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Chess

Finian Cunningham: Enter the dragon: China's crucial role in winning peace in Syria

Finian Cunningham
RT
Thu, 24 May 2018 17:12 UTC
Chinese dragon
© China Stringer Network/Reuters
China is stepping up its involvement in Syria, not with its military, but with cash - and lots of it. For Beijing, war-torn Syria is a golden opportunity for reconstruction business. For Damascus, prosperity means peace.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem have shown through their cordial discussions that Beijing and Damascus are on the same page when it comes to envisaging the rebuilding of Syria through partnership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also recently backed the Russian-brokered peace talks held in Sochi and Astana. When Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an urgent shift to diplomatic efforts to stabilize Syria and the Middle East region, Beijing appears to have answered that call with ambitious reconstruction plans.

Firms from China are reportedly queuing up to win contracts for rebuilding entire towns and villages, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and communication networks devastated by nearly seven years of war.
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Question

Did Putin disappoint his most ardent supporters by re-appointing Medvedev?

The Saker
Russia Insider
Mon, 21 May 2018 12:06 UTC
Putin Medvedev
Quick summary: Putin re-appointed Medvedev, appointed Alexei Kudrin as Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of Russia and Vitalii Mutko as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of construction, he then hosted Bibi Netanyahu in the Kremlin while the latter bombed Syria right before, during and after Netanyahu's visit. Finally, there is the disgraceful zig-zag about the S-300 for Syria: first, yes we will do it, then, no we won't. All these events can, and should, be carefully analyzed and explained, but I don't think that it makes sense to deny that most people feel a sense of disappointment over it all (except, of course, the bright geniuses who will claim that they knew all along that Putin was "fake", but this is precisely the "Hollywood-thinking" types on whom any real analysis would be lost in the first place).

I would argue that even those who think that this is no big deal and that nothing terrible happened will not, if they are honest, deny that Putin must have known, without any doubt, that his decisions would be unpopular with the Russian public and that, very uncharacteristically for him, he deliberately chose to ignore his only public opinion and favor other considerations. That is something very new and, I think, something important.

Comment: Considering how things have been going for Russia with Putin at the helm, even with the "evil" Medvedev as PM, the Saker is calling into question a system that works. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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Info

Syrian army starts attacking Turkish military convoy as it illegally enters northern Latakia

Leith Aboufadel
Al Masdar News
Fri, 25 May 2018 19:35 UTC
Massive Turkish Army convoy heads to Syrian border
A large Turkish military convoy was seen entering the northern countryside of the Latakia Governorate this afternoon, which is a violation of the Astana agreement.

According to a military report from Latakia, the Turkish military entered the Jabal Al-Akrad region to establish a new observation post.

Turkey is not permitted to enter the Latakia Governorate and they had recently agreed to not enter the province during the Astana Peace Conference.

Comment: The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has begun attacking the northern countryside of the Latakia Governorate, following the entrance of the Turkish military into the Jabal Al-Akrad region.
According to a military source in Latakia, the Syrian Army fired several missiles towards the jihadist positions in Jabal Al-Tuffahiyah, scoring several direct hits in the process.

The Turkish military is still present in the Jabal Al-Akrad region, despite the Syrian Army's latest attack.


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Stock Up

Saving for a rainy day: High reserves & low debt make Russian economy strong in hard times - IMF


RT
Fri, 25 May 2018 15:21 UTC
Russian city
© Said Tsarnaev / Sputnik
The International Monetary Fund has revised its outlook for the Russian economy, and there is some good news for Moscow, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Russia has put in place an admirable macroeconomic framework-saving for a rainy day, letting the exchange rate float, introducing inflation targeting, and shoring up the banking system," she said.

"As a result, it was able to weather tough times well, and today it has virtually no fiscal deficit, a solid current account balance, and very little debt."
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Chess

On again...maybe: Trump summit with Kim Jon-un may take place on June 12


RT
Fri, 25 May 2018 15:08 UTC
Trump
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Less than 24 hours after canceling the much-anticipated summit with Kim Jong-un and getting back to who has more "massive" nukes talk, Donald Trump took a U-turn and tweeted about peace and prosperity for North Korea.

Trump was apparently touched by the new statement from North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, who said that Pyongyang was "still willing to resolve issues with the United States" and expressed hope that the nuclear summit could still be rescheduled.

"Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea," Trump tweeted. "We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!"


He later said that they are back talking to North Koreans, and the summit may even take place on June 12.

Comment: More of Trump's 'art of the deal' or game playing behind the scenes with deep state neocons...or some of both?

See also:

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TV

The real problems with the BBC's new Manchester bombing documentary

Keelan Balderson
WideShut.co.uk
Thu, 24 May 2018 16:44 UTC
Manchester bombing
© Reuters/ Jon Super
The BBC aired a documentary about the Manchester Arena attack this week entitled 'The Night of the Bomb.' It retells the emotional story through the eyes of survivors, police, and emergency responders, with added insight from other experts.

The piece has been strongly criticised by Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins on grounds that it used "explicit" content and implied that officers and their staff were held back from entering the arena. However, upon review, there wasn't any imagery that hasn't already been shown to the public before and very little of it could be considered gory. Furthermore, the claim that responders had been held back was levied at the ambulance and fire services, not the police - who were first on the scene and immediately entered and secured the foyer.

There are several reasons to be critical of the documentary or angered by the issues it raises, but Hopkins seems to be barking up the wrong tree.

CCTV Clarification

For the first time, an official has gone on record confirming that CCTV from within the foyer where the bombing occurred exists and was used to help identify alleged bomber Salman Abedi.

This was not shown during the broadcast.
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Blue Planet

Demented US foreign policy pushes Germany into mutually beneficial deals with China and Russia

Darius Shahtahmasebi
RT
Fri, 25 May 2018 12:21 UTC
China's President Xi Jinping (R) meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 24, 2018.
© Jason Lee / ReutersChina's President Xi Jinping (R) meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 24, 2018.
Germany has had enough of American foreign policy. Angela Merkel's visits to Russia and China are a testament to that.

On May 10, 2018, German Chancellor Angela Merkel openly said that Europe can no longer count on the United States to protect it, hinting that the European continent would begin to "take destiny into its own hands."

The comments were, of course, a direct reference to US President Donald Trump's ludicrous but anticipated decision to completely nuke the Iranian nuclear accord, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"It is no longer such that the United States simply protects us, but Europe must take its destiny in its own hands. That's the task of the future," Merkel reportedly said during a speech honoring French President Emmanuel Macron.

Comment: For more on the seemingly disintegrating Atlantic alliance, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Atlantic Trade War? How Trump Breaking Iran Deal Could Dismantle US Empire

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Alarm Clock

Vladimir Putin warns of systemic financial crisis the world 'has not yet seen'


RT
Fri, 25 May 2018 15:56 UTC
Chinese container ship
© Beck Diefenbach/ReutersA Chinese container ship docked at the Port of Oakland.
The global economy is facing a threat of a spiraling protectionist measures that can lead to a devastating crisis, Vladimir Putin warned. Nations must find a way to prevent this and establish rules on how the economy should work.

The Russian president spoke out against the growing trend of using unilateral restrictions to achieve economic advantage, as he addressed guests of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

"The system of multilateral cooperation, which took years to build, is no longer allowed to evolve. It is being broken in a very crude way. Breaking the rules is becoming the new rule," he said.
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Arrow Down

Putin: Trump canceled nuclear summit in spite of Kim 'doing everything he promised'; Russian dignitaries comment


RT
Thu, 24 May 2018 21:20 UTC
Putin
© UnknownRussian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin expressed regret that Donald Trump cancelled his summit with Kim Jong-un despite Pyongyang doing everything it was asked for, and expressing hope that the US-North Korea nuclear talks will take place eventually.

"Here, in Russia, we took this news with regret because we were very much anticipating a significant step to be taken to de-escalate the situation on the Korean Peninsula that would become the beginning of the process of denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula," Putin said after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "has done everything he previously promised; he even blew up the tunnels and mines at the [Punggye-ri nuclear] test site - and after that, we learned of the cancellation of the meeting by the US," he said.

"We hope that dialogue will be resumed... and this meeting will take place," the Russian leader added, saying that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will never be achieved without Trump and Kim sitting together. Putin also promised that Moscow and other international players "will be jointly working to bring the stances of the US and North Korea closer together."

Comment: Opportunity dissed and missed. Trump let the neocons tank the summit, destroy fledgling confidence, rob millions of people of peace and prosperity. And the big, new outcome...may be worse than ever. The Russians make good points...all of them.

See also:

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Target

US aims to bully the world into attacking Iran

Rania Khalek
RT
Wed, 23 May 2018 13:32 UTC
Missile fire Damascus
© Omar Sanadiki / ReutersMissile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria May 10, 2018.
America's conduct towards Iran demonstrates just how much of a bully the US government is, that anything short of bending 100 percent to America's agenda will eventually result in punishment and war.

Newly appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, known as an anti-Iran hawk, began the week by giving a frightening speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation, threatening Iran with the "strongest sanctions in history"' if it doesn't capitulate to US demands. The 12 "basic requirements" Pompeo laid out, which verge on the absurd, went far beyond requiring Iran to refrain from developing nuclear weapons, which it was already doing. Among the conditions were that Iran withdraws its forces and support from groups across the Middle East that the US doesn't like, including in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

That is never going to happen. Unlike the US, Iran is a part of the Middle East. It has every right to engage with its neighbors, certainly more of a right than the US, a country that is on the other side of the world yet constantly meddles in Middle Eastern affairs to secure its interests.

Comment: These airstrikes are meant to provoke Iran into retaliating against Israel to justify a war that no one really wants. Someone wants it...Israel.

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