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Europe buys more Russian gas than ever despite ongoing smear campaign

Tsvetana Paraskova
oilprice.com
Tue, 08 May 2018 16:00 UTC
Russian Gas
The West-Russia relations have reached a new low since the Cold War amid the spy poisoning scandal in the UK, allegations of Russian meddling in elections, and fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia.

Yet European countries continue to buy increased amounts of Russian gas, and Russia's state-held gas giant Gazprom is boosting production and exports, and is obtaining approvals in individual countries for its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that has divided the EU over fears of a tightening Russian grip on gas supplies.

In recent months and weeks, Gazprom has taken advantage of high demand in Europe and of decreased gas supplies to Europe from Russia's competitors, Maxim Rubchenko writes for Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Comment: Britain was at the forefront of smearing Russia as the greatest threat to world security and yet, as Britain saw gas prices rocket and stocks dwindle to crisis levels, Russia came to their aid. It's also interesting that Libya is struggling to supply Europe, when we consider that it is the West who waged war on the country, and which lead to the collapse of what was Africa's most prosperous nation: Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Perfidious Albion: If Russia is a Rogue State, What is the UK?

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Star of David

September 11: Inside Job or Mossad Operation?

Laurent Guyénot
Voltaire Network
Thu, 10 Jul 2003 17:54 UTC
Translated by Roger Lagassé
mossad wtc attack 911 9/11 9-11
Israel's role in the events of September 11, 2001-that shape the 21st century-is the subject of bitter controversy, or rather a real taboo even within the 9/11 Truth Movement, causing the ostracism of the man who dared to broach the subject, Thierry Meyssan. Most advocacy groups, mobilized behind the slogan "9/11 was an Inside Job," remain discreet regarding the evidence involving the secret services of the Jewish state. Laurent Guyénot focuses on certain compelling-though grossly under reported-facts and analyzes the mechanisms of denial.

While Israel's role in the destabilization of the world post-September 11 is becoming increasingly clear, the idea that a faction of Likudniks, aided by their allies embedded in the U.S. State apparatus, are responsible for the false flag operation of September 11 is becoming more difficult to suppress, and some individuals have the courage to state so publicly. Francesco Cossiga, President of Italy between 1985 and 1992, declared on 30 November 2007 to the daily Corriere della Sera:
"From areas around the Palazzo Chigi, nerve centre of direction of Italian intelligence, it is noted that the non-authenticity of the video is supported by the fact that Osama bin Laden in it 'confessed' that Al Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York. However, all of the democratic areas of America and of Europe, with the Italian center-left in the forefront, now know full well that the disastrous attack was planned and executed by the American CIA and Mossad with the help of the Zionist world to falsely incriminate Arabic countries and to persuade the Western Powers to intervene in Iraq and Afghanistan [1]."
Alan Sabrosky, former professor at the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Military Academy, did not hesitate to proclaim his belief that September 11 is a "classical operation orchestrated by Mossad" carried out with accomplices within the United States government, and his voice has been forcefully echoed by some U.S. Army veterans sites who are disgusted by the vile war that they were forced to wage on behalf of the September 11 lie or that of the weapons of mass destruction of Saddam Hussein [2].

Comment: The author skipped a key episode along the road to GWOT...

What history leaves out: The remarkable silence surrounding Israel's car-bombing campaign in Lebanon

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Russian Flag

To keep Russia great: Putin's final term as president will be his most difficult

Bryan MacDonald
RT
Mon, 07 May 2018 13:24 UTC
Putin
© Sergey Bobylev / Sputnik
President Vladimir Putin
When Putin first became president in 2000, he inherited a basket case. Since then, he has restored much of Russia's former greatness. Now he faces his toughest challenge: ensuring those gains are consolidated after his departure.

Since his first presidential election victory, there have been three Putin epochs. And to partially borrow from Donald Trump's successful US election pitch, they have been: 'make Russia stable again' (2000-03), 'make Russia rich' (2004-07), and 'make Russia respected again' (2012-17).

Now, in his presumed final term, Putin has to achieve something which eluded long-serving Kremlin bosses in the 20th century. And that is to manage a successful transition. Because, in the Soviet era, Josef Stalin (28 years in power) and Leonid Brezhnev (18 years) both failed to plan for the future. With the former leaving behind a vicious power struggle and the latter's mismanagement creating the conditions for the complete collapse of the state, less than a decade after his own demise.

Of course, the USSR was a multi-national superpower (incidentally, Stalin was Georgian and Brezhnev Ukrainian) but running the slimmed-down Russian Federation is no cakewalk either. The system remains unwieldy, with many outdated practices stunting growth and an overgrown bureaucracy which stifles innovation. Not to mention a culture of dependency and a legal system crying out for an overhaul, with very few court acquittals and often poor implementation of property rights.

Comment: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost

See also:

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X

Russian Foreign Ministry: Trump's Iran deal decision proves US unable to negotiate


RT
Tue, 08 May 2018 21:32 UTC
NetiTrump
© WordPress.com/Facebook.com@Truthandclarity
Moscow is "deeply disappointed" by Washington's decision to pull out from the Iranian nuclear deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The step taken by the US is a "flagrant violation" of the international law, it added.

"The US once again acts contrary to the position of most countries while pursuing solely its own narrow selfish and momentary interests," the Russian ministry said in a statement, following the announcement by Donald Trump that the US is pulling out the deal and imposing sanctions on Iran. Washington "flagrantly violates the international law," the statement adds while drawing attention to the fact that "there are no reasons for disrupting" the deal.

What the US' actions really show is that Washington is, in fact, incapable of conducting negotiations, the statement says. The latest move taken by Trump only proves that the grievances the US has had against the "absolutely legal Iranian nuclear activity" have always been just a "pretext for settling political scores" with Tehran, it added.

Russian lawmakers also slammed Trump's decision. "This is an egregious violation of the UN Security Council's resolution as well as a disruption of years-long diplomatic efforts in this field that creates a threat to international security," the head of the Russian State Duma's International Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, told journalists, referring to the US withdrawal from the deal.

Comment: See also: Yuge mistake: Trump pulls out of Iran deal, plans more sanctions - Iran calls decision illegal, plans to keep deal

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Footprints

Bernie Sanders is demanding answers for US ground troops in Saudi Arabia

Jake Johnson
MintPress News
Fri, 04 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Bernie Sanders
© AP
US Senator (I-Vt.) Bernie Sanders
As yet another news cycle was dominated by the latest chapter of the President Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels controversy on Thursday, the New York Times quietly published an alarming report detailing a secret U.S. Green Beret operation along Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen that was launched by the Trump White House late last year with no debate, discussion, or congressional authorization.

Responding to the Times report on Thursday - which indicates the U.S. has significantly escalated its involvement in Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) expressed alarm at the covert activities of American special forces and said he will be demanding answers about "these activities."

"I have strong concerns that the Trump administration is getting the U.S. more involved in a war in Yemen without congressional authorization," Sanders - who in March helped lead a failed effort to halt U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's relentless and illegal assault on Yemen - wrote on Twitter. "We must prevent the U.S. from getting dragged into another never-ending war."

Comment: Transparency isn't the US-Israel strong suit.
See also:

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Airplane

Pompeo flies to Pyongyang; Trump holds out for North Korea nuclear deal


RT
Tue, 08 May 2018 19:13 UTC
PompeoTrump
© Reuters
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo • President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump has announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is jetting in to meet Kim Jong-un after announcing the withdrawal from Iran nuclear agreement.

The decision to withdraw the US from a framework designed in 2015 to limit Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities will now see the Islamic nation hit with the highest level of sanctions, Trump stated on Tuesday.

However, in announcing an end to what he described as a "decaying and rotten structure," the US president also surprised reporters by revealing that Mike Pompeo was on a plane to North Korea.

Comment: Other countries view US actions collectively and historically, not individually. It would be surprising if Kim is not influenced nor affected by Trump's Iran agreement rebuff.

See also:
Yuge mistake: Trump pulls out of Iran deal, plans more sanctions - Iran calls decision illegal, plans to keep deal

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Question

WH: Pelosi is responsible for waterboarding policy, not CIA pick Gina Haspel

Paul Bedard
Washington Examiner
Tue, 08 May 2018 05:51 UTC
Pelosi
© AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi
The White House has aggressively stepped up its campaign for secret agent Gina Haspel to run the CIA, directly challenging Democratic leaders over "enhanced interrogation" of terrorists in claiming they were responsible for the policy, not those who implemented it.

In a new statement defending Haspel against expected charges she had a role in waterboarding al Qaeda's killers, the White House said instead that it was policymakers like then-House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who were briefed and gave nod of approval.

From the White House statement:
  • Policymakers who set up, approved, and were briefed on enhanced interrogation techniques are the ones who were responsible for the program, not the CIA's dedicated and professional officers like Haspel who served honorably.
  • Congressional leadership, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), were briefed as early as 2002 on the CIA's interrogation program according to unclassified documents by the agency.
  • In 2009, then-CIA Director Leon Panetta confirmed this, stating that CIA officers had briefed certain Members of Congress in 2002.
  • The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which signed off on the CIA's interrogation program in 2002, determined the program's legality, not career officers at the agency.

Comment: Congress is ultimately responsible for policy in the USA -- not that it truly has authority over, nor access to the CIA. But if Haspel is so innocent, why the delay in recriminations and vindication? See also:

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Fire

'Mistake of historic proportions': Trump under fire from Dems and Republicans for quitting Iran deal


RT
Wed, 09 May 2018 02:26 UTC
Trump
© ocregister.com
President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump has come under fire from both his political opponents and fellow Republicans for pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, with lawmakers arguing the move will embolden Iran and make the US less secure.

As the international community is reeling in the aftermath of Trump's decision to tear up the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, the controversial move did not sit well with US lawmakers at home either. Besides being castigated by Democrats, Trump has puzzled some Republicans, who believe that the withdrawal risks alienating US allies in Europe and adds nothing to American security.

The Senate's second-ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin, went as far as calling the decision a "mistake of historic proportions" that will allow Iran to resume its nuclear program and lead to self-isolation.
"It isolates the United States from the world at a time when we need our allies to come together to address nuclear threats elsewhere, particularly in Korea. This is a mistake of historic proportions," Durbin said in a statement, adding that "the last thing America and the world need right now is a new nuclear threat."
Other lawmakers have also voiced concern that Trump's decision to dismantle the deal, despite vocal opposition from its closest allies, except Israel, will ultimately undermine relations between them.

Comment: Where was Congress in all the pre-huff and puff. They knew this day was coming...didn't we all? Apparently Netanyahu is Trump's only sounding board and gatekeeper.

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X

Moscow: US pressure on Iran has nothing to do with the JCPOA


RT
Tue, 08 May 2018 16:54 UTC
Iran/flags
© Vestnik Kavkaza/KJN
Increased US pressure on Iran is politically motivated and has nothing to do with the nuclear deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

Donald Trump has promised to announce his decision on the future of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) accord on Tuesday ahead of the May 12 deadline.

Sources told The New York Times that he's planning to withdraw from the accord, reinstating the old restrictions and imposing new ones against Tehran. Trump has previously slammed JCPOA as "the worst deal ever" and threatened to quit the landmark agreement if it's not amended to also include Iran's ballistic missile program and activities in the Middle East.

The US and Israel have claimed that Tehran has been developing missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Washington's calls to broaden the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal in order for it to include the country's ballistic missile program are unjustified, Ryabkov told in an interview with RBC.

Comment: As we now know, President Trump did Israel's and the neocon's bidding, dumped the deal and in doing so, backed the US into a corner it may someday regret. Let's hope, before America goes farther down this path of no return, that day is today. Next signpost: False flags?

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Star of David

Max Blumenthal: 'Israel lobby now calling the shots in Trump's rollback policy on Iran'


RT
Wed, 09 May 2018 01:23 UTC
Neti and Don
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
Israeli PM Netanyahu • US President Trump
President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is a result of a lobbying effort by American Jewish billionaires and recycled, cooked-up intelligence touted by the Israeli PM, journalist Max Blumenthal told RT.

Trump's decision to pull the US out of the deal, which capped Iran's uranium enrichment in return for economic sanctions relief, has drawn widespread criticism from Washington's European allies and Moscow, but it was lauded in Israel, which has long pushed for dismantling of the 2015 accord.

If this doesn't speak for itself, Blumenthal told RT that the roots of Trump's decision to scrap the deal can be easily traced back to Israel.

"Israeli influence is absolutely key here. At least, Trump sided [cited] Netanyahu's kind of used car salesman style of presentation in order to justify withdrawing from the Iran deal and his new policy of rollback," the journalist said.

Taking aim at the bizarre PowerPoint presentation delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last month, Blumenthal pointed out the Israeli leader essentially "introduced nothing new in his presentation," adding that "much of the intelligence" appears to be "cooked" and stem from the early 2000s.

Comment: Do we see the play potential? Israeli lobbies buy US politicians. Israel maneuvers a willing Trump to nix the Iran nuclear deal. Blowback from everywhere isolates the US. Israel completes 'hands-on' control of the US, including the long sought-after war with Iran.

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