Puppet MastersS


Newspaper

Zakharova tells CNN to man up and apologize for the 'Aleppo Boy' hoax


Sputnik
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 19:42 UTC
Omran Daqneesh
© AFP 2017/ George OURFALIAN
Russian Foreign Ministry called upon CNN to apologize for manipulating public opinion by using the image of Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh and to publish a retraction.

The name of Omran Daqneesh became known to the world in August 2016 when some media outlets began circulating footage of a five-year old Syrian child apparently injured in alleged Russian Air Force strike on the rebel-held al-Qaterji neighborhood of Aleppo.

CNN host Christiane Amanpour even presented a photograph of Daqneesh during her October interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying that it illustrated "a crime against humanity."
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Bad Guys

Russian ambassador doubts U.S. will ever give up meddling in Russian politics


TASS
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 19:41 UTC
Donald Trump (left) meets with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak
Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak has concluded that Washington will "hardly give up on" attempts to influence Russia's domestic political life, he stated in his conversation with a TASS reporter regarding the results of his nine-year stint in Washington that ends in July.
The Russian presidential election will be held in 2018. Kislyak answered a question on whether there was any information on US meddling in Russian politics saying, "They've tried to meddle and it is highly unlikely that they will abandon it."

The envoy cited US legislation as evidence. "It directly stipulates for the Secretary of State to 'develop' the democratic administration, clarity, and so on in the Russian Federation," Kislyak stated. "The list is long and, by the way, includes 'disseminating broadcasts with the support of the United States,' and it has already been bankrolled," he added.
Political passions have been escalating in the US recently regarding Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election in 2016. The ambassador labelled this an "anti-Russian frenzy" in the interview. In this regard, the Russian administration has reiterated many times that Washington was blatantly trying to influence the political lives of other countries across the world.

Comment: What is it with Russians and always making more sense than their American counterparts?

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Propaganda

Undeniable: The Russian hacking pattern


Moon of Alabama
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 19:21 UTC
cheney wmd cartoon
© Jeff Darcy, Cleveland.com
A wide review of news sources finds an undeniable patter of international "Russian hacking" claims:
  • Many, if not all such accusations, are based on say-so by some anonymous "official" or self-promoting "expert".
  • Many, if not all such accusations, are rebutted within a few days or weeks.
  • News about any alleged "Russian hacking" is widely distributed and easy to find.
  • News of the debunking of such claims is reported only sparsely (if at all) and more difficult to retrieve.
Examples:
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Arrow Down

US Intelligence Hearings blame Russia for cyber-hacking without evidence

Gareth Porter
Consortium News
Sun, 02 Jul 2017 16:27 UTC
data information computer hacking cybersecurity
© Global Look Press via ZUMA Press
Recent hearings by the Senate and House Intelligence Committees reflected the rising tide of Russian-election-hacking hysteria and contributed further to it. Both Democrats and Republicans on the two committees appeared to share the alarmist assumptions about Russian hacking, and the officials who testified did nothing to discourage the politicians.

On June 21, Samuel Liles, acting director of the Intelligence and Analysis Office's Cyber Division at the Department of Homeland Security, and Jeanette Manfra, acting deputy under secretary for cyber-security and communications, provided the main story line for the day in testimony before the Senate committee — that efforts to hack into election databases had been found in 21 states.

Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and FBI counter-intelligence chief Bill Priestap also endorsed the narrative of Russian government responsibility for the intrusions on voter registration databases.

But none of those who testified offered any evidence to support this suspicion nor were they pushed to do so. And beneath the seemingly unanimous embrace of that narrative lies a very different story.
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Network

Hackers behind 'NotPetya' ransomware demand $260,000 in exchange for key to decrypt data affected by attack


RT
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 10:25 UTC
ransomware
© Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
The alleged hackers behind a ransomware attack that crippled computer systems across the globe last month have surfaced online, demanding over $260,000 in exchange for a private key that they claim can decrypt any data affected by the attack.

The post appeared on the Tor-only announcement service DeepPaste, demanding 100 bitcoins (roughly $262,000). It's the first statement since last month's attack and contained a file signed with their private key, described by Motherboard as "strong evidence" that it came from those responsible.

The ransomware used in the attack was a variant of a virus known as Petya, earning the group the name, 'NotPetya.'

Comment: See also:

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Books

Qatar will 'open books' to German intel in effort to clear up Arab states' accusations


RT
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 17:48 UTC
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani
© Naseem Zeitoon / ReutersQatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani walks with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel following a joint news conference in Doha, July 4, 2017.
Qatar has promised to provide almost unlimited access to Germany's secret services, which will help Doha to clear up accusations of terrorist support by its Arab neighbors, the German foreign minister said.
"Yesterday, we arranged that the Qataris would meet our secret services... open all the books and show them when we have questions about certain people or structures," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk public radio Thursday, upon returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Kuwait - the mediator in the ongoing dispute between the two countries.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar early in June, accusing it of supporting and financing terrorism, namely Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist groups.
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Binoculars

Optics, or sabotage? Trump aides want anti-Russian hawk in Trump-Putin meeting

Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng
The Daily Beast
Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:11 UTC
putin fiona hill trump
The White House's best-known Russia hawk is already in Germany, in advance of Donald Trump's high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the G-20 summit. But whether Fiona Hill will be allowed in the room when the two presidents get together is still very much an open question.

According to two White House aides, senior Trump administration officials have pressed for Hill—the National Security Council's senior director for Europe and Russia and the author of critical psychological biography of Putin—to be in the room during the president's highly anticipated meeting with Putin.

If Hill is there, these officials believe, it will help the White House avoid the perception that the president is too eager to cozy up to the Kremlin. The hope is to avoid a repeat of Trump's last meeting with top Russian officials, during which he disclosed classified intelligence to two of the country's top diplomats—and was pictured by Russian state media looking particularly friendly with them.
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Crusader

Article by Vladimir Putin published in the German business newspaper Handelsblatt

Vladimir Putin
kremlin.ru
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:26 UTC
Vladimir Putin
© Forbes
Ahead of my trip to Germany to take part in the Summit of the Group of Twenty, I would like to share some thoughts about cooperation within the G20 framework with the readers of Handelsblatt, one of the most popular and reputable German newspapers.

Over the years of its existence, the Group of Twenty has established itself as an important mechanism for aligning the interests and positions of the world's leading economies. By taking coordinated action, the G20 contributed to the adoption of necessary measures that not only helped overcome the financial and economic crisis, but also laid the foundation for improving global governance, which has found itself in dire straits for a number of reasons. Importantly, by working together we have been able to find solutions to a number of long-standing issues.
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Radar

US and Vietnamese navies kick off joint exercises in S. China Sea amid tensions with China


RT
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:16 UTC
USS Coronado
© Roslan Rahman / AFPUSS Coronado
The Vietnamese and American navies have begun their eighth annual Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) in the coastal Khanh Hoa Province, days after a US vessel sailed past a disputed island in the South China Sea.

The NEA officially began on Wednesday when the USS Coronado and USNS Salvor ships docked at Cam Ranh International Port. Over the course of five days, crews from the two countries will practice diving, salvage, ship handling, medical evacuations, and the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).

Ashore, skill exchanges will be held focusing on shipboard damage control, shipboard medicine, and law. According to an official press release, there will also be "formal office calls, band concerts, community relations events, and team sports."
"The United States values our comprehensive partnership with Vietnam and we look forward to deepening our relationship and people-to-people ties through engagements like NEA," Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson said in a statement. "By working and interacting together regularly we foster meaningful relationships and trust between our nations that contribute to the peace and prosperity of the region."
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Info

Pentagon will delay Afghanistan troop death announcements


RT
Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:09 UTC
US soldiers loading in Kunduz, Afghanistan
© Brian Harris / Global Look Press
Deaths of US troops in Afghanistan will no longer be reported right away, but after a delay intended to inform their next of kin first. The new policy was enacted by the US commander in the country, according to several media outlets.

The change was not officially announced, but rather inferred from this week's statement about the death of Private First Class Hansen B. Kirkpatrick, 19, of Wasilla, Alaska. Kirkpatrick died from injuries he suffered in a July 3 attack in Afghanistan's Helmand province, but the Pentagon did not make that public until July 5.

Previously, US forces in Afghanistan would announce the soldiers' deaths in a brief statement, and release more details - such as the service member's name, age, rank, and unit - 24 hours after notifying their next of kin.
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