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Macron's former aide Benalla held over wrongful use of diplomatic passports


BBC
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:31 UTC
Benalla
© AFP
Alexandre Benalla worked closely with Mr Macron during his presidential campaign
A sacked aide to French President Emmanuel Macron has been detained over the use of diplomatic passports.

The Paris prosecutor's office said a preliminary inquiry had been opened into Alexandre Benalla's alleged possession of two passports.

He is alleged to have used them despite losing his job as a security officer in Mr Macron's staff in July.

Mr Benalla was sacked by Mr Macron after video emerged of him beating protesters in Paris.

He was placed under investigation for assault and "usurping the functions of a police officer" over the incident, which happened during May Day demonstrations.

Comment: Benalla seems to have received preferential treatment under Macron's watch and did so until very recently, so it's curious that only now is he being investigated. Is Macron, who was reportedly quite fond of Benalla, attempting to appease France's citizens by throwing Benalla under the bus?

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Bad Guys

Israel exaggerates: Only 5% of Iranian/Hezbollah arsenal has been destroyed in Syria

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 19:17 UTC
t-4 airbase syria
© DigitalGlobe/European Space Imaging
A Satellite image of T-4 airbase in Syria.
Intelligence sources said "Israel wants Syria to return to the era before 2011 when the leaders of the country were less powerful and experienced than they are today after seven years of warfare, the delivery of Russian advanced equipment mostly for air defence, the supply and manufacturer of sophisticated Iranian missiles in Syria and the formative presence of Iranian and Hezbollah advisors". The sources reveal that "Israeli officials told their American counterparts that it would be inappropriate to withdraw forces from the northeast of Syria, leaving Iran and its allies behind. The withdrawal - which now seems partial - of US forces should be done, if not before, at least simultaneously with the departure of all foreign forces operating on Syrian soil to create a balance of power on the ground. Also, it is important to stipulate that President Bashar al-Assad must refrain from using his mid-range precision missiles against Israel any time in the future as part of any US withdrawal from Syria deal. Israel argued that the US is delivering the Levant to Russia and the 'Axis of the Resistance' without any concessions in return", according to the source.


Comment: Funny how the American media sounds uncannily like Israeli officials...


The US establishment seems unwilling to cater to Israeli's exaggerated anxieties. US officials visiting Tel Aviv told local officials that "the Israeli army holds enough military power to defend itself and that since 1974 Israel has no longer been on the defensive in the region. On the contrary, Israel has been on the offensive, taking the initiative to attack targets in Syria during these seven years of war". According to western officials, the US reminded Israel that thousands of American forces are based in the country, in the Mediterranean and in various military bases the Middle East. These can intervene in favour of Israel in a timely way whenever appropriate. Therefore, Israel should stop screaming for unneeded help, when it is the one inflicting damage on its adversaries".
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Camcorder

Jim and Joanne Moriarty begin release of exclusive footage of NATO's war on Libya

Joanne Moriarty
Libyan War The Truth
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 19:09 UTC
jim joanne moriarty
We have started to release the unseen videos we took on the ground in Libya during the 2011 NATO destruction of Libya. These are raw videos, taken by us with a small Sony Camera. They are not edited, these are the real Libyan people sharing their sorrow, their thoughts and their desires for their future. They speak in Libyan Arabic but we are there with a translator. Our series will be every Monday night at 6pm central, you find the links below.

Jason Goodman is the one we have ever entrusted these videos with and he is doing a great job. He is clear and honest and works to share the importance of the information.

These are the videos that the CIA, DIA and FBI were after when they came into our home.

These videos will prove the false flag, the war crimes, the lies and the atrocities committed by the UN/US/NATO/France/UK and the criminal lying media.

Please watch the introduction to this series free on YouTube:


Comment: See also:

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Info

Trump doesn't back down, vows Syria exit despite Manbij attack on US soldiers


Sputnik
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 18:30 UTC
us troops syria
The statement comes as a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve said that several US servicemen had been killed in a suicide bombing in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. The Daesh terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

During a meeting with a group of Republican senators on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signalled his readiness to adhere to his plan to withdraw US troops from Syria and Afghanistan, according to Senator Rand Paul.

"Not only is he following through with his Syria policy, I really do think there will be changes in Afghanistan as well. If you look at the polling data for the American people, I think the American people are with the president and they're tired, frankly, of both parties, who are unwilling to stand up and say enough is enough", Paul said.

He declined to elaborate on what Trump said about exact timelines for US forces' pullout from Syria and Afghanistan.

"We talked extensively about Syria. He talked about how we will continue to make sure that ISIS (Daesh) is not a problem but at the same time, we will not just go into theater and stay forever. I think he was steadfast in that", Paul underscored.

Comment: Macron says France will stay in Syria throughout 2019:
"The announced withdrawal of our American ally should not deflect us from our strategic objective to eradicate Daesh", Macron said on Thursday addressing the armed forces in the French city of Toulouse.
The Syrian Baath Party told reporters Syria will not allow militants in Idlib or US troops at al-Tanf (who shelter militants there):
"It is absolutely not our fault that [militants] are here. Why should we tolerate their presence on our soil now? They can leave our territory and go to any other country ... These groups have two options: either to leave Syrian soil or face the power of the Syrian Arab army," Hilal said.

He also pointed out that Damascus would continue to demand the withdrawal of US troops from the At Tanf base, which, according to media reports, might retain a certain number of soldiers despite Washington's announced intent to withdraw its forces from the Arab Republic.

"Syria has a right to defend any part of the country from foreign occupation. Syrian President Bashar Assad has always said this. We believe that any foreign base created on Syrian soil without the consent of the president and the government of Syria represents an occupation and aggressive forces. Of course, we will fight the existence of such bases on our territory. I am speaking not only about the military bases, but also about people involved in these activities, armed formations and even states," Hilal said.
As for the Manbij attack, the military council of Manbij claims that their antiterror squads detained a cell of seven militants, "members of opposition groups that participated in Operation 'Euphrates Anger' and were supported by Turkey, acting in concert with Turkish intelligence".
"They planned several explosions and acts similar to terrorist acts, following instructions directly from the 'Euphrates Anger' groups and Turkish intelligence," the press service added.

A large number of weapons and ammunition, including grenades, Kalashnikov assault rifles and M6 rifles were seized from the militants during the searches.


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Info

Democrat-led bill to maintain sanctions on Russian Deripaska companies fails in Senate


RFE/RL
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 18:25 UTC
Deripaska sanctions

Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska is a Russian oligarch, aluminium magnate and philanthropist
The U.S. Senate has failed to pass a resolution that could have stopped sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska from being lifted.

The January 16 vote was a victory for President Donald Trump's administration, which had lobbied senators hard to not pass the measure.

Lawmakers voted 57-42, which ended debate on the resolution since it was short of the required 60 votes to advance it to a final passage vote. Still, 11 senators from Trump's Republican party joined with Democrats in the effort, a sign of how many congressional lawmakers feel about Trump's Russia policy.

The resolution was pushed by Senate Democrats, in response to last month's announcement by the Treasury Department that it would lift sanctions on the core businesses of Deripaska. That includes aluminum giant Rusal, its parent company En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo.

Comment: See also:

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Target

AG Nominee Barr may swing anti-trust hammer at Amazon, Facebook and Google

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:05 UTC
William Barr

Attorney General nominee William Barr
President Trump's nominee for Attorney General, William Barr, signaled during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he may put the screws to tech monopolies.

When asked by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) whether he thought antitrust laws were there "to protect consumers," Barr responded that he is interested in "reassessing" Justice Department antitrust policies when it comes to tech giants.
"Yes, I mean generally that's where I stand that is the purpose of anti-trust law obviously is to protect competition and competition ultimately that rebounds to consumer benefits. At the same time, I'm sort of interested in stepping back and reassessing or learning more about how the anti-trust division has been functioning and what their priorities are. I don't think big is necessarily bad, but I think a lot of people wonder how such huge behemoths that now exist in Silicon Valley have taken shape under the nose of anti-trust enforcers."
When asked by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) about the DOJ's role in terms of working with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to tackle anti-competitive behavior, Barr said: "I would like to weigh in to some of these issues."
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Sherlock

FISA shocker: DOJ official warned Steele dossier was connected to Clinton and might be biased

John Solomon
The Hill
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:53 UTC
Bruce Ohr

Bruce Ohr
When the annals of mistakes and abuses in the FBI's Russia investigation are finally written, Bruce Ohr almost certainly will be the No. 1 witness, according to my sources.

The then-No. 4 Department of Justice (DOJ) official briefed both senior FBI and DOJ officials in summer 2016 about Christopher Steele's Russia dossier, explicitly cautioning that the British intelligence operative's work was opposition research connected to Hillary Clinton's campaign and might be biased.

Ohr's briefings, in July and August 2016, included the deputy director of the FBI, a top lawyer for then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and a Justice official who later would become the top deputy to special counsel Robert Mueller.

At the time, Ohr was the associate attorney general. Yet his warnings about political bias were pointedly omitted weeks later from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant that the FBI obtained from a federal court, granting it permission to spy on whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to hijack the 2016 presidential election.
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Snakes in Suits

'Russiagate' investigator crowdfunds 'fact-finding' trip to investigate Tulsi Gabbard


RT
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:35 UTC
beach
© Pixnio
One 'Russiagate' researcher wants to crowdfund a trip to "investigate" 2020 Democratic contender Tulsi Gabbard in sunny Hawaii. Some critics say it's a ploy to grab a free vacation.

Gabbard's announcement last weekend that she will challenge Donald Trump for the presidency in 2020 united the left and the right in panic. A combat veteran, the Hawaiian congresswoman unveiled a platform focused on foreign policy issues, namely opposition to foreign wars and intervention.

Gabbard had long been an opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Barack Obama's air campaign in Syria. A 2017 meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was enough to convince the establishment that Gabbard was an "Assad sympathizer," an agent of the Kremlin, and a racist, homophobic, right-wing plant.
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Russian Flag

What sanctions? Russia's trade surplus poised to smash pre-sanction record


RT
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:32 UTC
carnival
© Global Look Press / Konstantin Kokoshkin
Russia is on track to break its own record trade surplus that had been reached in 2011, two years before the US and its Western allies imposed economic sanctions on the country, reports French business daily Les Échos.

Russia's trade surplus totaled $191.4 billion from January through November last year, according to the media. The record on positive trade balance was fixed in 2011, when the trade surplus totaled $198 billion.

"At that rate, the record of 2011 seems easy reach," the newspaper reports.

The 2018 trade surplus demonstrated more than a 65 percent growth against the same period in the previous year, according to data published by Russia's Federal Customs Service.
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Bandaid

US' Middle East plan: 90 Percent of West Bank for Palestine and a divided Jerusalem


Sputnik
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 10:49 UTC
israel palestine
© AP Photo
The plan for the peaceful settlement of the Middle Eastern crisis, which is being prepared by the administration of US President Donald Trump will be presented in the coming months, the Israeli Reshet 13 broadcaster reported, citing the source, who attended a closed briefing by a US official on the plan.

Under the plan, Palestine will receive twice more the territory they currently control. However, the historic center of Jerusalem, including its religious sites and nearby districts, and the western part of the city will remain under Israel's sovereignty, according to the outlet.

Moreover, Israelis will be able to annex major settlement areas in the West Bank and keep isolated settlements under their control without being able to enlarge them. However, Israel will have to evacuate the so-called illegal settlement outposts.

Comment: While some compromise must be reached for there to be any possibility of peace in the region, it's doubtful that Israel will relinquish any territory under its current regime: And check out SOTT radio's:

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