Politics

France have announced the deployment of armed security forces dressed as civilians to passenger trains in an attempt to bolster security in the country in the aftermath of the Brussels attacks.  Guillaume Pepy, head of the national railway operator SNCF, said that 3,000 armed plain-clothes officers will patrol trains and are authorised to shoot if necessary. Presstv.com reports: At present, guards patrolling the trains wear navy-blue uniforms embellished with the company logo, and carry visible weapons.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the West for attempting to give Turkey “lessons in democracy” amid increasing criticism from the U.S. and Europe that Turkey is suppressing press freedoms under his regime.  “Those who attempt to give us lessons in democracy and human rights must first contemplate their own shame,” Erdogan said. Middleeasteye.net reports: His comments came after US President Barack Obama said Turkey’s approach towards the media was taking it “down a path that would be very troubling”.

Submitted by Mike "Mish" Shedlock of Mishtalk

Italy’s Interior minister Angelino Alfano warns the refugee “system is at risk of collapse” following an 80 per cent spike in the number of arrivals to Italy across the central Mediterranean Sea in the first quarter of this year compared to 2015.

Alfano fears that Syrians headed for Turkey will inetead head for Libya for an even more hazardous Mediterranean Sea crossing to Italy.

Last July, the United States entered into an agreement with Iran with the hopes of limiting their nuclear ability. At a high level, the US would lead the way in lifting oil and financial sanctions imposed due to Iran’s nuclear programs; in return Iran would reduce their stockpile of enriched uranium, storage facilities and centrifuges. What was not negotiated, however, were sanctions on missile technologies and conventional weapons.

Per the White House:

Russian generals have previously warned the EMP Commission that a top-secret design for a super-EMP warhead was accidentally leaked to North Korea in 2004.  Now intelligence experts have warned that North Korea’s launch of the KSM-4 satellite on February 7 may be used to “practise” an EMP attack on the United States – potentially causing a blackout on the national grid, killing millions. Allnewspipeline.com reports: On Oct.