Welcome to Sott.net
Mon, 08 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Light Sabers

ISIS 2.0? Turkey slams US's new Syria 'border force' of Kurdish SDF militias


RT
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 20:14 UTC
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
© Erik de Castro / Reuters
FILE PHOTO. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
The US-led coalition says it is helping to create a thousands-strong "Border Security Force" in Syria using Kurdish SDF militias. Washington's support, branded "unacceptable" by Ankara, is further straining bilateral ties.

Some 230 new recruits are already undergoing training in the "BSF's inaugural class," the Coalition's Public Affairs Officer Colonel Thomas F. Veale told the Defense Post. The border force will be stationed along Kurdish-controlled parts of the Syrian border with Iraq and Turkey, as well as along the Euphrates River valley. It is estimated to reach a total strength of 30,000, according to the official.

Around half of the new unit will be comprised of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) veterans, while the other half is being recruited. "The base of the new force is essentially a realignment of approximately 15,000 members of the SDF to a new mission in the Border Security Force as their actions against ISIS [Islamic State] draw to a close," the Coalition's Public Affairs Office told Reuters in an email.

Comment: With the US proxy army ISIS being taken out by Russia and Syria, it appears that the US is now attempting to create a new proxy army with the Kurds:

      Read More...
Attention

US aims to disrupt Russia with sanctions before elections


RT
Sat, 13 Jan 2018 20:50 UTC
Russiasanction
© Katehon
A new round of sanctions likely to be imposed on Moscow by Washington will be an obvious attempt to disrupt Russian internal affairs ahead of the presidential elections, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister has said. "We see this as yet another attempt to influence our internal affairs, especially ahead of the presidential election," Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov told TASS on Saturday.

The sanctions are expected to follow the presentation of two Trump administration reports in Congress at end of January, according to Ryabkov. "One of the reports will apparently include a list of individuals who might be targeted with the American sanctions, and the other as we believe, will encompass the effectiveness of the sanctions already in place," he said.

The reports are the latest step in the implementation of the 'Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act' signed by US President Donald Trump last August. Sanctions imposed at that time targeted a range of entities and individuals - namely Russian weapon manufacturers, banks and the energy sector, as well as those the US accuses of meddling with the 2016 presidential elections.

Comment: As Lavrov recently said: 'So much meddling, so little time'.

      Read More...
Umbrella

DHS will resume processing DACA renewals as per judge's ruling

Richie Duchon
NBC News
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 12:35 UTC
DACAgroup
© Getty images
The Department of Homeland Security announced Saturday it would resume processing renewal applications for young undocumented immigrants seeking protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

The Trump administration announced in September that it would eliminate DACA, which protects people who were illegally brought to the United States as children - so-called Dreamers - from being deported. The administration said at the time it did not have the authority to administer the program and it was up to Congress to make it law.

But on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the Trump administration's decision to eliminate DACA was based on a shoddy legal argument and called the move "arbitrary" and "capricious." Ruling in favor of the University of California, Alsup ordered the government to resume DACA renewal applications while challenges to the September order work their way through the courts.


Comment: See also:

      Read More...
Dollar Gold

Detained Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal negotiating settlement terms for his release


RT
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 20:05 UTC
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
© Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the wealthiest people in the world, is negotiating settlement terms with the country's government, Reuters reports. The billionaire was held amid a massive anti-corruption purge.

The grandson of the first Saudi king, who has been labelled the "Arabian Warren Buffett," owns the renowned Kingdom Holding Company. He was arrested in November last year during a large-scale Saudi corruption crackdown. Dozens of Saudi princes and other top government officials were detained following the creation of new anti-corruption committee chaired by Saudi strongman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"He offered a certain figure but it doesn't meet the figure required from him, and the attorney general hasn't approved it," a senior Saudi official, whose name was not disclosed under government briefing rules, was cited by Reuters on Sunday.

Comment: See also:

      Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

Putin: Communist ideology is similar to Christianity


Sputnik
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 20:44 UTC
rally in Russia
© Sputnik/ Evgeny Biyatov
"Faith has always accompanied us, it strengthened when our country, our people faced particularly difficult times," Putin said in an interview for the documentary film "Valaam," a clip from which was broadcast by the Russia 1 TV channel.

"There were such severe years of militant atheism [during the Soviet period] when priests were killed, churches were destroyed. But at the same time a new religion was being created - Communist ideology, which is very similar to Christianity, in fact. Freedom, equality, brotherhood, justice - all of this is enshrined in the Holy Scripture, it's all there. And what about the Code of the Builders of Communism? This is a sublimation, it's really just a primitive excerpt from the Bible, nothing new was invented," the president said.
      Read More...
Chess

UK's Corbyn: Relations with the US not 'most important'


RT
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 19:46 UTC
Trump and Theresa May
© John Macdougall / Reuters
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has questioned the value of Britain's 'special relationship' with the US, suggesting Washington is not actually the UK's 'most important ally,' while criticizing Trump's 'endless offensive remarks.'

Corbyn cast doubt on the existence of a close bond between the two states, vaunted since wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill first used the phrase "a special relationship" back in 1946. Asked Sunday whether the relationship with the US was Britain's most important, Corbyn said: "No. I think there are many important relationships."

The others include China, India, the EU and international organizations, such as the UN, Corbyn told ITV's Peston on Sunday show.
      Read More...
Jet5

Israel's continual bombing of Syria exacerbates tensions and threatens dangerous escalation

Darius Shahtahmasebi
MintPress News
Fri, 12 Jan 2018 00:00 UTC
Israeli airstrike in Syria
© AP/SANA
Damaged buildings wrecked by an Israeli airstrike are seen in Damascus, Syria, May 5, 2013.
Israel has hit Syrian territory over 100 times since the conflict began in 2011.

The Syrian Army is alleging that Israeli jets struck positions dozens of times within Syria early Tuesday morning in the al-Qutayfa area east of Damascus.

According to a statement by Syria's General Command, the Syrian government's air defenses not only intercepted all of the missiles Israel fired, but it even managed to counter strike one of the Israeli jets, the Jerusalem Post reports.

While the strike is unconfirmed on the Israeli side, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the recent assault during a lunch with NATO ambassadors in Jerusalem, according to the Post.

"We have a long-standing policy to prevent the transfer of game-changing weapons to Hezbollah from Syrian territory. This policy has not changed. We back it up as necessary with action," he said.

Comment: See also:

      Read More...
Sherlock

Battle over N. Korea quote: Trump says 'I would,' WSJ says 'I do'


RT
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 16:54 UTC
trump and Kim Jong Un
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Donald Trump is calling out the Wall Street Journal for misquoting him on his relationship with North Korea, with the US President insisting that he really said, 'I'd probably have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un.'

In tweets, Trump accused the outlet of creating 'Fake News' over his interview, adding that he believed the WSJ knew what he meant and intentionally misquoted him.

Comment: Has any other president in the US's history had their every word so thoroughly scrutinized?

      Read More...
Briefcase

DOJ unseals 11-charge indictment regarding Uranium One scandal

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sun, 14 Jan 2018 18:27 UTC
Lambert Uranium One

Mark Lambert
The Department of Justice unsealed an 11-count indictment on Friday to a former DoD intelligence analyst-turned uranium transportation executive who stands accused of a bribery and money laundering scheme involving a Russian nuclear official connected to the Uranium One deal.

The indictment corroborates a November report by The Hill that an FBI mole deeply embedded in the Russian uranium industry had gathered extensive evidence of the scheme.

Mark Lambert, 54, of Mount Airy, Maryland, was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to commit wire fraud, seven counts of violating the FCPA, two counts of wire fraud and one count of international promotion money laundering.
      Read More...
Chart Bar

Federal government still in a deficit despite collecting record income taxes

Terence P. Jeffrey
CNS News
Fri, 12 Jan 2018 18:25 UTC
2018 income taxes
The federal government collected record individual-income-tax revenues through the first quarter of fiscal 2018 (October through December), according to the new Monthly Treasury Statement. This was the last quarter before the new tax-cut law signed by President Donald Trump on Dec. 22 took effect.

Despite taking in record individual-income-tax revenues, the federal government ran a deficit of approximately $225 billion during the quarter.

The Treasury collected a record $390,847,000,000 in individual income taxes in October through December, according to the Treasury statement. That was $30,568,380,000 more than the $360,278,620,000 that the Treasury collected (in constant December 2017 dollars) in individual income taxes in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 (which ran from October through December of 2016).
      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts