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Duterte government denies report alleging police responsible for most drug killings


RT
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:52 UTC
philippines police drugs
© Damir Sagolj / Reuters Philippines police officer
A report into the bloody 'war on drugs' in the Philippines said most of the thousands of people killed in the violence were police executions, not vigilante hits. The government said the sources behind it were "living [out] movie scenes."

The 26-page report was prepared in January by a former intelligence officer, who said he interviewed 12 serving and five retired officers for it, according to the South China Morning Post. The newspaper said it reviewed a copy of the report, the existence of which was revealed on Tuesday by Reuters.

Neither outlet published the entire report, but the news agency provided its first page and said only half of it was detailing the alleged police violations and the other one accused Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the driving force behind the war on drugs, of ties with Communists, which has political ramifications in the country.

Comment: There are many reasons the West would be interested in undermining Duterte's government: Duterte's campaign to rid his country of the scourge of drug abuse is not just about going after the dealers:

Philippines to open "mega" rehab center with Chinese financier

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Attention

Lavrov: OPCW's block of on-site probe shows Western powers now aiming to oust Assad


RT
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:38 UTC
Sergei Lavrov
© Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
The attempt by Western countries to derail Russia's fact-finding initiative in Syria to examine the site of the chemical incident in Idlib province exposes their aim to topple the Syrian government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"I believe that it's a very serious situation, because now it's obvious that false information about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government is being used to move away from implementing Resolution 2254, which stipulates a political settlement with the participation of all the Syrian parties, and aims to switch to the long-cherished idea of regime change," Lavrov said, speaking at a press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Astana.

Comment: Why is the US media ignoring all dissenting expert voices on the Khan Sheikhoun attack?

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Cult

Trump embraces the 10 Commandments of the deep state

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:40 UTC
trump as moses
© Rob Miller
Donald Trump now acts with all the zeal of a fresh convert to an extremist ideology.

Many have observed the phenomenon that converts to any cause, faith or way of life, often practice it with more zeal than those born into a situation, faith or lifestyle.

Take for example the danger of those who convert to Wahhabism vis-a-vis those born into a restrictive system who often relax their strict habits over time.

Consider also those who 'convert' to capitalism. Many in the late Soviet Union grew sceptical about their form of government and were led to believe that if they embraced capitalism in its most extreme form, they would soon live like people in the west where the streets were paved in gold and every man drove a Mercedes-Benz.

Then, many Russia saw that western cities were filled with crime, unemployment and moral depravity; not all that glittered was gold.
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Question

Why is the US media ignoring all dissenting expert voices on the Khan Sheikhoun attack?

Danielle Ryan
RT
Thu, 20 Apr 2017 14:19 UTC
Gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017
© Ammar Abdullah / ReutersGas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017.
Nothing prompts abdication of journalistic responsibility on American TV more swiftly than "beautiful" images of bombs crashing down on Syria.

It must be assumed that while busy fawning over Donald Trump's various military escapades, journalists simply haven't had the time to give dissenting voices an opportunity to be heard.

Because when it comes to airing opinions on Trump's bombing of a Syrian airbase two weeks ago, in response to an alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, it seems that only experts who agree with the White House may apply.

This is a highly ironic turn of events because before Trump learned the dangerous lesson that bombing was the key to unlocking his popularity among both liberals and conservatives, the media was jumping at any opportunity to make him look like a buffoon who should be impeached and thrown out of office.
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Radar

Turkey in 'final stage' of buying Russian S-400 anti-missile system


RT
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 14:13 UTC
Russia's advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system
© Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Turkey's talks with Russia to purchase the advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system have reached the final stage, the country's defense minister said. He added that other NATO nations have not offered Turkey a viable alternative to the Russian system.

"It is clear that Turkey needs a missile defense system but NATO member countries have not presented an offer which is financially effective," Fikri Isik told a news conference on Friday.

"Work on the S-400 has reached a final point," he added. "But the final stage does not mean 'let's sign a deal tomorrow morning.'"
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Snakes in Suits

Vulture oil companies exploiting famine and financial ruin in South Sudan

Zainab Calcuttawala
Oilprice.com
Thu, 20 Apr 2017 13:08 UTC
South Sudan family
© James Akena / Reuters
South Sudan's vulnerable financial state is making the civil-war-torn state easy prey for opportunistic oil and gas companies that could be offering Juba a fraction of the energy profits they would earn under stable circumstances.

The South Sudanese government and three humanitarian agencies declared a famine in some parts of the country in February, while the newly independent nation is desperately trying to bring its oil back online. A string of deals signed by President Salva Kiir over the past four months has demonstrated the country's desperation for fresh streams of revenue as the civil war now approaches its four-year anniversary.

"The government is working hard to reinvigorate the petroleum industry in South Sudan by creating an enabling environment for international oil and gas companies to invest and operate," according to Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lul Gatkuoth. "It is up to the oil companies to come in, explore and produce. Partnership is what fuels the oil industry."
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Chess

What's Theresa May's 'Snap Election' Really About?

Neil Clark
Sputnik
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:57 UTC
Theresa May protest Brexit
© REUTERS/ Peter Nicholls
Speaking outside Downing St. on April 18, Prime Minister Theresa May said that it was parliamentary opposition to Brexit which lay behind her surprise decision to seek a snap UK general election for Thursday, June 8.

"If we do not hold a general election now their (the opposition's) political game-playing will continue, and the negotiations with the European Union will reach their most difficult stage in the run-up to the next scheduled election," Mrs. May declared.
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Quenelle

ICC denies Venezuela opposition's 'torture case' claim


Venezuela Analysis
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:57 UTC
ICC building
© Jerry Lampen / Reuters
The International Criminal Court said Wednesday it had not accepted any case of alleged torture from members of the opposition in Venezuela, contrary to what the head of the National Assembly had claimed just a day earlier.

The president of Venezuela's opposition-majority National Assembly, Julio Borges, claimed Tuesday that state security forces had tortured two brothers who were taken into custody and forced them to accuse opposition leaders of illegal activities, specifically paying demonstrators to ensure violence escalated during anti-government marches.

Borges said the case had already been filed in the international court, but ICC sources dispelled the claim Wednesday.

Comment: Further reading:

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Bad Guys

Champs-Elysees attack: Timed to swing the French elections?

Ramin Mazaheri
The Saker
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 12:57 UTC
Champs Elysees Attack Paris Terror Attack France
On the night of April 21st I was in my office in Paris, just 100 meters from the Champs-Elysees, when I got a phone call from a fellow journalist telling me about the deadly attack on policemen there.

I was in the middle of working on my latest report on France's presidential election for Iran's Press TV.

When I got the call, I had just written this sentence - I was still mulling it over (lotta numbers for TV copy):
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Info

Tehran on Tillerson's Iran remarks: US should fulfill its end of nuclear deal


RT
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 13:01 UTC
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
© David Mdzinarishvili / ReutersIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Instead of repeating accusations against Iran, the US should fulfil its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in response to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments on the review of the lifting of sanctions.

In his letter to the Congress on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, acknowledged that Iran was compliant to the accord, but blasted the country as "the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism."

Tillerson claimed that Tehran has been fueling various military conflicts in the Middle East, undermining US interests in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.


Comment: Just hot air? Tillerson warns 'unchecked Iran' could follow path of North Korea

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