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Putin's short comment to Sarkozy says it all: "You can now speak with frankness"


RT
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 16:48 UTC
putin sarkozy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Vladimir Putin hopes for a frank chat with his former French colleague, Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrived in Russia to participate in the international economic forum. Ahead of the meeting, Sarkozy spoke in favor of lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.

"You are in a very nice position now - you can speak with frankness," Putin half-jokingly told Sarkozy, who was France's president from 2007 until 2012, as their informal meeting on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was about to begin late on Wednesday. The politicians have a vast agenda to discuss, Putin said.

The two are expected to touch upon bilateral relations, as well as the current situation in Syria, Putin's aid Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.

Comment: Translation: "While in office, elected leaders are barred by various forces from speaking their true thoughts and feelings, or even common sense. They are kept in check by individuals and groups who threaten, blackmail, or otherwise coerce them into following the 'official' policies. If they disobey, they will be assassinated, slandered, or otherwise ruined." It's remarkable how many world leaders suddenly gain a remarkable degree of common sense after they leave office.

Further reading: Former French president Sarkozy: Russia is the strongest player in battle of sanctions, should be first to lift them

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War Whore

Fodder for war: House rejects effort to ban young immigrants from serving in military

Christina Marcos
The Hill
Thu, 16 Jun 2016 12:46 UTC
U.S. Military
© Getty Images
In a break from previous votes on the issue, the House on Thursday rejected two GOP proposals to prevent the Obama administration from enlisting young illegal immigrants to serve in the military.

Lawmakers voted down two measures offered by immigration hard-liners Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) that would have prohibited the use of federal money to enlist young illegal immigrants who have been granted work permits under President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

More than 30 Republicans with more centrist views on immigration joined all Democrats in opposing the two amendments offered to a Defense Department spending bill. The amendments failed narrowly with votes of 207-214 and 210-211, respectively.

Certain young illegal immigrants qualify for DACA if they came to the U.S. as minors and have worked toward at least a high school education, among other requirements.

The Obama administration has already enlisted some DACA recipients through a program, Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI), that recruits immigrants with valued foreign language or medical skills to serve in the military. Gosar said the Pentagon confirmed to his office that it had recruited 141 DACA recipients as of April.
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Star of David

May 22: Israeli minister threatens G4S - will "pay a price" for BDS, revoking Israeli contracts

Gil Hoffman
Jerusalem Post
Sun, 22 May 2016 14:20 UTC
gilad erdan
© Flash 90
Gilad Erdan
Public Security and Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan admitted at Sunday's Jerusalem Post Conference in New York that G4S, the world's largest security company, stopped doing business in Israel because it caved in to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

In March, the company revoked its contract with Israel following a campaign asking the United Nations to drop its contracts with the firm. The company has claimed that the decision was among many it had taken around the world, but Erdan disputed that claim.

"While almost all companies ignore the intimidation, a tiny minority give in," Erdan said.

"For example, BDS was a factor in the decision of security company G4S to sell their operations in Israel. The company is now trying to convince everyone that BDS was not a factor. Don't listen to them. Giving in to BDS was a mistake, both morally and financially. Companies that take such politically-motivated decisions must pay a price, and they will."

Comment: From Haaretz:
News that a G4S employee was the gunman who killed 50 people at a packed gay nightclub in Florida wiped almost $282.80 million off the value of the world's largest security firm. ... G4S recently announced that it was winding down its operations in Israel and the occupied West Bank. It insisted that the move was due to financial issues and denied that the move was related to its being targeted by anti-Israel campaigners. Some pro-Israel organizations responded by threatening to scrap contracts with G4S if it did not stay in the Jewish state.

When trading opened in London on Monday, shares in G4S lost 6.6 percent to 175 pence to hit their lowest level since 2009. An analyst who declined to be named said the incident could cause more damage to G4S after a long line of issues. "It doesn't help having their name in the press against something like that," the analyst said.

Mateen was employed at a gated retirement community in South Florida. He underwent two instances of company screening and background checks - once when he was hired in 2007, and again in 2013. At that time, the company learned that Mateen had been questioned by the FBI but that the inquiries were then closed.


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Chess

Russia's new hypersonic glider can penetrate any missile defense systems


Sputnik
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 14:19 UTC
Hypersonic glider
© AP/DARPA
Russia's new Yu-74 ultra-maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles may become yet another response to the deployment of NATO's missile installations in Eastern Europe, according to analytical website Ostkraft.

Going head to head with the United States and China, Russia has been developing its own hypersonic weapons during the past few years.

A hypersonic weapon usually has a speed between 3,840 miles per hour (Mach 5) and 7,680 miles per hour (Mach 10). Furthermore, these systems use sophisticated technologies for maneuvering and allow the rapid delivery of warheads, precise targeting and survivability against a wide range of missile defense systems.

Last year Russia conducted a series of tests of the Yu-71 hypersonic attack aircraft. The Yu-71 is part of secret missile program codenamed "Project 4202." The glider was said to reach speeds of up to 7,000 miles per hour. Due to its outstanding maneuverability and high speed the system can overcome any defense shield, Ostkraft noted.

But that is half the story. According to analytical website Ostkraft.ru, this year Russia successfully tested its experimental Yu-74 hypersonic glide vehicle. The Yu-74 was carried by the intercontinental-range RS-18A (NATO codename: SS-19 Stiletto) ballistic missile system. The glider was launched from the Dombarovsky missile base in the Orenburg region and hit a target located at Kura Missile Test Range in northern Kamchatka region, the Russian Far East.

Comment: See also: Weaponizing the crosshairs: Putin foiling NATO plans to protect Romania, Poland from Iran

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Eye 1

Another nail in the torture coffin: Declassified CIA file reveals Bin Laden aide stopped providing intel after being tortured


Sputnik
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:18 UTC
11. September 9/11
© Flickr/ Cyril Attias
A damning new report written by the CIA's Office of Medical Services at the time of Abu Zubaydah's 'enhanced interrogation' sessions found that the senior al-Qaeda official was willing to cooperate, but clammed up after agents began torturing him.

Recent declassified documents throw water on the CIA's position that enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, which have been condemned worldwide as an act of torture, encouraged cooperation from detainees and led to actionable information.

Medical personnel who aided the CIA's first simulated drowning reported that detainee Abu Zubaydah likely would have cooperated more with officials prior to undergoing torture.

For years, the intelligence community has maintained that waterboarding was a necessity during the first days of the War on Terror in order to obtain intelligence necessary to prevent another 9/11-style attack. But a heavily redacted document from the CIA's Office of Medical Services (OMS) details that Abu Zubayadah's willingness to cooperate with interrogators in 2002 "did not correlate that well with his waterboard sessions."

Comment: See also:

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Cowboy Hat

Vladimir Putin addresses St. Petersburg International Economic Forum


Sputnik
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:13 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his address at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

President Putin has shared his vision on Russia's role on the global arena.

The world is undergoing a major transformation that affects all fields of life, he said.

"The St. Petersburg forum traditionally serves as a platform for the discussion of strategic issues and challenges. Such a talk is even more important today, when the world is undergoing a major transformation, when deep changes affect almost all areas of life," Putin said addressing the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
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Snakes in Suits

Emirati foreign minister retracts statement: UAE has not ended Yemen attacks


PressTV
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 13:07 UTC
UAE military convoy
© AFP
A senior Emirati official has withdrawn his earlier comments that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had ended its combat operations in Yemen, saying his country is still "at war."

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, who had been quoted on Wednesday as saying that "war is over" for Emirati soldiers in Yemen, said on Friday that his comment had been taken "out of context."

"We are at war. I am appalled that my statement was taken out of context and misinterpreted for (an) external agenda that seeks to undermine the region," Gargash said, state-run WAM news agency reported.
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Arrow Up

Iraqi forces retake Fallujah from Islamic State!


RT
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:47 UTC
Fallujah Iraq forces
© Alaa Al-Marjani / Reuters
Iraqi security forces sit in military vehicles in the Nuaimiya suburb of Fallujah, Iraq, June 1, 2016.
The government headquarters in central Fallujah has been recaptured from Islamic State by Iraqi forces, state television reports. The Iraqi flag has reportedly been raised over the mayor's compound.

"The counter-terrorism service and the rapid response forces have retaken the government compound in the center of Fallujah," AFP cited Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, the operation's overall commander, as saying. "The liberation of the government compound, which is the main landmark in the city, symbolizes the restoration of the state's authority," said Iraq's federal police chief, Raed Shaker Jawdat.

The offensive to push the IS terrorists out of the city was launched four weeks ago. Iraqi troops entered downtown Fallujah at about 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) following an intense firefight with Islamic State militants and air support provided by both the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and the Iraqi Air Force, Special Forces Commander Haidar al-Obeidi told The Associated Press.

Comment: See also: Fallujah, perennial poster-child for US war crimes

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Light Sabers

Shooting itself in the foot, again: EU decides to extend some of its anti-Russian sanctions over Crimea


Sputnik
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:20 UTC
flags of EU, Russia, France
© Sputnik/ Vladimir Sergeev
The European Union has extended some of its sanctions targeting Russia in retaliation over its reunification with Crimea for one year, AP reports.

The sanctions target imports from the peninsula and investment there, among other measures.

Crimea seceded from Ukraine to rejoin Russia in March 2014 following a referendum in which over 96 percent of voters supported the move. The West labeled the vote an illegal "annexation." Moscow has stated that the referendum fully complied with international law.

Western countries, as well as Japan, have imposed sanctions targeting Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors after Crimea's reunification with Russia.

Comment: Russia has always left the door open for cooperation with Europe, but the EU has consistently gone against its own interests in order to appease the US. Considering the effect that the sanctions so far have had on the Russian economy, one could argue that the EU has gone insane.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results" - Albert Einstein


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Vader

Dr. Kevin Barrett spells it out: 'Trump is a psychopath, megalomaniac'


PressTV
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:12 UTC
Barrett trump
© PressTV
“Trump’s gone out of his mind! Well Trump probably has always been out of his mind,” American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett says.
Presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump -- a psychopath, narcissist, and megalomaniac -- is fueling genocidal Islamophobia in the United States to get elected president, according to American scholar Dr. Kevin Barrett.

Dr. Barrett, a founding member of the Scientific Panel for the Investigation of 9/11 and founding member of the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday while commenting on Trump's intensified rhetoric against Muslims in the wake of Sunday's mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. US President Barack Obama on Tuesday condemned Trump, and rejected his demands that the president use the phrase "radical Islam" in reference to the Orlando massacre and other mass shootings.
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