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IRGC commander claims 'Iran now has access to all codes of US MQ4 drone'

Drago Bosnic
Fort Russ
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:25 UTC
US drone Iran
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh warned the US not to use its MQ4 Triton drones against Iran as the IRGC now enjoys full familiarity with the codes and frequencies of that particular kind of drone.
"Americans should draw a redline for using this drone against Iran because we are now familiar with all its codes and frequencies; meaning that we can deactivate it not from a 100km distance, but from thousands of kilometers, away from Tehran," General Hajizadeh said last Thursday night on the sidelines of unveiling the new retrieved parts of the MQ4 Triton which was downed by the IRGC back in June 2019.

"We have the biggest collection of drones in the world. We lacked Triton, that was added to the collection. And we will certainly target any other drone that would violate Iran's territory," the IRGC Aerospace Force commander added.

He noted that the MQ4 drone is invaluable, and said, "Each device that you see here is a treasure for us as they provide valuable information and we will use this information."

Comment:

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Chess

UN Security Council adopts resolution affirming lasting ceasefire in Libya, Russia abstains


Sputnik
Wed, 12 Feb 2020 18:37 UTC
libyan flag
© AP Photo / Mohammad Hannon
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Libya cementing the conclusions of the recent Berlin conference on Libyan reconciliation and the need for a lasting ceasefire in the country.

A total of 14 member states supported the draft on Wednesday, while Russia abstained from voting.

According to a diplomatic source, Russia was opposed to the mentioning of the term "mercenaries" in the resolution. The final version of the draft, seen by Sputnik, expresses concern over the growing involvement of professional foreign soldiers in Libya.
The resolution endorses the Berlin conference's final communiqué and affirms the need for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Libya at the earliest opportunity without preconditions.
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Biohazard

China sends 2,600 military medics to help fight coronavirus as Wuhan & Hubei party chiefs sacked


RT
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:53 UTC
china coronavirus medical orker doctor
© Global Look Press / Xiao Yijiu
A medical worker at Suizhou Central Hospital in Suizhou, central China's Hubei Province.
Hundreds of military medics will descend on coronavirus-stricken Wuhan to help tackle the epidemic as the number of confirmed cases worldwide surpasses 60,000, with the death toll leaping over 1,300.

The first installment of 1,400 military medical personnel touched down in the city in central China worst affected by the ongoing viral epidemic on Thursday, the Chinese Defense Ministry reported.

The medics represent several branches of the Chinese armed forces, including the Navy, Air Force, armed police, logistic and strategic support forces, and even the Rocket Force.

Comment: China is pulling out all the stops to handle its health crisis, with the building of a second dedicated hospital near completion:
new hospital china coronavirus
© China Daily via REUTERS
An aerial view shows the newly completed Huoshenshan Hospital taken on February 2, 2020.
Huoshenshan Hospital, a makeshift 1,000-bed facility in China's Wuhan that was built in just 10 days, received its first coronavirus patients on Monday. A 1,500-bed facility in Leishenshan is due to open later this week.

The construction of the two hospitals in Wuhan, the city in central China worst affected by the ongoing viral epidemic, was ordered to keep the disease contained and prevent the risk of spreading the virus. It is consistent with Beijing's way of dealing with the 2013 SARS outbreak, when a temporary hospital was erected north of the capital in just one week.

Huoshenshan was built near Zhiyin Lake in southwestern Wuhan by some 7,000 carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other construction specialists working around the clock. About 800 pieces of heavy equipment worked simultaneously to get the job done, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

The new hospital is staffed by doctors, nurses and other personnel provided by the Chinese military, who sent 1,400 people to man it. Huoshenshan has 30 intensive care units, double-sided cabinets in which doctors can examine patients without entering isolation wards, robots to deliver food and medicine and take samples from patients, and a video system linked to the main military hospital in Beijing.

Watching the lightning-fast construction of the hospital via a live-stream became a source of national entertainment in China. Leishenshan Hospital is expected to be completed on Wednesday, with its construction also having taken 10 days. It will open its doors to patients on Thursday.


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Pirates

Syrian govt chopper 'downed' by militants in Idlib as Erdogan promises 'heavy price' for attack on Ankara's troops


RT
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 17:56 UTC
Syrian helicopter crash
© Reuters
Nusra Front fighters inspect a helicopter that belongs to forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad after it crashed in Jabal al-Zawiya in the southern countryside of Idlib, March, 2015
The Turkish Defense Ministry has confirmed that a Syrian government helicopter was destroyed in the small village of Al Nerab, southeast of Idlib. The incident occurred after Turkish troops were killed by shelling in Idlib, Syria.

In its official Twitter account, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that it received information "regime elements" retreated from the village of Al Nerab, located south-east of the city of Idlib, while one of the Syrian government helicopters was downed.

Dramatic footage circulating online shows what appears to be a helicopter breaking apart mid-air and spiraling towards the ground, engulfed by smoke and flames.

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Snakes in Suits

Bojo reshuffles cabinet, Chancellor quits, Northern Ireland & environment minster among notable sackings

Peter Walker
The Guardian
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 11:14 UTC
bojo
© Stefan Rousseau/PA
Boris Johnson arrives in Downing Street as he reshuffles his cabinet
Andrea Leadsom, Julian Smith, Geoffrey Cox and Theresa Villiers have all been sacked from the cabinet in what is likely to be a relatively modest reshuffle by Boris Johnson, albeit one with the potential to still cause controversy.

Esther McVey was also removed as housing minister, and Chris Skidmore as universities minister, adding to the churn in two roles with a recent history of high ministerial turnover.

One surprise was the sacking of Nusrat Ghani as a junior transport minister. Ghani had been tipped to become the new minister for HS2, but tweeted that she would now "get to spend more time with family and constituents".

Comment: Despite choosing to keep Javid on, he later quit after refusing Downing Street's request to sack his advisors:
Javid was scheduled to deliver his first budget on March 11, after his November budget was scrapped due to a combination of ongoing delays to Brexit and the decision to hold a general election in mid-December.

Rishi Sunak - who has served as chief secretary to the treasury since the summer of 2019 - is replacing Javid in the top finance role.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Home Secretary Priti Patel are expected to retain their roles.
See also:

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Attention

Four prosecutors quit Roger Stone case as DOJ backs down from 'horrible & unfair' sentencing advice. What are they worried about?


RT
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 17:28 UTC
Roger Stone
© Reuters / Kevin Fogarty
Roger Stone
The US Justice Department has reconsidered its recommendation that former Trump advisor Roger Stone serve nine years in prison for lying to Congress, instead deferring to the court, while four of its prosecutors have resigned.

Punishing the self-described "dirty trickster" with seven to nine years in prison "could be considered excessive and unwarranted," prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday. "Ultimately, the government defers to the Court as to what specific sentence is appropriate."

As the report emerged, news broke that lead attorney for the government, Aaron Zelinsky, had withdrawn from the case. What's more, a footnote on the filing revealed Zelinsky had not only resigned from the Stone case, but also entirely from his post as Special Assistant US Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Comment: From Axios:
The downgraded sentencing recommendation is sure to prompt allegations of political interference. All four prosecutors who tried Stone in November — Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed and Michael Marando — withdrew from the case on Tuesday afternoon. Zelinsky and Kravis resigned from their positions as special assistant U.S. attorney and assistant U.S. attorney in D.C., respectively.

Trump tweeted early Tuesday that the recommendation is a "miscarriage of justice" that he "cannot allow," claiming that the "real crimes were on the other side." He later told reporters that he didn't speak to the Justice Department about the case, but that he would have "the absolute right" to.
  • Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec told The Daily Beast that DOJ officials did not consult with the White House and that the decision to change the recommendation came before Trump's tweet.
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the Justice Department inspector general requesting an investigation into the reduced sentencing recommendation, writing: "This situation has all the indicia of improper political interference in a criminal prosecution."
  • The president posted a tweet later criticizing the judge presiding over Stone's case, Amy Berman Jackson, after it was pointed out that she had dealt with cases involving the Mueller investigation — including that of the now-imprisoned former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Stone, one of several Trump associates to be indicted as a result of the Mueller investigation, was found guilty in November on seven counts related to his attempts to learn more about when WikiLeaks would publish damaging emails about 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Roger Stone case has been a travesty from the beginning. From bogus charges, to the SWAT-style dawn raid on the 70yo's home with CNN miraculously there to record it, it has all the earmarks of a Democratic political hit. Like Mike Flynn, the legal gauntlet he has been put through has left him and his ailing wife destitute.

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Biohazard

Skripal in Prison - The first book to report the truth

John Helmer
Dances with Bears
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:31 UTC
skripal helmer
It is exactly two years since the case of two Russians, Sergei and Yulia Skripal, began with their collapse on a park bench in the middle of England on the afternoon of March 4, 2018.

On their anniversary it is necessary to tell this story. But it isn't the story of what happened. This is because the only people who can tell that one, the Skripals, are locked away in isolation, guarded by determined men under secret government orders.

Instead, this is the story of what didn't happen - provably didn't happen because it was quite impossible circumstantially; and because the legal papers warranting that it did have not been signed by a judge, tested in a court of law, or released in public.

The facts which you have seen, heard or read about the incident of March 4, 2018, have been falsified. Everything that has flowed from them is false too. Understanding this is a start to the other story, and so something solid to work from - not missed until now; more like seen but disbelieved. As if the truth were fiction, and the fiction truth.

This is the story of how the largest and longest criminal investigation in modern British history ended in a prosecution without evidence of the crime, the weapon, the crime scene, and even of the crime victims. Allegations there are; evidence admissible in a British court of law there is not. That's to say, a prosecution which will not be presented in court, before no judge and jury; with no witnesses on oath; and no verdict. That is no prosecution at all.
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Bulb

Devin Nunes threatens to refer intelligence watchdog to Justice Department in fight over whistleblower complaint

Spencer Neale
Washington Examiner
Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:19 UTC
devin nunes mueller hearing
© Associated Press/Alex Brandon
A top Republican threatened to involve the Justice Department if the Intelligence Community inspector general refuses to deliver "documentary evidence" involving the whistleblower whose complaint spurred the impeachment investigation into President Trump.

Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, gave Inspector General Michael Atkinson until Friday to hand over information that could help illuminate questions surrounding the timeline and procedural protocol used to vet the whistleblower complaint that centered on Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a Friday letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.

The California Republican decried what he called the "unusual handling" of the complaint process and said he will refer the matter to the Justice Department if Atkinson's office refuses to comply after months of outreach.
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Attention

DOJ wanted Flynn case continued to 'vindicate' public reputation of his former legal team

Sara Carter
saraacarter.com
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 16:59 UTC
Michael flynn

General Michael Flynn
Government prosecutor Joycelyn Ballantine filed an unexpected motion Sunday in the case against Michael Flynn for the express purpose of seeking to protect Flynn's former defense team.

Yes, it's true and in the prosecutor's own words: Government prosecutors said in their filing they want
"to make certain and clear that counsel [Covington & Burling] may take the necessary steps to vindicate their public reputation by addressing and defending against the defendant's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, and equally to vindicate the integrity of this Court's previous proceedings, the government asks this court to issue the attached proposed order."
Really? Now the US Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice are in the business of protecting and working to protect the "public reputation" of Covington & Burling — a well-known international law firm based in DC? Do the new United States Attorney Timothy Shea and Attorney General William Barr know that federal prosecutors — who had already identified a serious conflict of interest held by Covington in the Flynn case — are subjecting Flynn to more proceedings now to protect Covington?

Comment: Trending Politics adds new developments:
On Monday, a federal judge postponed former national security advisor to President Trump Michael Flynn's sentencing date.

Judge Emmet Sullivan made the decision after federal prosecutors filed a sudden motion to delay upcoming deadlines that would make the sentencing for Flynn unlikely.

"In their filing, prosecutors argued that Flynn's former attorneys should testify after he claimed to have received ineffective assistance from them," Fox News reports. "Flynn had previously hired the premier D.C. law firm, Covington & Burling. Federal lawyers also asked the judge to order that Flynn has his attorney-client privileges in his communications with Covington & Burling waived."

The prosecutors wrote:
"The government requests that the Court suspend the current briefing schedule concerning the defendant's [motion] until such time as the government has been able to confer with Covington regarding the information it seeks. While Covington has indicated a willingness to comply with this request, it has understandably declined to do so in the absence of a Court order confirming the waiver of attorney-client privilege."
In January, Flynn decided to withdraw his guilty plea after he cited "bad faith" by the government.


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Russian Flag

'Nothing is Scandinavian' ad republished as airline SAS is told its critics are 'Putin trolls & useful idiots'


RT
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:09 UTC
troll gustafson
© REUTERS / Bertil Enevag Ericson / TT News Agency; REUTERS / Lefteris Karagiannopoulos
SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson at the company HQ in Stockholm. A troll figure in Oslo.
Nothing shows that your values are granite-strong quite like pulling a much-criticized commercial and then reinstating it to a chorus of media voices proclaiming that the negative feedback is just a Russian psy-op.

The Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) video, which declares that essentially all Scandinavian culture is "copied" and encourages people to fly to lands both near and far to find more things to borrow, is back in action. The company says it stands by its message, and that the critical comments and downvotes that befell the video after its initial publication on Monday were just an "attack" that "hijacked" the ad campaign.

So, SAS told its customers that the things they take pride in are a product of cultural appropriation, but that it's a good thing. When some people freaked out, the airline simply shut down comments on its YouTube channel - because it doesn't want hateful speech on its platform. Then it took down the video... just because. Then it published it again, but the comments were closed from the start.

All these actions are definitely part of a consistent values-based position. SAS did not get cold feet over the wave of negativity. And it didn't change its mind after realizing that bowing to the pressure - and upsetting people who share the ad's woke message - would be even worse. The benefit of the doubt is absolutely on its side.

The airline kept mum about who could be behind the 'attack', but luckily some Scandinavian media were there to explain to their readers what happened. The key culprit was (surprise!) Russia, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said after the video was taken down, adding that SAS should publish it again. And people who are not happy about the video and are too public to be dismissed as Russian bots are obviously "useful idiots" doing "Putin's bidding."

Comment: See also:

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