Welcome to Sott.net
Fri, 05 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Piggy Bank

Saudi Arabia Step Closer to Nuclear Arms with Trump's Help

Saudi prince and US President
Saudi Arabia is in talks with American nuclear firms to enter the nuclear power business and erect as many as 16 nuclear reactors to purportedly only generate electricity over 25 years, a report said.

According to the report carried by the New York Times on Sunday, the Saudis insist the reactors would be used only to generate energy for domestic purposes, so they can rely on their huge reserves of oil to generate income from overseas.

However, there are still growing signs that the Saudis want the option of building nuclear weapons to turn into a nuclear power in the region and push ahead with their destructive policies and terror plots.

Obama administration efforts to negotiate an agreement on transferring civil nuclear technology faltered over the Saudis' refusal to make a legally binding commitment to forgo uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, which could be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons.

Comment: See also: US in talks with Saudi Arabia over multi-billion arms deals


Info

Lavrov: Russia dismisses bogus reports of chemical attack in Syria's Eastern Ghouta

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
© Photo by AFP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Ernesto dos Santos Silva (not shown in the picture) during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on February 26, 2018
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed as "bogus stories" the recent reports of an alleged chemical attack in the militant-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Syrian capital city of Damascus, stressing that government forces have attacked foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists there.
"There are already bogus stories in the media that yesterday chlorine was used in Eastern Ghouta, citing an anonymous individual living in the United States," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow on Monday.
His remarks came two days after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on a 30-day ceasefire in Syria. The document, however, did not specify when the truce would go into effect.


Comment: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the implementation of a daily ceasefire in Syria's Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta from Tuesday and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" through which civilians can leave the militant-held area.
"On the instructions of the Russian president, with the goal of avoiding civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, from February 27 -- tomorrow -- from 9.00 to 14.00 local time there will be a humanitarian pause," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a ministry meeting in the capital Moscow on Monday.

Putin was also quoted as saying that there should be similar pauses in the southeastern Syrian town of al-Tanf in Homs province and in Rukban, near the Jordanian border "so that civilians can return to their homes unhindered and begin to rebuild their civilian lives."

The announcement came two days after the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution demanding a 30-day truce in Syria "without delay" to allow aid access and medical evacuations.

Lavrov added that militant groups affiliated with the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, were operating inside Eastern Ghouta.

Bad Guys

Bernie Sanders slammed for spreading 'false story' - deflects blame for being 'Kremlin-backed'

bernie sanders
© Joshua Roberts / Reuters
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders, who was attacked for the alleged support his campaign received from "Kremlin trolls," is now accused of supporting a false story about how his campaign worked with that of Hillary Clinton against those trolls.

The Mueller investigation's indictment of 13 Russians, who are accused of using false identities and failing to register as foreign agents while running a clickbait operation in the US, mentions that part of their efforts were aimed at drumming up support for Sanders. Consequently, the Vermont senator found himself on the defensive, as the US media questioned how much his campaign for the Democrat nomination benefited from the alleged "Russian trolls" and whether he was aware of that help.

Last week, Sanders released a lengthy statement condemning alleged Kremlin meddling in the US election and expressing support for his rival Hillary Clinton, who "had to run against not only Donald Trump, but also the Russian government."

Георгиевская ленточка

Russian Deputy PM: 'Anti-Russian sanctions will only be lifted if we become weak again'

special task force serviceman
© Vitaliy Timkiv / Sputnik
A special task force serviceman during a drill on fighting air targets in the Stavropol Territory
The Russian deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry, Dmitry Rogozin, has said that despite Western sanctions state arms orders are being fulfilled and Russian arms exports are growing.

In a major interview with business-oriented daily Kommersant, Rogozin said that President Vladimir Putin had signed a new state program for weapons with emphasis on high-precision arms. He noted that this was particularly important for urban warfare, where the use of conventional weapons can cause huge civilian casualties which, in turn, can lead to increased support for terrorists.

"To prevent this, we should 'hit the squirrel in the eye' as hunters say. It is better to deliver one expensive but well aimed strike than 100 indiscriminate ones," Rogozin said. "We should not also forget about the realization of the global strike concept by the United States and their intention to deploy weapons into space and develop the strategic high-precision conventional weapons. For all this we will have a decent answer, believe me," the Russian deputy PM added.

Comment: Nations like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have all learned the lessons of history: to be a friend to America amounts to allowing itself to be vulnerable to the Empire's every whim, injustice and injury. If it's truly the US's design to dominate these countries, the thinking goes, at least they are going to have to work for it and pay a very serious price. As it should be.


Snakes in Suits

Britain officially announces it is preparing for war against Russia

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson
On Wednesday, February 21st, the UK's Minister of Defence, Conservative Gavin Williamson, announced that the United Kingdom is changing its fundamental defence strategy from one that's targeted against non-state terrorists (Al Qaeda, etc.), to one that's targeted instead against three countries: Russia, China, and North Korea. He acknowledged that a massive increase in military spending will be needed for this, and that "savings" will have to be found in other areas of Government-spending, such as the health services, and in military spending against terrorism.

The headline in the London Times on February 22nd was "Russia 'is a bigger threat to our security than terrorists'". Their Defence Editor, Deborah Haynes. reported:
The threat to Britain from states such as Russia and North Korea is greater than that posed by terrorism, the defence secretary said yesterday, marking a significant shift in security policy.

Gavin Williamson suggested to MPs that more money and a change in the structure of the armed forces would be needed as part of a defence review to meet the challenge of a state-on-state conflict, something that Britain has not had to consider for a generation. ...

It is a departure from the national security strategy published in 2015, which listed international terrorism first, and chimes with a decision by the United States last month to declare "strategic competition" from countries such as China and Russia as its top focus instead of counterterrorism. ...

He described the Kremlin's "increased assertiveness", such as a ten-fold increase in submarine activity in the North Atlantic, a growing Russian presence in the Mediterranean region and their involvement in the war in Syria. "But then you are seeing new nations that are starting to play a greater role in the world, such as China. ...

Asked whether Mr Williamson accepted that this would have a knock-on effect for how Britain's military was structured and its readiness for war, "Yes it does," Mr Williamson replied.

Bad Guys

There may be coming wars to end all wars - but most refuse to analyze the factors leading to it

Trump Putin
"The compulsive hatred of Putin by many who have almost zero idea about Putin or Russian history is disproportionate to any rational analysis, but not surprising. Trump and Putin are like weird doppelgangers in the liberal imagination."

- John Steppling, Trump, Putin, and Nikolas Cruz Walk into a Bar
The Trump and Netanyahu governments have a problem: How to start a greatly expanded Middle-Eastern war without having a justifiable reason for one. No doubt they are working hard to solve this urgent problem. If they can't find a "justification" (which they can't), they will have to create one (which they will). Or perhaps they will find what they have already created. Whatever the solution, we should feel confident that they are not sitting on their hands. History teaches those who care to learn that when aggressors place a gun on the wall in the first act of their play, it must go off in the final act.

These sinister players have signaled us quite clearly what they have in store. All signs point toward an upcoming large-scale Israeli/U.S. attack on Lebanon and Syria, and all the sycophantic mainstream media are in the kitchen prepping for the feast. Russia and Iran are the main course, with Lebanon and Syria, who will be devoured first, as the hors d'oeuvres. As always, the media play along as if they don't yet know what's coming. Everyone in the know knows what is, just not exactly when. And the media wait with baited breath as they count down to the dramatic moment when they can report the incident that will compel the "innocent" to attack the "guilty."

Comment: The promoters of war - be they in the media, NGOs, the military, or politicians - not only suffer from a profound lack of insight and humanity, but are afflicted with the hubris of all power-hungry tyrants and mass-murderers. What's worse is that they are not only blind to their own destructiveness and their part in horrific mass carnage, but they would have everyone who doesn't share their views believe as they do, and want what they want. In this respect, describing what we're seeing - and sharing it with others - is a service and a strengthening of all those who realize that we do not have to contribute to making a hell of life on Earth.


Dollars

Incompetent FBI want $300 MILLION to prevent election meddling

Mueller
© Christopher Gregory/The New York Times
FBI Director Robert Mueller III testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, May 16, 2013. The Justice Department has appointed Mueller to serve as a special counsel to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced on May 17, 2017.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi want to explain to you, why the taxpayers should give the FBI another 300 million dollars. Is it to prevent terrorism...no. What about sexual predators, not at all. The alarming amount of insane people gunning people down in the streets, no, no, no...they apparently need the funds to keep The KGB out of your twitter feed.

This comes as it's been revealed the FBI already knew about the mindset of the deranged Florida shooter as far back as September, and did nothing but admit "processes weren't followed". Don't just take it from us, deep state darling CNN has already reported on this. Watch as a top analyst Lionel slams the ridiculous initiative.

Comment: The idea that the FBI need $300 million to be able to "police Twitter" is absolutely preposterous. It's really time for Americans to take a serious look at their Intel Agencies and determine whether or not they're actually serving any useful purpose whatsoever.


Star of David

Syrian Army discovers weapons and ammunition in Deir Ez-Zor warehouse produced in Israel

syrian army
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Alayeddin
Syrian government forces discovered warehouses stocked with weapons and ammunition, including arms produced in Israel, in Deir Ez-Zor, which had been liberated from the terrorist group Daesh (ISIS) on February 14. A day later, the Syrian state news agency released footage of the weapons.

Warehouses stocked with a large number of rockets, mortars, tank shells and other ammunition were discovered in Al Boukamal and Al Mayadin areas, according to SANA, Syria's state-run news agency. As the report specified, some of the found weapons were produced in Israel.

The agency, which cited sources, said the Syrian government forces also found a factory manufacturing shells and explosives as well as barrels with a strange essence that could be used for manufacturing toxic substances in one of the tunnels in al-Sbikhan village, to the east of al-Mayadin.

However, no official comments on the reports from the Syrian or Israeli side followed.


Comment: There is plenty of evidence of Israel support for terrorists: UPDATE 2/26/2018: New video posted yesterday:


Birds of a feather terrorize together.


Chess

The Maldives emerge as latest 'flash-point' in Chinese-Indian rivalry

Maldives Yameen Abdulla

Abdulla Yameen, President of Maldives
President Yameen declared a state of emergency earlier this month after the Supreme Court unexpectedly ordered that some jailed opposition members be released and that parliamentary defectors from the pro-government camp be allowed to function as opposition members like they wanted. Had this abrupt announcement entered into legal force, then the opposition would have had enough parliamentary support to initiate impeachment proceedings against the country's incumbent leader, and former President Nasheed - who's in self-imposed exile abroad in order to avoid what he claims are politically motivated terrorism charges - could have returned to his homeland and likely ruled.

Comment: China is also currently upgrading her air defenses, concerned about her border flare-ups with India. As usual, the US is involved in such tensions:
The strategy to balance China by giving India a leg-up began during the George W Bush administration and is now being rigorously backed by President Donald Trump.

However unlike India, Chinese planning is long-term. Beijing thinks through and meticulously plans its goals. Before embarking on its ambitious foreign policy goals, Deng Xiaoping the great reformer concentrated on the economy. China also settled all its boundary disputes with its neighbours, with the notable exception of India.
Further reading:


Snakes in Suits

DOJ says it was 'necessary' for Loretta Lynch to use fake name to conduct official business

Loretta Lynch
© Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Illustrating how government hides information from the American public, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch used a fake name to conduct official Department of Justice (DOJ) business in agency emails obtained by Judicial Watch. As the nation's chief law enforcement officer Lynch, Barack Obama's second attorney general, skirted public-records laws by using the alias Elizabeth Carlisle in emails she sent from her official DOJ account. In the records provided to Judicial Watch, the DOJ explains it as necessary to "protect her security and privacy and enable her to conduct Department business efficiently via email."

This begs the question of how many other government officials use fake names and whether those aliases are searched when agencies process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Besides Lynch, we have only discovered the use of such aliases among government operatives to conduct official business at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Obama's EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, famously used the alias Richard Windsor in a government email account to conduct official business and communicate with staff. Jackson even took required EPA computer training under the fake identity with the handle Windsor.Richard@epa.gov. She eventually resigned over the scandal, which brought to light the agency's violations of federal open-records laws.

Comment: Further reading: