シリア安定化ファンドはサウジに払わせろ−トランプ

FARSNEWS2018/8/18
US President: Syria Stabilization Fund Was Ridiculous, Let Saudis Pay It
TEHRAN (FNA)- US President Donald Trump praised Washington's cancellation of $230mn in funding for stabilization in war-torn Syria, stating that let "other rich countries" pay it, while the US spends its money on its military and allies.

The US officially ended support for stabilization projects in Syria on Friday. The $230mn worth of funding had been frozen for months before that however, after House forbid any funding for government-controlled territories in Syria, RT reported.

"The United States has ended the ridiculous 230 Million Dollar yearly development payment to Syria. Saudi Arabia and other rich countries in the Middle East will start making payments instead of the US. I want to develop the US, our military and countries that help us!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump has long been promising the US would leave Syria "like very soon", but so far the stabilization money is the only thing that's been withdrawn. American military presence and support for anti-government fighters remains, and, according to diplomat Brett McGurk, is gearing up to a "final phase" of the offensive against Daesh (ISIS or ISIL).

State Department Press Secretary Heather Nauert earlier said that pulling the funding "does not represent any lessening of US commitment to our strategic goals in Syria". Those goals are ostensibly the defeat of Daesh and withdrawal of Iranian-sponsored, pro-Assad forces, but the idea that "Assad must go" has been voiced by American officials ever since the US got involved in the Syrian war and picked the side of the militants.

Some have seen the withdrawal of stabilization money as a point lost to Russia in the proxy conflict in Syria. Senator Bob Menendez accused Trump of “rolling out the red carpet for Russia and Iran, who will seize the vacuum of US presence and assistance to double down on their support of the Assad regime”.

シリア南部 スエイダ東部の戦闘にロシア特殊部隊が参加

FARSNEWS2018/8/18
Russian Special Forces Take Part in Southern Syria Offensive
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian Special Forces are currently participating in the Syrian Army’s ongoing offensive in Southern Syria, a media outlet reported.

Anna News Agency reported that the Russian Special Forces are behind the scenes in Eastern Sweida, providing the Syrian army important covering fire around Toloul al-Safa region.

Anna News said the Russian Special Forces operating ATGMs（対戦車誘導ミサイル） and sniper nest（狙撃手の陣地）s, while the Syrian army advanced across the Badiyeh al-Sham region of Eastern Sweida.

Since the start of their offensive in Eastern Sweida, the army has managed to liberate a large chunk of the ISIL’s pocket.

As a result of this advance, the army has trapped the ISIL on this strategic mountain that is located in Eastern Sweida.

シリア軍が南部スエイダに侵攻してからのテロリスト掃討作戦がまさに破竹の勢いで驚いていましたが、ロシア軍の特殊部隊の支援があったのですね。技術の高い兵士による対戦車砲と狙撃の組み合わせですから、これがシリア軍の後ろにいるとなれば、シリア軍兵士の意気は上がります。シリア軍のエリート部隊が投入されたからだけではありませんね。

次はsniper nestの例です。

画像出所：http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098592/Photos-snipers-nest-Super-Bowl-police-watched-big-game-high-powered-rifles.html

ヨルダンに逃げ込んだテロリストは国境警備兵に殺されてしまいました。

中国主席 9月に北朝鮮訪問

FARSNEWS2018/8/18
Chinese President to Visit North Korea Next Month
TEHRAN (FNA)- Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly planning to visit North Korea in September at the invitation of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un to take part in the 70th anniversary of the North’s founding.

The visit twill be Xi’s first since taking power in 2012, some 13 years after the last visit to North Korea by a Chinese president, when his predecessor Hu Jintao travelled there back in 2005, Strait Times reported Saturday.

China is North Korea’s most important ally and trading partner. Kim has paid visits to China three times so far this year, during which he held talks with Xi on expanding bilateral cooperation as well as economic reforms.

Following a summit in Singapore in June, US President Donald Trump said Kim promised to immediately end Pyongyang’s weapons programs.

Pyongyang has urged Washington to take reciprocal measures including officially declaring an end to the war and removing sanctions.

But, the United States has escalated sanctions against North Korea as part of efforts to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.

The US Treasury has recently imposed new sanctions on companies in Russia, China and Singapore for violating North Korea sanctions.

Last week, CNN reported, citing senior diplomatic sources, North Korea has rejected “repeated” US proposals on denuclearization, considering them “gangster-like”.

The US has made, and continues to make, "specific proposals for starting and proceeding to the end point of fully verified denuclearization", including a timeline, the broadcaster reported.

The North says the US is back-pedaling on its promises, while Pyongyang issued a statement at the United Nations, insisting that elements of the US government are not adhering to the spirit of the dialogue established during Kim-Trump Singapore summit.

Germany Contributes 17 Million Euros to White Helmets

FARSNEWS2018/8/18
Foreign Office: Germany Contributes 17 Million Euros to White Helmets
TEHRAN (FNA)- The official Twitter account of Germany’s Foreign Office tweeted that their nation had provided at least 17 million Euros to the pro-militant White Helmets in Syria.

“Germany has provided funding of 17 million euros to the #WhiteHelmets’ work since 2016 and will continue to do its utmost to support the organization,” the account tweeted yesterday, the AMN released.

Germany has remained one of the largest contributors to the organization, despite the US’ decision to freeze their Syria funding in March.

Accused 'Russian agent' Butina deprived of sleep & medication

Accused 'Russian agent' Butina deprived of sleep & medication – lawyer to RT
Jailed Russian gun activist Maria Butina, accused in the US of “espionage,” has been unexpectedly transferred to another prison, her lawyer told RT. Butina is suffering from leg swelling and she was effectively deprived of sleep.

Maria Butina has been experiencing health problems in jail, yet she has been deprived of proper treatement, her lawyer, Robert Driscoll told RT. Maria has a “history of problems” with one of her legs and bad prison conditions triggered swelling of her limb.

“The conditions in prison in which [she was] on the cold side because of very strong air conditioning and also humid and damp, I think that has exacerbated the swelling. And so she sought treatments for that and so far she’s just received Tylenol and nothing else,” Driscoll sad.

Butina is also “a little bit frustrated” with the treatment she met in the so-called “protective custody,” the lawyer said, namely with 15-minute checks at night, which disrupted her sleep. In “protective custody” a prisoner is segregated from the general population of a jail, especially if other inmates threaten the said prisoner, or he has shown suicide tendencies.

Maria has been transferred overnight to another prison. Driscoll is still unaware of the reasons behind the decision, yet it might have been caused by Butina’s complaints over harsh conditions.

Butina was charged under a law that requires people who are deemed to be working for a foreign government to register with the Justice Department. Such charges make her case quite unusual, Driscoll believes, as the law basically makes otherwise legal actions of an individual prosecutable.

“I think it’s a very unusual case, I think it presents legal issues that are novel. I mean, factually, she’s just innocent and she was not functioning as an 'agent' of the Russian Federation when she was in the US,” Driscoll said.

“There’s no allegation of espionage, there’s no allegation of classified information, there’s no allegation she was paying anyone off, there’s no allegation she was recruiting spies. None of the things you would typically see in an espionage case.”

The US government is likely to produce loads of paperwork over Butina’s case, which would require qualified experts to dig through it, the lawyer said, reminding that a fundraiser website to help Butina has been launched. Despite potential financial issues, Driscoll believes the defense will be successful and is eager to see Maria through the trials.

“I’m not going to be intimidated by any blowback in America in this case. I’m happy to represent her. She’s pleaded not guilty and I’m with her 100 percent,” Driscoll stated.

Butina moved to the US on a student visa in 2016. She graduated from American University in Washington DC with a master’s degree in international relations earlier this year.

Butina is also the founder of Right to Bear Arms, a pro-gun organization that lobbies to change Russia’s strict gun laws. Right to Bear Arms has developed ties with the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the US. In addition, Butina met and socialized with several conservative political figures.

反帝国主義の豪州ジャーナリストがマケイン亡き後の世界について発言しツイッターアカウントを停止される

豪州のジャーナリスト　ケイトリン・ジョンストンが、マケインは「あらゆる機会に可能な限り多くの人間を虐殺することにすべての政治的キャリアを捧げた」「彼が最終的に死ぬと世界は改善されるだろう」とツイートしたことを巡り、ツイッター社が彼女のアカウントを一時凍結し、世界のジャーナリストが一斉に論評を加えています。管理人は、ケイトリン・ジョンストンの指摘は間違っていないと考えます。



RT2018/8/18
McCain death tweet gets anti-imperialist Aussie journalist banned from Twitter
Australian anti-war journalist Caitlin Johnstone was suspended from Twitter for several hours after a tweet blasting Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) as a warmonger and suggested that his death would make the world a better place.

Johnstone, a self-described“bogan socialist” and critic of imperialism, had over 33,000 followers on Twitter when she got banned – apparently over a post criticizing McCain earlier this week. Being both vocally anti-Russian and a critic of President Donald Trump, McCain is a figure popular with both the NeverTrump conservatives and #Resistance liberals. The hawkish Republican has battled brain cancer for over a year.

Johnstone’s tweet said that McCain “devoted his entire political career to slaughtering as many human beings as possible at every opportunity.” She then added that “the world will be improved when he finally dies.”

It is unclear what particular Twitter rule might have been violated in this case. Johnstone reportedly said that Twitter described her post as “abusive behavior.” Twitter does not comment on individual account suspensions.

Over the past two years, Johnstone has made enemies on both the left and the right, for defending WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange and calling out propaganda about Syria and Russia. Some Twitterati decided that she’s gone too far with her McCain comments.

However, a number of journalists from both ends of the political spectrum stepped up in Johnstone’s defense.

The “anti-establishment, anti-war writer Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz has never advocated violence, infringed copyright, or used slurs. Rather she has been a consistent critic of imperial power,” wrote author Sean Kerrigan.

“Everyone okay with this political purge? And who’s next?” asked journalist Max Blumenthal.

“McCain is allowed to celebrate mass deaths. Why can’t people be free to celebrate his if they wish?” asked journalist Cassandra Fairbanks, referring to the senator's infamous rendition of "Bomb Iran."

“We warned, that after #Assange the rest of us would be next. I hate seeing that come to fruition so damn quickly,” said Elizabeth Lea Vos of Disobedient Media.

Vos also called out Shareblue, a pro-Democratic Party media operation run by David Brock, as being responsible for the suspension. Johnstone had posted on Thursday night that she was being harassed by Shareblue’s “bot army” on behalf of the “#McResistance hero @RVAwonk,” who took offense at her McCain remarks.

“One of the most aggressively protected narratives in Resistance Twitter is that John McCain is a hero. This man hasn't even died yet and they've made him the Democrats' Ronald Reagan, and he ran against Obama in '08,” Johnstone said, according to her archived twitter feed.

One Twitter user called Johnstone “a firebrand who speaks truth to power, especially the neocon armchair chickenhawks,” adding that the suspension of her account is a “sick joke.”

“Censorship is not conservative or liberal, it’s about whether you want more wars. Pro war conservatives never get censored and in fact get 10,000+ Retweets,” wrote Mike Cernovich, a Trump supporter who nonetheless led the criticism of the current administration’s bombing of Syria.

Johnstone has also been targeted by the Atlantic Council’s “troll hunters” over her support for journalists challenging the mainstream media narratives in Syria. A twitter user going by the name QuixotesHorse described her as a “key member of The White Helmets Conspiracy Network” who gets “Troll Whistled directly by The Russian Embassy Network.”

The controversial ban comes days after Twitter granted the blue verification checkmark to Sarah Jeong, the newest member of the New York Times editorial board, despite her long history of overtly racist, abusive and insulting tweets.

8/18(土)プーチンがオーストリア外相の結婚式に出席

オーストリアの外相　Karin Kneisslが2018/8/18、婚約者であるビジネスマンの Wolfgang Meilingerと葡萄酒製造所で結婚式を挙げ、そこにプーチンが出席します。プーチンは、オーストリア外相とこの6月初めに会っており、その際に招待されたようです。プーチンは結婚式出席の後、ドイツに行きメルケルと会います。

ドイツはロシアとの関係を重視するようになっており、周辺国にもその動きが出ていることがわかります。一方、英国のメイ政権はソールスベリーの事件などでロシアを非難し続けています。落ち目な国はこうなるという典型です。






画像出所：VIP guest Putin brings big bouquet of flowers, dances with Austrian FM at her wedding (PHOTOS)

RT2018/8/18
Austrian FM wedding: Restaurant chef seeks selfie with Putin, but has no special dish for him

RT2018/8/17
Putin set to attend Austrian foreign minister’s wedding this weekend
Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to attend the wedding of Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl during his visit to the country on August 18, the Kremlin has confirmed.

“Yes, he’s going to make a stop there on his way to Berlin,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists when asked if Putin would attend the wedding.

The Russian president’s aide, Yury Ushakov, also confirmed Putin’s attendance: “We’ll be there to deliver our congratulations.”

The wedding ceremony of Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl and her fiance, businessman Wolfgang Meilinger, will take place on Saturday at a winery in the Austrian state of Styria.

Later on August 18, the Russian president is scheduled to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Austrian security forces, including the elite Cobra police unit, are thoroughly preparing for Putin’s arrival and have already held several detailed discussions with the future wife and husband.

An unnamed security source told Kronen Zeitung paper that snipers will be employed to ensure security at the wedding.

The Russian leader has already visited Austria this year. He arrived in Vienna on June 5 for what was his first official foreign visit after re-election in May. It was during that trip that he received an invitation from Kneissl to be a guest at her wedding.

Iran, Venezuela & Turkey reveal gold’s true value when paper money becomes worthless – analyst to RT

RT2018/8/18
Iran, Venezuela & Turkey reveal gold’s true value when paper money becomes worthless – analyst to RT
The world will inevitably dip into crisis, with gold and silver again emerging as real money, Claudio Grass, an independent precious metals adviser and Mises ambassador told RT.

“People today, especially in the West, have forgotten that paper money used to be a mere property title for a certain amount of gold or silver. Today, paper money is nothing more than a debt security. It is nothing more but collateral: the promise of the former generation that the future generation will pay off the debt via taxes and inflation,” said Grass.

The analyst gives examples of Iran, Venezuela and Turkey, whose currencies crashed against the US dollar, and people rushed to buy gold and other precious metals instead.

"A rising gold price is the barometer that shows that there is something wrong with the system. When the price of gold is rising, the last person on the street understands that there is something wrong with the economy,” he said.

“And I also have no doubt that the next crisis will be not regional, but global. All markets are manipulated, from the bond, to the stock and real estate market, into bubble territory. What can be said with certainty of gold and silver, is that even if the price might come down in the short term with a strengthening USD, this will only lay the ground for the next great bull market,” Grass added.

Grass notes that as paper money loses its purchasing power when governments print more, this creates a few winners, but many more losers. It will only create a larger discontent among people, adding more pressure on fiat money.

“Fiat currencies are only supported by trust and belief in institutions, which are now facing a historic crisis, across the board. As more and more citizens, especially in the West, begin to question more, to do their own homework instead of accepting things at face value, and to look for alternative solutions, I believe that fiat money, and perhaps the current monetary system at large, will eventually succumb under this pressure,” said Grass.

シリア関連

RT2018/8/17
Rebuilding Syria: RT films repaired factories & roads as country slowly returns to peaceful life
War-torn Syria is rebuilding after the successful expulsion of militants from large parts of the country. RT’s crew visited strategic factories and roads, as well as peach orchards, as they return to normality.
A cable and electrics factory located in the town of Adra outside Damascus was looted clean by militants during the war. As the Syrian government got it back under its control, nothing but a bare, badly damaged building was remained. The factory is now back online, once again producing much-needed power cables which are used to fix the disrupted and ransacked electricity lines across the country.
Apart from the electricity network, Syria’s road infrastructure has been badly damaged during the war. Two major cities – Hama and Homs – are located only 40km from each other, yet people were forced to take long detours though jihadist-held territories if they wished to travel from one city to the other.
With the large bridge near the recently-liberated town of Al Rastan repaired, the travel time between the two cities has once again been brought back to 30 minutes drive – instead of a six-hour long dangerous journey.
While the country still relies on international aid, local food production and distribution are getting back on track. The market in Homs, which is more than 2,000 years old, has seen many wars and disasters. And it appears to have made it through this latest conflict, returning to busy and bustling normality.
“It would’ve been much worse if it wasn’t for the incredibly fertile soil here. In this peach garden some tree branches snap under the weight of fruit,” RT’s Igor Zhdanov reported, as he examined ripe peaches at a farm in the Homs province.


※　SMM Syria @smmsyriaの2018/8/18のツイート
️️️BREAKING: A reliable source in #Aleppo reported that Aug 10 #RuAF airstrike hit Ahrar al #Sham, Nour al Din al #Zenki and #NLF field commanders meeting location in Urum al #Kubra. At least 35 high ranked militants and a lot of their family members were killed.


この記事は他に伝えるものが少ないです。
Liveleakに動画が1件、ホワイトヘルメットが登場します。

それにツイートが遅くてbreaking NEWSにはならない。西側のメディアはなぜ伝えない？

Kubraの町は見覚えがあります。調べたら
2016年09月22日
国連の人道援助車両への攻撃時　現場に米国のプレデター・ドローンが飛んでいた
Wikipediaにこの事件が載っていてシリア政府軍が攻撃したことになっています。

※　Partisangirl認証済みアカウント @Partisangirl氏の2018/8/17のツイート
AlQaeda supporting journalists are now trying to conceal their past. Never forget.

※　the Lemniscat @theLemniscat氏の19:32 - 2018年8月16日のツイート
Jenan Moussa played an instrumental role in whitewashing terror groups allied with al-Qaeda & prolonging the war on Syria

2013
Jenan Moussa: Becoming Sharia policewomen in Aleppo is “a step forward” for women making them feel “useful to the revolution”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMed-tnTfcw …

※　the Lemniscat @theLemniscat氏の2018/8/16のツイート
2013
Jenan Moussa: "In Aleppo I met 21 female policewomen, fully veiled, covered in niqab. I carry my camera. They carry their Kalashnikovs"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMed-tnTfcw …

Here’s a video of these Sharia policewomen Moussa whitewashes. Note the handcuffs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VOjH05_osI … #Syria

※　the Lemniscat @theLemniscat氏の2018/8/16のツイート
Journalist Jenan Moussa was also instrumental in helping spread rumors about African mercenaries fighting for Gaddafi, in Libya, in 2011
A claim which Amnesty could not later verify
https://gailmalone.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/libya-amnesty-international-confessing-libya-war-lies-worse-than-iraq/ … #Syria

※　the Lemniscat @theLemniscat氏の2018/8/16のツイート
Here's Jenan Moussa in 2011 with Libyan "rebels" going through Mutassim Gaddafi's personal possessions and phones which were left in his car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-HHnHi0FcI …
#Libya #Syria

Facebook が Telesurのpageをあいまいな理由説明で復活

Facebookがベネズエラに本拠を置くteleSURのページをいったんブロックしたものの批判が強く復活させています。ブロックした理由があいまいなのは、どこかの国から圧力がかかったからです。はっきり言えばいいのに。
Facebookを使っている人は、見せたがり屋？　個人情報が流出していると思います。ロシアのザハロバのようにその特性を知って逆用する人もいますが、一般人は個人の特性、言動を抜かれるだけです。

米国、南米関係の情報はここが便利ですが、管理人には手が回りません。
teleSUR　English

こんな記事があります。
25 years after victims of ChevronTexaco's environmental disaster in the Ecuadorean Amazon filed a lawsuit, they have yet to see any clean-up or reparations for the dumping of 16 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into rivers, more than 900 carcinogenic waste pits, and thousands of people sick and dead.

RT2018/8/16
Facebook restores Telesur page with vague explanation of controversial block
The English language page of the Latin American channel Telesur has reappeared on Facebook after two days. The social network offered a vague technical explanation for the move that sparked concerns of censorship worldwide.

"The team informs me that there was instability on the platform, which caused this problem, but now everything should be in order," Telesur quoted a support technician at Facebook as saying soon after the page was restored.

Telesur’s page had disappeared Monday evening, as Facebook sent a form letter informing the network it might have violated the platform’s terms of use – without specifying which ones and how.

“This is an alarming development in light of the recent shutting down of pages that don't fit a mainstream narrative,” Telesur said in a statement reacting to the deletion.

Having been deleted on Facebook earlier this year, Telesur had been “even more careful” with its posts and broke “absolutely none” of Facebook’s terms, the network’s former director Pablo Vivanco told RT.

Telesur has broadcast worldwide in Spanish since 2005, and in English since 2014. Its Facebook page had almost 400,000 likes. The network is based in Caracas, Venezuela, and receives funding from the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Bolivia.

READ MORE: Telesur page takedown: Facebook becoming ‘US govt’s censorship vehicle’

Under the Trump administration, the US has taken a hard line on Venezuela, disputing the legitimacy of the country’s elections and calling President Nicolas Maduro a “dictator.”

Last week, Facebook deleted the page of Venezualanalysis, an outlet unrelated to Telesur that offered leftist commentary on Latin American affairs. Though Facebook later reinstated the page, Venezualanalysis received no apology or explanation for its removal.

READ MORE: MSM talk coup in Venezuela because it sits on oil US empire wants – Abby Martin

In May, Facebook announced it was partnering with the Atlantic Council, a NATO-allied think-tank, to fight “emerging threats and disinformation campaigns from around the world.” The partnership has raised concerns about Facebook restricting content on the platform on the basis of political views.

Russian Diplomat Slams UN Refugee Agency’s Support for White Helmets’ Provocative Actions

RT2018/8/16
Russian Diplomat Slams UN Refugee Agency’s Support for White Helmets’ Provocative Actions
TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at Wednesday’s briefing that Moscow considers any support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for the provocative activity of the Syrian non-government organization White Helmets a mistake.

"We paid attention to the media reports of the UNHCR’s participation in the evacuation from Syria of a large group of activists from the notorious White Helmets, that represented itself as a humanitarian organization, but was in fact a tool for the hybrid information-propaganda fight that a number of states conducted on Syrian territory, including through illegal armed groups and such pseudo-humanitarian organizations," she noted, commenting on the information of the UNHCR’s participation in the evacuation of the White Helmets from Syria, TASS reported.

"Unfortunately, the UN’s management confirmed its involvement in these events on the official website," Zakharova added.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman stated that by doing so the UN members "are supporting the misinformation campaign of the Western media over the White Helmets as allegedly true and fearless humanitarians".

"We’d like to draw the attention of the representatives for the UNHCR, an authoritative and merited international structure, to the need to approach their work in a responsible way and avoid moves that may hurt not just their reputation and the image of the international organization, but, most importantly, the effectiveness of the UN’s contribution to the implementation of the most important humanitarian tasks, in particular in Syria," she went on.

"Any support of the UNHCR for the provocative activity of the White Helmets is a big mistake at best," Zakharova stressed.

"The White Helmets are associates of the most dangerous groups in Syria," the diplomat said, adding that "the purpose of these humanitarians is to slander anti-terrorist efforts in this Arab republic".

On July 22, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel had evacuated White Helmets activists and their families from Syria at the request of the United States, Canada and a number of European countries. Israeli army radio Galei Zahal said that in the course of the operation 800 people were moved to Jordan from Southern Syria. Damascus says this organization has links with the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra and operates in its interests. The United States has financed the White Helmets since 2013. US funding has totaled more than $33 million.

Alex Jones suspended from Twitter after tweet calling to end censorship

RT2018/8/15
Alex Jones suspended from Twitter after tweet calling to end censorship
Controversial right-wing commentator Alex Jones has been banned from tweeting after he posted a link to a video of himself calling on President Trump to “take action” against tech companies censoring his content.

Infowars Editor Paul Joseph Watson tweeted a screenshot of the notification sent by Twitter staff to Jones. According to Twitter, a tweet by Jones one day earlier was considered to be “targeted harassment,” and, as a result, the Infowars host would have his access to the social-media platform restricted for one week. Watson described the situation as “truly, monumentally, beyond stupid.”

In the video, Jones ranted about the censorship of conservative voices by Silicon Valley tech companies, directing much of his scorn at Apple CEO Tim Cook. He called his own ban from various tech platforms a “total anti-American attack,” and called on President Trump to “do something about it.” Along the way, he bashed Democrats, criticized the mainstream media, and accused Cook of working with the Chinese government to undermine America.

Jones’ Twitter page will remain visible for the duration of the ban, but he will not be able to tweet, retweet, follow, or like.

Last week, Infowars found itself banned from the platforms of almost every major Silicon Valley company – including Facebook, YouTube, Apple, and Spotify – for violating their community standards and spreading ‘hate speech.’

Until Tuesday, Twitter was one of Jones’ last safe havens online, and CEO Jack Dorsey said that Jones would not be banned until he broke the site’s rules.

Jones’ excommunication was cheered by many in the US, including Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), who called Infowars “the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies.” He demanded even more censorship in the name of ‘saving democracy.’

Jones’ supporters blasted the companies for censoring the rabble-rousing host, and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage called him a “victim of collusion by the big-tech giants.”

While effectively banned from much of the internet, Jones still posted content to the Infowars website, and via the Infowars app, which has surged in popularity amid the furore. However, on Tuesday, the Infowars website went offline in what staff called a cyberattack. Upon landing on the site, visitors would simply find an error message, which was later replaced with a low-fi splash page directing them to several other affiliated sites.

Fake intercept? Russian MoD dismisses UK claims of chasing off six Su-24 bombers over Black Sea

RT2018/8/16
Fake intercept? Russian MoD dismisses UK claims of chasing off six Su-24 bombers over Black Sea
Russia has denied British claims that the Royal Air Force intercepted six Russian military jets over the Black Sea, saying the incident was a lot less dramatic and didn’t feature a single Su-24 bomber mentioned in the reports.

Four aircraft from the Russian Black Sea Fleet naval aviation group carried out routine exercises above the Black Sea on Monday, the Defense Ministry spokesman told TASS, specifying that there were no Su-24 bombers in the group at all.

“After completing their flight task in the assigned area the Russian planes spotted a military aircraft of one of the NATO countries at the distance of 30 kilometers,” he said.

The NATO plane “didn’t make any maneuvers; didn’t deviate from its course and didn’t approach the Russian aircraft, which were heading back to base,” the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the British account of Monday’s events looked more like a script for the ‘Top Gun’ reboot. The RAF announced that its Typhoons intercepted six Russian Su-24 bombers close to NATO airspace over the Black Sea on August 13 and forced them to turn back.

The jets, which took off from a Romanian airbase, helped “deter Russian aggression, reassure our friends in Romania, and assure NATO allies of our commitment to collective defense,” the RAF statement said.

It’s not the first time the UK has claimed to intercept Russian military aircraft in the area. In late July, it said that two Typhoons were scrambled after a Su-24 was discovered near the NATO airspace. The British jets also reportedly responded to a Russian Il-20 aircraft above the Black Sea in May.

The Royal Air Force has been present in Romania since 2014 as part of NATO’s so-called Assurance Measures activities. The US-led block has been boosting its presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltics in recent years under the pretext of the “Russian threat.” Moscow has repeatedly denied that it has any aggressive plans towards its neighbors and warned that NATO’s moves jeopardized European security.

After clearance pull, Democrats rush to back Brennan – who spied on them

RT2018/8/16
After clearance pull, Democrats rush to back Brennan – who spied on them
Democrats have been vocal in condemning US President Donald Trump for revoking former CIA chief John Brennan’s security clearance, forgetting that time he spied on a Democrat-run Senate committee in the name of #Resistance.

On Wednesday, Trump revoked Brennan’s security clearance, which had allowed the ex-spymaster to continue to access classified documents since he resigned last January.

The White House said that Brennan used his security clearance to “sow division and chaos,” and lend a sheen of credibility to his public criticisms of the president. The White House looked into revoking Brennan’s clearance after he accused Trump of “treason” for meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

Straight away, Democrats jumped in to defend Brennan’s character and to blast Trump for pulling his clearance. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said that “In adding John Brennan to his enemies list, Trump demonstrates again how deeply insecure and vindictive he is.”

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia) called the revocation “the weak, paranoid, authoritarian behavior of a dictator.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden called Trump’s act “unbecoming of a President,” and warned that it would only embolden Brennan in his public crusade against Trump.

Biden’s words were echoed by former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who said that clearance or not, Brennan “will now be just as vigorous & vigilant in defending American values.”

Brennan’s thesaurus-heavy Tweets and self-righteous grandstanding have made him a hero to the anti-Trump #resistance. However, while Democrats are falling over themselves to pat the former career spy on the back, there was a time when Brennan spied on Democratic lawmakers compiling a report into his agency’s use of torture tactics – and got away with it.

In 2014, as the Senate Intelligence Committee was compiling a lengthy report into the CIA’s use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ at its secret prisons, chair Dianne Feinstein (D-California) accused Brennan’s agency of secretly monitoring the committee’s computers and removing sensitive documents.

After initially denying any wrongdoing and rejecting Feinstein’s “spurious allegations,” Brennan quietly apologized to lawmakers after an internal review proved the senator right.

Despite being caught red-handed spying on his overseers, the Obama administration Department of Justice declined to press charges against Brennan, and he remained in charge of the CIA.

Just as Democrats seem eager to forgive past wrongs in the name of anti-Trump resistance, the President’s supporters on the right were quick to remember Brennan’s shady practices and praise Trump’s decision to revoke his clearance.

Libertarian-minded Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who first proposed pulling Brennan’s clearance, cheered Trump’s decision on Wednesday, and took the opportunity to remind voters that he opposed Brennan’s stewardship of the CIA from the get-go.

True to form, Brennan himself responded to Trump in a verbose tweet, stating that “my principles are worth far more than clearances,” and vowing to keep up the #resistance.

‘Monetized security clearance’

The White House has also mulled revoking security clearances for a host of other former intelligence personnel, including former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director James Comey.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in July that they had “politicized, and in some cases monetized, their public service and security clearances.” Since leaving their positions, all have become household names for their public opposition to Trump. Brennan now works for NBC News as a “senior national security and intelligence analyst,” Clapper found a new home at CNN, and Comey penned a book thrashing the Trump administration and comparing Trump himself to a “mob boss.”

Hayden told CNN viewers on Wednesday that Trump’s decision to revoke Brennan’s clearance was “threatening to the rest of us" and amounted to an attempt to silence dissent.

Former Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines was more blunt, calling Trump a “vindictive little bitch.”

Russian Air Force Unleashes Hell on ISIL after Execution of 19-Year-Old Student

FARSNEWS2018/8/15
Syrian Army Continues March on ISIL in Sweida Desert
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army units engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in Eastern Badiyeh (desert) of Sweida and imposed control over more regions. [VIDEO]







FARSNEWS2018/8/6
TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL was given no quarter in Northeastern Sweida last night, as the Russian Air Force unleashed a massive assault against the terrorists in the Badiyeh (desert) al-Sham region.

Backed by their allies from the Syrian Arab Air Force, the Russian jets relentlessly hammered the ISIL’s positions inside the al-Dayathah and al-Kara’a of Northeastern Sweida, the AMN reported.

The Russian fighter jets launched over 35 airstrikes on the ISIL’s positions in the Badiyeh al-Sham region last night.

The large-scale air assault in Northeastern Sweida came just hours after the ISIL released a video showing the execution of a kidnapped 19 year old student.

シリア関連で注目されるニュース相次ぐ

先週末以来シリア関連で注目されるニュースが入っています。
1　2018/8/12、トルコとの国境通過点に近い重要道路にあるサルマダの町でアルヌスラの弾薬保管庫を兼ねていた6階建ての建物が爆発により全壊し、テロリスト40人以上が死亡しました。

建物は下の階で爆発があったようで6階分の床が積み重なっています。外部から爆弾が投下されたようには見えません。犯行声明も出ていないようです。

イドリブ州ではテロリスト間の対立が深まっており、爆発事件は珍しくありませんが、今回は詳しく現場の状況が伝えられています。

2　イドリブにいたサウジ出身の指揮者が多数、巡礼の名目でトルコ経由サウジに向かいました。彼らは自らの安全な脱出を図るべく、ロシアの和解センターに泣きついたといいます。

3　シリア南部のスウェイダ近くのAl-Safa山頂付近でISISテロリストがシリア軍に包囲されています。まだ降伏していません。

4　トルコとロシア（及びシリア）との間で密約ができたと伝えられています。
�@　ロシアとシリアは、クルドのシリア市民としての権利を尊重する。しかし、自治は認めない。
�A　イドリブの作戦終了後トルコとシリアの関係は正常化される。トルコがイドリブに介入することは認められない。
ロシアは、トルコにテロリストのトルコへの後退を止めることを約束。

�B　密約の中に含まれるか疑問ですが、
エルドアンは、トルコを経由してEUに逃げるしかないイドリブのテロリストについてEUと交渉する可能性がある。

トルコは、テロリストを支援しているとされているがそれはメディア上のことであり、今は武器も資金を供与していない。

5　バクダーディが脳死状態だとの情報がありますが、イラクの情報機関のバクダーディに関する情報は当てになりません。

6　イドリブのテロリストのトルコ脱出が相次いでいます。女装し密航業者に一人頭250ドルを払っているそうです。トルコの憲兵に1500ドルの賄賂を払わざるを得なかった例もあるとされています。

7　トルコがシリア軍の進撃を阻むために新たに「国家軍」を作っているとされています。これは上の密約の�Aと矛盾します。ロシアは、クルドを抑えるためにトルコの軍事行動をある程度大目に見ている面があるように感じますが、この国家軍についてはよくわかりません。この目論見は失敗したようです。
The new force will be allegedly composed of approximately 35,000 fighters from various rebel factions across Idlib province, including the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syria's Liberation Front.
Turkish support for the group has included the regular payment of salaries, as well as the setting up of 12 military outposts, concentrated in the Northwestern province of Idlib. Ankara has reportedly also invested in local infrastructure, including the building of local schools.
The leader of the rebel coalition, Colonel Haitham Afisi has been quoted as listing the three main enemies of his ‘army’: President Bashar al-Assad, Daesh (ISIL), and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).
8/14、アンカラでラブロフとカブソグルが会談してイドリブ問題を話していますが詳細は不明です。
トルコはイドリブから引き揚げざるを得ないの観測が出ています。
TEHRAN (FNA)The Arabic-language al-Ahd news website reported that given the Syrian army's serious determination to liberate Idlib province after the Southern regions, including Dara'a and Quneitra provinces, Turkey is attempting to delay the military operations through diplomatic channels and events on the ground.
According to the report, Turkey emphasizes its commitment to the Astana agreement and de-escalation in Syria in talks with the Russians and Iranians on one hand, and keeps the terrorists as a winning card in any negotiations by supporting merger of terrorist groups in Syria, on the other hand.
It noted the failure of Ankara's attempts to form a 'National Army' of the terrorists to fight against the Syrian army and its defiance of Astana agreement, and said but the chain of victories of the Damascus army is evidence to the fact that Ankara will eventually be forced to surrender to the Syrian army's will and withdraw from Northern Syria.

8　シリアの外務副大臣が周知のアラブ諸国は不法な武装グループに1370億ドル相当の援助を行ったと発言しています。
テロリストの活動費用としては1370億ドルは内輪ではないでしょうか。アラブ諸国ですから米英は入っていないことになりますが。

Arab Media: Turkey to Inevitably Withdraw from Idlib

トルコ、ロシア、イラン大統領9月初めに会合

FARSNEWS2018/8/15
TEHRAN (FNA)- The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey are due to hold a meeting in Tehran on Syria in the near future, a Turkish official said on Wednesday.

The meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the Syrian settlement will take place in Tehran in early September, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quoted as saying by Urdupoint news website.

"The third summit within the Astana process is slated for the first week of September in Astana," Kalin told reporters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Wednesday that Moscow sees intentions of the US and the West in general to impede the Astana process for the Syrian settlement.

"We won’t probably see any direct linkage with the Syrian crisis in the statements made by the US side when it declares sanctions against our countries (Russia, Iran and Turkey)," he told reporters after taking part in a session of Turkey’s ambassadors and permanent envoys to international organizations.

"But objectively, of course we feel the wish of the West, and first of all the US but not only, to prevent the Astana process from achieving concrete results and present it as not quite successful," he said, adding that "these attempts were seen earlier, and most likely they will continue".

"But the fact that Turkey, Russia and Iran, having not always concurring and sometimes far from concurring stances on this or that aspect of the Syrian crisis have found wisdom and willingness to settle concrete problems, has reversed the situation in Syria," Lavrov stressed.

"Islamic State has been practically defeated with only some isolated small groups remaining. The main target for the present moment is Jabhat al-Nusra," he added, saying the statement of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on the dangers of their return to Syria shows lack of awareness.

FARSNEWS2018/8/15
Syria, Russia in Final Coordination over Idlib Operation
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian and Syrian forces are making final coordination on a major offensive against terrorists in Idlib, the Russia-run Sputnik news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted a military source as saying that the Russian and Syrian armies have been coordinating to launch the long-waited assault in Idlib, adding that a vast joint reconnaissance operation has been underway by Russian and Syrian experts in the last few days as the zero hour is arriving for the operation in Northwestern Syria.

The Arabic Sputnik further said that monitoring movements and gatherings of terrorists in the villages and towns in Southeastern Idlib has been among the joint reconnaissance operation conducted by the Russian and Syrian forces.

In the meantime, the Syrian army artillery units shelled heavily the positions of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) in the region, destroying their bases and positions, the website added.

In the meantime, a source in Idlib Peace Committee reported that a humanitarian corridor has been proposed by the Russian and Syrian Command to pave the ground for the evacuation of civilians before the operation in Idlib.

Earlier reports said that the army sent fresh convoys of military vehicles and well-equipped soldiers to Northern Lattakia and al-Ghaab Plain, reinvigorating the government forces' combat capabilities and setting up new positions.

BBCクルー、マラウィで吸血鬼と間違えられ投石で殺されかけた

RT2018/8/14
Mistaken for vampires and accused of witchcraft, BBC crew ‘nearly stoned to death’ in Malawi
A BBC film crew investigating a string of child killings in the southern African state of Malawi narrowly escaped death, after an undercover meeting with a witch-doctor was interrupted by a mob accusing them of being “vampires”.

The documentary team from BBC Africa were working alongside undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who never shows his face, to investigate a string of murders which have been attributed to black-magic “muti” witch-doctors.

Victims have been found without heads and missing body parts. Witch-doctors are suspected of snatching children and young people and using their body parts as get-rich amulets for wealthy clients.

Posing as a wealthy businessman looking to increase his wealth, Anas tracked down a self-confessed killer named Kamanga, who told the team, in secret footage published on Monday, that the most useful parts for good luck were the head and genitals. Along with an associate, Kamanga told the BBC team that he could create good luck for the ‘businessman’ by killing and sucking out the blood of children.

A further meeting with the killers at night, saw them describe how they could also break the skull and remove either the brain or tongue.

But the meeting was interrupted by the sounds of an approaching mob of villagers nearby.

They were armed with machetes, knives and stones and accused the BBC team of being “vampires” and “killers.” Showing the villagers their press accreditation failed to quell the mob, with one cutting the back of Anas’ suit with a knife. The journalists started running and were pursued by the mob, who threw stones at them.

“They were going to end our lives,” Anas said, as he recalled their flight from the angry villagers. The team managed to escape by running for their lives into the night, later to be saved by community police and a local chief.

They suffering injuries from stones being thrown by the mob and one of the cars the team was travelling in was also destroyed. Kamanga and his associate also managed to escape in the confusion.

The incident brought an end to the BBC team’s investigation and according to them many of the murders remain unsolved.

‘Wreaths for terrorists’: Netanyahu & Corbyn face off over ‘anti-Semitism’ as Twitter erupts

RT2018/8/14
‘Wreaths for terrorists’: Netanyahu & Corbyn face off over ‘anti-Semitism’ as Twitter erupts
Twitter has turned into a battleground after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waded into the UK Labour Party’s anti-Semitism row, trading barbs with Jeremy Corbyn over Palestinian terrorists and Israeli killings in Gaza.

Corbyn has had to fend off fresh accusations of anti-Semitism after the right-wing Daily Mail reported Friday that, during a visit to Tunisia in 2014, the Labour leader laid a wreath on the graves of a Palestinian group that killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The report said that the cemetery contained both a memorial to the 47 people killed by an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) building in 1985, as well as the graves of members of Black September – a militant group that splintered from the PLO before carrying out the Munich attack. The Daily Mail published pictures purporting to show Corbyn holding a wreath of flowers close to the graves of Black September members.

The Labour Party initially denied the report, stating that Corbyn was present to honor the victims of the 1985 airstrike. Later on Monday, Corbyn clarified: “I was present when (a wreath) was laid, I don’t think I was involved in it,” adding that the visit was a peace-seeking exercise.

Responding, Netanyahu wrote in a tweet: “The laying of a wreath by Jeremy Corbyn on the graves of the terrorists who perpetrated the Munich massacre and his comparison of Israel to the Nazis deserves unequivocal condemnation from everyone – left, right and everything in between.”

In turn, Corbyn posted: “Netanyahu’s claims about my actions and words are false. What deserves unequivocal condemnation is the killing of over 160 Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces since March, including dozens of children.”

The spat sparked hundreds of tweets, with the men’s respective supporters attacking each other on social media.

Netanyahu drew support from ex-Sun columnist turned far-right activist Katie Hopkins, and LBC radio presenter James O’Brien, who compared Corbyn to US President Donald Trump.

Others questioned the timing of the Daily Mail’s story, highlighting that Corbyn addressed the visit during a 2017 televised interview, and that it came out just as the Tory party was facing accusations of Islamophobia.

Some then pointed out that Netanyahu isn’t himself a stranger to supporting groups considered terrorists. In July 2006, he attended the ceremony marking 60 years since the bombing of Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, carried out by the underground Zionist group Irgun, often referred to as terrorists in Britain. Netanyahu, then-Leader of the opposition, controversially suggested that the bombing, which killed more than 90 people and injured almost five dozens more, was a legitimate act of war, adding that unlike Palestinian bombers elsewhere, the Irgun warned the hotel staff about the planted bomb.

Meanwhile, the veracity of the original Daily Mail piece has been called into question, with Corbyn-supporting EvolvePolitics reporting that no Black September members, or those involved in the Munich attacks, are buried in the cemetery – a point reiterated by the Labour Press team.

The graves in question belong to one-time leading members of the PLO – all of whom have alleged links to Black September but were never proven to be involved in the Munich attack, reported EvolvePolitics.

Labour has been contending with accusations of anti-Semitism levelled at some of its members for months. Previously, Corbyn has apologized for what he has labelled “pockets” of anti-Semitism in the party.



Corbyn has also consistently advocated dialogue with those often considered by the British state as terrorists in order to foster peace, leading to numerous accusations that he is sympathising with terrorists.

Despite the recent furore, the latest poll by BMG Research put the Labour Party on 39 percent support – two points ahead of the Conservatives, who dropped down to 37.

ATMからあなたの銀行口座の金が引き出される恐れ切迫

RT2018/8/14
FBI warns of imminent hack attack on ATM machines worldwide
Bank ATMs around the world are at risk of an "imminent" cyber attack with millions of dollars expected to disappear from accounts, according to a confidential alert by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The warning issued by the FBI to international banks on Friday revealed that cyber criminals are planning a massive malware attack on ATMs across the globe in the next few days.

“The FBI has obtained unspecified reporting indicating cyber criminals are planning to conduct a global Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cash-out scheme in the coming days, likely associated with an unknown card issuer breach and commonly referred to as an 'unlimited operation',” the report obtained by cyber-security expert Brian Krebs reads.

The analyst warned global lenders of a highly choreographed, global fraud scheme known as an “ATM cash-out.” The criminals are reportedly planning to hack a bank or payment card processor and use cloned cards at cash machines around the world to withdraw millions of dollars in few hours. The similar fraud operation was carried out in 2009, when around $9 million was cleaned out from cash machines worldwide.

According to the report, small-to-mid sized banks that haven't upgraded their equipment and software to the latest security standards are at higher risk.

“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cyber security controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities,” the statement reads.

“The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future.”