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Pushilin: Zakharchenko's assassination committed with help of Western intel services


RT
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 11:52 UTC
Zakharchenko memorial funeral
© Sputnik
A makeshift memorial at the place of the assassination of Aleksandr Zakharchenko in Donetsk
The assassination of Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, was committed with the help of western intelligence services, the republic's acting head said.

One person has been detained as part of an investigation into the murder of Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said on Saturday.

Pushilin stated that the detained person is "an agent of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU)", adding that SBU was involved in Zakharchenko's assassination. DPR investigators analyzed the remains of the explosive device that killed Zakharchenko and identified technology that hadn't previously been used by SBU, he said.

Comment: Also see:

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Propaganda

Moscow slams Bellingcat for spreading misinformation on Salisbury 'suspects'


RT
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 11:52 UTC
Skripal Salisbury River Queen Elizabeth Gardens
© Hannah McKay / Reuters
Police officers search a river in Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury, Britain, July 19, 2018
The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized a report by Bellingcat on the Salisbury 'suspects' passport data, saying the website is linked to special services which leak misinformation under the guise of investigations.

The report by Bellingcat, a British online investigative group affiliated with the Atlantic Council, a pro-NATO think tank, was released on Friday. Together with Russian The Insider website, Bellingcat "reviewed" the central Russian resident database to find passport data of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, named as suspects in the Salisbury poisoning.

Bellingcat assumes that the men are "officers of a Russian security service" because their Russian passports were issued in 2009, while no records reportedly exist for them prior to this year. The website also consulted "at least two sources" who insisted that "various 'top-secret' markings" on the passport of one of the men mean a symbol of "members of secret services or top state operatives."

Comment: Craig Murray probably says it best when he says,
As for me, when I see a howling mob rushing to judgement and making at least some claims which are utterly unfounded, and when I see that mob fueled and egged on by information from the security services propagated by exactly the same mainstream media journalists who propagandised the lies about Iraqi WMD, I see it as my job to stand in the way of the mob and to ask cool questions. If that makes them hate me, then I must be having some impact.

So I ask this question again - and nobody so far has attempted to give me an answer. At what time did the Skripals touch their doorknob? Boshirov and Petrov arrived in Salisbury at 11.48 and could not have painted the doorknob before noon. The Skripals had left their house at 09.15, with their mobile phones switched off so they could not be geo-located. Their car was caught on CCTV on three cameras heading out of Salisbury to the North East. At 13.15 it was again caught on camera heading back in to the town centre from the North West.

How had the Skripals managed to get back to their home, and touch the door handle, in the hour between noon and 1pm, without being caught on any of the CCTV cameras that caught them going out and caught the Russian visitors so extensively? After this remarkably invisible journey, what time did they touch the door handle?

I am not going to begin to accept the guilt of Boshirov and Petrov until somebody answers that question.
Also see:

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Propaganda

Fake news: The curious case of the New York Times and Nikki Haley's curtains


RT
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 12:25 UTC
Nikki Haley
© Carlo Allegri / Reuters
In another swipe at the Trump administration, the New York Times has blamed US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for pricey curtains at her residence. Buried deep in the article? Admission they were commissioned under Obama.

Of all the things to focus on when covering the often-undiplomatic and belligerent US envoy to the world organization, the Times chose to focus on the curtains the State Department purchased for the new ambassadorial residence in Manhattan.

The headline of the article: Nikki Haley's View of New York Is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701 - unequivocally suggested who is to blame for allegedly squandering taxpayers' money.
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War Whore

The lies propagandists tell to get support for bombing Syria

Peter Ford
21st Century Wire
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 09:32 UTC
war propaganda assad

Jingoistic war propaganda image courtesy of the UK Mirror newspaper.
The propaganda mills of the British and American governments - spokespersons, media, think tanks - are working overtime churning out 'talking points' to justify the upcoming large scale bombing of Syria on the pretext of use of prohibited weapons.

Here is a guide from a former insider to the top dozen of these lies.

1. There are more babies than jihadis in Idlib. As it happens this gem of moral blackmail is untrue. There are twice as many jihadis (about 100,000) as babies (0-1 year) (55,000). What is this factoid meant to say anyway? Don't try to free an area of jihadis because you might harm a lot of children? The Western coalition scarcely heeded that consideration in razing Mosul and Raqqa in order to crush ISIS. They are still pulling babies out of the rubble in Raqqa.

2. The reports [of the imminent chemical weapons 'attack'] must be true because Assad has done it before. False. Since 2013 when Asad gave up chemical weapons under supervision of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the OPCW have not visited the sites of alleged attacks in jihadi-controlled areas but have accepted at face value 'reports' from pro-jihadi organisations like the White Helmets and the Syrian American Medical Society, along with 'evidence' from hostile intelligence agencies. In the case of the one site the OPCW did visit, Douma, their report said they found no evidence of sarin, no untoward traces in any of the blood samples taken from 'alleged victims' (their term), no bodies and only ambiguous evidence of use of chlorine.

Comment: See also:

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Radar

US sets up coalition to track foreign ships delivering fuel to North Korea


RT
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 08:45 UTC
North Korean cargo ship Kangsong
© Choi Jae-ho / AFP
North Korean cargo ship Kangsong
A US Navy ship will reportedly host military personnel from the Five Eyes countries plus Japan and South Korea to monitor foreign vessels delivering fuel to the North in violation of UN sanctions.

The coalition will include the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada - America's partners within the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance - as well as Japan and South Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an American military official. This is apparently the first US-led effort to track fuel deliveries to North Korea.

The coalition countries will contribute warships and military surveillance aircraft to track maritime traffic in the area. USS 'Blue Ridge,' the command ship of US Navy's 7th Fleet stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, will host over 50 multinational personnel.
Additionally, a so-called Enforcement Coordination Center has been created on the 'Blue Ridge' to man monitoring operations. The WSJ says this will ensure more "bridge-to-bridge" communications between allied ships and other vessels.

Comment: So just relations are warming between the US and North Korea, and North Korea is making significant gestures towards reconciliation with the South, the US decides now would be a good time to antagonize them by teaming up with its allies to surveil the country. One wonders whether it's really just North Korea the US intends to keep a close eye on: And check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Trump Wags the Iran Riot Dog, Kim Talks Korean Peace

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Stock Up

Russia and India seek to boost trade and switch to national currencies


RT
Sat, 15 Sep 2018 04:05 UTC
rubles
The emerging economies Russia and India, are interested in increasing cooperation, which could result in a greater trade turnover and wider use of ruble and rupee in trade.

"In recent years, bilateral trade has gained steady growth rate... I hope, we will be able to reach the target level of $30 billion in the coming years," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov at a meeting with Indian Minister of External affairs Sushma Swaraj in Moscow.

Borisov noted that $30 billion is still a modest figure compared to a $100 billion trade with China, which should be reached this year.

The countries are interested in increasing share of ruble and rupee in bilateral settlements, the Russian Deputy PM noted. "The expansion of settlements in national currencies is planned. Today, the share of settlements in rubles for exports is 20 percent, and for imports, about 21 percent," he said.

Comment: In large part because of the initiatives put forth by Russia and China, and thanks to the maniacal behaviour of the deep state in the West, the dollar and US dominance in trade is being increasingly sidelined, and the world will be better off for it: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Clock

Erdogan is delaying Idlib operation, but he can't do so indefinitely

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 10:29 UTC
idlib protest
Turkey is pushing further reinforcements of troops, commando units and tanks into the northern Syrian city of Idlib and around it, for a specific objective: to disrupt the attack against the city by the Syrian forces and their allies supported by Russia. Ankara is indeed taking advantage of the Russian slowing down of its strategy to liberate the city from jihadists (including al-Qaeda) due to the US threat to bomb the Syrian Army and government forces under that excuse of "using chemical weapons". This "chemical weapon" has become part of the battle of Idlib, used as a tool to wage war on Syria just as the war is coming to an end.

Russia considers the Turkish reinforcements as a breach of the Astana Turkish-Russian-Iranian deal, which limited the number of observation points and the military presence around the city and rural areas of Idlib. Moreover, Russia effectively considers Turkey to be unable to fulfil its commitment to totally end the presence of jihadists, especially including the group of al-Qaeda, stationed in the city and around it. In fact, the Turkish president Erdogan has asked for an extended delay to meet the Russian and the Iranian demands related to Idlib. This delay has been rejected by the government of Damascus whose leaders believe it is counterproductive to the interests of the country (to liberate the whole of Syria) and, further, would confirm the Russian president's hesitancy which is apparently due to the US threat.

Comment: See also: The Real Problem For Syria's Idlib Offensive is Turkey

Eric Zuesse offers a somewhat contrary analysis:
On Friday, September 14th, Turkey's Yeni Safak newspaper bannered "Idlib locals flee to Turkish-controlled areas for safety", and reported that, "The locals of Syria's Idlib have started to flee as fears of a looming offensive by the Assad regime and his allies grip the province." They also headlined "Turkey deploys more armored vehicles to Syrian border", and reported that, "More military reinforcements including tanks, according to reports from the ground arrived at the Syrian border in Turkey's southern Hatay province." These reports are consistent with the plan's being for Turkey to segregate-out the active jihadists in Idlib so as for Russia and Syria to slaughter those. Another headline there was from Reuters, "Turkey's Erdoğan, Russia's Putin to meet in Sochi on Monday", and this suggests that there is extremely close coordination between Putin and Erdogan on the plan as it proceeds forward. Russian intelligence knows where the al Qaeda and U.S. chemical weapons are located. Presumably, the goal is to kill all the other jihadists first, and then to leave till the end the killing of the ones who are operating the Al Qaeda and U.S. false-flag event. Idlib will remain in Syria. Erdogan doesn't want it.
Meanwhile, al-Qaeda orchestrated a series of "civilian protests" to show the world that Idlib's locals don't want Assad. But as usual, there's more to the story than meets the eye. See Moon of Alabama's analysis here. An excerpt:
Some prominent people also spoke about the event:
Harald Doornbos @HaraldDoornbos - 19:08 utc - 13 Sep 2018

Interesting. Son of Al-Qaeda co-founder Abdullah Azzam, Huthaifa Azzam, calls on opposition in Idlib not to raise black/jihadi flags during tomorrow's protest but only revolution flags because there are international journalists on the ground reporting on the protests.
...
Al-Qaeda has not vanished from Idleb. It still terrorizes the population. What would have been the punishment for not following the orders for these demonstrations. The gallows? A customary beheading? Or just some whipping of the soles of ones feet?

These videos of demonstrations are propaganda clips directed by the Turkish president Erdogan, in co-production with al-Qaeda, to delay the liberation of Idleb.

No one should fall for them.


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Info

Manafort pleads guilty to two charges in plea deal - will cooperate with Mueller investigation


RT
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 10:04 UTC
Paul Manafort
© BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
Paul Manafort
Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges, and will cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 'Russiagate' investigation as part of a plea deal.

In a Washington DC federal court, Manafort pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy against the United States and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Manafort had been facing seven counts of foreign lobbying violations and witness tampering, relating to his time lobbying for former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych over a decade ago.

Prosecutors said on Friday that Manafort will cooperate with Mueller's investigation as part of his plea deal. Per the deal, Manafort can be questioned by Mueller's team without his lawyer present.

In a separate trial in Virginia last month, a jury found Manafort guilty on eight counts of tax and bank fraud crimes. The Virginia jury was deadlocked on ten other counts, which will now be dismissed as part of Manafort's plea bargain, along with the outstanding charges in the latest case. Manafort does, however, waive his right to appeal the eight convictions.

In the Virginia trial, Mueller's team had sought to portray Manafort as a man of wealth, who lived a life of luxury at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Comment: Manafort is not the exception. Investigate just about anyone in Washington and you'll find a similar level of criminality. Manafort just got caught, and the reason he got caught is because of Russiagate hysteria.

See also: Lavrov: No trace of Russian involvement in Manafort case, yet Western media scapegoats Moscow

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Info

Merkel condemns anti-immigrant protesters, gets heckled in Bundestag

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 09:56 UTC
Angela Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was heckled as she condemned thousands of right-wing protesters in eastern Germany, who took to the streets after the deadly stabbing of a 22-year-old German man at the hands of two Afghan nationals in the town of Chemnitz.
The German chancellor was heckled during a lively Bundestag debate by the head of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party (AfD), Alexander Gauland, who accused her of dividing Germany with her immigration policy, endangering peace and spreading fake news by supporting controversial evidence that far-right protesters were hounding foreigners through the streets. -Guardian
Merkel shot back, acknowledging the anger felt over the stabbing - however she said that "there is no excuse or explanation for rabble-rousing, in some cases the use of violence, Nazi slogans, hostility towards people who look different, to the owner of a Jewish restaurant, attacking police."

She also responded to comments made by the head of Germany's BfV domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maaßen, who criticized her spokesman for characterizing the anti-immigrant protesters as "hunting" immigrants.

Gauland accused Merkel of "spreading fake news when your spokesman spoke of 'Hetzjagd' (hunting)," adding "The truth is, there was no hunting down of people in Chemnitz."

Merkel shot back: "Abstract rows about 'Hetzjagd' are not helpful."
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Better Earth

Russia and Germany reaffirm their commitment to Nord Stream 2


RT
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 09:53 UTC
nord stream
© Grigory Sysoev / Sputnik
Moscow and Berlin have expressed the importance of the Russian gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 to Germany, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Friday.

"We've discussed the complex of issues related to energy cooperation and confirmed the support for the Nord Stream 2 project, which is of a commercial nature and the implementation of which will strengthen the energy security of the European continent," said Lavrov after a meeting with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Berlin.

The topic of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was also raised during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Lithuania. Merkel said that she understood the Baltic countries' criticism over the expansion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, but insisted that the project made economic sense. She added that Ukraine would still be a gas transit country after the pipeline is complete.

The goal of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is to double the existing pipeline's annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. The first part of the joint project has been in operation since 2011. Moscow has repeatedly described Nord Stream 2 as a "purely economic project" and said Washington opposes it because it wants to force-feed its own liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.

Comment: See also:

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