3818-ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? | View Thread

As reported moments ago, CNN is leading with a story about a 35-page dossier compiled by a former member of British intelligence, which had been distilled into a 2-page appendix presented to Trump last Friday by the US intel community, and which contains "explosive, but unverified, allegations" that the Russian government has been "cultivating, supporting and assisting" President-elect Donald Trump for at least 5 years and "endorsed by Putin" gained compromising information about him, with the aim of "encouraging splits and divisions in the western alliance."

The memo has allegedly been circulating among elected officials, intelligence agents, and journalists for weeks.

However, where the first warning flags should go off, is that the operative collected the information from Russian intelligence sources while he was doing opposition research for a project financed by anti-Trump Republicans. The information the operative collected indicated that Russia had compromising information both Trump and Clinton but chose to release information that was potentially damaging only to the Clinton campaign.

The dossier, which is a collection of memos written over a period of months, "includes specific, unverified and potentially unverifiable allegations of contact between Trump aides and Russian operatives, and graphic claims of sexual acts documented by the Russians" according to Buzzfeed.

Of course, the question on everyone's lips is what are these "unverified and potentially unverifiable allegations" contained in the memo. We now know the answer, courtesy of Buzzfeed which fill published the full document "so that Americans can make up their own minds about allegations about the president-elect that have circulated at the highest levels of the US government."

There are just a few problems with this revolutionary Rosetta stone that should, at least superficially, discredit the Trump presidency as a puppet of the Kremlin. As eve BuzzFeed observes, "the document is not just unconfirmed: It includes some clear errors.The report misspells the name of one company, "Alpha Group," throughout. It is Alfa Group. The report says the settlement of Barvikha, outside Moscow, is "reserved for the residences of the top leadership and their close associates." It is not reserved for anyone, and is also populated by the very wealthy."

Even more amusing is that the documents have circulated for months, and were available to the Clinton campaign should she have chosen to use them to discredit Trump yet for some "odd reason" she did not, and furthermore "acquired a kind of legendary status among journalists, lawmakers, and intelligence officials who have seen them."

Mother Jones writer David Corn referred to the documents in a late October column. Harry Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson tweeted Tuesday that the outgoing Senate Democratic leader had seen the documents before writing a public letter to FBI director James Comey about Trump's ties to Russia. And CNN reported Tuesday that Arizona Republican John McCain a gave "full copy" of the memos to FBI Director James Comey on December 9, but that the FBI already had copies of many of the memos.

It is worth noting, that Mother Jones cited the dossier in a report on the alleged Trump-Russia connection in October. However, as noted below, the author of that story, David Corn, said he chose not to publish the full dossier because he could not confirm the allegations.

So with all this information floating around "for months", and duly noted by everyone in US government, from intelligence to the FBI, and certainly peopple in the unsuccessful Clinton campaign, it only emerges now, ten days before the Trump inauguration? Coincidence? Readers can decide on their own.

So how did a memo, which in BuzzFeed's own admission was full of errors and incomplete, get posted by BuzzFeed? This is how Ben Smith, the editor in chief, defended his decision in a memo to staff.

"Our presumption is to be transparent in our journalism and to share what we have with our readers," he wrote in the email that he subsequently shared on Twitter. "We have always erred on the side of publishing. In this case, the document was in wide circulation in the highest levels of American government and media."

Yet even Smith cast doubt on whether the story his published was true.

"As we noted in our story, there is a serious reason to doubt the allegations," he wrote. "We have been chasing specific claims in this document for weeks, and will continue to."

Smith's decision drew sharp rebukes from other reporters.

"Not how journalism works: Here's a thing that might or might not be true, without supporting evidence; decide for yourself if it's legit," tweeted Brad Heath, an investigative reporter for USA Today.

Julia Ioffe, a journalist who left Politico after suggesting in a tweet that Trump might be having sex with his own daughter, tweeted Tuesday that she had been approached with the story that BuzzFeed ran with but declined to publish. "Because it was impossible to verify. (I tried.)"

New York Times reporter Adam Goldman heaped criticism on both BuzzFeed and CNN, which aired a version of the story Tuesday but did not publish all of the unverified details.

"Sequence of events: @CNN finds way to talk about report and @buzzfeed uses that as reason to publish. Media critics are gonna be busy," he tweeted.

As a final point, the memos authored by the operative claim that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin had established an "exchange of information" of "mutual benefit," and that Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, met secretly with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016.

However, Cohen quickly denied that he has ever been to Prague, promptly demolishing the entire argument.

"I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews," he tweeted, attaching a photo of his passport.

For those pressed for time, here is the best - as in most laughable - part, discussing "Trump's personal obsessions and sexual perversions", in which we learn that when staying at the Ritz Carlton Moscow hotel, in order to defile a bed in which Obama had stayed in previously, he employed "a number of prostitutes to perform "golden showers" show in front of him." Good stuff.

The full memo is here.

‘Protection of civilian population biggest challenge in Mosul’ – Red Cross chief to RT

Published time: 11 Jan, 2017 16:50

With the offensive in Mosul, Iraq intensifying, humanitarian groups are voicing concerns about the fate of tens of thousands people stranded there. The president of the Red Cross told RT about the challenges of those helping the refugees of the conflict.

Saying that “the humanitarian situation for those who have been displaced by the conflict is difficult in many respects,” President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer told RT that the conditions are dire for both those already in the refugee camps and refugees who have just been forced from their homes by the fighting.

Smoke rises from clashes with Islamic State militants, north of Mosul, Iraq, December 29, 2016. © Ammar Awad

“[People] have been living in camps for two or three months now and, despite all the efforts of responding with water, health, food and shelter services, the situation in the camps is not easy, and people are eager to return back. At the same time, we see more displaced population coming out of Mosul from the fighting,” Maurer said, speaking to RT from Erbil, an Iraqi city near Mosul.

Earlier this week, the Red Cross reported that over 25,000 people have been forced to take shelter at a refugee camp since the conflict forced them from their homes, and thousands more in the area are still under threat.

“We actually see a triple challenge. We see displacements that are continuing because of the fighting in Mosul and therefore we have to scale-up our humanitarian response. We see those who have been in camps for two or three months and we need to continue to assist and protect them... We also need to back-up those who continue to be residents,” the Red Cross head said.

“The biggest challenge in Mosul at the present moment is the protection of the civilian population, which is in the city and partly exposed to the ongoing warfare,” he stressed.

People who fled the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, stand in line to receive food at a refugee camp, Iraq,December 18, 2016.© Ammar Awad

Maurer described how, while visiting areas “at the front doors of Mosul,” he had witnessed “a lot of abandoned and destroyed villages,” noting that “it will take a lot of time to reconstruct those villages, to decontaminate the area from mines and unexploded ordnances, and to bring back normal life to people.”

However, it’s not only civilians who are under constant threat in both Iraq and Syria, the ICRC president acknowledged.

“I must say that I have to appreciate the efforts which have been taken by the Kurdish Peshmerga, by the Iraqi government to ensure that civilians, civilian infrastructure and medical facilities are protected. But of course this is not necessarily the case on all sides of the frontlines,” he said, adding that medical workers do not always enjoy safety and respect.

Commenting on an incident in which two medics in Syria were killed in December when a Russian mobile hospital in Aleppo was bombed by rebels, the Red Cross chief said that his organization felt “sorry and expressed condolences” to the Russian personnel that had suffered in the attack.

“Our position has been clear in principle, whether it is in Syria [or] in any other place of the world – medical facilities in conflict absolutely need to be protected. Of course we condemn many attacks on medical facilities, wherever they happen. It is essential that doctors and medical facilities can operate in conflict, and can protect people and assist with medical services in a neutral and impartial way,” Maurer told RT.

On Tuesday, the UN’s humanitarian aid agency, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced that some 1,000 people per day fled the fighting in Mosul last week.

Since the beginning of operation against Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) in October of last year, some 135,000 people have fled the Iraqi city, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters, adding that the UN agency and its partners have no access to or information about some areas in Mosul that are controlled by the jihadists. There are “increasing humanitarian concerns for the wellbeing of civilians in these areas,” he said, as quoted by AP.

(RT)

A man who was waiting to be sentenced for a sex attack at Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court in Wales started "slashing" his own throat while standing in the dock on Wednesday.

Lukasz Robert Pawlowski, 33, had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault by grabbing and kissing a shop assistant, according to the BBC.

Pawlowski was appearing for sentencing on Wednesday morning when the incident happened.

He has been taken to a Swansea hospital by air ambulance. His condition is not known.

A Western Telegraph reporter, who was at court and saw the incident, told the newspaper: "He came into the dock, then asked to go to the toilet.

"He went out, came back, muttered something, and then started slashing at his throat.

"The courtroom was then cleared out, and first aid was given by paramedics in the dock.

"I'm not sure if he lost consciousness, but he did lose a lot of blood."

It is unclear where and how Pawlowski gained access to the weapon, or what kind of object he used.

The court complex has airport-style security scanners and guards in place at all entrances.

Dyfed-Powys Police told the BBC: "Officers attended and found an injured man at the scene, who was receiving treatment by paramedics.

"He has been conveyed to Morriston Hospital by air ambulance. The extent of his injuries are unknown at this time. The court has been closed in order for inquiries to take place.

UK adoption of US drone assassination model ‘shocking’ – campaigners

Published time: 11 Jan, 2017 12:52

Edited time: 12 Jan, 2017 14:16

An MQ-9 Reaper © Isaac Brekken / AFP

Britain will look to the US drone assassination model as it seeks to update its own rules of war, a move campaigners say is deeply concerning.

Sir Jeremy Wright QC, the government’s senior lawyer, will give a speech on the law as it relates to targeted killing. Wright will speak at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on Wednesday.

The key issue which he is expected to address is that of ‘imminence’ – the circumstances required to legitimate a pre-emptive strike – and the potential for collateral damage – killing civilians – in order to ‘save’ lives elsewhere.

Wright is expected to insist that the threshold for deadly action and for collateral damage are not being lowered, but rather brought up to date.

“So we really want to see the principles [of pre-emptive self-defense] that the US have already adopted, which we think strikes the right balance of all the different factors,” he will say according to a draft of the speech seen by the Guardian newspaper.

“[The Al-Qaeda attack on the US in] 2001 was a big leap forward and I think it’s important that international law also takes a big leap. The threat now is different again … [but] we are not lowering the threshold [for authorizing attacks].”

Wright will cite a series of tests devised by another government lawyer, Sir Daniel Bethlehem, to assess the legal basis for deadly military violence.

This is used to weigh the pros versus cons of a potential strike, including in terms of damage to people or property, and the potential for a better opportunity to strike presenting itself at some point in the future.

He will say that the current system of pre-emption dates back to an 1837 incident when British troops seized an American ship off the coast of Canada.

“If we are trying to define ‘imminence’ in relation to a test that was developed in the 1840s, we are going to struggle,” Wright told the Guardian ahead of his speech.

He said the nature of threat had changed vastly since then and that the UK wanted to update its rules of engagement in this respect.

He will also say that the UK is a “world leader in promoting, defending and shaping international law.”

Critics of drone warfare, however, fear that the move towards the American model is a dangerous one.

“The UK has been working hand-in-glove with the US on developing drone warfare so while this move is shocking it’s not surprising,” Chris Cole of the Drone War campaign group told RT on Wednesday.

“It’s likely that we will see Obama’s ‘Terror Tuesday’ style meetings now take place in the UK, conducted presumably by a sub-committee of the National Security Council, where a list of overseas suspects will be regularly reviewed, with some of them then placed on a ‘kill list’ for dispatch by UK drones.”

Cole also pointed out that the UK had already killed under the banner of imminence, arguing that “the drone killing of Reyaad Khan in August 2015 may have been the UK’s first targeted killing outside of a warzone – but it’s unlikely to be the last.”

(RT)

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 1/12/2017 10:30:23 AM
	Pack of lies: Demolishing the 35-page report alleging Trump's 'Russian cultivation' Tyler Durden ZeroHedge Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:31 UTC © Washington Post As reported moments ago, CNN is leading with a story about a 35-page dossier compiled by a former member of British intelligence, which had been distilled into a 2-page appendix presented to Trump last Friday by the US intel community, and which contains "explosive, but unverified, allegations" that the Russian government has been "cultivating, supporting and assisting" President-elect Donald Trump for at least 5 years and "endorsed by Putin" gained compromising information about him, with the aim of "encouraging splits and divisions in the western alliance." The memo has allegedly been circulating among elected officials, intelligence agents, and journalists for weeks. However, where the first warning flags should go off, is that the operative collected the information from Russian intelligence sources while he was doing opposition research for a project financed by anti-Trump Republicans. The information the operative collected indicated that Russia had compromising information both Trump and Clinton but chose to release information that was potentially damaging only to the Clinton campaign. The dossier, which is a collection of memos written over a period of months, "includes specific, unverified and potentially unverifiable allegations of contact between Trump aides and Russian operatives, and graphic claims of sexual acts documented by the Russians" according to Buzzfeed. Of course, the question on everyone's lips is what are these "unverified and potentially unverifiable allegations" contained in the memo. We now know the answer, courtesy of Buzzfeed which fill published the full document "so that Americans can make up their own minds about allegations about the president-elect that have circulated at the highest levels of the US government." There are just a few problems with this revolutionary Rosetta stone that should, at least superficially, discredit the Trump presidency as a puppet of the Kremlin. As eve BuzzFeed observes, "the document is not just unconfirmed: It includes some clear errors.The report misspells the name of one company, "Alpha Group," throughout. It is Alfa Group. The report says the settlement of Barvikha, outside Moscow, is "reserved for the residences of the top leadership and their close associates." It is not reserved for anyone, and is also populated by the very wealthy." Even more amusing is that the documents have circulated for months, and were available to the Clinton campaign should she have chosen to use them to discredit Trump yet for some "odd reason" she did not, and furthermore "acquired a kind of legendary status among journalists, lawmakers, and intelligence officials who have seen them." Mother Jones writer David Corn referred to the documents in a late October column. Harry Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson tweeted Tuesday that the outgoing Senate Democratic leader had seen the documents before writing a public letter to FBI director James Comey about Trump's ties to Russia. And CNN reported Tuesday that Arizona Republican John McCain a gave "full copy" of the memos to FBI Director James Comey on December 9, but that the FBI already had copies of many of the memos. It is worth noting, that Mother Jones cited the dossier in a report on the alleged Trump-Russia connection in October. However, as noted below, the author of that story, David Corn, said he chose not to publish the full dossier because he could not confirm the allegations. So with all this information floating around "for months", and duly noted by everyone in US government, from intelligence to the FBI, and certainly peopple in the unsuccessful Clinton campaign, it only emerges now, ten days before the Trump inauguration? Coincidence? Readers can decide on their own. So how did a memo, which in BuzzFeed's own admission was full of errors and incomplete, get posted by BuzzFeed? This is how Ben Smith, the editor in chief, defended his decision in a memo to staff. "Our presumption is to be transparent in our journalism and to share what we have with our readers," he wrote in the email that he subsequently shared on Twitter. "We have always erred on the side of publishing. In this case, the document was in wide circulation in the highest levels of American government and media." Yet even Smith cast doubt on whether the story his published was true. "As we noted in our story, there is a serious reason to doubt the allegations," he wrote. "We have been chasing specific claims in this document for weeks, and will continue to." Smith's decision drew sharp rebukes from other reporters. "Not how journalism works: Here's a thing that might or might not be true, without supporting evidence; decide for yourself if it's legit," tweeted Brad Heath, an investigative reporter for USA Today. Julia Ioffe, a journalist who left Politico after suggesting in a tweet that Trump might be having sex with his own daughter, tweeted Tuesday that she had been approached with the story that BuzzFeed ran with but declined to publish. "Because it was impossible to verify. (I tried.)" New York Times reporter Adam Goldman heaped criticism on both BuzzFeed and CNN, which aired a version of the story Tuesday but did not publish all of the unverified details. "Sequence of events: @CNN finds way to talk about report and @buzzfeed uses that as reason to publish. Media critics are gonna be busy," he tweeted. As a final point, the memos authored by the operative claim that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin had established an "exchange of information" of "mutual benefit," and that Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, met secretly with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016. However, Cohen quickly denied that he has ever been to Prague, promptly demolishing the entire argument. "I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews," he tweeted, attaching a photo of his passport. For those pressed for time, here is the best - as in most laughable - part, discussing "Trump's personal obsessions and sexual perversions", in which we learn that when staying at the Ritz Carlton Moscow hotel, in order to defile a bed in which Obama had stayed in previously, he employed "a number of prostitutes to perform "golden showers" show in front of him." Good stuff. The full memo is here. Comment: Further reading: CIA, Obama and major media outlets trolled by 4chan fanfiction asserting Donald Trump was being blackmailed by Russian spies Defying all reason and journalistic duty, BuzzFeed may have now topped the Washington Post in the quickly burgeoning Fake News market, publishing accusations President-elect Donald Trump has "deep ties to Russia" — but the astoundingly baseless claim seems to have unraveled in the most hilarious way possible. (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 1/12/2017 10:44:14 AM
	‘Protection of civilian population biggest challenge in Mosul’ – Red Cross chief to RT Published time: 11 Jan, 2017 16:50 © Ahmed Saad / Reuters With the offensive in Mosul, Iraq intensifying, humanitarian groups are voicing concerns about the fate of tens of thousands people stranded there. The president of the Red Cross told RT about the challenges of those helping the refugees of the conflict. Saying that “the humanitarian situation for those who have been displaced by the conflict is difficult in many respects,” President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer told RT that the conditions are dire for both those already in the refugee camps and refugees who have just been forced from their homes by the fighting. Read more Possible civilian casualties in coalition strike near Mosul hospital - Pentagon “[People] have been living in camps for two or three months now and, despite all the efforts of responding with water, health, food and shelter services, the situation in the camps is not easy, and people are eager to return back. At the same time, we see more displaced population coming out of Mosul from the fighting,” Maurer said, speaking to RT from Erbil, an Iraqi city near Mosul. Earlier this week, the Red Cross reported that over 25,000 people have been forced to take shelter at a refugee camp since the conflict forced them from their homes, and thousands more in the area are still under threat. “We actually see a triple challenge. We see displacements that are continuing because of the fighting in Mosul and therefore we have to scale-up our humanitarian response. We see those who have been in camps for two or three months and we need to continue to assist and protect them... We also need to back-up those who continue to be residents,” the Red Cross head said. READ MORE: ISIS targets civilians in Mosul; Iraqi, coalition forces also cause civilian deaths – HRW “The biggest challenge in Mosul at the present moment is the protection of the civilian population, which is in the city and partly exposed to the ongoing warfare,” he stressed. Read more ‘Hard to get inside Mosul, over 1mn people still trapped amid op’ – Oxfam representative to RT Maurer described how, while visiting areas “at the front doors of Mosul,” he had witnessed “a lot of abandoned and destroyed villages,” noting that “it will take a lot of time to reconstruct those villages, to decontaminate the area from mines and unexploded ordnances, and to bring back normal life to people.” READ MORE: ‘US anti-ISIS Mosul operation will likely take an entire year’ – former Pentagon official However, it’s not only civilians who are under constant threat in both Iraq and Syria, the ICRC president acknowledged. “I must say that I have to appreciate the efforts which have been taken by the Kurdish Peshmerga, by the Iraqi government to ensure that civilians, civilian infrastructure and medical facilities are protected. But of course this is not necessarily the case on all sides of the frontlines,” he said, adding that medical workers do not always enjoy safety and respect. Commenting on an incident in which two medics in Syria were killed in December when a Russian mobile hospital in Aleppo was bombed by rebels, the Red Cross chief said that his organization felt “sorry and expressed condolences” to the Russian personnel that had suffered in the attack. Follow RT ✔@RT_com West stays silent on Russian hospital bombing in Aleppohttp://on.rt.com/7wxu 9:46 PM - 5 Dec 2016 Moscow slams West for staying silent on Russian hospital bombing — RT News The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized western leaders after none appeared to condemn the shelling of a mobile Russian hospital by militants in Syria. Two Russian medics were killed after around... rt.com 181 Retweets 91 likes “Our position has been clear in principle, whether it is in Syria [or] in any other place of the world – medical facilities in conflict absolutely need to be protected. Of course we condemn many attacks on medical facilities, wherever they happen. It is essential that doctors and medical facilities can operate in conflict, and can protect people and assist with medical services in a neutral and impartial way,” Maurer told RT. On Tuesday, the UN’s humanitarian aid agency, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced that some 1,000 people per day fled the fighting in Mosul last week. Since the beginning of operation against Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) in October of last year, some 135,000 people have fled the Iraqi city, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters, adding that the UN agency and its partners have no access to or information about some areas in Mosul that are controlled by the jihadists. There are “increasing humanitarian concerns for the wellbeing of civilians in these areas,” he said, as quoted by AP. (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 1/12/2017 10:54:39 AM
	Mentally disturbed defendant 'repeatedly slits his own throat' in Wales courtroom RT Wed, 11 Jan 2017 16:55 UTC © Paul Hackett / Reuters A man who was waiting to be sentenced for a sex attack at Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court in Wales started "slashing" his own throat while standing in the dock on Wednesday. Lukasz Robert Pawlowski, 33, had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault by grabbing and kissing a shop assistant, according to the BBC. Pawlowski was appearing for sentencing on Wednesday morning when the incident happened. He has been taken to a Swansea hospital by air ambulance. His condition is not known. A Western Telegraph reporter, who was at court and saw the incident, told the newspaper: "He came into the dock, then asked to go to the toilet. "He went out, came back, muttered something, and then started slashing at his throat. "The courtroom was then cleared out, and first aid was given by paramedics in the dock. "I'm not sure if he lost consciousness, but he did lose a lot of blood." It is unclear where and how Pawlowski gained access to the weapon, or what kind of object he used. The court complex has airport-style security scanners and guards in place at all entrances. Dyfed-Powys Police told the BBC: "Officers attended and found an injured man at the scene, who was receiving treatment by paramedics. "He has been conveyed to Morriston Hospital by air ambulance. The extent of his injuries are unknown at this time. The court has been closed in order for inquiries to take place. "Police are not looking to speak to anyone else in connection with this incident at this time." (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 1/12/2017 5:00:37 PM
	READY FOR WAR US Army moves 2,500 tanks, trucks and military vehicles into Europe in the biggest troop transfer since the Cold War Troops arrive to respond to Russian aggression in the region after annexation of Crimea in 2014 BY TOM GILLESPIE 11th January 2017, 3:57 pm THOUSANDS of heavily armoured US military vehicles have arrived in Germany to respond to Russian aggression in Europe. The military brigade of 3,500 troops is the largest to be deployed to the continent since the end of the Cold War. EPA Two convoys of 20 vehicles have been photographed heading to Poland from Germany today EPA Vehicles and troops are being deployed to Poland after the US promised a heavier armed presence in the region EPA The largest US military brigade since the end of the Cold War arrived in Bremerhaven in northern Germany on Saturday EPA The US is seeking to reassure its NATO allies that it will respond to Russian aggression EPA 40 vehicles across two separate convoys are on their way to Poland More than 2,500 military vehicles make up the US Army’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team which arrived at a port in Bremerhaven, northern Germany on Saturday, UPI reports. Two convoys of 20 vehicles were pictured leaving Brueck near Lehnin in Germany today heading to Poland. They spent the night 80km from Berlin. Troops will also deployed to Romania, Bulgaria and across the Baltics. The US promised a heavier armed presence in Eastern Europe after Vladimir Putin's Russia annexed Crimea in the Ukraine in 2014. They are now seeking to reassure NATO allies they will respond to any Russian aggression in the region. The US army has deployed troops to Europe for decades but the numbers had dropped in recent months as soldiers were rotated out of the continent and not replaced. EPA The front windows of a enormous US military truck read 'Sgt Mosley' and 'SPC Rios' EPA German Lieutenant colonel Uwe Nowitzki, right, meets US Sergeant Major Montego White outside the Germany army compound in Brueck EPA The US wants to show it will respond to Russian aggression in Europe The Pentagon now plans to keep the full deployment in Europe and immediately replace those returning after their 9-month stays. The troops will meet in Poland and will eventually be stationed there. They will also be deployed to Romania, Bulgaria, Germany and across the Baltics. The US troops will carry out training exercises with NATO forces once there. EPA Troops will be deployed to Poland as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, and across the Baltics EPA The convoy stayed overnight roughly 80km from Berlin and headed for Poland this morning EPA The heavily armed vehicles are deployed as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve - a response to Russia's annexation of Crimea EPA The military vehicles will likely bring comfort to the USA's NATO allies in Europe EPA The 2,500-strong military brigade is the largest US deployment to Europe since the end of the Cold War (THE SUN)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 1/12/2017 5:40:33 PM
	UK adoption of US drone assassination model ‘shocking’ – campaigners Published time: 11 Jan, 2017 12:52 Edited time: 12 Jan, 2017 14:16 An MQ-9 Reaper © Isaac Brekken / AFP Britain will look to the US drone assassination model as it seeks to update its own rules of war, a move campaigners say is deeply concerning. Sir Jeremy Wright QC, the government’s senior lawyer, will give a speech on the law as it relates to targeted killing. Wright will speak at the International Institute for Strategic Studies on Wednesday. The key issue which he is expected to address is that of ‘imminence’ – the circumstances required to legitimate a pre-emptive strike – and the potential for collateral damage – killing civilians – in order to ‘save’ lives elsewhere. Read more Drone ‘kill list’ could leave MPs, military & spies ‘facing murder charges’ Wright is expected to insist that the threshold for deadly action and for collateral damage are not being lowered, but rather brought up to date. “So we really want to see the principles [of pre-emptive self-defense] that the US have already adopted, which we think strikes the right balance of all the different factors,” he will say according to a draft of the speech seen by the Guardian newspaper. “[The Al-Qaeda attack on the US in] 2001 was a big leap forward and I think it’s important that international law also takes a big leap. The threat now is different again … [but] we are not lowering the threshold [for authorizing attacks].” Wright will cite a series of tests devised by another government lawyer, Sir Daniel Bethlehem, to assess the legal basis for deadly military violence. This is used to weigh the pros versus cons of a potential strike, including in terms of damage to people or property, and the potential for a better opportunity to strike presenting itself at some point in the future. He will say that the current system of pre-emption dates back to an 1837 incident when British troops seized an American ship off the coast of Canada. “If we are trying to define ‘imminence’ in relation to a test that was developed in the 1840s, we are going to struggle,” Wright told the Guardian ahead of his speech. He said the nature of threat had changed vastly since then and that the UK wanted to update its rules of engagement in this respect. He will also say that the UK is a “world leader in promoting, defending and shaping international law.” Critics of drone warfare, however, fear that the move towards the American model is a dangerous one. “The UK has been working hand-in-glove with the US on developing drone warfare so while this move is shocking it’s not surprising,” Chris Cole of the Drone War campaign group told RT on Wednesday. “It’s likely that we will see Obama’s ‘Terror Tuesday’ style meetings now take place in the UK, conducted presumably by a sub-committee of the National Security Council, where a list of overseas suspects will be regularly reviewed, with some of them then placed on a ‘kill list’ for dispatch by UK drones.” Cole also pointed out that the UK had already killed under the banner of imminence, arguing that “the drone killing of Reyaad Khan in August 2015 may have been the UK’s first targeted killing outside of a warzone – but it’s unlikely to be the last.” (RT)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Menu

Forums

Pack of lies: Demolishing the 35-page report alleging Trump's 'Russian cultivation'

‘Protection of civilian population biggest challenge in Mosul’ – Red Cross chief to RT

Moscow slams West for staying silent on Russian hospital bombing — RT News

Mentally disturbed defendant 'repeatedly slits his own throat' in Wales courtroom

US Army moves 2,500 tanks, trucks and military vehicles into Europe in the biggest troop transfer since the Cold War

UK adoption of US drone assassination model ‘shocking’ – campaigners

Like us on Facebook!