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Locals in Donetsk clear debris left from days of shelling

The eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is dealing with extensive damage done by days-long shelling. RT travelled to the city to find out about the plight of the locals.

"We first heard a huge explosion. Half of the windows were blown out," one man says.

"Within an hour we heard a second explosion, which broke the rest of windows. We rushed out into the corridor. When we returned later we found several bits of shrapnel in our rooms," he adds.

RT's Murad Gazdiev, who is in the embattled Donetsk, says that "you can literally feel the explosions through vibrations and tremors they cause every few seconds." A particularly large blast caused all the car alarms to go off in the city.

The scale of damage is harrowing: five schools, two kindergartens, shops, a lot of homes were hit, Gazdiev says, citing local authorities.
Donetsk civilian rubble
© Sergey Averin
Civilian resident of Donetsk in her home destroyed by shelling.
"Everything is broken... I was so lucky not to be home at the time of the shelling... My bed was here..." an elderly woman says.

Reconstruction and repairs are underway in Donetsk, and OSCE monitors are at the scene, cataloging the damage.

The humanitarian plight of the locals is not the only thing that worries the monitors.

Pistol

"Grave public security incident"- French soldier shoots attacker outside Louvre, Paris - Update: suspect identified as Egyptian national

louvre shooting
© Jacky Naegelen / Reuters
An armed French soldier patrols near the Louvre Museum
The Louvre museum in Paris has been cordoned off, after a French soldier opened fire on an attacker, wounding him, local media report.

The attacker armed with a knife reportedly cried out "Allahu Akbar."

The French Interior Ministry reported that there has been a "grave public security incident" in the vicinity of the Louvre museum.

The attacker tried to assault the soldier with a knife, according to Reuters. The man was also carrying a suitcase and tried to enter the Louvre museum with it through the Carrousel du Louvre area, the agency said citing police sources.

Comment: Update: Louvre attacker identified as '29yo Egyptian tourist'
Initial investigations into the Louvre attack have identified the suspect as an Egyptian national who arrived in Paris on a tourist visa from the UAE. The alleged terrorist wielded a pair of quite expensive 'machetes,' according to French officials.

One French soldier suffered a head injury in the attack. The machete-wielding suspect was shot and wounded and was later identified as a 29-year-old Egyptian national, according to Paris Prosecutor François Molins. He did not, however, disclose the name of the suspect.

Yet, according to AP, citing an interior ministry official, the perpetrator is a 28-year-old Egyptian-born man named Abdullah Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy. The source told the news agency that investigators have so far found no evidence of the man being involved in political activism, criminal activity, or any particular militant group.

In a Saturday interview with Dubai-based TV channel al-Hadath, the suspect's father said he was shocked by the attack, AP reports. He told the TV channel that his son has a wife and a seven-month-old child. Al-Hamahmy apparently wanted to make a tour of Paris before departing from France.

The attack was "obviously of a terrorist nature" according to the French PM Bernard Cazeneuve. It is impossible to determine at the moment, if the suspect "acted on instructions" from abroad or if he acted "alone and spontaneously," Molins told reporters.

There were some indications in the initial findings, though, that the attack might have been premeditated. The suspect arrived in France from Dubai on January 26 after acquiring a one-month tourist visa. On January 27, the attacker rented a car until February 5, and the next day bought two expensive machetes from an arms store near the Place de la Bastille, according to Molins.

"He bought two machetes from an arms store located near the Place de la Bastille of more than €600," Molins said.

The suspect did not have anything else with him besides the pair of 40cm machetes, a "bag of paint cans" and a mobile phone when searched after being shot. Police traced his activity back to an apartment, presumably rented by the suspect, and the flat did not contain much either, according to Molins.

Investigators uncovered a sum of €965, the invoice of the two machetes, a number of prepaid sim cards, some clothes and an Egyptian passport stamped with visas for Saudi Arabia and Turkey in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The suspect also had a resident permit from the United Arab Emirates.

The attack at the Louvre occurred early on Friday when four soldiers prevented the suspect from entering Louvre shopping area with two bags. The suspect attacked them, bruising one soldier with the machete and was subsequently shot and wounded. The soldiers fired five shots in total. The attacker's condition was described as "life-threatening," but stable, and the injured soldier has been advised to take 10 days leave.

The group of soldiers belonging to the 1st Paratrooper Regiment was patrolling the Louvre as a part of 'Opération Sentinelle' - a nationwide security endeavor aimed at "protecting against and dissuading" attacks in France.
Paris Machete Attacker Said To Be In Critical Condition
Authorities in France say that the machete-wielding man who was shot by a security guard at Paris's Louvre Museum is in critical, life-threatening condition.

Officials say the man was shot five times during the February 3 incident.



Bad Guys

New Arkansas law allows rapists to force victims to have their children and sue doctors who carry out abortions

pro-life pro-choice activists
© Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters
Pro-life and pro-choice activists at National March for Life rally, Washington.
A pregnant woman's husband will be able to sue to prevent his wife from having an abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, under a new law that could come into effect as early as spring.

The new law, Act 45 - the Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment Abortion Act, will also allow husbands to sue doctors who carry out abortions for civil damages, as well as block terminations using injunctions.

Parents and legal guardians would also be able to sue to prevent minors from having abortions, raising concerns for victims of sexual abuse and incest.

The pro-life Act 45 was sped through in only two months by the Republican-led state government.

It would also see dilation and evacuation (D&E) terminations, the safest and most common form of second trimester abortions, become a felony with offenders facing six years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

The state of Arkansas carried out more than 680 D&E procedures in 2015.

The bill's co-sponsor, Andy Mayberry, a father of four girls, is the president of Arkansas Right to Life and member of the Missionary Baptist church.

Comment: What's barbaric is saying that a man can rape a woman and legally force her to have his baby. No civil society should embrace such a backwards policy.


Bad Guys

UN reports 'mass exodus' of Syrians fleeing Al Bab during Anti-Daesh operations

Syrian refugees
© Rodi Said / Reuters
Amid anti-Daesh military operation in Aleppo province, the United Nations has registered a mass exodus of civilians from the town of al Bab, who fled to other districts of the province.

Around 30,000 Syrians fled al Bab town where the campaign against Daesh is underway for other districts of Aleppo province, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said Friday.

"It is estimated that about around 30,000 civilians have fled al Bab city and surroundings since late December, heading mainly towards other districts in Aleppo. The UN and partners are providing assistance to those who are displaced, including through setting up reception and transit centres to receive and provide basic assistance to those in need," Dujarric said.

Gold Coins

Utah bill would set stage for state gold and silver depository, further encourage use of metals as money

US gold eagle coin
A bill introduced in the Utah legislature would build on the state's Legal Tender Act, creating a foundation for further action to encourage the use of gold and silver as money, and take another step toward breaking the Federal Reserve's monopoly on money.

Rep. Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan) introduced House Bill 224 (HB224) on Jan. 27. The legislation would add several provisions to state law designed to encourage the use of gold and silver as legal tender. Passage would set the stage for expansion of gold repositories in the state and authorize further study on several sound money policies.

Specifically, HB224 would authorize the investment of public funds in specie legal tender held in a commercial specie repository. Under existing code, "specie legal tender" means gold or silver coin and bullion. "Commercial specie repository" means an institution that holds or receives deposits of specie legal tender that is located within the state. Practically speaking, passage would give the state the option to hold funds in gold and silver instead of Federal Reserve notes.

The legislation would also direct the State Money Management Council to make rules governing quality criteria for a commercial specie repository, in consultation with the state auditor.

Bomb

The final moments of child suicide bomber Fatima, who blew up the Damascus police station

destroyed Damascus Police Station
© Unknown
Damascus Police Station Child Suicide Bomber 'Blurred'
We all remember the young child of 7 years old whose father wrapped her with an explosive belt and sent her to 'liberate' al-Midan Police Station in Damascus, the last to see Fatima before the horrific crime was Police Major Muhammad Batous, CID chief in the police station.

Nobody knows exactly whether she was 7, 8 or 9 years old, it's not easy to tell by eye witnesses and it's not that matter of importance, the girl when asked said she was 7, other stories told she was 8 or 9. What really matters is she was a young child killed by her own father.

Major Batous told Syrian Al-Thawra Newspaper about the child's last moments (don't try to look the newspaper up on if you're in a 'free speech' promoting western country, Syrian based media are banned in most of the western countries to keep only the terrorists narrative fed to their citizens):

Cult

Liberal & conservative students at Berkeley condemn riots

berkley riots
© RT
Riots at the University of California, Berkeley against Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos cost the school more than $100,000 in damages. Meanwhile, three protesters were arrested. RT America's Brigida Santos reports, speaking with students at the school.

Comment: Why did the police stand down for 4 hours letting $100,000 worth of damage to be done and people to be physically attacked?


Eye 1

'Riot felt like war zone': Campus police questioned over restraint in Berkeley riot that cancelled Breitbart editor Milo's speech

Protester being carried by UCB police
© Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images/AFP
University of California Berkeley police praised its officers for "tremendous restraint" during protests that scuttled Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos' speech at the school, but others in attendance criticized the police for lack of action.

A scheduled speech by Yiannopoulos was canceled on Wednesday by campus police, who said they could not guarantee the safety of attendees amid a crowd of demonstrators that included about 150 aggressive anti-fascist protesters intent on shutting down the forum. About 1,500 people were in attendance for the demonstration, most of them peaceful protesters, police said.

"Amid an apparently organized violent attack and destruction of property at the Martin Luther King Student Union, the University of California Police Department determined that it was necessary to evacuate Milo Yiannopoulos from the campus and to cancel tonight's scheduled 8 pm performance," campus police said in a statement.

"The violence was instigated by a group of about 150 masked agitators who came onto campus and interrupted an otherwise non-violent protest." A non-student who failed to leave the premises upon police orders was the only known arrest that occurred Wednesday evening, the San Francisco Chronicle reported citing campus police.

Comment: See also: Milo talk spawns riot at UC Berkeley - Trump supporter beaten unconscious


People

11 people arrested at New York University during clashes protesting pro-Trump conservative speaker

NYU protests
© RT
Eleven people were arrested outside New York University's student center during violent protests over a speech by conservative commentator Gavin McInnes. Students and 'antifa' protesters clashed with supporters of McInnes and President Donald Trump.

The Canadian-born McInnes was invited to speak by the NYU College Republicans on Thursday evening. Outside the student center, protesters and activists repeatedly clashed with members of 'ProudBoys,' a fraternal order founded by McInnes, and Trump supporters who came to his defense.

"I'm dumbfounded that NYU would invite somebody who is a hate speaker," NYU student Tama Fine told WNBC.

McInnes said he was pepper-sprayed when entering the student center, which prompted the first melee to break out between his followers and protesters. New York police officers stepped in to form a barrier between the protesters and McInnes supporters.

"I got there as Gavin McInnes was making his way into the Kimmel center and huge fighting broke out," Rebecca Goyette, an artist and adjunct professor at various colleges in New York told RT. "I saw some of his supporters being actively aggressive against NYU students. It turned into a big melee on his way in. Then I saw this guy, Franklin Right, wearing a red lumber jack shirt, he started a whole chant of 'Heil Hitler' with the Nazi salute." Goyette said students were chanting back "F*** white supremacy!"


Comment: See also: SOTT Exclusive: A Purple Color revolution in the U.S.? Learn the signs of color revolutions


Star of David

Ukrainian Jewish Committee head worries 'lights going out on Jewish community in Ukraine'

Ukrainian jews
© Valeriy Melnikov / Sputnik
Jewish identity in Ukraine is under threat and in danger of disappearing completely, Eduard Dolinsky, executive director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, told an Israeli newspaper.

Dolinsky voiced his concerns to the Jerusalem Post while on a four-day trip to Israel sponsored by the Israeli-Jewish Congress, which promotes ties between Israelis and European Jews. He was accompanied by MP and leader of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, Olexander Feldman.

"The Ukrainian Jewish community is in crisis," Dolinsky told the newspaper on Tuesday. "Either we should decide that the last one turns off the light, or we need to continue our struggle."

Comment: More on the Ukrainian Jews: