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Saudi Arabia bumping up financial investment in Russian projects


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:25 UTC
riyadh
© Faisal Nasser / Reuters
Saudi investments in Russian projects has exceeded $2 billion, according to the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev.

"More and more Russian companies are investing in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is investing in Russia. Saudi Arabia's investment in Russia has already reached more than $2 billion,"Dmitriev said.

A Sovereign Fund of Saudi Arabia, Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced in 2015 its intention to invest $10 billion in the Russian economy through partnership with the Russian fund.
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Jet2

Damascus vows Syrian Army will down 'any jet' that launches an assault


Sputnik
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:24 UTC
Israeli jet shot down Syria
© Jack Guez / AFPThe remains of an Israeli F-16 that crashed after being hit by Syrian air defences during attacks against 'Iranian targets' in Syria, February 10, 2018.
During a press conference, Fayssal Mikdad, Syria's Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, asserted that the USA aimed to prolong the war in the country.

The diplomat called on Arabs and Kurds in northern Syria to "unite and fight back at Turkish forces," warning the Western countries against carrying out airstrikes on Syria.
"We call on the United Nations to investigate the actions and practices of the United States, which threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Syria and aim to liquidate the Syrian people, contradicting the objectives and principles of the UN. The Army will down any jet that launches an assault on Syria and that is not a mere threat... we are able to get rid of terrorists when the West stops supporting them."
Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to launch strikes on Syria if the allegation that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against its civilians was proven.

On February 10, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they had downed an Iranian drone over the disputed Golan Heights. After that, the Israeli aircraft attacked the command post on the territory of Syria, which was used to operate the alleged Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle. In response, Syria's air defenses fired back at Israeli aircraft and downed an F-16 jet. Tel Aviv, for its part, attacked "additional Iranian targets" in Syria.

Comment: Russia continues to keep the balance in Syria. Putin did not express approval of Syria's action but then again he didn't need to. Russia had always supported national sovereignty. He did however, make it very clear to Israel that interference with Syria's battle against jihadist forces was a no-go.

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Wolf

Russian Duma orders end to cruelty in hunting dog training amid major rift over 'contact baiting stations'


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 13:56 UTC
Russian gun dog competition
© Pavel Lisitsyn / SputnikParticipants in an integrated gun dog competition in Sverdlovsk Region
Russia's lower house has passed a rewritten bill regulating the training of hunting dogs, after the upper house rejected a total ban on so-called "contact baiting stations" despite widespread criticism.

The final draft of the document passed by the State Duma on Wednesday reads that the training of hunting dogs must not include cruelty to animals or inflict physical harm on them. It directly orders that barriers be used between a hunting dog and an animal used as bait in cases when the latter's movement is restricted.

The controversial bill on baiting stations caused a rift between the two chambers of the Russian parliament, as well as a wave of comments in the mass media and on the internet. The row began in December last year, when the State Duma almost unanimously passed the motion containing a total ban on "contact" training involving hunting dogs and captured wild animals. Owners of the stations were legally bound to install glass or mesh barriers between dogs and their prey.

Comment: See also: Russia's State Duma wants to ban practice of 'baiting stations' to train hunting dogs, but Senate opposed

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Passport

Britain's work on migrant registration system 'barely begun'

Westmonster
Westmonster Blog
Mon, 12 Feb 2018 16:19 UTC
British customs airport
Britain looks set to be plunged into border chaos as it emerged that work on a crucial registration system for EU nationals arriving in the UK during the Brexit transition period has 'barely begun'.

The whole thing is completely ridiculous anyway - Britain should be free to implement its own border policy from the moment it leaves the EU in March 2019 and not have to be subject to EU open borders.

Theresa May said EU migrants arriving in Britain during the transition period wouldn't have the automatic right to stay, but obviously that means there needs to be a system in place to process them and, in true Theresa May style, work on this hasn't really got going.

A government source told The Times:
"The way things look at the moment it almost certainly won't be ready. The government doesn't have the best record of these kind of projects anyway and the most pressing priority is to ensure that nothing goes wrong with registering existing EU nationals. If that goes wrong it will be a disaster."
Another added: "Work has barely begun and I don't think anyone has any confidence that a such a new system can be ready for March next year."

So not only is Britain going to be subject to EU open borders after Brexit, it also won't be equipped to deal with it. How much more government incompetence can the UK take?
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Heart

Seoul agrees to pay $2.6M to cover expenses of North Korea's participation in Olympics


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 08:52 UTC
North Korean Olympics cheerleaders
© Mike Segar / ReutersNorth Korean cheerleaders
Seoul has agreed to allocate up to $2.6 million to cover the expenses of the North Korean delegation attending the PyeongChang Olympics, under the terms of a recently approved plan.

The fund will cover the cost of hundreds of North Korean delegates participating in the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, including arts performers, cheerleaders, and a taekwondo demonstration team.

"It is aimed at providing financial support for the North Korean delegation's visit to South Korea, and for carrying out cultural cooperation projects (between the two countries)," the South Korean Unification Ministry said in a statement, following a meeting of 11 government officials on Wednesday.

Comment: Korea! Opening Ceremony of Pyeong Chang 2018 - Hope For Peaceful Reunification Despite American Subterfuge

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Beer

Drunken man goes on stabbing rampage in Paris, injuring 5


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:08 UTC
Eiffel Tower
© Gonzalo Fuentes / ReutersFrench police patrol near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on February 9, 2018.
Five people have been stabbed in Paris overnight in an attack by a drunken man who was later arrested.

The incident unfolded at 11pm local time on Tuesday, when the man pulled out a knife and began randomly stabbing passersby, according to French media reports.

He tried to stab six people, five of whom had to be taken to hospital for cuts which were not life-threatening. The sixth victim escaped without injury, after the knife failed to penetrate the clothing.
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Bullseye

San Francisco fines landlord millions for providing cheap housing to low-income, disabled veterans

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:55 UTC
homeless man
© Luke MacGregor / Reuters
In the land of the free, government and law enforcement not only wage war on the poor and homeless through various unscrupulous means designed to extract revenue and attack the right to exist but those who try to help the homeless-by feeding, clothing, or sheltering them-also face the wrath of the state. As the following case illustrates, even those who've laid down their lives for the state-veterans-and the ones who help them are now being targeted.

Judy Wu, a landlord in San Francisco has converted 12 properties she owns into 49 housing units over the last decade which she and her husband, Trent Zhu, rent to homeless, low-income and disabled veterans.

Because they've split the units into much smaller ones, the couple is able to provide these veterans with very cheap housing. The contribution to society hasn't gone unnoticed by the city, however, who couldn't care less about the dozens of previously homeless veterans now off the streets thanks to the couple.

According to Reason, Wu's problems stem from a zoning law as the couple's property was only zoned for 15 dwellings.

Comment: Not only can you not house the homeless, you can't feed them either:

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Heart - Black

Politics over sportsmanship: US and British athletes shamefully refusing to speak or shake hands with Russian athletes


Sputnik
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:57 UTC
russian olympic athletes
© AFP 2018/ Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV
It looks like for some athletes genuine sportsmanship and Olympic camaraderie are taking a back seat to hostility and political intrigues.

Some US and British athletes are refusing to shake hands with their Russian colleagues taking part in the Winter Olympics in South Korea's Pyeongchang, Russian skeleton athlete Nikita Tregubov has told Sport Express.

"They don't say hello and neither do I. No sweat. Why? I don't know. I don't give a heck," Tregubov added.
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Pistol

Drunkard shoots into crowded Birmingham pub after being turned away


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:48 UTC
Birmingham gunman
© West Midlands Police
CCTV footage has emerged of the moment a drunk man fired a gun at a crowded pub in Birmingham. He fled the scene in his vehicle before being arrested by armed police.

The video, posted on YouTube by West Midlands Police, shows Lee Embley, 48, opening fire at the pub after one of its door staff refused him entry because of his evident alcohol intoxication.

Embley can be seen being escorted away from the venue, and reaching out to his waistband to take out his black revolver. He then fires a round, before nonchalantly walking away. The bullet smashed through the window of a bedroom where children sometimes sleep.

No one was injured. Following the incident, Embley got into his car and drove off.

Police had to chase him for three miles before Embley crashed into a 'no entry' sign. He had been driving at 80mph on 30mph roads.
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Gold Coins

Cryptocurrency boss says most digital assets will soon be worthless


RT
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:40 UTC
chinese stock market
© Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters
In time most digital currencies will be worthless, according to the head of the centralized cryptocurrency ripple, Brad Garlinghouse.

The majority of cryptocurrencies can't be used as transactional currency, and they are being traded like assets, according to the CEO. Ripple and the company behind it are arguably the most criticized digital assets, as the whole idea of bitcoin as the first cryptocurrency was that it should not be regulated.

"It's not clear what the use case is. It's not clear what the value proposition is. Long-term value will be dictated by the utility of that asset," Garlinghouse said, as quoted by Business Insider. He was speaking at a Goldman Sachs technology conference in San Francisco.
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