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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
8/16/2018 11:06:25 AM

US and allies violating INF Treaty, says senior Russian diplomat



A Tomahawk cruise missile rises in a plume of smoke as it is fired from the MK-41 vertical launching system © John Schults / Reuters

Russia’s deputy foreign minister has said that the United States and some of its allies were knowingly violating the 1988 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by deploying launching systems capable of firing cruise missiles.


As far as the INF Treaty is concerned, the situation is evident in which the United States and some of its allies are knowingly violating it, in particular by deploying on their territories the Mk-41 launching systems capable of firing the ground-based cruise missiles,” Sergey Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

The comment came soon after US President Donald Trump signed the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019, the document that contains, among other things, allegations that Moscow violated several important international agreements on weapons control, including the INF treaty.

Ryabkov also added that Russia saw the US defense act as an attempt to artificially attract public attention to the topic of new weapons and weapons control, but also noted that Moscow did not consider this document as an attempt to control the newest types of weapons, like those described by President Putin in his latest address to parliament in March.

But we note the US drive aiming to politically heat up this topic, make it an irritant in our bilateral relations and we cannot share this approach and don’t welcome it,” the Russian diplomat stated.

Also on Tuesday, President Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said US attempts to describe Russia as a threat to the world peace in the new defense act are unfounded and dangerous.

Before the increase, the US defense budget exceeded the corresponding budget of our country by many times which is a very bright testimony to the fact that describing Russia as a threat to anyone inside the United States is completely groundless, be it European nations or nations located on the North America Continent,” Peskov told reporters.

The figures speak for themselves,” he added.

The head of the Russian Upper House Committee for International Relations, Senator Konstantin Kosachev, said that the allegations used in the US National Defense Authorization Act were undermining the very basics of Russia-US cooperation in the defense sphere.

Over the past years the United States has persistently created difficulties when it comes to the realization of practically all weapons control agreements with Russia or even completely stopped these treaties functioning. Every time they used empty-worded accusations without demonstrating any hard evidence. This is pure politics, it is destructive and undermines the very basics of international cooperation in the field of security,” Senator Kosachev said.

(RT)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
8/16/2018 5:08:28 PM

Kremlin calls for individual approach to investigating internet extremism

Edited time: 15 Aug, 2018 08:51

In comments over recent news of a wave of criminal probes into “likes” and “reposts” of extremist materials on social networks, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary said that investigators must look into every such case separately.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday Dmitry Peskov noted that every single “like” or “repost” that put their authors in hot water should be investigated separately. “It is impossible to look into such incidents as if they were the same one. Every particular case must be looked into individually,” he said. “Of course we remember that there are cases that, so to say, go beyond the reason,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

The official also reminded the journalists about Vladimir Putin’s previously expressed position on the issue – that in every individual case investigators should stick to common sense.

Vladimir Putin spoke on criminal responsibility for reposts of extremist materials during his Q&A session in June and said that there were two major factors determining his approach to the problem. The first was the obvious necessity to stop the spreading of extremist and hateful posts and the second was the need to prevent the obviously absurd situations.

Dmitry Peskov faced the question as Russian mass media covered the increasing number of criminal cases launched into “spreading of extremist materials on the internet.” In Russia, the action itself is a crime but many politicians, activists and reporters now question the actions of security agents who launch criminal cases into “reposts” or even “likes” on social network – the actions that technically help to spread banned information, but are often done without ill intent and cause no harm.

One of the more well-known cases is the investigation into the so called “New Greatness” group launched in 2017 on social network, but later transformed into a real-life underground organization that made plans to displace the Russian government and conducted guerilla training for its members with live fire and use of petrol bombs. Russian security services detained 10 members of the group in March. Two of them are now kept in pre-trial custody and eight have been placed under house arrest.

Defense lawyers and supporters of the detained claim that the actions described by investigators were simple entertainment and the whole case is a result of a police provocation. On Wednesday, they plan to hold a protest rally in support of the “New Greatness” members, but Moscow city authorities have not licensed it and asked the organizers not to bring the situation to open confrontation.

In his Tuesday statement Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin was aware of the “New Greatness” case. “We know that this probe has caused a lot of response. The investigation is going on. Of course we have paid attention to this incident that caused a lot of public reaction,” he said.

Previously, Peskov has told reporters that the Kremlin would not interfere before the court passes its verdict on the case.


(RT)


"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
8/16/2018 5:27:02 PM

FBI Warns: Cyber Criminals Are Plotting Worldwide Mass Hacking Of ATM Machines

By Mac Slavo

The FBI is warning of a worldwide mass hacking plot that could see millions withdrawn from bank accounts. The major operation has forced the FBI to warn banks of an imminent “cashout” attack on cashpoints around the globe.

Banks have now been warned that they could fall victim to an “unlimited operation” in which millions of dollars could be withdrawn from cash machines. According to The Independent, the “jackpotting” scheme would see hackers use malware to take control of ATMs. Smaller banks with less sophisticated security are said to be most vulnerable to this attack. The “cashout” will most likely take place over the course of a few hours on a weekend after most banks have closed.

“The FBI has obtained unspecified reporting indicating cybercriminals 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’,” states an FBI alert to banks that was obtained by cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs. “Virtually all ATM cashout operations are launched on weekends, often just after financial institutions begin closing for business on Saturday,” Krebs explained in a blog post.

“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cybersecurity controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities. The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future,” the alert also stated.

The website Krebs On Security reported that criminals could create “fraudulent copies” of bank cards by installing their data on reusable magnetic strip cards. The FBI warned that “at a pre-determined time, the co-conspirators withdraw account funds from ATMs using these cards.” In order to maximize the payouts during such cyber attacks, hackers will often remove the fraud controls such as withdrawal limits. This allows perpetrators to empty cash machines of all the money stored in them.

The FBI advised banks to review their security measures, keep their software up to date, and implement stronger protections when possible.

As of now, there is no clear way that one can protect themselves from this hack. Obviously, if you don’t have a bank account you won’t have to be concerned about this particular attack.


(activistpost.com)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
8/16/2018 6:01:21 PM

Iran Bans Talks With U.S. After Roll Back Of Sanctions; U.S. Threatens Sanctions On Europe

By Aaron Kesel

The leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has banned holding any direct talks with the United States, as tension between the U.S. and Iran increases, with the country testing a next-generation short-range missile.

“I ban holding any talks with America … America never remains loyal to its promises in talks … just gives empty words … and never retreats from its goals for talks,” Khamenei was quoted saying by TV.

This comes after an offer last month by U.S. President Donald Trump calling for talks with no preconditions with Tehran.

Iran has openly rejected that call for negotiation with its leader denouncing any talks with the U.S.

Iran’s defense minister unveiled the next generation of Tehran’s Fateh Mobin a short-range ballistic missile, France 24 reported.

“As promised to our dear people, we will not spare any effort to increase the missile capabilities of the country and we will certainly increase our missile power every day,” the minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, said.

Hatami described the new version of the Fateh Mobin as “100-percent domestically made… agile, stealth, tactical (and) precision-guided.”

“Be sure that the greater the pressures and psychological warfare against the great nation of Iran, our will to enhance our defence power in all fields will increase,” he added.

The missile was not nuclear so, therefore, didn’t breach the Iranian accord.

President Donald Trump recently pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and world powers in May. Trump has called for a new agreement that restricts Iran’s missile capabilities and regional interventions.

Last week, the Trump administration reimposed economic sanctions against Iran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear accord. Among those sanctions included bans on the sale or transfer to or from Iran of graphite and metals such as aluminum; bans on the export of Iranian carpets and food such as pistachios to the U.S.; and a prohibition on trading of Iranian gold.

Russia and Iran responded by signing a deal with three other ex-Soviet nations on how to divide up the oil and gas resources of the Caspian Sea.

Further moves being made in the past few months include China’s state-owned CNPC oil replacing France’s Total in an Iranian gas project when they leave the South Pars field, as well as China creating a new train route to Iran, Activist Post reported.

“The possibility of Total’s pullout is quite high now, and in that scenario, CNPC will be ready to take it over fully,” Reuters quoted an official.

Europeans have objected to Trump leaving the Iran deal and have been working with Iran to save the deal.

This means that all hope lies in the hands of the Europeans to keep the peace in this situation.

Whereas if Europe does save the Iran deal, then the U.S. has previously threatened sanctions on European companies that do business with Iran.

The U.S. reiterated that promise with the U.S. ambassador in London urging Britain to back President Donald Trump in pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement, stating a united front is the best way to persuade Tehran to change its course or risk “serious trade consequences” for UK businesses.

Ambassador Robert Wood Johnson wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that “we are asking global Britain to use its considerable diplomatic power and influence and join us as we lead a concerted global effort towards a genuinely comprehensive agreement.”

The European Union updated a 1996 blocking statute that seeks to protect European companies from any penalties imposed by the United States for doing business with, or in, Iran. In turn, the measure threatens any companies with penalties if they comply with the American sanctions.

The law was originally passed as a means to protect companies against penalties imposed for doing business with Cuba, Libya and Iran — all of which were under American sanctions in 1996.

In short, it’s a cluster f*** mess…

U.K., France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union, which also signed the deal, have criticized Trump’s decision and continue to back the agreement with Iran.

In April, earlier this year, Iran dropped the U.S. dollar for the Euro in foreign trade transactions. A huge deal…

One month prior, Iran did the unthinkable by banning the U.S. dollar in trade, setting the groundwork for replacing it in foreign trade transactions.

It’s the same move that has been in the works and was attempted last year when Trump sanctioned the country. Mere days after Iran said it would stop using the U.S. dollar in response to President Trump’s previous travel ban.

That means that Iran finally pulled the trigger and dumped the U.S. dollar. Israel responded with “Intel” that Iran has nuclear weapons, as Activist Post previously reported.

As a candidate, Trump essentially said he would have no problem going to war with Iran.

“With Iran, when they circle our beautiful destroyers with their little boats and they make gestures at our people that they shouldn’t be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water,” Trump said.

The remark was in response to an incident when Iranian patrol boats approached U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Trump’s comment is a contradiction of his earlier “unabashedly noninterventionist approach to world affairs,” as The Washington Post documented.

Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post. Support us at Patreon.


(activistpost.com)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
8/16/2018 6:21:48 PM

America’s War on Yemen Exposed

By Tony Cartalucci

As atrocities and scandal begin to mount regarding the US-backed Saudi-led war on the impoverished nation of Yemen, the involvement and hypocrisy of the United States and other Western backers is coming to full light.

Global condemnation of Saudi airstrikes on civilian targets has brought public attention to Washington’s role in the conflict – a role the Western media has attempted to downplay for years. It is ironic, or perhaps telling, that alternative media outlets targeted as “Russian influence” are leading coverage of Yemen’s growing humanitarian catastrophe.


US Denies Role in Proxy War That Couldn’t be Fought Without It

In a recent press conference, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis – when asked about the US role in the Yemeni conflict in regards to Saudi atrocities – would claim:

We are not engaged in the civil war. We will help to prevent, you know, the killing of innocent people.

Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

Mattis himself would lobby US Congress earlier this year to continue US support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen.

A March 2018 Washington Post article titled, “Mattis asks Congress not to restrict U.S. support for Saudi bombing in Yemen,” would admit:

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made a personal appeal to Congress on Wednesday not to restrict the United States’ support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, as the sponsors of a privileged resolution to end Washington’s involvement announced that the Senate would vote on the matter next week.

Support includes US intelligence gathering for Saudi operations, the sale of of US weapons to the Saudi regime, and even US aerial refueling for US-made Saudi warplanes dropping US-made munitions on Yemeni targets selected with the aid of US planners.

In essence, the US is all but directly fighting the “civil war” itself.

Abetting War Crimes, Sponsoring Terrorists to What End?

As to why the US believes it must continue supporting a proxy war Saudi Arabia is fighting on its behalf – beginning under US President Barack Obama and continuing in earnest under current US President Donald Trump – the Washington Post could conclude (emphasis added):

The war in Yemen has inspired much controversy in Congress, as lawmakers have questioned why the United States has involved itself so closely on the Saudi-backed side of a civil war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel forces. Successive presidential administrations have presented the campaign as a necessary component of the fight against terrorism and to preserve stability in the region. As Mattis put it in his letter to congressional leaders Wednesday, “withdrawing U.S. support would embolden Iran to increase its support to the Houthis, enabling further ballistic missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and threatening vital shipping lanes in the Red Sea, thereby raising the risk of a regional conflict.”

However, Mattis, his colleagues, and his predecessors have categorically failed to explain how Iran constitutes a greater threat to either US or global security than Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is a nation admittedly sponsoring Al Qaeda worldwide, including in Yemen as revealed by a recent Associated Press investigation, and the nation which both radicalized the supposed perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New York City and Washington D.C. and from which most of the supposed hijackers originated from.

If Iran is indeed waging war against Saudi Arabia and its terrorist proxies in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, the real question is – why isn’t the United States backing Tehran instead?

The obvious answer to this question reveals the crumbling moral authority of the United States as the principled facade it has used for decades falls away from its hegemony-driven agenda worldwide.

The US and its allies created the “War on Terror” and intentionally perpetuated it as a pretext to expand militarily around the globe in an attempt to preserve its post-Cold War primacy and prevent the rise of a multipolar alternative to its unipolar “international order.” It has done this not only at the cost of hundreds of thousands of human lives across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, it has done it at the cost of trillions of taxpayers’ dollars and the lives of thousands of America’s own soldiers, sailors, aviators, and Marines.

Canada, Too

A recent row between Canada and Saudi Arabia over supposed “human rights” concerns appears to be a vain attempt to salvage the credibility of at least some nations involved in the now 7-year-long war — the last 3 years of which has seen direct military intervention by Saudi Arabia, its partners, and its backers — including Canada.

The Guardian in an article titled, “‘We don’t have a single friend’: Canada’s Saudi spat reveals country is alone,” attempts to portray Canada as taking a lone, principled stance against human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia – abandoned even by Washington.

The article would claim:

The spat appeared to have been sparked last week when Canada’s foreign ministry expressed its concern over the arrest of Saudi civil society and women’s rights activists, in a tweet that echoed concerns previously voiced by the United Nations.

Saudi Arabia swiftly shot back, making plans to remove thousands of Saudi students and medical patients from Canada, and suspending the state airline’s flights to and from Canada, among other actions.

The Guardian would also claim:

…the US said it would remain on the sidelines while Saudi officials lashed out at Canada over its call to release jailed civil rights activists.

Canada’s feigned concern for “human rights” in Saudi Arabia comes at a time when the Canadian government continues approving of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of arms sales to Riyadh. This includes small arms and armored personnel carriers Saudi forces are using in their ongoing invasion and occupation of neighboring Yemen.

The feigned divide between Ottawa and Washington over Saudi human rights violations is overshadowed by years of commitment by both North American nations in propping up the Saudi regime, and aiding and abetting the very worst of Riyadh’s human rights abuses unfolding amid the Yemeni conflict.

Canada’s apparent role is to help compartmentalize the worst of the West’s decaying moral authority, containing it with the US, and taking up a more prominent role in the West’s industrialized “human rights” and “democracy” leveraging racket.

While Canadian armaments help fuel genocide in Yemen – Canadian diplomats around the world fund agitators and directly meddle in the internal political affairs of foreign nations predicated on promoting “human rights” and “democracy.”

In Thailand for example, the US has receded into the shadows, allowing Canada, the UK, and other European nations to openly engage in political meddling on their behalf. US funding and support continues, but the public face of Western “outrage” is increasingly becoming Canadian, British, and Northern European.

However, Canada faces the same problem that has permanently eroded American credibility. And as its role in perpetuating real human rights abuses worldwide continues to be exposed, its feigned concern over token or even manufactured human rights concerns will increasingly appear hypocritical and hollow, undermining the West’s collective ability to leverage and hide behind human rights and democracy to advance their self-serving agendas.

Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook”, where this article first appeared.


(activistpost.com)


"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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