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Monkey Wrench

Migrants in Germany resort to making 'terrorist confessions' to avoid deportation


RT
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 10:47 UTC
muslim Migrants
Hundreds of migrants in Germany are reporting themselves as members of terrorist organizations in an apparent bid to avoid deportation, according to state officials.

More than 450 asylum seekers in the cities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in the southwest state of Baden Wurttemberg have declared an affiliation with terrorist groups since the start of 2017.

According to figures from public prosecutors, as reported by Stuttgarter Nachrichten, the number of self-incriminations is rising - 159 such reports were made in the region in just the first three months of this year.

Comment: Imagine being so desperate to remain in a country one believes is relatively stable that one would falsely claim to be affiliated with a terrorist group. And what should happen if more 'radical Islamic terror' should be inflicted on the host country - do all the asylum seekers get rounded up by the host country's government? What a God-awful trap that's been laid for the migrants and the host countries alike.

See:

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Passport

Russia might cancel direct flights to US over Washington's visa blockade political tactics


RT
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 21:30 UTC
airplane
© Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
Direct flight connections between Russia and the US could come to a complete halt, due to Washington's ongoing "visa blockade" policy against Russian citizens, the Foreign Ministry has said.

"We cannot rule out that the two countries could be left without [direct] air transportation. Aeroflot, which is the only company to operate regular flights between Russia and the US, might be forced to halt them, as its pilots are facing mounting difficulties with American visas," the ministry said in a statement. An Aeroflot representative has since confirmed the ongoing troubles with obtaining the US visas for pilots to Russian media.

Last year, the US extended the visa waiting time to 85 days, and recently upped it to 250 days, making applying for a visa "effectively pointless." A consular staff shortage, which Washington has cited as the reason for delays, is not the real reason behind the "blockade," the ministry said.
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War Whore

US Navy's costly Littoral Combat Ships facing delay due to maintenance issues


RT
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:36 UTC
littoral combat ship
© Mike Blake / Reuters
The US Navy's problem-plagued Littoral Combat Ships may not deploy this year due to maintenance issues, the US Naval Institute reported, raising suspicions that the navy has all but given up on the costly, ill-fated vessels.

Scheduled to deploy to Bahrain and Singapore this year, the navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon - as most of the ships are undergoing repairs and upgrades. As USNI News reported, "In addition to the deploying ships themselves being in maintenance, so too are the training ships that will be required to help train and certify the crews." In other words, deployment is highly unlikely, since even the ships used to train new crews are not operational.

The LCS was supposed to give the navy a strategic edge in coastal waters, replacing frigates and destroyers in missions ranging from mine-sweeping and antisubmarine operations to surface warfare. Two different variants of the LCS were approved, with the first ship rolling off the dock in 2008. Once slated as the backbone of a new fleet consisting of 355 vessels in total, deliveries of the LCS have been slashed after years of ballooning costs coupled with crippling mechanical failures.

Comment: This is just another story that confirms how incompetent the US military has become in releasing innovative and efficient military hardware. How many different ships and planes have to be delayed or discontinued after billions of taxpayer dollars spent before the American people demand their money back?

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Beaker

Ex-UN commission member: Lab equipment found in Douma made in West, possibly UK or Germany


Sputnik
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:53 UTC
Syrian soldiers
© REUTERS / Ali Hashisho
Earlier, Russian military forces had unearthed a warehouse of substances essential for the manufacture of chemical weapons in the Syrian city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta.

"The equipment found in the laboratory, including the chemical reactor, and shown in the video was made in the West, highly likely - in the UK or Germany," Igor Nikulin, a military expert and a former member of the UN's biological commission, told Sputnik.

On April 17, Russian troops uncovered a lab in Douma, which, according to chemical defense specialist Alexander Rodionov, could have been used by terrorist groups for the production of chemical weapons.


"The substances discovered, such as thiodiglycol and diethanolamine, are necessary for the production of sulfur and nitrogen mustard gas. In addition, a cylinder with chlorine, similar to that used by militants to set up the widely spread fake story, was found in the warehouse. It can be concluded that this laboratory was used by illegal armed groups for the production of poisonous substances," Rodionov said, as cited by the Zvezda TV channel.

Comment: It's not just in Douma that you'll find equipment supplied by NATO countries to the rebels, as this video shows. See also:

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X

US Congressman Massie: 'Zero real evidence' Assad behind chem attack


RT
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 16:42 UTC
Congressman Massie
© T.J. Kirkpatrick / AFP
US government officials offered "zero real evidence" that the Syrian government was behind the alleged chemical attack in Douma, relying instead on information circulating online, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) said.

In their briefing to Congress, the director of national intelligence and the secretaries of defense and state reference "info circulating online," Massie tweeted on Thursday, adding that this means they either don't have conclusive proof or they chose not to provide it to Congress. "Either way, not good," he added.

Comment: One must have rationality to back up instincts...and this is where Trump is being made to fail.

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Rocket

Russia receives two discovered American cruise missiles that did not explode from Syria

Seraphim Hanisch
The Duran
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 19:42 UTC
US Tomahawk
© albawabhnews.com
The TASS News Agency reported on 19 April that the Syrian military found two cruise missiles that did not explode during the US-led missile strike of April 14. Both missiles were discovered to be in relatively good shape, and they were handed over to a Russian military officer on April 17.

After this, the missiles were flown to Russia by plane, presumably for analysis. TASS could not confirm this independently with the Russian Defense Ministry at this time.

The known missile types used included the Tomahawk, which is an adept cruise missile, but hardly the cutting-edge technology that was implied by US President Donald Trump in the days prior to the attack. On April 11, President Trump tweeted that Russia should get ready for a missile attack on Syria, saying that the missiles would be "nice and new and smart."
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Attention

Swedish TV peddles fake news on Syria: 'Russia' instead of 'US'


Sputnik
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:12 UTC
TV4 Sweden
© Chris Mansson
TV4 News Studio Stockholm, Sweden
The Swedish TV-channel TV4 has sparked outrage by offering its viewers a skewed picture of reality by substituting "the US" with "Russia" in a critical news report on the US-backed attacks against the war-torn middle-Eastern country.

In a news report about the conflict in Syria by TV4, a Syrian woman was speaking about the US, which, oddly enough, was rendered as "Russia, Iran and the regime" in the accompanying subtitles. After a public outcry on social media, TV4 recognized its "mistake" while translating the woman's outspoken message from Arabic into Swedish.

"The attack did not get enough effect, so we want to see more. We want them to avenge us. Russia, Iran and the regime must back off from here because they have stolen our country and our land," a woman living in Douma was quoted as saying on TV4. In reality, however, she didn't mention "Russia" at all, not even once, which was eagerly pointed out on TV4's Facebook page by Arab-speaking Swedish viewers.

Comment: They did it because they thought they could get away with it. In placing the retraction on their Facebook page, TV4 assured that the majority of its audience would still be under a faulty supposition- a clear manipulation for calculated results.

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Sheriff

Paris: Police deploy water cannon during Macron labor reform protests


RT
Thu, 19 Apr 2018 12:23 UTC
Paris street protests
© Ruptly
Macron labor protests in Paris.
Police have clashed with protesters on the streets of Paris as rail workers and students continue nationwide demonstrations against sweeping new labor reforms.

While Macron's presidency is being challenged by ongoing protests, the latest polls show that only 42 percent of respondents expressed approval of him as the country's leader.

The survey revealed that the majority of respondents were unhappy with Macron, but the research paints a very conflicted picture, as a similar proportion of respondents (57 percent) were in favor of the president's reform plans.

The opinion poll also reflected growing discontent among the public. Only 30 percent of respondents agreed that Macron was "in touch with French people's concerns," hinting at his tax cuts for the well-off and neglect towards workers' needs. "In every area there is discontent," said Edwy Plenel, veteran political journalist with the investigative news website Mediapart, in a recent interview with Macron.

Barely concealing his anger, Macron rebuffed Plenel's remarks and said his question about protests was "biased."

The past three months saw thousands of protestors demonstrating against Macron's decision to adopt wide-ranging reforms, including changes to the education system, the national rail operator, and even the courts.

Comment: See also: France: Major strikes challenge Macron's right-wing reforms

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Eye 1

The hypocrisy behind Pulitzer Prizes

Stephen Lendman
Stephen Lendman Blog
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:13 UTC
Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize
The late Alex Cockburn called its awards "the Pulitzer farce...reminding the world that...the nation is well served by its premier east coast newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post."

Both broadsheets long ago abandoned legitimate journalism, functioning as press agents for wealth, power and privilege - notably when America goes to war and in their run-up, along with malicious Russia bashing.

The Times and WaPo both won Pulitzers for their coverage of (nonexistent) Russian US presidential election meddling, whether Trump's team colluded with Moscow during the campaign, and whether the president obstructed justice.

America's two leading broadsheets were again honored for flagrant disinformation, Big Lies and fake news - manipulating public opinion and manufacturing consent for what demands denunciation.
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Family

British MPs, MEPs, former ministers, trade unionists: Time for government to take a stand on killings in Gaza


The Guardian
Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:34 UTC
gaza Land Day protest
© Mohammed Saber/European Press Agency
Palestinians protest near the border with Israel in the east of Gaza City on 13 April 2018.
MPs, MEPs, former ministers, trade unionists and other political and cultural figures call on the British government to ensure that UK arms, finance and trade are not used to support unlawful actions by Israel

For several weeks you have reported the killings by Israeli forces in Gaza. Each week Israel has placed troops on the security border with Gaza with the intention to shoot to kill Palestinians demonstrating. So far 35 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,500 injured with live ammunition. Instructions to shoot to kill were given in advance (Deaths in Gaza will haunt Israeli snipers, Letters, 13 April; Letters, 17 April).

It is right for the British government to comment on hostile actions by foreign states in breach of international law wherever they occur - on UK territory, in Syria or in Yemen. But the silence of the prime minister and the foreign secretary on Israel's premeditated killings is deafening. Moreover, the UK government continues to approve arms exports to Israel despite its own guidelines prohibiting any sales of weapons that risk being used in violation of international law.
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