Puppet Masters

'Gaffe Machine' Biden lost the plot: No Russian meddling happened on his or Obama's watch

RT
Sat, 06 Jul 2019 05:42 UTC

Democratic frontrunner and former VP Joe Biden has been mocked for saying that no election interference happened on his watch. Some took his words as a denial of the establishment narrative about 2016 'Russian meddling'.

Risking an own goal against fellow politicians and the 'intelligence community', which accuse Russia of meddling in the 2016 US election to sow discord and help Donald Trump ascend to the presidency, Biden told CNN on Friday that no election interference happened on his watch, as he unloaded on both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"While Putin's trying to undo our elections, he's actually undoing elections in Europe. Look at what's happening in Hungary, look what's happening in Poland, look what's happening! You think that would happen on my watch or Barack's watch? You can't answer that, but I promise it wouldn't have, and it didn't," Biden told host Chris Cuomo.

Comment: See also:

One more Iranian cog needed to get EU's INSTEX payment device working - if ever

RT
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 13:15 UTC

The financial channel Europe came up with as part of its efforts to keep the nuclear deal with Iran alive, makes no sense if it cannot be used for issuing credits to the Islamic Republic, according to one of its top diplomats.

"We believe that [the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, or INSTEX] will be no good unless there is enough credit," Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said, as cited by Irna.

Apart from credits, if the trade mechanism functioned it would also create revenues for Iran by facilitating purchases of its crude, but none of the elements is working, the diplomat pointed out.

The high-ranking diplomat's statement came on Sunday, just after Tehran announced that it will increase uranium enrichment above the limit set under the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Araghchi also warned that Iran may further reduce its commitments if its European colleagues fail to fulfill theirs.

Comment: See also:

Iran: Official claims US sent limited strike warning after its drone was downed

Sputnik
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 08:53 UTC

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps downed a US spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz last month, insisting it violated the country's airspace.

General Gholam Reza Jalali, head of Iran's Civil Defence Organisation, said that Iran received a warning from the US about an upcoming limited strike, after the military shot down a US Navy surveillance drone.

"After the downing of its intruding drone, the United States told us through diplomatic intermediaries that it wanted to carry out a limited operation," Gen. Jalali was quoted by Reuters as saying.

He added that Tehran responded to the warning by saying that it sees any operation as "the start of the war".

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps shot down the an American UAV on 20 June. In a letter to the UN chief Antonio Guterres, Tehran said the drone was flying in stealth mode and was being "engaged in a clear spying operation".

The Guardian accused of 'vendetta', ignored Chomsky's Labour anti-semitism comments

RT
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 12:19 UTC

The Guardian is coming under fire for not reporting on renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky's comments on Labour's anti-Semitism row, with social media users accusing the outlet of hypocrisy.

Chomsky said that the allegations of anti-Semitism against party leader Jeremy Corbyn and MP Chris Williamson are a "disgrace" and an "insult to the memory" of Holocaust victims.

The Guardian has in the past reported on many of Chomsky's comments, but has chosen to ignore his latest take on a current issue, leaving many wondering if it is conveniently selective about which of his comments it deems newsworthy.

Independent journalist Matt Kennard noted that RT, the Morning Star, and the Canary were the only news organizations to cover the esteemed intellectual's remarks. "The mainstream media is running a campaign where contradictory information is just erased from record. The Guardian is at the forefront of this campaign," he said.

A case of colonial hypocrisy? UK lectures China on 'freedoms' in Hong Kong

RT
Sat, 06 Jul 2019 08:09 UTC

© Reuters/Tyrone Siu
Anti-extradition bill protesters stand next to a colonial flag of Hong Kong after protesters broke into the Legislative Council building during the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China in Hong Kong, China July 1, 2019.

The UK has been accused of brazen hypocrisy after raising concerns about the state of democracy and human rights in Hong Kong, a former British colony once ruled by unelected colonial governors.

Beijing denounced British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as "shameless," after Hunt declared that the UK would "stand behind the people of Hong Kong in defense of [their] freedoms" amid protests over a controversial extradition law with China.

The British haven't always been so concerned about "protecting democracy" in Hong Kong, however. Before the city was handed over to China in 1997, Hong Kong was a British colony and administered by an unelected, and always British, governor.

The glaring double-standard is clearly hypocritical, former US diplomat Jim Jatras told RT:

"I'm sad to say that not only the British but the American and most other Western governments - 'hypocrisy' should be part of the official title of how they conduct their affairs, how they deal with human rights issues at home, and then how they will use any pretext to support things like color revolutions."

Comment: See also:

Complete Video And Transcript of Putin Interview With The Financial Times

Sott.net
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 21:38 UTC

Comment: We're re-running this because the FT has (finally) published the full video interview with English captions.

Anyway, here it is, the moment Putin, among other things, declared the end of 'peak liberal ascendancy'...

We got this from the Kremlin's website, although the FT also published a transcript here.

The long-form interview was conducted last week in the Kremlin, on the eve of Putin's departure for the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.

We're not sure what's more surprising; the frankness and range of Putin's answers on everything from liberalism and religion to trade and household incomes, or the fact that the FT 'stooped' so low as to conduct a reasonably respectful interview with the great man...

The full 90-minute video of the interview is available here, but it has not yet been translated into English. In the meantime, here's a 15-minute clip from Russia Insight:

Iran issues denial that oil tanker seized by UK was headed for Syria

RT
Sun, 07 Jul 2019 18:43 UTC

© Reuters / Jon Nazca
The oil supertanker Grace 1, that's on suspicion of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria, sits anchored in waters of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, historically claimed by Spain, July 4, 2019.

Tehran has denied that the oil tanker seized by the UK near Gibraltar was destined for Syria, as the British government has claimed. Iran has said it now expects to use legal avenues to secure the return of its vessel.

Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the Iranian supertanker was travelling in international waters near Gibraltar because its large cargo -- two million barrels of oil -- prevented the ship from using the Suez Canal.

Comment: Iran has signalled the possibility of tit-for-tat seizures. As a US vassal, is Britain willing to go that far?

CrowdStrikeOut: Mueller's own report undermines its core Russia-meddling claims

Aaron Maté
RealClearInvestigations
Fri, 05 Jul 2019 14:58 UTC

At a May press conference capping his tenure as special counsel, Robert Mueller emphasized what he called "the central allegation" of the two-year Russia probe. The Russian government, Mueller sternly declared, engaged in "multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election, and that allegation deserves the attention of every American." Mueller's comments echoed a January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) asserting with "high confidence" that Russia conducted a sweeping 2016 election influence campaign. "I don't think we've ever encountered a more aggressive or direct campaign to interfere in our election process," then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate hearing.

While the 448-page Mueller report found no conspiracy between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, it offered voluminous details to support the sweeping conclusion that the Kremlin worked to secure Trump's victory. The report claims that the interference operation occurred "principally" on two fronts: Russian military intelligence officers hacked and leaked embarrassing Democratic Party documents, and a government-linked troll farm orchestrated a sophisticated and far-reaching social media campaign that denigrated Hillary Clinton and promoted Trump.

The only strategic rationale for America's involvement in Syria finally revealed

Elias Samo
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 06 Jul 2019 18:20 UTC

"Washington lacks a clear strategy in Syria "; those were the recent words of Robert Ford, the last American ambassador to Syria who served prior to and during the first few years of the Syrian uprising from 2010 to 2014. A man of Ford's intricate knowledge of the Syrian/American political dynamic is surly knowledgeable enough to assess America's policy towards Syria. He goes on to say, "It is hard to explain the fundamental American mission in Syria... Is it to fight Daesh? Or is it to help promote a Kurdish autonomous district in Northeastern Syria... Or is it to resist Iranian encouragement?" It is partially all three; however, oddly enough, Mr. Ford avoids the obvious top priority and strategic rationale for America's involvement in Syria: The Protection of Israel.

To alleviate this dereliction by the executive branch for not presenting a clear strategy in Syria, as the former ambassador asserts, the Congress took it upon itself to identify American strategic interests in Syria and make recommendations to Trump. However, it is legitimate to ask: what do American congressmen know about Syria to qualify them to determine American strategic interests in the country? It is very unlikely for American congressmen to know much about Syria; they are dictated by the Israeli narrative and that is all they need to know.

Is Denmark the last bottleneck for Nord Stream 2?

Vanand Meliksetian
Oilprice.com
Sat, 06 Jul 2019 18:09 UTC

Large energy projects tend to be controversial due to environmental and political reasons. Nord Stream 2 (NS2) is not an exception as it is, arguably, the most contentious energy pipeline currently under construction in Europe. According to the critics of NS2, Europe is increasing its dependence on Russian gas, which would give Moscow unwanted influence in European capitals.

Opposition has been growing since the laying of pipes started. The U.S. has found allies in several Eastern European countries who fear Moscow's intentions due to historical reasons. Regardless of the efforts to thwart the construction of NS2, contractors have continued their work to complete the pipeline before the end of this year. Nord Stream AG, the company responsible for the project, has received permits from all littoral states of the Baltic Sea except for Denmark. Recently, the company made an important decision to end the political stalemate and prevent delays.

Winternights3 There's probs a good connection! Just think about it.

sbc

Moving the goalposts. and people are too shit stupid to notice or care

sbc

Hang em... All the jab pushers. At this point they are trying very hard to continue blatant bullshit lies in a bid for total societal control

sbc

It was interesting when the brothers (their family owns the dealerships/service center that were vandalized - something of like 130+ cars burned...

Scoot Over

I ain't going to watch any more than I didn't watch the OJ trial, which ended exactly as I predicted. The thing is that the state should have...

Rowan Cocoan

Puppet Masters

'Gaffe Machine' Biden lost the plot: No Russian meddling happened on his or Obama's watch

One more Iranian cog needed to get EU's INSTEX payment device working - if ever

Iran: Official claims US sent limited strike warning after its drone was downed

The Guardian accused of 'vendetta', ignored Chomsky's Labour anti-semitism comments

A case of colonial hypocrisy? UK lectures China on 'freedoms' in Hong Kong

Complete Video And Transcript of Putin Interview With The Financial Times

Iran issues denial that oil tanker seized by UK was headed for Syria

CrowdStrikeOut: Mueller's own report undermines its core Russia-meddling claims

The only strategic rationale for America's involvement in Syria finally revealed

Is Denmark the last bottleneck for Nord Stream 2?

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