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Canada approves Huawei extradition proceedings

David Ljunggren
Reuters
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 19:49 UTC
huawei
The Canadian government, as expected, on Friday approved extradition proceedings against the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, prompting a furious reaction from China.

Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was detained in Vancouver last December and is under house arrest. In late January the U.S. Justice Department charged Meng and Huawei with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Meng is due to appear in a Vancouver court at 10 a.m. Pacific time (1800 GMT) on March 6, when a date will be set for her extradition hearing.

"Today, department of Justice Canada officials issued an authority to proceed, formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou," the government said in a statement.

China, whose relations with Canada have deteriorated badly over the affair, denounced the decision and repeated previous demands for Meng's release.

U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said Washington thanked the Canadian government for its assistance. "We greatly appreciate Canada's steadfast commitment to the rule of law," she said in a statement.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Ilhan Omar is charged with invoking 'myth of dual loyalty' - but according to many Jewish writers it's no myth

Philip Weiss
Mondoweiss
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:58 UTC
Ilhan Omar caraciture
© Katie Miranda
Ilhan Omar
In an appearance at Busboys and Poets two nights ago Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called out Israel supporters for advocating for a foreign country:
"I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country."
Omar's critique is similar to Rep. Rashida Tlaib saying in January that Senate supporters of anti-boycott legislation "forgot what country they represent."

Both congresswomen have come under a rain of attack from Israel supporters for these comments. Which is no surprise, given that the two Muslim women are Israel's strongest critics in the Congress.

Comment:

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Mr. Potato

Ocasio-Cortez face-plants: Cites debunked Cohen testimony in Don Jr. "gotcha" fail

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 16:49 UTC
ocasio-cortez trump jr.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is catching major heat after she tweeted fake news about Donald Trump Jr. being the "second executive involved in criminal conspiracy," a misstatement by Michael Cohen that the Wall Street Journal corrected shortly after it happened.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "In Case You Missed It: Rep. Khanna got Cohen to testify that Don Jr. is the "second executive involved in criminal conspiracy.""

Except as the Wall Street Journal reported hours after Cohen's Wednesday testimony: "Cohen Erroneously Identifies Donald Trump Jr. as Executive Cited by Federal Prosecutors."

Comment: Ocasio-Cortez shows herself once again as (to put it charitably) a neophyte politician. All the public attention she's garnered has made her awfully big for her britches. Even Whoopi called it over a month ago:



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Chess

The struggle for Uzbekistan: A key component of Washington's Central Asia pivot?

Grete Mautner
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:27 UTC
Donald Trump greets Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoev
© Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoev at the White House in Washington on May 16.
Out of all of the former USSR-dominated regions, Central Asia remains the only one where the US hasn't acquired sustainably aligned satellite countries. For this very reason, we can expect the US to start making steps towards economic integration with a number of leading regional players in the immediate future. To facilitate the study of association options it has with Central Asian states, Washington would establish a number of research institutes that are being supported by a myriad of NGOs that the US has typically used anywhere it seeks to establish a political foothold to start shaping regional processes according to its own interests. However, many analysts remain ignorant of this fact, as they don't understand that an association of Central Asian states may become a strong economic and political competitor to both the US and EU.

The notorious American geopolitical intelligence platform - STRATFOR has recently published its geopolitical forecast for 2019, which puts an emphasis on Washington's attempts to strengthen its ties with the countries located along the former Soviet periphery. This means that Russia will face what is essentially described in the American military language as multi-level warfare aimed at undermining the political, economic, energy and military security of the state.
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Eye 1

No surprise: Moscow reports Washington preparing 'global strike' to overthrow undesired govts like Venezuela


RT
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:19 UTC
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
© AFP / Yuri Cortez
The US is using the technologies of color revolutions to bring down unwanted regimes and is set to deploy a new warfare strategy dubbed "Trojan Horse", Russia's top army official said on Saturday.

Countries whose governments are left out in the cold by Washington should beware of a mix of military and soft power, Valery Gerasimov, Russian Staff Chief said. According to the Russian general, Washington is already using technologies of color revolutions and is working on several types of offensives which he called a "global strike" and "multi-sphere battle."

"It was that way in Iraq, Libya, and Ukraine. Similar activities are now seen in Venezuela."

The Pentagon's new "Trojan Horse" warfare strategy, which is currently underway, would rely on "protest potential of the fifth column" to destabilize the situation in the countries with unwanted governments. Simultaneously, precision-guided munition would be deployed to launch strikes on key infrastructure, according to Gerasimov.

Comment: It is good Russia is shedding light on Washington's machinations. Is anyone listening?

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Snakes in Suits

EU states block putting Saudi Arabia & U.S. territories on dirty-money list


RT
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 16:46 UTC
EU HQ
© maxpixel.net
European Union Commission headquarters in Brussels
European Union member states unanimously rejected on Friday a proposal to blacklist Saudi Arabia and four U.S. territories for lax controls on terrorism financing and money laundering, sources told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia, a major importer of EU weapons and goods, had lobbied against being branded a "high-risk" country, as had been proposed by the bloc's executive European Commission.

Representatives of EU states meeting in Brussels on Friday agreed a statement on the matter, which was seen by Reuters and is expected to be formally adopted by justice and home affairs ministers meeting on Thursday.

Comment: It would be a bit hypocritical for the EU to blacklist other nations for 'terrorism financing and money laundering', when they're just as bad, if not worse - although that's not to say they shouldn't: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Info

Taliban and Afghan army can crush ISIS and any terrorist group IF they team up


RT
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:10 UTC
Afghan and Taliban army
© Reuters / Omar Sobhani
The Taliban can be instrumental in defeating Islamic State in Afghanistan if it stops being a threat to the Kabul government and joins forces with the Afghan army, Russia's special envoy to the country told RT.

The Western-backed Afghan government is seeking to make peace with the Taliban following 18 years of deadly animosity, but a deal between the bitter rivals could actually go far beyond a ceasefire, according to Zamir Kabulov, Russia's long-serving presidential envoy for Afghanistan. The common enemy - namely Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) - is a factor that may put them on the same side.

"If the Taliban... joins hands with the Afghan army and police, they will eliminate [Islamic State] on Afghan soil."
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Bad Guys

'Dictatorships come to an end': Abrams says there will be no military intervention in Venezuela, just 'appropriate actions'


RT
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 10:38 UTC
elliott abrams
© Reuters / Rhona Wise
Elliott Abrams speaks to reporters in front of a cargo plane of humanitarian aid, bound for Venezuela
US envoy to Venezuela and regime change enthusiast Elliott Abrams offered no specifics on the US's further plans to oust President Nicolas Maduro, but warned that "dictatorships come to an end."

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Abrams - the regime change engineer behind Iran/Contra - dismissed warnings from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the US might intervene militarily in crisis-stricken Venezuela.

"I don't think he actually believes we're attempting to do that," Abrams said. Abrams did state the oft-repeated line that "all options are on the table," but that the US would stick to economic, diplomatic, and other "appropriate actions" for the meantime.

Dictatorships come to an end," Abrams shrugged when asked about "loosing momentum" and comparisons between Libya and Venezuela."Some last for a very long time, others a much shorter time. This one in Venezuela will also come to an end. We hope that it comes to an end quickly and peacefully."

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

How a private ex-Mossad Israeli intelligence firm spied on pro-Palestinian activists in the US

Adam Entous
The New Yorker
Thu, 28 Feb 2019 16:00 UTC
Hatem Bazian muslims palestine
© Mike Segar / Reuters
Hatem Bazian, the chairman of American Muslims for Palestine.
Hatem Bazian, a veteran pro-Palestinian activist in his fifties, lives with his family on a quiet street in North Berkeley, near the campus of the University of California, where he lectures. Early on the morning of May 10, 2017, as Bazian was about to drive his teen-age daughter to school, he noticed fliers on the windshields of cars parked on his block. At first, Bazian assumed that they were advertisements for a new movie or restaurant. When he looked more closely at the flier that had been left on his BMW sedan, he realized that it featured a photograph of his face, below a tagline that read, "He supports terror." Bazian quickly folded up the flier so his daughter wouldn't see it.

Born in Jordan to a father from the West Bank city of Nablus and a mother from Jerusalem, Bazian has long been an outspoken champion of Palestinian causes. For decades, staunch supporters of Israel have criticized Bazian's activism. The incident with the fliers, though, was particularly unnerving, he told me. He rented his house and did not publicize the address. His opponents, he thought, must be following him. Later that day, Bazian, who describes himself as a proponent of nonviolent protest, reported what happened to the Berkeley police. He said that officers told him they could do nothing about the harassment.
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Clipboard

OPCW's final report states Chlorine was 'likely' used in alleged Douma chemical attack - no nerve agent as Western media reported


RT
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 21:30 UTC
Labels of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
© Reuters / Ali Hashisho
Labels of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are seen inside a damaged house in Douma
Chlorine was likely used in a chemical attack in Syria's Douma last April, the OPCW said. The chemical arms watchdog refrained from identifying the party responsible for the incident, despite earlier being granted such powers.

There are "reasonable grounds" to believe that "the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon [took] place on 7 April 2018," the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.

"This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine. The toxic chemical was likely molecular chlorine," according to the report.

The FMM also stated that it "did not observe any major key precursors for the synthesis of chemical weapons agents, particularly for nerve agents such as sarin, or vesicants such as sulphur or nitrogen mustard."
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