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"She is risen!" The last act of the drama 'Novichok: 'The Skripals' Resurrection'

Novichok
© Unknown/KJN
It seems that the 'Novichok' fairy-tale the British government plays to us provides for a happy ending - the astonishing and mysterious resurrection of the victims of a "military grade" "five to eight times more deadly than VX gas" "nerve agent" "of a type developed by" Hollywood. Happy Easter!

Yulia Skripal no longer in critical condition, say Salisbury doctors
The condition of Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury along with her father, is improving rapidly, doctors have said. Salisbury NHS foundation trust said on Thursday the 33-year-old was no longer in a critical condition, describing her medical state as stable. Christine Blanshard, medical director for Salisbury district hospital, said: "I'm pleased to be able to report an improvement in the condition of Yulia Skripal. She has responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day." Her father's condition is still described by the hospital as critical but stable.
Only yesterday the Skripals chances to survive was claimed to be 1 out of 99. Nerve agents are deadly weapons. A dose of ten milligram of the U.S. developed VX nerve agent will kill 50% of those exposed to it. The 'Novichok' agents are said to be several times more deadly than VX.

It seems less and less likely that the British government claim about 'Novichok' poisoning is actually true. Way more likely are other explanations, for example food poisoning or an allergic shock soon after eating out at a fish restaurant.

The claims of a nerve agent and 'Novichok' seem to have been taken from the script of the British-American spy drama Strike Back (clip) which recently ran on British and U.S. TV. The sole purpose of the 'Novichok' drama is to implicate and damage Russia.

Attention

The not so new neocons

TulsiGabbard
© Zero Hedge
US Representative, Hawaii's 2nd District, Democrat Tulsi Gabbard
In the last two weeks, two neocon warhawks have been chosen by President Trump to fill key cabinet positions. First, it was CIA Director Mike Pompeo selected to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. Now, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster is out, and former UN Ambassador and unapologetic Iraq War champion John Bolton is in.

Like so many of my fellow veterans who served in Iraq, I witnessed the cost of war firsthand during my 12-month tour in 2005. This was a major motivation for me to offer to serve in Congress - so that I could do everything possible to prevent our country from making such disastrous and costly foreign policy decisions again. The cost of such wars are borne by US troops who are put into harm's way, who make the ultimate sacrifice, and those who come home with both visible and invisible wounds. It is borne by the American people, whose taxpayer dollars are spent by the trillions on these counterproductive regime change wars, and the inevitable nation-building that follows, while our communities languish with failing infrastructure, resource-strapped schools, and too many who still lack access to quality healthcare. Yet, the Washington interventionist foreign policy establishment, which has persisted through both Democrat and Republican administrations, remains unmoved by the costly and counterproductive failures of Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and they continue increasing the drumbeat of war.

Propaganda

John Pilger: Assange's internet blackout and Skripal incident part of a propaganda war risking a real one

Equadorian embassy
© Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Equadorian Embassy
The Skripal saga and Ecuador's move to cut Julian Assange's internet is part of a wider crackdown on freedom of speech and states like Russia which have stood up to the West. It risks evolving into a real war, John Pilger told RT.

"This is about a war on freedom of speech; this man is being denied the most basic right - freedom of speech. It's part of a wider war. The wider war is against known enemies, and Russia is one of them, China is another," investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger said.

Earlier this week, the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where Assange has been holed up since 2012, cut off all communications for the WikiLeaks founder, blocking his internet access and not allowing any visitors. A source close to WikiLeaks told RT that Ecuador cut Assange's internet due to his tweet about the arrest of former Catalan leader Carlos Puigdemont in Germany.

Pilger argued that the way the Western media - instead of doing its job, blindly sided with the official narrative - framed the events in Salisbury is another instance in the same global propaganda effort. "It's part of the propaganda war that the attack in Salisbury represents. Here we have Russian diplomats being expelled all over the world on the basis of no evidence."

Watch RT's full interview with John Pilger on YouTube:


Comment: Propaganda has been in play for many decades, but the current level has broken the mold. The PTB are systematically destroying what is left of real and honorable journalism, restricting and censoring information and punishing outlets that genuinely report the news.


Briefcase

Sessions names fed prosecutor for FBI and DOJ probe, but no special counsel

Sessions
© Alex Wong/Getty Images
AG Jeff Sessions
A federal prosecutor is backing the internal probe of the FBI and the Department of Justice and there is no need for special counsel, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a response to Congress and President Donald Trump.

In a letter to leaders of the House and Senate judiciary and oversight committees on Thursday, Sessions named US attorney John Huber of Utah as the federal prosecutor tasked with probing the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton and the bureau's alleged abuse of surveillance to spy on a Trump campaign adviser.

"I am confident that Mr. Huber's review will include a full, complete, and objective evaluation of these matters in a manner that is consistent with the law and the facts," Sessions wrote.

The letter comes a day after the announcement that the DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz would be looking into the FBI's "relationship and communications" with the confidential source in relation to the bureau's application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).


Comment: See also:


Snakes in Suits

US officials demand Al Jazeera register under FARA as a propaganda agent

Al-Jazeera tvstudio
© Wittylama/CreativeCommons
Al Jazeera's main television studio, Doha headquarters.
The network is the latest in the big chill, is being called 'anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israel.'

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate whether Al Jazeera, the news outlet connected to the Qatari government, should register with the Justice Department as an agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). This will have broad implications for the First Amendment, our access to dissenting opinions, and even how the rest of the world views us.

The lawmakers include Representatives Josh Gottheimer, (D-NJ), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), and 16 other House members. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, also signed the letter to Sessions. The letter claims Al Jazeera "directly undermines American interests" and broadcasts "anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israel" material. If forced to register, Al Jazeera would join Russian outlets RT and Radio Sputnik, Japan's Cosmomedia, the Korean Broadcasting System, and China Daily as acknowledged foreign state propaganda outlets. The DOJ has also been asked to look into a range of other Chinese media.

Ironically, the bipartisan request to force Al Jazeera to register comes amid a controversy over the network's filming of a documentary critical of pro-Israel lobbying in the United States. For that exposé, the network used an undercover operative to secure footage revealing possibly illegal interactions between advocacy groups and lawmakers.

Comment: As we lose rights, we lose capability to distinguish and determine what is good and what is bad. This only works for an oppressive government that has something to hide or an agenda to push.

See also:


Attention

Kushner is reported to have sought out Bolton's advice before McMaster's oust

Kushner
© reutersmedia
Jared Kushner
It appears that a high-ranking member of the Trump administration contacted John Bolton long before the latter was appointed as new national security adviser.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner has apparently maintained contact with John Bolton for months, seeking the latter's advice on various important issues, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the newspaper, Kushner sought Bolton's advice on matters related to the United Nations while White House aides also asked the former to obtain Bolton's opinion on other topics as well.

Last Thursday, March 22, US President Donald Trump announced John Bolton will replace Herbert McMaster as his new national security adviser.

This development prompted the former US President Jimmy Carter to describe Bolton's nomination as one of Trump's "worst mistakes" and a "disaster" for the United States.

Comment: See also:


Attention

A Saudi Arabia - Iran war may occur in just 10-15 years says Crown Prince

Saudi CrownPrince
© Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
De-facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Bin Salman has warned that Riyadh may go to war with regional nemesis Iran in the next 10-15 years if the international community fails to apply more sanctions pressure on Tehran.

Mohammed bin Salman (commonly referred to as MBS) is on a historic visit - the first in nearly 75 years - to Saudi Arabia's closest ally, the US. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week, he called for restrictions that would "create more pressure" on Tehran. "If we don't succeed in what we are trying to do [imposing sanctions on Iran], we will likely have war with Iran in 10-15 years," MBS, who has become the true power behind his aging father, King Salman, said.

Tehran and Riyadh have clashed over various issues in recent years. The Syrian crisis - especially the future of Syria's government under President Bashar Assad - remains one of the major stumbling blocks.

The trip to the US of the prince's entourage and meeting with Donald Trump only added fuel to the fire amid already strained relations. Iran sees the whole tour as a cynical exercise in self-promotion ahead of Bin Salman's assumed ascension to the Saudi throne.

Comment: Time to take a giant step back and rethink the allegations and threats. Talk is cheap but consequences are deadly and expensive. Unfortunately, logic and good sense were yesterday's news.


Jet5

Libya: US launches airstrike, kills Al-Qaeda chief

Benghazi Libya ruins
© Esam Omran Al-Fetori / Reuters
Benghazi, Libya
The US is back to bombing Libya, this time in an attempt to fight Al-Qaeda. The war-ravaged country has become a safe haven for terrorist groups after the NATO intervention brought down the Gaddafi government.

The airstrike conducted on Saturday killed two terrorists, "including Musa Abu Dawud, a high ranking al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) official," US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement on Wednesday, noting that no civilians were killed.

Dawud was an important Al-Qaeda operative, according to AFRICOM. He "trained AQIM recruits in Libya for attack operations in the region. He provided critical logistics support, funding and weapons to AQIM, enabling the terror group to threaten and attack US and Western interests in the region," the statement added.


Comment: Killing Gaddafi was a calculated action by US/NATO. It instantaneously left Libya vulnerable and the West took advantage by pillaging its resources, murdering countless civilians and throwing this modern and prosperous nation to 'their wolves' in rebel clothing. If Gaddafi was still in power, there would be slim chance Al Qaeda would have found a foothold. Debt owed, still not paid.


Snakes in Suits

Blundering Boris Johnson brags about UK culture vs. Russia: "We make light sabers, Russia makes novichok"

star wars
© Yoshio Tsunoda / Global Look Press
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson bragged about the UK's cultural influence, claiming its "arsenals" carried the "power of imagination." The bold statement came from a principle facilitator of civilian deaths in Yemen.

Speaking at the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet in London, Johnson had a message to deliver: despite withdrawing from the EU, Britain remains a global team player and a stalwart defender of the ideals-based rule of law. Unlike Russia, which he described as a bad actor in all too many regards, Britain is apparently a bastion of commerce, science and culture.

"We have the most vibrant and dynamic cultural scene, with one venue - the British Museum - attracting more visitors than 10 whole European countries that it would not be tactful to name tonight,"Johnson said.

The jibe's targets were quite apparent, since earlier in his speech Johnson had named every nation that backed the UK in its drive to expel Russian diplomats over the Skripal poisoning affair - "the full roll of honor," he called it. He didn't mention that the absentees in the list probably didn't have the opportunities to plunder their foreign colonies for decades to fill their museums, unlike Britain.

Die

Islam expert slams French Minister's plan to welcome home jihadis who fought for Daesh

French police
© REUTERS/Charles Platiau
French police secure a street as members of special forces carried out counter-terrorism swoop at different locations in Argenteuil, a suburb in northern Paris, France, July 21, 2016.
France's Secretary of State Christophe Castaner claimed the country has proposed to take back French jihadists who left to fight in Syria and Iraq, and keep an eye on them. A specialist in monitoring radical Islam criticized the suggestions in his interview with Sputnik.

Discussing the latest terror attack in southern France with the broadcaster Europe 1, the top official revealed that French authorities expect to take back more than 250 former Daesh* fighters, who fled Europe to join terrorists in Syria and Iraq. While saying that France should take them back, he stated that each case should be considered individually.

"I think, we should watch them closely, accept them, and imprison them if they have committed any crimes, to find out how dangerous they are," stated the politician.