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Boat

'No thanks': Japan mulls own Gulf patrols, reluctant to join US-led anti-Iranian mission


Sputnik
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 16:13 UTC
stena bulk oil
© AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes
Tokyo is reportedly considering its own operations and has no plans to join a US-led coalition tasked with securing oil shipping routes amid tanker seizures in the region.

Japan is mulling over deployment of the country's Self-Defence Forces to the Gulf of Oman and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in order to escort Japanese tankers in the region amid an escalation in tensions in the Middle East, Nikkei reported on Friday.

The reports also noted that Tokyo had no plans to join the US mission.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Killing of soldier in West Bank increases Israeli politicians' call for annexation

Yumna Patel
Mondoweiss
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 16:13 UTC
west bank soldier stabbed search
© Hazem BaderIsraeli forces carried out a house-to-house search in the nearby town of Beit Fajjar following the attack
Israeli politicians and leaders of the settler movement are calling for annexation of the occupied West Bank after the body of an Israeli soldier was found on the side of the road early Thursday morning in the southern West Bank.

The soldier was identified as 19-year-old Dvir Sorek, a settler from the Ramallah-area Ofra settlement, and was reportedly stabbed to death by Palestinian attackers affiliated with the Hamas movement, Israeli media reported.

Israeli forces have embarked on a manhunt for the alleged Palestinian attackers, raiding villages nearby where the soldier was found, and setting up roadblocks and flying checkpoints across the southern West Bank.

Comment: Tragic for the family of the soldier, but an auspicious windfall for Netanyahu and the neoliberals ruling Israel. The very thing to whip up the electorate.

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Eye 1

Best of the Web: Monsanto's 'intelligence center' targeted journalists and activists in attempt to stifle criticism for cancer-causing products

Sam Levin
The Guardian
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 13:30 UTC
Carey Gillam
© Carey GillamMonsanto adopted a multi-pronged strategy to target Carey Gillam, a Reuters journalist who investigated the company’s weedkiller.
Internal documents show how the company worked to discredit critics and investigated singer Neil Young

Monsanto operated a "fusion center" to monitor and discredit journalists and activists, and targeted a reporter who wrote a critical book on the company, documents reveal. The agrochemical corporation also investigated the singer Neil Young and wrote an internal memo on his social media activity and music.

The records reviewed by the Guardian show Monsanto adopted a multi-pronged strategy to target Carey Gillam, a Reuters journalist who investigated the company's weedkiller and its links to cancer. Monsanto, now owned by the German pharmaceutical corporation Bayer, also monitored a not-for-profit food research organization through its "intelligence fusion center", a term that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies use for operations focused on surveillance and terrorism.

Comment: See also: And don't miss:



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Radar

Iran states it reserves the right to counter Israel's presence in US-led coalition in Persian Gulf


PressTV
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 09:50 UTC
IRGC officer
An IRGC officer speaks on a walkie talkie in the Persian Gulf in this undated photo.
Iran says it considers possible Israeli presence in a US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf as a clear threat to its national security, and reserves the right to counter it.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Friday referred to the "illegitimate existence" of the Israeli regime in the Middle East as a source of insecurity and instability.
"Within the framework of the country's deterrence and defensive policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to counter this threat and defend its territory," he noted.

"The US regime and the illegitimate Zionist regime are responsible for all the consequences of this dangerous move," the spokesman added.
The remarks came after Israel said it will join what the US calls an effort to boost security of navigation in the Persian Gulf.

Comment: Iran is absolutely correct in taking this position. By assuming this posture, the Persian nation is seeking to nip any false flags or provocations initiated by Israel's military or intelligence services right in the bud. Because one thing's for sure, the war hawks in Israel and the US will not be satisfied until Iran's sovereignty is utterly brought to its knees in abject subjugation, if not destruction.

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Stock Up

Best of the Web: Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match in China. Maybe It's Time to Adopt Their Economic Model?

Ellen Brown
TruthDig
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 14:36 UTC
china oil tanker VLCC
There are oil tankers, and then there are mega AI-controlled Chinese oil tankers...
When the Federal Reserve cut interest rates last week, commentators were asking why. According to official data, the economy was rebounding, unemployment was below 4% and gross domestic product growth was above 3%. If anything, by the Fed's own reasoning, it should have been raising rates.

Market pundits explained that we're in a trade war and a currency war. Other central banks were cutting their rates, and the Fed had to follow suit in order to prevent the dollar from becoming overvalued relative to other currencies. The theory is that a cheaper dollar will make American products more attractive in foreign markets, helping our manufacturing and labor bases.

Over the weekend, President Trump followed the rate cuts by threatening to impose, on Sept. 1, a new 10% tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese products. China responded by suspending imports of U.S. agricultural products by state-owned companies and letting the value of the yuan drop. On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped nearly 770 points, its worst day in 2019. The war was on.

Comment: Great idea, but it's kryptonite to Western banksters and their puppet govts, who would NEVER submit their schemes to genuine public oversight. It's precisely because such ideas can never be allowed to diffuse or transmit from east to west that China, Russia and others are demonized to the nth degree in all spheres. At all costs, Westerners absolutely must be convinced that 'here be dragons' rather than 'here be hope'. If that means taking down competing models, and destroying half the world in the process, so be it.

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Vader

Tough guy Barak accuses Netanyahu of 'restraint' on Gaza - and makes his leftwing partners uncomfortable

Jonathan Ofir
Mondoweiss
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 00:00 UTC
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister, speaking at Herzliya conference, published June 22, 2017
Ehud Barak's new Israeli Democratic Party has authored talking points, including some about getting tougher than Netanyahu on Gaza. The points were distributed to the candidates of the new merger slate, Democratic Union, which includes the Meretz list as well as former Labor member Stav Shaffir.

This was too much for Meretz, which is supposed to mark the far left of the Zionist spectrum.

The clause that upset the Meretz members, as Haaretz reported, said:
Before anything, we must restore the deterrence equation in Gaza. Netanyahu chooses restraint and pays protection to Hamas, and thus forfeits the security of residents of the border region.
The document also gave preeminence to generals:
Gaza creates a different challenge for the military echelons and the political echelons. The military echelons, the chief of general staff, the head of Military Intelligence and the head of Southern Command are the ones who will recommend to the government when and how to restore the deterrence against Hamas.

Comment: As this article demonstrates, there is little to no effort among Israel's main political body at being constructive towards the Palestinians. Rather, there seems to be a contest among many as to who can sound and act the most pathological.

More on the truly despicable Ehud Barak:

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Megaphone

Russia accuses German broadcaster & foreign NGOs of meddling in election protests


RT
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 21:43 UTC
police protestors
© Sputnik / Alexey Kudenko
German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and several foreign NGOs interfered in Russia's internal affairs by calling on people to join the unsanctioned protests in the capital, Russian authorities say.

"Such media escapades are against to the norms of professional journalist ethics and constitute an attempt by the German media corporation to meddle in the internal affairs of Russia," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, warning that Moscow will respond in line with the country's legislation in case of a repeat violation.

Germany's ambassador to Moscow, Beate Grzeski, was called up to the ministry on Thursday for explanations.

"Moscow, come out!" Deutsche Welle's bureau in Russia wrote on Twitter on July 27, when 3,500 participated in an unsanctioned rally in central Moscow. Demonstrators took to the streets after opposition candidates were disqualified from the upcoming City Council election over paperwork irregularities. The event was marred by clashes, which resulted in around 1,000 detentions.
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Question

Special forces arrest ex Kyrgyz president after storming compound three times


RT
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 11:04 UTC
kyrgyz police
© RIA Novosti / Mirbek Sakenov
Armed troops returned to try and arrest Almazbek Atambayev, after being repelled by his supporters the day before, leaving over 50 injured and a soldier killed. Sticks, stones and live shots were used to defend his mansion.

Special forces managed to gain entry into the compound, with reports of flash grenade and gunshots. A fire is also said to have broken out inside, though it's unclear what exactly was burning. Gunfire was heard as special forces targeted the crowd with rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas.

The Interior Ministry had also stationed armored vehicles, including trucks equipped with water cannons, around the mansion. Later, it was reported that one of these vehicles rammed into the building's gate, allowing assault teams to enter the compound.

Comment: RT reports they stormed Atambayev's residence a third time:
Almazbek Atambayev has given himself up to security forces, who stormed his residence three times over two days, stirring up bloody clashes with numerous supporters of the ex President, resulting in one fatality.

Atambayev was apprehended on Thursday evening, his office told the media, after he gave himself up to law enforcement officers. He ruled the former Soviet republic from 2011 to 2017, surrendered to police following several hours of talks. He left the house of his own accord, it turned out.

The ex leader is now being interrogated by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs, news outlet 24.kg reported. He is reportedly being questioned for the suspected murder of a law enforcement officer during the assault on his residence on Wednesday, and on the taking of six hostages.

Earlier in the day, the assault teams managed to finally gain entry to his mansion in the village of Koi-Tash, using heavy armor, rubber bullets and flash grenades.

Media reports suggested that the convoy carrying the detained ex-President was blocked by crowds of his supporters on its way out of the village, but a spokesman for the ministry said that the situation "remains stable and law enforcement officials have everything under control," Russian news agency TASS reported.

Atambayev
© RIA Novosti / Nurys AlymbayevAtambayev's supporters confront police
Gunfire and blasts were heard in the area, with security forces reportedly having to take a detour to leave the embattled village.

Atambayev is accused of involvement in corruption schemes relating to the construction of a thermal power plant and historical museum. He is also accused of illegally releasing a detained mob boss, illegally delivering coal to power plants, and illegally obtaining the land his Koi-Tash residence is built on. He claims he is being persecuted for political reasons.

Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted in June to strip Atambayev of immunity and his ex-president status. Atambayev's lawyer called the move unconstitutional.
See also:

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Popcorn

Italy's Salvini goes for it: Pronounces coalition govt with Five Star Movement dead, calls for new elections


RT
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 18:10 UTC
salvini
© Reuters/ RC/zuzItaly's Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini at Senate
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has said that there is no longer a majority to support the government and fresh elections must be held.

Salvini, who leads Italy's ruling League party, said he told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte that it is necessary to formalize the crisis in parliament.

Conte met with President Sergio Mattarella earlier amid mounting speculation that the ruling coalition could fall apart.

Salvini has clashed a number of times with fellow deputy prime minister Luigi di Maio, who heads the Five Star Movement.

Comment: Salvini may feel confident his party will benefit from a fresh election but it's still a dignified move. Yet again, Salvini stands out among Western politicians, many of whom are also in coalition governments.

Most pols dread the thought of calling fresh elections because they know they risk losing the measly majority they'd only just managed to scrape together a few years or even months before.

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Newspaper

Best of the Web: Pepe Escobar: Hong Kong, Kashmir: A tale of two occupations

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 21:55 UTC
hong kong riots kashmir india
Two hotspots bordering/in China, both coming to the boil...
Readers from myriad latitudes have been asking me about Hong Kong. They know it's one of my previous homes. I developed a complex, multi-faceted relationship with Hong Kong ever since the 1997 handover, which I covered extensively. Right now, if you allow me, I'd rather cut to the chase.

Much to the distress of neocons and humanitarian imperialists, there won't be a bloody mainland China crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong - a Tiananmen 2.0. Why? Because it's not worth it.

Beijing has clearly identified the color revolution provocation inbuilt in the protests - with the NED excelling as CIA soft, facilitating the sprawl of fifth columnists even in the civil service.

Comment: Escobar takes a hardline regarding Indian policy towards Kashmir. Whataboutery isn't the best argument against that, but we have to ask: what then of how China handles the majority-Muslim Uyghur population of Xinjiang province, aka East Turkestan?

Then there's the geopolitical calculation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), mentioned by the author. India resents Chinese influence in its 'far north' or what it considers its sphere of influence, so its decision to 'strike' there now is almost certainly informed by 'containing China'. Additionally, there is even a pocket of the disputed region that China claims...

India certainly has a 'democracy issue' it will have to justify; the fact that the population of Kashmir is overwhelmingly Muslim. Ideally, it would have done as Russia did wrt Crimea; delivered a positive referendum result. But this is where characterizations of Modi's India as 'fascist-Hindu' are distinctly unhelpful. The fact is, Muslim Indians voted for Modi in droves, both in 2014, and more so in 2019.

See also:

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