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

Puppet Masters
Map

Quenelle

Radical truth-telling: Iran's Khamenei eviscerates deadly Saudi mismanagement of Muslim holy sites

Eric Randolph
Yahoo! News
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 16:31 UTC
khamenei
© AFP
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Saudi Arabia's ruling family of politicising the hajj pilgrimage
With Iranians blocked from this month's hajj pilgrimage, their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a furious rebuke Monday to rival Saudi Arabia, saying the Muslim world should challenge its management of Islam's holiest sites.

"Saudi rulers... who have blocked the proud and faithful Iranian pilgrims' path to the Beloved's House, are disgraced and misguided people who think their survival on the throne of oppression is dependent on defending the arrogant powers of the world, on alliances with Zionism and the US," Khamenei said.

He accused Saudi Arabia's ruling family, who are the custodians of Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, of politicising the annual hajj pilgrimage, due to start at the end of the week, turning themselves into "small and puny Satans who tremble for fear of jeopardising the interests of the Great Satan (the United States)".

Comment: Saudi Arabian cleric Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh responded with harsh words to Khamenei's impassioned rebuke of Saudi debauchery and treachery:
"We must understand these are not Muslims, they are children of Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one. Especially with the people of Sunna," Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said in comments to the Makkah newspaper, adding that Khamenei's remarks did not surprise him. The term "Magi" refers to Zoroastrianism - a monotheistic religion older than Islam that was once dominant in Persian lands before the Arab conquest.
Khamenei's full treatment can be read here.

      Read More...
Bomb

RT journalist crew dodges ISIS suicide car bomb attack on Libyan battlefield


RT
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:20 UTC
RT journalist
New intense battle footage from Libya shows an RT crew caught in the midst of heavy fighting between government forces and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants as the journalists venture to report, risking their lives from the frontline in Sirte.

After a vehicle with RT's William Whiteman drove past an intersection in one of Sirte's contested neighborhoods where sounds of gunfire are heard erupting every few seconds, the journalists managed to cheat death in an attempted suicide attack. An armored car rigged with explosives rapidly approaching their positions was spotted by the government fighters.

Before the terrorist was able to trigger a powerful blast, he was annihilated by a RPG fired by one of the government fighters. The remnants of the car engulfed by flames could be seen through a smashed shutter.
      Read More...
X

Desperate anti-Russia narrative continues as US "probes" allegations Russia is trying to disrupt election

Jason Ditz
AntiWar.com
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
grave concern
© Reuters
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she had "grave" concern that Russia may be interfering in the U.S. election.
No Evidence, But Officials Continue to Hype 'Plot'

US intelligence officials are being quoted in the Washington Post today as confirming a major investigation ongoing "looking very closely at" allegations, which appear to primarily be driven by top Democratic Party officials, that Russia might be trying to "influence" the US election.

The allegations date back as far as the Democratic National Convention, during which party officials tried to change the focus on WikiLeaks releases of hacked emails by claiming the Russians did it as a plot to get Republican nominee Donald Trump elected.

This talking point has since been at the fore in the campaign ever since, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D - NV) asking the FBI for a formal investigation, claiming that there is "extensive" evidence of a Russian plot to falsify election results.
      Read More...
Map

Is Syrian War all about oil? German online newspaper makes the case


Sputnik
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 15:59 UTC
Damage in Aleppo
© AP Photo/ Manu Brabo, File
German online newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten has provided its own analysis on the developments in Syria, noting that the severest clashes occur only in places of major pipelines or where new routes are planned to run; hence it says, the conflict is nothing more than a fight for the best positions to start oil and gas supplies to Europe.

The newspaper has attentively examined the Syrian war map and noticed that the military actions are going on only in places where major oil and gas routes are either already running or are planned to go.

"Two of the most important oil markets are located in the Syrian cities of Manbij and al-Bab, both cities are located in the Governorate of Aleppo," the newspaper says.

"Through the territories of the two cities runs a major pipeline which transports oil from Iraq to Syria, up to Idlib Governorate," it says.

Comment: Is the US-Backed New Syrian Army part of a plan to establish new gas pipelines?

      Read More...
Stormtrooper

Security gaff - British military has handed a 'target list' of 20,000 soldiers' names to ISIS


RT
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:13 UTC
British soldier
© Reuters
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of effectively handing Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) a "target list" since posting the names of 20,000 British soldiers and potential recruits online.

The Government website, as well as the sites of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, all contain various versions of the list, which was published on Monday night.The exposed information includes the details of regular officers, reservist officers, university trainees, and adult volunteers that were serving in the British military in 2015, many of whom still will be.

Former reservist Major Chris Green, who has left the force, but is detailed in the 2015 list, told The Times: "This is a serious security threat when ISIS and other groups are looking to target individuals.

"It is actually a pretty terrifying error. They are putting national security at risk in many ways."

One serviceman named on the list told the Express: "They've basically provided a target list for ISIS."

An unnamed senior officer added: "I think it is quite risky. I do not know why they have done it."
      Read More...
Chess

China and Russia's G20 message: Choosing cooperation over confrontation

Dmitry Babich
RT
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 09:28 UTC
Xi Jinping Vladimir Putin
© Wang Zhao / Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) ahead of G20 Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, September 4, 2016.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the meeting of 20 leading industrial nations a 'tremendous success' during his closing statement, an upbeat assessment that noticeably clashed with the Western media's version of events.

The Western mainstream media concentrated on "controversies" - from an incident with President Obama's security personnel to the tough negotiations between the Russian and American presidents on the margins of the summit. (Both leaders made a last-ditch attempt to iron out their differences on Syria and Ukraine, with Obama clearly missing his last chance to contribute to the settling of these two conflicts before departing office early next year - with both wars started under his tenure and not without his participation).

Symbolism of language

An inexperienced reader might conclude from this Western coverage that bickering between US and Chinese security guards over the intricacies of approaching the US president's plane was more important than the agreement of the G20 to modernize the regime of international trade and the actual discussions between Xi and Obama, Putin and Erdogan, Theresa May and Putin - which all took place during these two busy days in Hangzhou.

There may be a deeper symbolism in this contrast of the positive Russo-Chinese approach to the summit and the US/EU push for "concessions via confrontation." The two sides even used different language. For example, the chairman of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said that China "must" allow monitoring of its steel production, saying that losses for European job market due to China's "overcapacity" were "unacceptable."

It should be noted that Xi and Putin never used the word "must" when talking about problems with their Western partners.

Comment: In its arrogant quest for total hegemony, the West is unable to understand the concept of a multi-polar world based on economic development and cooperation, and is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that it can no longer command obedience to its dictates.

      Read More...
Stock Up

Banking giants Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley reverse predictions of post-Brexit 'Brecession'


RT
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:04 UTC
businessmen London
© Eddie Keogh / Reuters
A worker looks at his phone at the Canary Wharf business district in London.
Two of the City's biggest powerhouses have scrapped their predictions of a post-Brexit recession which would see the UK economy collapse following the EU referendum, and now envisage better-than-expected results in the third financial quarter.

Both Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley believe the latest growth figures suggest there is little chance of a so-called 'Brecession' in 2016 and 2017.

Surveys by the banks showed an upward tilt in three of the country's main industries - services, manufacturing and construction - in the month of August. But experts warned that Brexit might still mean slower growth than usual over the coming months.

"Given the resilience of the data, combined with some political stability and the fact that people do not know how much Brexit will affect them, we now expect subdued growth, but not a recession," said Credit Suisse economist Sonali Punhani.

Comment: See also:

      Read More...
Briefcase

Iraqi woman, Sundus Saleh, uses Chilcot Report in war crimes lawsuit against George W. Bush

Marjorie Cohn
Truthout
Sun, 04 Sep 2016 16:00 UTC
George Bush
© Stephen Crowley / The New York Times
President George W. Bush discusses the Iraq war in Washington, May 24, 2007.
Sundus Saleh, an Iraqi woman, first filed her lawsuit against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz in September 2013. Alleging that the Iraq War constituted an illegal crime of aggression, Saleh filed the suit on behalf of herself and other Iraqis in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

The district court dismissed Saleh's lawsuit in December 2014, saying the defendants acted within the scope of their employment when they planned and carried out the Iraq War. Saleh then appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

In her appeal, Saleh is arguing that the Bush officials were acting from personally held convictions that the US should invade Iraq, regardless of any legitimate policy reasons, and that they knowingly lied to the public when they fraudulently tied Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda and the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

Inder Comar, Saleh's lawyer, explained, "Nuremberg held that domestic immunity was not a defense to allegations of international aggression. Everything the Germans did was legal under the law. We are asking the Ninth Circuit to reject the application of domestic immunity in this case, in line with the holdings of Nuremberg."

Comment: Torture report leaves no doubt - Bush Administration guilty of war crimes

      Read More...
Megaphone

UN Human Rights chief Zeid warns against populists and demagogues in Europe and U.S.

Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein
OHCHR
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 15:45 UTC
UN Human Righs chief Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein
© UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
UN Human Righs chief Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein
Peace, Justice and Security Foundation gala,
The Hague, 5 September 2016

Dear Friends,

I wish to address this short statement to Mr. Geert Wilders, his acolytes, indeed to all those like him - the populists, demagogues and political fantasists.

To them, I must be a sort of nightmare. I am the global voice on human rights, universal rights; elected by all governments, and now critic of almost all governments. I defend and promote the human rights of each individual, everywhere: the rights of migrants, asylum seekers and immigrants; the rights of the LGBTi community; the rights of women and children in all countries; minorities; indigenous persons; people with disabilities, and any and all who are discriminated against, disadvantaged, persecuted or tortured - whether by governments, political movements or by terrorists.
      Read More...
Handcuffs

Venezuelan journalist charged with money laundering after anti-Maduro protest

Joshua Goodman
AP
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 15:17 UTC
Braulio Jatar
A prominent journalist on the Venezuelan island of Margarita was charged Monday with money laundering and will remain behind bars after publicizing a protest against President Nicolas Maduro.

Videos of the Friday evening protest, in which residents of a working-class neighborhood banged pots and hurled insults in Maduro's face, became an instant social media hit encapsulating the frustration many Venezuelans feel with the direction of the socialist-run economy.


Comment: US sabotaging Venezuela's economy


Braulio Jatar, who is also a lawyer, helped spread news of the demonstration on his Margarita-based website, Reporte Confidencial, which supports the opposition.

Comment: Presstitution: The Financial Times is a megaphone calling for mass murder and regime change in Venezuela

      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts