Farage mocked at European parliament meeting

Lessons of Holocaust being forgotten, says Prince Charles

Source: The Guardian

The Prince of Wales has said the lessons of the Holocaust are in danger of being forgotten, in remarks which have been linked by some to Donald Trump's ban on Syrian refugees entering the US.

The heir to the throne was speaking at the annual dinner of World Jewish Relief three days after Trump signed an executive order indefinitely banning Syrian refugees and suspending entry for people from seven Muslim countries.

The prince told the charity dinner: "In my own life, I have always tried to reach across the boundaries of faith and community; to extend a helping hand wherever one might be needed."

The charity's work was particularly needed "at a time when the horrific lessons of the last war seem to be in increasing danger of being forgotten", he added.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/31/lessons-holocaust-being-forgotten-prince-charles-world-jewish-relief

Russia accuses cybersecurity experts of treasonous links to CIA

Source: The Guardian

Two of Moscow's top cybersecurity officials are facing treason charges for cooperating with the CIA, according to a Russian news report.

The accusations add further intrigue to a mysterious scandal that has had the Moscow rumour mill working in overdrive for the past week, and come not long after US intelligence accused Russia of interfering in the US election and hacking the Democratic party's servers.

Sergei Mikhailov was deputy head of the FSB security agency's Centre for Information Security. His arrest was reported in a series of leaks over the past week, along with that of his deputy and several civilians, but Tuesday's news went much further.

"Sergei Mikhailov and his deputy, Dmitry Dokuchayev, are accused of betraying their oath and working with the CIA," Interfax said, quoting a source familiar with the investigation.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/31/russian-cybersecurity-experts-face-treason-charges-cia

Fake news: Why the West is blind to Russia's propaganda today

Russia has skilfully exploited social media to divide the West and increase Moscow's power in Europe, the US and eventually Asia.

The use of social media as a platform to divide democracies works, in part, because the strategy preys on a fundamental blind spot in open societies: the origin and volume of voices taking part in an online discussion.

Western countries, inventors of the internet and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, tend to see discussion on social media as an open reflection of the public's views.

That very openness means outside voices can weigh into debates – not to broaden the discussion, but to co-opt arguments and redirect them toward conclusions that undermine Western society and government.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/fake-news-why-the-west-is-blind-to-russias-propaganda-today-20170123-gtxbuw.html

(Warning: Autoplay video at links.)

Donald Trump is a disaster for Brexit

A few more banners:

Some more:

Giuliani: Trump asked me how to impose a ban on Muslims lawfully

Theresa May's Brexit Plan Will Leave Britain Subject To Secret Global Trade Courts

Theresa May’s plan for Brexit could leave the UK exposed to a network of secret international courts able to rule in corporations’ favour over the NHS, food standards, environmental rules and more, leading trade experts have told BuzzFeed News.

In a detailed speech in January, May set out a plan for Brexit which would see the UK becoming a pioneer of free trade, signing deals with countries across the world, and leaving the jurisdiction of the EU’s highest court, the Court of Justice (ECJ). May and her ministers have said they want to sign deals quickly to show the UK can be a “great, global trading nation” after Brexit.

But trade experts have warned that signing such deals without the EU judicial system will almost inevitably mean signing up to systems known as “ISDS” (Investor State Dispute Settlement) – secretive, binding arbitration systems that can force countries to overturn their laws when it hurts corporate interests. These formed the core of international opposition to trade deals such as TTIP (between the EU and US) and CETA (between the EU and Canada).

...

“If the narrative is the UK doesn’t want to be subject to ‘unaccountable’ courts then the UK simply cannot enter into trade deals,” Professor Geert van Calster, head of law at the University of Leuven, told BuzzFeed News.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamesball/theresa-mays-brexit-plan-will-leave-britain-subject-to-secre

Britain becoming U.S. vassal state, says French presidential hopeful Macron