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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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Nice, France attack: A harvest of horror

French jet
While the Western media poses as perplexed over the recent string of horrific attacks across Europe and particularly in France, the latest of which unfolded this week in the seaside city of Nice leaving over 80 dead and many more injured, it is clear that France itself has cultivated the soil within which terrorism and violence has taken root.

Through France's own domestic and foreign policy, it has created the perfect storm to continue "watering" terrorism at home and abroad, while its political leaders carefully cultivate the predictable division, fear, hysteria, and violence that is now unfolding. Between attacks in 2015 and 2016, over 200 people have now died in France as a result of violent domestic attacks.

French Foreign Support of Terrorism

Since 2011, France has played a key role in destabilizing North Africa and the Middle East. In 2011, it participated in the US-led NATO assault on Libya, as well as sending troops to other African nations including the Ivory Coast and Mali. France also currently maintains troops in Sahara, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Central African Republic, and Sahel in Africa, as well as troops still participating in the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan.

While France has portrayed these operations as essential for maintaining global stability and security, it has done anything but. In addition to creating chaos from which torrents of refugees are now fleeing - all the way to Europe - it should be noted that a component of French involvement abroad is also the arming and funding of militant groups. This was especially so in Libya, where France helped install into power terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda.

The London Telegraph's 2011 article, "France supplying weapons to Libyan rebels," would report that:
France has begun supplying weapons to the Libyan rebels despite the UN arms embargo, confirming on Wednesday it had dropped assault rifles into the Nafusa Mountains south-west of Tripoli.
It would also report that:
The air drop would appear to be in violation of the arms embargo against Libya instituted by the United Nations. But Nato officials believe that the UN security council resolution 1973 which authorised the bombing campaign allows for a wide range of actions in furtherance of the mission to "protect civilians".

Comment: See also:


Boat

Hague decision 'stirred the pot': South China Sea agreement on horizon without Western help

Filipino soldiers
© REUTERS/ Erik De Castro
The parties to the South China Sea dispute could be moving closer to an agreement, despite last week's ruling from a court of arbitration in The Hague, which was rejected by China.

On Tuesday China's Xinhua news agency reiterated Beijing's intention to disregard the South China Sea ruling handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on July 12.

The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, which brought the case to arbitration in 2013. The court declared that China has no legal basis for claiming historic rights to resources within the South China Sea's nine-dash line, which has been used by Beijing to stake its claim on most of the sea territory.

Radar

Ruled by fear: Hollande mobilizes 10,000 reserve security personnel

French anti-terror soldiers
© AFP 2016/ MATTHIEU ALEXANDRE
French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday said he ordered the mobilization of 10,000 operational reserve personnel to boost the country's security.

"I gave the order to mobilize the second-level operational reserve that consists of former military personnel and police officers," Hollande said in an address to the French National Gendarmerie Training Center.

France has been on high alert since the deadly Paris attacks in November 2015. The state of emergency was due to expire on July 26. Earlier on Wednesday, the French National Assembly voted to extend the state of emergency for six months in the wake of the July 14 attack in Nice that resulted in the deaths of 84 people.

Comment: France's descent into a militarized state ruled by fear and "Islamic radicalization"


Handcuffs

A former Iranian banker has been arrested on corruption charges

Bank Mellat Iran
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has arrested the former manager of one of Iran's major banks and his deputy over alleged corruption, IRGC affiliated news agencies Fars and Tasnim reported on July 20.

Ali Rastegar Sorkhei, the former manager of Bank Mellat and his international affairs deputy, were arrested by the IRGC on an order from Iran's judiciary, the reports said.

Rastegar Sorkhei reportedly resigned last month due to a major scandal involving inflated salaries, bonuses, and other benefits for state executives and bank managers.

The hard-line Fars agency said Rastegar is a member of an organized banking "corruption ring" that has been identified in the country.

The scandal over inflated salaries for state executives is seen by some as an attempt to hurt President Hassan Rohani and diminish his chances of reelection in next year's presidential vote.

Rohani, who came to power with the promise of ending corruption and improving the economy, has ordered an investigation into the "unconventional salaries."

Radar

France confirms troop presence in Libya after 3 soldiers killed in helicopter shoot down

Freench troops in Libya
© Omar Sobhani / Reuters
Authorities have confirmed that French troops are fighting Islamist militia alongside government forces in Libya. The announcement comes after three French soldiers were killed during an intelligence-gathering mission in the North African country.

"At this moment we are carrying out dangerous intelligence operations [in Libya]. Three of our soldiers, who were involved in these operations, have been killed in a helicopter accident," French President Francois Hollande said in a speech, as reported by Reuters.

France had previously acknowledged its warplanes were executing reconnaissance flights over Libya, but never admitted to deploying Special Forces personnel.

Comment: For more on the continuing battles in Libya:


Eye 1

High profile Ukrainian journalist Pavel Sheremet dies in car explosion

 Journalist Pavel Sheremet Ukraine

Prominent journalist Pavel Sheremet murdered in Kiev car bombing.
Journalist Pavel Sheremet has died in Kiev when the car he was driving blew up minutes after it started.

Dead bodies of journalists and politicians continue to pile up in Ukraine. US and EU governments remain completely silent, afraid that such attacks on the press may destroy the false narrative built around Ukraine that they have so carefully constructed.

Nevertheless, the suspicious killings of prominent opposition supporters and journalists continues to grow.

Today news came in through the wires that well-known Russian journalist Pavel Sheremet died in Kiev when the car he was driving blew up minutes after it started.

The vehicle belonged to his employer, the head of Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper.

Comment: RFE/RL has some more details:
At the scene, kiosk operator Lyubov Pereyenko said she had just opened her shop when a deafening blast shook the ground. "The explosion was so powerful that it sent parts [of the car] flying into my kiosk," she told RFE/RL.

A barista at a mobile coffee truck said the blast thrust him backward and nearly knocked him to the ground and that it appeared Sheremet was alive when onlookers pulled his mangled body from the scorched vehicle. "He took a breath. Maybe just one," said the barista, who did not want to give his name. Sheremet's body was smoking, he added, so bystanders poured water over his body.
...
"Shocked by the murder of Pavel Sheremet," Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said on Twitter. He called Sheremet "one of the best" journalists and said: "Pavel was such a decent man. So sad."
...
Sevhil Musayeva-Borovyk, the chief editor at Ukrayinska Pravda, told RFE/RL that she believes Sheremet's killing was related to his work. Other colleagues at the website told RFE/RL that he recently had complained that he was being followed.
...
A crusader for human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press, Sheremet was arrested while shooting a report about smuggling across the Belarus-Lithuanian border in 1997 and sentenced to two years in prison -- a move widely viewed as politically motivated.



Star of David

Israeli parliament passes controversial impeachment law despite criticism it targets Arab MPs

Israeli parliament
© Heidi Levine / Reuters
Israel's parliament has passed legislation allowing for the suspension of members accused of incitement to violence, racism, or support for armed struggle against the state. Critics say the law is mostly aimed at Arab legislators.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed the new law, saying it ends the "absurd situation" whereby someone who "supports terror against the state of Israel and its citizens" can serve as a member of parliament, Reuters reported.

But not everyone agrees that the legislation is a positive move for the country.

Opposition members had initially submitted hundreds of objections to the bill, but withdrew them when it appeared that the majority coalition may not have enough lawmakers present to pass the vote on Tuesday night. They then demanded the vote take place immediately, the Times of Israel reported.

Rocket

Pyongyang: Successful simulation of preemptive nuke strikes on US targets in South Korea

NK rocket
© KCNA/Reuters
North Korea has boasted about the successful completion of its latest ballistic missile test which demonstrated Pyongyang's capability to launch a pre-emptive strike on South Korea's ports and airfields hosting the "US imperialists' nuclear war hardware."

Pyongyang launched three projectiles in the eastward direction between 5:45am and 6:40am Tuesday, from an area near the North Korean city of Hwangju. The missiles, two Scuds, and one Rodong, flew some 500 to 600 kilometers before crashing into the East Sea, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff announced. The distance is more than that required to hit any part of South Korea.

On Wednesday, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), revealed that the test had been carried out by Hwasong artillery units of the KPA Strategic Force, under the watchful eye of the country's leader Kim Jong Un and General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force.

The drill "demonstrated the combat capability of the Hwasong artillery units," under simulated conditions of "making preemptive strikes" at ports and airfields in South Korea where the "US imperialists' nuclear war hardware is to be hurled," the statement said. The test also helped examine the "operational features of the detonating devices of nuclear warheads" mounted on the ballistic rockets at the"designated altitude over the target area."

Tuesday launch was Pyongyang's latest show of force after the US and South Korea agreed to place Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interceptor system in Seongju, some 200 miles southeast of Seoul. On July 9, North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) also against the decision to by the US to station its missile defense system at its borders.

Comment: See also:


Info

PM May relinquishes Britain's 6-month 2017 EU presidency ahead of Merkel meeting

Britain's Prime Minister, Theresa May
© Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Britain will give up its scheduled six-month European Council presidency following last month's referendum vote for Brexit, Downing Street has said.

Prime Minister Theresa May told council president Donald Tusk of the decision on Tuesday.

"The prime minister suggested that the UK should relinquish the rotating Presidency of the Council, currently scheduled for the second half of 2017, noting that we would be prioritizing the negotiations to leave the European Union," a spokesperson for the prime minister said, according to Reuters.

"The prime minister explained that we will need to carefully prepare for the negotiations to leave the EU before triggering Article 50. Donald Tusk reassured the prime minister that he will help to make this process happen as smoothly as possible."

Bad Guys

US mulls 'pause' in support of Syrian rebels following gruesome beheading of Palestinian boy

Syrian moderate rebels
© Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP
The US says it may reconsider its affiliation and support for the Syrian opposition if reports of anti-Assad rebels beheading a Palestinian boy are confirmed. The State Department has vowed "consequences" if the gruesome videos of the death are true.

"If we [the United States] can prove indeed what happened and this group [al-Zenki] was involved in it... it would give us pause about any assistance or frankly any further involvement," Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, Mark Toner, told reporters at a daily briefing Tuesday.

Toner refused to elaborate on what consequences the Syrian opposition would face if it turns out that they had been behind the "appalling" beheading of the Palestinian boy.

"I can't take what these consequences would be, but this would give certainly a pause and we'll look at any affiliation or cooperation with this group," he reiterated when asked for details.