Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Residue of Trump's Trip

Related: Trump's First Foreign Trip

Did you notice how they were trying to turn reality upside down by portraying a friendly relationship as hostile?

"Hamas says cutting electricity to Gaza would be ‘catastrophic’" Associated Press  June 12, 2017

GAZA CITY — Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers warned of renewed violence Monday if Israel acquiesces to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s wishes and reduces its electricity supply to the isolated territory.

The man is an agent of Zionism!

Btw, how did he get the job?

Gaza’s 2 million residents already get by with only four hours of electricity a day. In an effort to push his Hamas rivals out of power, Abbas says his West Bank government will stop paying Israel to provide electricity. 

Talk about having your boot on the pulse of a people. 

Someone call the U.N.

That has put Israel in the tough spot of having to choose between siding with Hamas in the internal Palestinian struggle or risking a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished coastal strip.

Oh, gees, poor Israel!

An Israeli official confirmed that Israel is preparing to reduce the amount of power it supplies to Gaza, at the request of the Palestinian Authority. The official estimated that the reduction would limit power to three hours a day. The official said that Israel was searching for international donors to make up the difference, but that Israel itself would not pay for Gaza’s power. It was not clear when the reductions would take effect. 

I'd say ask Qatar, but.... maybe you could call on your increasingly close friends the Saudis?

The official was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity.

‘‘This Israeli decision is dangerous and catastrophic,’’ said a Hamas spokesman Abdulatif al-Qanou. ‘‘This virtually speeds up the deterioration and explosion of the situation in the Gaza Strip.’’

That is what contained my print copy, but I so hunger for news of Palestinians in my Zioni$t pre$$ and what offers the web version:

After repeated failed reconciliation attempts, Abbas has tried to squeeze Hamas financially in recent months, hoping to force it to cede control of Gaza, which the Islamic militant group has ruled for the last decade. 

He's acting just like an USraeli!

He slashed salaries of his employees there, stopped payments for ex-prisoners, and reinstated taxes on the power plant’s fuel.

Most recently, he asked Israel to reduce Gaza electricity by 40 percent. The Israeli decision appears to be seeking a compromise.

‘‘Let’s not forget, this is Abu Mazen’s decision,’’ Gilad Erdan, Israel’s public security minister, told Army Radio on Monday, referring to Abbas by his nickname. ‘‘Should Israeli citizens pay the electric bill of the residents of Gaza? Of course that doesn’t make sense.’’ 

Yeah, well, everyone knows you put him up to it -- or it would mean the end of him and his perks!

Gazans have been trying to cope with the lengthy outages. The poor have been relying on battery-operated lights, the middle class on communal generators, and the few wealthy families have turned to solar energy. 

Environmentally-conscious terrorists?

But authorities warn of an impending crisis in health care and the environment. Each day, 120,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage is discharged into the sea.

Okay, at least it is not radioactive like over at Fukushima, but the sewage is literally shit from Israel.

The Gaza electricity distribution company says it has not yet been informed of the Israeli decision to slash electricity, but warned of ‘‘serious deterioration’’ if the cuts went into effect.

--more--"


*****************************


Time to swing over to the Persian Gulf:

"Qatar begins shipping cargo through Oman to bypass Gulf rift" Associated Press  June 12, 2017

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar said Monday it had begun shipping cargo through Oman to bypass Gulf countries that have cut off sea routes to the tiny, energy-rich nation, the latest move by Doha to show it can survive a diplomatic dispute with its neighbors.

Yeah, I saw something about that on Sunday.

Qatar’s port authority published video showing a container ship loaded down with cargo arriving at Doha’s Hamad Port from Oman’s Sohar Port, to a water-cannon welcome.

Typically, cargo for Qatar stops at Dubai’s massive deep-water Jebel Ali port or in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, then gets put on smaller boats heading to Doha. But since June 5, the UAE has joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt in cutting off sea traffic to Qatar as the nations sever diplomatic ties over Qatar’s alleged support of extremist groups and close ties to Iran.

Monday, Eritrea expressed support for Saudi Arabia and its allies after they cut ties with Qatar. The Eritrean Information Ministry statement of support came despite previously close ties with Qatar.

WTF are they getting involved for or taking a position on? US pressure? 

It truly is a world war at this stage. Everybody choosing up sides!

At least it will distract from the coming economic collapse that will only benefit, once again, the wealthy elite. Just like it did last time.

Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said Monday that Qatar is in contact with international aviation authorities and legal organizations as it tries to fight back against moves to cut off its land, air, and sea access.

Same drill:

Qatar’s port authority said its cargo will go through Sohar, as well as Oman’s port at Salalah, bypassing the need to dock in any of those countries that have cut ties. Global shipper Maersk already has said it will begin using Salalah for its shipments to Qatar.

Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency has said two Iranian Navy vessels will stop off in Oman soon as part of an anti-piracy patrol. Oman routinely serves as a back-channel negotiator for Western governments needing to speak to Tehran. 

They helped John Kerry make the deal with Iran.

The diplomatic crisis, the worst since the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq and the subsequent Gulf War, has seen Arab nations and others cut ties to Qatar, which hosts a major US military base and will be the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Doha is a major international travel hub, but flagship carrier Qatar Airways now flies increasingly over Iran and Turkey after being blocked elsewhere in the Middle East.

After an initial run on supermarkets by panicked residents, Qatar has secured dairy products from Turkey. Iran also has shipped in vegetables by air and plans to send some 350 tons of fruit by sea to Qatar, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field.

Saudis thought they would grab those like Saddam grabbed Kuwait.

--more--"

So let's see, we basically have the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Western Europe on one side with Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and Russia on the other side.

And here is where they would land:

"Syrian troops battle rebels in Daraa, advance on Iraq border" by Philip Issa Associated Press  June 12, 2017

BEIRUT — Syrian government forces and rebels were locked in their heaviest fighting yet in Daraa on Monday, as opposition activists feared troops would try to retake the southern city despite a ‘‘de-escalation agreement.’’

Progovernment forces, meanwhile, advanced to a second location along the border with Iraq, where they are expected to link up with state-sanctioned militias on the other side. Most of the desert territory is controlled by the Islamic State.

The state-affiliated Ikhbariya TV station hailed the government’s second contact with Iraq, with its correspondent Rabih Dibi stepping over the berm border. There was no one to greet him on the other side, but he promised ‘‘the brotherly forces of Iraq’’ would link up with them soon.

Iran sponsors both the Iraqi militias and the forces arriving at the border on the Syrian side, including Syrian army units, as well as militias organized by Tehran from Lebanon to Afghanistan.

Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published photos of General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, praying with Afghan fighters on the Syrian side of the border.

In Iraq on Monday, US-backed Iraqi forces pushed toward a medical complex in western Mosul, trying to dislodge Islamic State militants from two neighborhoods they still partly hold outside the Old City.

Brigadier General Mustafa al-Azzawi of the Iraqi army’s 36th Brigade said his forces had established a foothold at the edge of the medical complex, overcoming heavy resistance. Smoke rose from artillery shelling and coalition airstrikes pounded the area as Iraqi armored vehicles headed toward the front line.

Iraq launched an operation to retake Mosul, its second largest city, in October. Syria is in the sixth year of a civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people.

RelatedHundreds sickened by mass food poisoning in Iraqi camp

All signs point to Chinese takeout.

The Syrian coalition on Friday established its first toehold on the Iraqi border in three years, with the help of Russian airstrikes against Islamic State militants. The troops bypassed US special operations forces embedded with local opposition fighters at the Tanf and Zakf desert outposts dozens of miles to the south.

What they have done is encircled them.

Former US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, now a Senior Fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, warned in a brief that the opposition forces have been cornered. He said the Syrian government was determined to ‘‘link up to pro-Iranian forces on the Iraqi side of the border.’’

Who is Robert Ford, and for whom is he now working?

That's who my war pre$$ turns to for expert analysis?

In Daraa, rebels and government forces were fighting for control of the city’s Palestinian refugee camp. Local resident and media activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh said it was the third time in eight days that progovernment forces tried to advance with tanks under the cover of airstrikes.

Major Issam al-Rais, a spokesman for the rebels’ Southern Front division fighting in the city, said the battle was ‘‘life or death.’’

Rais said 17 fighters from the government’s side had been killed in the fighting in the last two days. It was not clear how many rebels were killed.

A Syrian general, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the fighting in Daraa on the rebels. He said the military was ‘‘committed to the cease-fire’’ but would respond to any aggression.

A ‘‘de-escalation agreement’’ brokered by Iran, Russia, and Turkey in May has not brought any relief for the city, activists said. The pact covers four zones in Syria where the rebels are fighting progovernment forces.

The activist-run Nabaa Media outlet released footage of thick smoke rising over the city after a string of blasts. It alleged the government was using napalm-like weapons. The footage was filmed Sunday. The Syrian general denied the claims.

Yeah, whatever. Keep trotting out those false claims while ignoring the white phosphorous and  depleted uranium use.

--more--"

The other battlefield:

"US cyberweapons prove to be disappointing against ISIS" by David E. Sanger New York Times  June 13, 2017

WASHINGTON — America’s fast-growing ranks of secret cyberwarriors have in recent years blown up nuclear centrifuges in Iran and turned to computer code and electronic warfare to sabotage North Korea’s missile launches, with mixed results.

Yeah, well, they only go after the bad guys and aren't behind any of the hacks, yup.

But since they began training their arsenal of cyberweapons on a more elusive target, Internet use by the Islamic State group, the results have been a consistent disappointment, US officials say.

One reason being, of course, that ISIS™ is an AmeriKan proxy and propaganda tool.

The effectiveness of the nation’s arsenal of cyberweapons has hit its limits, they have discovered, against an enemy that exploits the Internet largely to recruit, spread propaganda, and use encrypted communications, all of which can be quickly reconstituted after US teams freeze their computers or manipulate their data.

Then they will JUST HAVE TO STOP SPENDING MONEY on ALL THOSE PROGRAMS, 'eh? 

I mean, you CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS, guys! You can't scoop up Reality Winner and then come back and say we can't find the terrorists!

It has been more than a year since the Pentagon said it was opening a new line of combat against the Islamic State, directing Cyber Command, then six years old, to mount computer-network attacks. The mission was clear: Disrupt the ability of ISIS to spread its message, attract new adherents, pay fighters, and circulate orders from commanders.

But after recent attacks in Britain and Iran claimed by the Islamic State, or ISIS, it has become clear that recruitment efforts and communications hubs reappear almost as quickly as they are torn down.

This is prompting officials to rethink how cyberwarfare techniques, first designed for fixed targets like nuclear facilities, must be refashioned to fight terrorist groups that are becoming more adept at turning the Web into a weapon.

Only one answer: shut it down.

“In general, there was some sense of disappointment in the overall ability for cyberoperations to land a major blow against ISIS,” said Joshua Geltzer, senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council until March.

“This is just much harder in practice than people think,’’ Geltzer said.

PFFFFFFFFT!

Even one of the rare successes against ISIS belongs at least in part to Israel, which was America’s partner in the attacks against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli cyberoperators penetrated a small cell of bombmakers in Syria months ago, the officials said. That was how the United States learned the group was working to make explosives that fool airport X-ray machines by looking exactly like batteries for laptop computers.

Must be why ISIS™ never attacks Israel but only those all around it.

The information helped prompt a ban in March on large electronics in carry-on luggage on flights from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries to the United States.

I was told they didn't actually follow through with the ban, but whatever.

--more--"

Related: Nuclear Attack Will Come From the Shadows

Now back to the $hadows with you!



**********************


"Roadside bomb hits US convoy in Afghanistan" New York Times   June 12, 2017

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Three civilians were killed after a roadside bomb hit a convoy of US soldiers Monday in Nangarhar province, in eastern Afghanistan, according to Afghan officials in the area.

The civilians were killed when soldiers opened fire after the explosion, according to a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar.

OMG, it's like infamous Blackwater case in Iraq where there was gunfire and they just opened up all around them. These things happen far more than is reported, too!

So when does the $orry and $2500 bucks come, huh?!!!

The US military said that none of its personnel had been wounded. It added that though there was an exchange of gunfire after the bombing, it had received no official reports of civilian casualties.

Given the Afghan protests recently, I suspect they will be back out in the streets.

All six US soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan in 2017 have died in Nangarhar province while fighting the Islamic State. The most recent three died Saturday in an apparent insider attack.

In a separate development, the Taliban’s second in command and head of the militant Haqqani network denied involvement in recent deadly attacks in Kabul and western Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported.....

If you run my June roll maybe you can get to the bottom of it.

--more--"


***********************

"Japan seeks to expand arms deals with Southeast Asia" by Mari Yamaguchi Associated Press  June 12, 2017

CHIBA, Japan — A defense official said Monday that Japan is seeking to increase its sales of military equipment to Southeast Asian nations amid growing tensions with China and North Korea. 

As if they have a certain $elf-intere$t in those tensions we are told our leaders are working feverishly to quell!

The move is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to bolster Japan’s military role and its sales of defense equipment, especially in Southeast Asia, where China has expanded its own arms sales.

It's all so Bazaar.

Hideaki Watanabe, head of the Defense Ministry’s Acquisition Technology and Logistics Agency, said Japan will host a meeting Thursday with defense officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss the sharing of equipment and technology.

He spoke Monday at an international arms exhibit near Tokyo that was attended by hundreds of defense officials and industry leaders from around the world. 

Man, yesterday it was the Germans taking matters into their own hands and now the Japanese. 

Watanabe said there have been aggressive attempts by nations in recent years to change the status quo, in an apparent reference to China’s building of artificial islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

And the U.S. will go to war with anyone to prevent that.

‘‘It is essential to maintain the open and stable sea under the rule of law,’’ he said. ‘‘Ensuring safety of navigation and flight contributes to the peace and prosperity of Japan and international society. Japan’s research and development of high-quality defense equipment contributes to the defense of Japan and elsewhere.’’

Japan’s defense industry at home is worth about $16 billion annually, a fraction of the country’s $470 billion auto industry.

Japan had restricted arms exports under its post-World War II war-renouncing constitution, limiting joint research and development to the United States under a bilateral security pact.

Since an easing of the rules in 2014, Japan now has joint research deals with Britain, Australia, and France.

To scale up the defense industry, Japan’s government has bolstered research funding to more than $90 million this year.

How is that Fukushima clean-up going?

Japan has been promoting the transfer of defense equipment to Southeast Asian countries to help their maritime security capabilities amid China’s growing presence in the South China Sea, but deals have been limited to the sale of TC-90 surveillance aircraft to the Philippines.

China already exports mostly low-cost military equipment to many Southeast Asian countries.

The arms exhibit, sponsored by the Japanese defense, foreign and industry ministries, included panel discussions focused on missile defense. North Korea has conducted several missile tests this year.

US defense giant Lockheed Martin and Japanese contractors Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries were among dozens of exhibitors from around the world who had booths at this year’s Mast Asia exhibit, just east of Tokyo.

Yes, war is good bu$ine$$. Why would anyone ever want to stop it?

--more--"

Time to shut the door and go grab some sushi.


***********************

Largest anti-Kremlin protests in years roll across Russia

Was my World lead so you know it is controlled opposition to sow destabilization of Putin.

And rather than watch some lame propaganda (and speaking of staged and scripted hoaxes), I suggest you catch some other interviews of the man. Watched the first part last night. Ollie is a little out there, but Putin is a logical and lucid man. Kind of made me ashamed of the ones I've lived under.

"On June 13, 1917, during World War I, a group of German Gotha bombers attacked London, killing 162 people.

In 1927, aviation hero Charles Lindbergh was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City.

He would later be vilified for this.

In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Queens.

Germans, Germans, Germans.

In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth after a nearly two-month journey from England.

In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent.

In 1967, President Lyndon B Johnson nominated Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice on the US Supreme Court.

In 1977, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was recaptured following his escape three days earlier from a Tennessee prison.

In 1997, a jury voted unanimously to give Timothy McVeigh the death penalty for the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

Couple of patsies there. Just a job, man.

In 2007, insurgents blew up the two minarets of a revered Shi’ite shrine in Samarra, Iraq, a year after the shrine’s golden dome was destroyed in a bombing.

Those turned out to be U.S. false flags meant to strike at the very heart of Shi'ite Islam.

In 2016, a day after the Orlando, Fla., nightclub shooting rampage that claimed 49 victims, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton offered drastically different proposals for stemming the threat of terrorism and gun violence; Trump focused heavily on the nation’s immigration system (even though the shooter was US born) and redoubled his call for temporarily banning Muslims from the United States, while Clinton said she would prioritize stopping ‘‘lone wolf’’ attackers as president and reiterated her call for banning assault weapons....."

Then there is the Untold History of the World, nothing to take pride in.