Free Republic

The Yellow Vests protest continues for a 27th week where protest remains restricted at key locations like the presidential palace, the Champs-Elysees and the Notre Dame Cathedral..... 15,500 Yellow Vests estimated by the government today but the Yellow Vests "Yellow Number" is 40,497 with a higher number expected to be released Sunday. 1600 protesters marched through the streets of Paris. But in Reims and Nancy there were tense moments with an injured protester found lying on the ground in Reims....

Pakistan says it shot down two Indian air force jets in its airspace and arrested one pilot on the ground.....

India says it has carried out air strikes against militants following a suicide bomb attack earlier this month. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the strikes targeted Balakot, but it is not clear that if that is in Pakistan or Pakistani-administered Kashmir. He said several militants were killed. Pakistan said it scrambled fighter planes in response. The move represents an escalation of hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Mr. Gokhale told a news conference that the strikes had targeted the militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)…..

"A catastrophic failure of leadership @Theresa May. If she has any sense of honor she will resign" That is the tweet of "Mr. Brexit" Nigel Farage in face of Prime Minister Theresa May's huge defeat in the House of Commons..... Al-Shabab Islamic terrorists based in Somalia say they are behind the attack on a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya that killed at least 24 people including one US citizen.... In the African nation of Zimbabwe opposition Pastor Evan Mwarire is under arrest following three days of protest against rising fuel prices..... The Russian Interfax News Agency quotes its sources...

Turkey and Russia have reached agreement on the next steps, military, humanitarian and otherwise in Syria. But the Turkish government is frustrated with the pace of the US military withdrawal from Syria..... Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a major supporter of jihadist groups opposing the Syrian government......says he's reassured after speaking with President Trump about the withdrawal of US forces from Syria... Russia's FSB security agency says an American citizen has been detained while on a spy mission..... A South Korea newspaper reports a conciliatory message from North Korea's ruler to President Trump.....

The traditional lists of the Night Hockey League include Russian Defesne Minister Sergei Shoigu, legendary veterans and former NHL stars Alexi Kasatonov, Pavel Bure and Vyacheslav Fetisov MOSCOW December 29 /TASS/ Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken to the ice as he joined a friendly of the Night Hockey League on Moscow's Red Square on Saturday...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on responsible treatment of animals, which outlaws all forms of cruelty to animals and establishes rules of pet ownership, according to documents uploaded to the official online database of Russian legislative information on Thursday. The law was introduced to the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, in 2010 and took eight years to be passed. The law contains the basic principles of pet ownership, based on responsible, ethical and humane treatment of animals.....

President Trump paid a visit to the US military in Iraq for Christmas..... Sources who support Syria's government say the US is setting up new bases I western Iraq.... Syrian government troops and Russian military police are moving eastwards towards the western portion of the Kurdish area..... A high level Turkish delegation including its Foreign Minister and presidential spokesman is headed for Moscow on Sunday to discuss Syria.... The Israeli airstrike on Damascus Tuesday evening Christmas Day has been condemned by Russia as a serious violation of Syrian sovereignty that endangered civilian aircraft landing approaching the Beirut and Damascus airports........

"Residents in the area of the northern city of Hadera, south of Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, reported seeing a trail in the sky, and residents of Hefer Valley Regional Council, between Netanya and Hadera, reported hearing a loud explosion" "Haaretz" Newspaper In Israel Reports at 418 PM Eastern US (1118 PM Israel-Syria Time) The other year at Christmas militias supporting President Assad in Damascus were targeted by Israeli missiles. The pro-Assad militia leader killed had a track record that included Palestinian terrorist activity against Israel. And the tradition continued with an attack said to be on arms depots tonight...

.....I never had anything to do with "The Kingdom" except in so far as it was an intelligence collection or analytic target of the US. I never worked in retirement for any company that did contract work for Saudi Arabia. That was a deliberate choice for me. I know the place well and it has ALWAYS been a sinkhole of medieval theocratic barbarism adorned with modern infrastructure that was constructed by foreign contract "slaves". When I arrived in SA many years ago to be military attache in the US Embassy, I discovered that my five immediate predecessors were all retired...

"The ministry specified that 'the mark of the IL-20 went off the radars disappeared during the attack of four Israeli F-16 on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia" Russian News Agency Tass at 732 PM Eastern Time US

Boris Johnson has attacked Theresa May's Brexit plan, saying she had "wrapped a suicide vest" around the British constitution and "handed the detonator" to Brussels. Writing in the "Mail On Sunday", the former Foreign Secretary said the Chequers deal had opened the UK to "perpetual political blackmail". Mr. Johnson quit his post in July after the plan was agreed by the cabinet.....

US President Donald Trump has warned the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies against "recklessly" attacking rebel-held Idlib province. In a tweet he warned of "a grave humanitarian mistake" in which hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Syrian government forces are said to be preparing a huge offensive on the last major rebel stronghold in the country. The UN says such a campaign could have disastrous consequences for thousands of civilians. The US State Department also warned on Monday that Washington would respond to any chemical attacks by the Syrian government or its allies..... US ambassador...

Defense lawyers fought to get doubt in the jury Friday over details of the forensic evidence pointing to W. Joseph Astarita being the once who fired just before Oregon Standoff protestor LaVoy Finicum was killed (shot in the back) by and Oregon State Police trooper. Deschutes County, Oregon Detective Ron Brown testified that Ryan Bundy would not allow removal of the bullet fragment in his body unless Brown was willing to file charges in connection with the shootings that day (January 26, 2016). Its believed the person who shot Bundy was Agent Astarita. A defense lawyer wanted Brown to help...

The US Attorney's office in Las Vegas now headed by Jeff Sessions appointed Dayle Elieson and the prosecution team in the Bunkerville Standoff case led by Steven Myhre, praised for his work in 2017 by Sessions, have filed notice they intend to appeal dismissal of charges against key defendants in the case.

Oregon State Police Detective Scott Hill was on the stand today (Thursday August 2nd) at the trial of FBI Hostage Team Agent W. Joseph Astarita. Astarita is charged with three counts related to his lying about two shots fire moments before LaVoy Finicum was shot in the back and killed by an Oregon State Police trooper. Hill said he had a calm interview with Astarita, a short unrecorded interview hours after the shooting at 11pn on January 26, 2016. At that time Hill wasn't aware of unaccounted for shots fired at the scene.....

"Before someone goes and hangs this guy, think of this for a minute. The threat assessment reports that this guy read and all the information and all the briefings this guy was required to listen to were all lies from the FBI and Washington DC. This guy was told that the people at the refuge were the most dangerous people in American history..." Ammon Bundy's Facebook reaction late Tuesday 7/31/2018 to the revelation of the name of the Oregon State Trooper who killed LaVoy Finicum (Captain Casey Codding) There were only enough prosecution witnesses to last half a day today....

"He seemed a little overboard with his emotions....alnost seemed like a rookie to me" Oregon State Police SWAT Trooper Bob Olson describes FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita's demeanor at the site of LaVoy Fincium's killing during Astarita's trial 7/31/2018 "They testified today in court that there were over 100 militia.... That's completely false information. That never even happened." Jeanette Finicum (LaVoy's widow) speaking with talk show host Bryan Hyde 7/31/2018 A set of witnesses today was led off by Bob Olson of the Oregon State Police......

"I felt at that point I had to use lethal force" The still anonymous Oregon State Police SWAT Trooper ("Officer 1") testifies at FBI Agent trial 7/30/2018 in Portland. "Officer 1" (also described in the past as "Trooper 1") took the stand at the trial of FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita in Portland today. "Officer 2" (he has been called "Trooper 2") also testified. "Officer 1" described his involvement in the killing of LaVoy Finicum and had to face the cross-examination from Astarita's legal team which contended that he was likely the person who fired the two shots that Astarita...

"In the last few days the United States President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and several others asked for our help in assisting hundreds of Syrian 'white helmets'. These are people that saved lives and were found in life-threatening danger. I therefore permitted their transfer through Israel to additional countries, as an important humanitarian step." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement of 7/22/2018....