US Strikes Killed At Least 39, Including "Many Civilians," As Iraq Warns Stability Is On "Brink Of The Abyss"

Widespread reports say at least 39 were killed in the Friday US airstrikes on Iran-linked targets across Western Iraq and Eastern Syria, which used over 125 bombs and precision munitions, according to a Pentagon statement.

There are reportedly civilians among the dead. The Baghdad government on Saturday said that 16 Iraqis, among them civilians, were killed - while on the other side of the border the Syrian Defense Ministry confirmed that both militants and civilians were killed but without providing a figure. The Syrian military said that "many civilian and military martyrs" died. The anti-Assad monitoring group, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that the Syria strikes killed 23 militia fighters.

The official readout by US Central Command (CENTCOM) described that "The facilities that were struck included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces."

The strikes lasted for over 30 minutes, having begun at 4pm Eastern Time, and additionally utilized B-1B bombers which flew over 6,000 miles after departing from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, among other aerial assets. This was supposedly for the element of "surprise" - despite the White House taking nearly a week to respond.

On Saturday it has come to light that the Pentagon let Iraqi government officials know shortly before the strikes began. The Biden administration has come under fire especially from hawkish GOP Congress members over telegraphing the operation to the point that IRGC officers could vacate bases and military assets. According to new reporting in NBC:

Iraq did receive prior warning of American airstrikes, contrary to the claims of Iraqi government officials, a senior administration official told NBC News today.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani earlier described the White House’s assertion that Iraq had been notified of the United States’ intention to conduct airstrikes as “lies,” as the foreign ministry called in the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq to protest what they called the “blatant aggression” against Iraqi sovereignty.

But according to one administration official, the Iraqi government was given short-notice warning that the U.S. would strike. “It wasn’t a huge heads up,” they said, “but it is not accurate to say they weren’t informed.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-strikes-killed-least-39-including-many-civilians-iraq-warns-stability-brink-abyss

Dozens feared missing after Ukrainian attack on bakery in Russian city – local authorities

At least two people were killed and six injured as Kiev’s forces shelled a civilian site in Lisichansk

Ukrainian forces on Saturday targeted a bakery located in the Russian city of Lisichansk, Lugansk People’s Republic, killing at least two and injuring six more people at the site. The building was heavily damaged in the strike and partially collapsed, footage from the scene shows.

The acting head of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik, accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately targeting the building during the weekend to maximize potential damage on civilians.

“Three people were hospitalized. Several dozen more civilians may remain under rubble,” Pasechnik wrote on Telegram without providing an exact figure.

READ MORE: Ukraine committed ‘genocide’ in Donbass – Putin

The local military commandant’s office told RIA Novosti the estimated figure of missing persons currently stood at 40. The incident triggered a massive emergency services response, with multiple rescuers and heavy machinery deployed to the scene in order to dig through the rubble.

No official information on weaponry used by the Ukrainian military to strike the bakery was readily available. Some media reports, however, suggested the building was struck by a projectile launched from a US-supplied HIMARS missile system.

https://www.rt.com/russia/591789-russian-bakery-attack/

California Bill Would Give Unemployment Benefits To Illegal Immigrants

On Jan. 1, illegal immigrants in California received free medical care.

That was thanks to Assembly Bill 133, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in July 2021.

Cost: $4 billion more a year, as an estimated 764,000 illegal immigrants are added to the already stuffed rolls of the 14.6 million Californians on Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the Medicare program.

At the signing almost three years ago, Mr. Newsom exclaimed, “We’re investing California’s historic surplus to accomplish transformative changes we’ve long dreamed of—including this historic Medi-Cal expansion to ensure thousands of older undocumented Californians, many of whom have been serving on the front lines of the pandemic, can access critical health care services.”

Oops! That was when the state enjoyed a nearly $100 billion budget surplus. Now it’s suffering a deficit of $38 billion, according to Mr. Newsom’s Jan. 10 budget proposal. Or $58 billion, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Jan. 13 analysis of that proposal.

Next up: Senate Bill 277, by state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles). It would give unemployment benefits to illegal aliens. According to the analysis by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, “This bill establishes, until January 1, 2027, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Excluded Workers Program (EWP) administered by the Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide income assistance to workers ineligible for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.”

And here are the new costs:

$270.7 million to set up the program. The taxpayer dollars would go “primarily to develop a new information technology (IT) system. EDD’s UI program is a federal-state partnership, with the current IT system largely funded through federal grants. However, federal rules would preclude EDD from using existing systems to administer the EWP, thus requiring EDD to establish a new, separate IT system exclusively for the EWP.”

Annual costs to run the IT system “ranging from $39.3 million to $53.8 million.”

“Ongoing costs of benefit amounts, ranging from $330 million to $2 billion, paid to EWP claimants.”

Here’s the problem, though. Health care involves an actual, physical patient needing to be patched up or given medications, or preventive medicine. So there’s a limit. But giving unemployment benefits to illegal aliens would make the EDD system even more ripe for fraud than it already is. Many illegal immigrants pay into the system now. But how do we know they’re actually doing the work claimed? What if they’re laid off officially, collect EDD benefits, but then are hired back unofficially for the same jobs? By definition, “illegal” involves at least some measure of illegality.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/california-bill-would-give-unemployment-benefits-illegal-immigrants

RINO North Carolina Congressional Candidate Laurie Buckhout Was Arrested for Drunk Driving

Buckhout is the warmonger wing's choice for the First District

North Carolina Republican establishment congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout was arrested for drunk driving in 2017, making it clear that the neocon wing of the GOP is going to have some trouble locking up the nomination in the Tar Heel State’s First Congressional District.

In the primary, Laurie Buckhout is running against businesswoman Sandy Smith. Sandy Smith has received the endorsement of House Freedom Caucus stalwart Andy Biggs and various other conservative luminaries including Congressman Eli Crane, Congressman Paul Gosar, and current House Freedom Caucus chairman Bob Good. The First District is currently under Democrat control, with incumbent Rep. Donald Davis occupying the seat. Can you imagine what Democrats could do to Republicans in the district in November if the GOP nominates Buckhout instead of Smith?

Citizen journalist @MargoinWNC reported: “Is this Laurie Buckhout who’s running for Congress in #NCD1 getting a DUI? It sure is!” MargoinWNC provided the disturbing bodycam footage from 2017:

Laurie Buckhout was booked by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office on August 9, 2017, and released on bond.

Laurie Buckhout was charged with three misdemeanors, listed as: Driving With An Unlawful Alcohol Concentration, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (which was reduced to Reckless Driving) and Tag Light Required. In 2019, she was sentenced to pay a fine.

https://nationalfile.com/rino-north-carolina-congressional-candidate-laurie-buckhout-was-arrested-for-drunk-driving/

Thousands push government to do more for hostage deal at Jerusalem, Tel Aviv protests

Protesters have briefly blocked traffic in the Ayalon Highway near Tel Aviv, lighting candles on the gravel in the shape of the words “HELP,” in the latest demonstration of their desperation for the government to do more to save their loved ones being held captive in Gaza.

Israel is reportedly waiting on a response from Hamas to see whether the sides will begin detailed negotiations.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-3-2024/

Iraqi Bases Housing US Troops Attacked Following Strikes on Militias in Iraq and Syria

Shia militias in Iraq have targeted American forces in the Middle East with several drones following Biden’s strikes on alleged Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria

Following the attacks on dozens of sites across Iraq and Syria, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced it attacked bases that house US soldiers. Last week, three American soldiers in Jordan, near the Syrian border, were killed by a drone. The White House blamed Iran for the attack, a charge Tehran denies. Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh admitted Washington had no evidence that Iran directed the attack.

Still, the Biden administration leaked to the press that the president would order strikes against Iranian targets in the Middle East without seeking Congressional authorization. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that it “doesn’t matter” if Iran directed the attack. Austin said, “You know, we believe that this was done by an element of what is known as the Axis of Resistance, and these are Iranian proxy groups. And how much Iran knew or didn’t know, we — we don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter because Iran sponsors these groups.”

Without evidence or approval from Congress, Biden ordered the first round of strikes on Friday. At least 16 people, including civilians, were killed by the strikes in Iraq, according to Baghdad. In Syria, around 25 fighters were killed.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) reports it hit 85 targets with 120 bombs. Members of Shia military groups in Iraq and Syria were killed. However, at this time, it appears no Iranians died in the strikes. Before the attack, Reuters reported Tehran was working to withdraw its forces from the region.

In his statement on the strikes, Biden said he is planning additional waves of attacks. “This afternoon, at my direction, US military forces struck targets at facilities in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militia use to attack US forces,” a White House statement said. “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

The Iraqi government blasted the US for a “new aggression against” its sovereignty. “This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss,” Baghdad said.

Damascus was also outraged. The Syrian Ministry of Defence called the strikes “aggression of the American occupation forces,” which it said was attempting “to weaken the ability of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in the field of fighting terrorism.”

Shia militias in Iraq and Syria began attacking US troops in Iraq and Syria in mid-October. The umbrella organization for Shia militias that operate in the region, The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said that the attacks were an effort to pressure Israel to end the onslaught in Gaza. US troops had come under fire over 150 times before the three soldiers were killed in Jordan.

The US has conducted several airstrikes in Iraq and Syria in response to the hundreds of attacks that often caused no or only minor injuries to American soldiers. However, the strikes were far more limited than the massive bombing campaign on Friday.

https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/03/iraqi-bases-housing-us-troops-attacked-following-strikes-on-militias-in-iraq-and-syria/

Google will no longer back up the Internet: Cached webpages are dead

Google Search will no longer make site backups while crawling the web.

Google will no longer be keeping a backup of the entire Internet. Google Search's "cached" links have long been an alternative way to load a website that was down or had changed, but now the company is killing them off. Google "Search Liaison" Danny Sullivan confirmed the feature removal in an X post, saying the feature "was meant for helping people access pages when way back, you often couldn't depend on a page loading. These days, things have greatly improved. So, it was decided to retire it."

The feature has been appearing and disappearing for some people since December, and currently, we don't see any cache links in Google Search. For now, you can still build your own cache links even without the button, just by going to "https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:" plus a website URL, or by typing "cache:" plus a URL into Google Search. For now, the cached version of Ars Technica seems to still work. All of Google's support pages about cached sites have been taken down.

Cached links used to live under the drop-down menu next to every search result on Google's page. As the Google web crawler scoured the Internet for new and updated webpages, it would also save a copy of whatever it was seeing. That quickly led to Google having a backup of basically the entire Internet, using what was probably an uncountable number of petabytes of data. Google is in the era of cost savings now, so assuming Google can just start deleting cache data, it can probably free up a lot of resources.

Cached links were great if the website was down or quickly changed, but they also gave some insight over the years about how the "Google Bot" web crawler views the web. The pages aren't necessarily rendered like how you would expect. In the past, pages were text-only, but slowly the Google Bot learned about media and other rich data like javascript (there are a ton of specialized Google Bots now). A lot of Google Bot details are shrouded in secrecy to hide from SEO spammers, but you could learn a lot by investigating what cached pages look like. In 2020, Google switched to mobile-by-default, so for instance, if you visit that cached Ars link from earlier, you get the mobile site. If you run a website and want to learn more about what a site looks like to a Google Bot, you can still do that, though only for your own site, from the Search Console.

The death of cached sites will mean the Internet Archive has a larger burden of archiving and tracking changes on the world's webpages.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/google-search-kills-off-cached-webpages/

Biden’s new climate envoy had a close relationship with CCP/Chinese United Front influence group

The Biden Administration continues to emphasize climate cooperation with China, even as the relationship grows more confrontational. The new climate envoy has a history of favorable negotiations with China and close relationships with a Chinese influence group with longstanding connections to the Chinese Communist Party.

The White House recently appointed John Podesta as Climate Envoy following the exit of John Kerry from the administration. Yet, Podesta’s previous work with a Chinese United Front-linked organization on climate change raises concerns about his ability to negotiate with China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Podesta has long been a household name in Democratic politics. He is known for his close association with the Clinton family and for being active in climate policy. Podesta first served as President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff and then later as the campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful bid for president in 2016.

In between his work for the Clintons, he served in the Obama Administration as a counselor to the president responsible for climate policy and before that as a co-chair of President Obama’s 2008 transition team.

Before entering the Obama Administration, Podesta founded and led the liberal think-tank Center for American Progress (CAP), which seeks to advance progressive policies on issues spanning from climate change to the economy.

It was during this period that Podesta worked closely with an entity connected to the Chinese influence apparatus on climate change and other issues.

In late 2009, Podesta led the first delegation from CAP to Beijing. During the trip, the CAP delegation—which included a U.S. Senator and an Ambassador—met with several Chinese officials. Discussions between the two delegations centered on “issues at the forefront U.S.-China relations,” which included climate change.

The Chinese delegation was led by the founder of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), an entity which played an integral part in organizing the dialogue, according to CAP’s report of the trip. CUSEF and CAP held several meetings from 2009 to 2016, both before and after Podesta began serving at the White House.

The China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) is a Hong Kong-based entity founded by business magnate Tung Chee-hwa, a billionaire who is linked to the Chinese Communist Party. After Hong Kong reverted to British control, Tung was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region under the communist Chinese government.

Tung also served as the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—“a patriotic united front organization of the Chinese people” that is integrated with the Chinese Communist Party government—from 2005 to 2023.

https://justthenews.com/government/diplomacy/bidens-new-climate-envoy-had-close-relationship-chinese-united-front-influence

U.S. ANNOUNCES STRIKES ON YEMEN, SAYS WARSHIP & WARPLANES SHOT DOWN DRONES

The United States Central Command announced on February 3 that it had launched strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and said that several drones launched by the group, also known as Ansar Allah, were intercepted by a warship and warplanes over the past day.

In a statement, the command said that the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney intercepted a drone over the Gulf of Aden.

F/A-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group also engaged and shot down seven drones over the Red Sea, according to the command.

Four other Houthi drones which were prepared to launch in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen were struck, the command said, adding that the drones presented “an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region.”

“These actions will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for the U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” CENTCOM said.

Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, said that two “American-British aggressions” targeted the area of al-Jar in the northwestern province of Hajjah with a total of seven strikes on February 2 afternoon. The news channel didn’t report any casualties, however.

The Houthis have targeted dozens of Israel-affiliated vessels and others owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom since November 19 in response to the ongoing Israeli war and siege on the Gaza Strip, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 27,000 Palestinains.

The U.S. and the UK retaliated by carrying out dozens of strikes on military targets on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in recent weeks. Nevertheless, the group remains undeterred.

https://southfront.press/u-s-announces-strikes-on-yemen-says-warship-warplanes-shot-down-drones/

ICE arrests 171 criminal illegal immigrants for assault against children, murder, and homicide

At least five included sex crimes against children.

From January 16 through 28, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers apprehended 171 illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of murder, homicide, or assault against children.

In a statement, the agency highlighted five of those apprehended who had convictions of sexual misconduct, including rape, with a child. They also noted one who was convicted of murder and another convicted of sexual assault.

"A 53-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Tacoma, Washington, convicted of felony child molestation in the first degree, child molestation in the second degree, and rape of a child in the third degree," one highlighted case from the statement read.

"The results of this weeklong effort are a testament to ERO’s commitment to protecting the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws,” ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner said in a statement. "Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel are committed to enforcing the nation’s immigration laws humanely, effectively, and with the highest standards of professionalism.”

The agency claims that it focuses its efforts on criminals and those who "have violated our nation's immigration laws." It notes that officers use their discretion to act against illegal immigrants who "pose a threat to national security, public safety, or border security."

ICE arrested 73,822 immigrants with a total of 290,178 charges in fiscal year 2023. A breakdown of the charges shows that 33,209 were from assault, 4,390 sex and sexual assaults, 7,520 weapons offenses, 1,713 for homicide, and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

Last week, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) revealed that they had encountered 50 people who appeared on the terror watch list attempting to cross the United States illegally so far in Fiscal Year 2024. The agency noted that they had encountered a total of 634,066 people coming across in the same time frame.

According to a report from the Center for Immigration Studies, even with record numbers of illegal immigrants coming into the country, ICE arrests of criminal immigrants are down 68 percent since Joe Biden took office. Deportations are also down 67 percent.

ICE noted that citizens can report crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

https://thepostmillennial.com/ice-arrests-171-criminal-illegal-immigrants-for-assault-against-children-murder-and-homicide

Pope condemns anti-Judaism, antisemitism amid new wave of attacks against Jews

In his letter, the pope also called, once again, for the release of those hostages still being held by Hamas.

Pope Francis condemned all forms of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, labeling them as a "sin against God," after noticing an increase in attacks against Jews around the world.

"(The Church) rejects every form of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God," the pontiff wrote in a letter to the Jewish population of Israel dated Feb. 2 and made public on Saturday.

"Together with you, we, Catholics, are very concerned about the terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world. We had hoped that 'never again' would be a refrain heard by the new generations," he added.

https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-785015

Jeffrey Epstein’s Secret Bank Account Is Still Moving Millions and No One Knows Why

A judge in the Virgin Islands has declared “there is no explanation” for why millions of dollars have been moving between one of Jeffrey Epstein’s secret bank accounts after his alleged death.

Tens of millions of dollars have been flowing from Epstein’s estate into this Virgin Islands account since his alleged suicide. To make matters even more suspicious, the account was nearly cleaned out by the beginning of 2020 with no clear explanation of where the money went.

The news that somebody has been using Epstein’s bank account since his death has added credibility to rumors that the disgraced associate of multiple VIP elites is still alive.

The account was opened by Epstein in the Virgin Islands in 2014 and was reportedly intended to be used for a “dynamic international banking firm” that he planned to develop.

On his application, Epstein said that he wanted to pursue the “dynamic discipline of international banking.” Meanwhile, on that same application he glossed over his very serious criminal history and his status as a registered sex offender, saying that he dealt with a previous legal challenge but the case was discontinued.

The account in the Virgin Islands sat dormant with very little activity for many years, and it is unclear whether or not his international banking firm ever brought on clients. Local authorities suspect it was used as some type of shell company for his criminal enterprise.

Despite the lack of activity and Epstein’s criminal record the bank renewed his license every year since he was first approved.

The fact that this account exists is not unusual in itself—Epstein had dozens of bank accounts throughout the world that he used for a variety of different purposes, both legal and illegal.

The New York Times reported that the bank had $693,157 in assets when Epstein died back in August but received roughly $12.9 million in the months afterwards. The account was cleared out and left with just under a half-million dollars around the first of the year.

When questioned by Judge Carolyn Hermon-Purcell, the lawyers for Epstein’s estate said that the payments were made “in error,” but the judge was not satisfied with the explanation and demanded that the lawyers provide a full accounting of the payments made from the estate.

“There’s no explanation for it,” the judge said.

It is not clear when the lawyers for Epstein’s estate will be required to turn over the records, but it is expected to be a priority considering the many lawsuits that have been filed against the estate.

https://thepeoplesvoice.tv/jeffrey-epsteins-secret-bank-account-is-still-moving-millions-and-no-one-knows-why/

Gay Dad puts young kids on TikTok and encourages them to discuss homo sex accessories…

Sadly, grooming takes various forms, and we’ve stumbled upon a particularly distressing case. It involves a gay father who, without any reservations, showcases his young children on TikTok, urging them to engage in discussions about “homosexual sex accessories.” Sadly, we’ve reached the very bottom of the slippery slope we’ve been sliding down for a while now.

https://revolver.news/2024/02/gay-dad-puts-young-kids-on-tiktok-and-encourages-them-to-discuss-homo-sex-accessories/

Jewish Supremacist Organization Receives $105 Million of United States Taxpayer Dollars to Import Large Amounts of Non-White Immigrants

"HIAS received $105 million of US tax payer money …in 2023 alone. This is how they are funding the invasion that is turning European-American children into a minority in their own country."

According to research from identitarian media company Red Ice, the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society received $105 million in United States taxpayer dollars alone.

In a post that the Red Ice published on Telegram on January 23, 2024, they stated the following:

“HIAS received $105 million of US tax payer money …in 2023 alone. This is how they are funding the invasion that is turning European-American children into a minority in their own country.”

HIAS is a Jewish American non-profit organization that offers humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees worldwide. The organization was first founded on November 27, 1881 with the original goal of helping resettle large numbers of Russian Jewish immigrants to the United States who had fled the Old Continent to escape anti-Semitic persecution and violence.

Since then, HIAS has broadened its mission to help out refugees of all ethnic, national, and religious backgrounds. HIAS has offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US. From the time of its founding up until the present, HIAS has resettled over 4.5 million people worldwide.

HIAS is just one of many globalist NGOs that labors diligently to expedite the Great Replacement and the election of a new people. In a proper nationalist polity, such NGOs must have their power and influence greatly reduced. There very presence allows for the political class to continue to import millions of foreigners to the West and predominantly European polities on an annual basis.

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/jewish-supremacist-organization-receives-105-million-of-united-states-taxpayer-dollars-to-import-large-amounts-of-non-white-immigrants/

Argentina police crack down on protests as lawmakers debate Milei's sweeping reform bill

Argentinepolice fired rubber bulletsThursday to disperse protesters gathered outside Congress as lawmakers debated the new president's sweeping economic, social and political reform package.

Opposition legislators stormed out of the building at one point to observe and denounce the police action, but later went back inside to take their seats and the debate resumed.

The drama unfolded on the second day of what is expected to be a marathon debate on libertarian and self-described anarcho-capitalist President Javier Milei's reform plans.

The 53-year-old outsider won a resounding election victory late last year on a wave of fury over decades of economic crises marked by debt, rampant money printing, inflation and fiscal deficit.

Milei began his term by devaluing the peso by more than 50 percent, cutting state subsidies for fuel and transport, reducing the number of ministries by half, and scrapping hundreds of rules so as to deregulate the economy.

His massive reform package with hundreds of articles touches on all areas of public and private life, from privatisations to cultural issues, the penal code, divorce and the status of football clubs.

Argentines who elected him are already up in arms and even staged a strike less than two months into his term.

Opposition lawmakers walked out of the chamber as police put down the protests outside.

TV footage showed police firing rubber bullets and water cannons at hundreds of demonstrators opposed to the reform package.

"We cannot hold a session under these circumstances," leftist lawmaker Mariano Del Cano said as he and others left the building.

Myriam Bregman, a leftist lawmaker and former presidential hopeful, told reporters that a group of some 40 legislators urged police to stop the violence.

"They hurled gas at us, they hit us, they pushed us," said Bregman.

Alejandro Finocchiaro, a lawmaker who supports Milei, accused the those who walked out of trying to delay the debate and said the demonstrators outside "were determined to be repressed so this session will come to a halt."

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240202-protests-in-argentina-as-lawmakers-debate-milei-s-sweeping-reform-bill

Africa Under Attack? Massive Explosion of Gas Plant in Nairobi

https://rumble.com/embed/v48asbl/?pub=4

Iran’s intelligence ministry says Mossad agents in 28 countries exposed

The ministry also gained "data on secret military facilities, weapons factories, and strategic civilian infrastructure" in Israel

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has conducted an operation that resulted in the detection of Mossad agents in 28 countries around the world.

"Following the largest multistage intelligence and counterintelligence operation against the spy organizations of the [Israeli] regime of occupation, unique and unprecedented information about them was obtained and immediately put to use," a statement uploaded to the ministry's official website reads. It is claimed that thanks to the obtained information, dozens of agents linked to Mossad had been identified in 28 countries. The ministry also gained "data on secret military facilities, weapons factories, and strategic civilian infrastructure" in Israel.

The statement noted that several spies were detected in Tehran and several provinces of Iran. All of them have either been brought to justice or taken under the control of Iranian special services. The issue of Israeli agents who have Iranian citizenship and reside abroad will be addressed based on the level of cooperation between the Ministry of Intelligence and the corresponding countries' intelligence services. All countries with which Iran has established an exchange of intelligence information have been provided with basic data concerning active agents operating within their territories. The security services of these countries have already taken the necessary measures.

According to the information mentioned in the document, Israeli intelligence services actively use cyberspace, social media, and recruiting websites to gather necessary information about individuals and subsequently engage them in collaboration with Mossad. The Ministry of Intelligence did not specify the countries where Israeli agents had been detected or their exact number. The investigation is still in progress, it explained.

On January 29, four individuals were executed in Iran on charges of espionage for Israel and of creating a terrorist group with the aim of undermining national security. According to the Mehr news agency, they were recruited by Mossad through a high-ranking member of the Komala organization (the Kurdish branch of the Iranian Communist Party, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Iran).

https://tass.com/world/1740779

Is this why they are going mad bombing everything in the ME?

Deep State, ‘Powerful Israeli Lobby’ Blocking US Withdrawal From Iraq and Syria: Fmr State Senator

US forces in Iraq and Syria have been coming under almost daily drone and rocket attack by militias since October amid Washington’s support for Tel Aviv’s military assault in Gaza. Last Saturday, three US troops were killed and 47 others wounded in a drone attack on a base in Jordan just across the border from an illegal US outpost in Syria.

A powerful foreign lobby and elements of the American deep state are working to prevent Washington from pulling troops out of Iraq and Syria, Richard Black, a former Republican senator in the Virginia Senate, has told Sputnik.

“The Israeli lobby is powerful, and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu fiercely opposes any such US withdrawal,” Black explained.

“Even if he wanted to withdraw, [President] Biden [would face] resistance from the entrenched foreign policy establishment that could prevent his exit, just as they blocked President Trump from carrying out his plan to exit Syria,” the former lawmaker added, referring to efforts by members of Trump’s administration including former Pentagon chief James Mattis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor John Bolton to undermine the president’s Syria orders.

“Survival of the Kurdish SDF is solely dependent on American might. It will dissolve once the American occupation ends,” Black added, commenting on the US-backed Kurdish-led militia force in de facto control over the oil and food rich-regions of northeast Syria, which the Damascus government needs desperately for reconstruction.

The US occupation of Syria and American troops’ presence in Iraq are part of a global problem, Black said. “DoD is overstretched across the globe,” he said. Meanwhile, “our soldiers have been taught critical race theory, making them distrustful of one another,” he added. Black also noted that as the US continues to “squander” billions of dollars on conflicts in far-off Ukraine and Gaza, America’s own borders have been left “open” to “foreign invasion” by illegal immigrants.

“These deficiencies and shortages provide powerful incentives for Biden to withdraw from Syria and Iraq, but doing so is difficult, even for a determined president,” Black stressed.

Black, 79, served as a member of the Virginia Senate between 2012 and 2020, and before that as a member from the state’s House of Delegates from 1998-2006. The Republican former military officer and Army lawyer made headlines in 2014 after sending a letter to Syrian President Bashar Assad thanking the Syrian Army for its “heroic rescue of Christians in the Qalamoun Mountain Range” as part of government forces’ operations against jihadist militants backed by the US and its regional allies. Black’s name ended up on IS’s* enemies list in 2015. Black traveled to Syria in 2016 on a goodwill visit aimed at debunking the Western narrative regarding the CIA dirty war against the Middle Eastern nation.

Damascus has repeatedly called on all US forces operating in Syria to vacate the country, emphasizing that they were not invited and that their pretext for being there (preventing an IS* resurgence) is a sham. Last week, the Iraqi government and US forces began talks aimed at bringing the US-led mission in the country to an end following Washington’s air strike assassination of a senior pro-Baghdad militia leader last December.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240202/deep-state-powerful-israeli-lobby-blocking-us-withdrawal-from-iraq-and-syria-fmr-state-senator-1116558704.html

Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan, wife sentenced to seven years for unlawful marriage

A Pakistan court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan to a further seven years in prison along with his wife, after a ruling that their 2018 marriage violated the law.

Key points:

Imran Khan and his wife have been jailed for seven years, the third prison sentence handed to the former PM this week

He and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were accused of not observing the "Iddat" waiting period after she divorced her previous husband

The couple deny any wrongdoing, and Khan's political party says the case is a "mockery of the law"

It was the third adverse ruling against the embattled former prime minister this week, and came ahead of national elections on Thursday that he is barred from contesting.

The jailed Khan, 71, has in recent days been sentenced to 10 years for leaking state secrets and 14 years along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, for illegally selling state gifts.

"After hours of rushed hearings at court, no cross examination of witnesses, and no due process — a mockery of the law," Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said in a statement.

"With the way these trials are being conducted, there will be a huge question mark on the February 8th elections. This is a test case for Pakistan's higher judiciary."

Fine for breaking rules after wife's divorce

The two were also each fined 500,000 rupees ($9,252), ARY News reported.

Bushra was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called "Iddat", after divorcing her previous husband before marrying Khan.

The Khans signed their marriage contract, called a "Nikkah", in January 2018 in a secret ceremony seven months before the charismatic former cricket superstar became prime minister for the first time.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-04/pakistan-ex-pm-imran-khan-sentenced-7-years-unlawful-marriage/103424124