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Iraq's new PM Mahdi will balance US and Iranian interests

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Sun, 30 Sep 2018 07:43 UTC
abdel mahdi
Adel Abdel Mahdi
Iraqi politicians have agreed on a new prime minister, Adel Abdel Mahdi, to replace Haidar al-Abadi, after over four months of difficult work. Adel Abdel Mahdi is an experienced politician who almost became prime minister in the 2000s when Moqtada al-Sadr suddenly turned against him and, overnight, promoted Nuri al-Maliki for his first term in office. The choice of Abdel Mahdi comes despite the fact that, according to sources close to the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the US envoy Brett McGurk "did everything in his power to discourage Iraqi politicians, Sunni, Shia and Kurds, from adopting a candidate in harmony with Iran".

Up to this day, the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani has not approved Barham Saleh for the presidency, a position allocated for Kurds (Speaker for Sunni and prime minister for Shia).

The choice of Barham Saleh is contested by the many in the Talbani entourage and the Barzani clan who support Fouad Hussein for the Presidency. This office is the most vexing for all camps, including Iran and the US as they attempt to shape the new government. Barham Saleh has been promoted by Brett McGurk (during his last visit to the late Jalal Talabani's wife) and by General Qassem Soleimani according to the source. Nevertheless, Iran and the Hezbollah envoy to Iraq are both trying to avoid upsetting Masoud Barzani.
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Eagle

Anti-war coalition coordinator: North Korea right, Washington to blame for delay in denuclearization - Trump surrounded by war-mongers


RT
Sun, 30 Sep 2018 07:08 UTC
trump and kim
© The Straits Times/Global Look Press
North Korea is right to blame internal American politics for the lack of denuclearization progress, because almost everyone around the US president wants it to fail, Brian Becker from the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition told RT.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Ri Yong-ho, North Korea's foreign minister, said the blame for the deadlock in the denuclearization process is on Washington. He argued that it became the hostage of the internal political struggle in the US, which has seen some forces attacking Pyongyang to gain ground on their opponents.

Brian Becker, the national coordinator of the A.N.S.W.E.R. anti-war coalition, agrees that the Trump administration has been sending mixed signals to Pyongyang. "The US is playing its double game here," he said. The day after Trump said that there should not be any "rush" with denuclearization, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to put more pressure on the North until it denuclearizes.
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Russian Flag

Social media and the story of the S-300's journey to Syria

Ollie Richardson
Stalker Zone
Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:09 UTC
S300 missile battery Russia
Russian S-300 missile battery
On the topic of the Russia-Israel-Syria affair, which has culminated in the downing of a Russian Il-20 on September 17th just off the coast of Latakia...

I will first start this article by saying that I have read, both intentionally and unintentionally (stumbled upon), lots and lots of opinions about this specific topic. The main bulk of these opinions recycle the usual blaming of Russia and offer suggestions for how things "should" have been done and "should" now be done. The consensus seems to be that it is Israel that is solely to blame, and it should thus be severely punished. However, even though Russia was lambasted by social media "experts" for the fact that the state of Israel still existed on September 18th (the day after the downing of the Il-20), the criticism of Moscow's policy vis-a-vis Israel's general airstrikes in Syria has been unwavering.

Examples of the criticism are:
  • "Russia doesn't defend Syrian troops against Israeli airstrikes";
  • "Putin doesn't verbally threaten Bibi with retaliation should he strike again";
  • "Russia doesn't give Syria the S1/2/3/4/500";
  • and so on and so forth (you get the idea).
So, let's outline, once again, what Russia's policy vis-a-vis Israel is in Syria:
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USA

Report: Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell 'would not charge Kavanaugh or even pursue a search warrant'

Joshua Caplan
Breitbart
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:16 UTC
mitchell_ford_kavanaugh
© Getty Images/Brendan Smialowski/AFP, Matt McClain/Pool, Michael Reynolds/Pool
Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell told Republican senators in a conference meeting Thursday evening that she would not charge Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after hearing testimonies of the Judge or his accuser Christine Blasey Ford.

Mitchell, who took a leave of absence from Maricopa County's Deputy County Attorney and division chief the County Attorney's Office's Special Victims Division to join the Senate Judiciary Committee's team of attorneys for the hearing, "broke down her analysis" of both testimonies to GOP lawmakers. In a nearly 30-minute presentation, Mitchell went over the "facts that were established and not established" and concluded that not only would she not charge Kavanaugh based on the record of evidence from both parties, but would not even pursue a search warrant for the judge, which in virtually all cases would require the standard of probable causeto be met, Politico reported.

Brooke Singman of Fox News quoted one source as saying "Mitchell was very clear with senators that based on evidence presented, she couldn't bring the case 'anywhere near a court room.'"
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Георгиевская ленточка

Russian embassy accuses British government of trying to isolate Moscow in the international arena


TASS
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:49 UTC
Russian embassy London
© Asociated Press/Alastair GrantThe Embassy of the Russian Federation
The statement came following claims in the UK media on a third alleged 'trained assassin' in the Skripal case

The British government has launched another spiral of information campaign aimed to demonize and isolate Russia across the world, Russia's Embassy in London said on Friday.

The embassy's press release was issued following a publication in the Daily Telegraph, which says that the police and secret services identified a third suspect allegedly involved in the poisoning of Sergey Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury.

"Unfortunately, we witness yet another turn of a powerful media campaign launched by the Tory government in March aimed at discrediting and isolating Russia on the international arena. The whole situation around the Skripals' case reminds of an endless soap opera as the media are repeatedly referring to anonymous sources in the British security and secret services and publishing multiple unverifiable versions and leaks on a daily basis," the press release says.

Comment: Sure looks like that's Britain's plan.

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Dollar

Flashback Gaddafi: Switzerland is a 'Mafia' state that should be dissolved and carved up by France, Germany and Italy


Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 03 May 2010 21:42 UTC
switzerland
Switzerland: all that glitters is not gold
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was quoted today as saying that Switzerland is behaving like a criminal organization and it is involved in money laundering, assassinations and terrorism.

In the latest installment of a long-running dispute between the two nations, Colonel Gaddafi called Switzerland a 'Mafia' state and repeated a previous call for it to be divided up among France, Italy and Germany, according to the interview published by German news weekly Der Spiegel.

'Switzerland is a state that stands apart from the world community,' the respected Hamburg-based magazine quoted him as saying.

Colonel Gaddafi said Switzerland was a haven for large scale money laundering, where laws allowing assisted suicide are used as a cover for the assassination of rich foreigners with Swiss bank accounts.

Der Spiegel quoted Colonel Gaddafi as saying: 'Switzerland claims the people in question wanted to commit suicide. But in truth it was a means of getting hold of their money.'

Comment: Was this the spat that determined Gaddafi's fate and got a host of EU countries to royally shoot themselves in both feet by invading Libya and unleashing a tsunami of migrants?

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Light Saber

Damascus satisfied with situation in Idlib - Syrian FM


TASS
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 19:07 UTC
SyrianFlagIdlib
© RT
Syria's authorities are satisfied with the situation in the Idlib governorate, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Friday.

"Yes, we are satisfied with the situation," he said. "Humanitarian corridors are functioning, but, regrettably, terrorists do not give civilians a possibility to leave Idlib."

Comment:

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Jet5

Russian military expert: Electronic warfare system in Syria capable of tracking planes in Europe, Israel


TASS
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 17:38 UTC
missile contrails israel flag
© David Cohen/Flash90 via Associated PressOnce a plane is spotted at an airdrome, the reinforced radio-electronic warfare system automatically assigns a target number to it and offers various options
Russian reinforced electronic warfare system in Syria is capable of tracking planes at airdromes in Europe and Israel, Vladimir Mikheyev, an adviser to the first deputy director general of Russia's Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), told TASS on Friday.

According to Mikheyev, to reinforce the system's aviation component specialized jammers could be deployed along with ground-based systems. "It is also planned to increase the naval taskforce with electronic warfare and air defense systems," he said.
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Георгиевская ленточка

Just in case: Russia's heavy caliber artillery is back in service

Andrei Akulov
The Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 29 Sep 2018 17:26 UTC
2S4 Tulpan heavy self-propelled
© Russian Ministry of DefenceRussian Defence Ministry receive modernized 2S4 Tulpan self-propelled mortars
Last year, Lieutenant-General Mikhail Matveyevsky, Commander of Russia's Army Missile Troops and Artillery, stated that Russia's ground forces will have 50-100% more firepower by 2021. The upgrade of these "old warriors" that have been taken out of storage is underway, along with the addition of new systems. Brand-new equipment is being installed. Barrels, recoil mechanisms, and other components are being replaced or refitted.

The modernization of Russia's "big guns" - the 2S4 Tyulpan (Tulip) 240-millimeter mortar and the 2S7 Pion 203-millimeter howitzer - has attracted the attention of US military analysts. The Cold War weapons are being refurbished to adapt them for modern warfare. The program of modernization started about a year ago. Nothing like it is being done anywhere else in the world. All in all, more than 400 Tyulpans and the same number of Pions have been produced. The exact number of artillery guns that will be added to the arsenal after the modernization has not been released, but the upgrade is in full swing. Analysis of the Russian military press provides some clues as to why the old big guns are back in the ranks.

Comment: Russia has viewed the 20-year-long NATO encroachment towards its borders with justified alarm. Re-arming and developing new defense systems is the only logical response.

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Binoculars

Serbian military on high alert as 'Kosovo special forces' cross demarcation line


RT
Sat, 29 Sep 2018 12:15 UTC
Serb troops
© Marko Djurica/ReutersSerbian troops
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has ordered the country's armed forces to be on the highest combat readiness, local media reported. All police units have also been placed on high alert. Vucic's order was handed over to the chief of the Serbian army general staff, Serbian agency Tanjug reported citing the president's office on Saturday.

The decision follows an incident in the southwestern part of the country, Kosovo special forces reportedly entered. Some 60 troops took positions near the dam on Gazivoda Lake, which hosts hydroelectric power station, according to local media.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said the police were also put on high alert following the Albanian "attack" in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and the "arrests of Serbs," who did not commit any crime.

Kosovo dismissed the claims of occupying the area and said there were no arrests, according to the local deputy police commander, Besim Hoti, as cited by RTS. He added that the forces were at Gazivoda for a "single visit."

Comment: 'Kosovo special forces' is euphemism for Kosovo Liberation Army, itself a made-up term for heroin-smuggling ethnic Albanian jihadi terrorists.

See also: Serbian President Vucic accuses West of 'brutal meddling' in Bosnia-Herzegovina's elections

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