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Former Lithuanian PM’s son reportedly arrested in Russian espionage case
"I can neither reject nor confirm it," the country’s State Security Department Director Darius Jauniskis said in response to a question about Vaidotas Prunskus’s arrest
VILNIUS, December 24. /TASS/. Vaidotas Prunskus, the son of former Lithuanian Prime Minister Kazimira Prunskiene, has reportedly been arrested in connection with a Russian espionage case, the country’s State Security Department Director Darius Jauniskis told the national TV.
"I can neither reject nor confirm it," he said in response to a question about Prunskus’s arrest.
Kazimira Prunskiene served as Lithuania’s Prime Minister since March 11, 1990, when the country declared independence, until January 10, 1991. She had to step down amid rising prices and armed clashes in the capital of Vilnius, which killed more than ten people. Prunskiene remained active on the political scene, ran for president and served as a lawmaker. However, she retired from politics after recovering from a serious illness in 2012.
Espionage fever
Espionage-related reports dominated the Lithuanian media in the past week. On Wednesday, Lithuanian State Security Department Director Darius Jauniskis said that the country’s law enforcement agencies had identified a group, whose members had allegedly been gathering information on instructions from Russia’s intelligence agencies. He said that opposition politician Algirdas Paleckis, allegedly involved in those activities, had been detained over a month ago.
On Tuesday, Lithuanian police detained Russian national Valery Ivanov in the country’s capital of Vilnius for alleged weapons possession. Police said firearms had been found during a search of his apartment. Police sources added that the investigation would later clarify whether Ivanov’s detention had anything to do with an investigation against Paleckis. However, Ivanov was released from custody on Wednesday.
Following these incidents, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Lithuania’s actions were yet another illustration of the country’s anti-Russian policy and a departure from democratic principles.
http://tass.com/world/1037569
fuck off idiot
Israeli forces detain Palestinian agriculture minister
Israeli forces on Sunday arrested Palestinian Agriculture Minister Sufian Sultan, as he was heading to the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) from Ramallah, the center of the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli regime’s forces stopped the minister’s car and forced him out of it at gunpoint while deliberately assaulting him, before proceeding to thoroughly search his vehicle. Forces also seized the car’s alarm system, the ministry of agriculture said in a statement.
The ministry condemned Israel’s move against the minister, noting that such a measure violates the international humanitarian law and is part of Israel’s escalated attacks against the Palestinian people.
Various Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank, especially Ramallah, al-Bireh, and Jerusalem al-Quds have been scene to clashes between Palestinian people and Zionist military forces.
Tensions have been running high in the occupied region as the Israeli military regularly opens fatal fire on Palestinians, accusing them of seeking to attack its personnel.
Human rights groups have repeatedly slammed the Tel Aviv regime for its shoot-to-kill policy as a large number of the Palestinians killed at the scene of attacks did not pose any serious threat to Israelis.
Israeli troops have on numerous occasions been caught on camera brutally killing Palestinians, with the videos going viral online and sparking condemnations of the regime’s military.
Since the beginning of 2018, Israeli forces have killed at least 310 Palestinians, including 54 children, and arrested over 900 others, according to a Palestinian human rights center.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/24/583790/Israel-arrest-Palestine-agriculture-minister-Ramallah-West-Bank
Uganda Begins Implementing Mandarin Chinese Classes in Schools
Uganda graduated its first set of Mandarin language teachers on Thursday, equipped to teach in secondary (high) schools and supported by the Chinese government.
Nationwide, 35 schools in five regions will receive the new teachers — most in the nation’s central region.
China’s state-run Xinhua news network reported that Beijing is investing heavily in the Confucius Institute at Makerere University, Uganda’s largest, meant to spread Chinese culture – as interpreted by the Chinese Communist Party – and make more Ugandans comfortable speaking Mandarin.
The Chinese government refers to Mandarin as “Chinese” or Putonghua (“the common tongue”), though millions of Chinese people speak a variety of languages including Cantonese, Mongolian, Manchu, Kazakh, and Uighur. The Communist Party has launched campaigns to eradicate the use of many minority languages, allegedly to help the job prospects of ethnic minorities.
Beijing is using the same excuse in Uganda.
“While many Chinese in Uganda can speak English, it is difficult to find a Ugandan who can speak Chinese well,” Zheng Zhuqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, told Xinhua. “In order to narrow this deficit and cater to Ugandans’ need to learning Chinese, the Chinese government supports both Chinese sides and their Ugandan partners in making this training program a success.”
Ugandan Minister for the Presidency Esther Mbayo reportedly said at the graduation that Mandarin had become increasingly important because of China’s investments in the country, according to the nation’s Monitor newspaper. Uganda is a key participant in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a plan to reconstruct the ancient Silk Road from Beijing to Lisbon. Chinese state media outlets have stated that the greater goal of the BRI is for China to “be responsible for the majority of infrastructure projects worldwide,” giving China control of all global trade. Heavily indebted African countries like Uganda have provided fertie ground for these projects, Uganda among them.
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/12/21/uganda-begins-implementing-mandarin-chinese-classes-in-schools/
Ukrainian Lawmakers in Massive Parliament Brawl
Ukrainian lawmakers broke into a massive brawl Thursday during a parliamentary session, continuing a long-held tradition of trading punches over the issues of the day.
A video showed several members of parliament throwing punches at each other after opposition lawmaker Nestor Shufrych accused pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk of being Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “agent.”
As Shufrych walked away from the podium, he tore down a poster displaying Medvedchuk’s face. But what happened next caused tensions to rise in the chamber.
Seconds after Shufrych tore down the poster, several other members of parliament ganged up on Shufrych. People’s Front politician Yuriy Bereza threw a punch in Shufrych’s direction, setting off a brawl where members clogged the aisles of the parliamentary chamber to get a piece of the action.
The brawl broke out shortly after parliament passed a bill requiring the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to rebrand itself as the “Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine” to reflect the church’s Russian ties.
The legislation comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine have increased four years after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Members of Ukraine’s parliament have brawled during parliamentary sessions for years, squabbling over matters ranging from petty personal problems to issues of international consequence.
In 2014, a brawl broke out between nationalist and pro-Russian lawmakers after parliamentary members narrowly passed a bill sending Ukrainian reserve soldiers to fight against pro-Russia separatists in an area of eastern Ukraine bordering Russia.
The following year, lawmakers had to cut a parliamentary session short after one politician accused a colleague of taking a bribe. The politician urged his colleague to resign over the bribery allegations, which turned into lawmakers trading blows.
https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/12/21/watch-ukrainian-lawmakers-in-massive-parliament-brawl/
WTF?
State Dept: US to Increase Financing for Ukrainian Navy
Officials cite Russian 'escalation' in decision to add to financing
The US State Department has reiterated its demand that Russia unconditionally return three Ukrainian boats seized during a November maritime incident. They also announced an increase in direct US financing for the Ukrainian Navy in response to the “dangerous escalation.”
The “escalation” saw three Ukrainian boats entering Russian waters in the Sea of Azov despite warnings they were closed for security reasons. Russia seized the boats pending an investigation into the matter, and has said they will be returned.
The State Department statement seems to mostly be another opportunity to endorse Ukraine’s position and to condemn Russia. In practice, an additional $10 million isn’t likely to make dramatic changes to Ukraine’s tiny navy.
Ukraine has made the incident in the Sea of Azov into a sign of an imminent war with Russia, and has urged NATO to send all the ships it can. British officials noted a British survey ship, the HMS Echo, has arrived in the area recently, to “send a message.” The survey ship is barely armed, and its presence is unlikely to be perceived as any serious threat to regional stability.
https://news.antiwar.com/2018/12/23/state-dept-us-to-increase-financing-for-ukrainian-navy/
Ezekiel 36: END Times Israel Prophecy (2019)
John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
US CHINA RUSSIA EUROPE
You've not presented any kind of counter or support for your argument albeit to say that you know best.
May Thanks Military for Keeping UK From "Russian Intrusion" in Christmas Address
The prime minister praised the Armed Forces in her Christmas speech for keeping the UK safe from Russia, defeating Daesh and “sending a message” to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May hailed the British Armed Forces in her Christmas address, praising their work on a variety of tasks, including, among other things, cleaning up the mess after the Salisbury incident and keeping UK "waters and skies" free from "Russian intrusion".
"Time and again you have stood up to aggression and those who flout the rules-based international order. You should be incredibly proud of all that you do — just as the whole country is proud of you", Theresa May said in the address.
The prime minister praised the military for "playing a vital role in cleaning up after a sickening nerve agent attack on the streets of Salisbury", and for "protecting our waters and our skies from Russian intrusion and strengthening our allies in Eastern Europe", the Independent reports.
It remains unclear whether the Russian Armed Forces are aware they were supposed to intrude into British seas and skies, however.
She also praised the armed forces for "striking at terrorism as part of the global coalition against Daesh" in Syria.
Sticking to the usual narrative, Prime Minister May said the British Armed Forces sent a "message" to Syrian President Bashar Assad that Downing Street won't stand by "while chemical weapons are used". May did not elaborate on what exact actions by the British contingent in Syria she perceives as "sending the message" to Assad.
"Along with our US and French allies", UK forces are "sending a message to the Assad regime that we will not stand by while chemical weapons are used, as they were in April on families, including young children", she said.
https://sputniknews.com/military/201812241070957136-theresa-may-christmas-russian-intrusion/
Liar Comey Lies About FBI Christmas Checks in Tweet About Lying
Fired FBI Director James Comey couldn’t help himself and posted a tweet today to attack President Trump.
Liar Comey Lies About FBI Christmas Checks in Tweet About Lying
Comey about how FBI families will be without a paycheck this Christmas.
It was a lie.
Their next check does not come until after the Christmas on December 28th.
Via Conservative Treehouse:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/liar-comey-lies-about-fbi-christmas-checks-in-tweet-about-lying/
Otto Warmbier's Parents Sue North Korea For $1.05 Billion (2.5% Of Total GDP)
The parents of Otto Warmbier, the student who was imprisoned and tortured in North Korea before slipping into a coma and dying, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the North Korean government for more than $1 billion, or about 2.5% of the country's entire GDP.
The family, that lives in Wyoming, Ohio, filed the lawsuit in federal court last April. North Korean authorities had arrested their son in January 2016 for attempting to steal a propaganda poster. He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison and subsequently died last year, days after he was released from North Korea to the United States in a coma. He had been tortured and in captivity in a North Korean labor camp for more than 17 months.
In October, a motion in the lawsuit was filed that seeks $1.05 billion in punitive damages on top of $46 million for the family's suffering. North Korea has repeatedly denied that it tortured the 22-year-old. The family's lawsuit claims that North Korea was in violation of international laws and forced their son to confess to carrying out an act of subversion on behalf of the United States.
If the dollar amount of the lawsuit pops out at you, it is for good reason. The motion includes language clarifying that the amount is intended to prevent North Korea from such unlawful behavior in the future. In federal court in Washington this week, the family of Warmbier said that they only wanted closure and justice on behalf of their son.
"We're here because we don't fear North Korea anymore".
The family was blindsided not only when their son did not return from his trip to North Korea when he was supposed to, but also after he was brought home more than a year later in a coma - after North Korea described his condition as "good".
President Trump has repeatedly said that Warmbier "did not die in vain" and has credited Otto and his family, whom Trump calls "good friends" of his, for the denuclearization pact signed with North Korea this past summer.
"Otto Warmbier is a very special person and he will be for a long time in my life," Trump said over the summer.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-12-23/otto-warmbiers-parents-sue-north-korea-105-billion-25-total-gdp
it tells you who the sauce is