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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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Russian Flag

Paul Craig Roberts: Is Russia being betrayed by its own civilian advisors?

Paul Craig Roberts
paulcraigroberts.org
Tue, 25 Sep 2018 00:00 UTC
Putin Netanyahu
The Russian military refused to buy Putin's excuse for Israel's intentional murder of 15 Russian Air Force personnel. The Russian military knows precisely what happened and has not been hesitant to make completely clear Israel's total betrayal of the Russian government's naive and gullible trust in the criminal state of Israel.

One marvels at the foreign policy incompetence of Putin's civilian advisers. Apparently there is no Russian awareness that the ONLY REASON for Washington's fake "war on terror" is to clear out of the Middle East all governments with foreign policies independent of Washington, governments that are in the way of Israel's expansion. Israel is especially interested to annex southern Lebanon and wants the Hezbollah militia, which Israel has been unable to defeat, out of the way by using Washington to put Syria and Iran into the same chaos as Washington put Iraq and Libya. Once Syria and Iran are in chaos, there is no one left to supply Hezbollah, and Israel can again march into Lebanon.

Comment: Paul Craig Roberts is pulling his hair out. Unnecessarily. Of course Russia is sickened about losing its airmen, and of course many in the highest circles in Moscow understand that the US, Israel and other parties are completely untrustworthy. But the strategy behind Russia's extreme temperance, forbearance and patience accomplishes several things that seem to be lost on Roberts:

1. Russia is patient, and through this patience is showing the world that it is not the rash and irresponsible actor that half the Western media would like everyone to believe. And considering all the demonization that we're seeing, in some ways the great nation to the east has no choice. All eyes are on Russia.

2. Russia is playing the long game and though a dangerous one, they have few alternatives but to act responsibly - they can't give any reasons for the Anglo-Zionist cabal to attack it, or its allies, further. By doing so, Russia is also giving the world to see the geopolitical dynamics in their true light. Bit by ugly bit.

3. Russia is giving Israel and the US enough rope from which to hang itself. Russia's intelligence is formidable and confounding the parties who would like to see the Middle East - and most of the planet - under the heel of Anglo-Zionist cabal. In its arrogant and imperial zeal, the agents of chaos have revealed their hand and have made numerous mistakes. And will likely make many more that will put it in further untenable positions. From there Russia will be in an even better position to respond.

No Paul Craig Roberts, Russia's intelligence isn't low. And no, most of its governing body isn't betraying itself. Russia is simply operating on a level of wisdom and strategy few have ever seen in contemporary history, and with the stakes so high.

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Smoking

'A tobacco-free world': Global pact against illicit tobacco trade takes effect soon


France24
Mon, 24 Sep 2018 17:22 UTC
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
© AFP (file)
A global pact to battle the illegal tobacco trade kicks in this week, with the World Health Organization hailing it as "game-changing" in eliminating widespread health-hazardous and criminal activity.

The treaty, which aims to create an international tracking and tracing system to halt the smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products, will take effect on Tuesday.

When the so-called Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products achieved the 40 ratifications needed for it to take effect last June, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that it was a "historic day" and that the world had taken "a vital step towards a tobacco-free world".

And when the pact was first announced in November 2012, Tedros's predecessor Margaret Chan described it as "a game-changing treaty".

Comment: See also:

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Mr. Potato

Best of the Web: Trump says he learned about Idlib from supporter at recent rally - and takes credit for stopping offensive

John Irish
Reuters
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 20:33 UTC
Trump
© N. KAMN/AFP | Video: EPVTrump, during the Wednesday press conference.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday he had never heard of the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib under threat from Syrian government and Russian forces until a supporter brought it up at a recent rally about a month ago.

The United Nations says close to 3 million people live in the area, which also has thousands of Islamist fighters, and warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the event of an offensive by government-backed forces that has been in the pipeline for several months.

A Russian-Turkish agreement last week staved off a threatened government attack by agreeing on the creation of a demilitarized zone between insurgent and government forces in the northwest.

Speaking at a news conference in New York, Trump took credit for convincing Russia, Iran and Syria to hold off on the attack after he warned them in a Sept. 4 Twitter post that they would be making a "grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy."

Comment: So there you have it folks. President Donald '4D-Chess' Trump knew nothing about Idlib, but once he found out, he just posted a tweet, asked his people to not let it happen, and voilà - the offensive was cancelled. But no one will give him credit for that - what an unfair world we live in!

No, the cancellation (or rather, postponement) of the Idlib offensive had nothing to do with Turkey and Russia coming to an agreement in Sochi; just as ISIS being defeated had nothing to do with Russia, Iran and Syria fighting the real war on terror; and peace in the Korean Peninsula had nothing to do with the efforts of presidents Moon Jae-In and Kim Jong-un. It was The Donald all along! He has a very, very large brain!

It's safe to say at this point in US politics that if a US president doesn't automatically accept the 'deep state' running things, then they are literally locked out of foreign policy. Trump's foreign policy tweets and statements like the above just show that he has accepted this deal. This explains why he sounds increasingly crazy on foreign affairs. He really does have no idea what's going on at specific fronts on the empire's 'frontier', and he couldn't care less.

So from now on, Trump is president of the United States, but not of US foreign policy, which he learns about after the fact like the rest of us.

Here is the full press conference that include the statements above (min 54):



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Chess

Show of solidarity: EU, Russia and China unite against US over Iran

Andrew Rettman
The Duran
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 00:00 UTC
Trump UN General Assembly
The development, which came about over Iran, symbolised a world-turned-upside-down by US leader Donald Trump's unilateralism.

It left Mike Pompeo, Trump's foreign policy chief, "disturbed and indeed deeply disappointed".

"This is one of the of the most counterproductive measures imaginable for regional and global peace and security," he told press, after seven decades in which the US and EU had stood together against common adversaries, such as Russia, in the so-called "transatlantic relationship".

The measures Pompeo referred to were the creation of a "Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV]" to enable the EU and others to buy Iranian oil in a way that skirted Trump's new sanctions on Iran.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Bibi doubles down: Warns Syria's new S-300 defense system will not stop illegal Israeli bombing

Whitney Webb
MintPress News
Wed, 26 Sep 2018 20:16 UTC
Israeli F-16 aircraft shot down Syria
© ReutersDebris is scattered from a downed Israeli F-16 shot down by Syria following an Israeli bombing run into Syrian airspace. The jet was downed near Harduf, in northern Israel, Feb. 10, 2018
The S-300's superior capabilities may give Israel a pretext for increasing its attacks on Syria as well as drawing in its main ally, the United States, which has also recently sought to ratchet up tensions in Syria.

Though undeniably a game-changer in the Syrian conflict, the imminent delivery of S-300 air defense systems to the Syrian government could risk dangerously escalating the conflict. Indeed, recent statements from top Israeli and Syrian government officials have made it clear that open war between the two countries could potentially ignite in the coming weeks and months not despite, but because of, the presence of Syria's improved and upgraded air defense systems.

The highly anticipated delivery of the S-300 systems to Syria is expected to occur in a matter of days, a consequence of the downing of a Russian electronic-warfare plane in Syria earlier this month. Russia has blamed Israel for the plane's destruction and the death of its crew, asserting that the Israeli Air Force used the plane as cover to bomb Syria. Israel has denied responsibility for the incident.

Comment:

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Sherlock

SOTT Focus: Skripal Suspects: Russian Agent Identity Confirmed? Not Even Close

Craig Murray
craigmurray.org.uk
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:27 UTC
skripal suspects
© MET PoliceTheir best sides -"Ruslan Boshirov" and "Alexander Petrov" make sure to be caught on CCTV at Salisbury Station on March 3, 2018 in an image handed out by the Metropolitan Police in London, Britain September 5, 2018
UPDATE: The Kommersant Evidence

Kommersant publishes interviews with people from Chepiga's home village. The article makes clear he has not been seen there for many years. It states that opinions differ on whether Chepiga is Boshirov. One woman says she recognised Boshirov as Chepiga when he appeared on TV, especially the dark eyes, though she had not seen him since school. Another woman states it is not Chepiga as when she last saw him ten years ago he was already pretty bald, and he has a more open face, although the eyes are similarly brown.

Naturally mainstream media journalists are tweeting and publishing the man's evidence and leaving out the woman's evidence.

But the Kommersant article gives them a bigger challenge. Kommersant is owned by close Putin political ally, Putin's former student flatmate, Chariman of Gazprominvestholdings and the UK's richest resident, Alisher Usmanov. That Russia's most authoritative paper, with ownership very close to Putin, is printing such open and honest reporting rather belies the "Russia is a dictatorship" narrative. And unlike the Guardian and BBC websites, on Kommersant website ordinary Russians can post freely their views on the case, and are.

One thing this does stand up is that Chepiga definitely exists.

Comment: See also: On Twitter, Elena Evdokimova has made a compelling case that most of bellingcat's documents are forgeries. See the threads below:



According to Peskov, there is no record of Chepiga receiving the award bellingcat alleges he received:
"Yes, I have checked. I have no information that a person with this name was awarded," Peskov told reporters.

The day before, Peskov said he would verify reports that Putin had allegedly decorated Col. Anatoliy Chepiga and then would provide that information to reporters.


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