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Russia to offer newest Kalibr cruise missile-capable corvettes to China, India & Vietnam


RT
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 11:13 UTC
Russian missile test
© RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / AFP
Russia will offer its newest corvettes - armed with battle-proven Kalibr cruise missiles - to foreign customers, including China, India and Vietnam, the deputy prime minister said unveiling a range of other military novelties.

Cutting-edge Karakurt-class corvettes, capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles, may be exported to a number of Asia-Pacific countries, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov has announced on Monday. "These ships are pretty good, they have large displacement and are well-armed," Borisov was quoted by RIA Novosti, adding, "Kalibr is what makes the difference."

The 800 ton-displacement vessel, which comes "at an affordable price," is small in size and can move at high speeds, the official explained. Ships of this class might be of interest to China, India or Vietnam, along with other countries, according to him.

According to Borisov, Russian Navy is already taking delivery of the new corvettes. "They go to the Baltic and Northern Fleets, as well as to the Caspian and Black Seas," he said.

Comment: See also:

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Eagle

NATO ratlines uncovered in West Point study of ISIS drone program

Ulson Gunnar
New Eastern Outlook
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 16:37 UTC
isis drone
Despite attempts by the US and European media to depict the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in cartoon villain terms, it was always clear to serious analysis that the terrorist organization's fighters, weapons, supplies and money were entering Syria and the result of extensive outside support.

A look at any map of the Syrian conflict, regardless of its source over the past 7 years shows IS and other militant groups maintaining territory with corridors leading directly to the borders of Syria's neighbors, particularly NATO-member Turkey and US allies Israel and Jordan.

There have been direct admissions from the US itself that it played a role in IS' creation. A 2013 leaked US Defense Intelligence Agency memo (.pdf) would explicitly note that the US and its allies sought the creation of what it then called a "Salafist principality" in eastern Syria, precisely where IS would later establish itself.

There have also been direct admissions that US allies were funneling weapons and cash to IS and other designated foreign terrorist organizations. In a leaked e-mail sent by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to lobbyist John Podesta, she would explicitly claim:
...we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to [IS] and other radical Sunni groups in the region.
There have also been more indirect admissions, in which the US and European media have claimed that large amounts of US-provided arms and cash were "accidentally" falling into the hands of IS via supposedly "moderate rebels," including when large numbers of these so-called moderate rebels would defect to IS.

Comment: See also: US think tank reveals Obama admin gave $200k grant to al-Qaeda tied Sudanese terror group

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Pirates

US think tank reveals Obama admin gave $200k grant to al-Qaeda tied Sudanese terror group

Alex Pappas
Fox News
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 16:31 UTC
obama
© AP
The Obama administration approved a $200,000 grant to a group in Sudan with ties to Al Qaeda even though it had been designated a terrorist-financing organization by the U.S. years earlier, a conservative think tank revealed this week.

Further, an agency official acknowledged the prior administration allowed taxpayer money to flow to the group even after its designation was discovered.

The 2014 grant to the Islamic Relief Agency, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, was revealed by Sam Westrop of the Middle East Forum in a story for the National Review.

"More stunningly, government officials specifically authorized the release of at least $115,000 of this grant even after learning that it was a designated terror organization," Westrop wrote in the article.

USAID has since reviewed its policies, though the Trump administration stressed this all occurred in the Obama years.

"As this occurred under the prior administration, the current Secretary of the State, Secretary of Treasury, and USAID Administrator had no involvement in decisions surrounding this award or subsequent license," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement to Fox News on Friday.

Comment: This is really just another form of corporate welfare. In this case, it's terrorist welfare. US taxpayer money goes to fund terror groups, whose destabilizing activities create the vacuum for military operations, which require additional contracts for 'defense' corporations. All using other people's money.

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Star of David

Israel confirms it hijacked European ship attempting to break Gaza blockade - UPDATE


Sputnik
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 15:20 UTC
Israel Gaza Freedom Flotilla al-Awda
© Israel Defense Forces press-service/File
Israeli navy seizes last Freedom Flotilla ship
Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that they had seized a ship with pro-Palestinian activists sailing from Europe to break the Gaza Strip blockade in the Mediterranean Sea.

Earlier in the day, the Freedom Flotilla activist group said that the al-Awda ("Return") boat under the Norwegian flag carrying medical supplies had been seized, adding that the ship received a warning from the navy prior to the interception.

"The Israeli Navy intercepted a ship that followed from Europe with the intention of violating a legal naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.... The ship is being transferred to the port of Ashdod," the Israeli army said in a press release.

Comment: The New Arab adds:
An desperate SOS message was released by crew onboard a Norwegian-flagged flotilla that was intercepted by Israel on Sunday, as activists attempts to break a more than decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip failed.

National Director of the Unite Union New Zealand representative on the International Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, Mike Treen, announced the hijacking of the boat by ISraeli naval forces in a video.

He claimed the flotilla participants have been kidnapped by Israel, in a pre-recorded message, and alleged that Israel had violated international maritime law by launching the "attack" on the flotilla.

"If you are listening to this message it is because the al-Awda of the international flotilla to Gaza has been hijacked in international waters and the participants kidnapped by the Israeli military forces," he said in a video message.

"I ask for this message to be passed onto the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Mr Winston Peters so he can take action to release the participants of the flotilla and also to ensure that the aid we were carrying to Gaza is delivered."


Activists were hoping the flotilla would reach the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Breaking the siege

The Freedom Flotilla set sail in May for the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel's decade-old blockade of the besieged territory.

One of the vessels, al-Awda, was named to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the al-Nakba ("The Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forcibly expelled from their homes during the establishment of the Israeli state.

This year's freedom flotilla was deployed just weeks after Israeli forces opened fire on demonstrators in Gaza protesting for the right of return, killing more than 60.

"The blockade of Gaza is in its 11th year. It is such a gross violation of international law that it can be characterised as a crime against humanity," participant Mikkel Grüner, a Danish national who is city councillor in Bergen, Norway, said at the time the flotilla set sail.

Volunteers joined the multinational fleet for different legs of the journey, with a select group of crew assigned to participate in the final run to Gaza.

The flotilla schedule was kept secret to protect the crew. In the past, mechanical failures have affected previous flotilla attempts, with allegations Israel may have tampered with the ships.


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War Whore

Western aggression? Nah...polygamy is to blame for civil wars and conflict sez The Economist

Neil Clark
RT
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:16 UTC
African tribe
© Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah / Reuters
According to The Economist, polygamy is a key factor in civil wars and conflict. How convenient to blame it all on 'the natives' and their 'backward' customs, obscuring the role of the US and its allies in destabilizing regions.

In the 1930 Marx Brothers comedy 'Animal Crackers' Groucho Marx proposes to two women at the same time. One protests: "But that's bigamy!" Groucho replies: "Yes and that's big-a-me, too. It's big of all of us. Let's be big for a change. I'm sick of these conventional marriages!"

We know the Economist isn't a great fan of Karl Marx, and it's doubtful it would approve of Groucho much either - or at least the idea of him taking two wives. You see, it would probably lead to armed conflict.

Forget the illegal invasion of Iraq, which led to 1 million deaths and turned the Middle East into a cauldron. Forget too the mass casualties of two World Wars. It's polygamy that we should be focusing on to explain violence in the world. Run for your wives? More like run for your lives.

It's fair to say that The Economist, the weekly Bible of Western neoliberal capitalism, is very keen that we get the Polygamy = Wars thesis.

"Polygamy is still common in Africa, the Islamic world and parts of Asia. It makes civil war more likely," we were told on Twitter.
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Bad Guys

Politics of resentment: Latvian MP calls for break-up of Russia - proof of NATO's hostile intentions, says Russian lawmaker


RT
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:19 UTC
NATO us troops latvia
© Ints Kalnins / Reuters
U.S. soldiers take part at the urban fighting drill during the NATO Saber Strike exercise in the Soviet-time former military town near Skrunda, Latvia
The head of the Russian Lower House Committee for Eurasian Integration says the recent proposal to split Russia into several parts, voiced by a Latvian MP, is proof of NATO's hostile plans.

MP Leonid Kalashnikov (Communist Party) told RIA Novosti on Monday that the statement by the Latvian MP Aleksandrs Kirsteins clearly demonstrated that Russian concern over NATO bases in Baltic countries was justified. The comments came shortly after Kirsteins wrote on his Twitter feed that the end of military conflicts and the guarantee of a peaceful life in Europe was possible only if Russia is divided into several small countries.


Comment: Replace "Russia" with "United States" and you may get closer to reality.


"We should not be shy, we should offer tough resistance. Resistance not even to such statements but rather the danger of our country being split up that arises after them," said Kalashnikov. The Russian lawmaker also noted that the call to split up Russia clearly contradicted earlier assurances from Western nations that they have no intention of capturing Russian territory and breaking it into parts. He went on to say that it's important for Russia to counter NATO's aggressive plans and not simply trust assurances from aggressive nations.

Comment: The tables have really turned. It used to be the Soviets who couldn't be trusted to abide by treaties, agreements and promises. Now it's the West. But countries like Latvia are seemingly caught in a time warp. Yes, the Soviets were monsters. But the Communist regime has been dead for decades, and Russia today bears very little resemblance to the Soviet Union. Latvia would do well to grow up and start behaving like adults, not resentful little children harping on past grievances conducted by entirely different individuals.

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Better Earth

The Saker: Putin-Trump Helsinki summit further demonstrates US political crisis

The Saker
The Unz Review
Thu, 26 Jul 2018 00:00 UTC
Trump traitor
Now that a little over a week has passed since the much awaited Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki took place, I have had the time to read many of the reactions and comments it generated. I am coming to the paradoxical conclusion that this summit was both a non-event and a truly historical watershed moment. Let's look at the event itself and then at its consequences.

The Summit Itself: A Much-needed Non-event

First, one has to welcome the fact that Putin and Trump spoke to each other, not so much because that fact by itself is great, but because it is an immensely dangerous situation when the leaders of the two military (and nuclear) superpowers do not talk to each other. Over the past couple of years, almost all contacts between Russian and US officials have been unilaterally severed, all by the US side, of course. The sole exception to this quasi-total silence was the ongoing contacts between Russian and US military and security/intelligence officials, which is a very good thing. However, this is also not enough because neither military nor security/intelligence officials are supposed to actually make policies and, therefore, when they are the only ones talking two things can happen: either a) these military and security/intelligence officials are severely limited in their authority to make decisions or b) military and security/intelligence officials are forced to take matters into their own hands and begin making policies in spite of their lack of authority to do so. Such a state of affairs in inherently dangerous (not to mention un-democratic). Still, the fact that the two Presidents and their advisers talked to each other is a much-needed development which hopefully will mark the return to a normal multi-level dialog between Russia and the US.

But besides the fact that talking is by definition good what else did the summit achieve?

Absolutely nothing. Nothing at all.

Comment: If nothing else, Trump's meeting with Putin has demonstrated the power, the gall and the insanity of the US Deep State and its allied mouthpieces in the media. At best, perhaps it was part of Trump's intentions to reveal this further for all the world to see. At worst it was for him another nail in the coffin and further fed the "justifications" for destroying him.

See: Russian TV: Trump trying his best not to end up like JFK (VIDEO)

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Dollar

Billionaire Koch brothers threaten to support Democrats pushing open borders and free trade

John Binder
Breitbart
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 00:01 UTC
Koch brothers
© Phelan M. Ebenhack, Bo Rader/The Wichita Eagle via AP
Pro-mass immigration GOP mega-donor billionaire Koch brothers are threatening to support Democrats who push for open borders and multinational free trade in the upcoming midterm elections.

During a conference with millionaire and billionaire donors, officials with the Kochs' network of organizations said that they would gladly put funding in the pockets of Democrats so long as they support aspects of their agenda, which include promoting mass immigration and job-killing free trade deals.

"I know this is uncomfortable," Americans for Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel told donors, according to CNBC. "If you are a Democrat and stand up to Elizabeth Warren to corral enough votes for financial reform that breaks barriers for community banks and families, you're darn right we will work with you."

Comment: Nice to see the Koch brothers staying true to their conservative values. Looks like they're switching teams to support the Soros agenda: open borders and killing everything Trump has done in trade to help America prosper. Ideologically possessed, comes to mind.

See also: Here's what Trump has to say on the subject:





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Gold Bar

Russia's gold reserves approaching Stalin-era peak, strives for independence from US dollar


RT
Sun, 29 Jul 2018 13:04 UTC
gold bar
© Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
With 2,000 tons of gold in reserves, Russia's bullion holdings are approaching the Soviet peak seen in 1941. Moscow is striving for financial independence and escape from US dollar hegemony, analysts told RT.

"Some countries in the world want to depend as little as possible on US policy, they dump the dollar in trade and American assets as reserves. Russia's gold purchases increased during the US presidential race and did not stop despite Donald Trump's victory even though he seemed as a more preferable candidate for the Kremlin," Anton Makhnovsky, CEO of ICBF told RT. The analyst says he thinks Russia will continue ramping up its reserves.

Gold holdings of 2,000 tons are approaching the Soviet maximum of 2,800 tons reached in 1941. Over the last decade, the share of gold in reserves has soared tenfold. Russia also reduced its holdings of US Treasuries from $96.1 billion in March to just $14.9 billion in May. Bullion reserves are now worth $460 billion with the central bank aiming to increase that figure to $500 billion.

Analyst Vladimir Rojankovski from the International Financial Center in Moscow warned the Russian central bank last week that it shouldn't get too dependent on gold.

"In the event of a global decline in the interest of large sovereign investors in US Treasury bonds, I expect an increase in speculative activity in precious metals in order to artificially lower their market valuation," he told RT.

Comment: See also:

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Megaphone

Trump hits back after New York Times publisher decries 'enemy of the people' comments

Martin Pengelly
The Guardian
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 01:25 UTC
new york times building
© Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Hours after saying he had a "very good meeting" with the publisher of the New York Times about his labelling the press the "enemy of the people", Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on "anti-Trump haters in the dying newspaper industry".

"The failing New York Times and the Amazon Washington Post do nothing but write bad stories even on very positive achievements," Trump tweeted. "And they will never change!"

Earlier, the White House confirmed Trump met Times publisher AG Sulzberger on 20 July. Sulzberger then issued a statement that opened an exchange over whose activities were more damaging to America.

Sulzberger said he had raised "concerns about the president's deeply troubling anti-press rhetoric" and "implored him to reconsider his broader attacks on journalism, which I believe are dangerous and harmful to our country".

Sulzberger did not say how the president responded. Hours later, Trump obliged.

In a multi-tweet rant, he claimed reports on "internal deliberations of our government ... truly put the lives of many, not just journalists, at risk". He added: "Freedom of the press also comes with a responsibility to report the news accurately."

Comment: Trump isn't exactly wrong. A press that serves a one-sided agenda that only misinforms is no friend to the people. See also: Fake news purveyor: How the NYT plays with history

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