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Bad Guys

Shooter in Liege attack labeled 'terrorist', was on radical watchlist


RT
Wed, 30 May 2018 17:07 UTC
liege shooting
© Francois Lenoir / Reuters
Police at the scene of the deadly shooting in Liege, Belgium, on May 29, 2018
The Liege attack which left three dead, along with the gunman, was a "terrorist murder," Belgium's federal magistrate said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Benjamin Herman attacked two policewomen in Liege, Belgium with a knife. He then seized a gun from one of the officers before shooting both women dead. A man in a nearby car was also fatally wounded by gunfire.


Comment: Previously: Liège, Belgium shooting: Two police and a passer-by dead


The attacker then ran into a school and took a woman hostage inside. As he attempted to flee the building, he threatening police and was shot dead by officers on the street. Several police officers were wounded in the incident.

"The signs are pointing towards a terrorist act," prosecutor spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt told reporters Wednesday. "Facts are qualified as terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder."
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Red Flag

Europe's biggest prison is "cracking" under pressure from radicalization of inmates and with overworked staff resorting to suicide


RT
Wed, 30 May 2018 16:56 UTC
Fleury-Merogis prison
© AFP
The Fleury-Merogis prison
French prison Fleury-Merogis, which holds 20 female jihadist inmates and is notorious for Islamic radicalization, is "simply cracking." The staff struggles with violence and exhaustion, a prison union representative told RT.

The facility for imprisoned women within the Fleury-Mérogis Prison, located just 24km from Paris, has 290 female inmates, 20 of whom the administration tagged as Islamic terrorists, or TIS.

"Due to their specific profiles [of these 20 women], all their movements must be accompanied by prison staff, but we do not have enough personnel to carry out this task properly," the regional secretary of the Ile-de-France branch of the CGT Penitentiaries union, Ambroise Koubi, told RT France.

One significant problem is that the French intelligence services hesitate to share information with the prison administration. "We know that some were detained following terrorist acts, but we do not know under what conditions," the official explained, noting that the staff are often not aware of what to expect from the radicalized women.
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Bulb

UK interviewer abruptly cuts off UK Defense Minister Gavin Williamson for refusing to give straight answer to question on Russia


RT
Wed, 30 May 2018 16:27 UTC
Gavin Williamson
© Tom Nicholson / Global Look Press
Gavin Williamson has a good, hard look at himself in the reflection of Number 10's shiny door
Gavin Williamson was cut off midway through a live TV interview after failing to give a straight response to a question on Russia, leaving a frustrated host, Richard Madeley, to put an end to the Defence Secretary's waffle.

Good Morning Britain presenter Madeley queried comments made by the Defence Secretary earlier that "Russia should go away and should shut up", shortly after Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the aftermath of the Skripal poisoning.

Madeley - of the Richard and Judy fame - warned Williamson that he would not accept anything but a straight answer to whether or not he regretted using 'Trump-esque language' when commenting on Russia and the Skripals.

The Defence Secretary tried to launch into a long-winded answer referencing the incident, but the usually affable Madeley cut him off, saying: "No, no, Mr Williamson, I asked you a straight question. Do you regret using casual language? Can you answer the question? Do you feel that's too casual an expression?"
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Quenelle

Are you insane? Pro-Trump activist rightly roasted on Twitter for applauding US military interventions


Sputnik
Wed, 30 May 2018 16:21 UTC
US bombing oil fields
© Wikipedia/US Air Force
USAF aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing (F-16, F-15C and F-15E) fly over Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991
A pro-Trump political activist caused a storm on social media after he praised the US for its aggressive and interventionist foreign policy, hailing the US as "the kindest, most gentle, benevolent superpower ever to exist."

American conservative campaigner Charlie Kirk posted a tweet on Monday paying tribute to the US military's apparent selflessness, claiming "No other country in the history of the world consistently sends their own soldiers to die for the freedom of others. The world is a much better place thanks to America, and those who died protecting us."
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Beaker

UK allies and British media wondering what the truth is in Skripal poisoning case


RT
Wed, 30 May 2018 15:15 UTC
Skripal investigation
© I-Images/Global Look Press
A former UN chemical weapons inspector has told RT that the British government is exercising damage control in their claims that the Russian government was behind the Salisbury poisoning.

Anton Unkin, who worked with the UN in Iraq, called out Britain's changing claims about the incident, including their charge that use of a "weapons grade agent", such a Novichok, could only come from Russia and exposure to it would be fatal. Unkin also queried the claim that London had no antidote to the nerve agent identified in the attack.

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Light Sabers

Saudi Arabia meets with Kurdish YPG to form new rebel group in Syria

Frank Sellers
The Duran
Wed, 30 May 2018 15:06 UTC
Erdogan
Back when it was cool to be a part of the gang that was going to oust Assad from power in Syria, Turkey's Erdogan thought it might be advantageous to get in on the action, helping to destabilize Syria. Then the Syria thing turned into a real quagmire and the Americans started backing the Kurds while the Russians were backing Assad, putting the Turks in a bit of a tight spot.

The Turks can't abide the Kurds, and they can't afford to get on Moscow's bad side. Then, of course, there's the whole Iran and Israel thing going on. But we can't forget America in all of this, they've got this bright idea to create an 'Arab Coalition' to act as yet another centrifugal force to help carry out their agenda, and that 'Coalition' envisions bringing in the Saudis.
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Star of David

IDF continues terrorizing Palestinians, destroys Gaza tunnel with airstrikes


RT
Wed, 30 May 2018 16:11 UTC
gaza air strike
© Suhaib Salem / Reuters
The IDF has released a video claiming to show the destruction of a Gaza tunnel that stretched nearly 1km into Israeli territory. The Israeli Air Force struck more than 30 targets in Gaza in response to two rocket barrages.

Released by the Israeli military on Tuesday, the short video shows an airstrike against a "Palestinian terror tunnel that entered 900m inside Israel," according to Israeli journalist Amichai Stein.

The tunnel, located near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, extended inside Israeli and Egyptian territory and was used "for transporting weapons to the territory of Egypt," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed.


Comment: Perhaps, but the tunnel was also likely used to bring in much needed supplies to Gaza that Israel cruelly won't allow past their inspection site. Food and medical supplies are in short supply, and now Israel has cut off another way for Palestinians to live like normal humans.


The tunnel was targeted after dozens of mortars and projectiles were reportedly fired at Israel from inside Gaza on Tuesday. Israel says that most of the projectiles were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defense system. At least one civilian and three soldiers were injured in the attacks, according to Israeli media.
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Megaphone

After pointless groping of countless Americans, the TSA keeps a secret watchlist of those who fight back

Jim Bovard
The Los Angeles Times
Mon, 28 May 2018 16:11 UTC
TSA enhanced pat-down
"I need a witness!" exclaimed the security screener at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Because I had forgotten to remove my belt before going through a scanner, he explained, I must undergo an "enhanced patdown." I told him that if he jammed his hand into my groin, I'd file a formal complaint. So he summoned his supervisor to keep an eye on the proceedings.

I thought of this exchange last week when the New York Times revealed that the Transportation Security Administration has created a secret watchlist for troublesome passengers. The TSA justified the list by saying that its screeners were assaulted 34 times last year, but did not release any details about the alleged assaults.

Naturally, the TSA's official definition of troublemaking goes well beyond punching its officers. According to a confidential memo, any behavior that is "offensive and without legal justification" can land a traveler on the list, as can any "challenges to the safe and effective completion of screening." Anyone who has ever "loitered" near a checkpoint could also make the list. So could any woman who pushes a screener's hands away from her breasts.

Comment: Chilling thought: Is the TSA a Milgram Experiment?

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Bad Guys

Fake News: "Delusional" Kiev accuses Russian intelligence of plot to murder journalist Arkady Babchenko


RT
Mon, 28 May 2018 17:40 UTC
Arkady Babchenko
© Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
SBU Chief Sergey Gritsak (L), Arkady Babchenko (M) and Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko (R)
The reported killing of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko on Tuesday in Kiev was actually a ruse played by the Ukrainian law enforcement to prevent a planned hit, the Ukrainian authorities said.

Reporting on the high profile case on Wednesday, the head of the SBU, Ukraine's national security service, Sergey Gritsak said Babchenko was alive and unhurt.

He claimed that the SBU had information about a planned assassination attempt on the journalist and acted to derail the plot.

"I want to congratulate his family, all of us and the entire world, which is watching it, and congratulate Babchenko with a third birthday," Gritsak wrote on his Facebook page.

Comment: Before it was revealed that Babchenko's death was a hoax, it was reported that Russia had urged all its reporters to leave Ukraine. This is certainly a strange story with a lot probably going on behind the scenes that isn't being revealed yet.

Now that the hoax is public, Russian officials' reaction was to point out the obvious point of this ridiculous fake story - to "slander" and demonize Russia in the eyes of the public.

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Smoking

Israel expands smoking ban to include parks and government sponsored events

Hezki Baruch
Arutz Sheva
Wed, 30 May 2018 13:24 UTC
No smoking sign
© Zest Magazine
The Knesset's Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee on Wednesday morning approved the Order to Prevent Smoking in Public Places and Exposure to Smoking, which expands the list of places in which smoking is prohibited.

Likud MK Yehuda Glick's suggestions were added to the order proposed by Health Minister Yakov Litzman (UTJ). In all of these locations, smoking is prohibited except in a defined area located at least ten meters (32.8 feet) away from the building's entrances and exits.

Smoking will also be forbidden at all events organized by the Israeli government and which take place in a defined area. This includes events organized by government bodies such as courts, rabbinic courts, local councils, and religious councils.

Comment: See also:

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