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Joint Russia-Palestine commission to meet for first time next week while Putin will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin


Sputnik
Fri, 11 Mar 2016 13:32 UTC
Palestinian flag
© Flickr/ Ariet
The Russian-Palestinian intergovernmental commission will meet for the first time next week to discuss the development of bilateral economic and trade relations, the Palestinian National Economy Ministry said in a statement Friday.

According to the statement, the meeting is set to take place in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the central West Bank on Tuesday but some activities may be held on Monday. The meeting agenda is reportedly under consideration.

"We hope to establish close trade and economic relations with Russia, which would correspond to the level of our political cooperation and the role played by Russia in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people," Palestinian Economy Minister Abir Awda was quoted as saying in the statement.

Awda is the co-chair of the intergovernmental commission from the Palestinian side, the Russian delegation will be headed by Labour and Social Protection Minister Maxim Topilin.

Comment: Meanwhile Putin is also discussing humanitarian and economic cooperation with Israel:
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who will be on an official visit to Russia, on March 16 for talks on humanitarian and economic cooperation, the Kremlin said Friday.

"During the meeting, [the sides] are expected to discuss the condition and prospects for the bilateral ties in trade and economic, science and technical as well as humanitarian spheres, including in light of the upcoming October celebration of restoration of Russian-Israeli diplomatic relations," the statement read.


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Snakes in Suits

Finger pointing: Obama blames UK and other European states for post-Gaddafi Libya 'mess'


RT
Fri, 11 Mar 2016 13:12 UTC
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. President Barack Obama
© Jerry Lampen / Reuters
US President Barack Obama has blamed UK Prime Minister David Cameron and other European leaders for the current chaos in Libya, saying he had "more faith" in them being invested in the follow-up, given Libya's proximity.

Speaking to The Atlantic, Obama acknowledged the problems faced by Libya since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, referring to the situation as a "mess" - and in private as a "s**t show."

"...We actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected: We got a UN mandate, we built a coalition, it cost us $1 billion — which, when it comes to military operations, is very cheap. We averted large-scale civilian casualties, we prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict. And despite all that, Libya is a mess," he said.


Comment: Does Obama have any real idea of what he is talking about? The US created the "bloody civil conflict" in the first place and then proudly claims they "prevented" it. Now Libya is worse than before the interventions.


He went on to state that the 'mess' was largely due to the inaction of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was "distracted by a range of other things" at the time.

Comment: None of the western nations wants to take responsibility for the spread of ISIS in the Middle East and North Africa. Much easier to point fingers at each other while not solving the problem what so ever. Since Russia is pushing ISIS out of Syria, is the West worried about the 'monster' they created coming back to haunt them?

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Nuke

Russia will respond 'adequately' to US plans for upgrading Europe's nuclear stockpile


RT
Fri, 11 Mar 2016 11:48 UTC
nukes
The Russian military will have to "adequately" respond to Washington's plan to upgrade its nuclear bombs in Europe in apparent violation of a nuclear arms non-proliferation treaty (NPT), a senior Foreign Ministry diplomat said in a media interview.

The renovation of the US' nuclear arsenals in Europe masked as a "regular modernization" is in contradiction with the terms of the NPT, Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, said in an interview with Kommersant daily.

Washington's plan to upgrade the 180 B61s strategic bombs stocked in European air bases to a modernized B61-12 version has been implemented as part of the US/NATO nuclear modernization program. The B61s were designed back in the 1960s to counter a possible Soviet threat and have since been kept at NATO air bases in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, and the Netherlands for about five decades.

Comment: Once again the Western elite hope to use their nuclear arsenal to intimidate Russia. History rhymes, indeed.The following is an account of how Soviet forces first reacted to news that the US had developed an atomic bomb.
I do not recall the exact date, but after the close of one of the formal meetings Truman informed Stalin that the United States now possessed a bomb of exceptional power, without, however, naming it the atomic bomb.

As was later written abroad, at that moment Churchill fixed his gaze on Stalin's face, closely observing his reaction. However, Stalin did not betray his feelings and pretended that he saw nothing special in what Truman had imparted to him. Both Churchill and many other Anglo-American authors subsequently assumed that Stalin had really failed to fathom the significance of what he had heard.

In actual fact, on returning to his quarters after this meeting Stalin, in my presence, told Molotov about his conversation with Truman. The latter reacted almost immediately. "Let them. We'll have to talk it over with Kurchatov and get him to speed things up."

I realized that they were talking about research on the atomic bomb.

It was clear already then that the US Government intended to use the atomic weapon for the purpose of achieving its Imperialist goals from a position of strength in "the cold war." This was amply corroborated on August 6 and 8. Without any military need whatsoever, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on the peaceful and densely-populated Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Georgii Konstantinovich Zhukov, The Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov (New York: Delacorte Press, 1971) pp. 674-675.
These days the Soviets and their way of thinking are long gone, and the US is in a stage of utter imperial over-reach. How will Russia handle this barrage of threats, ranging from proxy warfare to nuclear upgrades? As the Russian diplomat has pointed out, Russia will respond 'adequately'. They will not be led into sabre-rattling or making the dangerous and threatening statements that NATO needs in order to justify their psychopathic aggression. They are fearless in the face of an enemy whose depravity is unfathomable.

Also see: Russia and China can win the new arms race

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Light Saber

China invests more than $2bn in Russia's Far East development projects


RT
Fri, 11 Mar 2016 10:16 UTC
Vladivostok new bridge
© Yuri Maltsev / Reuters A general view of the newly built bridge across the Golden Horn bay in Russia's far-eastern port of Vladivostok
Chinese firms have invested more than $1.9 billion in Russia's Far East development projects, according to Russian news agency Sputnik. An unnamed source at the Russian Far East Development Ministry said more than 31 agreements with a range of companies worth $2.6 billion have been signed by the Russian Far East Development Corporation. Investment from Beijing accounts for 75 percent of all the funding, the source added. The Chinese money will be used in a wide range of projects, particularly in building an oil refinery and a logistics center, as well as the construction of a cement factory and a plant for reclaiming ferrous scrap metal.

The Russian Far East Development Corporation has already received over 109 applications for investment of $6.4 billion in local projects. So far it has approved 60 applications for ventures worth $3.8 billion. Chinese and Russian companies have a number of projects in Russia's Far East in energy, trade and cross-border tourism. The biggest of them is the Power of Siberia pipeline which will deliver 38 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas to China annually. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has described the pipeline the world's biggest infrastructure project.

Cooperation in developing the sparsely populated but resource rich territory is one of the major points of interest between the two countries. In November, Japan also expressed interest in developing Russia's Far East. The country is planning to create a $110 billion fund to bankroll infrastructure projects with some of the money invested in Russia's Far East.

Comment: Russia-China economic cooperation has been booming, mostly in energy and finance.
See also:

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MIB

Best of the Web: Bombshell: Security detail was switched in advance of Bataclan theater attack, claims Eagles of Death Metals frontman

Anthony Bond
The Mirror, UK
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 10:07 UTC
eagles of death metal
© Alex Matthews Jesse Hughes of the rock band Eagles of Death Metal performs with drummer Joey Castillo (R)
Bataclan security guards were 'warned of ISIS Paris attacks' in advance claims Eagles of Death Metals frontman

The frontman of Eagles of Death Metal has claimed guards at the Bataclan theatre in Paris knew that ISIS would launch its sickening terror attack.

Jesse Hughes claimed six guards did not show up for work on the night of the gig at the Paris venue.

And he even said he asked for one guard to be removed from backstage security because he was behaving oddly.

Comment: Indeed, they were obviously in on the operation.

Who would have the access and the means to switch the security detail? A rag-tag bunch of petty criminals from the slums of Europe... or high-level state security operatives?

See also: The Paris Attacks, the War on Syria, and the West's Collaboration with Terrorism

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Gear

Daesh on the hunt for parts and equipment from 100 European refinery junkyards.


Sputnik
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:59 UTC
oil refinery
© am1460theanswer.comDaesh oil refinery operation compromised by airstrikes. Who's their plumber? Got parts?
Equipment from over 100 European refineries currently being dismantled may fall into the hands of Daesh militants, Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia's Federal Financial Monitoring Service, said.

He cited data provided by expert of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). "According to FATF information, it is feared that over 100 refineries which are being dismantled in Europe may be moved to areas controlled by the Daesh terrorist group. We're coordinating actions with our partners. All countries are working on the issue," Chikhanchin said during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin. "Experts reported that after militants' refineries and pipelines were destroyed they are making attempts to find new equipment for their facilities," he added.


Comment: FAFT countries are united to go after "non-cooperative countries or territories in the global fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and threats related to the integrity of the international financial system by setting standards, along with legal, regulatory and operational measures."


According to him, FATF countries and the US are "actively cooperating" on the problem and will soon make up a list of equipment needed by terrorists for their refineries. "A list similar to the list of antiquities will be published on the official EU website. Companies and individuals will be aware what equipment Daesh may try to smuggle," Chikhanchin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

He added that during the recent FATF meeting, Russia's proposals faced "mixed responses" but Russian representatives were defending their stance, including on countering international terrorist cells, particularly in Syria, and businesses funding terrorism.

Comment: Do we think a list of replacement oil refinery parts and equipment, penned and distributed by the USA, is solely for an International Daesh Red Smuggler Alert? (Raise eyebrow here.)

See also:

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Wall Street

Opening the money spigots: Mario Draghi's deadly derangement

David Stockman
Contra Corner
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 22:34 UTC
Cartoon Draghi turning on the taps
Yes, the man is totally deranged, and so is the entire eurozone policy apparatus. Like much of officialdom elsewhere in the world, the ECB is attempting to fight low growth and low inflation with monetary nitroglycerin. Its only a matter of time before they blow the whole financial works sky high.

Low real GDP growth in the eurozone has absolutely nothing to do with the difference between - 0.3% on the ECB deposit rate versus the new -0.4% dictate announced this morning; nor does QE bond purchases of EUR 80 billion per month compared to the prior EUR 60 billion rate have anything to do with it, either. The only purpose of such heavy handed financial intrusion is to make borrowing cheaper for households and businesses.

But here's what the moronic Mario doesn't get. The European private sector don't want no more stinkin' debt; they are up to their eyeballs in it already, and have been for the better part of a decade.
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Attention

A warning from the central bank of central banks, the BIS: Calm before the storm?

Mike Whitney
Counterpunch
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 22:29 UTC
pull the plug

Comment: With the central bank of central banks, the BIS, giving stark warning that severe problems appear to be ahead in the future it seems like it is only a matter of time before economic collapse takes center stage. It seems the question to be answered is will it take place before or after the US presidential election. This is just one of many factors TPTB would be considering as they decide how long to prop up the system that has been ready to implode for a number of years in order to drive the real policy of how to implement total control.


The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is worried that recent ructions in the equities markets could be a sign that another financial crisis is brewing. In a sobering report titled "Uneasy calm gives way to turbulence" the BIS states grimly: "We may not be seeing isolated bolts from the blue but the signs of a gathering storm that has been building for a long time."

The authors of the report are particularly concerned that the plunge in stock prices and the slowdown in global growth are taking place at the same time that investor confidence in central banks is waning. The Bank Of Japan's announcement that it planned to introduce negative interest rates (aka - NIRP or negative interest rate policy) in late January illustrates this point. The BOJ hoped that by surprising the market, the policy would have greater impact on borrowing thus generating more growth. But, instead, the announcement set off a "second phase of turbulence" in stock and currency markets as nervous investors sold off risk assets and moved into safe haven bonds. The BOJ's action was seen by many as act of desperation by a policymaker that is rapidly losing control of the system.
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Attention

Lavrov calls out US 'hypocrisy and duplicity' amid Kiev embassy attacks


Sputnik
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 21:55 UTC
Ukraine protesters at Russian Embassy
© AP Photo/ Sergei Chuzavkov
As a series of attacks struck Russian diplomatic missions across Ukraine, the West remained silent. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US and its allies of "hypocrisy," for refusing to condemn the violence.

On Wednesday, protesters outside of the Russian embassy in Kiev turned violent, throwing eggs, stones, green dye, and iodine at the main building. This followed dangerous incidents over the weekend, in which demonstrators torched cars and threw flaming objects at the embassy.

Similar instances have occurred at Russian consulates in Odessa and Lvov.

Comment: Since the US hasn't condemned the protesters actions, may be it is sign that they are supporting them?

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Attention

Climate change deniers may be prosecuted says US attorney general

James Delingpole
Breitbart
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 21:55 UTC
Attorney General US
© Alex Wong/Getty ImagesAttorney General Loretta Lynch
The US Department of Justice has been considering whether people should be prosecuted for the offense of climate change denial.

"This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch, responding to a question from green activist Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) at a Senate Judiciary Hearing.

Whitehouse said:
"The similarities between the mischief of the tobacco industry pretending that the science of tobacco's dangers was unsettled and the fossil fuel industry pretending that the science of carbon emissions' dangers is unsettled has been remarked on widely, particularly by those who study the climate denial apparatus that the fossil fuel industry has erected."

"Under President Clinton, the Department of Justice brought and won a civil RICO action against the tobacco industry for its fraud. Under President Obama, the Department of Justice has done nothing so far about the climate denial scheme,"
Perhaps the kind of RICO action Whitehouse has in mind is similar to the one proposed to President Obama a few months ago by a number of key climate scientists, led by one Jagadish Shukla of George Mason University.

However this campaign appears to have gone mysteriously quiet of late.

Could it perhaps be that having become embroiled in "the largest science scandal in US history" and now being under investigation for "double-dipping" and the potential misuse of $63 million worth of taxpayer funded grants, Shukla feels somewhat less confident of holding the moral high ground?
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