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RT2019/7/20
War with Iran as 2020 election boost? Ron Paul optimistic Trump may tell Bolton ‘to get lost’
With tension between the US and Iran running sizzling hot, some fear President Donald Trump may see war as a potential boost for his re-election campaign. Ex-Senator Ron Paul told RT he is optimistic that Trump won’t.

The Trump administration is full of Iran hawks, with people like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton having lengthy records of advocating military action against Tehran. There are fears that the president may greenlight a full-scale military conflict with Iran in the hope of rallying domestic support ahead of the 2020 election, especially since he accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of having the same thoughts in 2013.

Ron Paul, a veteran libertarian politician, told RT’s Going Underground he doesn’t believe it would work in the first place, and that Trump likely knows it intuitively.

“Though I’ve had my criticisms of the president, I think his gut instincts are not for that. I think if there is a hot war going on between now and next [sic] November, he is going to have a lot tougher time winning the election,” he said.

I have a belief that a peace candidate generally does better. And Trump was a peace candidate the last time around. I am optimistic to think that he is capable to tell Bolton to get lost.

日本の事実に基づかない主張は国際関係の中では通用しない

※　前川喜平（右傾化を深く憂慮する一市民）@brahmslover氏の2019/7/20のツイート
「極めて無礼」などという言葉をTVカメラの前で言い放つ外務大臣。それに喝采する国民。この国はどんどんおかしくなっている。

JNN/TBS　2019年7月19日(金)12時20分
韓国政府「日本側は事実と異なる主張」
日本政府による輸出規制の見直しに反発する韓国政府は、「日本側で事実と違う主張が繰り返されている」との立場を示し、韓国側の正当性を改めて主張しました。

　「（韓国政府は）事実関係をもとに何度も明確に説明してきた。それにもかかわらず、日本で事実と違う主張が繰り返されている」（韓国 産業通商資源省 イ・ホヒョン貿易政策官）

　韓国の産業通商資源省の高官は１９日朝の会見で、今回の措置を「輸出管理上の見直し」とする日本側の主張について、一つの国の輸出管理水準を超えるとして、「日本側の主張には説得力がない」と批判しました。そのうえで、輸出規制の「原状回復」を要求、経済産業省に局長級協議を求める文書を送ったことを明らかにしました。

　韓国で反発が広がるなか、１９日未明、ソウルの日本大使館に車で突入しようとした７０代の男性が車内に火を放ち、意識不明の重体となっています。韓国メディアは、男性は元徴用工の親族だと報じています。（19日11:05） JNN/TBS

※　mko@trappedsoldier氏の2019/7/19のツイート
河野太郎を辞めさせろ！　なぜこんな傲慢な態度なんだ？　「国際法」という言葉で韓国大使を批判するが、河野の使う「国際法」は国際法でもなんでもない。韓国大使が「両国の関係を損なわないよう。対話努力を」と語っているのが国際法に合致している。一国も早く辞めさせろ

テレ東NEWS　2019/07/18 に公開
元徴用工訴訟問題を巡り日本政府の仲裁委員会の開催要請を韓国政府が拒否したことを受け、河野外務大臣は先程、南官杓駐日大使を外務省に呼び出し、「極めて無礼」だと抗議しました。

※　但馬問屋@wanpakuten氏の午後8:09 ・ 2019年7月19日のツイート
元徴用工訴訟で河野外相、韓国の提案は「極めて無礼」
（動画あり）
河野太郎さん、ネトウヨ受けを狙って（オレ強気だろ）みたいな態度でやってるけど、マナーがなってないのは自分じゃないの？
一方的な思いに捉われ感情を剥き出しにしないで、冷静に交渉すべきだろう。

※　ふる(どうでしょう藩士)@moonkiba氏の2019/7/19のツイート
返信先: @wanpakutenさん
この徴用工問題ですが、
『日本企業は損害賠償を払う予定にしていた。それを日本政府がやめさせた。そして今の泥沼化に至る』
という経緯があり、悪いのは日本政府だと思いますよ。日本政府が必要以上に事を荒立ててしまいました。

関連
2019年07月11日
セイエド・アリー・ハメネイ最高指導者は日本の総理にかく述べた

イランが英国のタンカーを拿捕して英国外相が大慌て

2019/7/19、IRGCがホルムズ海峡で英国の会社が関係するタンカー2隻を停止させ、1隻は短時間で本来の航路に復帰しましたが、もう1隻は拿捕されています。
British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero と Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd – the Liberian-flagged ship Mesdar　でStena Imperoがまだ解放されていません。

英国外相がイランと外交経路で話をするとしていますが、ちょっと元気がない。ホルムズ海峡は大変込み合っていてイランの領海に入り込まなければならないところも多いようです。通常なら支障なく通過できても、イランが領海内を通過する船にルールを厳しく適用すれば、いくらでも航行を阻害することはできます。

それだけでも海運会社はえらい迷惑。米国の命令でイランのタンカーを拿捕しても、しわ寄せは海運会社に来るのでは、英国政府に突き上げはある。軍事的手段をほのめかせたらイランの領海、ホルムズ海峡通過は難しくなります。

英国はおろかです。この展開が読めなかった？

2019年05月20日　ホルムズ海峡

IRGCは、小型スピードボートを使ってタンカーを止めています。これは競艇のボートを何倍かにしたような大きさで機関銃やロケット砲を備えています。そして2隻でタンカーの周りをぐるぐると高速で周回しタンカーを止めています。この方法なら、同時に何隻ものタンカーを停止させることができますし機動性も高い。

UAEの密輸船とされるタンカーについては引き続きイランの管理下に留め置かれているようです。沖合で石油を積み替えてイエメンなどに運ぶオペレーションに従事していたとの説もありますが、UAEの船がイエメンに石油を運ぶ？　何でもありですけど。

British Warship Tried to Stop Iran From Seizing UK-Flagged Tanker in Hormuz Strait - IRGC
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Tehran of taking a "dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour" following Friday's seizure of a UK-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A Royal Navy warship escorting the Stena Impero tanker before its Friday detention by the IRGC attempted to put up "resistance and interference" to stop the Iranian military from bringing the tanker to shore, IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif has said, Fars News Agency has reported.

Earlier, Iranian media reported that the UK-flagged tanker was detained after colliding with an Iranian fishing boat while ignoring its distress call. According to Sharif, the British tanker had turned off its positioning equipment, and received multiple warnings about its unsafe behaviour before being seized.

The IRGC spokesman alleged that the Royal Navy ship intervened to try to stop Iran's naval commandos, including by flying helicopters in the vicinity.

Sharif emphasized that the IRGC's actions during Friday's incident were in strict accordance with international maritime laws governing behaviour in the Persian Gulf and the Strait fo Hormuz. According to the spokesman, 'some foreign vessels' failed to comply with these regulations, engaging in behaviour which he described as 'arrogant, provocative and threatening.'

The UK's Ministry of Defence declined to comment to Reuters on the veracity of the IRGC spokesman's allegations.

Sharif indicated that the seized British tanker is now located at a port in Hormozgan province, with "legal and judicial procedures" to investigate the incident currently underway.

The Royal Navy beefed up its presence in the Persian Gulf last week, sailing a missile destroyer from the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf as at least one frigate was already deployed in the region and escorting tankers. Tensions between Iran and the UK ramped up after British Royal Marines seized a tanker laden with Iranian oil off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4th and accused Iran of trying to smuggle it to Syria in contravention of EU sanctions. Iran said the move was illegal and created a "dangerous precedent."

On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Hunt accused Iran of "choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour" with Friday's tanker seizure while stressing that the UK's own detention of the tanker off Gibraltar earlier this month was "legal."

The British government has already caught flak over the tanker seizure incident, with a former commander of the Royal Navy saying London should not "pretend we're surprised" by the move, and saying that what he found "extraordinary" was that "we knew that the Iranians would try something like this a few days ago."

France and Germany have expressed concerns over the Stena Impero's detention, voicing solidarity with London, with US President Donald Trump promising to discuss the situation with his British allies. India said it is maintaining contact with Iranian authorities regarding the situation, given that 18 Indian nationals are members of the tanker's crew.



𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙗@IntelCrabの2019/7/21のツイート
Breaking: Britain advises all UK shipping to stay away from Strait of Hormuz for an "interim period".

FARSNEWS2019/7/20　Sat Jul 20, 2019 1:25
No Second UK Tanker Seized by Iran
TEHRAN (FNA)- British tanker ship 'MV Mesdar' is moving back to the Strait of Hormuz to continue its voyage after it received a warning from Iran to respect environmental rules and regulations.

The UK owned tanker, MV Mesdar, operating under Liberian flag was stopped by Iran's naval patrols in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening after it started oil leaks in the waterway.

The ship was sent back to the international waters to continue its voyage after a short time and after it was warned to show full respect for environmental regulations and harmless navigation.

The latest reports said Mesdar has already left Iran's territorial waters.

Senior military officials also rejected reports by some western media outlets claiming that the Liberian-flagged tanker has been seized, stressing that 'Stena Impero' is the only foreign ship under Iranian custody.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement issued on Friday evening that its naval forces have seized British tanker ship, 'Stena Impero', for violating maritime rules and regulations in the Persian Gulf.

"UK tanker ship, Stena Impero, has been detained by the vessels unit of the IRGC Navy's First Naval Zone at the request of the Ports and Maritime Organization's office of Hormuzgan province for disregarding international maritime rules and regulations as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz this afternoon," the statement by the IRGCN public relations said.

The statement said the ship has been escorted to the Iranian coastal waters in Hormuzgan province and its control has been transferred to the Ports and Maritime Organization for further legal procedures and investigations.

A statement by Stena Impero shipping firm said there are 23 crew onboard the UK ship, adding that there has been no report on any harm or injury to the crew members since the vessel came under detention by the Iranian forces.

Media reports said the tanker was heading to Saudi Arabia's port of Al-Jobail from the UAE port of Fujairah when it was detained by the IRGC.

Director-General of the Ports and Maritime Organization's office in Hurmuzgan province said he filed a request for the seizure of the British tanker by the IRGCN after reports on its risky moves that made the vessel prone to accident.

Meantime, sources told FNA that "the British ship had switched off its tracking systems in violation of maritime rules and regulations and was making an entry from the exit point of the Strait of Hormuz in the South, disregarding the established procedures that require all entries be made through the Northern pass.

In early July, British marines and Gibraltar police seized an Iranian tanker off the Southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo claimed that the ship was transporting crude oil to Syria “in violation” of the EU sanctions placed on Damascus. Washington has applauded the move, hailing it as a sign that Europe is on board with the US’ unilateral sanctions against Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “illegal move” of London and described it as “tantamount to piracy”. Tehran accused the UK of doing Washington’s bidding and helping the US attempt to stifle the Islamic Republic’s oil exports, rejecting London's claim that the supertanker was carrying crude for Syria.

The attorney general announced on Friday that Gibraltar's supreme court has ruled that the Iranian tanker seized by Britain's Royal Marines can be detained for 30 more days. The court's decision came a day after a senior Gibraltar's official described as “constructive” talks with Iran, raising hopes that the tanker would be released imminently.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has slammed Britain’s illegal seizure of the oil tanker, warning London of a pending response to the seizure of the supertanker that he referred to as a case of "piracy".

"They commit crimes and make it appear legal. The Islamic Republic and devout agents of the system will not leave such vicious acts without a response and they will respond in a proper opportunity and place," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

On Thursday, naval forces of the IRGC seized a foreign ship smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf, according to a statement by the public relations office of the IRGC Navy's first zone. The foreign vessel was smuggling a million liters of fuel from Iran and was seized in Iranian waters South of Lark island.

Yet, a statement issued by the IRGC on Thursday denied that any other foreign ship had been seized during the last week as claimed by the western media.

The statement reiterated that the ship had been seized for "smuggling fuel from Iran", and no other reason.

The recent moves by foreign powers in the Middle East such as US sanctions on Tehran's oil, UK seizure of Iranian supertanker, as well as, "sabotage operations" on oil ships have heightened tensions in the region and leading into turmoil in the international energy market, affecting global crude prices in recent months.

2019/7/19
Britain says seizures of UK vessels by Iran are ‘unacceptable’
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned Iran of consequences for seizing two vessels in the Gulf, one of which has now been released. London's response will be "robust" but not military, he said.

"We will respond in a way that is considered but robust,” Hunt told journalists, adding that the UK hopes to resolve the crisis through diplomacy and “is not looking” at military options.

Hunt said that he has already discussed the incident with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and looks forward to talking to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. Denouncing the seizures as “unacceptable,” Hunt argued that Tehran would be “the biggest loser” if “freedom of navigation is restricted.”

Hunt said that there are no British citizens among the crew members of either ship. He also added that the British ambassador in Tehran has already contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry in an attempt to resolve the situation.

Earlier on Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Iran’s elite military force – said it has seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz over failure to “respect the international maritime rules.” The vessel sailing to Saudi Arabia was seen changing its course and heading north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, marine tracking data showed.

The Swedish company owning the vessel, Stena Bulk, said it lost contact with the ship and that it was approached by “unidentified” small vessels before changing course.

Later the same day, another tanker owned by a British company - Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd – the Liberian-flagged ship Mesdar – also suddenly changed its course to Saudi Arabia and sailed to the Iranian mainland. This time, Tehran has not officially confirmed its seizure.

The tanker was apparently released later in the day, with tracking data showing the vessel changing course and heading westward and away from Iran late on Friday. The Iranian private Tasnim news agency reported that the British-owned Mesdar was cleared to continue its course, after having received a warning from the authorities over safety and environmental issues.Norbulk has confirmed that the ship has resumed its travel towards Saudi Arabia, adding that the crew was “safe and well.”

“Communication has been re-established with the vessel and Master confirmed that the armed guards have left and the vessel is free to continue the voyage. All crew are safe and well,” the company said in a statement.

Tehran and London have been locked in a bitter row ever since a super tanker Grace 1 carrying Iranian crude oil was seized by the British marines in the Strait of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating the EU sanctions against Syria.

Tehran denied these accusations while calling the Gibraltar's justification of detention laughable. Iran also accused the UK of acting on behalf of the US.

Washington has long sought to pressure Tehran into concessions on its nuclear and missile programs while repeatedly vowing to bring its oil exports down to zero with sanctions. It has also recently sent a naval group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to rehearse a possible strike against Iran while calling to form a “coalition” ostensively to defend the freedom of navigation.

スクリパル事件 英国がなぜこんな物語を考えたか？ 英国以外にはわからない

RT2019/7/20
‘Something fishy here’: Putin doesn’t believe UK poisoned Skripals
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories that say the British government poisoned former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

The Skripal affair, which turned relations between the UK and Russia from bad to worse, was brought up by filmmaker Oliver Stone during an interview with Vladimir Putin. Stone asked the Russian leader if he believes in the theory that Sergei Skripal wanted to return to Russia and divulge some secrets but was stopped by the British government.

“Honestly, I don’t really believe it. I don’t believe it,” Putin replied.

The Russian president said if British intelligence wanted Skripal poisoned, they certainly had the ability to do so. "There is something fishy here," he noted, alleging that whoever was behind the attempted murder was more interested in the "scandal" that it triggered.

Advising Stone not to take the conspiracy theory seriously, Putin said that Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer who moonlighted for the Britons, hardly had anything to offer to Moscow in exchange for allowing him back.

He was out of the game. What information could he possibly possess?

Skripal was outed as a double agent and sentenced for treason in Russia, but his prison term was cut short by a spy swap in 2010, after which he moved to Salisbury. In March 2018, he and his daughter Yulia were affected by a toxic substance which the British government identified as the military-grade nerve agent called ‘Novichok’.

RT2018/10/3
Skripal is a ‘traitor & scum,’ not some rights activist – Putin
In a rare personal comment on the Sergei Skripal scandal, Russian President Vladimir Putin lambasted the former double agent as a “traitor” and “scum.” The sooner the media noise around Skripal ends, the better, Putin said.

Some media outlets are “pushing through a theory that Mr Skripal is some sort of a rights activist. He’s plainly a spy. A traitor to his homeland. There’s such a thing – being a traitor to the homeland. He is one,” Putin said on Wednesday, speaking at the Russian Energy Week International Forum in Moscow.

“Imagine, if there’s a person in your country who betrayed it. How would you treat him?” Putin added. “He’s plainly scum.”



RT2018/9/28
Skripal poisoning: No info in records about decorated colonel Chepiga, says Kremlin
Russian records have neither information about a Colonel Anatoly Chepiga nor about such a person being awarded the highest national merit, said a Kremlin spokesman. A report by Bellingcat said the man is a Skripal case suspect.

Bellingcat is a controvercial UK-based group which is connected to projects financed by NATO and known mostly for compiling various public data to back various accusations against Russia.

The group this week said they conclusively identified Ruslan Bosharov, one of the two men accused in Britain of poisoning former double agent Sergei Skripal in March, as Anatoly Chepiga, a commando colonel, who has the merit of ‘Hero of Russia’ among his decorations. According to the Kremlin, there are no records of a person with that name receiving the award.

“We have checked. I have no information about a man with that name being awarded,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

The merit is usually awarded during a ceremony by the President of Russia. Bellingcat argued that Vladimir Putin must know Chepiga personally and that implied that his vouching for Boshirov and his fellow suspect Aleksandr Petrov was done in bad faith. Putin made public assurances that the two men were civilians and had nothing to do with any criminal activity.

Speaking about the case on Friday, Peskov said Russia was tired of the unending media speculations about the case and was calling on Britain to cooperate with Russia on the investigation through proper channels.

“All those speculations about who resembles whom. You know, we have a dozen of Stalins and 15 Lenins running around the Red Square, and each of them looks a lot like the original,” he said.

Bellingcat’s identification relies on what it called a resemblance between an old photo of Chepiga and a younger Borshirov. The group used the strategy to pinpoint Chepiga by creating a profile of a would-be assassin and finding a person in Russia to fit it.

From the start of the investigation Britain insisted that the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in March was a state-ordered chemical weapons attack by Russia. London claimed it had evidence which identified Boshirov and Petrov as agents of Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, but would not disclose it to the public.

米軍がイランのドローンを撃ち落としたというのはウソらしい

SPUTNIK2019/7/19
Iran Releases IRGC Video Allegedly Proving US Lied About Downing of Iranian Drone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZwdsNZc6hs&feature=player_embedded
・・・倍率の高いカメラを使っています。
昼間なら米軍艦船がミサイル発射と同時にイランも航空母艦に向けてミサイルを発射できます。

RT2019/7/19
Iranian military say all its drones returned safely to base after US claimed it shot one down
An Iranian military spokesman has rejected US claims that an Iranian drone had been shot down near a US warship in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.

“All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control, and there is no report of any operational response by USS ‘Boxer,’” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the Tansim news agency.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said an Iranian drone was taken down by the ‘Boxer’ after approaching her to within 1,000 yards (900 meters). The Iranian official said the statement was meant to escalate tension and uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz.



RT2019/7/18
US Navy shoots down Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz – Trump
Shortly after entering the Persian Gulf, a US warship shot down an Iranian drone that had approached to within less than a kilometer, US President Donald Trump said at a White House press event.

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer took “defensive action” against an Iranian drone that approached to within 1,000 yards (900 meters), and ignored multiple calls to stand down, Trump said on Thursday.

The drone was “threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew,” the president said, adding that the US “reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities and interests.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York he had “no information about losing a drone today,” and was waiting to hear from military authorities.

The Boxer sailed into the Persian Gulf earlier in the day, following the reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had seized the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker MT Riah and its 12-man crew.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the accompanying task force – which have been rehearsing a possible strike against Iran for the past two months – are still in the Arabian Sea, conducting search and rescue operations for a missing sailor.

Trump also called on other countries to “condemn Iran’s attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce” in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international shipping lane for transport of oil from the Persian Gulf.

Washington has called for an international “coalition” to patrol the strait.

RT2019/7/18
Sailor missing from US aircraft carrier rehearsing strike on Iran’s doorstep
A search and rescue operation is underway for a US Navy sailor who fell overboard from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. A Spanish and Pakistani ship are assisting the search.

The sailor, whose name is being withheld in accordance with navy policy, was reported overboard on Wednesday. Search parties from the Lincoln and the cruiser USS Leyte Gulf are looking for the missing man, assisted by the Spanish frigate Mendez Nunez and the Pakistani frigate Aslat.

The news comes amid reports that amphibious assault ship USS Boxer entered the Persian Gulf and shot down an Iranian drone.

The Lincoln and her accompanying ships were deployed to the region in May, amid rising tensions between the US and Iran. The task force has been conducting “simulated strike operations” in preparations for a possible US attack on Iran.

米国支配層の裏側 エプスタインはオーストリアの偽のパスポートを持っていた

noqreport
Guns and Crime
Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Bill Clinton

RT2019/7/18
Fake passport, ‘piles of cash’ & diamonds: Should we know you better, Mr. Epstein?
Mysteries only multiply as the Jeffrey Epstein saga continues to unravel. A fake passport found in the sex offender’s Manhattan home raises the possibility he had official cooperation traveling the globe under a false identity.

Federal investigators found the document alongside “piles of cash” and dozens of diamonds in a safe in Epstein’s New York mansion, the Daily Beast reported on Monday. Prosecutors say the passport, which contains Epstein’s photo but uses a fake name, was issued in Austria in the 1980s; they are still trying to determine how it was obtained.

The discovery not only stokes concerns that Epstein may be a flight risk – some of the safe’s contents suggest he was prepared to leave the country at a moment’s notice – but raise questions about how the wealthy financier could have trotted the globe for years under a fake name and avoided detection.

“This is a phony passport. Somebody else’s name, different address. Why would he do that?” asked RT America’s Rick Sanchez, who will take a closer look at the mysterious passport in a forthcoming special report. “Why does an American citizen need a fake passport to go to the UK, for example?”

In other words, Sanchez said, Epstein flew everywhere from France, to Spain, to the UK and Saudi Arabia, using a fake name and a fake passport for all of it – according to the stamped markings on the document – and raised no suspicion?

Who did he know? Who might he take down – presidents, tycoons?

Epstein was arrested in early July on sex trafficking charges and awaits trial in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. His bail hearing is set for Thursday afternoon, when he will request to be released on a $100 million bond, and put under house arrest.

SPUTNIK2019/7/15
A former Italian model has told The New York Post that Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier charged with sex trafficking underage girls, tried to induce her to sex in 2004 when she was 21.

Elisabetta Tai told the Post that her booker directed her to Epstein's Manhattan residence a month after she arrived in the US, saying Epstein was "in charge of Victoria's Secret" and she might land a gig modelling for the lingerie company.

When she showed up at Epstein's Upper East Side townhouse in 2004, Tai spoke to Epstein about her modelling experience before he suddenly stripped naked, laid on a massage chair, called her close and handed her a vibrator.

At that point, Tai said she "froze," then "grabbed the vibrator and threw it at his head."

Tai rushed out, but claimed a woman looking like Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's reported ex-girlfriend accused of recruiting underage women for him, grabbed her, saying she "couldn't just leave" because Epstein was "important".

Tai told The Post that she was terrified of telling anyone what had allegedly transpired until recent reports emerged of other women accusing Epstein of harassing them.

The harrowing experience “changed me for life,” Tai told The Post.

Jeffrey Epstein is said to have had a long relationship with Lex Wexner, founder and CEO of L Brands, parent company of Victoria's Secret.

The Post contacted an anonymous former Manhattan-based modelling agent who claimed Epstein used his position in Wexner's company to traffic underage girls, suggesting he could aid them in accessing the coveted lingerie company.

66-year-old Epstein, who is up for a bail hearing on Monday, was arrested on 6 July and charged with sex trafficking of minors by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

According to the charges, the financier “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls” at his mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach from 2002 to 2005. A conviction would send him to jail for up to 45 years.

FARSNEWS2019/7/15
The Dark Side of US Politics
TEHRAN (FNA)- US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned, following public criticism over his previous role as a Florida State Attorney in handling the case of businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested last week over child trafficking charges.

During his tenure in the Florida Legal system, Acosta was part of a deal which saw Epstein serve only 13 months in a local jail for child sex crimes. Although he has sought to defend his role in the 12 years-old case in legal terms, the public backlash amid the arrest made his position untenable and, consequentially, he bowed out under pressure. As he departed, President Trump stated: "I'm with him."

Why is the Jeffrey Epstein scandal proving to be such a big deal? And why is it so damaging to anyone even loosely affiliated with it? The case might be described as "the tip of the iceberg" pertaining to broader and long set allegations of sexual crimes and misconduct throughout the rich, famous and connected in the US.

With Epstein's recent arrest, his well-known connections, and accusations about bribery and silencing witnesses have captured public anger deeply because people come to believe that this is just a part of a broader, deeper, and darker trend. The sentiment is clear: These predators may be weaponizing their wealth and connections to prevent and escape justice.

The fact that some within rich and high-profile circles in Washington are engaging in sinister activities is not new. For many years, such allegations have been the subject of popular conspiracy theories and murky rumors. But they have often failed to be taken seriously by the mainstream. However, at the turn of the 2010s, the public atmosphere changed dramatically, by events not in Washington, but across the sea in the United Kingdom as well.

In 2012, journalists uncovered allegations that former BBC television personality Jimmy Saville, who passed away the previous year, had in fact abused hundreds of minors over a period of 50 years. This earthquake of a revelation shined a new spotlight on abuse and corruption by elite figures.

This was followed by a string of high profile arrests and prosecutions, as well as numerous more allegations. It spread from Britain and captured the horror of the broader Western world. The aftershock sank people's trust in public individuals and British institutions.

No more was the conceptualisation of the rich, the famous, and the powerful engaging in sinister crimes a mere conspiracy theory, but a long set dark culture which had to be taken seriously.

By 2018, this sentiment finally broke through to the mainstream in the United States. The unleashing of the "#Metoo" movement saw a tidal wave of allegations poured upon famous people about sexual abuse of both women and minors. Age-old silences were broken, and several careers were destroyed, and legal cases pursued. The reasoning was all the same that certain individuals with influence used their position and wealth not only to engage in illegal activities but also to evade justice.

This again brings us to the case of Epstein. He is an investment banker who oversees a firm which manages the assets of billionaires. He has a net worth of over 500 million dollars. Such a background means he is very well-connected. This includes, with photographic evidence, ties with Donald Trump, as well as former Presidents such as Bill Clinton. In essence, Epstein is a keystone of what every day Americans may describe as "elite society".

As a result, the scandal surrounding him is creating burning distrust of "the establishment" from the grassroots. This is why there was no hope for Alex Acosta politically. Although nothing can be directly alleged or proven against the former Labor Secretary, Epstein's background, ties, and known usage of money in legal matters meant that even the slightest association with him is a political death sentence. Angered and severely disappointed, the public wants Acosta out, but not just him.

So although little can be alleged or proven beyond Epstein himself, one thing is for sure that ordinary Americans feel that this case is just the tip of the iceberg. Surely, beneath the surface of Political and elite life in the United States, a dark and pathological culture of abuse and corruption exists whereby certain individuals and politicians - even presidents - believe with their power, status, and assets, they can live above the law.

This is a case with real political wheels and momentum. It should not go away, as its ramifications are deeper, more insightful and more shocking than people even realise. Any doubters should ask Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

SPUTNIK2019/7/14
Accused Child Sex Predator Jeffrey Epstein Made Payoffs to Possible Witnesses, Claim NY Prosecutors
Wall Street billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on 6 July and charged with sex trafficking of minors by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. The financier pleaded not guilty to “sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of minor girls” at his mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach from 2002 to 2005.

Prosecutors in New York have requested that a federal judge deny bail to multimillionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein who awaits trial for sex trafficking of minors, reports NBC News.

He “has a history of obstruction and manipulation of witnesses,” prosecutors wrote to the judge, Richard Berman, on Friday.

They allege that Epstein manipulated two possible witnesses against him by wiring them $350,000 late last year, just days after The Miami Herald published its 2018 exposé on the financier.

Prosecutors were also concerned the wealthy financier was a flight risk and ought to be denied bail to prevent him from attempting to tamper with witnesses or flee the country.

66-year-old Epstein, who is up for a bail hearing on Monday, was arrested on 6 July and charged with sex trafficking of minors by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

According to the indictment the financier, who pleaded not guilty, “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls” at his mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach from 2002 to 2005. A conviction would send him to jail for up to 45 years.

In 2008, Epstein faced similar charges but signed a controversial plea deal with Alexander Acosta, then the US attorney in Miami, which allowed him to serve just 13 months in a private wing of a Palm Beach county jail.


米国労働長官が辞任へ
SPUTNIK2019/7/12
US Labour Secretary Alex Acosta Resigns Amid Scandal Over Handling of Epstein Case
Earlier, following Sunday's arrest of billionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein on charges of sex trafficking and abuse of minors, lawmakers urged Acosta to resign over his alleged lenient treatment of Epstein during plea-bargaining negotiations in 2008, while Acosta was serving as US Attorney for Southern Florida.

US Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta will be resigning from office, President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday.

"I hate to see this happen," Trump said, adding that Acosta had done a "great" job as labour secretary.

Acosta, who appeared alongside Trump, said he had "called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside."

"My point here today is we have an amazing economy and the focus needs to be on...job creation," Acosta added.

The secretary's resignation will step into effect in seven days.

Criticism of Acosta began in late 2018, when the Miami Herald published a groundbreaking investigation accusing the official of treating convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein leniently in 2008 in the plea deal agreement which allowed Epstein to serve just a year in prison and another year under house arrest despite accusations of sexual abuse and trafficking by nearly three dozen young women and girls as young as 12.

According to the Herald, Acosta, who was serving as US Attorney for Southern Florida at the time, "didn't just buckle under pressure from Epstein's lawyers," but "worked with them to contain the case -even as the FBI was uncovering evidence of a wider sex trafficking operation."




SPUTNIK2019/7/11
Jeffrey Epstein Claims He Introduced Donald Trump to Melania - Reports
The billionaire financier faces up to 45 years in prison for running a sex trafficking ring that exploited dozens of underage girls. Epstein, however, has denied the accusations, pleading not guilty to all the charges.

According to The New York Times, Jeffrey Epstein, arrested on paedophilia charges, has been bragging he introduced Donald Trump to his wife Melania since the US president was elected in 2016.

The first lady has only ever said she met her future husband at a party at the Kit Kat Club in Manhattan in 1998, when Trump, who was separated from his second wife, asked Melania for her phone number.

The US president previously commented on the Epstein case, stating they hadn't talked for over a decade due to some disputes.

In an old interview with New York Magazine, published back in 2002, Trump noted that Epstein liked beautiful women, adding, however, that "many of them are on the younger side".

At the same time, ex-President Bill Clinton, who was a long-time friend of the accused businessman, claimed he knew nothing about the "terrible crimes" linked to Epstein.

The news comes after prosecutors stated that hundreds of "sexually suggestive" photos of nude minor girls had been discovered in Epstein's New York City mansion as part of an ongoing investigation.

The businessman previously faced a sex scandal in 2008 but got away with just an 18-month term after a "sweetheart" plea deal.

The list of his friends, associates and guests to his parties includes multiple politicians, moguls, noblemen, rock stars, and Hollywood celebrities.

UAEのタンカーがイランから石油を密輸していた？

他の国のタンカーがホルムズ海峡で故障しイランが自国の港へ曳航したとの情報がありましたが、このタンカーは密輸船だったようです。当初、故障したタンカーはUAEの船とされていました。UAEは真っ青です。英国がイランに航行の自由とか何か主張していますが、イランの港から出たことは確からしい。

輸出業者に因果を含めて盗品で密輸が目的だったしと証言させた？　でも故障したタンカーは追跡のための信号を止めていたとされます。そうであれば、最初から密輸船。後から国内業者に嘘の証言を強要する必要はありません。さあてどうなるか。

イランは故障したタンカーはUAEに属するとしていましたが、密輸船については所属国籍を明らかにしていません。

英国の旗を掲げていたとの説もあります。

石油が一時値上がりしたそうです。

FARSNEWS2019/7/19
Oil Price Jumps After 1mln Liter of Smuggled Fuel Seized in Persian Gulf
TEHRAN (FNA)- The price of oil spiked on Thursday just minutes after Tehran seized a “foreign vessel” which was “smuggling” one million liters of fuel near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast.

Oil prices reacted sharply to the media report over the seizure of the ship in the Persian Gulf, with Brent crude up 1% at $64.27 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate futures up 0.8% at $57.22 a barrel.

Naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have seized a foreign ship smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf in mid-July, according to a statement by the public relations office of the IRGC Navy's first zone on Thursday. The foreign vessel was smuggling a million liters of fuel from Iran and was seized in Iranian waters South of Lark island. Yet, the IRGC refuted claims by western media outlets that it has seized any other foreign ship.

Tensions mounted between Tehran and Washington last May, when President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism. The American leader and his hawkish advisers National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have since been stepping up pressure against Iranians, threatening Tehran of military operation.

Analysts note that a full-fledged war between the US and Iran would immediately affect global crude prices, as the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East has already shown.

In early July, British marines and Gibraltar police seized the Iranian tanker off the Southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo claimed that the ship was transporting crude oil to Syria “in violation” of the EU sanctions placed on Damascus. Washington has applauded the move, hailing it as a sign that Europe is on board with the US’ unilateral sanctions against Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “illegal move” of London and describing it as “tantamount to piracy”. Tehran accused the UK of doing Washington’s bidding and helping the US attempt to stifle the Islamic Republic’s oil exports, rejected London's claim that the supertanker was carrying crude for Syria.


RT2019/7/18
‘Smuggling fuel’: Iran state TV shows VIDEO of seized tanker days after UAE-based vessel vanishes
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has released footage showing the seizure of a ship “smuggling fuel” in the Persian Gulf. The vessel bears the name of the UAE-owned tanker that recently vanished in the Gulf.

The footage shows several Iranian boats circling the tanker, apparently forcing it to stop. Another video was captured from the ship’s deck, showing details of the vessel.

The ship in the video is apparently the MT Riah – a Panamanian-flagged tanker that went missing on Sunday. Tehran initially said that the ship experienced technical issues and was towed into Iranian water for repair.

According to the IRGC, the incident took place to the south of Iran’s Larak Island, which is located in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel had 12 crewmembers on board when it was detained, the IRGC said, giving no further information on their names or nationalities.

The ship has allegedly been engaging into repeated trips between different emirates of the UAE – presumably carrying oil or fuel. But an Emirati security official earlier denied that the UAE owns or operates the vessel, adding that ‘Riah’ did not send a distress call during the incident.

The incident with the MT Riah came shortly after another Panamanian-flagged vessel, Grace 1, was seized by the UK in the Strait of Gibraltar. The British claimed the vessel was carrying Iranian crude to fuel-strapped Syria and therefore was violating EU sanctions. Tehran reacted angrily to the arrest of the ship, comparing it to an act of piracy and berating London for kowtowing to the US.

FARSNEWS
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Detain Foreign Tanker in Persian Gulf Carrying Contraband Fuel - Report

The situation remains tense in the Gulf since Iran vowed to seize British ships in response to an Iranian tanker carrying oil being detained in Gibraltar. London believes the oil was destined for Syria, thus violating European sanctions against the country, but Tehran has denied this and demanded the vessel be released.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces have detained a foreign tanker along with 12 crewmembers south of Larak Island in the Persian Gulf over suspicions that it was smuggling one million litres of oil, Fars News Agency reported. There has so far been no information about the tanker's name or the country it belongs to.

According to the Tasnim News Agency, citing an IRGC spokesperson, the ship was stopped by the Iranian forces on 14 July and was detained after they confirmed it was carrying contraband oil. Reuters reported, citing a local TV, that the detained vessel was the one that sent a distress call on Sunday. The tanker was reportedly transporting oil from Iranian smugglers to buyers abroad.

"The vessel that Iran towed to its waters after receiving a distress call, was later seized with the order from a court as we found out that it was smuggling fuel", the IRGC spokesman said in a statement on state TV.

The UK, which currently has strained relations with Iran, was quick to react to the news, saying that it is trying to find additional information on the tanker's arrest, Reuters reported. A government spokesperson has called on Iran to take steps to ease the situation in the region.

"We continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region. We are continuously monitoring the security situation there and are committed to maintaining freedom of navigation, in accordance with international law", the British government's spokesperson said.

On the same day, US Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie announced during a joint press conference with Saudi General Prince Fahd bin Turki that he would be working "aggressively" to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and that he has been contacting other countries on the matter. When asked about participating in the initiative, Prince Fahd stated that the country has already organised a military escort for its ships in the Red Sea.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on 16 July that the country's forces had approached an international oil tanker that requested assistance due to experiencing a technical fault. The oil tanker was then tugged to Iranian waters to conduct the necessary repairs, the ministry added.

The statement came in the wake of the US voicing suspicions that Tehran could have seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker that had turned off its tracker on 14 July, when sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The situation in the Gulf has escalated since British authorities seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar on 4 July over a tip from the US claiming that it was carrying oil bound for Syria in violation of European sanctions. Tehran slammed the arrest and denied sending oil to Syria. The Islamic Republic accused London of endangering international shipments and demanded the release of the vessel.

Tehran also warned it could seize British ships if its demands are not met, prompting the Royal Navy to start escorting UK ships in the Gulf and sending additional military vessels to the region.

南アジアで洪水 モンスーンの始まりの時期

胸まで水につかると歩くのもおぼつかないです。水が勢いを持って流れているように見えます。若い人の真剣な表情、感動的です。




Record High Number of China Rivers Report Floods
TEHRAN (FNA)- More than 3.93 million residents in the Central Hunan Province have suffered from the damages brought by floodwater, with 17 people missing or presumed dead. [VIDEO]

http://media.farsnews.com/media/Uploaded/Files/Video/1398/04/27/13980427000538.mp4

トランプは人種差別主義者の考え方と心を持っている

RT2019/7/18
Ilhan Omar brands Trump ‘FASCIST’ after ‘send her back’ chants at his rally
Rep. Ilhan Omar has accused the US president of being “racist” and of “spewing fascist ideology” after Donald Trump’s supporters were heard chanting “send her back” during a rally as he was lambasting the Democratic congresswoman.

“We have said this president is racist, we have condemned his racist remarks. I believe he is fascist,” Omar told reporters on Thursday, adding that she believes the verbal attacks are targeting not only her, but the very right to have a dissenting opinion.

“I want to remind people that this is what this president and his supporters have [turned] our country, that is supposed to be a country where we allow democratic debate and dissent to take place,” Omar said.

The Somalia-born congresswoman went further and accused Trump of “spewing his fascist ideology on stage” – referring to the scandalous rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, in which a crowd of the president’s supporters started chanting “send her back” during his speech. Trump, who did not try to stop the chants, was at the time addressing what he called Omar’s “vicious anti-Semitic screeds.” He was also accusing her of supporting Al-Qaeda and smearing the US military involved in the Somalian war.

The incident triggered a wave of criticism, and Trump later attempted to downplay it, saying he actually “disagreed” with the chants.

“I felt a little bit badly about it,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “I would say that I was not happy with it. I disagreed with it. But again I didn’t say that. They did. And I disagreed with it.”

The scandalous rally came on top of the heated row between Trump and the so-called ‘squad’ of four Democratic congresswomen – Omar, Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Last week, Trump called upon the ‘squad’ to go back to the “totally broken and crime infested” countries from which they came from (except for Omar, the other three women were born in the US).

Despite the massive backlash and accusations of racism, Trump did not back down and quoted a Republican senator calling the group the “four horsewomen of [the] apocalypse” in his tweets ahead of the North Carolina rally.

JNN/TBS　2019年7月18日(木)0時52分
「トランプ発言は人種差別的」米下院が非難決議
　アメリカ議会下院は１６日、トランプ大統領が白人ではない４人の女性議員に「なぜ国に帰らないのか」と述べた発言について、「人種差別的だ」と非難する決議を可決しました。
　トランプ氏の発言について「人種差別的だ」と非難する決議は、１６日、下院本会議で、野党・民主党のほか、与党・共和党からも４人が賛成し、可決されました。トランプ氏は、民主党の白人ではない４人の女性議員を念頭に、「なぜ出身国に帰らないのか」「我々の国を嫌い、不平ばかり言うなら出て行けばいい」などと発言してきましたが、決議案の採決に先立ちツイッターに、「私の体に人種差別主義者の血は流れていない」などと投稿し、反論しました。
　一方、攻撃を受けたオカシオコルテス下院議員はトランプ氏のツイートに対し、「血は流れていなくても、あなたは人種差別主義者の考え方と心を持っている」と書き込み、改めてトランプ氏を非難しました。（17日23:06） JNN/TBS

FARSNEWS2019/7/17
Polls Show Sour Views of Race Relations in Trump’s America
TEHRAN (FNA)- Even before US President Donald Trump’s racist tweets toward four Democratic congresswomen of color, Americans considered race relations in the United States to be generally bad − and said that Trump has been making them worse.

On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the congresswomen should go back to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from, despite the fact that all are American citizens and three were born in the US, AP reported.

Since his election, polling has shown Americans wary of Trump when it comes to race. But views of the president, racism in the US and what defines American culture vary significantly based on political alignment.

Race Relations in the Trump Era

In January, a CBS News poll found nearly 6 in 10 Americans saying race relations in the country are generally bad.

It wasn’t always that way. Positive views of the state of race relations in the country peaked with President Barack Obama’s inauguration, after which 66% of Americans said race relations were generally good in an April 2009 CBS News/New York Times poll.

But views started to sour in 2014 following a number of high-profile shootings of black men by police officers and have continued to be more negative than positive in the Trump era.

And Americans think Trump is contributing to the problem. A Pew Research Center poll earlier this year showed 56% of Americans saying Trump has made race relations worse.

Americans gave similarly poor assessments of the president’s impact on specific racial, ethnic and religious minorities. Nearly 6 in 10 considered Trump’s actions to be bad for Hispanics and Muslims, and about half said they were bad for African Americans, according to a February 2018 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

That poll also found that 57% of Americans considered Trump to be racist.

Race as A Political Fault Line

Polls show stark differences in assessments of the state of race relations and Trump’s impact by party identification, along with racial and ethnic identity and educational attainment.

In Pew’s poll, fully 84% of Democrats said Trump has worsened race relations, while only about 2 in 10 Republicans agreed. About a third of Republicans said Trump has made progress toward improving race relations, while a quarter said he has tried but failed.

Majorities of Americans who are black, Hispanic and Asian said Trump has made race relations worse, compared with about half of white Americans. Among white Americans, views diverged by education − 64% of whites with a college degree think Trump has worsened race relations, compared with 41% of those without.

Racist Language

Democrats in Congress immediately called out the president’s comments on Sunday as racist and divisive, while many Republicans have remained silent.

Polling shows Democratic and Republican Americans fundamentally disagree on the way people should approach offensive language in the country.

Eighty-two percent of Republicans feel that too many people are easily offended over language today, according to a poll conducted in May by Pew Research Center, compared with about half as many Democrats who said the same. A majority of Democrats said people need to be more careful with their language.

Since Trump’s election, most Americans think it has become more common for people to express racist views, and 45% said it has become more acceptable as well, according to Pew’s February poll.

Majorities of Democrats said it has become both more common and more acceptable. Among Republicans, 42% said it has become more common and 22% said it has become more acceptable.

Diverging Views of America’s Identity

Throughout his presidency, Trump has stoked racial and ethnic division building on his campaign promise to secure the border and country. In 2017, Trump instituted a travel ban restricting entry into the US for people from five predominantly Muslim countries.

Earlier this year, the president declared a national emergency to appropriate billions of dollars in funds from government agencies to expand the US-Mexico border wall. And most recently, Trump moved on Monday to halt protections for most Central American asylum seekers.

Trump’s response to the firestorm signaled that he thinks it’s a winning stance for him, saying, “It doesn’t concern me because many people agree with me."

In an AP-NORC poll from February 2017, half of Americans said the mixing of culture and values from around the world is an important part of America’s identity. Fewer − about a third − said the same of a culture established by early European immigrants.

But partisans were divided over these aspects of the nation’s identity. Nearly half of Republicans, but just about a quarter of Democrats, saw the culture of early European immigrants as important. By comparison, about two-thirds of Democrats, and about a third of Republicans, considered the mixing of world cultures important to the country’s identity.

The AP-NORC poll also found 57% of Americans saying that the U.S. should be a country with an essential culture that immigrants adopt when they come. Eight in 10 Republicans preferred immigrants to the US adapt to an American culture, though a similar share said they thought recent immigrants have not done so.

Report: US to Send Around 500 Troops to Saudi Arabia Amid Iran Tensions

UAEは軍の一部をイエメンから引き揚げました。サウジは米軍兵士を呼び込みました。

FARSNEWS2019/7/18
Report: US to Send Around 500 Troops to Saudi Arabia Amid Iran Tensions
TEHRAN (FNA)- The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to send hundreds of troops to Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with Iran and despite growing criticisms of Washington’s military ties with Riyadh over the regime’s gloomy human rights record.

Citing two US defense officials, CNN reported on Thursday that around five-hundred forces are expected to be dispatched to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area East of the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

They stated that a small number of troops and support personnel are already in the air base, with initial preparations being made for a US-made Patriot missile system as well as runway and airfield improvements.

The unnamed US official noted that Washington is expected to fly stealth, fifth-generation F-22 jets and other fighters from the air base.

Commercial high-resolution satellites taken in mid-June by Planet Labs and obtained by CNN, show an initial deployment of US forces and support personnel to the site, according to Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who has studied the new images.

“A small encampment and construction equipment appeared at the end of a runway by June 27, suggesting that improvements are already underway. The encampment to the east of the runway is typical of Air Force engineering squadrons deployed overseas,” he told CNN.

So far, neither the Pentagon nor Saudi Arabia has made any comment on the issue.

The US has been supporting a 2015-present Saudi-led war against Yemen that seeks to bring back the impoverished country’s former Riyadh-backed officials. The American patronage has featured aerial refueling, which the US only stopped earlier in the year after the Saudi-led coalition grew independent of it, as well as logistical and commando support. Tens of thousands have died since the onset of the war. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years. A year after the war was launched, Trump made his maiden foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, announcing more than $100 billion in arms sales to the kingdom. Lawmakers had been holding up the sales amid concerns about civilian casualties in the war and fury at Saudi Arabia over its killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last year.

The US decision to boost military ties with Saudi Arabia comes despite Congressional outcry over the kingdom’s human rights records. The US administration had cited “alleged threats from Iran” to justify resorting to the provision.

Tensions mounted between Tehran and Washington last May, when Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.

Trump and his hawkish advisers National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have since been stepping up pressure against Iranians.

In early April, the US administration decided to designate Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, while critics called it stupid and dangerous. In a tit-for-tat measure, Tehran labeled the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle-East as a terrorist entity.

The tensions saw a sharp rise on the first anniversary of Washington’s exit from the deal as the US moved to ratchet up pressure on Iran by tightening its oil sanctions and sending military reinforcements, including an aircraft carrier strike group, a squadron of B-52 bombers, and a battery of Patriot missiles, to the Persian Gulf region.

Last month, the Pentagon announced it was sending 1,000 additional US forces and more military resources to the Middle East but did not specify which countries they were going to. The forces going to Saudi Arabia are said to be part of this deployment.

Iran has stressed that it will not be the initiator of any war, but reserves the right to self defense and will give a crushing response to any act of aggression by the United States.

すごいことになってきた ロシアが Su-35 をトルコに売ってもよいと

SPUTNIK2019/7/18　　13:01 18.07.2019(updated 13:04 18.07.2019)
Russia Ready to Discuss Delivery of Su-35 Fighter Jets to Turkey - Rostec
The statement comes on the heels of Washington announcing that Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems "renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible".

"If our Turkish colleagues express a desire, we are ready to work out deliveries of Su-35 fighter jets", Sergei Chemezov, head of the state corporation Rostec, said on Thursday.

・・・引用終わり・・・

当然そうなるだろうと思っていましたが、トルコは米国が正式に拒否するのを待ってロシア製戦闘機に乗り換えです。すでにロシアとトルコで話はできていますね。

S-400を突破口にしてロシアが米国の武器市場を奪い始めました。

米国が「制裁」を振りかざすために、国際決済手段をドルから自国通貨や元に変えようとする動きも出ています。ドルの没落。となると価値保全は何で？

金価格が上がっています。2011年がこれまでのピークでまだそのピークには至っていません。



RT2019/7/19
US discontent over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400s is ‘sign of true competition’
The US has punished Turkey for buying Russian air defense systems by cutting it from the F-35 program. The rationale behind the move is speculative, and Ankara’s example may prompt other US allies to buy Russian, experts told RT.

Turkey received its first deliveries of the S-400 long-range air defense system last week, which it purchased in 2017. The US, which has been promising to retaliate by denying Turkey access to its F-35 fighter jets, delivered on the threat. Washington claims doing otherwise would have exposed the advanced aircraft to surveillance by the Russian system and compromised its stealth capabilities.

The US-advocated link between the two systems is “imaginary” and arbitrary, according to RT’s defense expert Mikhail Khodarenok. The reality is that Turkey, a NATO ally, is boosting its defense capabilities with the purchase and, by extension, makes the entire alliance stronger.

“Everything said by the US officials about the delivery to Turkey of the advanced air defense system should be viewed as a sign of competition between two leading producers of modern weapons – Russia and the US,” he said. “The S-400 Triumf is better than its American counterpart, the PAC-3 Patriot, in almost every regard. Ankara’s preference is not surprising.”

Turkey’s decision to stick to the deal despite extraordinary pressure from Washington shows how badly it needed this type of military hardware, Vladimir Batyuk, a senior fellow with the Moscow-based Institute of the USA and Canada, told RT.

“Denmark or the Netherlands have no reasons to fear for their military security. The ruling elites there may go hysterical from time to time, crying: ‘The Russian bear is about to eat us!’ But everybody knows that’s just politics,” he said. “Turkey has real threats to address.”

The S-400 in particular boosts Turkey’s stance against fellow NATO member Greece. The two nations may share a defense alliance, but have longstanding differences over Cyprus.

For non-NATO nations Turkey’s willingness to go against the US to purchase this Russian system serves as good advertising.

Countries like Saudi Arabia may follow the example of China, India and Turkey and buy S-400 SAMs, Batyuk suggested.

Khodorenok said that, by accusing Russia of using its exported weapons for espionage, the US is engaging in projection.

“The US hardware supplied to foreign nations is full of software backdoors, which allow the US to tune down its specifications or render it completely useless in battle if such need arises,” he said. “Russia is much more honest in that regard… All the buyers, including potential ones, know this.”

Washington’s decision to ban deliveries of F-35s to Turkey and replace parts for the jet produced in Turkey was taken as an invitation to pitch more sales in Russia. Ankara could be interested in Sukhoi Su-35s instead, suggested Sergey Chemezov, the head of the state-owned defense giant Rostech. Turkish officials indicated there may be room for talks in this regard.

Russia Sends Heavy Military Equipment to Syrian Army Positions in Hama

FARSNEWS2019/7/17
Hama-Idlib: 6 Tahrir Al-Sham's Command Centers, Arms Depot Destroyed in Russian, Syrian Airstrikes
TEHRAN (FNA)- A sum of 6 command centers and an arms depot as well as military equipment of Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) were destroyed in joint airstrikes by Russian and Syrian air forces in Hama and Idlib provinces, media sources said.

The Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik News Agency quoted a military source as saying that the Russian and Syrian fighter jets in their continued raids pounded the terrorist groups' military positions in the towns of Khan Sheikhoun, Tarmala, Kafar Ain and the surroundings of Jisr al-Shoughour in Southern and Southwestern Idlib as well as the towns of al-Hawijeh and al-Hawash in Northwestern Hama.

The source noted that during the attacks, six command posts of Tahrir al-Sham and Turkistani Party terrorists as well as an arms depot and military base of Chechen terrorists were destroyed.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Syrian and Russian air forces conducted several joint military operations against the terrorists’ military positions and command centers in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib, inflicting heavy losses on the militants.

The Arabic-language website of Russian Sputnik news agency quoted a military source as saying that the Russian and Syrian fighter jets attacked the military positions of Tarir al-Sham al-Hay’at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) and Islamic Turkistani Party terrorist groups several times in Khan Sheikhoun, Ariha, Ma’aret al-Numan and Jisr al-Shoghour in Western Idlib and their centers inside the city of Idlib.

The source reiterated that several command centers of Tahrir al-Sham and Turkistani Party terrorists were destroyed during the attack and over 100 foreign terrorists were killed and tens more were wounded.

He also noted that the joint airstrikes on the military positions of Tahrir al-Sham and Jeish al-Izzaeh in Kafar Zita and al-Latamineh in Northern Hama left several command centers, operation room, gatherings and military operations destroyed.

Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Morasseloun News Website quoted battlefield sources as saying that at least 71 terrorists were killed in a recent foiled attack on al-Hamamiat town in Northern Hama and over 115 of them were also wounded.


FARSNEWS2019/7/16
Russia Sends Heavy Military Equipment to Syrian Army Positions in Hama
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian Army has sent heavy military equipment to the Syrian Army’s military positions in Northern Hama as Damascus government forces launched ground and air raids on the terrorists’ military positions and movements in Northern Hama and Western Aleppo, media reports said Tuesday.

The pro-militants Smart News website quoted special sources as saying that the Russian Army has sent large amount of weapons and military equipment comprising artillery units and missile launchers as well as many military tanks for the Syrian Army in contact lines with terrorists in Northern Hama.

It noted that the Russian military equipment had arrived in Syria’s Tartus port on two ships.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper also reported that the Syrian Army units pounded the terrorists’ movements in Tal Sakik and Atshan regions in Northern Hama, killing and injuring a large number of terrorists.

The Syrian Air Force also pounded the terrorists’ military positons and movements in Northern and Northwestern Hama, destroying the terrorists’ military equipment and killing a number of them.

In Northern Aleppo, the Syrian Army’s artillery units destroyed several military positions of the terrorists in response to attacks by the terrorists stationed in Rashedeen region in Western Aleppo on residential areas of Aleppo City as well as civilian casualties.

In a relevant development in late May, the Syrian Army launched air and ground strikes on Ankara-backed militants across Aleppo province.

The Syria Army had engaged in fierce clashes with Faylaq al-Sales terrorists as artillery units pounded the Ankara-backed militants' military positions near the town of al-Bab in Northern Aleppo, the Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper reported.

Field sources, meantime, reported that several military vehicles of the Turkey-backed terrorists were destroyed in clashes with the Syrian army, adding that several militants were killed in exchange of fire.

The sources further said that the Syrian Army's artillery units also pounded the terrorists' military positions in the town of Khalseh in Southern Aleppo.

The Syrian Air Force carried out several airstrikes over territories South-West of Aleppo province, AMN reported.

According to a military source in Aleppo city, the Syrian Air Force specifically targeted the Regiment 46 Base that is located just North of the provincial borderline of Idlib.

The heavy bombardment by the Syrian Air Force came just days after the Syrian Army sent a large number of reinforcements to the Southern Aleppo town of Al-Hadher.

若きチャンピオンの登場 #BottleCapChallenge

ハビブの#BottleCapChallenge　roundhouse punchという技だそうです。造作もなくやっていますね。






2019年ウィンブルドン女子シングルスでルーマニアのSimona Halepがセレナ・ウィリアムスを破り優勝。27歳、きれいなほっそりした女性ですが、腕や太ももの筋肉は確かなものがあります。
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtatennis.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fhighlight_news_mobile_1_33_1_2x%2Fpublic%2Ffield%2Fimage%2Fgettyimages-1018279038.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtatennis.com%2Fnews%2Fhalep-stops-sabalenka-return-cincinnati-final&docid=T3xqu7sdEkKNmM&tbnid=S1Y93SLHUesEpM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjt95HSjbLjAhVDCqYKHY93AwQQMwhMKAwwDA..i&w=1536&h=1160&client=firefox-b-d&bih=832&biw=1484&q=Simona%20Halep&ved=0ahUKEwjt95HSjbLjAhVDCqYKHY93AwQQMwhMKAwwDA&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCiQK3DCnY6RZR7VzUNt2HrnHx-4h-Hl6cnKBGR7v-_KcCJBp2JA

RT2019/7/1
A star is born! 15-year-old Cori Gauff stuns Venus Williams in Wimbledon first round
15歳のテニスプレーヤー　Cori Gauff　コリ・ガウフがウィンブルドンで Venus Williams ビーナス・ウィリアムズを下す。



ハビブ

トランプが民主党女性議員に人種差別的な発言

民主女性新人に「米国出て行け」＝トランプ氏発言、非難決議の動き
時事通信社2019年7月16日(火)6時42分 　
【ワシントン時事】トランプ米大統領は１５日、ホワイトハウスで記者団に対し、民主党のオカシオコルテス下院議員（２９）ら非白人の女性新人議員を念頭に「米国が嫌いなら、出て行って構わない」と発言した。１４日に「国に帰ったらどうか」とツイッターに書き込んで以降、攻撃はエスカレートしており、「差別的」と批判が強まっている。

　トランプ氏が攻撃したのは、プエルトリコ系のオカシオコルテス氏のほか、ソマリア生まれのイルハン・オマル氏（３６）、パレスチナ系のラシダ・タリーブ氏（４２）ら。オマル氏以外は米国生まれだ。

　トランプ氏は１４日のツイートで「民主党の『革新的』な女性議員が世界で最も腐敗した、無能な国から来ているのに、世界で最も偉大な米国を罵倒している」と指摘。差別的との非難を受けると、１５日には記者団に「恐らく共産主義者だろうし、間違いなく社会主義者だ。彼女たちと戦うことを政治家は恐れてはいけない」と主張した。

　左派的な主張を展開するオカシオコルテス氏らは、穏健な路線を探るペロシ下院議長と対立。トランプ氏は「（ペロシ氏に）敬意を払え」とも述べており、民主党の内部対立をあおる狙いも透ける。

RT2019/7/15
‘If you’re not happy, you can leave’: Trump stands by his tweets slamming Dem Squad
US President Donald Trump ramped up his Twitter feud with four Democratic congresswomen who he says ‘hate America,’ accusing one of them of supporting Al-Qaeda and saying they are welcome to leave the country if they so wish.

“If you’re not happy here, then you can leave. As far as I’m concerned, if you hate our country, if you’re not happy here, you can leave,” Trump declared on Monday afternoon, speaking to reporters after a Made In America showcase outside the White House.

He rejected the insinuations that his tweets were racist, saying that it was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who made a “very racist statement” by claiming he wants to “Make America white again.”

The president’s tweets were widely understood as a reference to the “Squad” of Progressive Caucus freshman representatives, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts). Of the four, only Omar is foreign-born.

They’re very unhappy, I’m watching them, all they do is complain.

Though he did not name names in the original tweetstorm, Trump did single out two of the congresswomen on Monday. He took issue with Ocasio-Cortez for the “terrible thing she did” by scuttling the deal between New York City and Amazon – the company of his outspoken critic, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos – and cost the city tens of thousands of jobs.

He saved the heavy guns for Omar, however, accusing the Somali-American congresswoman of anti-Semitism and support for Al-Qaeda terrorists.

“When I hear people speaking about how wonderful Al Qaeda is, when I hear people talking about ‘some people’ with the World Trade Center,” Trump said, referring to Omar. “She left Somalia, and now she’s a congresswoman who’s never happy. Says horrible things about Israel, hates Jews.”

The president brushed off questions about whether he’s concerned his words could be interpreted as racist, and rebuked one of the reporters who tried to shout a question while he spoke.

“Politicians can’t be afraid to take them on,” he said when asked about whether his tweets were appropriate. “If weak politicians want to gear their wagons around those four people, I think they’ll have a very tough election.”

These are people who hate our country. They hate it, I think, with a passion.

His remarks were met with repeated applause by the representatives of manufacturers from all 50 US states, set against a backdrop of their products ranging from hot sauce to a THAAD missile defense system. Trump also needled the press for not asking any questions about domestic manufacturing, having praised the economy under his administration as one of the best ever.

Arab Paper Reveals Syrian Kurds' Oil Privilege to Israeli Businessman

FARSNEWS2019/7/15
Arab Paper Reveals Syrian Kurds' Oil Privilege to Israeli Businessman
TEHRAN (FNA)- A leaked letter signed by the US-backed Kurds shows that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have given a privilege to an Israeli businessman to sell the oil extracted from Northern Syria.

The Arabic-language al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Israeli journalists are freely active in the SDF-controlled areas in Northeastern Syria and Israeli officers make regular visits to the region.

It added that the letter signed by Ilham Ahmed, the head of the so-called Syria's Democratic Council, gives Moti Kahana, an Israeli businessmen, the privilege to sell the oil exploited from the Kurds-controlled areas in Northeastern Syria.

The newspaper wrote that the letter, if real, means that Syria's Democratic Council is acting as an independent side from the Syrian government and permits the enemies of Syria to take control of the country's oil.

It added that the SDF is now controlling lands in Northern Syria which host 80% of the country's oil fields.

Relevant reports said in April that the Washington-backed SDF stationed in Deir Ezzur had exchanged Eastern Syria's oil in lieu of receiving American and Israeli arms and military equipment, sources said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a military convoy comprising 70 trucks carrying military and logistic equipment (made in the US and Israel) has been dispatched by the US-led coalition from Iraq to Syria.

Meantime, the Arabic-language Rai al-Youm quoted local sources in Eastern Syria as saying that the SDF has swapped Syria's oil and gas with US and Israeli weapons.

The sources told the Kuwaiti paper that the SDF is currently engaged in implementing the US occupation plots after the US declared the end of the ISIL in Eastern Syria. The US-backed Kurdish fighters have adopted hostile policies against people in the region.

Meantime, people in the towns of al-Sovar, Moileh, al-Shahil and al-Hasan in Eastern and Southeastern Deir Ezzur continued protests against the SDF and their measures such as stealing oil in cooperation with some foreign energy firms, and blocked Deir Ezzur-Haska Road to keep SDF militias outside their town.

‘Bad reaction to a bad decision’: French FM upset with Iran’s uranium enrichment, fears war with US

RT2019/7/14
‘Bad reaction to a bad decision’: French FM upset with Iran’s uranium enrichment, fears war with US
The US was wrong to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, but Tehran’s response, to enrich uranium beyond the limits set in the accord, is a path to war, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.

"The situation is serious. The rise of tensions could lead to accidents” between the US and Iran, Le Drian warned.

Tensions have only been mounting between the two countries since May, after Washington beefed up its military presence in the region. The fears of a war were in the air a number of times, including when US blamed Tehran for attacks on oil tankers and Iran shot down a US surveillance drone. Donald Trump said he’d even ordered airstrikes in retaliation, but had called them off at the last moment. The US’ closest ally, the UK, is also holding an Iranian super tanker now, over claims that it was delivering oil to Syria.

“The fact Iran has decided to pull back from some of its engagements on nuclear proliferation is an additional worry. It is a bad decision, a bad reaction to another bad decision, that of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal,” Foreign Minister Le Drian lamented.

（略）

The French FM said that in either Washington or Tehran “no one wants war” but added that “there are elements of escalation that are worrisome.”

“Iran gains nothing from withdrawing from its engagement (with JCPOA). The US also gains nothing if Iran gets nuclear weapons, so it is important that de-escalation measures are taken to ease the tensions,” he suggested.

Le Drian’s words echoed the joint statement by the leaders of the UK, France and Germany, released on Sunday and also calling for dialogue.

London, Paris and Berlin said they were “extremely concerned” at the “risk that the JCPOA further unravels” due to US sanctions, Iran’s decision to enrich extra uranium and the continuing deterioration of the security situation in the Persian Gulf.

The European nations underlined their “continuing commitment” to the Iranian nuclear deal, saying that “the time has come to act responsibly and seek a path to stop the escalation of tensions and resume dialogue.”

Tehran previously accused EU countries of ditching their obligations under JCPOA in the face of US sanctions.

Trump Ditched Iran Deal to Irk Obama in ‘Act of Diplomatic Vandalism’ Claims UK Envoy in Leaked Memo

SPUTNIK2019/7/13
Trump Ditched Iran Deal to Irk Obama in ‘Act of Diplomatic Vandalism’ Claims UK Envoy in Leaked Memo
On 12 July UK Metropolitan Police opened a probe into the leak of excerpts from confidential cables that UK Ambassador Kim Darroch had sent to London in which he described the White House as "uniquely dysfunctional" and described US President Donald Trump as “inept, insecure and incompetent.”

Britain's ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Durroch believed US President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark Iran nuclear deal for "personality reasons", because it was associated with his predecessor in the Oval Office, newly-leaked memos seen Saturday night by the Mail On Sunday claim.

"The administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons - it was Obama's deal," ambassador Darroch wrote in a diplomatic cable in May 2018.

According to the top secret "diptel" - or diplomatic telegram, the UK envoy had suggested to Downing Street that the US President wanted to ditch the deal because it had been brokered by his predecessor Barrack Obama.

The newly-leaked Iran memo was sent by the envoy in May 2018, after Boris Johnson (who was then Foreign Secretary) had been sent to meet up with President Donald Trump in a bid to dissuade him against pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, writes MailOnline.

In a cable sent afterwards, UK Ambassador Darroch claimed the US President’s team was split over its decision on the deal, blasted the White House for lacking a long-term strategy.

According to the leaked cable, Sir Kim told Boris Johnson:

"The outcome illustrated the paradox of this White House”. "You got exceptional access, seeing everyone short of the president; but on the substance, the administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons - it was Obama's deal.”

The envoy also suggested the White House lacked a “day-after” strategy on what the next steps should be after withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal was called.

The cable was part of a second batch of leaked memos published by the Mail on Sunday, the first of which led to the resignation of Darroch on 10 July.

A first batch of bombshell leaked memos by the UK envoy last weekend caused major turmoil between the UK and US.

In the cables, which were first published by the Mail on Sunday newspaper on 7 June, Sir Kim Darroch had described the US President as "inept", "insecure", and "incompetent" in messages sent to London, adding that Trump was "uniquely dysfunctional and his career could end in disgrace".

This prompted Donald Trump to burst out in a spate of tweets, branding the ambassador a "pompous fool" whom he would no longer deal with. He also put all the blame for the mess caused by the leak on outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May.

​"The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister", he tweeted on Monday.

The UK ambassador resigned on Wednesday, saying it was "impossible" to do his job.

As the UK government launched an investigation into the leaks, police are also looking into a potential breach of the Official Secrets Act; local media reported Sunday that the suspect has been identified, yet not named by UK police.

Back in 2015, the US, China, Britain, France, Russia and Germany signed a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for a partial removal of international economic sanctions, with then-US president Barrack Obama helping broker the arrangement between Tehran and the West.

Donald Trump had long been critical of the deal, claiming it had stopped short of curbing Iran's ballistic missile programme, and pulled the US out of it on 8 May 2018.

フロリダの海岸で泳いだ男性が48時間後に人食いバクテリアで死亡

SPUTNIK2019/7/14
Man Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria 48 hours After Swimming at Florida Beach
Vibrio vulnificus is found in high-salinity, brackish waters with warm surface temperatures. It can be found in streams off of the Gulf Coast and in southern states like Louisiana and Texas, especially between May to October.

A Florida Woman has taken to Facebook to warn others that flesh-eating bacteria is not an urban legend but a real thing which took her father’s life 48 hours after swimming in Florida waters.

In the post, Cheryl Bennett Wiygul of Niceville cautioned others that: “Flesh Eating Bacteria sounds like an urban legend... let me assure you that it is not.”

Recalling her seemingly joyful family holiday, “We had a blast,” Wiygul said, describing the week prior to the tragedy.

Wiygul’s father, Dave Bennett, travelled from Memphis to visit his daughter and her mother for a holiday.

She said that they had all been enjoying their day of jet ski riding and “throwing the ball around in the water” at Rocky Bayou, where Bennett got infected.

“We were out in the bay on the boat near Crab Island, went to the beach in Destin twice, splashed around Turkey Creek, swam in Boggy Bayou, in our pool and then on Friday we spent the day at Rocky Bayou,” she added.

“We left around 4:00 p.m. Daddy stayed up late Friday night and watched a movie. He was happy and talkative, seemed to feel fine as he did all week.”

However, Bennett awoke Saturday morning with a serious fever and the family decided the best thing to do was to “get him checked out” given his history with cancer and a vulnerable immune system.

Wiygul admitted in the post that she had heard the story of “a 12-year-old girl contracting bacteria that turned into necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria) in Destin started circling around.”

Wiygul explained that she didn’t want to believe it as her family loves the water.

“My Dad didn’t have any open wounds. He had a couple places that were practicality healed small scratches on his arms and legs that I made sure were super sealed up. My mom religiously sun-blocked him. We were taking precautions and we were good, so I thought,” she added.

She explained that her father Bennett “battled cancer for many years” but he had “been in the water several times, so it didn’t seem like a risk” to go swimming, Wiygul said.

Her father passed away 48 hours after their trip to Rocky Bayou.

Wiygul praised the doctors for trying to save her dad and taking him back to Memphis hospital “immediately” around 8pm, but there was still nothing that could be done.

While her mother helped him get changed into his hospital gown, she spotted a “swollen black spot on his back” which was not there before.

Wiygul told her mother to inform everyone that he had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, but the replies she received were that the media had blown the rumour out of proportion and that it was likely “staph” and that they would not biopsy it.

Following a doubling in size of the blotch as well as the emergence of new marks all over his skin, Bennett became septic and his blood began to turn toxic, affecting his vital organs.

“They said his organs were too damaged and his blood was too acidic to sustain life. He was gone by Sunday afternoon.”

It was later confirmed by lab results that Bennett had contracted “Vibrio vulnificus, which manifests into necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating bacteria) ultimately leading to sepsis,” as Wiygul explains.

She went on to say: “I didn’t realize he shouldn’t be in the water with his immune system. I feel like I should have known and that is something I will live with for the rest of my life.”

“I do believe if there was a simple sign posted about the risk of swimming with an open wound or an immune disorder, we wouldn’t have let him get in.”

This case follows other incidents of Florida swimmers contracting flesh-eating infections.

A 77-year-old woman died as result of necrotizing fasciitis in June after swimming in Florida waters.

The Okaloosa Board of Directors confirmed in a post on Saturday the Health Department has no confirmed “any deaths due to flesh eating bacteria” and will be re-opening their beaches to the public after Storm Barry passes.

フランスの農村で子供の先天的奇形が出ているようだ 次は日本だろう

警告：このブログの記事に怖い話が増えています。対応しきれないと当方に苦情を申し立てられてもお門違い。怖い話が嫌なら、このブログを見ないことです。

RT2019/7/14
Parents of French babies born with deformities angry after official probe yields no answers
A much-delayed government report failed to identify the cause in a spate of arm malformations across France, and despite calls for a more in-depth study, scientists say a definitive explanation may never be found.

Commissioned last year, the 265-page report examined 18 cases of congenital deformities since 2007 in four different regions across the country, studying whether they were linked by a common cause, such as environmental pollution, toxic drug exposure, or genetic damage.

“Scientific studies screening, questionnaires and local environment testing have been conducted by Sante Publique France which has not identified an obvious cause,” the public health body, which had been asked repeatedly about the case by RT, said in its summary.

The commission did admit that there is a “cluster” of cases in the commune of Guidel in the north-western department of Morbihan, where three babies missing arms were born in 22 months. But for the region of Ain in the east of the country, where eight such babies were born between 2009 and 2014, researchers said there was no statistical anomaly or telling pattern.
Pesticides blamed

But parents and activists who were present during the unveiling of the report were not satisfied, with some saying that only a superficial study was conducted, that some cases were excluded due to arbitrary cut-off points, and that the criteria for why some cases were dismissed as statistical noise were never explained.

“Exactly the same deformity, it never happened in the history of deformities,” she said following the report presentation. “The probability that it is linked to chance is more than infinitesimal. We are facing a possible health scandal.”

It is notable that the investigation said all the pregnancies occurred in the vicinity of growing cereal crops.

“We need to bring together specialists to define what kind of studies we need for this type of reporting, but the answer so far is to say: ‘We do not want to know what kind of studies because we do not want to study,’” Amar said. “And that is irresponsible.”
Needle in a haystack


Field tests are poised to continue, with another report expected at the end of the year.
But there are reasons for believing that even with the best of intentions and sufficient resources, answers may be hard to come by.

One of the problems is the sheer rarity of such malformations. They occur on average in 1.7 cases each 10,000 births, and while several more cases look drastic, they could still just be a relatively random blip. Additionally, with so few cases, it gives doctors fewer children to examine among whom shared explanations could be located.

With many of the children now several years old, the evidence for whatever may have affected their mothers during pregnancy may also be long gone, particularly as the researchers don’t actually know what exactly they are looking for.

In addition to that, only 20 percent of France’s population is covered by registries that record deformities, meaning that even the true scale of the problem, or if it even exists, is impossible to ascertain without overhauling the medical records system, and collecting new data from millions.

Isabelle Taymans-Grassin, mother of another child born in Morbihan without a hand, says that while they are not giving up their fight, they despair at the chances of ever proving a certain link or punishing a culprit.

“Accountability will be impossible to find,” she said.

RT2019/2/3
Phantom investigation? France delays report on mystery cases of babies born without arms
France's public health agency has postponed the release of a report on an investigation into the abnormal numbers of babies being born without arms in rural regions − a medical mystery which has baffled experts.

Three infants were born with no arms between June and November 2016 within a 30km radius of Vitrolles in the Bouches-du-Rhône region. That followed another cluster of cases near the area of Ain, where eight babies were born with the defect within a 17km radius. Similar cases have also been observed in other regions of rural France.

A nationwide investigation into the phenomenon began last October and the government had promised an update by January 31, but that date was suddenly pushed back − and the parents of affected children are becoming impatient and suspicious.

In an open letter to public health officials, a group of parents expressed doubts about the ongoing investigation and said their questions have “never had clear answers.” They accused the government of focusing on explanations which have already been dismissed by another public health body which researches cases of malformation.

Santé Publique France, the national health agency, previously conducted an investigation before the latest spate of cases − but that investigation concluded that there had not been an excessive level of incidents in Ain and that no further investigation was needed. Other experts, however, said the number of cases in Ain was 58 times the normal statistical amount.

Remera, the health body which looks into instances of malformation, carried out its own investigation in 2018. As part of it, mothers were interviewed with a “very extensive questionnaire” about their lifestyles to see if there were any similarities between their pregnancies. This led doctors to dismiss genetics, drugs, and alcohol as potential causes for the missing limbs.

Emmanuelle Amar, the director of Remera in the south east of France concluded that the “only thing they have in common is that they all live in a very rural area.” Remera therefore dismissed the likelihood of the malformations as being down to chance − as the government agency previously suggested − as “more than infinitesimal.”

Remera believes that harmful pesticides in wide use in rural areas of France are the most likely culprit. The mystery remains unsolved, but the possible link to agriculture is given weight by the fact that around the same time the cases were observed in Ain, several calves and chickens were born with missing limbs in the area. Amar told RT that authorities didn't want to listen to Remera's concerns, however.

Aurelie Bingler, the mother of one girl born without her hand, also spoke to RT. “I want to know why she was born like that, because mothers blame themselves. We think it may come from us or that we did something wrong,” she said. Bingler believes, too, that there is probably a link to farming.

We are surrounded by agriculture, fields, so we naturally wonder about the use of pesticides. Why doesn't it happen to people who live in the city? There must be a link to agriculture.

Former French environment minister Corinna Lepage told RT there was probably a “fear of discovering that the causes could endanger a number of economic interests.”

RT2018/11/1
Pesticides? Genetics? France launches probe after more birth defects cases revealed

RT2019/1/16
EU approval of glyphosate weed killer was based on ‘plagiarized’ Monsanto studies, report finds

Paper: Riyadh, Abu Dhabi on Threshold of Confrontation with Turkey in Syria

FARSNEWS2019/7/13
Paper: Riyadh, Abu Dhabi on Threshold of Confrontation with Turkey in Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syria might soon be the scene of new rivalries between Turkey and a coalition of Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Kurdish separatists after a recent meeting between the Saudi and UAE officials and the anti-Ankara Kurdish militia and accelerated dispatch of military equipment by Turkey to its occupied territories in Syria, a leading Arab newspaper wrote on Saturday.

The Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported that a high-ranking delegation of Saudi and UAE officials had recently held a series of crucial meetings with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commanders who oppose Turkey.

It added that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have also promised increased financial aid to the Kurdish-majority SDF during the meetings.

Meantime, Turkey has invited a number of leaders and commanders of affiliated militant groups, including the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syria's National Army to Ankara to hold a meeting.

It has also sent a large amount of weapons and military equipment to the terrorist groups in al-Bab and Jarabulus in Syria's Aleppo province in the Western parts of the Euphrates river to increase their preparedness and has held a series of meetings with the tribal leaders in Syria to organize a front against the Kurdish militias.

Al-Quds al-Arabi said given the recent events and incidents, a confrontation between the Saudi- and UAE-backed Kurdish militias and Turkey-backed militants is now highly possible, an event that marks the start of a completely new proxy war in Syria.

In a relevant development earlier this week, media reports said that Saudi Arabia had offered Hefty Cash to tribal leaders in Eastern Syria to support the US-backed militants in order to threaten Turkey.

The Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper quoted special sources in Eastern Syria as saying that Saudi Minister for Persian Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan in his meeting with Syrian tribal leaders asked for helping Kurdish fighters.

Several US officials were accompanying al-Sahban during his meeting with tribal leaders of Eastern Syria, it added.

They have offered to give a hefty sum of $50 million to them indirectly through local councils and also direct financial aid, the paper further said.

Al-Watan newspaper noted that the efforts by Saudi Arabia are in line with support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the presence of al-Sahban in the region is in line with Riyadh's confrontation with Turkey on the issue of Kurds.

The daily noted that Turkey-Saudi Arabia relations are currently very strained.

Al-Watan also quoted special sources as saying that Saudi Arabia threatens Turkey and tries to include itself in the Syrian power balance through the Kurds, specially the SDF.

Meantime, Secretary General of Popular Party Sheikh Navaf Tarad al-Molhem, who is a tribal leader of al-Hasaneh tribe pointed to al-Sahban's cash offer to tribal leaders of Eastern Syria, and said that Eastern Syria tribal leaders will confront any effort by Saudi Arabia, the US and Turkey to disintegrate Syria.

In a relevant development last week, the tribal leaders in Deir Ezzur voiced strong opposition to the Saudi plots to support the SDF's separatist measures in the Eastern parts of the province.

Al-Watan newspaper reported that al-Jamel tribe in Eastern Deir Ezzur had issued a statement to emphasize its opposition to the appointment of SDF-affiliated Ahmed al-Khabil as the Sheikh of al-Bakir tribes in Eastern Deir Ezzur and the head of Syria's military democratic council.

Al-Jamel tribe has referred in the statement to the terrorist acts by the SDF in Eastern Euphrates region, and said that it does not recognize al-Khabil who has been appointed with the support of al-Sabhan and the terrorist militias as the Emir of al-Bakir Sheikhs.

Other Syrian tribes had also earlier stressed their opposition to al-Khabil's appointment.

Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Baladi news website affiliated to the militants reported that one of the leaders of Syria's Arab tribes namely Obaid Khalaf al-Hissan was assassinated in the town of al-Ali Bajeliyeh in Tal Abyadh region in Northern Raqqa after stopping cooperation with the Kurdish forces in Eastern Euphrates.

It added that the SDF commanders had earlier attempted to return him.

Relevant reports also said in June that the Syrian tribes in Deir Ezzur province had stood against a Saudi-US plot to support the Kurds to decompose Eastern Euphrates from Syria.

The Arabic-language al-Ahd news website quoted the leader of al-Moshahedah in al-Jazeerah region in Eastern Euphrates Sheikh Heidar al-Hamadi as saying that all Syrian tribes, except a little number of them, had opposed the recent meeting by al-Sahban to Kurdish-occupied regions to study plots to separate Eastern Syria from the country's territory.

He underlined al-Sahban's attempts to coax the tribes in Eastern Syria into implementation of separatist plots, and said most of them want Damascus to retake control of the region.

Meantime, al-Watan newspaper reported that a Swedish delegation, including the country's representative for Syria affairs, the Swedish foreign ministry official for Syria affairs and the official for the agency on international aid, have entered the Kurdish-occupied regions in Eastern Syria and held meetings with a number of commanders in line with the western states' accelerated attempts to interfere in Syria's internal affairs and assist the SDF in their separatist dreams.

Mohammad al-Akam, a senior Syrian legislator, said that a tripartite coalition has been formed among Saudi Arabia, the Kurdish forces and Israel under the US supervision which pursues pressures on Damascus after gaining victory over terrorist groups, by separating the Northeastern parts of the country.

Head of the politburo of Turkey-backed Lawa al-Mo'etasam-Free Syrian Army terrorists Mostafa Sejari wrote on his twitter page on Monday that Riyadh had stopped financial support for the terrorist groups in Northern Syria in line with a fresh scheme to help Kurds cut off Eastern Syria from the mainland after a Saudi-US delegation met in Deir Ezzur.

He added that Saudi Arabia had decided to cut financial support for the regions occupied by the terrorist groups in Northern Syria.

He added that the measure was adopted after Riyadh started support for the separatist Kurdish groups in Northeastern Syria following a visit by al-Sahban to Kurdish-occupied regions.

Sejari underlined that Saudi Arabia wants to pressure Turkey, warning, "All of us will be harmed by this measure."