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US Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, resigns


RT
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 15:32 UTC
LavrovHuntsmanPutin
© Global Look Press
Russian FM Lavrov • US Ambassador Jon Huntsman • Russian President Vladimir Putin
US Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, has resigned from his post effective October 3. Huntsman has been ambassador since 2017. The former governor of Utah is returning home, where he reportedly plans to attempt another gubernatorial run.

Huntsman said he was "honored by the trust [Trump] placed in me as the United States ambassador to Russia during this historically difficult period in bilateral relations."

His term in Moscow coincided with increased anti-Russian sentiment in the US political establishment and the media, due to the claims of "election meddling" in 2016. Huntsman found himself losing a significant portion of his staff following the tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and closures of consulates.
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Hiliter

McCabe may have asked FBI agents to change their 302's

Debra Heine
PJ Media
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 00:00 UTC
McCabe
© static.politico
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe
Investigative journalist Sara Carter reported on Fox News last night that outgoing FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe may be in serious trouble if the information she had received from FBI sources proves to be true.

"I have been told tonight by a number of sources ... that McCabe may have asked FBI agents to actually change their 302s," Carter told host Sean Hannity.

The 302 form contains information from the notes an FBI agent takes during an interview of a subject. It is used by FBI agents to "report or summarize the interviews that they conduct." "So basically every time an FBI agent interviews a witness, they have to go back and file a report," Carter explained.

Hannity pointed out that, if true, it would constitute a case of obstruction of justice, and Carter agreed. She said the matter was being investigated by FBI Inspector General Michael Horowitz.


Comment: Check out the video with guests: Sara Carter, Judge Jeanine Pirro and Sebastian Gorka

See also:

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Attention

Former engineer: Google plans to meddle in 2020 elections to derail Trump


RT
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 19:33 UTC
Trump/G
© Global Look Press/Jaap Arriens
President Donald Trump and Google's transparency
Tech giant Google is plotting to meddle into the 2020 US presidential election to make sure President Donald Trump doesn't win, a former employee has claimed, accusing the company of persecuting conservatives within its ranks.

Former Google engineer Kevin Cernekee sounded the alarm over the tech giant's alleged plans to intervene into the upcoming presidential election. Trump's win back in 2016 made the corporate executives to throw a tantrum and vow to derail his potential re-election.

Cernekee told morning news show Fox & Friends Monday:
"When President Trump won in 2016, Google executives went on stage right away and cried - literal tears streaming down their faces. They vowed that it would never happen again and they want to use all the power and resources they have to control the flow of information to the public and make sure that Trump loses in 2020."
The meddling will rely upon "a huge amount of information on every voter in the US" the company has stashed, the engineer claimed. The data allows Google to "build psychological profiles" of voters to target their weak points in a bid to sway their opinion before the elections.

Comment: See also:

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Dollars

US accused China of currency manipulation - something it does itself; here's what it means


RT
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 13:03 UTC
money-china/us
© Frontera
On Monday, the United States government officially labeled China a 'currency manipulator.' But all countries manage their own national currencies. Here's a quick explainer of what this means.

How does a country control currency?

Government central banks control currency by regularly setting interest rates, through issuing new bank notes, and managing foreign currency reserves. National regulators also manage currencies on the open market to weaken or strengthen the exchange rate if the market price rises or falls too quickly.

Which countries manipulate their currency?

In effect, all countries manipulate their currencies in one way or another. Recent examples include Quantitative Easing programs by the US, the European Union, Japan, and others, in the years following the 2008 financial crisis. Hundreds of billions in new currencies have been issued to prop up local stock markets and buy government debt. Why is that currency manipulation? The answer is devaluation. The more money you print, the less it is worth.

Comment: And this from RT: US labeling China 'currency manipulator' will shake global financial markets warns China's central bank
The People's Bank of China warned on Tuesday that the US decision to designate Beijing a 'currency manipulator' harms international rules and will have tremendous consequences for global markets. "This will not only seriously undermine the international financial order, but also trigger financial market turmoil," the Chinese central bank said in a statement, as cited by Xinhua.

On Monday, Washington escalated the trade war with Beijing by accusing China of devaluating the yuan, after US stocks saw their biggest drop in a year.

The yuan to fell below its 7-to-1 ratio with the US dollar for the first time in a decade Monday, after the latest tariff threats from Washington. A weaker currency helps Chinese exporters deal with higher tariffs. [See above]

US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of deliberate manipulation of its currency. Shortly after Trump's furious tweets, the US Treasury officially labeled China a "currency manipulator." The move triggers a set of measures mandated under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, including a complaint to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The People's Bank of China refuted Washington's accusations on Tuesday, calling the US' actions "unilateral" and "protectionist." It argued that Beijing has not and will not weaponize the yuan in the trade conflict with Washington.

The latest clash between Washington and Beijing triggered a selloff on the global stock markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted almost 2.9 percent, or 767.27 points, on Monday. The S&P 500 suffered similar losses, dropping 2.98 percent. The Nasdaq Composite closed down 3.5 percent, wiping out $162 billion in value of Big Tech stocks. It was the worst percentage drop for all three main US indices this year.

Asian markets extended losses on Tuesday. China's Shanghai composite declined 1.56 percent to finish at 2,777.56, while the Shenzhen composite tumbled 1.39 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.67 percent to 25,976.24 points, while Japan's Nikkei declined 0.65 percent, closing at 20,585.31 points.


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Attention

India strips Kashmir autonomy leaving Pakistan with limited options...call Trump?


RT
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 10:08 UTC
Protesters/Trump
© REUTERS/Al Drago/Amit Dave/Mohsin Raza
Protesters • US President Donald Trump
India raised the stakes in its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir by revoking the decades-old special status for its part of the region. This left Pakistan fuming, but there isn't much it can do in response, analysts told RT.

For decades, the Indian constitution gave the part of disputed Kashmir under India's administration special privileges, including having a constitution of its own, governing most of its affairs, and keeping people from other parts of the county at arm's length through restricting property rights and the ability to hold offices.

This arrangement was scrapped on Monday by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as promised several years ago. It was made possible by the landslide victory of his BJP party earlier this year which gave it enough seats in parliament to push the change through.

Comment: In addition from RT: Pakistani army ready to support Kashmiris
Islamabad's military says it's ready to go to "any extent" to support the "struggle" of people in the disputed Kashmir region, after India's President Ram Nath Kovind signed a decree revoking Kashmiri autonomy.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the military will never recognize the effort by India to "legalize its occupation" of Kashmir.
"Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfill our obligations in this regard."
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says that stripping J&K of its special status will allow for it to be better integrated with the rest of India. Home Minister Amit Shah said that axing the autonomy will also help to weed out militants in the region.
"Article 370 was the root of terror in Jammu and Kashmir. It is time for it to go... If it doesn't go today, we can't remove terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir."
Amid fears of violence, travel restrictions and a ban on rallies were imposed in some parts of Indian-held Kashmir. There were reports of an increased presence of police and security forces.
See also:

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Rocket

N. Korea missiles fired to protest US-SK 'hostile' drills


RT
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 21:47 UTC
NK rocket launch
© Reuters/Kim Hong/File
North Korea has fired several 'unidentified projectiles' into the Sea of Japan as its foreign ministry slammed joint US-South Korean military drills as "hostile" move in breach of all peace initiatives in the peninsula.

South Korean troops have been put on high alert in case Pyongyang launched additional missiles as Seoul analyzes the type of the two projectiles it detected Tuesday morning.

The missile launch is the fourth such test in two weeks and coincides with the start of the joint US-South Korea military drills that will last until August 20. "We remain unchanged in our stand to resolve the issues through dialogue. But the dynamics of dialogue will be more invisible as long as the hostile military moves continue," a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said.

The US and South Korea tried to keep their upcoming exercises low-key, amid Pyongyang's vigorous protests. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump dismissed North Korea's short-range ballistic missile tests last week, saying that short-range rockets did not bother him much. "These missiles tests are not a violation of our signed Singapore agreement, nor was there discussion of short-range missiles when we shook hands," Trump tweeted Friday, downplaying Pyongyang's concerns and response.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Israel's war on innocence: Palestinian children tried in Israeli military courts

Ramzy Baroud
Eurasia Review
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:57 UTC
palestinian children
© Salah Hosny
On July 29, 4-year-old Muhammad Rabi' Elayyan was reportedly summoned for interrogation by the Israeli police in occupied Jerusalem.

The news, originally reported by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), was later denied by the Israeli police, likely to lessen the impact of the PR disaster that followed.

The Israelis are not denying the story in its entirety, but are rather arguing that it was not the boy, Muhammad, who was summoned, but his father, Rabi', who was called into the Israeli police station in Salah Eddin Street in Jerusalem, to be questioned regarding his son's actions.

Comment:

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Attention

Iranian President Rouhani warns: War with Tehran would be 'mother of all wars'


Sputnik
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:30 UTC
Iranian soldiers
© AFP 2019 / STRINGER
The statement comes amid increasing tensions between Washington and Iran, as US President Donald Trump authorised sanctions in June on officials associated with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. The decision was followed by the US slapping sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned that a possible war against Iran would be the "mother of all wars", while peace with Tehran is "the mother of all peace".

In a speech broadcast live on state-run TV on Tuesday, Rouhani also reiterated Tehran's readiness to sit down with Washington if it scraps all the sanctions against Iran.
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Chess

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy appoints new commander in war against people of Donbas


RFE/RL
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 17:30 UTC
Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint slaviansk
© Reuters/Baz Ratner
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a Ukrainian checkpoint near the eastern town of Slaviansk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed Lieutenant General Volodymyr Kravchenko to lead the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv has been fighting Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.

Kravchenko previously was commander of the "North" operational and tactical group composed of six regions and the city of Kyiv.

Issued on August 5, the presidential decree replaces General Oleksandr Syrsky who was made commander of the army's ground forces.

Comment: The last line completely demolishes the propaganda about 'Russia-backed separatists'. These people are clearly fighting for their lives and their homes.

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Bad Guys

Enough and not too much: Russia's cheap and effective military strategy

Patrick Armstrong
Strategic Culture Foundation
Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:00 UTC
Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu

Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu
Moscow will not engage in an exhausting arms race, and the country's military spending will gradually decrease as Russia does not seek a role as the "world gendarme," President Vladimir Putin said. Moscow is not seeking to get involved in a "pointless" new arms race, and will stick to "smart decisions" to strengthen its defensive capabilities, Putin said on Friday during an annual extended meeting of the Defense Ministry board. "Intelligence, brains, discipline and organization" must be the cornerstones of the country's military doctrine, the Russian leader said. The last thing that Russia needs is an arms race that would "drain" its economy, and Moscow sure does not want that "in any scenario," Putin pointed out. -- RT, 22 December 2017
It's easy to forget it today, but the USSR was, in its time, an "exceptionalist" country. It was the world's first socialist country - the "bright future"; it set an example for all to follow, it was destined by History. It had a mission and was required by History to assist any country that called itself "socialist". The USSR had bases and interests all over the world. As the 1977 USSR Constitution said:
the Soviet state, a new type of state, the basic instrument for defending the gains of the revolution and for building socialism and communism. Humanity thereby began the epoch-making turn from capitalist to socialism.
A novus ordo seclorum indeed.

Russia, however, is just Russia. There is no feeling in Moscow that Russia must take the lead any place but Russia itself. One of the reasons, indeed, why Putin is always talking about the primacy of the UN, the independence of nation states, the impermissibility to interfere in internal activities - the so-called "Westphalian" position - is that he remembers the exceptionalist past and knows that it led to a dead end. Moscow has no interest in going abroad in search of internationalist causes.
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