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Best of the Web: Pepe Escobar: US and Iran stuck on negotiation Ground Zero

Pepe Escobar
Consortium News
Thu, 25 Jul 2019 12:00 UTC
Hormuz
© FlickrChokepoint: The Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump says he's 'okay either way', whether there's war with Iran and Tehran seems to be okay with that too, warns Pepe Escobar.

All bets are off in the geopolitical insanity stakes when we have the President of the United States (POTUS) glibly announcing he could launch a nuclear first strike to end the war in Afghanistan and wipe it "off the face of the earth" in one week. But he'd rather not, so he doesn't have to kill 10 million people.

Apart from the fact that not even a nuclear strike would subdue the legendary fighting spirit of Afghan Pashtuns, the same warped logic - ordering a nuclear first strike as one orders a cheeseburger - could apply to Iran instead of Afghanistan.

Trump once again flip-flopped by declaring that the prospect of a potential war in the Persian Gulf "could go either way, and I'm OK either way it goes," much to the delight of Beltway-related psychopaths who peddle the notion that Iran is begging to be bombed.

Comment: See also:

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Pills

Booming 'sports' trade: Dutch Olympian Madiea Ghafoor arrested in Germany 'with 50kg of drugs'


RT
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 19:41 UTC
Madiea Ghafoor
© REUTERS / Phil NobleDope fiend: Madiea Ghafoor runs 400m at 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Dutch sprinter Madiea Ghafoor has been arrested after police allegedly found 50 kilograms of methamphetamine and ecstasy in her car during a routine check near the German border.

The 26-year-old athlete, who was reportedly heading for a training session in Dusseldorf, denies she was carrying a prohibited substance. Police say they found large amounts of drugs in her vehicle with an estimated value close to €2mn ($2.2mn).

The runner was arrested on June 18, but details regarding the anti-drug operation emerged only this week with the German public prosecution department confirming the arrest.

Ghafoor was part of the Dutch Olympic squad at the 2016 Games in Rio where she ran the 4×400 relay together with her teammates.

Comment: The Dutch Athletics Federation is shocked? The Dutch?!

The only shocking thing about every new scandal involving athletes doped to the gills is that some people are still shocked by it.

Don't expect a years-long media scandal about Dutch state-sponsored sports doping...

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Magic Hat

No accountability in Washington: CIA seeks legislation to hide all its employees

Philip Giraldi
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 25 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
CIA dark guy
© Intel Today/WordPress.com/KJN
Government that actually serves the interests of the people who are governed has two essential characteristics: first, it must be transparent in terms of how it debates and develops policies and second, it has to be accountable when it fails in its mandate and ceases to be responsive to the needs of the electorate. Over the past twenty years one might reasonably argue that Washington has become less a "of the people, by the people and for the people" and increasingly a model of how special interests can use money to corrupt government.

The recent story about how serial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein avoided any serious punishment by virtue of his wealth and his political connections, including to both ex-president Bill Clinton and to current chief executive Donald Trump, demonstrates how even the most despicable criminals can avoid being brought to justice.

This erosion of what one might describe as republican virtue has been exacerbated by a simultaneous weakening of the US Constitution's Bill of Rights, which was intended to serve as a guarantee of individual liberties while also serving as a bulwark against government overreach. In recent cases in the United States, a young man had his admission to Harvard revoked over comments posted online when he was fifteen that were considered racist, while a young woman was stripped of a beauty contest title because she refused to don a hijab at a college event and then wrote online about her experience. In both cases, freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment was ruled to be inadmissible by the relevant authorities.

Comment: According to RT, 23/7/2019:
A host of activist groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Coalition Against Censorship, have come out against the bill in recent days. In a letter to congressional leaders, 29 organizations urged lawmakers to remove the CIA's provision, arguing it will impede oversight, "weaken accountability, hinder public access to information and create a major chilling effect on journalists and public interest organizations."
See also: John Kiriakou: Intelligence act protects CIA agents who commit war crimes

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Boat

UK MoD: Navy to guard UK ships in Strait of Hormuz, defend freedom of navigation

Patrick Wintour
The Guardian
Thu, 25 Jul 2019 09:50 UTC
Boat circles Tanker
© UnknownIRGC Navy speed boat circles British-flag tanker Stena Impero to slow it down before boarding by Special Forces.
The Royal Navy will accompany British-flagged vessels through the strait of Hormuz to defend freedom of navigation after Iran seized a tanker this month, the Ministry of Defence has said.
"The Royal Navy has been tasked to accompany British-flagged ships through the strait of Hormuz, either individually or in groups, should sufficient notice be given of their passage. Freedom of navigation is crucial for the global trading system and world economy and we will do all we can to defend it."
It is an interim move before discussions about the development of an international maritime protection force in the Gulf either led by Europe in coordination but separate from the US or jointly with the US. The US is calling a conference on the issue on Thursday.

Jeremy Hunt as foreign secretary had proposed a European maritime force, arguing it was likely to garner more support than a US-led convoy as the US wanted to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and European powers did not. Differing national approaches to the nuclear deal were seen as likely to colour the terms of engagement for protecting European shipping going through the strait, ministers argued.

It is not yet clear whether Boris Johnson's new administration will pursue winning favour with Europe, which might irritate the US as it is the dominant naval force in the area.

Some Gulf states are proposing an international maritime conference, to which Iran would be invited, to try to agree on basic principles of maritime protection. The conference would be held in either France or Germany and include countries such as India, China and Japan as well as Gulf shipping states such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Supporters of a conference argue it could either agree at minimum on a collective statement on the sanctity of shipping or establish a contact group to provide early warning and advise of threats to shipping.

Comment: See also:

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Umbrella

Russian Deputy FM Bogdanov unveils concept of collective security in Persian Gulf


Sputnik
Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:39 UTC
Stena Impero
© ReutersStena Impero, a British-flagged vessel owned by Stena Bulk seen at Bandas Abbar port, July 21, 2019.
The situation in the Persian Gulf has been overshadowed by a series of incidents, including attacks on oil tankers in June and the seizure of the UK-flagged Stena Impero vessel last week.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Tuesday presented the Russian concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf to diplomats in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The main principles underlying the Concept are a step-by-step approach, multilateralism and strict observance of international law, primarily the UN Charter and its Security Council's resolutions. The future strategic task outlined in the document is the creation of a mechanism of collective security and cooperation in the Persian Gulf region with the involvement on an equal basis of all the regional states."
According to the concept of collective security, countries of the region will be offered the opportunity to establish so-called 'hotlines' between their respective militaries. The document reads:
"With regard to the situation in the Persian Gulf region, the states, located in this region, and non-regional parties ... accept mutual obligations of transparency in the military field (dialogue on military doctrines, subregional meetings of defense ministers, establishment of 'hot lines,' exchange of preliminary notifications on military exercises and flights of military aircraft, exchange of observers, abandoning permanent deployment of groups of non-regional states in the territory of the Persian Gulf countries, exchange of information on the purchase of arms and armed forces."
Russia also suggests a halt to the permanent deployment of foreign troops in the region.

Comment: See also: UK MoD: Navy to guard UK ships in Strait of Hormuz, defend freedom of navigation

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Target

Tulsi Gabbard is suing Google for post-debate ad suspension

Carla Marinucci, Daniel Strauss
Politico
Thu, 25 Jul 2019 01:35 UTC
Tulsi Gabbard
© Wilfredo Lee/AP PhotoRep. Tulsi Gabbard answers a question during the first Democratic debate.
Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's presidential campaign is suing Google in a California court, charging her free speech was violated when the tech giant blocked her ad account in the hours after the first Democratic presidential debate.

Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii who has called for the breakup of big tech companies, was among the top search topics on Google during and after the debate. Gabbard's campaign decided after the debate that "now is the time we can get our message out there by buying search ads,'' said attorney Brian Dunne, who is representing Gabbard. But "just as her Google traffic was spiking, her Google ad account was taken offline,'' he said.

Google told the campaign the account was suspended "for violations of billing practices" and advertising practices, Dunne said. But Dunne said there was no change of banks or financial issue with the campaign's account. And when asked by the campaign about the validity of the suspension, the company then told the campaign there was "a violation of the terms of service.''

In a statement, a Google spokeswoman said the account suspension was brief and triggered automatically.

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X

Abbas suspends ALL agreements with Israel!


RT
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 18:15 UTC
Mahmoud Abbas/West bank
© Reuters/Mussa Qawasma/REuters/Mohamad TorokmanWest Bank • Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that all standing agreements with the state of Israel will be suspended indefinitely, following the bulldozing of homes in the occupied West Bank.

President Abbas announced the decision on Thursday afternoon, and said it would take effect by Friday. The move comes in response to the Israeli government's demolition of homes in Wadi Hummus, a Palestinian community in southeast Jerusalem.

"We will not obey the dictatorship and reject attempts to impose accomplished facts, particularly in East Jerusalem," Abbas said, following a meeting with senior Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, according to the WAFA news agency.
"Palestine and East Jerusalem cannot be a subject of bargaining. The hands of the Palestinians are still stretched out towards a just and comprehensive peace, ... but this does not mean that we are ready to capitulate and coexist with the occupation."

Comment: See also:

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Rocket

Kim Jong-un officiated power demonstration of a new tactical guided weapon


KCNA
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
Kim Jong-un
© 93.1 WIBC
Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, guided the power demonstration fire of a new-type tactical guided weapon Thursday.

Supreme Leader of the Party, state and armed forces Kim Jong Un personally organized and guided the fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon as part of the power demonstration to send a solemn warning to the south Korean military warmongers who are running high fever in their moves to introduce the ultramodern offensive weapons into South Korea and hold military exercise in defiance of the repeated warnings from the DPRK.

Watching the preparatory processes for launch at the fire position together with leading officials in the field of the national defence science, he learned in detail about the operating mode of the guided weapon system to be newly deployed for operation. Then he mounted the observation post and guided the power demonstration fire.

The power demonstration fire gave satisfactory verification once again to the efficiency indicators of the system. And it must have given uneasiness and agony to some targeted forces enough as it intended.


Comment: More from WIBC 26/7/2019: North Korea Says Launch Was A "Warning" To South Korea
KCNA reported Friday that Kim considered South Korea's military maneuvers to be "suicidal" acts that could torpedo the recent diplomatic progress between the two sides. He also cautioned President Moon Jae-in to heed "the warning from Pyongyang."

North Korea has long-viewed the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States with hostility. To ease tensions with Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington have recently suspended or scaled back a number of joint exercises. Next month's drills will likely consist of mostly computer simulations.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on July 16 calling the upcoming military exercises a "rehearsal for war." South Korea has already said that it views the launch as a "military threat" designed to undermine progress toward stability on the Korean Peninsula.
See also: Rocket launch: N. Korea test-fires 2 short-range missiles mere weeks after Trump-Kim meeting

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Attention

A source at Morgan Stanley repeatedly gave Epstein's foundation allocations to the hottest IPOs

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 13:50 UTC
Poster USvJE
© Stephanie Keith/Getty ImagesU.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announces charges against Jeffery Epstein in New York.
Accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Gratitude America Ltd. foundation somehow kept getting stock allocations in more than 40 underwritten offerings by Morgan Stanley, according to Barron's.

Morgan Stanley led all of the offerings in question and was the sole underwriter on a dozen of them. They included IPOs of Roku and secondary offerings from companies like Tribune Media and Go Daddy.

Epstein plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting child prostitutes and recently claimed assets of more than $500 million. Of that, he claimed $113 million in equities. Despite pleading not guilty, he has not been granted bail.

This year, Deutsche Bank dropped Epstein as a client of its private wealth division after he brought his money there in 2013. This followed having his money with JP Morgan Chase for years. But after the Miami Herald ran a series of articles last year about the plea deal Epstein took in 2008, the bank decided to end its relationship with Epstein.

Comment: See also:

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Oil Well

Libyan oil industry reps seek help from China


RT
Fri, 26 Jul 2019 11:07 UTC
oil process plant
© Reuters/Hani Amara
Libya [National Oil Corporation] NOC representatives traveled to China to discuss China's interest in helping to restore Libya's oil industry that has suffered through years of civil unrest, according to the Libya Observer.

While there, the Libyan delegation met with CNPC and other companies to discuss "cooperation in Libyan exploration and development, oilfield services, and trading of Libyan crude, with parties potentially cementing future relations through the signature of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at their next meeting," NOC's statement read.

"With a more stable security environment, we could easily add between 300-400,000 barrels to daily production and grow oil revenue receipts. Our long-term strategy is to produce 2.1 million bpd by 2023. China can help us on that journey," NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah said.

That "more stable security environment" has proved rather elusive for Libya, with unrest disrupting oil production and exports on a semi-regular basis. The last such disruption resulted in a force majeure after an unidentified group closed a pipeline valve that halted production in the El Sharara oilfield. The disruption cascaded into the Port of Az Zawiyah, which was closed.

Comment: See also:

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