Forget COVID, Global Oligarchs Are Now Rehearsing For A ‘Cyber Pandemic’

A pandemic of black-hat cyber attacks against critical infrastructure would necessitate mandated and authenticated digital IDs for every person on earth prior to being allowed Internet privileges. Secondly, emergency shutdowns would cause economic chaos.

This is a critical article to read and digest. It isn’t an easy read. However, if you were caught by surprise by the COVID panic/pandemic narrative, this is a clear warning of what could come next.

Technocrats of the world are lowering the boom to capture the planet for the Great Reset, aka Technocracy. ⁃ TN Editor

Last year, the World Economic Forum teamed up with the Russian government and global banks to run a high-profile cyberattack simulation that targeted the financial industry, an actual event that would pave the way for a “reset” of the global economy. The simulation, named Cyber Polygon, may have been more than a typical planning exercise and bears similarities to the WEF-sponsored pandemic simulation Event 201 that briefly preceded the COVID-19 crisis.

On Wednesday, the World Economic Forum (WEF), along with Russia’s Sberbank and its cybersecurity subsidiary BI.ZONE announced that a new global cyberattack simulation would take place this coming July to instruct participants in “developing secure ecosystems” by simulating a supply-chain cyberattack similar to the recent SolarWinds hack that would “assess the cyber resilience” of the exercise’s participants. On the newly updated event website, the simulation, called Cyber Polygon 2021, ominously warns that, given the digitalization trends largely spurred by the COVID-19 crisis, “a single vulnerable link is enough to bring down the entire system, just like the domino effect,” adding that “a secure approach to digital development today will determine the future of humanity for decades to come.”

The exercise comes several months after the WEF, the “international organization for public-private cooperation” that counts the world’s richest elite among its members, formally announced its movement for a Great Reset, which would involve the coordinated transition to a Fourth Industrial Revolution global economy in which human workers become increasingly irrelevant. This revolution, including its biggest proponent, WEF founder Klaus Schwab, has previously presented a major problem for WEF members and member organizations in terms of what will happen to the masses of people left unemployed by the increasing automation and digitalization in the workplace.

New economic systems that are digitally based and either partnered with or run by central banks are a key part of the WEF’s Great Reset, and such systems would be part of the answer to controlling the masses of the recently unemployed. As others have noted, these digital monopolies, not just financial services, would allow those who control them to “turn off” a person’s money and access to services if that individual does not comply with certain laws, mandates and regulations.

The WEF has been actively promoting and creating such systems and has most recently taken to calling its preferred model “stakeholder capitalism.” Though advertised as a more “inclusive” form of capitalism, stakeholder capitalism would essentially fuse the public and private sectors, creating a system much more like Mussolini’s corporatist style of fascism than anything else.

https://www.technocracy.news/forget-covid-global-oligarchs-are-now-rehearsing-for-a-cyber-pandemic/

Pfizer execs: We see a ‘significant opportunity’ to hike COVID-19 vaccine prices

Pfizer executives said recently that there could be a "significant opportunity" to hike prices of the company's Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, according to an Insider report early Tuesday.

What are the details?

During last week's Barclays Global Healthcare Conference, Pfizer CFO Frank D'Amelio and Senior VP of Investor Relations Chuck Triano told company investors that there could be a "significant opportunity" to increase vaccine prices if the COVID-19 pandemic turns endemic, meaning that the virus is always with the world — not unlike influenza.

D'Amelio and Triano added that people may need a third vaccine to deal with emerging coronavirus variants, or may also require a third dose as a booster.

During the conference, D'Amelio said, "If you look at how current demand and current pricing is being driven, it's clearly not being driven by what I'll call normal market conditions or normal market forces. … [I]t's been driven by the pandemic state we've been in, and the needs of governments to secure doses from various vaccine suppliers."

D'Amelio pointed out that when "normal market conditions" resume, there could be a chance for the company to capitalize on the vaccines from a "demand" and "pricing perspective."

"We believe it's becoming increasingly likely that an annual revaccination is going to take place," he added.

You can listen to the remarks in the video below.

"But we think as this shifts from pandemic to endemic, we think there's an opportunity here for us." https://t.co/Fj7d6up9mW

— Lee Fang (@Lee Fang)1615848816.0

A warning about rising prices

In February, Forbes reporter John LaMattina warned of rising COVID-19 vaccine prices.

"[P]rice gouging for the vaccines hasn't occurred," LaMattina wrote. "The most expensive of the vaccines has been Pfizer's, and that two-dose regimen is priced at $39. To put that into perspective the price for the quadrivalent flu shot in 2020 ranged from $35-$41 at places like Walgreen's, and CVS, with 'senior doses' (for those over 65) running close to $70. Given the destructive effects that COVID-19 has had on the economy, the new vaccines are a bargain. More importantly, they save lives."

He noted, however, that "goodwill" toward biopharmaceutical companies may soon well "evaporate" as other recent remarks made by D'Amelio implies that the company will "get more on price" once the pandemic wanes.

"One analyst speculated that Pfizer could be targeting a price 3-4 times higher — as much as $156/treatment," LaMattina added. "A sudden, dramatic increase in the cost of the vaccine will certainly damage the industry's image — almost like the industry would be performing a 'bait and switch' operation."

"Such a move would result in politicians calling industry executives to testify on Capitol Hill about how the company can justify such increases at the expense of the American public. All the accrued goodwill will be lost," he observed.

"Certainly, Pfizer should be able to raise the price of its COVID-19 vaccine — perhaps to the level of the high end flu vaccine prices," he concluded. "It should be noted that despite the billions in revenue that Pfizer will be generating from its vaccine, its stock price has been stagnant. It should be allowed to benefit for its unbelievable efforts. But Pfizer and the rest of the industry has dramatically changed the way it is viewed by the public. Let's not go back to getting bashed about drug prices, especially with respect to Covid-19 vaccines."

http://www.tathasta.com/2021/03/pfizer-execs-we-see-significant.html

How Did Multiple Threat Groups Know About Exchange Patches Before Release?

Following CISA's weekend updates on continuing Exchange server hacks, Microsoft is investigating the significant uptick in exploits just days before patches were released.

WASHINGTON: How did multiple threat actors seemingly know about planned security patches for vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange software before the company released them? Microsoft said it is investigating.

Meanwhile, a weekend CISA update added malware analysis reports for seven of the many web shells that threat actors are using in a multi-step hack of Exchange servers. The four zero days provide threat actors initial access to servers, and web shells enable threat actors to gain persistent access to and remote control over servers, including remote code execution.

The update included information on recently discovered malware attacks against vulnerable Exchange servers.

Unusual Circumstances Around Exchange Zero-Day Patches

Microsoft said it is now investigating how threat actors appear to have found out about the security patches for four zero-day vulnerabilities in Exchange servers before the company publicly disclosed the zero days and released out-of-band patches. The four zero days are being referred to collectively as ProxyLogon.

The investigation arose, in part, after security research revealed two unusual circumstances around the hacking campaign: The first, uncovered last week by security company ESET, is how threat actors stepped up exploits of ProxyLogon just prior to Microsoft’s announcement. The second is what appears to be potentially coordinated targeting of ProxyLogon by multiple threat actor groups.

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/03/how-did-multiple-threat-groups-know-about-exchange-patches-before-release/

Microsoft is investigating itself? FFS

FBI facing allegations that its 2018 background check of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was 'fake' and Dem senator demands newly-confirmed AG Merrick Garland facilitate 'proper oversight' by the Senate

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is demanding the FBI account for the bureau's background investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that Whitehouse ridiculed as 'fake.'

Whitehouse revisited the charged 2018 issue in a letter to new Attorney General Merrick Garland, where he blasted the FBI for failing to follow its own guidelines for how to conduct probes and sort through tips.

With accusations flying against Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings – including by Christine Blasey Ford who accused him of assaulting her at a party when they were both in high school decades ago – senators delayed a vote for a supplemental investigation.

What happened next did not please Whitehouse. It 'appears to have been a politically-constrained and perhaps fake FBI investigation into alleged misconduct by now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh,' he wrote.

He noted that Kavanaugh disputed her testimony – he angrily denied it in his confirmation hearing – so there were 'questions of fact' to resolve.

The FBI never interviewed Blasey Ford, nor did it interview Kavanaugh.

'Max Stier, the widely respected president of the Partnership for Public Service, and a college classmate of Mr. Kavanaugh, offered specific corroborating evidence, but the FBI refused to interview Mr. Stier,' he wrote.

As people brought forward information, 'the FBI had assigned no person to accept or gather evidence,' Whitehouse wrote.

'In addition to showing some cursory efforts to corroborate Dr. Ford’s hearing testimony, our brief review showed that a stack of information had indeed flowed in through the “tip line,” he added.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2021/03/fbi-facing-allegations-that-its-2018.html

185 Pensions Got Their $86 Billion Piece of the COVID-19 Rescue “Pie”

Where pension debt is a looming danger to taxpayers, via Texas Public Policy Foundation

Both private and public pensions have been having major funding issues and struggling to get a good ROI for a number of years.

So it’s no surprise that any sort of economic relief package presented to Congress would include funds for pensions. Especially since a “bailout” culture seems to have taken root in America.

The recent $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill approved by the House is no exception to this “bailout culture.”

The New York Times reported that it contains $86 billion for struggling pensions:

The $86 billion is a taxpayer bailout for about 185 union pension plans that are so close to collapse that without the rescue, more than a million retired truck drivers, retail clerks, builders and others could be forced to forgo retirement income.

The article continued: “The trend predated the pandemic and is a result of fading unions, serial bankruptcies and the misplaced hope that investment income would foot most of the bill so that employers and workers wouldn’t have to.”

Leaving aside the fact that “hope” is shaky ground to base any economic decision on, this appears as another signal that pensions are going the way of the dodo bird.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/185-pensions-got-their-86-billion-piece-of-the-covid-19-rescue-pie/

Netanyahu: UAE crown prince to invest $12m in Israel

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has "volunteered" to invest over $12 million in Israel.

In an interview with the Israeli army radio, Netanyahu said Abu Dhabi's crown prince told him that he "wants to be a partner in projects which could enhance Israel's economy after the coronavirus [pandemic]."

So far, there has been no comment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Netanyahu's statement.

On Thursday, Netanyahu postponed his official visit to the UAE due to difficulties that surfaced in coordinating the passage of his flight through Jordanian airspace.

Following the cancellation of the trip, the UAE said it agreed to launch an investment fund worth of $10 billion in Israel, according to the official WAM news agency.

Several bilateral agreements were signed in different fields following an Israel-UAE normalisation deal last year.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210316-netanyahu-uae-crown-prince-to-invest-12m-in-israel/

Feinstein says she intends to serve full term

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that she intends to serve her full term, which runs into early 2025.

Feinstein’s comments, made to reporters in the Capitol, come after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he would name a Black woman to the seat if Feinstein retires.

Feinstein, 87, downplayed the comments from Newsom, and made clear that she has no plans to step down early.

"Please, we're very good friends. I don't think he meant that the way some people thought," she told reporters when asked about Newsom's comments.

Feinstein said that she hadn't spoken to Newsom but that their relationship was "good and strong."

"I mean you’re making a mountain out of a molehill," she added.

Questions about if Feinstein would serve out her full term have swirled around Washington after she stepped down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee amid progressive backlash over her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing.

Feinstein fended off a progressive challenger during her 2018 reelection amid questions about her age. She turned 85 in 2018.

But Feinstein said Tuesday that she intends to serve out her full term.

"Absolutely," she said about if she thought she was able to serve the full term. "I think that's pretty obvious."

Newsom, who is facing a recall effort, also tried to tamp down speculation that he was trying to hint at Feinstein that she should step down.

He told "The View" on Tuesday that he had "no expectation" that Feinstein was planning to step aside.

He added that she was "lucid and focused" and "committed to the cause of fighting not only for our state as a representative and the senior senator of California, but this nation."

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/543437-feinstein-says-she-intends-to-serve-full-term

Vaccine Passports and Medical Martial Law

The Setup

Almost one year ago, former President Trump declared a national emergency and the White House announced a 15-day plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Governments around the world either preceded the U.S. or soon followed with similar pronouncements. The upsurge in totalitarianism since these edicts were installed is mind-boggling.

Staying home, social distancing, and hand washing were the first steps in the slippery slope towards medical martial law. Then came the lockdowns and mandatory face mask policies. These were soon followed by pressure to take a COVID-19 test, contact tracing, and quarantines. Next were vaccines that were rushed to production, given only “emergency use authorization” by the FDA and still deemed experimental, having completely skipped long-term safety studies. Now, the threat of vaccine passports/certificates represents the next step towards complete tyranny and subjugation of the people.

All of these draconian measures have served as social engineering tools to get people used to having “experts” and government officials tell them what to do. In fact, you could argue that all of humanity (outside those in authority) has been slowly tortured over the past year. With staggering numbers of suicides and rising rates of substance abuse, many decided to just check out. The remaining masses have been subjected to classical conditioning like Pavlov’s dogs. During this “plandemic”, most people have been retrained to depend on authorities to tell them when they can go to work, visit loved ones, travel, go to church, hug someone or even shake their hand.

The path to totalitarian control always starts with something simple and seemingly reasonable. It’s also usually accompanied by a promise of peace and safety in exchange for surrendering one’s rights.

– Jesse Smith, Mask Up! The Con Game to Destroy Your Freedom

Loving Your Oppressors

There is a sickness going around that’s much worse than any coronavirus. It’s called “Stockholm Syndrome” and it infects those who are too ignorant, trusting, and fearful to question those in authority and hold them accountable. Infected people lap up every word people like Dr. Anthony Fauci say, no matter how many times he’s contradicted himself or even been caught lying. They fully agree with taking a vaccine rolled out at warp speed with completely new technology that’s never before been tested on human beings. They yell at people in stores who refuse to wear face masks. They call anyone with facts contradicting the mainstream narrative a conspiracy theorist. They cheer when people who disagree with them get censored, deplatformed, and even lose their jobs. They don’t balk when authorities extend or issue new state of emergency rules restricting their freedom. They don’t even get angry when hypocritical officials are caught violating their own rules. But they are quick to attack anyone challenging their beloved rulers and attempting to restore liberty such as when Texas Governor Greg Abbott reopened the state and lifted mask mandates (well, sort of).

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/03/vaccine-passports-and-medical-martial-law.html

At Atlantic Council, Koch-Funded Effort to Marginalize Human Rights Causes Uproar

Battle likely to spread across Washington as aggressive Koch effort has seeded programs at numerous think tanks

The drama that unfolded at the Atlantic Council last week as nearly two dozen scholars wrote to dissociate themselves from the work of their colleagues is likely to be the opening skirmish in a broader war over the funding for American foreign policy research playing out in academia and in some of Washington, D.C.'s most influential think tanks.

The source of the drama was an analysis published earlier this month by Emma Ashford and Mathew Burrows, who argued that putting human rights at the center of the U.S.-Russia relationship undermines American interests. The piece was published under the aegis of a new national security strategy center funded by the Charles Koch Institute, which has advocated for an isolationist foreign policy—or, as the Kochs and the scholars they fund are now terming it, "a grand strategy of restraint"—with a long tradition in Republican politics from the America First Committee of the 1940s to the Buchananites of the 1980s and '90s.

Intellectual disagreement is standard fare in both worlds. What happened at the Atlantic Council, as more than two dozen scholars issued a terse note dissociating themselves from the work of their colleagues, points to a much deeper conflict. A Politico report published Thursday offered a window into the brouhaha, with several Atlantic Council fellows alleging that the Koch money was corrupting the scholarship or, as one anonymous expert put it: "The Koch industry operates as a Trojan horse operation trying to destroy good institutions and they have pretty much the same views as the Russians."

Simmering beneath the surface, according to interviews with a dozen experts across a half-dozen D.C. think tanks, including the Atlantic Council, is a debate that has roiled American think tanks over the past decade: how these institutions are funded and what, exactly, the donors who underwrite them are getting for their money.

The controversial view that caused last week's kerfuffle—that the United States should look the other way on the human rights violations of its adversaries—is espoused by the scholars who sit atop virtually every Koch-funded program, the result of an aggressive and explicit push to undermine what remains of the country's foreign policy consensus and replace it with a different one.

Over the past several years, Charles Koch Institute vice president William Ruger, President Donald Trump's failed nominee to be ambassador to Afghanistan, has approached virtually every major think tank in the city offering to fund proponents of "restraint," according to a dozen think-tank sources familiar with the situation.

One think-tank expert on the receiving end of a Koch pitch described it this way: "They said to us, ‘The debate is not diverse, the restrainers are not respected, and … our wisdom is ignored.'"

Ruger did not respond to a request for comment, though he himself has written—in an essay in the Koch-funded National Interest—to endorse "restraint," arguing, "Any such perestroika, or new thinking, will be resisted among our regnant elites."

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/atlantic-council-koch/

Senate Committee Postpones Vote on Biden Pentagon Pick for Policy Chief

Manchin still undecided on Colin Kahl, who called Republicans 'party of ethnic cleansing'

Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee indefinitely postponed the vote on Colin Kahl's nomination for Pentagon policy chief, as Democratic senator Joe Manchin (W. Va.) remains undecided on the appointment.

Committee members were expected to vote on Kahl's nomination on Tuesday but has delayed the matter, according to sources close to the committee. The senators did meet on Tuesday for an unrelated hearing on U.S. Southern and Northern Commands.

Manchin, who would likely be the committee's deciding vote on Kahl, said he is "still looking at" the nomination when asked by CNN on Monday. Kahl has faced controversy—and strong Senate Republican opposition—because of his policy views on Iran and Israel and his inflammatory Twitter posts targeting the GOP and foreign-policy hawks.

West Virginia legislators and national pro-Israel groups have been flooding Manchin with calls urging him to oppose Kahl's nomination.

Christians United for Israel—the nation's largest pro-Israel group, which claims 77,000 members in West Virginia alone—launched an ad campaign in state and local newspapers last week asking readers to contact Manchin and object to the appointment, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

The ads featured a statement from group's West Virginia director, pastor Doug Joseph.

"Kahl's nomination may well hinge on one vote. And that vote will very likely be our state's own Sen. Joe Manchin," wrote Joseph. "Given his West Virginia values and common-sense approach to the Middle East, I am hopeful he'll make the right decision and decline to support such a misguided nomination."

On Friday, 70 members of the West Virginia House of Delegates wrote to Manchin urging him to vote against Kahl.

"The choice is clear, you can stand with West Virginia and our ally Israel or Colin Kahl and Iran—but you cannot support both," wrote Assistant Majority Leader Kayla Kessinger (R.) in the letter.

Manchin did not respond to a request for comment.

Manchin recently opposed Neera Tanden's nomination for Office of Management and Budget director over her partisan tweets, forcing the White House to pull her appointment due to lack of votes.

Kahl's Twitter posts have also drawn criticism. The former Obama State Department official has referred to the GOP as the "party of ethnic cleansing" and a "clown show" and approvingly linked to an anti-Israel blog that claimed the "Israel lobby" was trying to start a war between the United States and Iran.

A spokesman for the Senate Armed Services Committee did not respond to a request for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/senate-committee-postpones-vote-on-biden-pentagon-pick-for-policy-chief/

Judicial Watch: Federal Court Slams Potentially Illicit Sales of Body Parts of Aborted Fetuses – Orders Release of Additional Information on Organ Purchases

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that a federal court ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release additional information about its purchases of organs harvested from aborted human fetuses. The court also found “there is reason to question” whether the transactions violate federal law barring the sale of fetal organs. Documents previously uncovered in this lawsuit show that the federal government demanded the purchased fetal organs be “fresh and never frozen.”

Both the FDA and NIH purchased the organs from California-based Advanced Biosciences Resources (ABR) to create “humanized mice” for use in HIV research. ABR partners with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to dismember fetuses and sell their parts for research. The decision notes that ABR:

sold second-trimester livers and thymi for hundreds of dollars apiece. The same for brains, eyes, and lungs. After tacking on fees for services like shipping and cleaning, ABR could collect over $2,000 on a single fetus it purchased from Planned Parenthood for $60. The federal government participated in this potentially illicit trade for years.

The court raised concern about whether these transactions are legal:

Happily for the Government (and ABR), this means that the Court need not reach Judicial Watch’s argument that the Government cannot withhold the information at issue because ABR engaged in criminal conduct. Recall that it is illegal to transfer “any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration. 42 U.S.C. § 289g-2(a). Judicial Watch contends that the invoices disclosed here show that the Government paid “valuable consideration” to ABR and so the Government cannot keep the withheld information confidential.

The court found it “dubious” that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exception invoked by the government could be used to “shield illegal business practices under the guise of ‘confidential business information’” and declared that “[t]here is reason to question the lawfulness of the transaction between the Government and ABR.”

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/aborted-fetuses-information/

Blue states move to tax PPP loans, collect millions from unsuspecting small businesses

Alfredo Ortiz, head of the Job Creators Network, says though the IRS isn't collecting taxes on the loans, some states are trying.

Late last year, a thorn emerged in the side of the historically successful Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided $525 billion in forgivable loans to more than 5 million American small businesses hurt by the pandemic. Suddenly, business owners feared facing a tax consequence for the aid they received.

Though the PPP funds themselves were nontaxable, the IRS was attempting to tax the use of the funds on business expenses that cannot be deducted from tax returns. A coalition of small businesses and trade associations promptly wrote Congress to explain that the tax burden the IRS was attempting to levy against American small businesses would make it cheaper for some businesses to fire employees and repay their PPP loans than face the tax consequences.

Additionally, the coalition argued the roughly $120 billion in PPP taxes that the IRS was attempting to collect would be far better served circulating on Main Street, generating revenue and helping along the American economic recovery.

In December, Congress yielded to the calls of small businesses and added a provision in the second stimulus package that provides a tax break on PPP funds for small business owners. But now, some states are re-introducing the issue, opting not to conform to the federal tax code guidelines and instead moving to unexpectedly tax PPP recipients.

Alfredo Ortiz, the President and CEO of the Job Creators Network, a group that advocates for the 30 million in American small businesses, said that the states attempting to tax small business’ PPP loans are "basically handing drowning men anchors."

"We’re trying to ring the alarms on this, because it’s a huge issue," Ortiz told Just the News. "The reality is that our small business owners don’t have that cash laying around. They used it for what they were asked to use, and told to use it, for," meaning, maintaining payrolls during the lowest point of the pandemic last year. Ortiz says that the state taxes will be "completely unexpected expenses to most small business owners" and could send many more to insolvency or closure.

"We’re hearing this happen left and right in New York City. A lot of restauranteurs and restaurant owners are just closing up shop and saying 'this is ridiculous, we don’t want any part of it,'" said Ortiz. Many of those owners are moving to places like Florida, where business has been open at workable capacity for months now, and the tax base is generally much more favorable.

https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/holdblue-states-move-collect-millions-taxes-ppp-loans-unsuspecting-small-businesses

Netanyahu: Israel will have four more peace deals soon

"I brought four peace agreements, and there are another four on the way."

Israel is on the way to making peace with four more countries in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“I brought four peace agreements, and there are another four on the way,” he said in an interview with Ynet. “I talked about one of them yesterday.”

“One of the leaders in the region” had called him on Monday night, and they spoke for 45 minutes, he said.

Netanyahu rebuffed accusations that he did not attend a planned Likud event in Ashkelon on Monday night because of the threat of rocket fire from Gaza. Rather, he was speaking to the regional leader, and since he does not have good cellphone reception in his armored car, he would not have been able to conduct the call on the way to Ashkelon, he said.

“I don’t want there to be [rocket] launches because of me and because of a political event, but that was not the reason,” Netanyahu said. “We were significantly late… I will visit Ashkelon, and we will take care of their security.”

Over the past year, Israel normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Several countries are thought to be considering following suit, including Niger, Mauritania, Indonesia and others.

Ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia have grown closer in recent years. Netanyahu met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November, and they considered meeting in Abu Dhabi last week. However, Netanyahu’s trip to the UAE was delayed due to a diplomatic imbroglio between Israel and Jordan.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/four-more-peace-deals-for-israel-are-on-the-way-netanyahu-662168

Do U.S. and UK Have the World’s Most-Censored Press?

How can democracy exist in a nation where none of the mainstream media, and few even of the non-mainstream media, are reporting the realities that all of the controlling billionaires want the public not to know?

On February 12th, the top UN official who monitors nations’ compliance with international human rights laws in the application of international sanctions, Alena Douhan, reported that the U.S.-and-allied sanctions against Venezuela violate a number of international laws and have greatly worsened the conditions, and even the maintenance of life, in Venezuela, and have caused millions of Venezuelans to flee the country so that they and their children can survive. Dr. Douhan is an internationally respected specialist in international human rights laws, and the website of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights says that she is “an author of more than 120 books and articles on various aspects of international law. She has more than 40 publications (including four books) related to human rights covering inter alia issues of targeted and comprehensive sanctions; unilateral coercive measures, freedom of opinion, privacy, counter terrorism, right to development, right to education,” and other matters. The U.S. and its allies profess to endorse and embody, not to oppose and ignore, the values that the UN hired her to represent, but they do oppose and ignore them.

Her February 12th report, titled “Preliminary findings of the visit to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by the Special Rapporteur”, stated that:

The Special Rapporteur considers that the state of national emergency announced by the U.S. Government on 8 March 2015 as the ground for introducing sanctions against Venezuela, and repeatedly extended, does not correspond to the requirements of art. 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, such as the existence of a threat to the life of the nation, the limiting of measures to the exigencies of the situation, a limited duration, the absence of discrimination, the prohibition to derogate from the right to life and the prohibition of punishment of activity that does not constitute a criminal offence, as referred to in the communication of human rights experts of 29 January 2021.

The Special Rapporteur underlines that unilateral sanctions against the oil, gold, mining and other economic sectors, the state-owned airline and the TV industry constitute a violation of international law, and their wrongfulness is not excluded with reference to countermeasures. The announced purpose of the “maximum pressure” campaign – to change the Government of Venezuela – violates the principle of sovereign equality of states and constitutes an intervention in the domestic affairs of Venezuela that also affects its regional relations.

Referring to customary norms on the immunity of state property, the Special Rapporteur reminds that assets of the Central Bank and property used for public functions belong to the state of Venezuela rather than to its Government or any individual. Therefore, freezing assets of the Central Bank of Venezuela on the ground of non-recognition of its Government as well as the adoption of relevant sanctions violates the sovereign rights of the country and impedes its effective government to exercise its duty to guarantee the needs of the population.

More

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/03/16/do-u-s-and-uk-have-the-worlds-most-censored-press/

U.S. Special Forces To Train Counter-Terrorist “Mozambican Marines”

The United States Special Operations Forces is training “Mozambican marines” who are to fight against the al Shabaab insurgency in the Cabo Delgado province.

This was announced by US Embassy in Maputo on March 15th.

“U.S. Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) Deputy Commander Colonel Richard Schmidt represented the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) during the opening ceremony, while Major General Ramiro Ramos Tulcidás represented the Government of Mozambique. In addition to training, the U.S. government provided medical and communications equipment.

The United States prioritizes the respect for human rights, protection of civilians, and engagement with civil society in all security assistance. The United States is committed to supporting Mozambique with a multifaceted and holistic approach to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism. This approach addresses socioeconomic development issues as well as the security situation. Civilian protection, human rights, and community engagement are central to U.S. cooperation and are foundational to effectively counter the Islamic State in Mozambique.”

So far, the training has led to little result, as attacks are still commonplace.

Al-Shabaab have been sowing terror for more than three years in the strategic province of Cabo Delgado, which borders Tanzania and is an area that is rich in natural gas.

In 2019 al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to ISIS.

“In addition to the training, the US government provided medical and communications equipment,” the embassy said, adding that the American forces who will partake in the program called “Joint Combined Exchange Training” are already in Mozambique.

The move comes as the US designated rebel groups in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo as foreign terrorist organizations.

The conflict reached a symbolic turning point at the end of December with attacks carried out for the first time just a few kilometers from a multibillion-euro gas project operated by the French oil and gas company Total.

As such, the turning point wasn’t the thousands of people that were displaced and killed, by potential damage to a billion-dollar project.

Islamists have frequently beheaded civilians, including women and children.

https://southfront.org/u-s-special-forces-to-train-counter-terrorist-mozambican-marines/

Up is down left is right - training terrorists again?

Russian Forces Move Into Northeast Syrian Oil And Gas Fields Near Raqqah

On March 13th, Russian forces took control over the al-Thawra oil facility.

It is located in southwest Raqqa governorate in northeastern Syria.

This didn’t happen by fighting, but rather after the Iran-aligned Liwa Fatemiyoun militia withdrew from the site.

Russian military reinforcements alongside units from the Russian-backed Fifth Armored Division arrived at al-Thawra oil facility which produces around 2,000 bpd, media sources based in Syria’s Euphrates region reported.

The oil facility used to produce around 6,000 bpd before 2010.

This happened after on March 12th, Russia captured the Toueinane gas field in Raqqa’s countryside.

The Touneinane gas field, which was controlled by Iranian proxies and operated by HESCO, it produces about 3 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, 60 tons of domestic gas, and two thousand barrels of gas condensate.

Nine Russian military vehicles and four troop carriers transporting members of the Fifth Armored Division rolled into al-Thawra oil facility after Iran-aligned Fatemiyoun militia withdrew from the site as part of understandings reached with Russian forces, reported Eye of Euphrates, a local Syrian opposition media outlet.

Eye of Euphrates correspondents reported on seven Russian military vehicles and three troop carriers transporting members of the Fifth Armored Division arriving at the Touneinane gas field.

It is unknown if the gas field was also freed as part of an agreement.

This is a significant shift, since Russia is allied to Damascus, prior to that most of Syria’s oil went to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces or various Turkish proxies. Iran’s control was always contested, subject to constant ISIS and other attacks.

Since early January, the Turkish proxies smuggling oil from northeastern Syria have been subject to constant, heavy attacks, and videos of the hellfire are not uncommon. As such, Damascus’ forces and Russian support are moving in to bring some of the revenue back to the Syrian people.

https://southfront.org/russian-forces-move-into-northeast-syrian-oil-and-gas-fields-near-raqqah/

Georgia Judge Gives Voter Integrity Group Access to Fulton County Election Ballots, “We have sworn affidavits from several poll managers who say they handled counterfeit ballots during the hand count audit”

Perhaps a concerted and consistent effort will produce results? Let us pray for a return of judicial common sense and continued sunlight upon any deception.

Remember, the Fulton County election board fired their director as an outcome of multiple voting and ballot counting issues that surfaced following the 2020 election.

Now a judge in Georgia has given a vote integrity group access to the physical ballots in Fulton County amid sworn affidavits that many of those ballots were sketchy and seemed to be generated by automation.

GEORGIA – Henry County Judge Brian Amero on Monday conditionally granted members of a Georgia-based coalition the right to unseal ballots from last November’s presidential election in Fulton County. Members of that group, VOTER GA, may now inspect those ballots for evidence of voter fraud.

Amero’s decision “is almost unprecedented in Georgia history,” said VOTER GA spokesman Garland Favorito.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump lost Georgia’s electoral votes to current U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Georgia Star News asked Favorito if he and his hundreds of volunteers might find enough evidence of voter fraud in Fulton County to tip the Georgia election in favor of former U.S. President Donald Trump?

“That’s possible,” Favorito said.

Favorito said Fulton County officials have long resisted VOTER GA’s attempts to inspect their ballots.

“We have sworn affidavits from several poll managers who say they handled counterfeit ballots during the hand count audit because those were mail-in ballots that were not marked with a writing instrument like a mail-in ballot should be,” Favorito said. “And they appeared to be on suspicious paper stock.”

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/03/16/georgia-judge-gives-voter-integrity-group-access-to-fulton-county-election-ballots-we-have-sworn-affidavits-from-several-poll-managers-who-say-they-handled-counterfeit-ballots-during-the-han/

Sens. Warren and Sanders Paints 2 Million Californians as Extremists for Wanting Newsom Gone

When you view Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong as being “in the mainstream,” I guess you might conclude that two million ordinary Americans signing a petition to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom are “extremists.”

In other words, what seems extreme to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders might seem perfectly normal to perfectly normal people. Wanting to remove an incompetent politician who has cost lives with his confused, sometimes hysterical response to the pandemic is still considered “mainstream” in most quarters.

Not so, Warren and Sanders. Their dystopian nightmare of society could become reality if they’re not stopped. When ordinary Americans are lumped together with extremist conspiracy nuts, the world has indeed become a very hostile place for normalcy.

Sanders, Warren, and the entire national Democratic Party are circling the wagons to protect one of their own — Governor Gavin Newsom. And they’re doing it in typical radical leftist fashion; smearing everyone who disagrees with them as an “extremist.”

Politico:

A crowd of national Democratic leaders on Monday put their muscle behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom to fight the recall, dubbing it an extremist “Republican power grab” and launching their first opposition ad.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Alex Padilla, as well as Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, all simultaneously announced their opposition to the recall efforts. The Democrats launched the official Stop the Republican Recall campaign, the clearest sign yet that the political establishment believes the recall election will qualify this year.

“Gavin Newsom has shown the nation what courageous leadership looks like during the pandemic,” Sen. Cory Booker says on the new website. “He’s made tough calls that kept Californians safe and helped them recover financially. Defeating this cynical, Republican recall effort will be one of the most important priorities for Democrats this year.”

Right. Forget economic recovery and unimportant details like that. Let’s all get behind an effort to savage Republicans and paint the whole party as “extremists.”

That will create jobs, save small businesses, and grow the economy — or not. Your choice, Democrats.

Republican strategist Matt Shupe called the move a desperate measure unveiled the same day that the California-based Nextstar media group “released a poll saying 58.3 percent of Californians want someone other than Gavin Newsom to lead the state in 2022 … that’s a lot of Democrats and a lot of independents.”

The same poll, however, showed a plurality of 42 percent would vote against recalling Newsom this year, while 38 percent would vote to remove him.

Forget the polls, put it to the voters and let them decide. Ultimately, what we in the rest of the country believe is immaterial. Californians have to live with this idiot unless he’s recalled or defeated. And there’s no better time than the present.

Newsom is a leftist elitist who believes the rules are only for the little people. His foray out to have dinner with his friends at the French Laundry at the height of the lockdown while California parents were stuck indoors watching “The Spongebob Movie” for the 50th time still rankles statewide. If the radical left believes that voters are going to forget that little escapade by their governor, they’re sadly mistaken.

Voters are looking to exact revenge on politicians who didn’t practice what they preached about isolating during the pandemic. Nor are many of them enamored with politicians who seemed to revel in the power to govern ordinary people’s behavior. Euro leftists might welcome the government’s deadening hand on their lives. Americans are a different breed altogether — something that’s likely to be demonstrated at the ballot box over the next two years.

Newsom will be the first target of the “extremists.” He won’t be the last.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2021/03/16/sens-warren-and-sanders-call-2-million-californians-extremists-for-wanting-newsome-gone-n1432800

Don Lemon: Traditional Marriage 'Is Not What God Is About'

On Monday, CNN host Don Lemon lectured the Roman Catholic Church and all other Christian denominations on The View, declaring — as if he had been given direct inspiration from God — that the traditional definition of marriage is “not what God is about.” He suggested that racial segregation and other forms of segregation are ultimately responsible for Christians’ supposedly backward definition of marriage.

Meghan McCain asked Lemon to respond to the Vatican’s ruling that Roman Catholic priests cannot extend a sacramental blessing to same-sex unions. As an aside, while media reports presented the ruling as “combative,” the Vatican made clear that priests could bless individuals with same-sex orientation if they committed to following the church’s teachings and the ruling did not call homosexuality a “choice.”

Lemon said the ruling — and orthodox Christianity’s doctrine on marriage — is “not what God is about.”

“I respect people’s right to believe in whatever they want to believe in, their God,” Lemon began, before immediately launching into an attack on the faith of conservative Christians. “But if you believe in something that hurts another person or that does not give someone the same rights or freedoms — not necessarily under the Constitution — because this is under God.”

“I think that that’s wrong. And I think that the Catholic Church and many other churches really need to reexamine themselves and their teachings because that is not what God is about,” Lemon declared. “God is not about hindering people or even judging people, and to put it in the context of race… Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said the most segregated… time on earth is 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning.”

“So I think that religion and the pew keeps us from actually — they’re barriers from people actually getting to know each other. So I would say to the pope and the Vatican and all Christians or Catholics or whomever, whatever religion you happen to belong to out there, go out and meet people and try to understand people, and do what the Bible and what Jesus actually said, if you believe in Jesus, and that is to love your fellow man and judge not lest ye be not judged,” Lemon added, garbling Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-3.

“Instead of having the pew hinder you, having the church hinder you… start breaking bread with people,” Lemon urged. He went on to tout how well-connected he is, claiming he enjoys barbecues with Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and the other hosts of The View.

Lemon received some well-deserved mockery for these statements. The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti quipped that this is “the Gospel according to Don Lemon.”

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/tyler-o-neil/2021/03/16/don-lemon-traditional-marriage-is-not-what-god-is-about-n1432844

Judge Slams Arizona GOP's 'Flimsy Excuses' For Recount, Orders $18,000 Fine

The Georgia Republican Party must pay $18,000 in legal fees incurred by the Arizona secretary of state defending the presidential election result. The request for a recount of the 2020 election had already been tossed out, but Judge John Hannah Jr. ordered further restitution and lambasted the motivations.

Republican lawyers had argued the ballots needed to be counted by hand a second time, alleging that the first hand-count hadn’t followed proper procedures.

Judge Hannah instead said officials “followed the Elections Procedures Manual to the letter,” noting that the plaintiffs didn’t actually allege wrongdoing and instead simply cited “public mistrust.”

“The plaintiff is effectively admitting that the suit was brought primarily for an improper purpose. [They] filed this lawsuit for political reasons,” Hannah wrote. “‘Public mistrust’ is a political issue, not a legal or factual basis for litigation.”

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs requested $18,237.59 to pay for the legal defense the suit had required, an amount Judge Hannah found “reasonable and appropriate.” Still, Hobbs made clear she’d rather not deal with baseless lawsuits in the first place.

“Unfortunately, the damage inflicted upon our democracy by frivolous lawsuits and conspiracy theories can't be measured in dollars,” Hobbs said. “However, today’s order is good news for taxpayers, and sends an important message to those willing to abuse the legal process for political purposes.”

The Arizona GOP remains defiant. Jack Wilenchik, a Republican attorney, swore to appeal the decision and told the Associated Press it was “sorely disrespectful to the views of the many Americans whom I am proud to represent.”

https://www.ibtimes.com/judge-slams-arizona-gops-flimsy-excuses-recount-orders-18000-fine-3163292

>>13238122

kek

Boy and 2 Adults Dead After Small Plane Crashes Into SUV in Florida

A single-engine airplane crashed into an SUV while it was driving in Florida on Monday, killing two people aboard the small plane and a young boy who was inside the vehicle, according to officials.

The fiery incident was captured on a Ring security camera installed at a nearby home, showing the moment the airplane crashed into the SUV before it burst into flames.

According to a statement released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane went down shortly after taking off on Monday around 3 p.m. from the North Perry Airport in southern Broward County, Local10 reported.

Authorities said the cause of the crash is under investigation and FAA and National Transportation Safety Board officials have been investigating at the scene.

The plane seems to have clipped a power line and then crashed into the SUV that was driving in a residential neighborhood.

The Pembroke Pines Police Department said on Twitter they shut down the street of the crash site and the roadway will remain closed until Tuesday afternoon.

The mother of the four-year-old boy who died was driving her car when the plane, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza, struck the SUV.

Both occupants of the car were transported to a hospital in serious condition. The boy did not recover from his injuries and was later pronounced dead.

All occupants of the plane were pronounced dead. Officials haven’t released any information regarding the passengers’ identities.

Witnesses who have described the crash said the wing touched the ground first before nose diving into the moving vehicle. Firefighters responded quickly and were able to extinguish the flames shortly after arrival.

“Regrettably, two persons aboard the single-engine aircraft were killed in the accident, as well as a young child traveling in a vehicle that collided with the plane before it crashed,” the Broward County Aviation Department said in a statement released on Tuesday, Local10 reported.

“We are saddened by this tragic loss of life and offer our sincere condolences during this difficult time.”

https://www.ntd.com/boy-and-2-adults-dead-after-small-plane-crashes-into-suv-in-florida_582162.html

US Nonprofit With Ties to Wuhan Lab Violated Federal Law by Failing to Disclose Taxpayer Funding, Complaint Alleges

A U.S. nonprofit with close ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology violated federal law by failing to disclose that taxpayer funds supported its work, according to a complaint a taxpayer watchdog group filed on Monday.

EcoHealth Alliance (EHA) diverted $600,000 in taxpayer funds to the WIV in the form of National Institutes of Health subgrants between 2014 and 2019 as part of a research project studying coronaviruses from Chinese bats. But press releases from EHA describing the project failed to disclose that the project was backed by federal dollars, an omission that, according to the White Coat Waste Project, is a violation of a federal law known as the Stevens Amendment.

“Virtually all of EHA’s press releases reporting its taxpayer-funded experiments over the last three years violate the Stevens Amendment,” the White Coat Waste Project wrote in its complaint that it filed on Monday with the National Institutes of Health Office of Management Assessment. “The releases fail to acknowledge federal funding, and/or fail to report the amount of taxpayer money spent, and/or fail to report the percentage of the project paid for with taxpayer funds.”

The Stevens Amendment requires that any group that receives funding from the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education disclose the percentage of costs financed with federal funds and the federal dollar amount in any statements, press releases, bid solicitations and other documents describing a project supported by those agencies, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Approximately 92 percent of EHA’s revenue in 2018 was from government contracts, the group disclosed in its 2018 financial statements. The bulk of EHA’s funding comes from the Department of Defense, however, the group has received over $14.7 million from the Department of Health and Human Services since 2002.

https://www.ntd.com/us-nonprofit-with-ties-to-wuhan-lab-violated-federal-law-by-failing-to-disclose-taxpayer-funding-complaint-alleges_581597.html

Former State Dept Lead Investigator Says COVID-19 Escaped From Wuhan Lab, May Have Been Bioweapons Accident

The US State Department's former lead investigator who oversaw the COVID-19 task force into the origins of the virus believes SARS-CoV-2 escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and may have been the product of bioweapons research, according to Fox News.

"The Wuhan Institute of Virology is not the National Institute of Health," David Asher - now a senior fellow at the Hudson institute - told Fox News in an interview, adding: "It was operating a secret, classified program. In my view, and I’m just one person, my view is it was a biological weapons program."

Asher has long been a "follow the money" guy who has worked on some of the most classified intelligence investigations for the State Department and Treasury under both Democratic and Republican administrations. He led the team that uncovered the international nuclear procurement network run by the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, AQ Khan, and uncovered key parts of North Korea's secret uranium enrichment. He believes the Chinese Communist Party has been involved in a massive cover-up during the past 14 months. -Fox News

"And if you believe, as I do, that this might have been a weapons vector gone awry, not deliberately released, but in development and then somehow leaked, this has turned out to be the greatest weapon in history," Asher told a Hudson Institute panel discussing the origins of the pandemic. "You've taken out 15 to 20 percent of global GDP. You've killed millions of people. The Chinese population has been barely affected. Their economies roared back to being number one in the entire G20."

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/former-state-dept-lead-investigator-says-covid-19-escaped-wuhan-lab-may-have-been

China’s Massive Infiltration of U.S. Virus Research Laboratories

It began in the 1990s as a trickle of Chinese military scientists trained by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and arriving at U.S. universities and research institutions.

Then, via the scientific exchange equivalent of chain migration, U.S. virus research programs were flooded with scientists from Communist China, where Chinese scientists already working in the U.S. invited close colleagues to their laboratories

Thus, was created pockets of U.S.- based de facto Chinese research programs linked to the Chinese military, much of which was directly or indirectly funded by the U.S. government.

In essence, China colonized U.S. virus research programs, colonies that were financed by U.S. taxpayers, likely amounting to billions of dollars.

Dr. Shibo Jiang, now Professor and Director, Institute of Medical Microbiology at China’s Fudan University in Shanghai, obtained his MS and MD degrees from the First and the Fourth Medical University of the PLA.

Between 1987 and 1990, he received his postdoctoral training at the Rockefeller University in New York.

After 1990, Shibo Jiang worked in or has been associated with the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute of the New York Blood Center.

He developed an extensive network of collaborative research with other U.S. virus research laboratories and received more than $17 million in U.S. research grants, the vast majority coming from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

During this entire period, Shibo Jiang maintained extensive collaborative research with PLA laboratories, described in detail here, while simultaneously inviting into his U.S. laboratory and training scientists linked to the Chinese military.

At the same time, Chinese military programs in virus research were expanding enormously and exploiting the knowledge and skills obtained by Chinese scientists working in U.S. laboratories.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/chinas-massive-infiltration-u-s-virus-research-laboratories/

‘They Want to Come Back’: US Interested in Restoring Iran Nuclear Deal, IAEA Says

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in February stated that Iran has continued to advance its nuclear program by enriching uranium and installing new centrifuges at its Natanz plant in Iran’s Isfahan Province.

During a video conference before three European Parliament committees on Tuesday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said “it takes two to tango” when asked about Iran’s insistence that the US make the first step when returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, The Times of Israel noted.

Iran has stated that the US must drop sanctions against them before it resumes compliance with the deal. Under the nuclear deal, Iran cannot enrich uranium beyond a 3.67 percent limit.

In addition, Grossi warned that Iran has accumulated a great deal of nuclear material and capacities over the past several years since the former US president, Donald Trump, withdrew Washington from the deal in May 2018.

“Even if you had a magic wand or the hand of God and said we go back tomorrow, there will be a lot of housekeeping,” he noted.

Grossi also said that he has been collaborating with both Iran and the US on a return to the deal and does believe that a US return to the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is feasible.

“They [the US] want to come back,” he said. “But of course … there are a number of issues that still need to be clarified. So it’s not impossible. It is difficult, but not impossible.”

Last month, Iran began restricting IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities. The move is believed to be bid to pressure the US to lift economic sanctions against Iran and revitalize the nuclear deal. In addition, Iran revealed in January that it plans to enrich uranium up to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is under the control of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Jared Kushner, former US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former senior White House advisor, commended Biden for expressing interest in restoring the JCPOA.

"While many were troubled by the Biden team’s opening offer to work with Europe and rejoin the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, I saw it as a smart diplomatic move," Kushner wrote.

Iran has firmly rejected any renegotiating of the original 2015 deal and insisted the US should lift sanctions first. Iranian officials repeatedly states it was the United States that withdrew from the agreement, while the rest of its member states "have remained committed to the deal until now."

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202103161082362165-they-want-to-come-back-us-interested-in-restoring-iran-nuclear-deal—iaea/

Paramilitary Group Wagner Sued in Russia for War Crimes in Syria

Three non-governmental organizations announced on Monday that they have helped a Syrian man sue in Moscow members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner for war crimes, accusing them of cruelly killing his brother in Syria.

The Wagner Group is believed to be run by an oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin. Russia has in recent years been heavily involved in the decade-long Syrian conflict and the lawsuit is the first ever filed before Russian courts against Russian citizens.

Syrian victims and activists have been trying for years to hold suspected war criminals accountable but their path towards the International Criminal Court (ICC) remains blocked by Russia’s and China’s vetoes in the U.N. Security Council and Syria has never ratified the Rome Statute - the treaty that established the ICC.

Because of this, victims have turned towards other countries – such as Germany, Sweden, France and Spain – to investigate cases based on what is known as “extraterritorial” jurisdiction.

The first complaint filed in Moscow is based on an online video published in 2017 by an unknown person. The footage shows several Russian-speaking men dressed in military uniforms violently beating an unarmed man. Another video that emerged in 2019 of the same event showed the man being beaten, tortured, beheaded and his body subsequently dismembered and set on fire.

Russian independent paper Novaya Gazeta identified one of the perpetrators as a member of the Private Military Company Wagner, believed to be financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin.

The shadowy mercenary organization is suspected of fighting on behalf of the Russian government in Syria, eastern Ukraine, Sudan and Libya.

Prigozhin is also known as “Putin’s Chef,” as his restaurant group has catered the Russian President’s dinner parties with foreign guests.

Investigative outlet Bellingcat last year revealed how frequent Prigozhin has been communicating with the Kremlin and other Russian institutions during his worldwide private military and disinformation activities.

The lawsuit in Moscow was submitted by the victim’s brother on March 11 with the help of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the Memorial Human Rights Center.

“This litigation is a first-ever attempt by the family of a Syrian victim to hold Russian suspects accountable for serious crimes committed in Syria,” the FIDH said.

The complaint demands the initiation of criminal proceedings on the basis of “murder committed with extreme cruelty, with a view to establishing the alleged perpetrators’ responsibility for this and other crimes, including war crimes.”

The head of the FIDH’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, Ilya Nuzov, said that the complaint paves the way to holding Russia responsible for “this and other crimes committed by its de facto armed forces extraterritorially.”

“A State cannot avoid international responsibility by outsourcing violence to shadowy armed groups like Wagner,” he said.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/14063-paramilitary-group-wagner-sued-in-russia-for-war-crimes-in-syria

SEE IT: Huge firework explosion rocks Ontario, California

LOS ANGELES — A large explosion was reported in Ontario, California on Tuesday.

City officials said a “large amount of fireworks at a house ignited, causing a large structure fire. Explosions being heard are by fireworks at this time.”

Dramatic video posted to social media showed the moment of the explosion.

https://breaking911.com/developing-huge-explosion-rocks-ontario-california/