Puppet MastersS


Propaganda

Bellingcat claims Boshirov was really Anatoly Chepiga - but Chepiga's commander says otherwise


Sputnik
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:14 UTC
Ruslan Boshirov
© REUTERS / Metroplitan Police
Alexander Borzhko, the former commander of Anatoly Chepiga, a cadet of the Far East Marshal K. Rokossovsky Military Command Academy, called Friday media reports alleging that the cadet was Ruslan Boshirov were "schizophrenia."

"In 2001, I graduated a cadet whose surname was Chepiga. Personally, I am a serviceman and can tell you that media reports of his alleged involvement in the Skripal case look like mild schizophrenia. The Far East Marshal K. Rokossovsky Military Command Academy trained military officers for combat duties, Chepiga did fight in Chechnya, but he was not trained for intelligence missions," Borzhko, who is also the regional head of the Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy, stated.

The comment referred to the Wednesday's publication by UK-based investigative blogger group Bellingcat, in cooperation with the Insider Russia website, claiming that Boshirov, a suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, was "in fact" a military intelligence colonel called Anatoly Chepiga. The outlet also alleged that the division in which Chepiga served played an important role in the Second Chechen War. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the news about the alleged identity of Ruslan Boshirov is nothing but fake news aimed at diverting public attention from what happened in Salisbury.

Comment: Craig Murray weighed in on Bellingcat's latest joke of a 'bombshell':
The evidence mounts that Russia is not telling the truth about "Boshirov" and "Petrov". If those were real identities, they would have been substantiated in depth by now. As we know of Yulia Skripal's boyfriend, cat, cousin and grandmother, real depth on the lives and milieu of "Boshirov" and "Petrov" would be got out. It is plainly in the interests of Russia's state and its oligarchy to establish that they truly exist, and concern for the privacy of individuals would be outweighed by that. The rights of the individual are not prioritised over the state interest in Russia.

But equally the identification of "Boshirov" with "Colonel Chepiga" is a nonsense.

The problem is with Bellingcat's methodology. They did not start with any prior intelligence that "Chepiga" is "Boshirov". They rather allegedly searched databases of GRU operatives of about the right age, then trawled photos in yearbooks of them until they found one that looked a bit like "Boshirov". And guess what? It looks a bit like "Boshirov". If you ignore the substantially different skull shape and nose. [...]

Betaface.com, which runs industry standard software, gives the faces an 83% similarity, putting the probability of them being the same person at 2.8%.

By comparison it gives me a 72% identity with Chepiga and a 2.1% chance of being him.
Their methodology amounted to looking through yearbooks until they found someone who looked like Boshirov - just more buffoonery from the NATO trolls at Bellingcat.

Also see:

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Piggy Bank

EU donates $118mln to UN Palestinian aid agency after US cuts funding


Sputnik
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:14 UTC
Palestine UN aid
© AFP 2018 / RAMI AL-SAYED
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has received $118 million in emergency funds from various nations to maintain basic services for millions of Palestinian refugees to the end of 2018, Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a press conference on Thursday.

The 28-nation European Union, Japan, Germany, Sweden and Turkey were major contributors among those providing the $118 million to help make good the removal of $300 million earlier this month by the US government, Safadi told reporters at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The extra funding was raised at a meeting on the sidelines of the current UN General Assembly and to maintain vital services for millions of refugees, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl told the press conference.

Comment: Also see: There is a deeper, more evil agenda afoot as the US cuts UNRWA aid to Palestinian refugees

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Treasure Chest

Turkish FM says Ankara will 'revive ancient Silk Road' by boosting trade with China


RT
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:14 UTC
camels Middle East desert Silk Road
© Zahid Hussein / Reuters
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara hopes to expand cooperation with China in trade, energy and the fight against terrorism.

The minister, who was meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, stressed that "Turkey attaches great importance to relations with China." Wang Yi, in turn, said Beijing is ready to promote mutually-beneficial cooperation.

On Thursday, deputy governor of Istanbul Ismail Gultekin said the two countries have developed commercial and cultural relations for many years through the historical Silk Road and established close ties.

Comment: Further reading:

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Black Cat

Sergei Skripal wasn't just a British spy - did work for 4 Western intel agencies


Sputnik
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 10:50 UTC
skripal
© Voice of America
The drama surrounding the attempted murder of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal escalated this week after UK authorities threatened to introduce new forms of economic pressure on Moscow over the poisoning. Moscow maintains that it had nothing to do with the attack on Skripal, and has said it has information proving one of the suspects is a civilian.

Skripal worked for the intelligence services of four different alliance countries, Focus magazine has reported, citing a source in NATO's Allied Command Counter Intelligence (ACCI).

According to the German publication, during this time, Skripal exposed several active Russian military intelligence (GRU) spies.

The magazine noted that Skripal travelled to Prague in 2012 together with MI6 agents to inform the local intelligence agencies of an active Russian spy network. Skripal is said to have known some of these Russian spies from during his service in the GRU.

Furthermore, the magazine claims that in 2016, information provided by Skripal to Estonian security services enabled them uncover three 'Russian spies', including an ethnic Russian officer in the Estonian army and his father.

It's also alleged that Skripal provided information to Spain's National Intelligence Center.

Comment: See also: Putin's novichok, meet Occam's razor - the simplest solutions to the Salisbury-Skripal saga

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Info

Australian Government Gives No Comment on Trump Campaign Spying Accusations

Sara Carter
SaraACarter.com
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 10:07 UTC
Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
The Australian government would not comment on accusations made by former Trump campaign volunteer George Papadopoulos that its former Ambassador to Great Britain may have been spying on him during a May 2016 meeting in London. The meeting - according to the FBI - was the impetus to launch its July 2016 "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into the Trump campaign and its alleged ties to Russia.

In a statement to SaraACarter.com and Fox News, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson would not address allegations suggesting former Australian Ambassador Alexander Downer was recording or spying on Papadopolous when the two met a London wine bar in May, 2016.

"The Australian Government does not comment on matters relevant to active investigations," said the spokesperson.

Papadopoulos told SaraACarter.com and Fox News Tuesday night that the "British government at the highest levels were constantly asking to meet with me, including Tobias Ellwood who was right under Boris Johnson."
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Ambulance

US aircraft carriers in worst shape in decades


RT
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 09:10 UTC
USS Abraham Lincoln
© US Navy / ReutersThe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln departs from Naval Station Norfolk. US Navy / Reuters
The US Navy's aircraft carriers, a key tool in projection of military power, apparently spend most of their time in the dock for maintenance, not on deployment. They are in their worst shape in decades, a new report has found.

Analysis of deployment data for the past 50 years show that the US Navy currently has fewer carriers than ever, the United States Naval Institute (USNI) reported Wednesday. Only 15 percent of them were committed to operational deployments this year, compared to a 28 percent average for the rest of the era of the War on Terror. For 22 days this summer the Navy did not have a single aircraft carrier group underway anywhere in the world - the longest such gap in the entire 50 years studied.


Comment: A reduced US military presence can only be good for the planet.


The report says the Navy faces a significant challenge, as it needs to return its aircraft carrier force into good shape while preserving their global presence at a level that would not compromise US military dominance.

Comment: If one were to judge the state of a country by the successes its military's technological endeavours, then the US and UK are in terminal decline: Meanwhile in Russia:

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Info

Highlights from Thursday's Ford/Kavanaugh dual testimony


RT
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 09:23 UTC
christine blasey ford
© Reuters
Professor Christine Blasey Ford has given emotional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Ford was probed for more than four hours by senators and prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, an expert in investigating sex crimes who was selected by Republicans. The hearing was a rollercoaster of emotion, with Democrats taking every opportunity to praise Ford's courage in coming forward, while Mitchell delivered the tougher questioning, challenging her on a number of issues, including the circumstances surrounding her polygraph test and her fear of flying.

Comment: If you have 9 hours to spare, here's the full testimony:


And if you don't have 9 hours, here's Scott Adams's take:




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Quenelle

Thank you, Mother Russia: For the first time in years another state is saying no to Israel

Gideon Levy
Haaretz
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 02:26 UTC
Putin Netanyahu
A ray of hope is breaking through: Someone is setting limits on Israel. For the first time in years another state is making it clear to Israel that there are restrictions to its power, that it's not okay for it to do whatever it wants, that it's not alone in the game, that America can't always cover for it and that there's a limit to the harm it can do.

Israel needed someone to set these limits like it needed oxygen. The recent years' hubris and geopolitical reality enabled it to run rampant. It could patrol Lebanon's skies as if they were its own; bombard in Syria's air space as if it were Gaza's air space; destroy Gaza periodically, put it under endless siege and continue, of course, to occupy the West Bank. Suddenly someone stood up and said: Stop right there. At least in Syria: That's the end of it. Thank you, Mother Russia, for setting limits on a child whom no one has restrained for a long time.

The Israeli stupefaction at the Russian response and the paralysis that gripped it only showed how much Israel needed a responsible adult to rein it in. Does anyone dare prevent Israel's freedom of movement in another country? Is anyone hindering it from flying in skies not its own? Is anyone keeping it from bombing as much as it pleases? For decades Israel hasn't encountered such a strange phenomenon. Israel Hayom reported, of course, that anti-Semitism is growing in Russia. Israel is getting ready to play the next victim card, but its arrogance has suddenly gone missing.

Comment: Judging by the malignant behavior of the Israeli power brokers, it won't be long before they, yet again, try the patience of the world community: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Identity Politics on Steroids: How Zionism Outdoes Them All

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Nuke

Iran's PM blasts Netanyahu at UN: Israel is the only regime in Middle East with secret, nuclear weapons program


Sputnik
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 09:05 UTC
netanyahu un
© AP Photo / Richard Drew
Tehran has dismissed Netanyahu's remarks, which he made during his speech at the UN General Assembly Thursday. In his speech, the Israeli prime minister claimed that Iran had a secret facility in Tehran, which it used to store large amounts of equipment and material for a secret nuclear weapons program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has slammed Netanyahu's claims, calling them "an arts and crafts show."

"Israel is only regime in our region with a secret and undeclared nuclear weapons program - including an *actual atomic arsenal*," he wrote on Twitter.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi has also commented on the allegations.

"The world will only laugh loudly at this type of false, meaningless and unnecessary speech," he said.

Comment: Netanyahu has WMDs. But instead of bombing Tel Aviv, as the U.S. did to Baghdad, they instead give more bombs to Tel Aviv, along with billions of dollars of welfare. Something is wrong with this picture. Why is the U.S. arming and supporting a terrorist state with illegal weapons of mass destruction? Maybe all their rhetoric about human rights and global security are bunk...

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Magnify

UK authorities identify third suspect in Salisbury nerve attack


Sputnik
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 07:12 UTC
Salisbury novichok
© Sputnik / Alex McNaughton
The UK authorities identified the third suspect in the nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK city of Salisbury, Telegraph newspaper reported on Friday.

The UK Counter-Terrorism Police and security services believed that the third suspect was a Russian military intelligence officer who visited Salisbury for reconnaissance purposes before the poisoning, the Telegraph newspaper reported.

The authorities tracked the third suspect who is believed to have informed the attack perpetrators about the layout of the cul de sac where Skripal's house is located and the door that the Russian former intelligence officer used to enter his house, according to the newspaper.

The UK Metropolitan Police, which is in charge of the investigation into the Salisbury poisoning, had refused to comment on the issue, the publication added.

Comment: See also:

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