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America's war-talk is all bluster, Putin has slammed it with a geopolitical judo swing

Finian Cunningham
Sputnik News
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 17:27 UTC
Obama and Putin
© AP Photo/Amanda Voisard
In this Monday, Sept. 28, 2015, photo, provided by the United Nations, US President Barack Obama, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toast during a luncheon hosted during the 70th annual United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters.
With a swift, determined twist, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has wrong-footed his American adversary, pinning him to the ground over the Syrian crisis.

Writhing and flustered, the American opponent is protesting at being upended. First, in the form of a contorted media campaign smearing Russia's military operations as somehow criminal.

Second, the Americans are breathlessly claiming that Russia's "outrageous" support for Syrian state forces is scuppering peace efforts.

Third, the Americans have tried to intimidate Russia by cutting off diplomatic contact over Syria, which is a veiled attempt to threaten Russia militarily, either from direct US intervention in Syria or indirectly by upping supply of anti-aircraft missiles to the proxy terror groups.

Russia is having none of this American menacing. It has proceeded to ramp up the military offensive along with Syrian forces to defeat the Western-backed terror groups in their last redoubt in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. If the anti-government mercenaries are vanquished there, then the six-year foreign-fueled war for regime change in Syria is all but over.
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Magnify

MH17 'truth enforcers' throwing West's version of events onto deceived public

Neil Clark
RT
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 17:05 UTC
mh17 crash
© Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters
A member of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry and a crane operator work at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region, July 20, 2014
The findings of a Dutch-led investigation, that MH17 was taken down from rebel-held territory by a BUK missile system from Russia, have been used as conclusive evidence that Russia was to blame for the appalling tragedy in which killed 298 people.

At first sight the report does seem fairly damning. It certainly would fit with a narrative that the ill-fated passenger plane was accidentally shot down by rebels, who then, realizing what they had done, wanted to get rid of the 'evidence' as soon as possible.

But nevertheless, I doubt if Ellery Queen, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot or indeed any famous detective would be saying "case closed" at this juncture.

For starters, just how impartial and independent was the JIT investigation? Imagine a domestic homicide investigation in which one of the leading suspects was involved in putting together a report that pointed the finger of blame at someone else. That report wouldn't be taken too seriously would it? Yet the JIT team included prosecutors from Ukraine, whose national forces have been accused by Russia of being the guilty party.
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Jet3

Whose side is Turkey on? Turkish airstrike targets ISIS in Aleppo province, northwestern Syria


PressTV
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 17:17 UTC
US F/A-18F Super Hornet
© AFP
An airstrike by the US-led coalition purportedly targeting the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in Syria has killed at least 20 civilians and injured 40 others in a countryside in the northwestern city of Aleppo.

The fatalities were caused after warplanes bombed the majority Kurdish village of Thulthana in the northern province of Aleppo around midnight Tuesday, the official SANA news agency reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 19 civilians were killed, including three children, in the deadly attack.


Comment: One must always be careful when the media uses the Syrian Observatory's information:
What Western media editors conceal from the public however, is that the "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" is neither based in Syria nor is it an observer of what actually goes on there. It is essentially one man - Abdul Rahman, aka Rami Abdulrahman, aka Osama Suleiman - a three-term convicted criminal in Syria, based out of a small house in Coventry, England, and his 'team of four activists in Syria'.
See: Propaganda spin cycle: 'Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' is funded by US and UK governments


Some media outlets said Turkey's military, which is part of the coalition, had conducted airstrikes in the Syrian village, which is currently being held by Daesh.

Comment: That the source is SOHR immediately renders the casualty list suspect.

That they're targeting a majority Kurdish village suggests this the primary reason for the airstrike. Is it really ISIS the Turkish military targeted, or Kurdish fighters hoping to link up with their cousins across the Euphrates?

Did the Turks do this as part of Russia's efforts to clear Aleppo of terrorists?

Or did it do so as part of the US' efforts to provide air cover for its 'moderates'?

With the US and Russia now clearly foes in Syria, Turkey must decide whose side it is on...

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Star of David

Israeli airstrikes and tank fire hit besieged Gaza Strip in response to 'rocket attack'


PressTV
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 17:01 UTC
smoke rising from the besieged Gaza Strip
© AFP
The picture shows smoke rising from the besieged Gaza Strip after an Israeli military strike on the coastal sliver on October 5, 2016.
Israeli airstrikes and tank shells have pounded the besieged Gaza Strip after an alleged rocket attack from the Palestinian coastal sliver targeted the occupied territories.

The tank shelling hit an observation post belonging to the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, near the northern city of Beit Hanun on Wednesday, with local residents and Hamas-run media saying that no one sustained injuries in the attack.

Hamas security sources said the post, which came under the Israeli shelling, was run by the movement's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

According to Hamas security officials, Israeli jets also carried out two strikes in eastern Gaza Strip, while two other air raids hit the southern city of Khan Yunis and the al-Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City in the coastal enclave's north.
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Info

IRGC warns Saudi Navy to keep out of Iran's waters


PressTV
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 16:55 UTC
Royal Saudi Navy frigate Al Dammam

Royal Saudi Navy frigate Al Dammam
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has issued a stern warning to all military vessels partaking in Saudi Arabia's ongoing wargames in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, noting that any act of transgression into Iran's territorial waters shall be met with an immediate and befitting response.

A strongly-worded statement, addressed to all Saudi and non-Saudi naval vessels that are part of the maneuvers, suggested that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps views the ongoing wargames as an evident attempt to foment tensions and compromise sustainable security in the Persian Gulf.

The IRGC statement advised all military vessels participating in the maneuvers against crossing into the country's waters, warning them not to approach Iran's territorial waters and not to even cruise in international waters that are in the vicinity of Iran's territorial waters, since any such attempt is in no way regarded as an instance of "innocent passage."
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Wolf

Really?: Leaked email shows Clinton has a "dovish" side on nukes

Jonathan Marshall
Consortium News
Sun, 02 Oct 2016 00:00 UTC
hillary nukes
Hillary Clinton, who has carved out a reputation as a war hawk, has quietly voiced opposition to a $1 trillion plan to modernize America's nuclear arsenal, including a nuke-tipped cruise missile, notes Jonathan Marshall.

Whoever is hacking Hillary Clinton's emails just did her a big favor, at least with anti-war critics: One newly released message reveals her skepticism about wasteful and dangerous spending on new nuclear weapons in the name of "modernization." It's a refreshing change from her usual hawkish stand on national security.

An email leaked to the conservative Washington Free Beacon includes an audio file of Clinton's remarks at a private fundraiser in McLean, Virginia, last February. Asked by a former senior Pentagon official about her willingness to cancel plans for a next-generation nuclear cruise missile program, she replied, "I certainly would be inclined to do that."

"The last thing we need are sophisticated cruise missiles that are nuclear armed," Clinton added.

Current Air Force plans call for spending upward of $30 billion on the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile program to acquire 1,000 such weapons. The Air Force says it will begin awarding contracts as early as next summer for the stealthy missiles, which will be launched from bombers more than 2,000 kilometers from their targets.

Comment: Do not count on a few leaked emails and town hall meeting statements to indicate anything truly sensible or healthy in Killary's approach to spending on nuclear armaments. Statements like those mentioned in the article are about as meaningful as Clinton stating, "I want to help the economically disadvantaged," or "I think that Wall Street should be regulated better," and are utterly without meaning given her track record and the lies she is willing to tell in order to satisfy her pathological will to power.

It is interesting to note that these statements about nuclear weapon spending are being released now - as it may very well be one of the strongest criticisms people of good conscience have about her...

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Bad Guys

US to discuss engaging in war crimes on Syrian military and government to maintain terrorist hold on Aleppo


RT
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 16:03 UTC
Aleppo, Syria
© Muzaffar Salman / Reuters
Top Washington officials are set to discuss striking positions of the Syrian military without a UN Security Council resolution. Bombing air force runways with missiles fired from coalition planes and ships is being considered, according to a report.

"One proposed way to get around the White House's objection to striking the Assad regime without a UN Security Council resolution would be to carry out the strikes covertly and without public acknowledgment," one administration official who is to take part in the discussions told the Washington Post.

A meeting of the Obama administration's Principals Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, the newspaper reported, adding that a meeting of the National Security Council could follow this weekend.

The CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed support for "limited military strikes against the Syrian government," last Wednesday, when the US discussed such "kinetic" options, the official told the Washington Post.

"There's an increased mood in support of kinetic actions against the regime," one senior administration official was quoted as saying.

"The CIA and the Joint Staff have said that the fall of Aleppo would undermine America's counterterrorism goals in Syria," he added.

Comment: This issue has clearly already been discussed. The trial run was September 17th when the US coalition bombed the Syrian Army. As to how far this will go remains to be seen. See Escalations in the war on Syria: Russia sends in S-300 missile defense system, Syrian Army advances in Aleppo for more information.

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Jet1

Precision airstrikes by Russia across Syria leave US proxy terrorists in a panic

[Translated by J. Arnoldski]
Fort Russ
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 16:45 UTC
russia airstrikes
Precision air strikes by Russian air forces on militants' infrastructure and positions in the Hama and Idlib provinces have inflicted heavy losses on illegal armed formations. In Aleppo, terrorist leaders have begun to panic. This has been reported to Russian Spring by a military source.

"In the northern part of Hama province, one of the leaders of Jebat Al-Nusra, Abdul Jabbar Fawaz al-Ahmad, was liquidated. In the al-Latamna district, a commander of an Al-Nusra sniper battalion, Ahmad Nahlawi, was also killed," the source told Russian Spring.

The source continued: "As a result of an airstrike on the building of the Sharia court in the area of Serakab (15 km southeast of Idlib), 12 Ahrar ash-Sham militants were destroyed along with 9 from Jebat Al-Nusra and 5 from Islam at-Turkestani."

North of Serakab, around 30 Al-Nusra militants were killed and more than 50 wounded by an air strike," the source added.

"In eastern Aleppo, following a series of successful Russian air force operations, an outright panic has spread among the war lords of Al-Nusra. It is known from reliable sources that in the southern part of blockaded Aleppo, incidents of militants refusing orders have been noted. In block 1070, leaders of the bandit group refused to attack the positions of Syrian government troops," the source summarized.

Source: RusVesna
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Wolf

What is Joshua Wong, a U.S.-backed Hong Kong "activist", doing in Bangkok?


The New Atlas
Wed, 05 Oct 2016 16:18 UTC
Joshua wong
© European Press Agency
Joshua Wong at Hong Kong's so-called 'Umbrella Revolution' 2014
Joshua Wong's alleged arrest at a Bangkok airport is portrayed as a slight against "democracy," yet the US-funded and backed agitator undermines his own principles of "self-determination" by meddling in another nation's politics.

Joshua Wong. Thai PBS in its article, "HK democracy activist Joshua Wong detained in Bangkok," would claim:
Wong, 19, famed for his galvanising role in the city's 2014 pro-democracy "umbrella movement", was held as he landed at the airport late Tuesday, his party Demosisto said in a statement, citing a Thai student activist, Netiwit Chotipatpaisal, who was due to meet him.

Wong was invited by Thai student activists to take part at an event marking the anniversary of a military crackdown in October 1976.

Demosisto "strongly condemns the Thai government for unreasonably limiting Wong's freedom and right to entry, and requests the immediate release of Wong," the statement said.
What Thai PBS fails to mention is that Joshua Wong and his party, "Demosisto," are US-funded and directed, and represent Western interests attempting to subvert Chinese control over its own territory of Hong Kong, as well as undermine national sovereignty across the entire Asian region.
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Wine n Glass

Russian Foreign Ministry rejects claims that US diplomats were drugged in Russia, suggesting they just had too much to drink

Mike Eckel
RFE/RL
Tue, 04 Oct 2016 16:34 UTC
Sergei Ryabkov

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected U.S. reports that two officials traveling with diplomatic passports were drugged while attending a conference in St. Petersburg last year, suggesting instead that they might have had too much to drink.

The statement, made on October 4 by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, came in response to concerns made public by the U.S. State Department a day earlier about what it said was increased harassment of U.S. diplomats in Russia over the past two years.

RFE/RL reported October 3 that the incident with the U.S. officials occurred during a UN anticorruption conference in St. Petersburg in November. One of them was hospitalized, in what officials later concluded was part of a wider, escalating pattern.

According to one U.S. government official, and another former official also knowledgeable about the case, the U.S. diplomats were part of a delegation of Americans attending the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held on November 2-6 in St. Petersburg.

The U.S. government official told RFE/RL that investigators concluded that the two Americans -- a man and a woman -- were slipped a so-called date rape drug, most likely at a bar in the St. Petersburg hotel where they were staying.

Comment: If the US wants to play in the mud, they can't complain when the other sides decides to get dirty as well.

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