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Turkish court rules US pastor Andrew Brunson had links with Gulen terrorist movement


Sputnik
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 11:33 UTC
Andrew Brunson
© REUTERS / Umit BektasAndrew Brunson
A Turkish court ruled that US pastor Andrew Brunson's statements of not having links to Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen's movement, referred to by Ankara as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), are groundless, the Anadolu news agency reported Thursday citing the ruling.

"The defendant claimed that he didn't contact with representatives of Gulen's movement and other criminal organizations as it contradicts his religious views... But in reality, as confirmed by witnesses, Brunson was in contact not only with FETO's 'Imam' in the Aegean region Bekir Baz, but also with his assistant Murat Safa, who had a direct access to the leader of the terrorist movement," the ruling reads as quoted by the local media.

According to the court, Brunson also provided support to FETO, while Gulen's supporters, including Baz, helped the pastor solve his problems.
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Quenelle

Iranian FM presents a chronology of Mossad attempts to kill nuclear deal


Sputnik
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 11:33 UTC
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
© AP Photo / Petr David Josek
Earlier, the foreign minister said that the Israeli intelligence agency's "false flags" had failed to isolate Tehran or prevent it from constructive engagement with the international community.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has tweeted a timeline showing four times Mossad allegedly attempted to foil Iranian diplomatic efforts and interfere in international political processes in 2018.
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Bad Guys

White House 'anti-doping summit' shows who's in charge of campaign against Russia


RT
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 11:33 UTC
White House
© AFP / Mandel Ngan
It was an anti-doping summit hailed as "monumental" by the people who organized it, even though it was accused of failing to provide representation to the very people it targeted.

At the White House on Wednesday, athletes and sports officials from numerous countries met at an event organized by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

The topic: calls to reform the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in light of the decision to reinstate Russia in September.
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Eye 1

Flashback Confused Israel cosies up to Hungary over mass migration, agrees Soros is a threat

Luke Baker
Reuters
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:00 UTC
netanyahu soros
Israel's foreign ministry has issued a statement denouncing U.S. billionaire George Soros, a move that appeared designed to align Israel more closely with Hungary ahead of a visit to Budapest next week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Soros, a Hungarian-born Jew who has spent a large part of his fortune funding pro-democracy and human rights groups, has repeatedly been targeted by Hungary's right-wing government, in particular over his support for more open immigration.

In the latest case, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has backed a campaign in which Soros is singled out as an enemy of the state. "Let's not allow Soros to have the last laugh" say billboards next to a picture of the 86-year-old investor, a campaign that Jewish groups and others say foments anti-Semitism.

Soros, who rarely addresses personal attacks against him, has not commented on the billboards. But Hungarian Jewish groups and Human Rights Watch, an organization partly funded by Soros, have condemned the campaign, saying it "evokes memories of the Nazi posters during the Second World War".

Many posters have been defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti, including the words "stinking Jew" written in magic marker.

Comment: See also: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Weapons of Mass Migration: Interview with Michael Springmann on Europe's Migrant Crisis

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Mr. Potato

Who needs experience? Russophobic ex-Fox News host Nauert tapped as next UN Ambassador


RT
Fri, 02 Nov 2018 10:51 UTC
Heather Nauert
© Global Look / Liu Jie
The Trump administration has found the perfect blank slate to push its uniquely belligerent foreign policy at the UN: Heather Nauert, a former Fox News host who had zero political experience until joining the Trump team last year.

Trump has confirmed that State Department Spokesperson Nauert "is under very serious consideration" to become the next US Ambassador to the UN, taking over from Nikki Haley, who announced last month that she would leave at the end of the year amid fierce speculation that she was planning a presidential run in 2020.


While lacking foreign policy experience, she's good at dodging questions, finding justifications for schizophrenic US policy, and making bizarre statements that would make her Obama-era predecessor Jen Psaki blush. Here are just a few examples from her briefings over the past year:

Comment: One could say that she actually has the required experience: ignorance, lying with impunity and Russiaphobia. What more could you ask for? See also:

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Propaganda

'Don't be fooled!': German-owned Polish media trying to influence local elections - Poland's PM


RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 14:43 UTC
Fakt
© AFP / Janek SkarzynskiA man buys a copy of the new Polish daily "Fakt" published by the German media group, Axel Springer Poland in downtown Warsaw, 23 October 2003.
Polish media has been "sold out" to Germany, Poland's prime minister has lamented, adding that the foreign-owned outlets have considerable influence over Warsaw's internal affairs.

"Today, the media are in foreign hands, for the most part in German hands," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Republika TV on Wednesday. "These German media have become particularly active during the campaigns for local elections."

Morawiecki, who is a member of the right-wing nationalist ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), noted that other countries - including Germany - take measures to protect their media from foreign ownership. "In Germany, they say that their newspapers must be in their hands, and in Poland, the Germans bought the main Polish media."

Comment: See also:

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Oil Well

Iran embargo falters: Bolton gives India temporary waiver, claims won't hurt "friends and allies"


RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 05:09 UTC
oil rig
© Getty Images / Mohd Jailanee Othman
After Donald Trump issued a memorandum reaffirming his Iran oil embargo plans, his National Security Advisor has rushed to reassure allies that the measure is not intended to hurt them and even dangled the possibility of waivers.

One of the chief architects of Donald Trump's belligerent policy on Iran, National Security Advisor John Bolton, softened his boss's rhetoric on Wednesday, noting that the looming US sanctions against Iran are not meant to hurt American allies, who might be offered concessions to continue trading with the Islamic Republic.
We want to achieve maximum pressure but we don't want to harm friends and allies either.



Comment: Iranian sanctions, unsurprisingly, look set to backfire, because the US and its allies are already losing business, and they can't give everyone waivers.


Some countries "may not be able to go all the way, all the way to zero immediately," and halt trade with the third-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Bolton said in a talk at the Hamilton Society.

While laying off US allies, the Republican hawk, notorious for his warmongering attitude towards Tehran, stressed that Washington is still committed to punishing Iran. "I think it's important that we not relax in the effort."

Comment: RT also reports on India's waiver:
US agrees to grant India waiver from Iran sanctions... for the time being

Indian oil companies have been allowed to continue importing about 2.5 million tons of Iranian crude per month until March, sources familiar with the matter told the Economic Times.

The sources said New Delhi and Washington "have broadly agreed on a waiver," detailing that "India will cut import by a third, which is a significant cut." The official announcement is expected to come over the next few days.

Washington's sanctions targeting Iran's crude oil exports will come into force on November 4. US President Donald Trump announced in May America's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, warning that any countries or companies that conduct transactions with Tehran could face secondary sanctions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in September that the White House would only consider waivers for Iran's oil buyers if they vowed to eventually bring their imports to zero.

India, the world's third-biggest oil consumer, has imported about 22 million tons of crude oil from Iran in 2017-2018 and plans to raise that to about 30 million tons in 2018-2019.

According to sources, Indian oil firms will have to reduce their imports significantly as a condition of the waiver. The companies will be allowed to import 2.5 million tons a month up to March 2019, the same as they ordered for October and November. They still have to decide on how to split the quantum and on the form of payments, the source said. The companies will likely stick to the existing mechanism under which 55 percent of payment is made in euro and 45 percent in rupee, the source added.

India and Iran still have to figure out shipping and insurance details as sanctions have driven away Indian and international shippers and insurers from extending their services for Iranian oil imports. Currently, Tehran is providing its tankers as well as insurance for oil cargoes to India.
Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Blackbox

Best of the Web: Is Brazil's Bolsonaro a Pinochet or a populist? - George Galloway


RT
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00 UTC
Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro
© Global Look Press / Cris FagaSupporters of Jair Bolsonaro in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 24 October 2018
The victory of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Latin America's most populous country and co-founder of the BRICS bloc, has understandably caused much fluttering in the dovecotes of leftists and liberals around the globe.

But what the Bolsonaro victory shows is not so much the strength of far-right ideas as the weakness of the left.

First, though, a word about fascism.

It has become in vogue for left wing people to brand everyone to the right of them 'a fascist'. This is not just wrong it is entirely self-defeating. As the famous 'Boy who cried Wolf' found out, it can end up with one being eaten when folks conclude that if everybody is a fascist then, for practical purposes, nobody is.

Comment: Brazil swings right, elects right-wing nationalist Jair Bolsonaro as president

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USA

Best of the Web: American breakdown: Uncle Sam finally pays an overdue visit to the psychiatrist couch

Robert Bridge
RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 20:19 UTC
uncle same parade balloon
© Reuters / Eric Thayer
After a tumultuous week that included letter bombs, a swooning stock market, a caravan of migrants approaching the border, and a deadly mass shooting at a synagogue, the US finally sought out professional help.

Hello, Doctor. I am so grateful that you agreed to see me at this late hour. I am at my wit's end with the latest turn of events and could really use some consultation. Yes, I would be happy to recline myself on your fine couch, thank you.

Tell you about myself? Well, alright. My name is Uncle Sam and I manage a political entity known as the United States of America, perhaps you've heard of it. It's a sprawling democratic franchise that is home to some 325 million restless souls, each with their own endless desires and demands. They always want something! As for myself, I turned 242 years old in July, and I guess you could say I'm struggling with a mid-life crisis of sorts. Although my friends say I am sprightly for my age, ongoing events have taken a toll on this body and mind. And now with this maverick Donald Trump in the White House I haven't had a moment's rest in a long time. Why, I barely recognize my own country anymore!
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Better Earth

Cuba's new president reaches out to old allies Russia & China, seeking trade deals


RT
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 11:30 UTC
cuba
© Getty Images / Patrik Bergström
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel is starting his official three-day visit to Russia on November 1. Moscow and Havana have been re-establishing trade ties, a tradition going back to Soviet times.

Diaz-Canel will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. After the visit to Moscow, he will continue his trip to China, Vietnam, North Korea and Laos.

Moscow and Havana have inked deals worth more than $260 million, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, adding that more new agreements are expected to be reached soon.

Among the agreements was a contract to deliver 837 rail cars to Cuba in 2019-2021 and supplies of 15,000 LED lamps and their parts manufactured in Russia.

Comment: The Western model of imperialism as 'business' is dying, and Russia is showing how deals will need to be done in the future if players wish to remain in the game: Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Putin The World To Rights: Russia's New Nuclear Weapons And The End of 'Unipolarity'

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