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Iranian FM Zarif says no meetings planned with US at UNGA because 'Americans lack honesty'


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 12:28 UTC
Mohammad Javad Zarif
© Hector Retamal / AFP
Iran's foreign minister said he will not meet US officials at the UN General Assembly because they "lack honesty." The two nations are in a diplomatic row following the US' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and new sanctions.

"No, no such meeting is planned," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, when asked whether talks are planned with his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo or other US officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

"About the recent offer by Trump, our official position has been announced both by the president [Rouhani] and myself. The Americans lack honesty," Zarif was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

Comment: With the EU refusing to follow Washington's dictate over Iran, the world might be witnessing a waning superpower: Latest US sanctions suggest a declining world superpower

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Bad Guys

Eva Bartlett: Decision to bring White Helmets to Canada 'dangerous and criminal'


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 12:17 UTC
White Helmets
© Alaa Faqir / Reuters
Did Canadians get to vote on whether or not to bring potential terrorists or supporters of terrorists to Canada? No. Will Canadians get a say in where these potentially dangerous men will be settled? Highly unlikely.

Ninety-eight members of the White Helmets, and a few hundred of their families, were evacuated by Israel and allies to Jordan late in evening of July 21. They will seemingly be shipped off to a few Western nations for resettlement: Canada, the UK, and Germany. So far, Canada has pledged to take 50 White Helmets and around 200 family members.

Wrongly dubbed the "Syrian Civil Defense" (the actual Syrian Civil Defense has existed since 1953), the White Helmets narrative is flawed in every conceivable manner.

Comment: Also see: Terrorism, Immigration and Racism in Canada: The Backlash has Begun

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Doberman

Trump is not in control of administration and latest sanctions against Russia show it

F. Michael Maloof
RT
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 12:06 UTC
White house
© Fotolia/ Steve Heap
US President Donald Trump is not in control of his own administration, as evidenced by the latest round of sanctions imposed against Russia for the alleged involvement in the poisoning of the Skripals in the UK in March.

The sanctions came the same day that US Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced on a trip to Moscow that he had handed over a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin from Trump calling for better relations between the two countries.

For that reason, the timing appears to be suspect, suggesting strongly that Trump has his own foreign policy while the Trump administration, comprised mainly of bureaucrats referred to as the Deep State, have their own. Right now, they appear to be in control, not President Trump, over his own administration, and it is having the adverse effect of further alienating Washington and Moscow.

The neocons, led by National Security Advisor John Bolton, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, comprise the Trump "war cabinet" ostensibly aimed at directing a harder line toward Syria, North Korea, Iran but also Russia.

Comment: Certainly, Trump is not in control of his own administration, which really works for the Deep State. But then, which US president ever was? See also:

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Stock Down

Operation Dollar Dump: Following sanctions Turkey looks for alternatives to US domination


Sputnik
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 11:30 UTC
turkish lira
© AFP 2018 / OZAN KOSE
The process of de-dollarization, which specifically stipulates scrapping the dollar as the world's reserve currency, continues to gain strength among the BRICS countries and in Iran. Turkey is also taking active steps in this direction, which indicates its desire to ditch the dollar, Turkish political analyst Can Selcuki told Sputnik.

Can Selcuki, director general of the Research Center for Economic and Foreign Policy Issues (EDAM) in Turkey, recalled that during a recent BRICS summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that if the West does not abandon its policy of pressuring Turkey, Ankara will use alternative measures, including the use of its national currency during trade transactions.

"However, it is hard to say with certainty how realistic this step will be. Despite the fact that significant volumes of products imported by Turkey are supplied by China, Germany and Russia, the prices for many types of imported goods are tied to the dollar," Selcuki said.

He explained that avoiding the dollar will only be possible if Ankara manages to implement the pricing of domestically-made products completely in local currency, an option which he said currently "looks unrealistic."

Comment: While times are looking tough for Turkey right now, alternatives to the dollar are strengthening all the time, whether it be gold, oil or goods based trade, and the US will likely regret its belligerent behavior: Also check out SOTT radio's:
Behind the Headlines: Trump Ditches Europe, Europe Bluffs, Russia and China Carry on With Eurasian Integration

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Dollar Gold

Canada's liberal image gets exposed as a sham by $11.5bn Saudi arms deal

Finian Cunningham
RT
Thu, 09 Aug 2018 18:00 UTC
Justin Trudeau
© Christinne Muschi / Reuters
A dramatic spat with Saudi Arabia has forced Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to enter the public fray in a bid to calm tempers. But what's bothering Canada is the possible loss of a major Saudi arms contract.

The row erupted last weekend when Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a stern rebuke to Saudi Arabia over the arrest of women's rights activists in the oil-rich kingdom. One of those arrested, Samar Badawi, has family connections to Canadian citizens.

The Saudis hit back immediately with a fierce response. Riyadh said it was expelling the Canadian ambassador, and recalled its own envoy from Ottawa. Saudi Arabia also warned it was cancelling all new trade and investments in Canada.

Initially, Canada's Freeland refused to back down, saying on Monday that her country would "always stand up for human rights."

The Saudis then escalated the row by announcing new restrictive measures. Riyadh said it was suspending the state airline's flights to and from Toronto, as well as cancelling imports of Canadian barley and wheat, and recalling thousands of Saudi students, trainee doctors and patients who have been hosted as guests in the country.

Comment: See also:

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Rocket

Syrian defenses down Israeli drone near Damascus


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 09:30 UTC
Damascus, Syria
© Damascus, Syria AFPDamascus, Syria
Syrian air defenses have engaged an incoming "hostile target" in the airspace west of the nation's capital, SANA news reports.

According to the report, the intrusion was detected above the area of Deir al-Asha'ir in the Damascus countryside just after midnight. There are no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

After its detection to the west of Damascus, the enemy target was "destroyed," SANA's report noted, hinting that Tel Aviv could be behind the attack. However, the origin of the "hostile target" has not been yet identified.


Comment: Earlier tonight, the Syrian military spotted an alleged Israeli drone above the western countryside of Damascus, prompting their air defenses to activate and target the unmanned aerial vehicle.
According to a military source, the drone was flying over the Deir Al-Asha'ir area of western Damascus before it was finally spotted and downed by their air defenses

The Syrian military said their radars tracked the drone and believe it was an Israeli UAV that was conducting a reconnaissance mission above the western countryside of Damascus.

Comment: See also: Russian air defense downs another hostile drone approaching Khmeimim air base in Syria

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Sheriff

United Nations calls for investigation into Saudi air strike on Yemen bus that killed over 50 civilians


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 01:05 UTC
Saudi jets
© Faisal Al Nasser / ReutersF-15SA fighter jets of the Saudi Royal Air Force.
The United Nations Security Council believes a credible and transparent probe is needed into a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a bus in Yemen, in which dozens of children were killed, according to the British envoy to the UN.

"They expressed their grave concern at these, and all other recent attacks in Yemen. They called for a credible and transparent investigation," Karen Pierce, council president for August, said after a senior UN official briefed the 15-member council on the strike.

The strike, in a busy market area in northern Saada, an area controlled by Houthi rebels fighting against the Saudi-led military intervention that started in 2015, has claimed the lives of over 50 civilians, many of them children between 10 and 13 years old, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Comment: The bonds between Saudi Arabia and the West seem to be growing quite weak, and the power dynamics are clearly shifting in a number of ways. See also: AP lets the cat out of the bag: Saudi-led coalition 'victories' achieved by colluding with and hiring Al-Qaeda in Yemen

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Gold Coins

UK military industrial cartel and Tory government profit handsomely from genocide in Yemen

Vanessa Beeley
21st Century Wire
Wed, 08 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
six-year-old boy Yemen
© ReutersA six-year-old boy is held by his mother at a malnutrition intensive care unit at a hospital in Hodaida, Yemen.
Yemen is hemorrhaging. After more than three years of a brutal and genocidal war waged by a U.S/U.K-armed Saudi Coalition against 27 million Yemenis, life in Yemen has been reduced to a diseased, starving, mutilated and preyed upon nation that is still resisting some of the world's most powerful nations in their attempts to drive Yemenis to their knees.

In May 2018, Sir Roger Carr, chairman of BAE, gave a speech to shareholders at the BAE AGM. "There is no doubt that 2017 was a successful year as reflected in our sales, profits and cash flow, which, I am pleased to say, has supported an increase in your dividend for the year to 21.8pence per share."

Shareholders in arms production benefit from bloodshed globally. The deaths of Yemeni children pay "healthy" dividends. In 2015 the UK exported £ 2.94 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia over a period of 9 months. The illegal aggression against Yemen began in March 2015. BAE jumped at the opportunity to reap a harvest from the murder of Yemeni civilians. According to Amnesty International:

"They (UK) recently diverted a batch of 500-pound 'Paveway IV' bombs to Saudi Arabia. These bombs are used by Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets, both of which are manufactured and supplied to Saudi Arabia by the UK arms company BAE Systems."

In May 2018 Carr said "our customers are our lifeblood" while those customers shed blood globally. Saudi Arabia is crucial to BAE's success in the arms industry and is its third largest market sector after the U.S and U.K.

Comment: The Saudi/US/UK-led war in Yemen is ugly and despicable in several different ways:

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Vader

Best of the Web: Blood-spattered children & broken bodies: Disturbing video reveals bus attack horror in Yemen


RT
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 19:56 UTC
yemen bus attack
© ReutersA doctor treats children injured by an airstrike in Saada, Yemen, August 9
A shocking video of small children - dazed and covered in blood - has revealed the grim truth of Thursday's bus attack in northern Yemen which left 50 people dead.

The bus was in the Dahyan Market in northern Saada, a Houthi rebel stronghold, when it was attacked on Thursday morning. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the attack shortly afterwards, as it was inundated with injured children - many aged under 10 years.

A Ruptly crew has filmed the injured in hospital.

WARNING: Following video contains disturbing images.
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Doberman

Best of the Web: Banning users & throttling posts: Facebook leans on NATO think-tank to 'sort out the Russian bots'


RT
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 19:27 UTC
nato facebook
Under tremendous pressure from politicians and mainstream media, Facebook and other social networks have turned to purging content, viewpoints and even users that the powers-that-be have declared objectionable.

Still angry over the 2016 US presidential election, Democrats blame social media for giving President Donald Trump and his supporters a voice and claim the likes of Facebook and Twitter have served as platforms for "Russians" to "influence" US public opinion - against Hillary Clinton, that is.

Repeatedly told to sort out the "Russians," Facebook, Twitter and Google have turned to throttling posts, suspending and even banning some users. First it was the "suspected Russian" accounts, based among other things on whether they were posting in Cyrillic. Then they demonetized, throttled and flagged accounts of Trump supporters such as Diamond and Silk. Last week, Facebook, Google, Spotify and several other platforms deleted the accounts of Alex Jones and InfoWars. Who is next?
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