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Australian PM Turnbull forced out, replaced by Scott Morrison

Ben Doherty
The Guardian
Fri, 24 Aug 2018 15:30 UTC
Scott Morrison
Australia has a new prime minister in Scott Morrison - the socially conservative architect of Australia's hardline anti-asylum seeker policies - after he mounted a late challenge during a drawn-out struggle for power in the governing Liberal party.

On Friday, incumbent Malcolm Turnbull failed in his attempt to stare down a challenge from hard right MP Peter Dutton, with insurgents in his party gathering enough signatures to call for a "spill" - or leadership contest.

That led to a three-way challenge that included Morrison, Turnbull's treasurer, Dutton, the former home affairs minister, and Julie Bishop, the foreign minister. Turnbull himself stood aside from the contest.

Bishop was eliminated in the first round, and Morrison beat Dutton in a subsequent run-off, 45 votes to 40, suggesting the party is still deeply divided.

There appears no end in sight to the civil war consuming the ruling Liberal-led coalition government. The country may be headed to an election, with Turnbull saying he will not stay in parliament. His resignation in between general elections would erase the government's single-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

Comment:



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Irish PM declares, in front of grovelling Pope, 'Time to build a new relationship between church and state'

Harriett Sherwood
The Guardian
Sun, 26 Aug 2018 15:11 UTC
Irish PM Varadkar and Pope Francis
The Irish prime minister has called for a new relationship between church and state in which religion is no longer at the centre of society, as the pope made his first visit to Ireland this weekend.

In a blistering speech focusing on the failings of the church, delivered in the presence of Pope Francis, Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, said a new covenant for the 21st century was needed that reflected the modern country Ireland had become and learned from "our shared mistakes".

Pope Francis, who is on a two-day visit to Ireland, repeated earlier acknowledgements of the "grave scandal" of child sexual abuse and the church's failures to confront it, but he failed to address survivors' growing demands for action.

Francis said: "I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the church charged with responsibility for their protection and education.
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Trump teases about 'big trade agreement' with Mexico, says relations 'getting closer by the hour'


RT
Sat, 25 Aug 2018 15:21 UTC
US and Mexico flags on Wall Street
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Donald Trump has tweeted that a "big trade agreement" with Mexico could be coming soon and America's relationship with its neighbor is "getting closer by the hour" - despite two years of tensions over his much-touted border wall.

"Our relationship with Mexico is getting closer by the hour. Some really good people within both the new and old government, and all working closely together... a big trade agreement with Mexico could be happening soon!" Trump tweeted on Saturday morning.

While the tweet might come as a surprise, it is possible that brighter days are on the horizon for US-Mexico relations.
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Stock Down

'Inefficiency has nothing to do with sanctions': Iranian Economy Minister impeached in vote of no confidence


Sputnik
Sun, 26 Aug 2018 11:44 UTC
iran parliament
© AP Photo / Vahid Salemi
Iranian Economy Minister Impeached
Abbas Payizadeh, conservative MP in a speech ahead of the impeached vote, said that "inefficiency and lack of planning have nothing to do with sanctions."

Iran's parliament impeached Economy Minister Masoud Karbasian as the country tries to confront an economic crisis.

Masoud Karbasian lost the vote of confidence by 137 votes to 121. He became the second minister to have to step down this month.

"Wrong decisions have harmed the people and led to individuals looting public assets," Abbas Payizadeh said.

Earlier, the Iranian parliament prepared a list of questions concerning the cabinet's policy on coping with economic challenges facing the country and has given President Rouhani one month to present his answers to lawmakers, the ISNA news agency reported.

Comment: Iran has been hit by waves of unrest since the end of last year over the country's struggling economy, and the Iranian FM has accused the US of hijacking these protest in its typical attempts at subversion, but it seems that while these and US sanctions aren't helping, they aren't entirely responsible for this ministers departure:

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America's Pakistan policy shows White House ignorant of major geostrategic shifts

F. Michael Maloof
RT
Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:47 UTC
A supporter of Imran Khan, Karachi, Pakistan, July 22, 2018
© Akhtar Soomro / Reuters
A supporter of Imran Khan, Karachi, Pakistan, July 22, 2018.
While observers point to similarities in the rise of Donald Trump and Pakistan's new prime minister, Imran Khan, that's where they end as relations between the US and Pakistan enter into a serious period of political uncertainty.

The Trump administration recently froze some $255 million in aid to Pakistan for continuing to harbor "terrorists" - in this case, Afghan Taliban, which was created years ago by Pakistan's military intelligence, Inter-Service Intelligence, (ISI). In this year's Pakistani election, ISI apparently supported the former cricket player and playboy, Khan - who is known for his anti-American rhetoric.

In the past, Khan has been very vocal in his opposition to US efforts to strike terrorist operations by drones inside Pakistan. His criticism has extended to any US efforts to link foreign aid to Pakistani cooperation in counterterrorism efforts. The cut-off of aid suggested that the Trump administration was holding Khan to the same criteria for continued assistance as previous US administrations have required of previous Pakistani governments.
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Kremlin states Putin in constant contact with PM Medvedev amid reports of injury


RT
Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:42 UTC
President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
© Ekaterina Shtukina / Sputnik
The Russian president and prime minister remain in close contact during the latter's absence from public events, a Kremlin spokesperson said after the government press service revealed Dmitry Medvedev had suffered a sports injury.

"The president is traditionally in constant working contact with the chairman of the government," Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. The spokesman added that the work of the two top Russian officials provided for such constant contact regardless of their actual location.

However, Peskov declined to comment regarding Medvedev's state of health, and suggested that reporters address questions on this matter to the government press service.
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Propaganda

NYT claims sources gone quiet as it runs out of excuses for its lack of 'Russia collusion' evidence

Nebojsa Malic
RT
Fri, 24 Aug 2018 12:00 UTC
nyt new york times
US intelligence is 'in the dark' about Russian intentions towards the November midterm elections, the New York Times reports, offering some explanations as to why this might be the case, while ignoring the most obvious one.

According to the Times report, written by Julian E. Barnes and Matthew Rosenberg and published Friday, US intelligence agencies got a "detailed assessment" of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, thanks "in large part to informants close to President Vladimir V. Putin and in the Kremlin who provided crucial details."

Today, however, "the vital Kremlin informants have largely gone silent," leaving the CIA and other US spy agencies "in the dark" about Putin's intentions. Russia could be trying to "tilt" the midterms, "simply sow chaos," or "generally undermine trust in the democratic process," the spies tell the NY Times.

Not for a moment do the authors, or their anonymous sources from inside the US spy community, contemplate the possibility that Russia might not be doing anything at all. That, however, would upset the apple cart of "Russian meddling" carefully built from smoke and mirrors since mid-2016, and that just wouldn't do.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Trump is deliberately pushing Germany and Russia to make deals in order to shuffle the deck

Gilbert Docotrow
Russia Insider
Thu, 23 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Putin Merkel
Reading the tea leaves of the Putin-Merkel meeting

During this past Saturday, 18 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a brief visit to Austria to attend the wedding of the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs Karin Kneissl. Per the Kremlin, this stop of several hours in the Styrian wine country not far from the border with Slovenia was a "purely private" side excursion "on the road to Germany" for the state visit with Chancellor Angela Merkel starting later in the day at the Meseberg Palace, the federal guest house 60 km north of Berlin.

Journalists were admitted to film the wedding party, including Putin's dance with the 53 year old bride. No questions were taken and no statements were issued by the President's Press Secretary, who also was present. We know only that on the return journey to Graz airport, Putin was accompanied by Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Presumably they had some issues to discuss that may be characterized as official talks.

Comment: This nuanced analysis rings true and speaks to the fact that - though Trump may not exactly be playing 47D chess - he certainly does has some good intentions that, left to follow their course, would have a chance of making the world a better place. But that will not be allowed to happen by those in the US with firm commitments to pursue the world's subjugation through any means possible.

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Megaphone

Trade war talks may be delayed till after midterms but China will 'resolutely respond to unreasonable' US measures


RT
Sat, 25 Aug 2018 10:00 UTC
China US trade war paper boat
© Getty Images
If Washington continues to implement "unreasonable measures" against China, Beijing will hit back and "resolutely" respond, its Finance Minister said amid an escalating trade war between the two powers.

"China doesn't wish to engage in a trade war, but we will resolutely respond to the unreasonable measures taken by the United States," Liu Kun told Reuters on Friday. He noted that if Washington "persists with these measures," then Beijing "will correspondingly take action" to protect its interests.

The statement from the top Beijing official followed contentious trade talks between the US and China, which were held this week and ended inconclusively. Both sides later released remarks, only noting an "exchange of views" on trade war issues.

Comment: See also: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Star of David

Putin decimates Netanyahu's dreams as Russia confirms total support for Iran in Syria

Joaquin Flores
FRN
Sat, 25 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov
© Russian Embassy
Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made waves today, dispelling numerous rumors and laying to waste much 'speculation' about Russia's role in Syria, with regard to Iran and Israel.

After difficult talks today in a meeting between senior Russian and US delegations to discuss Syria, in Geneva, Switzerland, Ryabkov's statements today mirror those of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Their previous statements reflect Russia's actual, official policy on Iran and Syria. Today's statements bring clarity to any number of vague remarks made in months past.

Israeli officials have yet to comment, but there will no doubt be huge reverberations for today's statement, which clarifies any number of misconceptions spread, even in pro-Russian alternative media and analytic spheres. However, the spread of those important 'misconceptions' was critical in the information war, and only high-level analysts with connections to Moscow, understood the the nature of the information war discourse they were involved in. In that sense, these journalists and analysts were themselves involved in an important aspect of Russian strategy, within the context of 4th Generation Warfare, in terms of their work in creating a hyper-reality simulacrum.

Comment: Russia's declaration of 8 new outposts, that encourages the UN to participate, are a deterrent to Israel's agenda. It is logically a strategic move, necessitated by the US/Israel protection of terrorist enclaves. Was Israel tricked? Russia has been consistently straight-forward in its expounded strategies, policies and assessments of the Syrian War and the components involved, be it the West or Iran. If Netanyahu, a victim of his own delusions, came to another interpretation to support his Middle East fantasy - including attempts to sway Russia against Iran - and now his bubble has burst, that is on him.

More from FRN:
Israel trumps that it is not only controlling the US Congress through AIPAC and other deeper mechanisms upon the deep state, such as through banking and through pedophile kompromat, but ostensibly also the Russian Duma.

Through a complex system of information war, Russia is using the very same cordoning off of the internet which the US establishment and deep state are set to complete, to disassemble reality. This virtual walled garden is meant to decelerate and frustrate the otherwise natural tendency of the internet towards the cross-pollination and cross-semination of ideas.

In some sectors of the internet, Russia is promoted as Israel's greatest ally. In others, the 'Axis of Resistance', featuring Iran, Iraq, and Hezbollah of Lebanon, depicts Russia as an important ally. Both are able to point to certain aspects of the conflict in Syria as evidence of this. This belief creation process, especially through new media and the internet, is a critical part of how simulacra are created in the context of 4GW - fourth generation warfare.

Russia has stated publicly that it is interested in both Iran and Israel's strategic interests. Russia is committed to Russia's strategic interests; which do align with the general conception of deconfliction. The idea here is the most balanced compromises that deliver peace as a status quo. Instead of strategic interests, 'security insurance' is a better concept to separate this out from Israel's irredentist goals or Iran's foothold in Lebanon. It is neither a problem nor a criticism to state such.

Russia is aware that both states, Israel and Iran, engage in a form of demagoguery and rhetorically politicize things beyond what may be the real strategic goal.


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