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War Crimes in Yemen: Human Rights Watch blasts US/Saudi airstrike of Yemen funeral that killed at least 110


RT
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 07:39 UTC
yemen destruction
© Mohammed Huwais / AFPA Yemeni inspects the rubble of a destroyed building following an air strike on a funeral ceremony in the capital Sanaa on October 8, 2016
Human Rights Watch has accused the Saudi-led coalition of war crimes following an airstrike on a funeral in Yemen, which left at least 110 dead and over 600 wounded. The watchdog has also lambasted the US and the UK for supplying weapons to the Saudis.

On October 8, at least two air-dropped munitions penetrated the roof of a hall containing over 1,000 mourners, killing at least 110 people and wounding 610 during the funeral ceremony of Ali al-Rawishan, the father of the Sana'a-based administration's interior minister, Jalal al-Rawishan.

"A Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrike on a crowded funeral ceremony in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on October 8, 2016, is an apparent war crime," Human Rights Watch said, calling the strike "unlawfully disproportionate."

After interviewing survivors of the tragedy and examining information relating to the strike, the HRW concluded that Saudi strike was a deliberate action - first of all, because the funeral service, which was attended by over 1,000 mourners, has been made public ahead of time via a Facebook post.

"Serious violations of the laws of war committed willfully - that is, intentionally or recklessly - are war crimes. The date and place of the funeral ceremony was announced on Jalal al-Rawishan's Facebook page on October 7, and would have been publicly available," HRW said.
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Bad Guys

Assad: Washington playing Syria terrorism card as primary tool to imposing global hegemony


RT
Fri, 14 Oct 2016 10:15 UTC
Terrorist
© Mohamad Bayoush / Reuters
The conflict in Syria is part of Washington's prime goal to impose global hegemony, President Bashar Assad told a Russian newspaper. Terrorists in Syria, he said, are being used by the US and its Gulf allies to assert control over the region, primarily to weaken Iran.

Stating that the West and especially the United States never stopped the Cold War mentality in pursuit of world dominance, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Assad said that global tensions, especially when it comes Syria, are escalating into World War III.

"The whole issue is about keeping the hegemony of the Americans around the world, not allowing anyone to be a partner on the political or international arena, whether Russia or even their allies in the West,"Assad said in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Comment: President Bashar al-Assad's interview given to Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper



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Bad Guys

It was inevitable: West now going full guns for ban on Russian media

Finian Cunningham
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00 UTC
bigbro
It would be monumental, but Western states seem to be moving, ineluctably, towards banning Russian news media channels from satellite platforms and the internet. That outcome - albeit with enormous ethical and political implications - seems to be a logical conclusion of the increasingly frenzied transatlantic campaign to demonize Russia.

Washington, London and Paris appear to be coordinating an unprecedented media onslaught that is vilifying Russia for almost every conceivable malfeasance, from alleged war crimes in Syria to threatening the security of Europe, to shooting down civilian airliners, to subverting American presidential elections. And that's only a sample.

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson declared this week that Russia is in danger of becoming a «pariah state». Ironically, that fate has less to do with Russia's actual conduct and more to do with the desired objective driving Western policy towards Moscow - to isolate and portray Russia as an international reprobate.

If Russia can be sufficiently demonized in the eyes of the Western public by their governments, then the political context is created for drastic measures, which would otherwise be seen as unacceptable infringements of democratic rights. Measures that go way beyond economic sanctions and into the realm of media censorship. How weird is that? The «free world» which deplores «Russian authoritarianism» moving towards media censorship and policing what it deems as «thought-crime».

Comment: Someone, someday, looking back at this time and place may write something like: In the pathological world of Western so-called civilization, at the beginning of the 21st century, it was decided by those 'in control' that they could not afford to have the significant truths about our reality heard or known; the truth could simply not be allowed to live.

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Chess

SNP leader: Scotland will demand independence from UK in case of 'hard Brexit'


RT
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 11:07 UTC
Nicola Sturgeon
© ReutersScotland's first Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Scotland will push for a second independence referendum if Tory Prime Minister Theresa May follows through with plans to take the UK out of the single market in a 'hard Brexit,' Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon has signaled.

Speaking at the SNP's three-day annual conference, Sturgeon argued the Tories have no democratic mandate for a 'hard Brexit,' which would see a severe crackdown on EU immigration and a departure from the single market.

On Friday, delegates are expected to support a resolution calling for a second referendum on Scottish independence to be held before 2019 if no viable solution can be found allowing Scotland to retain EU membership while still part of the UK. In her opening remarks at the conference, Sturgeon confirmed that the Referendum Bill would be published for consultation next week.

The SNP leader and Scottish first minister also condemned the right wing of the Conservative Party for "hijacking" the UK's exit plan from the European Union.
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Bad Guys

Jabhat al-Nusra 'forcefully' enrolls Aleppo teens


RT
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:49 UTC
Terrorists in Aleppo
© Hosam Katan / Reuters
Terrorists in Aleppo are 'forcefully' enrolling 14-year-old conscripts amid a lack of reinforcements in the city's east, according to Russia's General Staff.

During a press briefing, the chief of the main operations department of Russia's General Staff, Sergey Rudskoy, said that terrorists in the war-ravaged city have started a new wave of mobilization, which includes teenagers.

"The leaders of militant groups continue to hide behind inexperienced fighters launching a new wave of mobilization in east Aleppo and enroll teenagers at the age of 14 years," Rudskoy said.
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Info

Imperialist ambitions? Japan to expand African military base to counter Chinese influence


RT
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:37 UTC
Soldiers of Japan's Self Defence
© Force Nobuhiro Kubo / Reuters
Japan is seeking to expand its military base in Djibouti, east Africa, in response to Chinese influence in the region.

Speaking to Reuters, government sources have confirmed that they are asking permission from the local authorities to expand the territory of a base used by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF).

"In addition to the land Japan has borrowed, it is considering leasing the neighboring land to its east," an official told Reuters. "Japan is now in negotiations with Djibouti government."

The 30-acre facility, located next to the US Camp Lemonnier base, is the SDF's first outside of Japan and was established in 2011 to help monitor piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia. Manned by a force of 180 troops, the base has also played host to a number of exercises, including joint drills with the Americans. The expansion of the base will be justified by the need to have takeoff and landing sites for aircraft in order to evacuate Japanese citizens in case of a regional emergency.

Comment: Japan was probably also urged on by the US.

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Info

Smear campaign: West groundlessly accuses Russia of indiscriminate bombing of Aleppo


Sputnik
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:23 UTC
Russian Sukhoi SU-24 fighter bomber
© Sputnik/ Dmitriy Vinogradov
Western countries have launched a smear campaign against the Russian Aerospace Forces accusing them without any evidence of indiscriminately bombing the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Russian General Staff said Thursday.

"I would like to underscore that the Russian aviation carries out single pinpoint strikes on targets outside Aleppo and outside residential areas. Those targets are verified in advance. We do not strike weddings and funeral trains," the chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate said.

Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy explained that the use of Russian Su-24 bombers equipped with the Strelets target acquisition and designation system provides for an almost 100-percent efficiency of airstrikes. "The use of Strelets complexes allows the Su-24M attack aircraft to hit the targets with almost a 100-percent precision," the general stressed.

Comment: On the other hand there is plenty of evidence of the West's indiscriminate bombings all over the place and supporting other countries that do the same.

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Info

Former Turkish deputy head of intelligence says Ankara 'reconsidering its policy on Syria'


Sputnik
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:08 UTC
Turkey Bosphorus Bridge and Turkish flag
© Flickr/ KLMircea
In an interview with Sputnik, İsmail Hakkı Pekin, the former deputy head of intelligence at the Turkish General Staff, said that Ankara was now changing its policy regarding Syria.

"I think that it won't be long before Turkey stops listening to Washington and starts working closer with Russia and establishing contacts with Damascus to end the war in Syria and from this point of view President Putin's visit to Ankara will signal a very important change in our policy in Syria," İsmail Hakkı Pekin said.

Mentioning a recent interview by Bashar Assad where the Syrian president talked about the possibility of engaging in direct talks with Turkey, he said it was a good sign of Ankara being "ready to reconsider its policy in Syria."

"Ankara should coordinate its actions with Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq. The US wants to carve up Syria and if Ankara keeps toeing Washington's line, this could eventually lead to the breakup of Turkey itself, which is something neither the West nor Russia would like to happen," he continued.

Comment: For another view of this situation with Turkey: Turkey-Iraq tensions on the rise as battle for Mosul inches closer

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Info

UN debate: Pakistan threat to world peace and India has 'military domination' ambitions


Sputnik
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 20:48 UTC
Indian army soldiers
© AP Photo/ Channi Anand
The Indian envoy to the UN, Venkatesh Verma, pointedly brought up the nuclear-weapon agenda of Pakistan on Monday after Islamabad again raised the issue of the ongoing Kashmir border conflict during a UN First Committee meeting.

The United Nations debate on Disarmament and International Security Agenda took place amid escalating tensions between the two bordering nations. During the debate, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Tehmina Janjua, accused India of "hegemonic policies" and "military domination" ambitions.

Comment: Neither India nor Pakistan have signed the nuclear treaties. The poor relations between India and Pakistan is further exasperated by India snubbing Pakistan's peaceful efforts. But both countries should beware of US intentions: India's geopolitical hate for Pakistan is being used by the US to sabotage the North-South Transport Corridor

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Cult

US vassal state Germany approves first steps in trade deal with Canada, precursor to horrendous TTIP


RT
Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:08 UTC
ceta
© Eric Vidal / Reuters
The German Constitutional Court has cleared the government to approve a trade treaty between Canada and Europe, rejecting a legal challenge from opponents who called it undemocratic.

Opponents object to parts of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will be implemented before all national parliaments in the EU have voted on it.

Germany is now clear to vote on CETA next week, which will need unanimous support from all 28 members of the bloc. If approved, it can be signed on October 27.

Campaigners against CETA, including rights groups Campact, Foodwatch and More Democracy have collected almost 200,000 signatures from Germans to protest the trade pact. The fear is that CETA will violate workers' rights and the agreement serves the interests of the wealthy elite.

Comment: This all spells bad news for Germany and most of Europe - effectively shackling themselves to elite corporate agendas - unless smarter and braver heads prevail. See:

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