeking asylum?
Germany: Kurds occupy SPD HQ in Hamburg before eviction by police
Pro-Kurdish activists stormed the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) headquarters in Hamburg, late on Monday afternoon, to protest German arms exports to Turkey.
Seine-Saint-Denis: a policewoman arrested for arms theft
A security assistant would be involved in the disappearance of two service weapons, in the territorial direction of Seine-Saint-Denis, in Bobigny. Case in which a soldier was also incarcerated.
This is a matter that the police would have gladly missed. Two service guns, automatic pistols Sig Sauer, caliber 9 mm, were stolen from the territorial direction of Seine-Saint-Denis, and it is an official who is in the crosshairs. The young police community support officer (ADS) of 20 years has just been suspended. She , as well as three other alleged accomplices, is indicted and placed in custody since Friday. The indicted are aged 19 to 29, and one is a including one is military person.
The suspicion for the theft was quickly put on the young woman,who was working at the reception desk at the headquarters of the police in Bobigny. To enter the fence and barrier, it is necessary to show some identification. However, on the evening of the theft, on August 25, 2017, people noticed that the official, stationed in the entrance booth, was momentarily absent from the post. “She said she had to find a friend who brought him a packed lunch,” says a source close to the case. According to this source, the young official was preceded by a “somewhat sulphurous reputation”. The behavior of the young woman, before the fact, had already been considered dubious by colleagues, who suspected her of radicalization.
A link was made between this theft and the gunshot wound of a soldier two and a half months later in the neighboring department of Seine-et-Marne. He had been hospitalized for a leg injury on November 12th. 9 mm. He had claimed to have been shot “by a hooded man”, while he was jogging in the forest at Ozoir-la-Ferriere (Seine-et-Marne). But the assumption of a lone gunman has fizzled. Victim, the military man, acquired the status of suspect, when it was discovered that among its visitors to the hospital some were common friends with the young police community support officer, who was originally from Seine-et-Marne.
Finally, six people were arrested last week and detained for four days. Five were indicted for robbery organized by a person in charge of public authority, criminal conspiracy and receiving, and four detained, including the military, the policewoman and her brother. One of the pistols stolen in Bobigny was found, thanks to a suspect. Not the second.
Beyond the weapon, there remains a central question to be solved: why steal weapons which can be traced and registered in a place so guarded, while it is common knowledge that to procure weapons is not a problem? “It’s incomprehensible,” responds a police executive.
http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/seine-saint-denis-une-policiere-ecrouee-pour-vols-d-armes-13-02-2018-7556247.php
Benefits cheat mother of four stole £27,000 while having £40,000 in savings (express, Feb 13, 2018)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/918383/Benefits-cheat-mother-stole-27-000-hid-40-000-savings-undeclared-bank-accounts-fraud
“A BENEFITS cheat fraudulently claimed handouts while hiding tens of thousands in 12 undeclared bank accounts.
Mother-of-four Abida Khan had almost £40,000 savings yet claimed income support housing benefit and council tax relief after falsely declaring she had only £650 in the bank.
She was overpaid almost £30,000 before being caught in an investigation by the Department of Work and Pensions.
The fraudulent claims began after Khan, 52, split up with her husband, Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard.
Giving evidence, Khan told how she moved to the UK in 1991 after an arranged marriage but separated in 2011.
She is the sole carer of their children, aged 20, 18, 13 and 12 – two of whom have a sight disability.
Khan, of Darlington Road, Stockton, wept as she was found guilty after trial of making false claims relating to income support, housing benefit and council tax dating back to July 2011.
Anne Mitchell, prosecuting, said: “The claim for income support was stopped when the defendant failed to provide information regarding a second property.
“She was also in receipt of housing benefit and council tax for herself and her four children on the basis she did not have capital over the applicable threshold.”
However evidence showed Khan had £37,438 saved in accounts which she had failed to declare. She was overpaid a total of £27,142.11.
“That is a lot of money, isn’t it?” Miss Mitchell asked the defendant who claimed the money she was receiving belonged to her children.
“Yes, because I was saving it for a long time for my children,” Khan told the court.
“I didn’t know the accounts were in my name, they belonged to my children. I only had one bank account which belonged to myself.”
When asked whether she failed to declare the other 12 bank accounts because it would affect her qualification for benefits she replied, “No, I can say on oath I did not know anything about this.
“It took me 20 years to add up this money, which I thought belonged to my children and that one day they would be able to use it.”
Neil Douglas, defending, said: “What is being denied is that Mrs Khan acted dishonestly.
“You have a lady without formal education, who spent the first 20 years of her life in Pakistan, before coming to the UK in circumstances which are troubling.
“She found herself living an isolated existence in a foreign country, without any mastery of the language let alone cultural issues.
“It is apparent that Mrs Khan had no knowledge of the western banking system.”
Khan, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced at the same court on February 21.”
Newt Gingrich: Comey was totally in the tank for Clinton
Peter Schweizer on Obama, Rice, and Clinton Corruption.
Susan Rice memo trying to cover up Obama’s tracks?
Did Obama know Trump was being wiretapped?
CNN – Wray: FBI won’t share investigation with Trump
At the Senate Intel Committee’s worldwide threats hearing, FBI Director Wray was asked about the Russia investigation and the progress on improving social media companies’ cooperation to stop election meddling.
Judge Nap on FBI Dir. Chris Wray.
Heads of U.S. Intel Agencies Testify.
Sen. King: We Can’t Confront Threat of Russian Meddling If Trump Continues to Deny It Exists
FBI Director Wray on defense during annual threat hearing
Rep DeSantis on Susan Rice and BS Dossier. The Basis of Everything Mueller.
FBI Director Wray Refuses to say “Dirty Dossier” is Unverified to Senator Cotton
Martin,Nice, trustworthy. Ties and suits, MSM dignity. I'll watch their perp walks. That's all.
Tucker: Claims of the Steele dossier are completely absurd
Rep. King: Democrats politicized the global threats hearing
FBI director claims there is no bias in agency
Judicial Watch Director of Investigations Chris Farrell discusses FBI director Christopher Wray’s comment to the Senate Intelligence Committee that there is no FBI bias.
Susan Rice email was an attempt to cover its track: Rep. Louie Gomert
Mueller hired Democratic donor to join his team last year: Report
FOX Business national security strategist Sebastian Gorka on the report that special counsel Robert Mueller last year hired former Huffington Post contributor Aaron Zelinsky, who also donated to Democratic candidates.
He’s turning into a gargoyle, right before our eyes. Like Kerry’s hairplugs started growing into horns.
Indonesia’s Papua province children starving in a land of gold (BBC, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42985439
Polish PM Pledges Millions for Syrians in Lebanon, Insists they Are Better off Near Home (breitbart, Feb 13, 2018)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/13/polish-pm-pledges-millions-syrians-lebanon-insists-better-off-near-home/
“Poland’s prime minister has visited a school and clinic for Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon, reiterating his country’s position that aiding those uprooted by the war should take place closer to their home.
In a statement Tuesday, Mateusz Morawiecki’s office said he has declared $10 million to help Lebanon build housing for 1,000 refugees from Syria. Morawiecki said aid to refugees close to the countries they want to return to is the most efficient form of aid.
Citing security concerns, Poland’s conservative government rejected a European Union plan to distribute refugees currently in Greece and Italy to countries around Europe. Poland has come under criticism and warning of sanctions from EU leaders.
Lebanon hosts over 1 million Syrian refugees and asks the international community to share the burden.”
euronews – Igloo village built by migrants hands lifeline to dying Italian ski resort
Bill, Melinda Gates Denounce Trump’s World View
Islamic State video signals intent to disrupt elections, targeting would-be voters, as well as security forces
On 11 February, the Islamic State’s province in Egypt’s North Sinai – Wilayat Sinai – released a video of its operations against the Egyptian army.
The video featured a warning to Egyptians not to take part in the presidential election, scheduled to take place on 26–28 March.
On 9 February, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 – a counter-terrorism operation across Egypt from the Western Desert to the Sinai Peninsula – with the objective of “eliminating terrorism” in Egypt within a three-month deadline set by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on 30 November, in response to the Al Rawdah mosque attack on 24 November.
http://www.janes.com/article/77863/islamic-state-video-signals-intent-to-disrupt-elections-targeting-would-be-voters-as-well-as-security-forces
SYRIA – ISIS Defeated In Hama Pocket As Hundreds Of Militants Surrender To HTS
Reports emerged that more than 300 militants belong to ISIS have been given up to the another extremist group of Hayyat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the opposition factions.
pro opposition sources stated that “340 ISIS fighters turned themselves in today to FSA groups in Khuwyn town and its surrounding in eastern Idlib province”.
https://muraselon.com/en/2018/02/isis-defeated-hama-pocket-hundreds-militants-surrender-hts-video/
Hizb ut-Tahrir = Freedom Party.
Al-Sham = Syria.
They’re JOINING greater al-Q!
It’s HUGE. Everywhere.
Indonesian authorities fight radicalism on campus
https://studyinternational.com/news/indonesian-anti-terror-authorities-take-fight-universities/
International terrorist party. Doctrinal differences with ISIS are relatively trivial. They’re deeply linked to the Turk, MB, global jihad.
The Internal Palestinian Fight for Jerusalem (2016)
[…]
Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Islamic Liberation Party
In 1953, during Jordanian rule over east Jerusalem, the Islamic Liberation Party was founded as an anti-Hashemite party by a cleric at Al-Aqsa, Taqi a-Din al-Nabhani.6The party called for a restoration of the Ottoman caliphate, which it saw as the only legal caliphate, and suspected that the Hashemites were planning to declare a caliphate of their own. The party also attacked the Hashemites for cooperating with the British “Crusaders” in ousting the legal dynasty of the caliphs.…
http://jcpa.org/article/internal-palestinian-fight-jerusalem/
Vaguely commie, too.
2006, GoV:
The Islamist Manifesto
http://gatesofvienna.net/2006/08/the-islamist-manifesto/
Shocking!