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Russia ramping up Arctic oil production

Irina Slav
Oil Price
Thu, 21 Jul 2016 15:21 UTC
Arctic oil rig
Three export terminals on Russia's Arctic coast shipped an average of 230,000 barrels of crude in the second quarter of 2016. This figure is almost equal to Libya's total daily exports, according to Bloomberg calculations, and it is also a twofold increase from the initial 130,000 bpd handled by Lukoil's Varandey, and Gazprom Neft's Prirazlomnoye and Arctic Gate.

Plans for the future are ambitious - Arctic oil and gas exploration is a clear priority for the Kremlin. A couple of weeks ago, Russia's Natural Resources Minister Sergey Donskoy wrote on his Facebook page that "the Arctic shelf, despite some project delays related to oil prices, remains a strategic direction for development."

He added the government has introduced tax relief for companies involved in Arctic exploration and development as a way of stimulating these activities.

Comment: And to protect those oil fields: Russia boosting Arctic military presence, rebuilds ten Soviet era airfields

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Bomb

Russia bombs U.S./UK rebel base in Syria, says incidents like this wouldn't happen if U.S. shared data as they're supposed to


RT
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 15:26 UTC
tu-22m3
© Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation / SputnikA Russian Air Force long-range bomber TU-22M3 seen here bombing ISIS targets near the towns of es-Sohne, Arak and al-Taiba in the Syrian province of Homs
The responsibility for US-led coalition special forces being present in areas targeted by Russian airstrikes in Syria lies on their top commanders, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. It also urged Western partners to disclose the location of moderate opposition units.

"The responsibility for the troops of the special forces of the anti-IS coalition in Syria being at risk of finding themselves in areas targeted by Russia's Air Force lies solely on their military leadership," said Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russia's Defense Ministry.

The statement comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that on June 16 the Russian planes bombed the At-Tanf garrison camp near the Jordan border, which was used by the US and UK commandos.

The newspaper said that there were no coalition troops at the site during the airstrike, with 20 British troops leaving the camp a day before.

Comment: Russia: "Tell us where you and your rebels are, so we don't bomb you." U.S.: "No." Russia bombs U.S./UK rebel base. Russia: "Tell us where you and your rebels are, so we don't bomb you." Will the U.S. take the hint?

Further reading: Illegal secret US-UK base in Syria bombed by Russia in June

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Snakes in Suits

Freewheeling Trump has backed down on only one issue: Guess which one?

James North and Philip Weiss
Mondoweiss
Fri, 22 Jul 2016 15:08 UTC
Trump with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson
© Andy Aboud in VegasTrump with Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.
Donald Trump's long angry acceptance speech reaffirmed the Republican nominee's obstinate refusal to back off from any one of the controversial positions he staked out during his campaign. Except for one, Israel. He's done a long crawl-back on that one, unnoticed by the mainstream media. Let's see:

- He's called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. and has never backed off from that;

- He's described immigrants as violent criminals, a claim he reaffirmed last night;

- He's said he would build a "great border wall" on the border with Mexico and said it again last night;

- He's said that "thousands and thousands" in Jersey City cheered the fall of the World Trade Center and never backed off that crazy idea;

- He's said that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and never backed off from that wise but heterodox view;

- He has said that NATO is obsolete because members aren't paying their fair share, and he has stuck to that position.

- He denigrated the heroism of Senator John McCain, and never apologized or backed off.

- He questioned the official story on the death of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster in 1993, and not backed away.
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Blackbox

Was Gulen behind the Turkish coup? It appears so

Dani Rodrik
Dani Rodrik's weblog
Sat, 23 Jul 2016 15:01 UTC
Fethullah Gulen
Fethullah Gulen
If what Erdogan said on TV today is correct, there is no longer much doubt about the answer to this question. According to Erdogan, the officers who detained the chief of general staff, Hulusi Akar, on July 15 offered to put Akar in contact with Gulen. As of this writing, Akar has not made any statements confirming this. But if he does, it will be manifest that responsibility for the coup attempt reaches all the way to Pennsylvania. It will be very difficult for the U.S not to extradite Gulen, subject, of course, to (some huge) fair trial concerns back in Turkey.

What evidence, other than Erdogan's word, is there that Gulen is behind the coup attempt?

Years ago when my wife Pinar Dogan and I first began to investigate the bogus documents in the Sledgehammer case, we were stuck by how quick many observers were at assigning blame: "it's the Gulenists' work of course," they would say, "this is the kind of thing they do." We did not know much about the Gulen movement at the time. So we hesitated, and in our early writings we listed Gulenist involvement as only one of the possibilities.

Over time, we learned a lot. The evidence that Gulenists were heavily involved in - and quite likely stage managed - Sledgehammer and many other similar sham trials accumulated. By now it should be clear to any objective observer that the Gulen movement goes much beyond the schools, charities, and inter-faith activities with which it presents itself to the world: it also has a dark underbelly engaged in covert activities such as evidence fabrication, wiretapping, disinformation, blackmail, and judicial manipulation.

Comment: See also: Turkey arrests key Gulen aide who entered country 2 days before coup; plotters are confessing, implicating Gulen

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Red Flag

Turkey arrests key Gulen aide who entered country 2 days before coup; plotters are confessing, implicating Gulen


RT
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:13 UTC
turkey
© Osman Orsal / ReutersPro-government demonstrators march over the Bosphorus Bridge, from the Asian to the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, July 21, 2016.
Turkey's authorities have detained the "right hand" of US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt, a presidency official said.

Gulen's key aide Halis Hanci arrived to Turkey two days before the attempted coup, according to the official who described him as Gulen's right-hand man.

Earlier Saturday, Muhammet Sait Gulen, Fettulah Gulen's nephew, was arrested on the orders of the chief prosecutor of Ankara. He is the first of Gulen's close relatives to be detained in the current crackdown, though other members of the Pennsylvania-based preacher's family have previously been placed in custody.

The arrested coup plotters "are starting to confess," Erdogan told France-24 television in an interview on Saturday, stressing that, according to the testimonies of the coup leaders, they "were given instructions from Pennsylvania."

"They even tried to get the army chief of staff, who was being held hostage, to speak to Gulen directly," Erdogan told France-24.

Similar information has been reported by the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency, which said that those who took the Chief of the General Staff hostage during the attempted coup demanded that he speak with Gulen.

Comment: Further reading:

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Info

More accusations: Saudi's Al-Jubeir accused of involvement in Turkish coup attempt by former Qatari emir


FARS News Agency
Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:46 UTC
Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir
Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir
Former Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, harshly criticized Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for his involvement in Friday's coup attempt in Turkey while insisting the United States and another western country have orchestrated the abortive coup.

"Al-Jubeir remained silent even though he knew beforehand what was being plotted against the Turkish state," the former Qatari emir said, Al Masdar reported.


Comment: How does he know this?


He also strongly condemned the failed military coup, stressing his country's solidarity with the legitimate Turkish government.

Comment: Whistleblower: Saudi deputy crown prince played major role in Turkey coup

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Question

Is he for real? John Kerry says air conditioners and refrigerators are as big a threat as ISIS

Alyssa Canobbio
Fox New Politics
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:19 UTC
John Kerry
© Desconocido
Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna on Friday that air conditioners and refrigerators are as big of a threat to life as the threat of terrorism posed by groups like the Islamic State.

The Washington Examiner reported that Kerry was in Vienna to amend the 1987 Montreal Protocol that would phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, from basic household and commercial appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, and inhalers.

"As we were working together on the challenge of [ISIS] and terrorism," Kerry said. "It's hard for some people to grasp it, but what we - you - are doing here right now is of equal importance because it has the ability to literally save life on the planet itself."

Comment: Talk to us when refrigerators and air conditioners start beheading people.

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Jet5

China's newest next-gen stealth J-20 fighter jet soars the skies


RT
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:16 UTC
China J-20 fighter jet
© Wikipedia
The advance of the J-20 fighter program is cause for concern for Japan which faces a several year capability gap until the F-35 Lightning II becomes combat ready - if it ever does.

China's Chengdu Aircraft Company (CAC) has built a new Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) J-20 stealth fighter jets with video footage on Chinese websites showing the latest rendition in full fury this week. This is the second known J-20 LRIP fighter jet after the first with the serial number 2101 displayed in late December 2015. There are believed to be a total of four such next generation jets in the possession of the Chinese Air Force.

The fighter jet is painted in shades of gray along with a toned down national insignia, but unlike previous J-20s, it has no identifiable serial numbers. China's official Xinhua and CCTV news outlets have yet to confirm the existence of the new J-20 despite video evidence to confirm its existence.

Security analysts believe that the appearance of the LRIP fighter jet suggests that it is nearing introduction into service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force well ahead of official US Department of Defense projections that the J-20 would become operational in 2018.
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Jet3

Escalation: Beijing flies nuke-capable H-6K bomber over Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea

James Seidel
News.com.au
Mon, 18 Jul 2016 01:14 UTC
China bomber
© WeiboPeople’s Liberation Army air force (PLAAF) H-6K long-range bomber is shown over Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing has sent the US a message in the skies above the South China Sea: Anything you can do, we can do too. It's just flown a nuclear-capable bomber over Scarborough Shoal. The United States has conducted several B-52 bomber 'freedom of navigation' flights over the contested waterway in recent months, along with flights by surveillance and patrol aircraft.

Beijing on Friday returned the favour.

The People's Liberation air force (PLAAF) at the weekend released photographs of one of its newest H-6K long-range nuclear-capable bombers overflying Scarborough Shoal on China's Weibo social media service. The aircraft, based on a 1950s Russian design, is capable of delivering nuclear weapons throughout Asia.

The shoal is occupied by the Philippines, but China claims the outcrop as part of its 'Nine-Dash Line" territory under the name of Panatag Shoal.

On Friday, the same day as the bomber overflight, four Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked Filipino fishermen from accessing Scarborough waters.

The incidents came just days after an international arbitration court in The Hague rejected Beijing's claim to territorial sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea. The challenge, issued by Manila, had been rejected as invalid by China which refused to take part in proceedings..

It also comes after an April overflight of Scarborough Shaol by US air force A-10 antitank attack aircraft.

Comment: For every invasive (US) action, there will be an equalizer.

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Info

ASEAN members deadlocked on South China Sea after Cambodia blocks Hague statement

Manuel Mogato and Simon Webb
Reuters
Sun, 24 Jul 2016 14:01 UTC
South China Sea Mischief Reef
Southeast Asian nations failed to find common ground on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia stuck to its demand the group make no reference to an international court ruling against Beijing in a statement, diplomats said.

Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for the first time since the U.N.-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the maritime dispute earlier this month.

The ruling denied China's sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year.
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