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Quenelle - Golden

Assad is 'positively angelic' compared to Western leaders & their regional allies


Sputnik
Thu, 04 Feb 2016 12:40 UTC
Assad Syria
© AFP 2016/ HO/SANA
Syrian political scientist Bassam Abu Abdullah argues that it is the height of cynicism for Western leaders and the media to call Syrian President Bashar Assad a dictator, suggesting that they should take a good look at their allies in the neighborhood before making such accusations.

Interviewed by Latvian radio station Baltkom, Abdullah, a professor of political science at the University of Damascus, suggested that when Western commentators say that Assad is an 'undemocratic leader', they are deceiving their audience, because Western allies Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar aren't exactly shining examples of democracy.

"Briefly describing the conflict in Syria is not so simple; there are several layers, including the domestic and international. But I do not believe that democracy, freedom and human rights are the main object of this conflict, however the West might portray it," Abdullah said.

Comment: Further reading:
The degree to which the American corporate media will cover up for American foreign policy atrocities knows no bounds. The country's leading newspapers and broadcasters have supported every official lie from Lyndon Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin resolution in Vietnam to George W. Bush's claim of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. News reports concerning areas suffering from American interventions should be taken with a great deal of skepticism. In light of the past history of propaganda, the context of recent stories about the people of Madaya, Syria should be closely scrutinized.

U.S. starves Syria, media covers it up by blaming Assad


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Handcuffs

Mending fences: Bulgaria attempting to bolster relations with Russia


Sputnik
Thu, 04 Feb 2016 12:51 UTC
Bulgaria
© AFP 2016/ NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV
Bulgaria is reportedly attempting to benefit from a chill in Russian-Turkish ties by developing relations with Moscow.

The strained ties between Russia and Turkey have prompted Bulgaria to capitalize on the chill by notably starting to bolster relations with Moscow, media reports said.

Last week, Sofia hosted a meeting of the Bulgarian-Russian economic cooperation committee, the first such gathering that has taken since the 2014 collapse of the South Stream gas pipeline project, which aimed to deliver Russian gas to Europe via the Black Sea and the Balkans, bypassing Ukraine.

Comment: Further reading:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Bulgaria's NATO membership does not worry Russia and that Russia seeks to develop closer relations with the country despite previous difficulties over the Austria-bound South Stream Pipeline.

Another 'message to Russia' - US deploys tanks and artillery to Bulgaria


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Jet5

'Dangerous precedent': Turkey denies Russian observation flight along Syrian border


RT
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 04:37 UTC
Antonov An-30 Wikipedia
© Wikipedia
Antonov An-30 Aircraft
Turkey has set "a dangerous precedent" by denying an observation flight over its territories bordering Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said, vowing a "relevant reaction" to Ankara's violation of its obligations under the international Open Skies Treaty.

The Treaty on Open Skies which came into force in 2002 allows unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its 34 signatories, which includes Turkey. However the Russian An-30B plane was banned from conducting its surveillance flight over Turkish territory which was scheduled for February 1-5, without any prior warning.

"After the arrival of the Russian mission to Turkey and the announcement of the desired itinerary, the Turkish military officials refused to allow the inspection flight citing an order from the Turkish Foreign Ministry," the head of the ministry's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, Sergey Ryzhkov, said in a statement.
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Heart

Putin: 'Not important how I'm called, only what I do for my country'


RT
Fri, 25 Sep 2015 04:32 UTC
President Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin
It is important what you do for your country, not the names you are being called, Russian President Vladimir Putin told CBS's '60 Minutes,' saying that the nickname 'tsar' does not fit him.

Charlie Rose sat down with Putin to discuss, among other issues, how the world views the Russian leader. CBS has published a preview of the interview.

Rose pointed out that some people have been referring to Putin as a 'tsar.' Putin responded that people call him various names, but added he believes the description "does not fit me."

"It's not important how I'm called, whether these are well-wishers, friends or political opponents. It's important what you think about you, what you must do for the interest of the country which has entrusted you with the position as the head of the Russian state."
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Safe

Protecting the anointed one? Feds fight disclosure of Hillary Clinton's 1999 Whitewater indictment drafts

Josh Gerstein
Politico
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 03:22 UTC
hillary clinton
The National Archives is fighting a lawsuit trying to force disclosure of several draft indictments of Hillary Clinton prepared by a Whitewater prosecutor in the 1990s.

In a brief filed late Tuesday, Justice Department lawyers and the Archives argue that disclosure of the draft indictments would lead to an unwarranted invasion of Clinton's privacy and violate a court rule protecting grand jury secrecy.

"Despite the role that Mrs. Clinton occupied as the First Lady during President Clinton's administration, Mrs. Clinton maintains a strong privacy interest in not having information about her from the files of the Independent Counsel disclosed," wrote Martha Wagner Murphy, chief of the Archives "special access" branch that stores records of former independent counsels. "As an uncharged person, Hillary Rodham Clinton retains a significant interest in her personal privacy despite any status as a public figure."

The conservative group Judicial Watch, which filed suit for the records in October under the Freedom of Information Act, is arguing that Clinton's ongoing bid for the presidency reinforces the public interest in records about her alleged misconduct.

"She's one of the most well-known women in the world, seeking the office of the presidency and her privacy interests outweigh the public interest in knowing what's in that indictment? It's absurd and it's shameful that the administration is proposing this," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in an interview. "This is a political decision to protect her candidacy—because it is laughable, legally."

Comment: Killary's got a lot more in her past to cover up than just a loan scandal. Nothing points to the charade of American politics more clearly than the fact that this criminal, who should have been jailed decades ago, is free and able to stand for any public office, let alone the presidency.

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Snakes in Suits

D'uh! MI5 recruits new Muslim converts to be 'informant' terrorist patsies


RT
Thu, 04 Feb 2016 02:46 UTC
isis
© Str. / Reuters
"I want to thank my family, God, and most of all, Western intelligence. I just wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them!"
British security services often target recent Muslim converts for recruitment as informants, according to a new study released by Cambridge University.

Researchers from the Centre of Islamic Studies spoke with 50 British men of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds who had converted to Islam. Some of the study's participants said MI5 agents had personally approached them and asked them to work for the agency.

One participant described the attempted recruitment as moving from "flattery" at the initial point of contact to "veiled intimidation" if converts rejected their first overtures.

Another convert interviewed by academics branded MI5's tactics "seedy." He said agents operate "from 'a bird's-eye view of society' rather than from 'a ground-level view' that took into account 'how people live.'"

Comment: This has been going on for years. MI5 is probably responsible for the vast majority of cases of so-called radicalization in the UK, just like the FBI in the U.S. For example: Meanwhile in France, more patsies and useful idiots have been arrested:
Lyon police have detained six suspected Islamist extremists who were trying to leave for Syria, French media report, citing police sources. Two of those arrested allegedly tried to obtain weapons to carry out attacks on swingers clubs. ... Some of the detained were already being monitored by authorities for their extremist views, and some were guilty of minor offences, but none of them terrorism-related crimes. One member of the group converted to Islam while serving a prison sentence, BFM reported.
And in the UK, more absurd terror threats: ISIS threatens London with 'doomsday' attack so terrible it will 'turn children's hair white'

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Camera

More NATO lies: "We have pics of Russia violating Turkish airspace, but we won't show them"

Ollie Richardson (translator)
RIA
Tue, 02 Feb 2016 02:40 UTC
Sukhoi Su-34 jet
© Flickr/ poter.simon
A NATO spokesman, who requested anonymity, claims that the Alliance has evidence that the Russian combat Su-34 aircraft violated the border of Turkey. According to him, this data is classified and cannot be presented to the public.

The images that supposedly prove the violation of Russian combat aircraft of the Syrian-Turkish border, are secret, said the representative of NATO, who wished to remain anonymous, to RIA Novosti on Monday.

"According to our information, Russian military aircraft violated the air border of Turkey on Friday. Images of the violation are classified", — said the agency's interlocutor.

Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said a Su-34 of the Russian Federation violated the airspace of Turkey on Friday at 11.46 (12.46 GMT). A similar statement was made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. A representative of the Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, stated that there were no violations of its airspace by aircraft of the Russian air group in Syria, and the statements of the Turkish side are "unfounded propaganda." According to Konashenkov, the Russian air defenses in Syria, nor the Syrian radar control of the airspace detected any violations of the Syrian-Turkish border.

Also, according to Konashenkov, Ankara, despite numerous statements by Turkish representatives, provided no evidence of a violation by a Russian aircraft on the Syrian-Turkish border.

Comment: This is getting old. The idea that such pictures would need to be classified in the first place is ridiculous. The allegation is that a Russian Su-34 violated Turkish airspace. If NATO has images, they would show exactly that: a Russian Su-34 violating Turkish airspace. So where is the justification for keeping them classified? The notion is absurd. The rational conclusion: no pics, therefore it didn't happen.

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Camcorder

PR genius: Chechnya's Kadyrov releases video of Russian liberal taking money from NATO, gets huge media response

The Saker
The Saker
Thu, 04 Feb 2016 01:31 UTC
kasyanov

Bought and paid for.
I am convinced now that Kadyrov is a political and PR genius.

To trap the liberals in their own webs, he has posted on his Instagram account a video taken by a hidden camera of Kasyanov, an apparatchik from the so-called "PARNAS" party, in Strasbourg meeting with the official representatives from NATO countries to receive money to conduct anti-government operations in Russia.

As you can see it's just art - an expressive art. But liberals have no taste in art.

Kasyanov, a former Communist party apparatchik and a Yeltsin appointed Prime Minister in 2000-2004, earned the nickname "Misha 2 percent" because this was the bribe he demanded from every business transition in the country.

"Kasyanov was dismissed, along with the entire cabinet, by President Vladimir Putin on 24th February 2004 after more than three years in office." [Wikipedia]

Comment: After crying himself to sleep for being exposed as a treacherous troll, Kasyanov then did this:
The Chairman of the party Parnas, Mikhail Kasyanov, and Deputy Chairman of the party, Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr, filed a complaint to the FSB with a request to initiate a criminal case against the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, reports TASS with reference to the lawyer Vadim Prokhorov.

"The statement on initiation of legal proceedings was filed today in the FSB. We demand to bring a case against Kadyrov under three articles of the Criminal code: 277, 280 and 282, the anti-extremist articles of the code," said the lawyer.
Good luck! You're gonna need it...

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Wall Street

Largest investment bank Goldman Sachs may be forced to fundamentally question how capitalism is working

Joe Weisenthal
Bloomberg
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 22:44 UTC
Goldman Sachs
© Brendan McDermid/Reuters
One of the most heated debates among investors is the question of whether corporate profit margins can maintain their elevated level, or whether they will inevitably revert to mean.

Here's a quick look at S&P 500-stock index profit margins, for example, going back more than 25 years. They remain high by historical standards.

S&P 500-stock index profit margins chart

Comment: Now that capitalism has been used up, another ism will need to be explored to continue generating profits and grabbing more power and money.

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Quenelle - Golden

Kiev livid as documentary revealing ugly truth about Maidan 'revolution' aired on French TV - EN subs (VIDEO)


Oriental Review
Wed, 03 Feb 2016 22:34 UTC
french docu kiev
© Canal+
This is the documentary shown on French TV which has the Kiev 'Maidan' regime throwing fits

The hard-hitting documentary by Paul Moreira 'Ukraine, les masques de la révolution' [Ukraine: Masks of the Revolution], was aired on Monday night by Canal+, causing a stir in both Ukraine and France. On Sunday, the Ukrainian foreign ministry reported on Facebook that their ambassador in France had sent an outraged letter to Canal+ where he condemned the documentary as "a pamphlet of the worst disinformation traditions, using primitive methods of journalistic manipulation, including the handling of comments of respondents, distortions in translation and facts, and purely fabricated images."

That same day Le Monde heaped pressure on Canal+ by attacking the film's creator. Moreira has calmly and respectfully responded to his critics with a detailed post, translated into English here. To the credit of Canal Plus' management, the documentary was aired at the scheduled time:

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