Dr. Patrick Slattery’s News Roundup
A service of DavidDuke.com
From Ynet News
European, Iraqi intelligence officials: ISIS has over 400 fighters in Europe
According to various European officials, ISIS has snuck in anywhere between 400-600 fighters into the continent; these fighters operate in autonomous cells, are highly trained, and have the ability to strike anywhere and at any time.
The Islamic State group has trained at least 400 fighters to target Europe in deadly waves of attacks, deploying interlocking terror cells like the ones that struck Brussels and Paris with orders to choose the time, place and method for maximum chaos, officials have told The Associated Press.
The network of agile and semiautonomous cells shows the reach of the extremist group in Europe even as it loses ground in Syria and Iraq.
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From PressTV
UNESCO chief welcomes push to liberate ancient Syrian city of Palmyra
Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova has hailed Syrian forces’ recent recapture of parts of the ancient city of Palmyra.
“I welcome the liberation of the Palmyra archeological site, … which carries the memory of the Syrian people, and the values of cultural diversity, tolerance and openness that have made this region a cradle of civilization,” Bokova said on Thursday, hours after Syrian armed forces entered Palmyra (Tadmur in Arabic) following fierce clashes with Daesh terrorists.
“For one year, Palmyra has been a symbol of the cultural cleansing plaguing the Middle East,” the UNESCO chief added.
Daesh captured the ruins of Palymra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the adjacent modern city in May 2015, destroying ancient monuments there, including the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and the iconic Arch of Triumph.
On Thursday, Syrian state television said government troops drove back Daesh militants and reached the “heart” of the city.
Army forces have retaken control of Palmyra’s hotel district as well as the farms situated west of the city.
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From PressTV
Israeli soldier executes injured Palestinian: Video
An Israeli soldier has been caught on video shooting a wounded Palestinian in the head in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) after he was injured over an alleged stabbing attack.
On Thursday, the human rights group, B’tselem, released the graphic footage taken by one of its members after two Palestinian youths were shot over allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier earlier in the day.
In the video, the wounded Palestinian can be seen lying on the ground after being initially shot by Israeli forces.
After about a minute, one of the Israeli troops raises his gun and shoots the man in the head, causing a surge of blood from the wound, which then stains the surrounding pavement.
“I heard gunshots, went outside my house to check what it was, and saw several Israeli soldiers yelling and two youths on the ground. A soldier approached one of the youths that was moving while yelling and opened fire at him from zero range,” a local witness was quoted by the Ma’an news agency as saying.
The second Palestinian succumbed to his wounds after being denied medical aid by the Israeli soldiers. The wounded Israeli was transferred to a hospital in al-Quds (Jerusalem) with minor stab wounds in the shoulder and hand.
Israel claims to have detained the soldier and launched an investigation into the incident.
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From PressTV
Daesh continues smuggling oil to Turkey: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the flow of oil smuggled by Daesh across the Syrian-Turkish border is continuing despite attacks on the terror group’s infrastructure, and the UN Security Council’s ban on the illegal trade.
“After our Aerospace Forces initiated the operation to terminate the illegal traffic, particularly of oil and oil products, from Syria … to Turkey, this traffic has decreased substantially,” Lavrov said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks during a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who visited Moscow to discuss Syria and other issues with Russian leaders.
“We insist on compliance with UN Security Council resolutions demanding to stop trade with Daesh and other terrorists just as resolutions demanding an end to the flow of foreign terrorists, gunmen via Turkish territory to Syria,” Lavrov added.
Moscow has repeatedly said it has evidence showing Turkey was involved in the smuggling of oil from areas held by Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Ankara has strongly rejected the allegation.
Last December, the Security Council adopted a resolution aimed at clogging up the revenue stream of Daesh. It threatened sanctions on parties buying oil from the terrorist group, and advised that countries resist its demands for ransom payments.
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From Russia Today
Foreigners in Ukrainian leadership are ‘humiliation’ – ex-Georgian prez turned Ukrainian governor
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 20:16
Governor of Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili (L) and U.S. Senator John McCain © Stringer / Reuters
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who was appointed as a governor in Ukraine and brought in several members of his Georgian team to take senior positions, says inviting a foreigner to lead the Ukrainian cabinet would be humiliating.
The statement, which sounds quite confusing coming from Saakashvili, was voiced by the disgraced Georgian head of state during an interview with TV channel 112 Ukraine on Wednesday, when he argued against replacing highly unpopular Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk with a foreigner reformist.
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From Russia Today
Turkey has ‘serious questions’ to answer: Reactions to RT report on post-ISIS town in Syria
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 18:45
Trucks with oil products cross the Syrian-Turkish border. © Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation / Sputnik
The stream of accusations is growing against Ankara over illegal oil trade and support of Islamic State, with politicians and experts calling for Turkey to be held accountable for its actions after a new batch of evidence gathered by RT.
Former UK ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, has described as “very convincing” a report aired by RT which features piles of oil accounting papers left behind by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters.
“There was plenty of evidence even before these latest – very damning – revelations that Turkey was up to its neck in support for collaboration with Islamic State,” he said.
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From Russia Today
Syrian Army ‘1km away’ from taking Palmyra from ISIS – military sources to RT
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 10:16
© Mikhail Voskresenskiy / Sputnik
Bolstered by Russian-made weapons, the Syrian Army is on the verge of taking back the historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State, which has occupied it since last May, according to RT’s sources within the command of the government forces.
“The army is less than 1km from the citadel, which means that the Syrian government is within hours of retaking the city,” Alaa Ebrahim, a Syrian journalist, told RT after talking with a high-ranking officer. “Once they control the castle, retaking Palmyra will be a formality.”
The government has been advancing from three directions in recent days, and despite sending reinforcements to the symbolic stronghold, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) began broadcasting messages through loudspeakers in the city, urging sympathetic civilians to flee.
The counter-offensive had been supported by Russian airstrikes, and Ebrahim said Russian weapons were also making a difference on the ground.
“This battle witnessed the use of new communication devices and artillery units in the Syrian Army that have been supplied by Russia, and I have seen with my own eyes that these weapons are making a substantial difference, ensuring greater accuracy and superior firepower than ISIS is capable of.”
Palmyra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, formerly known for housing some of the best-preserved monuments of antiquity anywhere in the world. Since capturing it, the jihadists have blown up the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, and the Arch of Triumph, and have used the Roman-era amphitheater for filmed public executions.
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From Russia Today
Brussels terrorists planned nuclear plants attack, changed target after accomplice’s arrest – report
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 07:47
General view of the Tihange nuclear plant of Electrabel, the Belgian unit of French company Engie, former GDF Suez, in Tihange, Belgium. © Francois Lenoir / Reuters
Brussels suicide bombers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui were planning attacks on Belgian nuclear power stations, Dernier Heure newspaper has reported.
The newspaper exclusively reported that the arrest of Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam accelerated the plans of the terrorists.
The brothers planted a hidden camera in front of the home of the director of the Belgian nuclear research program, the paper said.
Evidence obtained by the authorities shows that the same terrorist cell was behind the Paris attacks in November that killed more than 130 people and this week’s Brussels bombings, which claimed the lives of 31 people and injured over 270, the paper wrote.
The footage with “dozens of hours” of the movements of Belgium’s nuclear boss was seized during an anti-terrorist raid in the apartment of another suspect belonging to the same terror cell, Mohammed Bakkali.
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From The Independent
Prospect of Isis obtaining nuclear weapons ‘obviously a concern’, says Defence Secretary
The prospect of Isis or another terror group with the “technical know-how” obtaining nuclear weapons is “obviously a concern”, the Defence Secretary has said, as the Government considered its response to the deadly terror attacks in Brussels.
Michael Fallon stressed the importance of ensuring terror groups could not “get their hands on nuclear weapons” and said the UK was doing its part by maintaining strict export controls on the necessary technology.
Responding to questions following a speech on the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons system, Mr Fallon said: “It is obviously a concern that we will see non-state actors with the finance and perhaps some of the technical know-how seeking to get hold of nuclear weapons.
From Russia Today
New Syrian constitution by August: Russia, US push for political solutions at Moscow talks
Published time: 25 Mar, 2016 03:16
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands following a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 24, 2016. © Andrew Harnik / Reuters
Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and the US’ John Kerry agreed to push for a political transition in Syria by having a new draft constitution ready by August. The Kremlin-hosted talks revealed a softer, more cooperative tone on Syria, as well as Ukraine.
The discussions lasted over four hours and involved Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and US Ambassador to Russia John F. Tefft.
“We agreed on a target schedule for establishing a framework for a political transition [in Syria] and also a draft constitution, both of which we targeted by August,” Kerry told journalists at a joint news conference with Lavrov following the meeting.
Lavrov also said that both parties had agreed to use their influence to push the Syrian government to engage in “direct talks” with the opposition in order to accelerate discussions on a political transition that could help end Syria’s civil war.
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From The Independent
Saudi Arabia to freeze oil output without Iran, Opec delegate reveals
- Saudi Arabia had previously said any deal was contigent on Iran taking part Reuters
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
UN council approves database of Israel settlement trading partners
(JTA) — The United Nations Human Rights Council approved the creation of a database of companies that do business in areas under Israeli occupation.
The resolution passed with no votes against on Thursday; 32 nations voted in favor and 15 abstained.
The database will include companies operating in eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, as well as those in Jewish settlements of the West Bank, the Times of Israel reported.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Expected UN appointee has history of anti-Israel bias, Canadian Jewish groups say
TORONTO (JTA) — The expected appointment of a Canadian law professor seen as strongly anti-Israel to a top U.N. position is coming under fire.
Jewish groups and Canada’s main opposition party say Michael Lynk, who was expected to be confirmed Thursday as the Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, has exhibited a long-held and public anti-Israel bias. The council was expected to accept the appointment without a vote.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said Lynk, a law professor at Western University in Ontario, “has been significantly involved in anti-Israel advocacy in Canada.” The group cited Lynk signing anti-Israel petitions, calling for Israel to be prosecuted for war crimes, accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing, addressing conferences promoting one state, and serving as a leader of a group that promotes Israel Apartheid Week.
“We strongly denounce the appointment of Michael Lynk to this role,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO of CIJA. “Despite the specific requirement that candidates for the position demonstrate impartiality and objectivity, Mr. Lynk has a long record of involvement with anti-Israel initiatives and has repeatedly made public statements that demonstrate hostility towards Israel.”
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Netanyahu condemns lawmaker who said Reform Jews are destroying Jewish people
(JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned comments by Israeli lawmakers who accused Reform Jews of trying to destroy the Jewish people.
“Wholesale and ad hominem attacks on any part of the Jewish people are inappropriate and unacceptable,” Netanyahu said Thursday, according to the Jewish Post.
On Wednesday, Yigal Guetta, a lawmaker from the Orthodox Sephardic party Shas, compared Reform Jews to Haman, the villain of the Purim holiday, which is being celebrated Thursday.
“Haman thought he could destroy, slay and exterminate the Jews for only one reason — because Jews were spread and divided among the nations. That division is a tragedy,” Guetta said.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
U of California regents approve statements on anti-Semitism, ‘anti-Semitic forms of Zionism’
(JTA) — The University of California’s Board of Regents voted to adopt a statement condemning anti-Semitic behavior and an accompanying report that urges campus leaders to confront “anti-Semitic forms of anti-Zionism.”
Thursday’s vote, reported by San Francisco’s CBS Local, came a day after a committee of the governing board voted unanimously to send the “Statement of Principles Against Intolerance” and accompanying report to the full board.
The document had been in the works for months and drawn strongly divergent responses over plans to include anti-Zionism as a form of discrimination. Some pro-Israel groups said the inclusion was necessary to protect Jewish students, while others said it was wrong to declare criticism of a political ideology to be a form of discrimination.
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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Microsoft pulls tweeting robot after it expresses admiration for Hitler
TayTweets’ Twitter photo. (Twitter)(JTA) — Microsoft put the brakes on its artificial intelligence tweeting robot after it posted several offensive comments, including “Hitler was right I hate the jews.”
The so-called chatbot TayTweets was launched by the Seattle-based software company on Wednesday as an experiment in artificial intelligence, or AI, and conversational understanding. But the company was forced to quickly pause the account and delete the vast majority of its tweets after the chatbot posted a number of offensive comments, including several that were admiring of Adolf Hitler.
Along with “Hitler was right I hate the jews,” among other offending tweets, according to the International Business Times, were “Bush did 9/11 and Hitler would have done a better job than the monkey we have now. Donald Trump is the only hope we’ve got.”
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From PressTV
UN envoy sets April 9 as Syria talks target date
The UN special envoy for Syria has designated April 9 as the “target date” for the resumption of indirect talks between the Syrian government and so-called opposition to resolve the crisis in the war-torn Arab country.
During a press conference at the end of the latest round of Syria talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday, Staffan de Mistura said his target date to reconvene the negotiations is from April 9, adding, however, that some may turn up as late as April 14.
The Syrian government had asked the talks talks to resume after April 13 as it plans to hold scheduled parliamentary elections in government-held parts of Syria on that date.
The talks will start “at least” on April 9 “but if people want to come on the 13th or 14th they are warmly welcome,” the UN envoy said.
“I am expecting and hoping … that the next round of talks will not be focusing on principles again – we have had enough of that – there are many valid points there, but we have to start focusing on the political process,” de Mistura said.
He said that neither of the sides had refused a document he had drawn up with common guiding principles to underpin the talks.
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From Russia Today
Putin trolls Kerry, says he brought money ‘to haggle with’ (VIDEO)
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 20:55
March 24, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Moscow. © Sergey Guneev / Sputnik
Russia’s president is curious as to why US Secretary of State John Kerry has to carry his own luggage. Amused that there seems to be no one to help him, Putin cracked a joke, hinting that America’s top diplomat may have brought money “to haggle with.”
“But today when I saw the footage of you going down the plane and carrying your luggage I was a bit upset… On the one hand, it’s quite a democratic way of conduct, but on the other hand, I thought, probably, the situation in the United States is not that good. There is no one to assist the Secretary of State carry his luggage,” Putin said.
“Then I thought there was something in that briefcase of yours you couldn’t trust anyone else with. Probably you brought some money to haggle with on key matters”.
John Kerry said he would reveal the secret of his briefcase’s contents later, promising that it would be a surprise.
“When we have a private moment, I’ll show you what’s in that briefcase. And I think you’ll be surprised. Pleasantly.”
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From Russia Today
Anti-migrant group ‘Soldiers of Odin’ expands street patrols to Sweden
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 17:58
Members of the anti-immigrant group Soldiers of Odin Estonia © Ints Kalnins / Reuters
The far-right, anti-migrant vigilante group “Soldiers of Odin” has expanded its presence to Sweden after gaining popularity in Finland, Estonia and Norway. The group was established in response to the European refugee crisis.
Soldiers of Odin made its Swedish vigilante debut in the province of Dalarna last weekend, patrolling the towns of Borlange, Hedemora, and Säter, Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported. It was later spotted in Stockholm.
The group has about 100 full members in Sweden and nearly 5,000 supporters, spokesman Mikael Johansson told Avesta Tidning newspaper.
Sweden is the fourth country to be ‘patrolled’ by Soldiers of Odin, which was created in late 2015. But although the group says it is protecting its chosen locations against “immigrant violence,” it has been accused of being a front for a Nazi organization – a claim which Johansson denies.
“Violent crime is rampaging, while police resources are on the decline. Before they get together any more resources, we help them the best we can,” he said.
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From Russia Today
War crimes tribunal to pass judgement on Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic
Published time: 24 Mar, 2016 01:30
Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic. © Michael Kooren / Reuters
A UN war crimes tribunal is to announce its verdict in the case of Radovan Karadzic, the Serbs’ leader in Bosnia during the 1990s civil war. Arrested in 2008 accused of genocide, Karadzic insists he wasn’t complicit in atrocities like the Srebrenica massacre.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted Karadzic on a total of 11 charges, including two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity, and four counts of violations of the laws or customs of war that were allegedly committed during the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
After an almost five-year trial, the verdict is one of the most anticipated in the history of the tribunal, which was established at the insistence of the US in 1993. Proponents of the court hope the decision will bring some closure to what was arguably the darkest chapter of the Balkans’ modern history.
As the supreme commander of the Bosnian Serb Army at the time, Karadzic is accused of being responsible for numerous sniper and artillery attacks on the population of Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, during its 44-month siege.
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