Russia’s State Duma unanimously adopted bill late January, which seeks to seize property of those who 'discredit' security forces | Russian President Dictator Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a law adopted by the parliament in late January to seize the property of those who “discredit” the security forces. The law, published on the government portal, amends Russia’s Criminal Code and expands the list of crimes for which the confiscation of one’s property may be provided, including knowingly disseminating "false information" about the country's security forces. ● The law refers to crimes committed specifically "for selfish reasons", and calls for the confiscation of a convicted person’s money, valuables, or other property that they received because of committing a crime or used for activities directed against "Russia’s security". The Russian State Duma, the lower house of the country’s parliament, adopted the bill unanimously during a session on Jan. 31 in the second and third readings.

■ Putin signs law on confiscation of property for disseminating fake news about Russian army (TASS)

■ EDITOR: This is a Russia we can no longer support. Vague concepts like 'discredit', 'false information', and this one: 'for selfish reasons' (that's a good one) are unacceptable in a democracy. — Extraordinary! And of course the traditional one, 'Russia's security'. The group mind behind a parliament adopting something like this unanimously certainly is scary, and would indicate a final goodbye to democratic ideals. ● Now there's a military dictatorship in Russia, one with a civilian façade. — A captive president and a totalitarian parliament. A war state. ● This certainly doesn't bode well for the future. From here on, it is a race to the bottom. One is reminded of William Butler Yeats' remarkable poem "The Second Coming": "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold." — Darkness is indeed falling on this world. (AWIP, 02/14/24)

“The Israeli Knesset approves a bill that would make denying or 'downplaying' the Israeli October 7 story punishable by up to 5 years in prison,” the Palestinian Quds News Network reported. | “The approved bill is one of three bills that include the expulsion of families of Palestinians who resist, imprisonment for those who deny Israel's October 7 narrative, and compensation for the infamous ZAKA organization.” The ZAKA unit is known for pushing the most ridiculous horror propaganda about Hamas beheading babies and cutting the baby out of a pregnant woman's womb. [...] No doubt they want to use this law to jail journalists from Haaretz and other Israeli news organizations, who have debunked much of the atrocity propaganda Israel spread after October 7. The Times of Israel published an article last week arguing that questioning Israeli narratives about October 7 is a form of “Holocaust denial” and urging that Big Tech should do more to clamp down on such “unacceptable” statements censor.

The Netherlands has concerns about data security on Meta’s social media platform | The Dutch government may ban public servants from using Facebook due to concerns over data security on the platform, De Telegraaf newspaper reported on Monday. Digitalization Minister Alexandra van Huffelen told the outlet that a formal report on the issue was pending. ● She said the government had long-standing reservations about how Meta, the social network’s US parent company, handles sensitive user information. Last November, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) was asked to advise whether government officials should be using Facebook. It is expected to issue a response soon, added van Huffelen. ● Sources told De Telegraaf that a memo imposing a ban was already being prepared after Dutch officials considered Meta’s reaction to their concerns to be inadequate. Preparations are being made at government level to disengage the platform, the report claimed.

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) | As you know, the Western world has long been patronizing and financially supporting our so-called non-systemic opposition in every possible way. For example, the bastard extremist Navalny and his comrades. And the whole colorful coterie of glamorous oppositionists, who have scattered over the past decades like plague rats to Western countries and shit on any occasion. Among them are outright freaks, like the schizoid ex-chess player Kasparov, who belongs in a psychiatric clinic. And Khodorkovsky's gang, which has matured over the years of criminal activity, consisting of born thieves and murderers, organizes meetings of oppositionists of all stripes for the money stolen in Russia. And a new, very young generation of various freaks, who put on the uniforms of Khokhlonazis to organize terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia. And their intellectual servants from among the scoundrels from literature, for whom the ice axe of the new Ramon Mercader is crying. ■ Why did I bring up our "non-systemists" for all their disgusting squalor? Here's why. There is a non-systemic opposition in the West as well. True, it is not wretched and venal, but much more reasonable and decent. It does not wish for the death of its Fatherland, like the fugitive Russian detractors, but sees a new way of developing. It is different: both left and right. Each with its own national program that opposes American globalism. It exists in every EU country and even across the ocean. There is already such opposition in national parliaments and in the European Parliament, where elections will be held soon. ■ Undoubtedly, the new politicians are much more adequate and motivated than the fat cats from traditional Western parties. This, still irregular, opposition today clearly sees all the vices of the current liberal globalism and the Pindostanocentric world order. And our task is to support such politicians and their parties in the West in every possible way, helping them apertum et secretum to achieve decent results in the elections. Some of them will turn from non-systemic oppositionists into a new part of the political establishment. And their accession to state governance can radically improve the political landscape in the Western world. This is why they are so feared by the cunning intellectual castrati leading the old political forces in Europe and across the ocean, as well as by the sexless, rainbow-haired sleuths who are now at the helm of many Western countries. And not without reason. Lao Tzu said that "the flexible and weak overpower the hard and strong". (DeepL + LanguageTool)

Tarik Cyril Amar | Steadfast Defender 2024, the bloc’s largest exercise in decades, is not only about military cohesion – it’s about selling war to the people | NATO has launched its largest exercise since the Cold War ended. Steadfast Defender 2024 will last several months and involve about 90,000 troops, over 50 naval vessels, 1,100 ground vehicles (including at least 133 tanks and 533 armored troop carriers), and 80 aircraft of various kinds (planes, helicopters, and drones). ● All 31 alliance members will participate, as will Sweden, which is in the process of joining. However, it’s not only a matter of numbers and duration. The massive event is also special for two more reasons, one fairly straightforward, the other more complicated and worthy of serious scrutiny. ● The more complicated issue is that the exercise was preceded by a veritable onslaught of propaganda - or in up-to-date NATO-speak, cognitive warfare. One dead give-away that this has been deliberate is that the Western think tank/information-war platform the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is already accusing Russia of engaging in “an information operation to misrepresent” the purely “defensive” Steadfast Defender.

Moscow has previously dismissed claims that it plans to strike NATO as “complete nonsense” | Germany should be ready to respond to a possible Russian attack, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned. He said that to prepare for such a scenario, Germany and its NATO allies must commit to strengthening their military capabilities. [...] The German tabloid Bild reported earlier this month, citing a classified document, that Germany is preparing for a scenario in which Russia launches an “open attack” on NATO in mid-2025, following major victories in Ukraine. Moscow mocked the prediction as a “zodiac forecast.” ● Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed claims that Russia could attack NATO as “complete nonsense,” arguing that Moscow has “no geopolitical, economic… or military interest” in doing so. Still, the Kremlin has for decades voiced concerns about the US-led military bloc’s expansion towards Russian borders, viewing it as an existential threat.

The death toll from Ukraine's January 21 shelling of a market in Donetsk has soared to 27. The attack – slammed by Moscow as a barbaric terrorist act against Russia's civilian population - left 25 more injured. | Western leaders have remained tight­-lipped on the Kiev regime’s deadly terrorist attack against Donetsk on Sunday, with many mainstream media headlines only mentioning the very fact of the event without singling out who was behind the tragedy. ● On Sunday, Ukrainian troops shelled Donetsk’s Kirovsky district, a busy area with markets and shops, which are full of people, especially on weekends. It left 27 civilians killed and 25 more injured. ● The BBC went so far as to cite a “Ukrainian army group operating in the region” as saying that they “did not carry out the attack” – despite the fact that Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, confirmed that Ukrainian troops used 152mm and 155mm artillery systems during the shelling. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was the only official who decisively denounced Ukraine’s shelling attack on Donetsk.

■ ‘Barbaric attack using Western arms’ – Moscow decries Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk (01/22/24)

Firebrand Israeli parliamentarian says in Israel 'there is an assault on freedom of speech of those who raise voice against the war' | Member of Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party argues 'region will explode’ if Israel does not get rid of Netanyahu's 'terrible government. Says he supports ICJ genocide case for impartial investigation of Gaza bombardment; save lives. Terms efforts to expel him from parliament 'persecution and silencing' of those who support peace. ● In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Anadolu, Cassif said rejection of Israel's military response has led to "an assault on freedom of speech," including death threats. 💬 “People are arrested for tweets and posts, not in support of Hamas, of course, but in supporting ending the war, or before even cease-fire. Students are suspended from the universities and colleges. People are fired from their workplaces. The police are brutally violent towards the demonstrators,” Cassif said. ● “There is an assault on freedom of speech of those who raise voice against the war ... there are death threats. Because it's not only violence from above, from the government from the prime minister, legitimization of the violence against the protesters, of course by [Itamar] Ben Gvir (national security minister) and the police, which unfortunately mostly became a kind of a private militia of Ben Gvir. But it also penetrates the society as a whole. And you can see that within the society, a growing a part of the public supports, literally and explicitly, violence against those who oppose the war, including death threats." Cassif said everyone will pay a "huge price" and the entire "region is going to explode" if Israel does not get rid of the "terrible government" headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A note explaining the retraction of the claim that Hamas militants had specific orders as to “which commander should rape which soldiers” indicates the publication censored itself at the behest of the Israeli government. | The Washington Post has quietly removed an outlandish claim by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that Hamas battle plans included specific instructions on which Israeli troops should be raped during their October 7 incursion. ● In the original article, which was published on November 12 and promoted as a Washington Post “exclusive,” Gallant is quoted as telling the outlet: “We know from interrogations that Hamas came in with detailed plans of their attack, including which commander should rape which soldiers in different places.” A day later, the allegation disappeared from the piece, which had been amended to include the following “correction”: 💬 “A previous version of this article included a quote from Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that was not authorized for publication. The quote has been removed.” The act of self-censorship was seemingly first spotted by a social media user who suggested that the embarrassing incident was the result of what they described as “the Israeli way” of propaganda: “Privately lying to a journalist to shape her coverage, then scrambling to correct the record when the journalist accidentally prints the lies you told her in confidence.”

Call your representative and tell them to support H.Res. 934 | A resolution introduced in the House last month calls for the US to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for journalism that exposed US war crimes. ● The bill, introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, are protected under the First Amendment and that the federal government should drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”

From Jeremy Corbyn, WikiLeaks, Afshin Rattansi, Max Blumenthal, Jonathan Cook, Scott Ritter, Vijay Prashad, Glenn Greenwald, Tariq Ali, Matt Kennard and Roger Waters. | Meanwhile, the U.S. mainstream media is so far silent on Pilger’s passing. The New York Times on Monday ran an obit on the comedian Shecky Greene but not a word on Pilger, who wrote several opinion pieces for the Times.

■ Investigative journalist John Pilger dies aged 84. (12/31/23)

Larry Johnson | CTIL Files #1: US And UK Military Contractors Created Sweeping Plan For Global Censorship In 2018, New Documents Show. Michael Shellenberger, Alex Gutentag and Matt Taibbi produced a blockbuster report on November 28 that I neglected to cover at the time. My bad. The report exposes a genuine conspiracy — i.e., the Censorship Industrial Complex aka CIC. It is not a theory. It is a fact. | There is an active partnership between the U.S. Government’s security and intelligence agencies and the private sector that is engaged in information warfare against the American people. Michael Shellenberger provided a succinct explanation of this conspiracy in his written testimony to the U.S. Congress. The CIC is the mechanism that this combination of private and public entities are using to fabricate lies about a whole host of issues, such as the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump inciting an insurrection and Israel fighting terrorists who behead babies.

Investigative journalist John Pilger has died aged 84, his family has announced. | The Australia-born documentary maker was known for his work covering the aftermath of Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia and also looked into the Thalidomide scandal along with his war correspondent work. A statement to his X, formerly Twitter, page on Sunday said: "It is with great sadness the family of John Pilger announce he died yesterday 30 December 2023 in London aged 84.

■ Legendary journalist John Pilger dies aged 84 (EuroNews)
■ The World Has Lost John Pilger (Consortium News)
■ Crusading journalist John Pilger always backed the underdog (Sydney Morning Herald)
■ John Pilger, “Giant of Campaigning Journalism, has Died. (Patricia Harrity)

Officers interrogated Kit Klarenberg for five hours about his political views and reporting | Journalist Kit Klarenberg, a UK citizen, was detained by British authorities and grilled on his political reporting and alleged ties with Russia, Grayzone reported on Wednesday. ● Klarenberg, who has written for numerous outlets including RT, and is known for his exposes of dark British and US intelligence service secrets, often using leaked or unclassified documents, was reportedly approached by six plain-clothes counter-terror officers immediately after his plane touched down in London’s Luton airport earlier this month. He was traveling from Belgrade, Serbia, where he currently resides. ● Grayzone reports that the journalist was then escorted to a room where police confiscated all his electronic devices, bank cards, camera memory cards and sims, took his fingerprints and DNA, took photographs and subjected him to a five-hour long interrogation, threatening arrest if he refused to cooperate.

Steve Kirsch | They can't get their facts straight. They never bother to check the hand-waving arguments that they get if they match the narrative | Executive summary – Another day, another flawed fact check. This one comes with a bonus about Professor Jeffrey Morris. Morris told the reporter that it is OK to download and analyze the New Zealand data, but not OK to talk about it. I thought I had heard it all, but that’s a new one! OK, so if no honest scientist is allowed to talk about this data, then how the heck can the fact checker say my analysis is flawed?? A head scratcher for sure!!! So let’s refute the fact check first, then we’ll have some fun with Professor Morris for dessert.

■ FDA forced to release documents admitting they knew COVID vaccines caused heart inflammation (L. D. Johnson)

“Today you will get to see the data that nobody wants you to see. FINALLY. No State or country has ever released record-level public health data on any vaccine.” (Steve Kirsch) | Executive summary: Today you will get to see the data that nobody wants you to see. FINALLY. No State or country has ever released record-level public health data on any vaccine. Privacy is not the reason for this; the data can be easily obfuscated (which we did on this data) so that no record entry would match that of any person, living or dead. The reason the data is kept secret is simple: it would expose the fact that the COVID vaccines are unsafe, as well as all the vaccines that I have been able to get record-level data on. Today, thanks to a courageous whistleblower who works at the New Zealand Ministry of Health, we have record-level information from a large population of all ages and are making it public for the first time in history.

■ New Zealand ARRESTS Government Database Admin for Revealing 24% DEATH RATE for certain COVID Vaccine Batches (12/03/23)

This statistician and whistleblower, Barry Young, 56, has been arrested by New Zealand authorities for exposing this data:

Mr. Young examined connections between specific COVID-19 vaccine batches and mortality rates. What he found was alarming:

Batch ID 1: Total Vaccinated 711,… pic.twitter.com/BjU2fJs726

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) December 3, 2023

Israel killed more journalists in Gaza in 7 weeks than all 20 YEARS of the Vietnam war & all 6 years of World War II

63 journalists killed in Vietnam by both sides
69 killed in World War II by all parties
70 killed in Gaza by Israel alone pic.twitter.com/g8pC0pPFu7

— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) November 28, 2023

Local lawmakers have condemned the slogan as “racist poison” and an effort to “create fear” among immigrants | Police in Northern Ireland have launched a hate crime probe after graffiti reading “Irish lives matter” was left on a wall in Belfast, a phrase thought to reflect anti-immigrant sentiment following several similar incidents in the area. ● Local authorities confirmed the vandalism in west Belfast on Wednesday, with police inspector Andrew Matson saying the graffiti and other anti-immigrant signage would be treated as “hate” incidents.

■ Irish government asked social media to censor posts during Dublin riots (RT.com)
■ Ireland needs all her sons and daughters to stand up 🇮🇪 (11/29/23)
■ Irish Lives Matter som hatbrott (Joakim Andersen)

The owner of X (formerly Twitter) is visiting Israel amid accusations of facilitating anti-Semitism | Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), is set to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss tackling anti-Jewish sentiments on social media, the office of the President of Israel confirmed on Sunday. During the meeting on Monday, they will be joined by Israelis whose family members have been taken hostage by Hamas during the militant group's deadly attack on Israel last month. “In their meeting, the president will emphasize the need to act to combat rising anti-Semitism online,” [antipathy against Israel's killing of innocent civilians] Herzog’s office said, as cited by Reuters. The entrepreneur has yet to confirm the visit. ● The Tesla CEO will also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, according to Israel's Channel 12, may even tour Israeli settlements along the Gaza border, in what critics claim is an attempt to salvage his public image [as a child-killer].

■ Musk backs Israeli assault on Gaza (RT.com)

"Our quality, investigative journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more." For over twenty years, Media Lens has shown how false is this claim. | A new, significant example occurred just last week. On 15 November, the paper removed Osama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ which it had hosted on its website for almost 21 years. What was suddenly so problematic about the letter that it had to be abruptly removed by the Guardian after being on its website for so long (an archived version can be seen HERE)?

The Israeli occupation targets photojournalist Mohammad Ayyash in his home, killing him and his family in the overnight aggression that resulted in the death of hundreds of Palestinians. | Palestinian Wafa News Agency reported that photojournalist Mohammad Ayyash was martyred, along with a number of his family members, as a result of a raid carried out by the Israeli occupation that targeted his house in the Nuseirat camp, in the central Gaza Strip. ● In Gaza, martyr Ayyash is the latest of 63 other journalists that have also been martyred as a result of direct and deliberate Israeli raids in a clear genocidal policy aimed at assassinating the Palestinian narrative.

■ Remembering martyr Farah Omar in her hometown of Mashghara, West Bekaa (Al Mayadeen)

Talk about fisting while the city burns, or: the weirding of the Israeli-Hamas conflict has taken a new turn | Today, I have a particular gem for you, dear readers, which, above all, drives home one particularly awesome aspect of the psy-op side of the current uptick in violence in the Middle East: why are esp. LGBTQI+/- whatever alphabet soup members—among them, of course, the ‘queer’ and ‘trans’ being ‘the vanguard’ (in the original Leninist sense of the term, on which see below)—coming out strongly in favour of ‘the Palestinians’? I mean, they (pun intended) should probably try living a day in Gaza or any other Moslem country of their choice to figure out just how bad and stupid that combo actually is.

Ankara has condemned the “ugly attack” on a Turkish team working in East Jerusalem in which a camera was smashed | Reporters with a Turkish broadcaster have accused Israeli police of assaulting a member of their team, with footage of the incident appearing to show an officer smashing a journalist’s camera with the barrel of his rifle. Working for Türkiye’s TRT news outlet, the camera crew was reporting from East Jerusalem’s Old City, where Israeli security forces clashed with Palestinians near Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday.

■ “Israeli” Occupation Police Smash Journo’s Camera (Alahed News)
■ Israeli Soldier Throws Flash-Bang Grenade into Mosque – VIDEO (Hal Turner Show)