Not surprisingly, Abedin was spotted heading into the Hillary Clinton offices in midtown Manhattan earlier today just a few hours before the release of the 2,800 emails. Seems you're never too old to be called into the Principal's office...
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🇮🇷 **Price protests turn political in Iran as rallies spread**

<http://archive.is/R9Kzr>
 
DUBAI (Reuters) - Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans in several cities across Iran on Friday, Iranian news agencies and social media reports said, as price protests turned into the largest wave of demonstrations since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009.

Police dispersed anti-government demonstrators in the western city of Kermanshah as protests spread to Tehran and several other cities a day after rallies in the northeast, the semi-official news agency Fars said.

The outbreak of unrest reflects growing discontent over rising prices and alleged corruption, as well as concern about the Islamic Republic’s costly involvement in regional conflicts such as those in Syria and Iraq.

10-10
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🇸🇪 **Swedish police find ‘no direct links’ after Malmo's 4th gang rape in 2 months**
<https://archive.is/bZOVk>

Yet another woman has been assaulted in the Swedish city of Malmo in another case of suspected gang rape, the fourth in just two months. The attacks come as activists started nightly street patrols to reassure the community. Police said they do not yet see any apparent link between the appalling attacks, amid the ongoing investigations.

The latest attack comes as Malmo grapples with a spate of similar incidents in which three women were raped by several assailants in different districts of the city, notorious for its thriving gang culture and crime. Earlier in December, a 17-year-old teenage girl was gang raped in a children’s playground in Hasselgatan.

The other two cases occurred in November and saw women being sexually assaulted by a number of men as well. And while police said they recovered traces of DNA from some of the crime scenes, no charges have been brought in either so far. The spike in violence against women even forced police to warn against venturing alone after dark. Faced with backlash, they later retracted the warning calling it “unfortunate.”

Meanwhile, Malmo police believe it’s unlikely the series of crimes are somehow connected. Referring to the two December attacks which appear to share the same pattern, Malmo police spokesman Nils Norling said “you cannot immediately say that they are linked to each other but you cannot rule it out either.”
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🇺🇸 **Florida man booby-traps door to electrocute pregnant wife**
<https://archive.is/wQ29c>

Police say that ***a Palm Coast man updated his Facebook status to “widowed” before jerry-rigging the front door*** of his estranged wife’s house to a car battery charger, in a failed plan to electrocute her.

Michael Wilson, 32, was arrested after police found an elaborate system of wires and electrical devices had been set up on the inside of his wife’s front door “in an attempt to cause great bodily harm” to her, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Friday.

“This is one of the most bizarre domestic violence cases I have seen in my career,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley said in the Facebook post. “Not only did this man plan to electrocute his wife, but he could have injured a deputy or any person attempting to enter this residence.”

Wilson was arrested Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was charged with two counts of attempted aggravated battery on a pregnant person and one count of grand theft of a firearm. He is currently being held on a $150,000 bond and will be extradited to Florida to face charges.
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🇩🇪 **Germany To Have ‘Safe Zone’ For Women After Migrant Assaults In Past New Year’s Eve Celebrations**
<https://archive.is/LTwaT>

Following the horrifying events that took place in Germany during 2015 New Year’s Eve Celebrations, in which over a thousand women were sexually assaulted by migrants, planners of this year’s celebrations are setting up “safe zones” for women.

Security is expected to be strict for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations which will take place at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate. Authorities have said that “large bags, such as rucksacks, and alcoholic drinks will be banned” at the event which will feature fireworks, various performers, and a safety zone for women.

Event Spokesperson Anja Marx told a German national broadcaster that the safe zone workers are trained to spot signs of women who are victims. “There will be three to four (German Red Cross) helpers who are specially trained and can look after women who feel harassed or threatened,” Marx said.
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🇺🇸 **U.S. military to accept transgender recruits on Monday: Pentagon**
<http://archive.is/O8y5m>

Transgender people will be allowed for the first time to enlist in the U.S. military starting on Monday as ordered by federal courts, the Pentagon said on Friday, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided not to appeal rulings that blocked his transgender ban.

Two federal appeals courts, one in Washington and one in Virginia, last week rejected the administration’s request to put on hold orders by lower court judges requiring the military to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1.

A Justice Department official said the administration will not challenge those rulings.

“The Department of Defense has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. So rather than litigate this interim appeal before that occurs, the administration has decided to wait for DOD’s study and will continue to defend the president’s lawful authority in District Court in the meantime,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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🇮🇷 **Iranian protests: World is watching response, US warns**
<http://archive.is/LQH4e>

The US says "the world is watching" how Iranian authorities respond to anti-government protests that have broken out in several cities.

Thousands of people have joined the protests, with scores arrested.

A White House statement said Iranians were fed up with "the regime's corruption and its squandering of the nation's wealth to fund terrorism".

Meanwhile, authorities urged supporters to turn out for nationwide demonstrations on Saturday.

"The Iranian government should respect their people's rights, including their right to express themselves. The world is watching," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter.

The US State Department urged all nations "to publicly support the Iranian people and their demands for basic rights and an end to corruption".

**Note:** *Regime change in Iran sooner or later, IRGC+Mullahs are losing grasp, hope for Ceausescu treatment for Khameini*

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🇸🇪 **Swedish church pushes for neutral gender reference to Jesus**
<https://archive.is/vltg4>

A church in a Swedish city has defended its choice of gender-neutral pronoun ‘hen’ in reference to Jesus in an advertisement. The church insists the word gives “new perspective.”

In November, the largest religious institution in the country, the Church of Sweden, advised its clergy to avoid terms like ‘Lord’ and ‘He’ in worship services in order to not highlight that God is male, in the new version of a handbook on how to conduct services. The move has triggered a backlash, with critics saying the change undermines the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity and politicizes faith.

While Bishop Mikael Mogren does not deny that Jesus was male, he applauds the fact that the advertisement has sparked debate. He noted, however, that some commenters insult trans people during the discussions and stressed that they are, like everyone else, “created by God.”

Despite attempts to calm the public, the church’s statements triggered heated discussion among social media users. One person (Maria Svanerud) commented on the church’s Facebook post that the ‘hen’ reference is a mockery, while another (Christian Himmelstrand) was “upset” at “messing with the most elementary fundamentals of faith.”
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🇫🇷 **France Sets Up Tax Dept. to Investigate Jews**
<https://archive.is/x2UM3>

Sources inform "Globes" that over the past year, the tax authority in the Fifth Republic founded a special department for dealing with French Jews. The department currently has 20 Hebrew-speaking employees, and is in the process of hiring five more. This extraordinary department is one of a kind.

The French department was established to handle French Jewish tax evaders, and hired employees with professional experience and a profound understanding of Israeli law in order to examine whether Jews were using these laws to evade tax in France. The aim of the department is to catch French tax evaders using Israel as a tax shelter.

The French embassy in Israel said in response, "In the framework of the campaign against tax evasion, the authorities in France conduct investigations concerning individual cases, in accordance with the international agreements. The authorities in France deny the existence of a special department. It is extremely important to state that the things that were written are false.

"Taxes in France are calculated according to risk considerations. There is therefore no connection whatsoever to the national affiliation or ethnic origin of taxpayers. Next year, automatic exchanges of information are scheduled between OECD member countries."
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🇩🇪 **‘End of equal rights’: Police union chief blasts Berlin’s New Year’s Eve safe zone for women** https://archive.fo/GPQvU#selection-451.1-451.93 The head of Germany’s Police Union has slammed the creation of a special safe zone for women at a New Year’s Eve celebration at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, saying it implies that women celebrating outside the zone won’t be safe.
Rainer Wendt of the German Police Union (DPolG) told the Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung, a German-language daily, that the planned ‘Women’s Safety Area’ sends a “devastating message” that women who venture outside the designated safe zone will be vulnerable to sexual assault.

🇺🇸 **‘Nigerian prince’ finally arrested: 67yo American behind 100s of scam emails**
<https://archive.is/JD3P4>

The mastermind who claimed to be Nigerian royalty in order to conduct a well-known ‘phishing’ email scam has been arrested in Louisiana.

Michael Neu, 67, was arrested this week following an 18-month investigation by Slidell Police Department's Financial Crimes Division. He has been charged with 269 counts of wire fraud and money laundering and is believed to have set up hundreds of scam email accounts costing unassuming citizens thousands of dollars.

In an interesting twist to the tale, Neu did in fact wire money to co-conspirators in Nigeria. The investigation is ongoing and has been further complicated as multiple leads point to additional conspirators based outside of the US.

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🇺🇸 **Multiple officers down in shooting near US city of Denver – police**
<https://archive.is/RuDRg>

Multiple police deputies are reportedly “down” in an active shooter event near Denver, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reports. The exact number of casualties is not yet known.

A Code Red alert has been issued by the sheriff’s department, warning citizens to stay indoors as the shooter is believed to still be at large. Several local law enforcement agencies have been put on alert, including Douglas County, Parker Police Department, Lone Tree Police Department, Castle Rock Police Department, and Colorado State Patrol.

A reporter from the local TV channel Denver7 said he heard several gunshots and saw roadblocks being put in place.
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🇰🇵 **‘US mainland in our nuclear strike range’, Kim Jong-un warns in New Year’s speech**
<https://archive.is/4EDod>

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared his county a nuclear power in possession of technology capable of striking the US mainland should there be a need.

The US mainland is in our nuclear strike zone,” Kim said in his New Year’s message which was broadcast on Chosun Central TV. “The United States will never start a war with me and our country,” and Pyongyang has “completed the creation of North Korea’s nuclear forces," he added.

Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang reached unprecedented levels last year, as the North continued to pursue its missile and nuclear programs. Washington said all options, including a military solution, are on the table to tame North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. While the US is still on course to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Pyongyang has so far refused to negotiate its nuclear status.
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🇩🇪 **Several arrested in Berlin, Cologne over suspected sexual assault during NYE celebrations**
<https://archive.is/p86XI>

Police have arrested several people in Berlin and Cologne over suspected sexual assault against women during New Year’s Eve celebrations, police and media say. Most of the suspects were young men from Syria and Afghanistan.

At least seven people were arrested for sexual assault in the German capital, police said, as cited by Die Welt newspaper. The incidents took place during a New Year’s Eve festival at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate area, which drew hundreds of thousands of spectators, accordingto the event’s organizers.

In Cologne, nine women claimed to have been touched inappropriately during the celebrations, a police spokesman said on Monday, adding that three suspects were identified. German media reported that these three suspects were later arrested. The spokesman, however, noted that there were no incidents like those of the notorious New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne two years ago.

One of the largest incidents was reported in Cologne, where “heavily intoxicated” men of “Arab or North African” origin allegedly attacked local women en masse in the city center on New Year’s Eve. Investigators gathered evidence to prove there were over 1,500 criminal cases on New Year’s Eve, with more than 1,200 victims across the country, German media reported. Subsequent probes, however, have since stalled, as CCTV footage from the scene turned out to be of low quality, while the victims failed to identify their attackers.
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🇺🇸 **New era opens in California with first sales of recreational marijuana**
<http://archive.is/BgQUk>

The day has been long anticipated by cannabis advocates who pushed for voters to pass Proposition 64 in November 2016, largely decriminalizing marijuana and allowing — starting Monday — for the commercial sale of products to adults 21 or older.

In Berkeley, Mayor Jesse Arreguin and Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner joined a couple dozen people outside the Berkeley Patients Group for the first sales.

Marijuana remains illegal by federal standards. But several states, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, and now California, have legalized both medicinal and recreational use.

As of November 2016, California law allows adults 21 or older to possess and transport up to one ounce of cannabis flower, as well as up to eight grams of extract or infused foods. Smoking in public is still prohibited.

Bulk buys are not allowed, with state law limiting daily purchases to one ounce of cannabis flower, eight grams of concentrated cannabis, and six immature plants per customer.
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*Note: Weed is still illegal under federal law, 'The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicial or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.'*
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🇵🇰 **Trump withholding millions in aid to Pakistan, as he accuses country of giving 'safe haven' to terrorists**
<https://archive.is/Iy8rk>

The Trump administration has decided to withhold millions in military aid to Pakistan as the president accuses the Muslim-majority nation of harboring terrorists and telling “lies” to the United States.

“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in [Fiscal Year] 2016 Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time,” a National Security Council official told Fox News on Monday.

The official added, “The president has made clear that the United States expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance.”

The Trump administration will continue to “review Pakistan’s level of cooperation,” the official said.
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🇬🇧 **Freemasons in British police ‘obstacle’ to reform – ex-chief**
<https://archive.is/qOT5C>

Reform in policing is being blocked by Freemasons, the former chair of the Police Federation has said. Steve White claimed the fraternal organization may undermine attempts to recruit women and those from minority communities. White, who resigned from his post after three years in service, claimed there have been times when members of the police who were also Freemasons were considered an “obstacle” to reform.

Masonic police officers have been accused of giving preferential treatment to their brethren over more talented, non-Mason officers. White said: “Some female representatives were concerned about Freemason influence in the Fed. The culture is something that can either discourage or encourage people from the ethnic minorities or women from being part of an organization.”

One previous Metropolitan Police commissioner, the late Sir Kenneth Newman, opposed the presence of Masons in the police. White claimed there are a number of Freemasons members holding key positions in the Federation, but fell short of naming them.

“It’s about trust and confidence. There are people who feel that being a Freemason and a police officer is not necessarily a good idea,” the former police chief said. “I find it odd that there are pockets of the organization where a significant number of representatives are Freemasons.”
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🇮🇸 **Feel the Bern, Iceland becomes first country to legalise equal pay** https://archive.fo/QtF92 A new law making it illegal to pay men more than women has taken effect in Iceland.
The legislation, which came into force on Monday, the first day of 2018, makes Iceland the first country in the world to legalise equal pay between men and women.

🇺🇸 **FBI thought Hillary broke the law, drafted acquittal despite ongoing investigation – report**
<https://archive.is/5idBI>

The FBI believed Hillary Clinton and her aides broke the law by using an insecure server to email classified data, yet drafted an exonerating statement even before the probe was over, according to several Republican senators.

The unnamed Republicans on key congressional committees looking into the Clinton probe have uncovered passages in FBI documents stating that large amount of classified data that passed through Clinton’s private emails was proof of criminality, The Hill reported. By doing so, the lawmakers have confirmed and expanded on earlier reports in the US media.

“The sheer volume of information that was properly classified as Secret at the time it was discussed on email (that is, excluding the “up classified” emails) supports an inference that the participants were grossly negligent in their handling of that information,” said a draft FBI statement from May 2, 2016, according to a source who has seen it. The “grossly negligent” wording, supporting a criminal charge for mishandling classified information, was changed to the more palatable “extremely careless” in later versions of the statement, according to The Hill.
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🇺🇸 **Trump disavows Bannon, says former campaign strategist ‘lost his mind’**
<https://archive.is/hvqFG>

Steve Bannon ‘lost his mind’ when he got fired from the White House, President Donald Trump said, adding that the Breitbart executive does not represent his base and is “only in it for himself.” Bannon has “nothing to do with me or my Presidency,” Trump said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, addressing claims by his former adviser in an upcoming book.

“Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books,” Trump’s statement said.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders condemned the book as "filled with false and misleading accounts from individuals who have no access or influence with the White House" and described it as "trashy tabloid fiction."

The president accused Bannon of being a source of leaks to the media while working as a White House adviser, and blasted his former strategist for the Republican debacle in Alabama last month.
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🇺🇸 **Manafort STRIKES BACK: Former Trump Campaign Manager Sues Justice Department Over Mueller Probe**
<https://archive.is/S3e4E>

In what is apparently a last-ditch effort to delay his trial, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has filed suit against the Justice Department, claiming that special counsel Robert Mueller lacks the authority to conduct a probe into whether Manafort and others conspired with Russian officials to undermine the 2016 Presidential election.

According to documents filed Wednesday in US District Court in Washington DC., Manafort claims that Mueller overstepped his bounds when he investigated, and subsequently indicted, Manafort for failing to submit a file to the US government naming himself an official lobbyist of a foreign government. Manafort's attorneys say that Mueller was supposed to focus his efforts on investigating whether the Russians had interfered in the US election, not whether Manafort had filed proper paperwork with a Federal body.

The suit also takes aim at deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who authorized Mueller's probe to begin with, claiming that Rosenstein exceeded his authority "to appoint special counsel as well as specific restrictions on the scope of such appointments."

The DOJ called the lawsuit "frivolous" but the filings themselves are very intriguing. According to Manafort and his attorneys, Mueller filed "more than 100 subpoenas related to Manafort" during the summer of 2017, seeking information as far back as 2005, some of which related to a previous, concluded FBI investigation.
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<:jew:348458300947431426> **Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer voted for Doug Jones, raised money for his campaign**
<http://archive.is/20J9o>

The Jewish attorney who Roy Moore's wife touted employing in an attempt to fight off claims of anti-Semitism is actually a longtime friend and supporter of Senator-elect Doug Jones, who defeated Moore last month.

Richard Jaffe is an Alabama defense attorney hired by the Moores to defend their son, Caleb Moore, against drug charges in 2016.

Jaffe told the Washington Examiner he has been close personal friends with Doug Jones for more than 30 years and he both contributed to, and raised money for, his campaign.

"There could not be a more passionate supporter of Doug than me!" Jaffe said.

“Fake news will tell you that we don’t care for Jews. I tell you all this because I’ve seen it also I just want to set the record straight while they’re here,” Kayla Moore said at a campaign rally in Midland City, Ala., waving at the media. “One of our attorneys is a Jew!”
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🇮🇱 **Netanyahu announces ‘mission’ to expel remaining African migrants from Israel**
<https://archive.is/eZJy8>

Illegal African migrants found still living in Israel by April could face indefinite imprisonment if they don’t leave voluntarily. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to expel remaining “illegal infiltrators” from Africa.

“We have expelled about 20,000 and now the mission is to get the rest out,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday in public remarks at a cabinet meeting that approved the scheme. Some 60,000 Africans, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, entered Israel before it erected a fence along its border with Egypt in 2013.

Since May 2015, Israel has offered migrants $3,500 and a free plane ticket to return home. However, starting in April, any of the estimated 38,000 illegal African migrants caught still living in the country could face incarceration. They will still have the option of leaving Israel voluntarily after March, but the government payout for doing so will be significantly smaller. Migrants can also choose to relocate to a “third country.”

Around 1,400 migrants are currently being held in two detention centers in Israel. Under new legislation enacted last month, Israel will close its Holot detention center. The migrants who live there will face a choice: to be jailed in the Saharonim Prison or deported to Rwanda. Israel and Rwanda recently signed an agreement whereby asylum seekers can be sent there, even without their consent, causing an outcry among human-rights groups.
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🇺🇸 **Dow Industrials Cross 25000 for First Time**
<https://archive.is/W0dRN>

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped past 25000 for the first time Thursday, on pace to notch the fastest run to a fresh 1,000-point milestone in history.

The blue-chip index, which heavily weights industrial giants such as Boeing Co. and Caterpillar Inc., was recently up 138 points, or 0.6%, at 25061. If the Dow industrials close above 25000, the jump from 24000 would have taken 23 trading days, ahead of the 24-day spans that took the index to 11000 in 1999 and 21000 in March.

Faster economic growth around the globe and improving sentiment from consumers and businesses—both of which were elusive for many years since the financial crisis a decade ago—have helped power this rally in recent weeks. Economic data in the first days of the new year continued to suggest steady expansion in the U.S., China and Europe.
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🇺🇸 **White House Bans Staff From Using Personal Cell Phones At Work**
<https://archive.is/uVlak>

Under a new directive, issued by Chief of Staff John Kelly, that cites "security concerns" with non-government-issued cellular devices, staff have to ditch their smartphone, though the president, who uses his own phone to engage in social media smack-downs, appears to be exempt from the rule.

Staff aren't happy about the move; they say the government-issued phones are outdated and lack the capacity to text, which hinders communication between members of the president's senior team. The phones also can't be used to make personal calls, so a White House staffer on shift isn't able to communicate with friends or family who don't work in the White House.

But in light of recent events — and in light of the "Fire And Fury" book due to hit stores — the White House is more concerned than ever about leaks from within the administration, and, aides say, with everyone using at least two separate devices — one for work and one for home — the White House wireless network has become hopelessly overloaded.

Even guests of the White House must now surrender their personal devices before attending any official meetings to keep things in order.
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❄ **U.S. East Coast Blitzed by Fast-Moving, High-Impact Winter Storm**
<https://goo.gl/GuERTT>

As of late Wednesday, blizzard warnings covered parts of each coastline from North Carolina to Maine. Some uncertainty in the storm track remained on Wednesday night—complicated by the storm’s rapid development and unusual strength—but Grayson’s center should remain just far enough offshore to keep the worst impacts east of the I-95 corridor until the storm reaches southeast New England. There, Grayson may produce a strong enough blizzard to impress even the hardest-bitten Yankee.

Snow amounts won’t be off the charts, but the impact will be worsened by winds at gale force or stronger and frigid temperatures, especially in the 24 to 48 hours after Grayson has passed.

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🇪🇺 **Tony Blair warns of populist uprisings & collapse of EU if Muslim immigration not addressed**
<https://archive.is/C2Ecd>

More countries could break away from the EU in a wave of populist revolts, says Tony Blair. The former UK PM has called on EU countries to “seize the moment” and to deal with underlying Muslim migration issues. Blair told German newspaper Die Welt that the same migration concerns that sparked Brexit aren’t issues faced solely by the UK, and other EU countries could face backlashes down the line.

“Let’s be clear: the anxieties of the British people that led to Brexit are not confined to Britain,” he said. “With strong leadership we would seize the moment of Brexit also to deal with those underlying issues which are not only the preoccupation of the British people but are the preoccupation right across Europe. Because otherwise, this populism will get fueled.”

Blair made a clear distinction between EU migration - a problem that he believes is only an issue in certain areas of the UK - and non-EU migration. He said tensions occur from non-EU migration “when people aren’t sure the people coming are sharing our values” - particularly from majority-Muslim countries.

Blair believes this is already an issue in Holland, Denmark and Sweden.
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🇰🇵 **North Korea Strikes North Korea In Missile Test Gone Horribly Wrong**
<https://archive.is/dxNAu>

According to a report in The Diplomat, an international news site based in Japan, North Korea’s test of a Hwasong-12/KN17 intermediate-range ballistic missile on April 28, 2017 went horribly wrong, launching from Pukchang Airfield and crash-landing just 40 miles away in Tokchon, causing extensive damage to “a complex of industrial or agricultural buildings.”

Authors Ankit Panda and Dave Schmerler wrote that a “U.S. government source with knowledge of North Korea’s weapons programs” said the missile’s engines failed after just one minute of powered flight. “Evidence of the incident,” they wrote, “can be independently corroborated in commercially available satellite imagery from April and May 2017.”

While the April 28 test was the third failed test of a Hwasong-12 that month, the report says that missile “was the fundamental building block” for the intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that North Korea’s regime launched on July 4, July 28, and November 28.
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🇺🇸 **Companies Warned to Replace All Computer Hardware or Risk 'SPECTRE' Attack...**
<https://archive.is/dRA2e>

Two major flaws in computer chips could leave a huge number of computers and smartphones vulnerable to security concerns, researchers revealed Wednesday. And a U.S. government-backed body warned that the chips themselves need to be replaced to completely fix the problems.

The flaws could allow an attacker to read sensitive data stored in the memory, like passwords, or look at what tabs someone has open on their computer, researchers found. Daniel Gruss, a researcher from Graz University of Technology who helped identify the flaw, said it may be difficult to execute an attack, but billions of devices were impacted.

Called Meltdown and Spectre, the flaws exist in processors, a building block of computers that acts as the brain. Modern processors are designed to perform something called "speculative execution." That means they predict what tasks they will be asked to execute and rapidly access multiple areas of memory at the same time.

That data is supposed to be protected and isolated, but researchers discovered that in some cases, the information can be exposed while the processor queues it up. Researchers say almost every computing system -- desktops, laptops, smartphones, and cloud servers -- is affected by the Spectre bug. Meltdown appears to be specific to Intel (INTC) chips.
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🇵🇸 **ISIS declares war on Hamas over Jerusalem loss to Trump & Israel**
<https://archive.is/96vlD>

The Islamic State in Egypt has urged its supporters in a new execution video to wage war against Hamas over its failure to defend Jerusalem following Washington's recognition of the city as the Israeli capital.

The 22-minute video, allegedly released by an affiliate of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the Sinai Peninsula, and published by the Jihadist-monitoring SITE Intelligence Group, begins with footage of US President Donald Trump’s December 6 announcement on Jerusalem. The propaganda footage, initially released Wednesday, culminates in the execution of a former IS member pictured on his knees in an orange jumpsuit.

Hamas, the de facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip, has called for a new intifada or uprising against Israel in the wake of Trump's announcement. The agitation for a new uprising spurred mass revolts, in which Israeli security forces used live munition, rubber bullets, and tear gas to quell the massive unrest. On Thursday, Hamas spokesperson Salah Bardawil slammed the IS video as “a Zionist production in which Arab tools participate to distort the resistance."
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🇩🇰 **No mosques & 8 pm curfew: Denmark’s 2nd biggest party unveils anti-ghetto policy**
<https://archive.is/oo2qZ>

The right-wing populist Danish People’s Party (DPP) has unveiled a radical seven-point plan to tackle social problems in migrant-dominated areas, after the country’s PM said he planned “to physically bulldoze” ghettos.

The most contentious part of the initiative, which has dominated headlines this week, is a curfew on unsupervised under-18 children on the streets of so-called problem areas after 8pm. Martin Henriksen, the DPP immigration spokesman, says there is already legislation that allows local authorities to impose such restrictions, and that it won’t be applied to students or those with jobs, nor at all times. He said the DPP plan would ensure children study rather than rove in teen gangs.

Visible policing will also be intensified in the "ghettos," which boast some of the highest crime rates in the country. Among other suggestions is a moratorium on the construction of mosques with minarets, as they project a “divisive symbolism,” Henrikson, an MP, told Arab News. Instead, Muslims will be encouraged to pray in unmarked spaces, such as “warehouses and offices.”
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🇵🇸 **Greek Patriarch attacked by Palestinians amid protests against church selling off land**
<https://archive.is/Cpftu>

A convoy of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch has been attacked by Palestinians during his visit to the West Bank. The protesters accuse the Patriarch of treason for allegedly selling land to Jewish investors.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested the visit of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem to the West Bank Saturday. The Patriarch was in Bethlehem to attend an Orthodox Christmas mass at the Church of Nativity.

The demonstrators carried banners reading, “The Holy Land is not for sale or lease” while chanting “traitor, traitor,” as the Patriarchs convoy approached. The protest action was prompted by the controversial decision of the Greek Orthodox church – a major landowner in the Holy Land – to sell off some of its assets to private investors.
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🇬🇧 **Top UK retailers volunteer for govt plan to stop ‘scourge’ of acid attacks**
<https://archive.is/hVN8H>

Several of Britain’s largest retailers have signed up to a voluntary government initiative aimed at curbing the horrific rise in assaults with acids and other corrosive substances across the UK.

Retailers, including Wickes, B&Q, Screwfix, Wilko, the Co-op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco and John Lewis, have signed up to the plan preventing under-18s from buying products that: contain sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, drain cleaners or brick and patio cleaners respectively, or products containing sodium hydroxide, such as paint strippers.

“Acid attacks have a devastating impact on their victims, leaving both emotional and physical scars,” Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability Victoria Atkins said in a statement. “I’m pleased that so many of the UK’s major retailers are joining our fight to combat this scourge and signalling they are committed to selling acids responsibly.”
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🇺🇸 **Bannon apologizes**
<https://archive.is/91IU8>

Battered by the backlash from Michael Wolff's book, Steve Bannon is trying to make amends with the Trump family, providing a statement to Axios that expresses "regret" to President Trump and praises his son, Donald Trump Jr.:

- "Donald Trump, Jr. is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around."

- "My support is also unwavering for the president and his agenda — as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama."

- "I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the president's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."
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🇸🇪 **One dead after hand grenade explosion outside Stockholm subway station**
<https://archive.is/UGwO5>

A man has died in hospital after he was injured in an explosion near a Stockholm subway station on Sunday. The explosion occurred late on Sunday morning outside the Vårby Gård station, injuring a man in his sixties and a 45-year-old woman.

"There was something on the ground that the man picked up, and then it exploded," Sven-Erik Olsson of the Stockholm police told the TT news agency. The man died in hospital in the early afternoon, the police announced on their website.

Stockholm's police force have said the man was unlikely to have been purposely targeted by whoever left the explosive at the station. *They added that there was nothing to suggest terrorism.*
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🇺🇸 **Secrecy Around Northrop's Zuma Launched By SpaceX Is Highly Unusual**
<http://archive.is/m8w3K>
 
SpaceX kicked off the 2018 launch season with a successful mission Sunday, but its Zuma payload built by Northrop Grumman(NOC) remains unusually secretive.

 What little is known about the Zuma satellite is that Northrop made it for a government customer and was launched into low Earth orbit, where the International Space Station, reconnaissance, weather and communications satellites reside.

But it's specific orbit wasn't disclosed, and whether the Zuma has a military or civilian applications or which agency will operate it are also under tight wraps.

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