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Pirates

War crimes against Syrian heritage: Damascus condemns looting of precious antiquities by US, French and Kurdish troops


Sputnik
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 13:13 UTC
Syrian antiquites looted by US & France
The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned what it said were illegal excavation works by US, French, and Turkish troops as well as their local allies in areas of Syria under their control, including ancient sites at Manbij, Afrin, Idlib, Hasaka, and Raqqa.
Syria is home to some of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, and contains cultural artifacts from numerous ancient empires. Amid the war in Syria archeologists worldwide have looked on in horror as terrorists looted and destroyed priceless artifacts in areas under their control.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned what it said were illegal excavation works by US, French, and Turkish troops as well as their local allies in areas of Syria under their control, including ancient sites at Manbij, Afrin, Idlib, Hasaka, and Raqqa.

Speaking to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Monday, a ministry official said that there had been an increase in excavation work, looting, and theft of ancient cultural artifacts.

"These actions represent a new war crime added to the crimes committed against the Syrian people and Syrian heritage", the official said. According to Damascus, the looting of Syria's historical treasures is part of a deliberate plot by terrorist organisations and their backers to rob the Syrian people of their past and destroy the country's civilisational and cultural heritage.

Comment: See also:

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Light Sabers

Tit-for-tat? Former Canadian diplomat detained in China following capture of Chinese Huawei exec in Canada

John Ruwitch
Reuters
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:07 UTC
michael kovrig
Michael Kovrig
A former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China, two sources said on Tuesday, and his current employer, the International Crisis Group, said it was seeking his prompt and safe release.

Michael Kovrig, an employee with the International Crisis Group and former Canadian diplomat appears in this photo provided by the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Belgium, December 11, 2018.

Michael Kovrig's detention comes after police in Canada arrested the chief financial officer of China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities, a move that has infuriated Beijing.


Comment: At the behest of the US who are also seeking her extradition: Break-in at jailed Chinese tech CFO's house in Canada


It was not immediately clear if the cases were related, but the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver has stoked fears of reprisals against the foreign business community in China.

"International Crisis Group is aware of reports that its North East Asia Senior Adviser, Michael Kovrig, has been detained in China," the think-tank said in a statement.

Comment: It certainly is strange that China and the US would, at least according to some officials, agree to a truce in the trade war, only for (some in) America to start a diplomatic war. And not just with China: US court documents in 'foreign agent' Butina case suggest deal made

See also: The case of Maria Butina - Cults and quadruple agents in Washington

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Better Earth

The EU and the warning signs of Fascism

Kit Knightly
OffGuardian
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:03 UTC
eu military
Things are spiralling out of control in Europe, faster than many predicted. Outside of Brexit, there is strong anti-EU feeling in Hungary, Spain, Italy, Greece and France. The EU is in danger of crumbling, and people afraid of losing power are prone to extreme acts of dictatorial control.

How long before the EU truly becomes the authoritarian force that people from both ends of the political spectrum have always feared?

THE EU DEFENCE FORCE

Earlier this year, the EU voted to "punish" one of its own members, Hungary, for the internal policies of its elected government. To be clear about this - whatever you think of Viktor Orban, he was elected by the people of Hungary. He is their legally recognised democratic leader. Hungary voted for him - in contrast, Hungary did NOT vote for any of the 448 MEPs who supported the motion, posed by Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini, that:
The Hungarian people deserve better...They deserve freedom of speech, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice and equality, all of which are enshrined in the European treaties."
Note that "democracy" is not included on that list. "Tolerance", "justice" and "equality", but not democracy. A Freudian slip, perhaps.
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War Whore

Pentagon accounting 'error': US taxpayer foots fuel bill for Saudi jets pounding Yemen


RT
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:02 UTC
fighter jets
© AFP / Fayez Nureldine
Pentagon accounting errors have led to the US taxpayer footing the bill for years of refueling for Saudi jets bombing Yemen. The oversight makes the US' support for Riyadh's air campaign even more intolerable, an analyst told RT.

The Pentagon has acknowledged that the Department of Defense "failed to charge the Saudi-led coalition adequately for fuel and refueling services" as Gulf state warplanes rained bombs on Yemen. The size of the "error" naturally compounded over the more than three years that the US offered its services, resulting in an unpaid invoice that likely totals tens of millions of dollars.

While the US halted its refueling support in mid-November as a result of the growing outcry over Saudi human rights abuses, the Pentagon's glaring accounting screw-up is par for the course, investigative journalist David Lindorff told RT.
Here's this huge amount of money being spent on fueling these Saudi jets bombing Yemen. And it's bad enough they're doing it, but then they're not charging the Saudis - who have endless money.
Lindorff claimed that the Pentagon's bookkeeping is "frequently just being made up," adding that the so-called error was just another one of the department's "accounting gimmicks."

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Heart

Putin attends funeral of legendary rights advocate Alekseeva


RT
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 16:56 UTC
putin and Alekseeva
© Sputnik / Aleksey DruzhininVladimir Putin (L) paying respect to the son of Lyudmila Alekseeva (R)
The funeral of legendary Russian human rights defender Lyudmila Alekseeva is being held in Moscow. The solemn ceremony is being attended by prominent public figures across the political spectrum.

Alekseeva died on Saturday last week at the venerable age of 91. A former dissident in the Soviet Union, she was a monumental figure in the Russian human rights movement, remaining an active participant as long as she could.

In the West, she is best known for heading the Moscow Helsinki Group. The leading Russian advocacy group traces its history back to a dissident fellowship established in 1976 and saw resurgence during the years of Perestroika, becoming one of the biggest human rights organizations in the country.

Alekseeva's funeral on Tuesday is a rare event bringing together both veteran government officials like Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, and the fiercest critics of the Russian government like opposition leader Aleksey Navalny.
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Chess

US Trade rep warns 90 day pause in US-China trade war is a 'hard deadline'


CNBC
Sun, 09 Dec 2018 16:43 UTC
Xi i Trump
© The Japan Times
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday he considers March 1 "a hard deadline" to reach a deal on trade with China, and that new tariffs will be imposed otherwise.

"As far as I am concerned it is a hard deadline. When I talk to the president of the United States he is not talking about going beyond March," Lighthizer said on the CBS show "Face the Nation," referring to President Donald Trump's recent decision to delay tariff imposition until March 1 while talks proceed.

"The way this is set up is that at the end of 90 days, these tariffs will be raised," said Lighthizer, appearing to tamp down expectations that the negotiation period could be extended.
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Snakes in Suits

Comey admits he was aware that Steele dossier was financed by Dems before signing off on FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page

Aaron Klein
Breitbart
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 16:31 UTC
comey
© Drew Angerer/Getty
In testimony, former FBI Director James Comey says that prior to signing a FISA application to obtain a warrant to conduct surveillance on Carter Page, a former adviser to President Trump's 2016 campaign, Comey was aware that the dossier authored by former British spy Christopher Steele was financed by Democrats who opposed President Donald Trump.

Yet according to Democratic and Republican House Intelligence memos, that information was not specifically included in the FISA application, which in part relied on Steele's work to obtain warrants to monitor Page.

The Steele dossier was reportedly funded by Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via the Perkins Coie law firm.

In testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, Comey was asked about his knowledge of Steele's political patrons. A transcript of Comey's testimony was released on Saturday.
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Stop

Brexit is in complete and total chaos

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:21 UTC
Theresa May
It has been a furiously chaotic day for Brexit developments, which considering the "organized" nature of the process to date, is saying something.

Just a few hours after the embattled U.K. prime minister announced to the House of Commons she would "unexpectedly" delay the critical Brexit vote - facing certain and humiliating defeat - and return to Brussels to seek "assurances" from European Union leaders, the fate of any upcoming votes to ratify the deal is now in limbo.

As ITV's Richard Peston reported, "it appears that UK PM May could keep the current talks with EU going well past January 21st "perhaps right up to Brexit day 29 March, and avoid any parliamentary Brexit vote," effectively eliminating a popular vote of disapproval for her process.


Comment: According to the BBC, May is defending her tactics thusly:
The prime minister vowed to put the deal to a vote but said there was no point at this stage because it would have been defeated.

She told MPs she would be speaking to EU leaders ahead of a summit later this week, about the "clear concerns" expressed by MPs about the backstop.

And she would also be "looking closely at new ways of empowering the House of Commons to ensure that any provision for a backstop has democratic legitimacy".

Mrs May wants to enable MPs to place obligations on the government "to ensure that the backstop cannot be in place indefinitely".

She again rejected all other alternatives that have been proposed to her deal - including a further referendum and leaving without a deal.

Her deal "gives us control of our borders, our money and our laws - it protects jobs, security and our Union", she said.

"It is the right deal for Britain. I am determined to do all I can to secure the reassurances this House requires, to get this deal over the line and deliver for the British people," she added.

Asked by Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable if EU leaders would be ready to ditch the backstop, she said they had shown they were aware of MPs' concerns that the backstop should be temporary.

"A number of European leaders I've spoken to have indicated that they are open to discussions to find a way to provide reassurance to members of this House on that point," she added.


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Snakes in Suits

Macron caves to Yellow Vest protesters in address to French nation: Hikes minimum wage, axes overtime tax, reduces pension contributions

Peter Allen
The Daily Mail
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 21:04 UTC
Macron
© Agence France-Presse/GettyAddressing the French people President Emmanuel Macron declared a 'social and ecomonic state of emergency' following weeks of violence across the country
He also vowed to crack down on tax evasion and state bureaucracy

French president Emmanuel Macron tonight announced a range of dramatic Socialist-style financial concessions to struggling workers so as to end an 'economic and social state of emergency'.

In a TV address lasting 12 minutes, he said a month of rioting and blockades justified a €100 (£90) increase in the minimum wage, taking it to €1498 (£1360).

This will not 'cost anything to the employer', said Mr Macron, and will be accompanied by all taxes and other charges on overtimes being scrapped.

There were also be an end-of-year bonus that employers can pay without being charged by the government, while taxes on those earning less than €2000 (£1800) will also end on January 1.


Comment: They should know:

Paris militarized in anticipation of impending coup attempt as govt. warns radicals infiltrating Yellow Vest movement

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Laptop

Everything Google knows about you: An insider's account of the dark side of search engine marketing

Patrick Berlinquette
Noteworthy
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:01 UTC
google home matrix
© Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesGoogle marketers like me are closing the gap between your offline and online worlds—and crushing your soul in the process.
When lazy journalists are pessimistic about Amazon's Alexa or Google Home, they say stuff like: "Even Orwell couldn't have predicted that we'd willingly bring Big Brother into our own homes."

What they fail to mention is our willingness to exchange privacy for convenience didn't start with the advent of virtual assistants. It started in the early 2000s, when people-in return for having access to Google products and seeing more relevant ads-allowed Google to have all their data.

Today, Google provides marketers like me with so much of your personal data that we can infer more about you from it than from any camera or microphone.

Comment: See also:

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