U.S. President Barack Obama's war against Russia isn't only causing Russia to cooperate more strongly with the other BRIC countries to break the U.S. dollar's reign as the global reserve currency, but it's also causing Russian President Vladimir Putin's job-approval rating in Russia to soar, and the confidence that the Russian people have in their own Government to soar likewise.

The latest of these signs came on August 5th, 2014 in a report from Gallup Analytics (by subscription only) headlined "Russians' Confidence in Many Institutions Reaches All-Time High."

Especially sharp has been the rise in "Confidence in national government," which was only 39% in 2013 prior to the overthrow by Obama in February 2014 of Ukraine's government which had been friendly to Russia, but which confidence-level stands now at 64% - a gain of 64/39 or 1.64 times higher than it was a year ago.

Confidence in the military has risen from 65% in 2013 to 78% now.Confidence in the "honesty of elections" has risen from a very low 23% in 2013 to 39% today (which is 39/23 or 1.70 times higher), as increasing numbers of Russians have come to conclude that their political system is producing better results for them than they had expected, perhaps better than in the longer-established "democratic" nations, such as the United States, whose President Barack Obama is far less highly regarded now by Russians, after his overthrowing Ukraine's Government, than he was prior to that.

Remarkably, more Russians than ever before, 65%, answer "Yes" when asked "are you satisfied ... with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?"

Last year, only 56% did, down 2% from the prior all-time high of 58% in 2006.A Gallup poll issued on 18 July 2014 headlined "Russian Approval of Putin Soars to Highest Level in Years," and reported:

"President Vladimir Putin's popularity in Russia is now at its highest level in years, likely propelled by a groundswell of national pride with the annexation of Crimea in March on the heels of the Sochi Olympic Games in February. The 83% of Russians saying they approve of Putin's leadership in late April/early June ties his previous high rating in 2008 when he left office the first time."

Furthermore, "The 29-percentage-point increase in Putin's job approval between 2013 and 2014 suggests he has solidified his previously shaky support base. For the first time since 2008, a majority of Russians (73%) believe their country's leadership is leading them in the right direction."

Banking giant HSBC has been accused of "shamelessly profiling" its customers after it closed bank accounts belonging to Syrian refugees and students in the UK.

Despite cracking down on its customers with even the most flimsy connection to Islam, HSBC itself has been linked to terrorism financing, including Hezbollah and 9/11 and the laundering of billions of dollars by Latin American drug cartels.

HSBC, branding itself as "the world's local bank," is increasingly being accused of Islamophobia, after it emerged that the bank is closing accounts of Syrian nationals in the UK. The move comes shortly after the global banking giant closed the accounts of high-profile UK-based Muslim groups.

The mainstream media is hyping the "biggest ever" Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

We are told that the dread disease, which produces symptoms like something out of a horror movie, is spreading to the USA. Some Americans are canceling their vacations and refusing to fly, believing that they might catch Ebola on an airplane.

People are being terrorized by horrific images, fear of a quick and awful death, and fear of airplanes. The fears are out of all proportion to the reality of the threat. Where have we seen this before?

On September 11th, 2001, the American public was subjected to trauma-based mind control - an intensive form of the brainwashing technique known as coercion, described in a book by Douglas Rushkoff of the same name. Trauma-based mind control uses extreme fear or horror to shape the subconscious minds of its victims. It is a highly effective technique for making people submit to authority without realizing what they are doing or why.

In the autumn of 2001, we were brainwashed into believing that radical Muslims, using airplanes, anthrax, and who knows what else, were willing and able to kill large numbers of Americans. As a result, the US went to war against Muslim nations, persecuted Muslims worldwide, shredded the Constitution, threw away trillions of dollars, and risked moral as well as fiscal bankruptcy.

US oil giant ExxonMobil and Russia's Rosneft will continue joint exploitation of the Russian Arctic despite Western sanctions, the American company said as the two giants launched exploration drilling in the Kara Sea.

"Our cooperation is a long-term one. We see great benefits here and are ready to continue working here with your agreement," Glenn Waller, ExxonMobil's lead manager in Russia, told President Vladimir Putin during a video-conference call.

The Russian leader hailed the exploration project as an example of mutually beneficial cooperation that strengthens global energy security.

Rosneft head Igor Sechin said the launch of the Universitetskaya-1 well drill is one of the most important events for the company this year.

"We hope that this work will discover a new oil reserve here in the Kara Sea. The development of the Arctic shelf would have a big and positive effect for the Russian economy," he said.

Donetsk region militia says it is ready for a ceasefire to stop the humanitarian catastrophe deteriorating, the self-proclaimed Republic's prime minister said.

"We hope that the international community will influence the bloodthirsty Kiev government," Aleksandr Zakharchenko said as cited by RIA Novosti. "But in the case of Ukrainian army aggression continuing, our people's militia will fight with any balance of forces and in any conditions," he said.

The self-proclaimed Republic's prime minister confirmed Kiev forces surrounded Donetsk on Saturday. Briefing on the current situation there, he said "there is a humanitarian catastrophe in the city."

"People are dying in shelling. In the case of a storming of the city, the number of victims will increase. Today there are absolutely no humanitarian corridors. Medicines can't get into Donetsk and food supplies are running out. Because of the blockade and bombardment, it is impossible to repair the destroyed municipal network," Zakharchenko said. He added the city has problems with water supplies and power.

The statement comes as the UN voiced serious concerns over the situation in eastern Ukraine.

A massive Canadian transport plane has arrived in Kiev carrying US$4.5 million worth of non-lethal military equipment to help Ukraine "protect its eastern border against Russian aggression."

The equipment includes "helmets, ballistic eyewear, protective vests, first aid kits, tents, and sleeping bags," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement on Thursday.

Canada said it received the request from the Ukrainian government. "Ukraine has asked for this and once again we are delivering," Defence Minister Rob Nicholson Nicholson said at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.

The flight marks the first in a series, and all of the items will be delivered by the CC-130J Hercules plane. Canadian military personnel accompanied the equipment to Ukraine.

The technology provided will "allow Ukrainian security and border authorities to better detect and track the movement of illicit goods and people," according to Harper.

The news comes after Russia banned the imports of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and dairy products from the 28 countries of the EU, the US, Canada, Norway, and Australia for one year.

Russia's ban is set to cost Canadian pork farmers more than $500 million. But the Canadian government is continuing its current stance on the matter. "We will not be intimidated by these kinds of tactics," Canadian Industry Minister James Moore said.

In a peculiar turn of events, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has issued a subpoena for a parody Twitter account in relation to the July incident that saw white flags placed on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.

According to The New York Times, the subpoena was issued to the @BicycleLobby Twitter account on Friday, a move intended to reveal the identity of the person or persons behind the posts. The subpoena's existence seems to indicate that investigators believe those behind the account could potentially be helpful in determining who placed the flags on the bridge.

As RT reported last month, the New York Police Department was at a loss to explain how the American flags occupying the Brooklyn Bridge were replaced with white ones, especially given the area's tight security. Social media made light of the situation, with some suggesting that Brooklyn was "surrendering" to Manhattan, but police did not take the situation lightly.

1. Binyamin Netanyahu claims to speak for the majority of world Jewry although, in fact, he represents only a minority of Jewish Israelis and Americans - those who support his right-wing, Likud Party. To many others, particularly in Europe, he is considered a US-financed, Zionist rabble-rouser with an extremist political agenda that rejects any Palestinian state and requires the 'transfer' of all indigenous Arabs out of former Palestine.

2. Israeli policies such as the illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state); the 8 year blockade of essential supplies into Gaza; the mis-labelling of exported fruit and vegetables to Europe and the horrific killing of hundreds of defenceless women and children in Gaza - all have the effect of exacerbating antisemitism around the world. The agenda of the Israeli government against the indigenous Arab population being the primary driver of anti-Jewish feeling both in Europe and globally.

Elite donors of American allies in the Persian Gulf region have poured an immense amount of resources into rebel groups like IS in efforts to advance on three general goals: opposing Iran, its ally Bashar Assad and his government in Syria, and fomenting the Sunni-Shia divides in the region.

US military aircraft conducted at least three rounds of airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Iraq on Friday. This time there are reports of IS militant casualties, CBS News reported.

All of the bombings occurred around Erbil, the capital city of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, including on a target northwest the city, CNN reported. The first strike took place Friday morning, when US jets bombed IS positions in the northern part of the country.

The second strike was conducted with a US military drone, which likely fired a Hellfire missile, CNN's Barbara Starr reported. Hellfires are known for their precision during bombings. That attack was on a mortar position. Militants left the scene, and when they returned, they were attacked by a different US asset.