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Oil Well

Iran plans launch of national cryptocurrency, ditching the dollar in oil trade


RT
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 15:44 UTC
Iran sanctions
© blackgolddiggers.com
Tehran is seeking ways to bypass looming US sanctions by launching a cryptocurrency that would help the Islamic Republic trade oil without using the dollar.

"We are trying to prepare the ground to use a domestic digital currency in the country," Alireza Daliri, deputy for management and investment at the Directorate for Scientific and Technological Affairs, told Iranian news agency ISNA, as quoted by PressTV.

"This currency would facilitate the transfer of money [to and from] anywhere in the world. Besides, it can help us at the time of sanctions."

US President Donald Trump said the United States will quit the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and re-impose sanctions "at the highest level" against the country. The sanctions would limit Iran's access to the US dollar payment system. Oil, the country's largest export, is mostly traded in dollars across the globe.

Comment: See also:

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Jet4

Andrei Martyanov's "Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning"

Stephen Lendman
Global Research
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 19:04 UTC
The cutting-edge issue of our time is whether humanity can survive America's rage for global dominance while failing to acknowledge its declining supremacy relative to other nations.
Military plane
In his must read new book, titled "Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning," Russian military analyst Andrei Martyanov discussed this important issue - America's inexorable decline despite spending countless trillions of dollars to remain the dominant global superpower.

Comment: See also: The Real Reason The US Must Talk to Russia: Its Military Prowess

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Mr. Potato

Trump Derangement Syndrome and Russophobia prompt American liberals to rush to the defense of neo-con henchman and meddler Michael McFaul

Tony Cartalucci
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 27 Jul 2018 16:07 UTC
mcfaul

Michael McFaul
Were one to read the Washington Post's article on a Russian proposal regarding the questioning of suspects in various, ongoing US and Russia investigations, they would have imagined former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul was about to be shipped to a dungeon beneath the Kremlin for interrogation.

The Washington Post's article, "Outrage erupts over Trump-Putin 'conversation' about letting Russia interrogate ex-U.S. diplomat Michael McFaul" fueled anti-Russian hysteria, claiming:
At this week's summit in Helsinki, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed what President Trump described as an "incredible offer" - the Kremlin would give special counsel Robert S. Mueller III access to interviews with Russians who were indicted after they allegedly hacked Democrats in 2016. In return, Russia would be allowed to question certain U.S. officials it suspects of interfering in Russian affairs.

One of those U.S. officials is a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, a nemesis of the Kremlin because of his criticisms of Russia's human rights record.
The Washington Post would compound confusion and hysteria by also claiming (emphasis added):
The willingness of the White House to contemplate handing over a former U.S. ambassador for interrogation by the Kremlin drew ire and astonishment from current and former U.S. officials. Such a proposition is unheard of. So is the notion that the president may think he has the legal authority to turn anyone over to a foreign power on his own.
In reality, the proposal never entailed the US or Russia handing anyone over for interrogation. Bloomberg in an article titled, "Trump 'Looks Weak' by Considering Putin's Interrogation Idea, McFaul Says," would more accurately summarize the deal, stating:
Putin proposed letting Russians observe interrogations of McFaul and other Americans. In exchange, U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller could send members of his team to watch Russian questioning of 12 Russian intelligence agents indicted by a U.S. grand jury last week in connection with hacking Democratic Party email accounts and disseminating those messages before the 2016 presidential election.
Americans of interest would be questioned in the United States, by Americans, merely with Russian representatives present, in exchange for American representatives travelling to Russia to watch a Russian interrogation of suspects relevant to ongoing US investigations.
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Red Flag

Extraordinarily misleading: How corporate media wove a false narrative of North Korean nuclear deception

Gareth Porter
38 North
Thu, 26 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
North Korea flag and nuclear flag
© Getty Images
Since the June 12 Singapore Summit between US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the US media has woven a misleading narrative that both past and post-summit North Korean actions indicate an intent to deceive the US about its willingness to denuclearize. The so-called intelligence that formed the basis of these stories was fed to reporters by individuals within the administration pushing their own agenda.

The Case of the Secret Uranium Enrichment Sites

In late June and early July, a series of press stories portrayed a North Korean policy of deceiving the United States by keeping what were said to be undeclared uranium enrichment sites secret from the United States. The stories were published just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was preparing for the first meetings with North Korean officials to begin implementing the Singapore Summit Declaration.

The first such story appeared on NBC News on June 29, which reported:
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea has increased its production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months-and that Kim Jong Un may try to hide those facilities as he seeks more concessions in nuclear talks with the Trump administration.

Comment: See also: Journalistic snake oil: Corporate media's brazen dishonesty about North Korean nuclear violations

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Stock Down

Putin at BRICS Summit: US making 'big strategic mistake' by using dollar as political weapon


RT
Fri, 27 Jul 2018 12:37 UTC
counting dollars
© Pascal Lauener / Reuters
Washington's use of payment systems for political purposes undermines the US dollar as a global currency, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit in South Africa.

"Regarding our American partners placing limitations, including those on dollar transactions, I believe is a big strategic mistake. By doing so, they are undermining the trust in the dollar as a reserve currency," said Putin.

Putin added that Russia has no intention of getting rid of the US dollar, as the currency is widely used in international trade and business.

"We will continue to use the US dollar unless the United States prevents us from doing so," said Putin in his closing address to BRICS leaders on Friday.

Comment: By creating alternative means of trade and buying up gold while dumping the dollar, the world is drifting away from the sinking ship that is the US: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Better Earth

Syrian Kurdish group says government working with Kurds to create 'decentralized Syria'


Sputnik
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 16:03 UTC
manbij syrians kurds
© AP Photo / Hussein Malla
A Syrian Kurdish-led group revealed plans to move towards democracy and decentralization, as well as to set up special committees together with Damascus in a bid to finally put an end to the savage conflict.

Following a meeting with Syrian government officials in Damascus, the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) stated on Saturday that the sides had agreed to set up committees to develop talks on ending the ongoing conflict in the country.

The committees, which will pop up "on various levels" to sort things out in northern Syria, are set to draw up "a roadmap to a democratic, decentralized Syria", the SDC said, as quoted by Reuters.

The SDC delegation at the Damascus talks was led by Ilham Ahmed, executive head of the council.

Riad Darar, the SDC's co-chair, said prior to the talks that they were aimed at "working towards a settlement for northern Syria."

"We hope that the discussions on the situation in the north will be positive," Darar added, adding that they were being held "without preconditions."
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Cookie

Mexico looks to Russia for wheat as US trade war escalates


RT
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 15:06 UTC
mexico bread wheat
Producers of Mexican bread, pasta and flour tortillas are looking for cheaper supplies of wheat from Russia in an attempt to reduce reliance on the US due to an ongoing trade conflict with its northern neighbor.

The US market share is currently undergoing a dramatic decline as Mexico, the major purchaser of American grains, is turning to alternative markets amid increasing concerns over surging prices of US produce, Reuters reports, citing Mexican millers, government officials, and international wheat traders.

"It's important to send signals to Mr Trump," said Jose Luis Fuente, head of Mexican trade group Canimolt, which represents 80 percent of Mexican millers.

The fears are reportedly connected to potential tariffs the Mexican authorities might impose on US grain crops as part of the growing trade conflict.

The conflict started when US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada if the sides couldn't compromise on the 23-year-old pact.

Comment: For now at least, it seems the US is likely to come up trumps, as recently happened in the EU. But what we're seeing is that countries are no longer as beholden to the US in the way they once were and they are increasingly able to look elsewhere should the US attempt to force unfair deals upon them: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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War Whore

This is why neocons HATE Russia more than any other nation

Eric Zuesse
The Duran
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 15:02 UTC
graham mccain kristol
Neoconservatism started in 1953 with Henry "Scoop" Jackson, the Democratic Party US Senator from the state of Washington (1953-1983), who became known as a 'defense' hawk, and as "the Senator from Boeing," because Boeing practically owned him.

The UK's Henry Jackson Society was founded in 2005 in order to carry forward Senator Jackson's unwavering and passionate endorsement of growing the American empire so that the US-UK alliance will control the entire world (and US weapons-makers will dominate in every market).

Later, during the 1990s, neoconservatism became taken over by the Mossad and the lobbyists for Israel and came to be publicly identified as a 'Jewish' ideology, despite its having - and having long had - many champions who were 'anti-communist' or 'pro-democracy' or simply even anti-Russian, but who were neither Jewish nor even focused at all on the Middle East.

Republicans Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and John McCain; and the Democrat, CIA Director James Woolsey - the latter of whom was one of the patrons of Britain's Henry Jackson Society - were especially prominent neoconservatives, who came to prominence even before neocons became called "neoconservatives."

What all neocons have always shared in common has been a visceral hatred of Russians. That comes above anything else - and even above NATO (the main neocon organization).

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Populist Imran Khan wins general election in Pakistan


RT
Thu, 26 Jul 2018 15:30 UTC
imran khan
© inhua / Global Look Press
Imran Khan at campaign rally on July 22.
Cricket player-turned-politician Imran Khan has declared victory in Pakistan's election, seeing off the party of former PM Nawaz Sharif, who was jailed for corruption. Voting was marred by violence and allegations of poll-rigging.

With about half the votes counted from Wednesday's elections, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) - Justice Movement - has a solid lead, according to the official preliminary results. The elections were marred by a gruesome suicide bombing. Some 371,000 soldiers have been deployed at polling stations across the country, nearly five times as many as during last general election in 2013.


Comment: That was 2 days ago. The latest figures:
With most votes counted, Mr Khan's party is leading with 115 seats in the 272 National Assembly constituencies being contested, far ahead of the PML-N on 64.

In third place with 43 seats is the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The PPP did not attend the meeting of rival parties on Friday.

A total of 137 seats is required for a majority and while Mr Khan is on course to become prime minister, he will have to form a coalition government.
Khan's rivals have rejected the results and called for a do-over.


Khan addressed the nation from his home in Islamabad, vowing to investigate all complaints of rigged polls made by his opponents - the Pakistan Muslim League, a center-right conservative party, sympathetic to the US. Supporters of its de facto leader Sharif, who has bad blood with the military, claimed the army tipped the scales in Khan's favor.

Comment: Khan has actually led protests against the U.S. war and its drone attacks in Pakistan. In his victory speech, he said Pakistan will make every effort to make peace in Afghanistan - he wants a mutually beneficial, "balanced relationship" with Pakistan. Moon of Alabama shares his assessment:
The election of Imran Khan is a break with Pakistan's oligarchic past. As he wants to implement his anti-corruption and social programs he will have to fight an entrenched establishment that does not mind playing dirty. He may well win that fight but only if he continues to receive support from the military. For that he will have to follow the Generals' demands on foreign policy. Only a second term in office would give him the standing to tackle that relationship.

For now he is Pakistan's best chance. I wish him luck.
But, predictably, the 'western' press already dislikes Khan. The NYT (among others) calls him "unpredictable" (shades of Trump!). Instead of calling the country Pakistan, NYT called it "nuclear-armed Islamic Republic". He must be a good thing, if that's the way the media presstitutes are reacting.

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Bad Guys

US "waste, fraud and abuse" in Afghanistan has cost $15.5billion - And counting


RT
Fri, 27 Jul 2018 16:59 UTC
money changer
© Jalil Ahmad / Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A money changer counts US dollar banknotes at a market in Herat province, Afghanistan, on June 3, 2018.
Billions of tax dollars have been lost on "waste, fraud and abuse" and spent on massive reconstruction projects in Afghanistan that utterly failed and even contributed to corruption, a US government watchdog has said.

As much as $15.5 billion spent by the US to rebuild Afghanistan over 11 years has effectively gone to waste, the US government's leading oversight authority on the issue, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), said in its response to a request by three members of Congress.

The estimated amount of mismanaged funds accounted for 29 percent of the total sum audited by SIGAR, the report said. However, it also warned that the examined spending of $52.7 billion amounts to only a fraction of the total sum of $126 billion which has been appropriated for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. "Our products have likely uncovered only a portion of the total waste, fraud, abuse, and failed efforts," the SIGAR head, John Sopko said in a statement.


Comment: One can be sure that some of this 'wasted' money hasn't been wasted at all and instead found its way into the hands of the people it was intended for; whether that be the US' proxy-army in the middle east, ISIS, or as fraudulent projects with the intent to funnel the money elsewhere: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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