Welcome to Sott.net
Fri, 29 Oct 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Bulb

Google is censoring political content? *Gasp!* Who knew?

google law court
© Getty Images / Anadolu Agency
The latest leaks about Google's clandestine political censorship are fascinating — but they're not going to knock anyone's socks off for shock factor. Who, at this stage, does not know what Google is up to?

Former Google employee Zachary Vorhies told Project Veritas that he spent a year collecting documents that prove Google uses a politically biased "fringe ranking" system and maintains a "blacklist" of undesirable websites.

Surprise, surprise! Our Silicon Valley overlords have "deboosted and deranked" websites that fall foul of its own agenda.

Coverage of Vorhies' leaks has been minimal, with the exception of right wing websites, many of which found themselves banished to the "blacklist." Liberal media has mostly ignored the leaks. This is primarily because Project Veritas is led by arch-conservative James O'Keefe and they are naturally loathe to cover any information he brings to light, regardless of how legitimate it might be.

The group has uncovered some enlightening information in the past; most embarrassingly, it caught a CNN reporter admitting that the Russiagate story, which consumed American media for the better part of three years, was "mostly bullsh*t" but that it had been "incredible" for ratings.

Bomb

Afghan president vows to eliminate Islamic State havens after wedding attack kills 63

afghanistan wedding bomb

The shoes of victims in the Kabul wedding hall, damaged after the blast.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to "eliminate" all safe havens of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group after at least 63 people, including children, were killed in a Kabul bombing at a wedding hall late on August 17 claimed by a local IS affiliate.

Close to 200 others were wounded.

Ghani's statement came as Afghanistan on August 19 celebrates the 100th anniversary of independence from the British.

"We will take revenge for every civilian drop of blood," Ghani declared. "Our struggle will continue against [IS], we will take revenge and will root them out." He urged the international community to join those efforts.

However, several blasts struck restaurants and public squares on August 19 in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 34 people, officials said.

No group claimed responsibility for the 10 explosions but both IS and Taliban militants operate in the region.

Binoculars

Syrian Army advances, takes Khan-Sheikhun, launches airstrike on Turkish convoy

syria border crossing
© REUTERS / Khalil Ashawi
Turkish soldiers stand on a watchtower at the Atmeh crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Syrian forces entered the town of Khan-Sheikhun in Syria's Idlib Province on Sunday, amid heavy fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists and their allies, targeting their positions and inflicting heavy losses on militants, the SANA news agency reported.

According to the report, the Syrian army targeted al-Nusra fortifications in the direction of Kafridon and al-Sabbaghiya, in the suburbs of Khan-Sheikhun, killing many of the terrorists, while other gunmen fled the area.

Earlier this week, the Syrian military liberated two villages in the south of Idlib Province after clashing with terrorists.

A brigadier general of the Syrian Armed Forces said that liberation followed violent clashes between the military and the terrorists from the Jabhat Nusra group, during which several fighters were killed and military equipment was seized.

Comment: The Syrians say they have established control over the entire city and are encircling the hills around the city in order to eliminate the snipers there:
A Syrian military source said earlier that the Syrian Army had blocked the supply lines of the Jabhat al-Nusra*terrorist group's militants after establishing control over the Damascus-Aleppo highway.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that Turkish armoured vehicles had entered the Syrian city of Saraqib in Idlib and were currently moving to Khan Sheikhoun, which is under the control of militants.


​The Syrian Armed Forces earlier took control of a checkpoint on the north-western border of Khan Sheikhoun, according to reports.
"Turkish armoured vehicles with munitions have violated the Syrian border and have entered the city of Saraqib, they are moving in the direction of Khan Sheikhoun...", according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the Syrian forces launched an airstrike on the convoy, killing 3 civilians and injuring 12:
"Our convoy was targeted by an airstrike during a transfer to Turkey's ninth observatory point in Idlib. Three civilians were killed, and 12 more were injured. We condemn firmly this attack, contradicting agreements, cooperation and dialogue with Russia", the Defence Ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Anadolu news agency.
The taking of Khan-Sheikhun almost completes the encirclement of al-Nusra in the southern terrorist-held region of Idlib:
khan-sheikhun
© syria.liveuamap.com
The situation in Idlib just prior to the taking of Khan-Sheikhun.
Moon of Alabama provides some clarity on the situation:
This morning Turkey sent (vid) a 29 truck convoy with five tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, ammunition and additional personal toward the observation post in Morek, south of Khan Shaykhun.

Before the convoy passed through Maarat al-Numan, 20 kilometers north of Khan Shaykhun, the Russian airforce bombed its path (vid). The leader of Faylq al-Sham, a 'Syrian rebel' group controlled by the Turkish intelligence service, was escorting the Turkish army convoy in a technical. He was killed. No Turkish soldiers were harmed. The convoy stopped and will have to return to Turkey. The tanks and the ammunition will not reach the jihadis in Khan Shaykhun.



Rocket

Report: Chinese missiles could cripple US Asia-Pacific forces as Washington loses military primacy

destroyer
© Sputnik / Igor Zarembo
The 104-page report also urged the US and its Pacific allies, namely Australia and Japan, to overhaul their military investment plans as well as spending and relationships in the region.

China has enough cutting-edge ballistic missile technology to destroy the United States' Western Pacific Navy fleets and military bases in a matter of "hours", a report from the University of Sydney said on Monday.

The US no longer "enjoys military primacy" in the Indo-Pacific and has an "uncertain" capacity to keep a "favourable balance of power", the report from the University's United States Studies Centre said.

Beijing could quickly topple US forces "particularly around Taiwan, the Japanese archipelago or maritime Southeast Asia" before Washington could respond, authors Ashley Townshend, Matilda Steward and Brendan Thomas-Noone warned.

Comment: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why 'pro-democracy' riots have been taking place in HK for the last couple of months.

If you can't beat your enemy this way, come at him that way...


Russian Flag

Russian lawmakers create 'anti-foreign meddling' commission, will send results to PACE, OSCE

russia coat of arms
© Sputnik / Natalia Seliverstova
Russian coat of arms on the facade of the parliament building in Moscow.
Lawmakers in Moscow are gearing up to examine reports of foreign meddling and deliver the findings to the parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, as well as to the 'offending' countries.

On Monday, the council of the State Duma, the lower house of the nation's parliament, created a 12-person commission tasked with investigating foreign meddling in Russia's domestic affairs.

Comment:


Light Sabers

Beijing warns US of 'consequences' after Donald Trump approves US$8 billion sale of fighter jets to Taiwan

fighter jet
© EPA-EFE
A Taiwan Air Force F-16V takes off during a drill in May
Beijing warned it would take countermeasures against Washington for selling 66 fighter jets to Taiwan after US President Donald Trump said he had approved the US$8 billion deal.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday said the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16V jets was a serious violation of the one-China principle.

"China has made numerous solemn representations to the US on the sale of F-16V jets to Taiwan," Geng said in a press conference, adding that the United States should halt the sale.

"The US has to bear all the consequences triggered by the sale," Geng said. "China will take necessary measures to defend its self-interest based on the development of the situation."

Satellite

Post- Brexit UK won't have access to EU's Galileo - wants 'Five Eyes' allies' support for new satellite system

Galileo satellite system
© European Space Agency/J. Huart
The Galileo satellite system
In March 2018, the European Commission in Brussels confirmed the UK after Brexit was likely to be excluded from some aspects of the Galileo project, especially relating to PRS, despite having invested more than £1 billion in the EU Global Navigation Satellite System.

The UK is reaching out to its "Five Eyes" security allies to enlist their help in building an alternative to the EU's Global Navigation Satellite System Galileo, reported The Telegraph.

According to the publication, Space Agency officials have conferred with representatives from the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the nations that make up the security pact.

Chess

Trump admin gives Huawei 90 more days to continue buying products from American companies

Wilbur Ross
© Eraldo Peres/AP
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
The Trump administration is extending a reprieve for Huawei Technologies and U.S. companies working with the telecom giant by 90 days, the Commerce Department announced Monday.

The decision permits Huawei to continue buying products from American companies to support its existing customers. It was made in part to minimize disruption in parts of rural America that rely on relatively inexpensive Huawei equipment to carry wireless service in remote areas, Commerce officials said.

"It is another 90 days for the U.S. telecom companies," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Fox Business Network. "Some of the rural companies are dependent on Huawei. So we're giving them a little more time to wean themselves off."

At the same time, the Trump administration is continuing to apply pressure to Huawei. Forty-six Huawei subsidiaries are being added to what is known as the Commerce Department's "Entity List," a kind of blacklist that bans U.S. companies from doing business because of national security concerns, Commerce officials said Monday.

Dominoes

Google, Facebook, Amazon to testify in US against French digital tax

tech companies
Alphabet Google unit, Facebook and Amazon are among the companies that will testify Monday at a U.S. government hearing on the French government's digital services tax.

In July, the French Senate approved a 3% levy that will apply to revenue from digital services earned in France by companies with more than 25 million euros in French revenue and 750 million euros ($838 million) worldwide.

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office in July opened a probe into the new tax it called "unreasonable." The office could issue new tariffs on French goods or other trade restrictions after the public comment period closes on Aug. 26.

Amazon's international tax policy director Peter Hiltz said in written testimony for the USTR hearing that more than 10,000 French-based small- and medium-size businesses are selling on Amazon's online stores and notified them that certain fees will increase by 3% for sales made on Amazon.fr starting Oct. 1.

Attention

New evidence emerges showing why Steele, the Ohrs and TSA workers never should have become DOJ sources

bruce ohr and chris steele

Christopher Steele, Bruce Ohr, Glenn Simpson
One of the inevitable outcomes of the Russia case will be that the Department of Justice (DOJ) almost certainly will need internal reforms.

The first reform is the most obvious, given the unraveling of the Russia collusion narrative: a new set of rules governing when the FBI can investigate or spy on a First Amendment-protected political campaign during an election.

The FBI never should have been allowed to sustain a counterintelligence investigation into Donald Trump's campaign based on hearsay from Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, who helped to arrange a $25 million Australian government donation to the Clinton Foundation, and on a "minimally" verified dossier written by British spy Christopher Steele, who was working on the Hillary Clinton opposition-research team.