Russia Says War Games Are ‘Purely Defensive’

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The Russian military dismissed Western concerns over a major war game that has underscored Cold War-style tensions in the Baltic Sea region, as the U.S. further beefed up its presence there.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Alexander Fomin said Tuesday the joint-Russian-Belarusian exercises, which will take place in September partly on Belarus’s border with NATO members Lithuania and Poland, would be of “a purely defensive nature,” testing the ability of troops to respond to a hypothetical adversary.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials have warned the maneuvers, planned amid a military buildup in the region by the alliance and Russia, could serve as a screen for Russia to deploy more military equipment and heighten the risk of an accident or miscalculation that could touch off a crisis.

The U.S. has deployed a tank brigade to Central and Eastern Europe, part of a larger deterrent force covering NATO’s eastern flank. On Tuesday, it sent seven F-15C Eagle fighter planes from a base in the U.K. to Lithuania to take over NATO’s Baltic air policing mission from Poland, a larger-than-normal deployment of aircraft. (Read more from “Russia Says War Games Are ‘Purely Defensive'” HERE)

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New Report Concludes Nurse May Be Postwar Germany’s Most Prolific Killer

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A German nurse currently imprisoned for killing patients he injected with lethal doses of medicine before trying to revive them is now a suspect in at least 84 other murder cases, officials said Monday.

Niels Hoegel, 40, was sentenced to life in prison in February 2015 after he admitted administering overdoses of heart medication to some patients. At the time, he said he had done so to about 90 people of the 130 to 200 people for whom he provided care. Officials then launched a further investigation.

During his 2015 trial, he said he acted to show off his excellent skills at resuscitation, and admitted to acting on impulse when he gave drugs to those who were ailing. Prosecutors alleged that he acted because he was bored.

“The findings continue to breach any imagination,” said Oldenburg Police Chief Johann Kuhme. “It is simply not possible to say how many people were killed.”

Kuhme said that Hoegel’s victims crimes go back to 1999, and that some who died have been cremated.

“The realization of what we were able to learn is horrifying,” Kuhme said. “It defies any scope of the imagination.”

Kuhme said that Hoegel’s spree could have been cut short.

“The killings could have been prevented if the people responsible at the time — and I stress at the time — particularly at the Oldenburg clinic but also later on in Delmenhorst hadn’t hesitated to alert authorities, for example the state prosecution,” he said.

Police believe Hoegel killed 36 patients in Oldenburg between 1999 and 2001, and another 48 people from the hospital in Delmenhorst.

If verified, the toll of victims would make Hoegel the most prolific murderer in post-World War II Germany.

“The death toll is unique in the history of the German republic,” said chief police investigator Arne Schmidt, who said the selection of victims appeared to be random.

There was “evidence for at least 90 murders, and at least as many (suspected) cases again that can no longer be proven”, he said. (For more from the author of “New Report Concludes Nurse May Be Postwar Germany’s Most Prolific Killer” please click HERE)

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North Korea Fires Missile Over Japan, Sharply Escalating Tensions

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North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan and landed in waters off the northern region of Hokkaido early on Tuesday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, marking a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The test, which experts said appeared to have been a recently developed intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile, came as U.S. and South Korean forces conduct annual military drills on the peninsula, against which North Korea strenuously objects.

Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire four Hwasong-12 missiles into the sea near the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the United States.

North Korea has conducted dozens of ballistic missile tests under young leader Kim Jong Un, the most recent on Saturday, but firing projectiles over mainland Japan is rare.

“North Korea’s reckless action is an unprecedented, serious and a grave threat to our nation,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. (Read more from “North Korea Fires Missile Over Japan, Sharply Escalating Tensions” HERE)

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BBC Promotes Putting Lithium in Drinking Water to Combat Dementia

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Researchers in Denmark believe that we should add lithium to drinking water because studies show it may reduce dementia.

You simply can’t make this up. Adding fluoride, a neurotoxin, according to The Lancet medical journal, to our water isn’t enough.

The BBC reported that a study, at the University of Copenhagen, looked at the medical records of 73,731 Danish people with dementia and 733,653 without the mental disease.

They then tested the tap water in 151 areas of the country and some how these “experts” came to the conclusion that lithium, which is an alkaline metal, is good for the brain’s health at certain concentrations to prevent dementia.

The results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, alleged to show moderate lithium levels (between 5.1 and 10 micrograms per litre) increased the risk of dementia by 22% compared with low levels (below five micrograms per litre).

However, the article continues to say that the scientists found “drinking water with the highest lithium levels (above 15 micrograms per litre) had a 17% reduction in risk.”

The researchers said:

This is the first study, to our knowledge, to investigate the association between lithium in drinking water and the incidence of dementia.

Higher long-term lithium exposure from drinking water may be associated with a lower incidence of dementia.

What’s failed to be mentioned in the article is that lithium is used as an additive to extend the life and performance of alkaline batteries and in autogenous welding and brass welding, as well as having well-known harmful long-term side effects.

Lentech listed the risk of lithium exposure, especially noting the inhaling/ingestion of lithium:

Effects of exposure to Lithium: Fire: Flammable. Many reactions may cause fire or explosion. Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. Explosion: Risk of fire and explosion on contact with combustible substances and water. Inhalation: Burning sensation. Cough. Laboured breathing. Shortness of breath. Sore throat. Symptoms may be delayed. Skin: Redness. Skin burns. Pain. Blisters. Eyes: Redness. Pain. Severe deep burns. Ingestion: Abdominal cramps. Abdominal pain. Burning sensation. Nausea. Shock or collapse. Vomiting. Weakness.

Effects of short-term exposure: The substance is corrosive to the eyes, the skin and the respiratory tract. Corrosive on ingestion. Inhalation of the substance may cause lung oedema. The symptoms of lung oedema often do not become manifest until a few hours have passed and they are aggravated by physical effort. Rest and medical observation is therefore essential. Immediate administration of an appropriate spray, by a doctor or a person authorized by him/her, should be considered.

This comes after the Environmental Working Group, an environment watchdog, released a searchable database of all the harmful chemicals in our drinking water and surprise, surprise lithium was included in that list.

The group noted that “ingesting too much lithium can lead to symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.”

Still, the medical community wants to try to push adding lithium to our water because they believe it will help depression. There is no better word to describe such an idea other than insanity.

“In high doses, or even at low doses in some people, lithium can be toxic, so it is important that people consult with their doctor before they consider taking it as a supplement,” James Pickett, of the Alzheimer’s Society charity told New Scientist.

He’s exactly right; everyone’s body has a different chemical make-up, which is why you shouldn’t put foreign chemicals into your body because no person’s body reacts the same.

Lithium was also included in early recipes of the soda 7UP but was not included in the final product.

Another study found that “exposure to lithium via drinking water and other environmental sources may affect the thyroid function,” stressing the need to screen water for lithium. (For more from the author of “BBC Promotes Putting Lithium in Drinking Water to Combat Dementia” please click HERE)

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Confessed Killer Wants Fewer Restrictions on His Freedom

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Former al-Qaida terrorist and confessed killed Omar Khadr is going back to Canadian court to seek fewer restrictions on his freedom.

According to the Canadian Press, Khadr wants his bail conditions changed so that he can move anywhere in Canada, have complete access to the internet, and visit his controversial sister without his lawyer and bail supervisor being in the same room.

Khadr’s sister, Zaynab Khadr, has infuriated Canadians with her positive appraisals of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. In an interview with PBS’s Frontline, she was asked how parents could allow their children to become suicide bombers and Zaynab responded: “You must be very brave. You must be very, very, very brave. I mean I don’t have the guts to do that yet.”

Omar Khadr has written-off the comments by saying his sister was “saying things out of frustration.”

The Trudeau government gave Khadr $10.5 million (CDN) in “compensation” and issued a formal apology at the beginning of July because the Supreme Court of Canada described his incarceration at Guantanamo Bay as “oppressive.” Khadr claims he was tortured by U.S. and Canadian interrogators while a prisoner there. The payout and apology angered Canadians, given that Khadr had produced improvised explosive devices for the Taliban in Afghanistan and confessed to killing U.S. Army special forces medic Sgt. Christopher Speer with a hand grenade. (Read more from “Confessed Killer Wants Fewer Restrictions on His Freedom” HERE)

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Muslims Say Anti-Shariah Ruling ‘Will Not Be Followed’

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Muslims leaders in India say they will not abide by the Indian Supreme Court’s ban of the quickie divorces allowed under Islamic law.

“If a law is made which is against Shariah, then it will be unacceptable to us. And like such other laws, it too will meet the same fate that it will remain a law but will not be followed,” said Muhammad Saeed Noori, the general secretary of the Mumbai-based Raza Academy.

Syed Parvez Qaisar, a leader of the Muslim League, called it “interference” in Muslim law . . .

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India “delivered a landmark verdict invalidating the practice of instant triple talaq (divorce) among Indian Muslims,” MEMRI said. “The verdict is a milestone in the journey of the Muslim women’s rights movement in India. Prior to this decision, a Muslim husband could divorce his wife by uttering ‘talaq’ three times in the presence of two witnesses in one sitting – either informally or formally through a letter, email, WhatsApp, and so on.

“This instant form of divorce is called talaq-e-biddat, is irrevocable, and is valid in Shariah law. The other form of triple talaq is called talaq-e-hasan, whereby a husband delivers one talaq each over the course of three months,” the report said. (Read more from “Muslims Say Anti-Shariah Ruling ‘Will Not Be Followed'” HERE)

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Trump Slaps New Sanctions on Venezuela

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President Trump levied a new set of economic sanctions on Venezuela Friday in an attempt to exclude the country’s government from U.S. financial markets

The new sanctions ban Americans from “participating in [President Nicolás] Maduro’s liquidation of the Venezuelan economy,” said a senior administration official.

The sanctions cover an array of financial activities, banning Americans from acquiring new Venezuelan debt and Maduro’s government from receiving profits from U.S.-based companies.

The new sanctions will block CITGO, an American oil company with more than $32 billion in yearly revenue, from sending profits to its corporate owner, state-owned Venezuelan oil company Petróleos de Venezuela.

But the sanctions avoided blocking secondary markets from trading Venezuelan securities and carved out licenses for U.S.-owned Venezuelan debt. (Read more from “Trump Slaps New Sanctions on Venezuela” HERE)

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Mayor of Venice Says ANYONE Who Shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ in His City Will Be Shot by Snipers

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By Stephen Jones. Venice’s right-wing mayor has ordered cops to shoot ANYONE who shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ – rather than risk a terror attack.

The phrase in Arabic for ‘God is greatest’ has been shouted in multiple terrorist incidents across the continent, but is more commonly harmlessly used by Muslims during prayers as a reminder of God’s significance in their lives.

The Times reports that mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro has reportedly decided its an unacceptable phrase to be shouted in the city’s St Marks Square.

He claimed Venice is safer than Barcelona – where 14 people died being run down by a van last week.

Speaking at a conference in Rimini, north east Italy, he further revealed the extraordinary order he has given to armed police at one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe. (Read more from “Mayor of Venice Says ANYONE Who Shouts ‘Allahu Akbar’ in His City Will Be Shot by Snipers” HERE)

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‘Islam, Eternal Religion of Peace’: French Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo Publishes Another Controversial Front-Cover Cartoon About Muslims in Wake of Spain Attacks but Is Criticised for ‘Fanning Islamophobia’

By Gareth Davies. French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has published a provocative front-page cartoon about Islam and the recent terror attacks in Spain which has led to criticism that it risked fanning Islamophobia.

The latest edition of the magazine, which was targeted by Islamist gunmen in 2015 for a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed, shows two people lying in a pool of blood having been run over by a van next to the words ‘Islam, eternal religion of peace’.

Critics of Charlie Hebdo saw today’s front cover as tarring an entire religion, practised by around 1.5 billion people worldwide, by implying it was inherently violent.

A dozen terrorists of Moroccan origin are believed to have plotted last week’s attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, where 15 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a van and car were driven into crowds.

The attackers are thought by investigators to have been radicalised by an extremist Islamic preacher who died in a house where the group was trying to produce explosives. (Read more from “‘Islam, Eternal Religion of Peace’: French Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo Publishes Another Controversial Front-Cover Cartoon About Muslims in Wake of Spain Attacks but Is Criticised for ‘Fanning Islamophobia'” HERE)

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The New Face of Islamic State Terror Is a 10-Year-Old American Boy

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A new face of the Islamic State is a 10-year-old American boy the terror army claims came to Syria two years ago with his mother from the United States.

In a new ISIL propaganda video, the boy is identified as an American citizen named “Yusuf” and says he is the son of a U.S. service member who deployed to Iraq.

“This battle is not going to end in Raqqa or Mosul. It’s going to end in your lands,” the boy says.

He looks straight at the camera lens to deliver an anti-Donald Trump diatribe, speaking in what sounds like Americanized English. He is shown living among the residences and destruction of Raqqa, the central Syrian city that ISIL claimed as the capital of its Muslim caliphate.

Scenes depict him with a male friend, Abdallah, 7, horsing around at home, walking among the rubble and learning how to fire a sniper rifle. (Read more from “The New Face of Islamic State Terror Is a 10-Year-Old American Boy” HERE)

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State Department Issues Travel Warning for Mexico

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The U.S. State Department put out a travel warning Tuesday for Americans traveling to parts in Mexico that have been deemed unsafe and dangerous.

The notice warns American citizens to avoid traveling to certain areas in light of an increase in violent crimes and robberies in various Mexican states.

“U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states,” the travel warning said.

“Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight,” the notice added.

Areas like Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, where the popular tourist attraction Cancun is located, have seen dramatic increases in homicide rates and violence in 2017.

The warning said there was not any evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality.

“Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes,” the warning said.

U.S. citizens traveling to Mexico may be forced to go through government checkpoints, which are operated by military personnel or law enforcement officials.

The notice warned that in other areas, criminal organizations and cartels have created their own “unauthorized checkpoints” and have killed or abducted those who haven’t stopped.

The State Department said Americans “should cooperate at all checkpoints.”

The advisory replaces the Travel Warning for Mexico issued December 8, 2016 under the Obama administration.

The Trump administration issued a travel advisory in March to those visiting certain parts of Mexico for spring break, warning that rampant crime has made travel dangerous for Americans. (For more from the author of “State Department Issues Travel Warning for Mexico” please click HERE)

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