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Yemen and the Saudi 'Game of Thrones'


Katehon
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 17:30 UTC
Prince Mohammed ibn Salman (Minister of Defense) and Crown Prince Mohammed Ibn Nayef Al Saud
Saudi Arabia has suffered a crushing defeat in Yemen. The conflict appears to be only unpromising for them. Houthis and troops loyal to ex-president Saleh firmly hold North Yemen and are conducting military operations in the province of Najran on Saudi territory. South Yemen is experiencing intermingled control by Saudi coalition troops, Arabian Peninsula al-Qaeda, ISIS, and southern Yemeni separatists. Recently, representatives of the Houthi movement announced the creation of a government which will include members of their own "Ansar Allah" party , the "General People's Congress" party of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as members of other parties and organizations. At the same time, similar attempts by the Saudis to set up some kind of interim government in Aden have completely collapsed. President Hadi, supported by the Saudis and their allies, and his government are based in Riyadh. In Najran in the border region with Yemen, Saudi Arabian local tribes have launched a rebellion against the official authorities.

Let us recall that 2015 was marked by the Saudi-led Arab coalition's full-scale invasion of Yemen. In addition to the Saudis, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan have participated in the war against Yemen. The latter only formally joined the coalition, but has no real involvement in the conflict. The main brunt of the war is borne by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
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Red Flag

Coverup? FBI files linking Killary to 'suicide' of White House counsel Vince Foster missing from National Archives

Ronald Kessler
Daily Mail
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 16:20 UTC
vince foster
FBI agents' reports of interviews documenting that Hillary Clinton's stinging humiliation of Vince Foster are missing from the National Archives
FBI agents' reports of interviews documenting that Hillary Clinton's stinging humiliation of her friend and mentor Vince Foster in front of White House aides triggered his suicide a week later are missing from where they should be filed at the National Archives, Daily Mail Online has learned exclusively.

On two separate occasions, this author visited the National Archives and Records Service in College Park, Md., to review the reports generated by FBI agents assigned to investigate the 1993 death of Bill Clinton's deputy White House counsel.

The FBI found that a week before Vince Foster's suicide, Hillary held a meeting at the White House with Foster and other top aides during which she berated the lawyer

On the first visit, archivist David Paynter provided the box of records that he said contained the FBI reports of interviews conducted by FBI agents on Foster's death.

On a second visit, archivist James Mathis provided what he said were those same documents.

While the box contained dozens of FBI reports concerning Foster's death - including interviews with the medical examiner, U.S. Park Police officers, and White House aides about the contents of Foster's office - the reports on Hillary Clinton's role in his death were absent.

Comment:

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Bizarro Earth

While the grown-ups work to resolve the Syrian crisis, the U.S. just creates more chaos

b
Moon of Alabama
Mon, 22 Aug 2016 16:45 UTC
assad akbar
© Vikas Swarup Twitter pageIndian Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar with President Bashar Al Assad.
Last week a Chinese admiral visited Damascus and promised support. The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs also passed by. The Turkish deputy intelligence chief was there for secret talks. Earlier the Turkish president visited Russia and the Turkish foreign minister visited Tehran. Those are a lot of talks between big and important countries and players in the conflict over Syria. None of them, not even Barzani, is in the U.S. camp.

I assume that this outbreak of diplomacy, which bypassed Washington, led to concern that the U.S. might be left out of a resolution in Syria. It had to play a card of its own. That is the most likely explanation for the sudden clashes in Hasakah where the Syrian Kurdish YPG is suddenly determined to kick out the Syrian army garrison that protects the Arab population there. U.S. special forces are "advising" these Kurds.
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Airplane

Deciphering the Russian 'withdrawal' from Hamadan, Iran: Not a withdrawal at all

Joaquin Flores
Fort Russ
Mon, 22 Aug 2016 16:29 UTC
hamadan
Is Russia withdrawing from the Hamadan air base in Iran? Today, a news piece made its rounds stating that Russia is officially downgrading its status at, or completely withdrawing its forces from, the Hamadan air base in Iran. It was just last week that Iran and Russia had announced this as a base which Russia could permanently use.

Official statements, especially in a time of war, always serve multiple purposes and contain data which is normally beyond the limited scope of the statement itself. Therefore, in light of the existing literature on 4GW (fourth generation warfare) and 'new media', we understand that the statement itself does not reflect the full scope of the reality in question. Based upon our assessment of both what seems strategically logical under the current circumstances, and in line with the precedent established by Russia in prior cases, it is beyond any doubt that what has been reported does not directly infer to the reality which it refers.

Comment: Looks like Flores is right:
Iran's Parliament Speaker Says Russia Continues To Use Iranian Base
RFE/RL, August 23, 2016

Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani says Russian warplanes are still using an Iranian military base to strike targets in Syria.

Larijani made the comment a day after an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Russia's use of an air base in Hamadan had ended "for now."

Speaking at a session of the parliament on August 23, Larijani suggested Russian bombers were still using the military base in Hamadan.

"It hasn't stopped," he said, adding that Tehran and Moscow were united in their "fight against terrorism."
...
"We haven't given a base in Hamadan to Russi. The taking off and landing has been for refueling," Larijani was quoted as saying by Iranian media.


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Snakes in Suits

Hillary responds to health allegations: 'I have to step into the alternative reality'

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 16:10 UTC
Hillary Clinton on ABC's
© ABC / Jimmy Kimmel Live
While Hillary Clinton continued her press conference radio silence, having avoided media Q&A for over 260 days, last night the Democratic candidate did appear on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel live show where she responded to recent reports that her health is deteriorating, saying she feels like she is in an "alternative universe" and laughed off any questions about her health and stamina, arguing that the current speculation "makes no sense" because she doesn't "go around questioning Donald Trump's health."

"I do feel sometimes like this campaign has entered into an alternative universe," she told Jimmy Kimmel Live. "I have to step into the alternative reality, answer questions about am I alive, how much longer will I be alive." Clinton was for the first time responding to allegations made by Trump and some of his backers that she is suffering health problems that could be problematic in the White House should she win the Nov. 8 election. Both Clinton and Trump have released notes from doctors declaring them physically fit for the presidency.

After Kimmel asked whether there was any truth to the rumors most recently raised by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Democratic nominee for president extended her wrist and told the late night host to take her pulse "to make sure I'm alive." Kimmel obliged, taking Clinton's pulse with his thumb and joking: "Oh my God, there's nothing there!" We assume that was a joke.

Comment: Trump's comments about Hillary's health and connections to the creation of ISIS aren't nearly as far-fetched and 'part of an alternative reality' as Clinton tries to make it out to be. Also, the fact that she addresses these questions on a late-night talk show with a comedian, away from a debate or critical questioning of her lengthy closet full of skeletons, just goes to show how pathetic the presidential race is.

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Chess

Iran: Turkey can now play a constructive role in fighting against terrorism in Syria


Sputnik
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 14:59 UTC
Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
© AFP 2016/ STR
Iranian-Turkish relations are of strategic nature and can be described as strategic cooperation despite existing differences, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, top adviser of the Iranian parliament speaker, told Sputnik.

"I would like to stress that our relations with Turkey are of strategic nature. For the past five years we have been making joint diplomatic efforts with Turkey to prevent differences about the future of Syria from influencing our strategic relations with Ankara... No party made steps that brought our differences on the Syrian issue on the fore and overshadowed our strategic cooperation," Amir-Abdollahian said. He added that "sincere and friendly dialogue" with Turkey had never stopped.

Amir-Abdollahian added that both countries had made a huge diplomatic work to iron out differences concerning the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Turkey may play a constructive role in fighting terrorism in Syria, Amir-Abdollahian said. "Now Turkey as one of the most important regional actors can play a constructive role in fighting terrorism in Syria and stabilizing the internal situation in that country," he stated.

Comment: The subtext behind Turkey being realized as a genuine partner in fighting against terrorism is that it is pushing out the corrupt 5th column within Turkey that has been driving terror in Syria. Now that the US has failed in that mission, it appears they are insistent on quite insane measures to protecting their 'assets'.

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Info

Controlling a former colony from afar? Supporters of British-based extremist storm and ransack Pakistani TV channel


RT
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:34 UTC
Pakistan violence
© Ruptly TV
One person was reportedly killed and five more injured after an enraged mob supporting an exiled regional leader stormed into the office of a private TV broadcaster in the southern city of Karachi on Monday. Police deployed tear gas to disperse the rioters.

An office of the ARY News private channel in the crowded Saddar area of Karachi was attacked by a violent group of partially masked men with bats who are believed to be adherents of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party dissatisfied with the channel's lack of interest in their hunger strike.

Witnesses claim the perpetrators began smashing down everything on their way, as seen on the footage that surfaced on social media, were incited by their leader and party founder Altaf Hussain.

Comment: Britain has had major foreign influence in Pakistan since it created that country out of thin air 70 years ago. Pakistan was the CIA's base of operations for mujahideen fighters sent into Afghanistan to kill Russians in the 1980s, and has remained a 'terrorist clearing center' of Western intelligence ever since.

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Apple Red

Polish apple farmers hit hard by foolish EU sanctions against Russia


RT
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:36 UTC
poland apple farmer protest
© Kacper Pempel / ReutersA man holds up apples as he takes part in the growers' protest in front of the Prime Minister's Chancellery November 4, 2014. The fruit growers were protesting against the lack of sufficient aid from the Polish government after a Russian embargo on their products was imposed
Poland is expecting a record apple harvest, but growers are having difficulty selling their produce and even face bankruptcy. Before the trade dispute with the EU, Russia accounted for more than half of Polish apple exports.

"The situation in the Polish apple market is rather difficult. Poland's growers have been hit hardest by the [Russian] embargo," said Anna Staszewska, an export specialist at EUROSAD, in an interview with the Financial Times. EUROSAD unites more than 30 farms and 700 hectares of orchards in the country.

Poland produces more than 30 percent of all European apples, and the country is expecting 3.5 million tons this summer. But the record harvest is hurting prices, which are at one zloty (€0.23) a kilo for dessert apples and €0.05 a kilo for industrial apples. This is a 20 percent drop since 2011, according to FT calculations.
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Eye 2

Nine Libyan soldiers killed and 85 wounded after clashes with ISIL terrorists in Sirte

Xu Zhen
cctv.com
Mon, 22 Aug 2016 15:31 UTC
libya war
At least nine Libyan soldiers have been killed and 85 others wounded in clashes with ISIL fighters in the city of Sirte.

Government forces said they had seized the city's main mosque and a jail run by ISIL. They added that they are close to capturing Sirte after taking most of the city in a three-month campaign.

The U.S. has also supplied military support to the Libyan forces since earlier this month, and has also carried out 65 air strikes over Sirte as of Thursday. The city of Sirte was captured by ISIL last year.
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Wall Street

'Vampire squid' Goldman Sachs sees oil output freeze as self-destructive for OPEC


RT
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 15:17 UTC
oil rig platform
© Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters
Goldman Sachs doesn't believe OPEC and the other major oil producers will reach an agreement to cap oil production during the meeting in Algeria next month.

The US bank says it may lead to an oil price rally and a subsequent increase in the American oil rig count. Since 2014, Saudi Arabia-led OPEC has been trying to corner the market and oust high-cost American shale oil, which has led to an acute drop in prices from $114 per barrel to $27 in January.

"Thawing relationships between parties in conflict in areas of disrupted production would be more relevant to the oil rebalancing than an OPEC freeze, which would leave production at record highs," Goldman said.

"A production freeze would also likely prove self-defeating if it succeeded in supporting oil prices further, with the US oil rig count up 28 percent since May."

Comment: Saudi Arabia's bank reserves are dwindling and in desperate need for more money. So somehow they may want oil prices to rise while maintaining the same level of oil output.

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