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Redacted reports show UK MoD breached by cyber-attack 37 times last year

Britain Ministry of Defence
© Reuters/Paul HackettA security guard stands outside Britain's Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall, central London.
The Ministry of Defence has been exposed multiple times, as it was revealed that last year the department was breached dozens of times by hostile states and spy agencies.

Sky News obtained multiple heavily redacted reports which revealed that 37 times in 2017, the MoD, along with its partners, failed to protect military and defense data.

Details of the breaches were redacted to hide the outcome of the incidents, including whether or not the lapse in security resulted in information being obtained by rival nations.

Comment: Partly their own fault? UK is vulnerable to cyber attack due to skills shortage, says former intelligence agent


Light Sabers

Will Khashoggi's death be the break with Saudi Arabia we've been waiting for?

Crown Prince Salman visits the U.S. Department of Defense in March 2018.
© DoD/public domainCrown Prince Salman visits the U.S. Department of Defense in March 2018.
Trump has threatened 'severe punishment' for alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Let's hope he means it.

If the reports of Jamal Khashoggi's abduction, murder, and dismemberment at the hands of a Saudi kill team dispatched to Istanbul prove correct, his death might achieve what years of abuses by a despotic government have failed to: a meaningful rebuke by the U.S. and its Western allies.

That may have begun with a "60 Minutes" interview of President Donald Trump on Sunday. He said his administration is seeking to "get to the bottom of" the reporter's disappearance, and if it turns out the reports of Khashoggi's murder are correct, there would be "severe punishment" for the Kingdom. The comments came as the Saudi stock market continued to plunge on Sunday.

Attention

Oil to $400 yuan, Russian military base offer, Saudi Kingdom is mulling 30 anti-US moves over Khashoggi accusations

Saudi oil refinery
© Reuters/Ahmed JadallahSaudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal.
If the US imposes sanctions on Saudi Arabia, it will "stab its own economy to death" the head of Al Arabiya said. Riyadh may become friends with Iran, trade its oil in yuan and invite the Russian military.

Saudi officials said they may retaliate against the US, if Washington delivers on a threat to impose sanctions over the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Turki Aldakhil, the General Manager of the Saudi international news network Al Arabiya, said Riyadh was considering some 30 moves that it may take in response to possible sanctions, and many of those he mentions seem pretty harsh.

In an op-ed published on Sunday, the insider said Saudi influence on the oil market alone puts it into position to badly hurt American interests. "If the price of oil reaching $80 angered President Trump, no one should rule out the price jumping to $100, or $200, or even double that figure," he wrote, adding that Riyadh may start pricing its crude in Chinese yuan rather than US dollar, dealing a blow to its status as a world reserve currency.

Comment: The US has a few leverage options regarding SA as well. And, surely there are secrets between them. So far, the blustery rhetoric on both sides amounts to premature posturing - given the absence of proof in the fate of Mr. Khashoggi.

More from Sputnik:
A number of states, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, have expressed serious concerns over the journalist's disappearance. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to "punish" Riyadh if it were proven to be behind the suspected killing.

However, a Saudi official source said in a statement distributed by Saudi Press Agency that Riyadh would retaliate to any sanctions imposed against it.

"The Kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures, or repeating false accusations. These will not undermine the Kingdom and its staunch positions and its stature at the Arab, Islamic and international level," the source said as quoted by Saudi Gazette.

The source also pointed out that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia "affirms that if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action."

"The Kingdom's economy has an influential and vital role in the global economy and its economy is affected only by the impact of the global economy," the source added.
See also:


Snakes in Suits

Trump to send Pompeo to meet Saudi King 'immediately' over missing journalist

Pompeo Trump
© Reuters/Kevin LamarqueSecretary of State Mike Pompeo • President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with King Salman of Saudi Arabia after the king denied having any knowledge about the disappearance of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a Monday morning tweet, Trump said that King Salman "denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened" to Khashoggi and that Riyadh is "working closely with Turkey" to find answers. Pompeo will "immediately" travel to meet the Saudi king, Trump wrote.

Trump had previously threatened Saudi Arabia with "severe punishment" if it was found to be involved in the disappearance and potential murder of the journalist - a threat which prompted the Saudi stock market to plunge.

Comment: Khashoggi mystery so far remains unsolved. Here's more on the latest developments:

More from RT 10/15/2018:
US President Donald Trump said he believes it is possible that "rogue killers" could be responsible for the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Speaking to journalists outside the White House on Monday about Khashoggi's disappearance, Trump said: "It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows?"

Offering the rogue killer theory, Trump cited King Salman of Saudi Arabia's "firm" denial that Riyadh had anything to do with the situation - despite the fact that Turkey claims to possess evidence proving the journalist was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

"[King Salman's] denial to me could not have been stronger," Trump told reporters. Asked by journalists whether he believes King Salman's denial, Trump said all he could do was "report what [the king] told me - and he told me in a very firm way that they had no knowledge of it. He said it very strongly."

Turkish diplomatic sources said on Monday that a joint Turkish-Saudi team was put together to search for Khashoggi after his disappearance.

Shortly after that, a group of around a dozen people made their way into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Al Jazeera reported. The broadcaster said it wasn't immediately clear if those who arrived were Turkish or Saudi representatives.
How would rogue killers have managed to invade the Saudi consulate and accomplish a murder within its confines, unless they were known entities?

More from Sputnik, 10/15/2018
Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that Turkish authorities could search the Consulate General building if necessary. Riyadh also affirmed "its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it", and promised to retaliate against any possible sanctions that might be imposed against the country.

According to the Saudi press agency, King Salman also discussed the Khashoggi case with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a telephone call.

The king thanked the Turkish president for welcoming the Saudi government's proposal to form a joint working group to probe the journalist's disappearance, and stressed that no one could undermine the relationship between Riyadh and Ankara.

"It is expected that a search will take place towards the evening," the source said, adding that the search will be conducted jointly with the Saudi authorities.
See also:


Arrow Down

Tehran denies reports of its Ankara embassy's bomb plot notice and evacuation

Iranian embassy
© Reuters/Umit BektasTurkish police stand outside the Iranian embassy in Ankara, 2016.
Tehran has denied reports that its embassy in Ankara was evacuated over a bomb-plot notice, Iran's media reports, citing the Foreign Ministry. Security was nevertheless stepped up, it added.

Earlier, Turkish news outlets said that local security discovered a notice on a potential bomb attack and that the Iranian ambassador was evacuated from the building. It was also said that the area near the site has been cordoned off. However, the information was later refuted by Iran's Foreign Ministry, Press TV reports.

Iranian official at the diplomatic mission also confirmed that all staff were present at the embassy and that it was open for consular activities, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency. An increased Turkish security presence has been noted around the embassy, however the Iranian official was unaware for their reasons for doing so.

Comment: Someone is capitalizing on the Khashoggi mystery to destabilize/put on edge - now two foreign consulates in Ankara. Cui Bono? Who would want to deflect attention from themselves due to recent events? Who haven't we heard from that might issue a veiled threat to Tehran?


Mr. Potato

Alec Baldwin calls on Democrats to 'overthrow' the Trump government

Alec Baldwin
© Reuters/Stephanie Keith
Saturday Night Live actor and relentless Trump critic Alec Baldwin has called on Democratic voters to "overthrow" the government of the United States at the ballot box.
"The way we implement change in America is through elections. We change governments here at home in an orderly and formal way," he told a Democratic Party fundraiser on Sunday. "In that orderly and formal way and lawful way, we need to overthrow the government of the United States under Donald Trump."
Baldwin went on to criticize the Trump administration's stance on gun control, immigration, and climate change. He also slammed Republicans for voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the face of uncorroborated sexual assault allegations earlier this month, calling the confirmation process "ugly."


Comment: It wasn't the Republicans who made it 'ugly'.


The veteran actor also spoke out in favor of the #MeToo movement, despite speaking out against the movement in recent months.

Baldwin reprised his role as President Trump on Saturday Night Live's latest episode, in which he mocked the president's Oval Office meeting with rapper Kanye West last Thursday.


Baldwin's portrayal of Trump has drawn criticism from Trump himself, who said that the role saved Baldwin's "dying mediocre career."

Vader

Was the April 14th US attack on Syria a war crime?

US bombing Syria april 14  2018

Introduction


Bombardment (or other military invasion) of a country that has not invaded nor threatened to invade the attacking country(s) is "aggression" under international law, and is the chief crime that the Nazis were hanged for at Nuremberg after World War II.

The US and its allies have routinely committed aggression, in places such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. A particular instance of it, to be discussed here, could be especially prosecutable, because the alleged 'cause' for the invasion could turn out to have been a provable lie, an intentional fabrication which had been concocted by the perpetrators so as to 'justify' their invasion. This particular instance was the US-and-allied bombing of Syria, by over a hundred missiles, on April 14th.

The concept here is "War of Aggression" in Wikipedia, whose article makes clear that certain types of invasions, such as in boundary-dispute cases, do not constitute a war-crime. That article cites a statement from the Nuremberg Tribunal: "To initiate a war of aggression ... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." Lying about the cause for invading is almost invariably an important part of that "accumulated evil." Hitler was infamous for doing it. Did the US do this on April 14th?

That Wikipedia article refers to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the standing body that possesses the authority to judge such cases. However, the US Government has refused to accept that Court's authority, and prefers instead to be forced to a military surrender as the earlier fascist powers were, before it will yield to any such court's authority. They know that that won't happen, so are brazen in what they now are doing. The US Government rejects international law (except as applied to other countries - especially ones that the US aristocracy wants to conquer, such as Syria, Russia, Iran, and China). Because the US Government has not surrendered, as the earlier Axis powers did in WW II (when the US was a democracy, instead of a dictatorship as it now is), it maintains its freedom to do what the Germans and the Japanese and the Italians did in WW II - to do such things: aggressions. Like the earlier fascists, the US and allied aristocracies invade and expect to win and thus to possess immunity from prosecution for their crimes. Of course, thus far, they have succeeded, even after the blatant lying that had 'justified' the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Comment: See also:


Attention

Venezuela: Maduro claims Trump administration wants to kill him

Maduro
© WikipediaVenezuelan President Nicholas Maduro
Socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the Trump administration on Thursday of seeking to assassinate him, as relations strain between the ideologically opposed nations.

Asked about Maduro's comments, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council said: "U.S. policy preference for a peaceful, orderly return to democracy in Venezuela remains unchanged."

Venezuela's opposition says Maduro lobs ludicrous accusations at enemies to deflect from his own incompetence. Almost 2 million Venezuelans have fled the ailing oil-rich nation since 2015, driven out by brutal food and medicine shortages, hyperinflation, and violent crime.

Washington has imposed sanctions on Venezuela, denouncing Maduro as a dictator who has quashed human rights and triggered an economic meltdown.

The White House accused Maduro's government on Wednesday of involvement in the death of a jailed Venezuelan politician whom authorities say killed himself but whom opposition parties say was murdered.

Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, said in a televised broadcast on Thursday night the United States had asked the government in neighbouring Colombia to kill him.

Comment: Though Washington has been meddling in Venezuela for many years, at this juncture, Maduro should be more concerned with his own paramilitary turning on him. See also:


Attention

EU leaders plan 'no deal' emergency Brexit summit for November

MayTusk
© Yahoo FinanceUK Prime Minister Theresa May • EU Council President Donald Tusk
EU leaders are preparing to hold an extraordinary "no deal" Brexit summit in November to deal with the potential consequences of the UK crashing out of the bloc should Theresa May fail to deliver decisive progress on the Irish border issue this week, the Guardian can reveal.

A special meeting of heads of state and government at which the EU had hoped to sign off on the Brexit negotiations next month may instead be turned into a emergency summit to discuss the bloc's response to a cliff-edge Brexit.

The plan is likely to pile further pressure on the British prime minister by illustrating the EU's seriousness about allowing the UK to crash out if the alternative were a deal that would undermine the integrity of the single market or prove unacceptable to the Republic of Ireland.

The European council president, Donald Tusk, told May last month that he needed to see "maximum progress" by this week's European council meeting of leaders on the issue of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Comment: Could it be May's last gasp? Strategy is not her forte. See also:


Pirates

Against deadline, Nusra Front states it is ready for deal with Russia and Turkey in Idlib

Idlib, Syria
© AFP/Mohamed al-BakourIdlib, Syria
Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, issued a statement saying they are ready to abide by terms of a deal offered by Moscow and Ankara, but claimed they won't give up their weapons.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also often referred to as the Nusra Front, has signaled it is ready to abide to a Russian-Turkish deal that aims to prevent the offensive operation in Idlib just one day before the deadline. Syria's main jihadist group said it made a decision after taking time for "consultation," according to a report by Reuters.

While not agreeing to the explicit terms of the deal, the group says it would seek to provide security for civilians in the area it controls and that it appreciated efforts to protect that area.
"We value the efforts of all those striving - at home and abroad - to protect the liberated area and prevent its invasion and the perpetration of massacres in it," the terror group said in its statement, published via social media. "But we warn at the same time against the trickery of the Russian occupier or having faith in its intentions," it added.
The statement also said Tahrir al-Sham "will not forget" the foreign fighters who came to assist it.

Another major militant force, the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front, announced its acceptance of the deal, Reuters reports.

Comment: See also: