Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

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US President Barack Obama should personally inform Russian President Vladimir Putin about the results of the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, Munich Security Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger told Sputnik on Monday.

Obama Should Inform Putin About NATO Summit Results – MSC President
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160620/1041610015/obama-putin-nato.html

The next NATO summit will take place on July 8-9 in the Polish capital of Warsaw. The intensification of the Alliance's activities on NATO eastern flank is on the agenda, among other issues.

"Many non-member states have been invited to the summit. But, as far as I know, Russia will not participate [in it]. That's why, I hope very much that not only the German government, but also the US government will find a way to inform the Russian side about any decisions that are made in Warsaw not only within the framework of the NATO-Russia Council at the level of ambassadors, but also at a political level. The best option would be a meeting between Obama and Putin the day before or just after the summit," Ischinger said.

Ischinger added that he hoped the summit would not result in an escalation of tensions between Moscow and the Alliance.

Russian president's special representative for international cooperation in information security said that Russia does not exclude the possibility of engaging in IT dialogue with NATO if the alliance offers a constructive agenda.

Russia Open to 'Constructive' IT Dialogue With NATO
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160620/1041613999/russia-nato-it.html

Russia does not exclude the possibility of engaging in IT dialogue with NATO if the alliance offers a constructive agenda, the Russian president's special representative for international cooperation in information security told Sputnik on Monday.

"Russia does not exclude constructive contacts, especially if they are substantial, and not a cover for military preparations, meaning that if the alliance wants talks as a disguise to build cyberpower, we are not ready for such talks. Dialogue needs to be about how to ease tensions in Europe and not legitimize their escalation," Andrei Krutskikh said.

The planned deployment of four NATO battalions on Russia’s borders is the foundation for continuous pressure on its frontiers as it may easily grow into a larger contingent; and the fact that these are the troops of the alliance and not of a bordering country underscores that Russia is being specifically targeted, says a Russian military expert.

NATO Battalions on Russian Borders Could Easily Grow Into Larger Contingent
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160620/1041608704/nato-russia-borders.html

Last Tuesday, NATO agreed to deploy a new 4,000-strong force in the Baltic States and Poland, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting of the block’s ministers in Brussels.

The declared aim is to “protect its Eastern European allies from the so-called “Russian aggression.”

The three battalions, each to consist of between 800 and 1,000 troops, will reportedly be provided by Britain, the US and Germany.

The block is now looking for a fourth country willing to send its servicemen to Russia’s borders.

“The planned deployment of four NATO battalions on Russia’s borders is the foundation for continuous pressure on its frontiers,” Alexandr Perendzhiev, an expert from the Association of Military Political Analysts told Russia’s news website Vzglyad.

However permanent deployment of NATO battalions on Russia’s borders underscores that they are there not for the defense. They could easily grow in size for a possible future attack on Russia.

The expert also noted that Stoltenberg’s announcement of the move right after the meeting of the block’s ministers in Brussels signals that the issue has been discussed there.

And the announced start day for the deployment (January 2017) means that the sources of financing of the move have already been found.

“Ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw it only shows how fast such issues are being solved,” Perendzhiev said.

The expert also commented on NATO’s Anaconda 2016 military exercises, which recently wrapped up in Poland and which have become the biggest exercises on NATO's eastern flank since the end of the Cold War.

It is in our interest, Steinmeier asserts, "to integrate Russia in an international partnership of responsibility."

German FM splits with NATO: Symbolic panzer parades on the border are NOT what we should be doing
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/german-fm-splits-with-nato-symbolic.html

Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) has criticized the NATO maneuvers in Eastern Europe and calls instead for more dialogue and cooperation with Russia.

Steinmeier told the Bild am Sonntag: "What we should not be doing now, is inflame the situation with loud saber-rattling and war cries."

"Anyone who thinks symbolic Panzer Parades on the eastern border of the Alliance will bring more security, is wrong. We are well advised not to provide a pretext for the renewal of old confrontation free of charge."

According to Steinmeier it would "be fatal now to narrow one's outlook to just the military and to seek safety only thorough a policy of deterrence [Abschreckungspolitik!]."

History teaches, that there has to be a willingness for dialog and chances for networking in addition to the common will to defend. Thus the Foreign Minister: "And that's why we need to talk with our partners again with great emphasis on the benefits of disarmament and arms control for security in Europe."

It is in our interest, Steinmeier asserts, "to integrate Russia in an international partnership of responsibility. The prevention of an Iranian nuclear bomb, the fight against radical Islam in the Middle East or the stabilization of a Libyan state are current examples. "

German soldiers do not trust weapons they are using, a poll conducted by the Center for Military History and Social Studies of Bundeswehr (German armed forces) said as quoted by local media.

Approximately 43% of German Soldiers Mistrust Army's Weapons
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160620/1041617077/germany-soldiers-weapons.html

About 800 soldiers participated in the poll in spring during the Trident Juncture NATO drills, Die Welt daily newspaper said.

The poll showed that only eight percent of the German soldiers polled fully trusted in their personal weapons. A total of 28 percent said they partly trust their arms. At the same a total of 43 percent of respondents said they did not trust their weapons.

The survey also said that 36 percent of German soldiers did not trust weapons of their units while 51 percent said they are rather or partly confident in their units’ equipment.

In January, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces Hans-Peter Bartels said that the advanced weaponry supply process was delayed, insufficient in volume and more expensive than planned.

US military personnel have committed over 5,800 crimes on Japan's Okinawa Islands since the territory was returned to Japan in 1972, according to police figures cited by protesters rallying against US presence in Japan's southernmost prefecture.

US Military Personnel Have Committed Nearly 6k Crimes in Okinawa Since 1972
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160620/1041602945/us-military-japan-okinawa-crimes.html

Approximately 65,000 people took part in a rally on Sunday to protest US military personnel crimes in Okinawa, which became the largest demonstration against US presence Okinawa in 20 years.

The protesters signed a petition calling for the withdrawal of US marines corps from Okinawa, which contained the figures taken from Japanese police, the Kyodo news agency reported.

A total of 571 incidents fell under the category of serious crimes, according to the petition.

In late May, former US Marine Kenneth Franklin Shinzato was arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of stabbing and strangling a 20-year-old Japanese woman near US Kadena Air Base. Rina Shimabukuro disappeared on April 28 and was later found dead in a forest. Franklin has reportedly admitted to raping her and committing the murder.

In early June, a US servicewoman from the Kadena Air Base injured two people in a reported drunk driving incident.

Mass protests are regularly staged by the island’s inhabitants over incidents of alleged rape by US armed forces' personnel stationed in Okinawa. The Japanese government has started taking action to address the concerns. In May, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the government is set to create a special interdepartmental commission for preventing crimes committed by US military base personnel.

A Serbian court has sentenced Miroslav Miskovic, one of the richest businessmen in the Western Balkans, to five years in jail for tax evasion, local media reported Monday.

Serbian Businessman Sentenced to Five Years in Jail for Tax Evasion
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160620/1041626576/serbia-miskovic-prison.html

According to the Tanjug media outlet, the 70-year-old Delta Holding owner has been ordered to pay 8 million Serbian dinars [$74,000] for helping his son Marko Miskovic's road construction company evade taxes totaling some $3.4 million.

On February 25, Miskovic's son Marko was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for the same offense.

Miskovic was arrested in December 2012, but released from detention several months later after posting bail.

Miskovic was known as one of the most influential people in Serbia under the rule of ousted President Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s. His Delta Holding is a privately held holding company with headquarters in Serbia's capital Belgrade and founded in 1991, that deals in import-export, real-estate, retail and wholesale.

Delta Holding and its subsidiaries Delta Agrar Group, Delta Distribution, Delta Real Estate Group and Delta Sport Group have invested more than $227 million dollars in projects outside Serbia, namely in the Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro.

Amid following no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, the Croatian Parliament adopted a decision to dissolute.

Croatian Parliament Decides to Dissolute Amid Government Breakdown
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160620/1041616843/croatia-government-oreskovic-karamarko.html

Croatian Parliament adopted a decision to dissolute, following the last week's no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, which will come into affect on July 15, the local media reported Monday.

The early parliamentary elections are likely be held in September, the Nacional reported.

According to the media, the request for dissolution was made by 91 representatives in 8 separate notions. The motion for dissolution received 137 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 1 abstentions.

Oreskovic was suggested for the position after the main parties winning the election could not agree on a candidate in January. In early June, Oreskovic urged First Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the biggest coalition partner Tomislav Karamarko to resign as being caught up in the oil money scandal.

Instead of resigning, Karamarko initiated a no-confidence vote against Oreskovic, which received a parliamentary majority on Thursday.

 

[youlik]

Global Research: G4S — транснациональная компания, сотрудник которой устроил бойню в гей-клубе, зарабатывает на страхе перед террористами

20.06.2016 - 11:10
Global Research: G4S — транснациональная компания, сотрудник которой устроил бойню в гей-клубе, зарабатывает на страхе перед террористами | Русская весна
Омар Матин — киллер, устроивший бойню в ночном клубе Орландо, — работал в одном из крупнейших частных охранных предприятий G4S. Оно включает 625 тыс. сотрудников на пяти континентах в более чем 120 странах мира.

G4S предоставляет свои услуги крупным корпорациям, таким как Chrysler, Amtrak, Apple и Bank of America, а также правительствам Великобритании, США, Израиля, Австралии и ряда других стран.

В сообщении от G4S, опубликованном The Independent 12 июня, заявляется: «Мы шокированы трагическим случаем, произошедшим в ночном клубе Орландо. Омар Матин работал в G4S с 10 сентября 2007 года, наша организация сотрудничает со всеми правоохранительными органами, в том числе с ФБР. Мы разделяем горе людей, потерявших своих близких в той ужасной трагедии».

Матин работал в компании с 2007 года. G4S предоставляет услуги Министерству внутренней безопасности, Бюро таможенного и пограничного контроля США на границе между США и Мексикой, а также проводит операции по транспортировке нелегальных иммигрантов. На волне паники и страха бойни, наподобие той, что произошла в Орландо, лишь играют на руку частным охранным компаниям, таким как G4S.

По предварительным оценкам, ежегодно во всем мире на услуги охранных предприятий тратится свыше $200 млрд. Более того, в этой сфере в настоящее время работает около 15 млн человек. G4S предлагает услуги охранников, проводит установку сигнализаций, предоставляет помощь в транспортировке денежных средств и ценностей, обеспечивает электронный контроль за преступниками в 120 странах по всему миру.

Компания является вторым по величине охранным предприятием в мире. Ее годовой доход в 2014 году составил $10,5 млрд.

Все чаще G4S работает в «сложных районах» и принимает на работу сотрудников национальных армий, обученных профессиональным навыкам по разминированию и обеспечению военной безопасности в зонах активных боевых действий. Нефтедобывающая компания Chevron Oil в Нигерии заключала контракты с G4S, дабы противостоять карательным операциям, которые разворачивали вооруженные группы наемников как на суше, так и на воде, при помощи патрульных катеров, оснащенных автоматами. G4S проводил подобные операции в Южном Судане.

G4S также поставляет оборудование для наблюдений на КПП и в тюрьмах в Израиле. В последнее десятилетие компания испытала ряд трудностей, как например, в случае с провальным контрактом во время Олимпиады-2012. Компания была не в состоянии обеспечить 10,000 обученных сотрудников, обещанных по контракту.

У G4S было лишь около 2,000 обученных сотрудников, остальным же пришлось бы проходить подготовку в течение нескольких недель. В результате, пришлось обратиться к силам британской армии, которая наряду с персоналом G4S поставила 13,000 военных.

В июне 2014 года компания G4S была обвинена в применении насилия к демонстрантам в одном из офисов в Лондоне. Компания отрицала предъявленные ей обвинения, однако, через несколько месяцев после этого ей пришлось заплатить $100,000 за незаконное удержание молодежи в своем офисе.

В 2011 году пациент с двойной ампутацией оказался плохо закреплен в одной из карет скорой помощи G4S и умер при перевозке в больницу, после того как перевернулась инвалидная коляска, в которой он находился. Тогда было установлено, что персонал G4S недостаточно подготовлен к перевозке пациентов из дома в больницы.

В 2004 году умер 15-летний подросток, пока трое сотрудников G4S удерживали его в учебном центре Rainsbrook. Ни одному из сотрудников тогда не было предъявлено обвинение в инциденте.

G4S является международным охранным предприятием, обслуживающим мировые корпорации и защищающим капитал и активы по всему миру. Девять из тринадцати крупнейших компаний по управлению капиталом и банков делают инвестиции в G4S.

Крупнейшая компания по связям с общественностью Omnicom отвечает за все материалы, появляющиеся в СМИ в связи с G4S и, несомненно, сейчас она делает все, чтобы защитить компанию и свести к минимуму упоминание имени Омара Матина.

Предприятие G4S является частью системы неолиберального империализма, который может привести к полной замене и приватизации государственной полиции. Из тех 625 тыс. сотрудников G4S, несомненно, есть ряд реакционно настроенных людей с крайне радикальными взглядами, примерно такими как были у Омара Матина.

Это люди – бомбы замедленного действия, которые по отдельности или, что еще хуже, коллективно могу сеять хаос и разрушение в любой точке мира. А на фоне этого будет возрастать и необходимость в личной безопасности, что и приведет к росту прибыли компаний типа G4S.

Translation
Global Research: G4S is a multinational company which staged a massacre in a gay club, makes his fear of terrorists

20.06.2016 - 11:10
Global Research: G4S is a multinational company which staged a massacre in a gay club, makes his fear of the terrorists | Russian spring
Omar Matin — killer who staged a massacre at a nightclub in Orlando, worked at one of the largest private security companies G4S. It includes 625 thousand employees on five continents in more than 120 countries around the world.

G4S provides services to large corporations, such as Chrysler, Amtrak, Apple, and Bank of America and the governments of UK, USA, Israel, Australia and several other countries.

In the message from G4S, published by The Independent on 12 June, stated: "We are shocked by the tragic event that occurred at a nightclub in Orlando. Omar Matin worked in G4S from 10 September 2007, our organization cooperates with all law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. We share the grief of people who lost loved ones in that terrible tragedy."

Matin worked in the company since 2007. G4S provides services to the Department of homeland security, Bureau of customs and border protection on the border between the US and Mexico and conducts operations to transport illegal immigrants. The wave of panic and fear of a massacre like the one that occurred in Orlando only playing into the hands of private security companies such as G4S.

According to preliminary estimates, every year around the world for the services of security companies spent more than $200 billion. moreover, this area currently has about 15 million people. G4S offers security guards, carries out the installation of alarms, provides assistance in the transportation of cash and valuables, provide electronic monitoring for criminals in 120 countries around the world.

The company is the second largest security company in the world. Its annual revenue in 2014 totaled $10.5 billion.

Increasingly, G4S works in "difficult areas" and employs members of the national armies, trained in professional skills of demining and military security in zones of active hostilities. Oil company Chevron Oil in Nigeria has signed contracts with G4S, in order to resist the punitive operations, which unfolded armed groups of mercenaries, both on land and on water, with patrol boats equipped with machine guns. G4S conducted similar operations in southern Sudan.

G4S also provides equipment for observations at checkpoints and in prisons in Israel. In the last decade the company has experienced a number of difficulties, such as in the case of a failed contract during the 2012 Olympics. The company was unable to provide the 10,000 trained employees, promised by the contract.

G4S have only had about 2,000 trained employees, the rest would have to be trained within a few weeks. As a result, had to turn to the forces of the British army which, along with the staff G4S had put 13,000 military.

In June 2014, the company G4S was accused of violence against demonstrators in one of the offices in London. The company denied the charges, however, a few months after that she had to pay $100,000 for illegal confinement of youth in his office.

In 2011, the patient from double amputation set in one of the ambulances G4S and died while being transported to the hospital after he rolled the wheelchair in which he was. Then it was found that the G4S staff insufficiently trained to transport patients from home to hospital.

In 2004, the year he died, 15-year-old, while three employees of G4S kept him in the training centre, Rainsbrook. None of the staff then has not been charged in the incident.

G4S is an international security company serving global corporations and protecting the capital and assets around the world. Nine of the thirteen largest companies in the wealth management and banks do invest in G4S.

The largest company on public relations Omnicom is responsible for all materials that appear in the media in connection with G4S and, of course, now she is doing everything to protect the company and minimize the mention of the name Omar Matina.

The company G4S is part of a system of neoliberal imperialism, which can lead to the complete replacement and privatization of the state police. Of those 625 thousand employees of G4S, of course, there are some reactionary people with very radical views, such as was the lobster Matina.

It's the people – bombs, which individually or, even worse, collectively, can wreak havoc and destruction anywhere in the world. And against this background, there will be a growing need for personal safety that will increase the profits of companies like G4S.

http://rusvesna.su/recent_opinions/1466410254

 

[angelburst29]

Russia is starting to lose patience over Washington’s reluctance to determine the concrete targets of the fight against terrorists, the head of the Russian General Staff said Monday.

Russia Loses Patience Over Syria as Situation Deteriorates – General Staff
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160620/1041639749/syria-general-staff-russia.html

Earlier this week, US media cited an anonymous official who claimed planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces had hit the positions of US-backed Syrian opposition forces. Russian and US defense officials held a rare video conference overnight to address the issue.

"It is us, not Americans who are losing patience concerning the situation in Syria. We are fully meeting our commitments and agreements on securing the ceasefire and national reconciliation in Syria," he said.

Gerasimov said that Russia has been sending coordinates of targets of the Islamic State (IS) and the Nusra Front to the United States for three months while the United States cannot still determine which armed groups belong to terrorists and which – to the Syrian opposition.

"As a result, terrorists are actively restoring their strength and the situation is escalating again," Gerasimov said.

American fighter jets have unsuccessfully tried to stop Russian bombers from striking US-backed militants in Syria, a new report claims.

US jets fail to stop Russian bombers over Syria: Report
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/20/471279/Pentagon-US-Russia-Syria-Daesh-Tanf

The close encounter occurred on June 16 in southern Syria near the border with Jordan, when at least two twin-engine Su-34 bombers allegedly attacked nearly 200 militants in what was described by the Pentagon as a “border garrison,” the Daily Beast reported Monday.

The US military tried to repel the attack by scrambling F/A-18 fighters to intercept the Russian aircraft, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The American pilots directly contacted their Russian counterparts and flew close enough to visually identify the Su-34s.

According to the Times, the Su-34s left the area at first but returned and bombed the militants again after the F/A-18s reportedly ran low on fuel and went away to link up with an aerial tanker.

Following the attack, the Pentagon said the militants had been engaged in “counter-ISIL operations in the area” near al-Tanf on the Syrian side of the Jordan border.

The US military officials said the militants belonged to the New Syrian Army, which has been trained by the United States and United Kingdom. They added that Iraqi tribal fighters were also attacked by Russians.

The officials "expressed strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL forces at the At-Tanf garrison, which included forces that are participants in the cessation of hostilities in Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

Senior US and Russian military officials organized an “extraordinary” video conference the next day, in order to discuss the incident.

The US Central Command - overseeing the US-led coalition’s attacks against alleged Daesh positions in Syria and Iraq - refused to disclose how close the fighters came to armed encounter, saying that the rules of engagement are “specifics that we don’t get into.”

The last time a Russian warplane was downed by an American one was in 1953, over Korea or China.

However, the last time Russia or the Soviet Union shot down a US aircraft was in 1970, when a US Army plane was shot down over Armenia.

Four US military advisers deployed to Syria have suffered shrapnel wounds after an attack likely carried out by the Daesh, local media reported on Monday.

Four US Military Advisers Wounded in Northern Syria in June
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160621/1041647810/us-military-advisers-syria.html

The anti-tank round, which injured the US advisers, was fired on June 9, and caused a vehicle near the advisers’ position to explode, CNN reported citing defense officials.

In April, the US Department of Defense announced the deployment of additional 250 US military troops to Syria to fight Daesh terrorists in the region.

Terrorists with the al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front have broken the "regime of silence" in Syria's Aleppo by conducting massive artillery strikes.

Aleppo 'Regime of Silence' Broken by Al-Nusra Front Artillery Shelling
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160620/1041645735/regime-of-silence-broken.html

The silence regime, which was introducted on June 19 for 24 hours in Aleppo City, has been broken by Nusra Front massive artillery and mortar attacks on north-western, north-eastern, and southern suburbs of the city," Russia's defense ministry said in a statement.

The artillery was fired from El Khalid Sheikh Maqsood, Az Zagra, Al-Nayrab airport, and the nearby town of Handrat.

The cessation of hostilities was observed in most Syrian provinces, with five recorded violations in Damascus province.

Interview conducted by Antoinette Kiselincheva with Peter Vodenski, diplomat, former ambassador of Bulgaria to Turkey, Moldova and Cyprus, Colonel of the Bulgarian military intelligence. Originally appeared at A-specto, translated by Borislav exclusively for SouthFront.

In order for NATO to oppose Russia it has to revise the Montreux Convention
https://southfront.org/in-order-for-nato-to-oppose-russia-it-has-to-revise-the-montreux-convention/

In recent days it became quite clear that Bulgaria finds itself in a complex geopolitical situation. Obviously NATO focuses its efforts on how it can concentrate its presence in the Black Sea. Do you think that the objective needs require that? Or is it about an escalation of tensions with Russia, in order for it to be provoked?

The Black Sea and the area around it is an important part of today’s geopolitical confrontation. Through it pass pipes, routes with other goods, and part of the “Silk Road”, etc. After the collapse of the bipolar model in the late 80s, new balances of power were looked for here. The players are pretty – Russia, Turkey, NATO, EU, US, and recently China began to seek its interests here as well.

All use the capabilities they have: Turkey relies on the Islamic and Turkic factor, including the “legacy” of the Ottoman Empire within a in a fairly wide area – from the Adriatic (Albania) through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sandzak, Macedonia, Thrace ( Bulgaria and Greece), the Black Sea, and to the Caucasus and beyond. Russia controls several so-called. “Frozen conflicts” and other entities (Transnistria, Gagaouz Yeri, Abkhazia, etc., After the imbalance in Ukraine – Crimea), which it can use as levers in one direction or another, depending on developments. China now stands ready with economic penetration (investments in ports and other infrastructure, and in enterprises, etc.). Its hardly necessary to explain at length about the United States. NATO? When NATO the interesting is that from the NATO coastal countries (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania) the only real fighting force is Turkey. Even if we classify Ukraine…. the geopolitical influence there is held by ….conclusions I leave to you. Meanwhile, the Black Sea can only be entered through the Straits and the passage through the Straits of military vessels is regulated by the Montreux Convention, which has restrictions of ​​combat vessels coming from outside the Black Sea – both in tonnage and the specified time they can remain there.

Against this analysis it is clear that for NATO to oppose Russia in the region through permanent and strong military presence, it must either revise the Montreux Convention, or rely on the Navy of the three NATO countries mentioned in the Black Sea, to which limits do not apply by the Convention.

In your opinion, the unification of the Navy’s of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Turkey is a sign of what? When we see the state of the other countries Navy’s, what role would Turkey play? What objectives are pursued?

This curious detail is the fact that within the practice and traditions, and according to common sense, actually a “united fleet” is operated by the state, which has the largest contribution to the overall force, and in this case this means Turkey. Bulgaria has hardly any interest in a confrontation of forces in the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, even if that confrontation is covered by NATO with a “fig leaf”. That is, if we actually perform the geostrategic thoughts, born in one’s head outside of Bulgaria, we would actually side with Turkey against Russia without having any interest in doing so. Whether that would be better for us, whether our society would approved of such a thing? I’m not so sure.

Is there a link between the refusal of Bulgaria to participate in the Black Sea fleet and Turkey’s refusal to implement the Agreement on readmission of refugees? Is it some kind of punishment?

Erdogan’s refusal to implement the bilateral agreement signed in early May of this year under which Bulgaria returns those who have illegally entered our territory (citizens of both Turkey and third countries) is a move with several goals. On the one hand, for Erdogan its fairly easy to default on its obligations to a relatively weak Bulgaria, than to the entire EU. He seems to say to “Mom Merkel” look at what I can do if we do if you do not provide visa-free regime for Turkish citizens in the near future, and if you are putting conditions to be met by Turkey in terms of democracy; I can stop the execution of my duties to prevent illegal migrants from Turkey to Europe and I can get you flooded as happened last summer and fall.

On the other hand, Erdogan is “waving his finger” toward Bulgaria, showing that he can stop the readmission of illegal migrants and that he may take other actions (eg redirect traffic of migrants toward Bulgaria and flood us, which would create incredible, I repeat, tremendous and multipurpose problems). Also, the Turkish President gives us a sign of what could follow if we allow ourselves to accept decisions in our foreign and domestic policy, that are not in the interest of Turkey, such as a registration/non-registration in the Bulgarian court of one or another political party (which is important for Turkey’s plans), or if we put conditions on Turkey in its path towards EU membership to solve some unresolved bilateral issue such as the Thracian estates. One can only admire the way in which Erdogan uses every occasion to advance Turkey’s national interest.

Do you think the reaction of the Prime Minister and the President was adequate? In your opinion, does the current government have the capacity to make difficult geopolitical decisions that determine the future of the country?

As I have seen from the beginning, there was some discrepancy among the various authorities in Bulgaria – the president said one thing, the defense minister supported him, and the Prime Minister categorically took a different opinion. Subsequently everything adjusted in the direction of the prime minister, and thank God for that.

I think what the Prime Minister said, best meets the Bulgarian (and not someone else’s) national interest. He did in his own style, categorically, and with an accessible to the public language.

At the same time, the Prime Minister position is obviously “touched” by experts in this field – good professionals (within our administration we have damn good specialists in this, and other foreign policy issues, the question is how often do politicians hear and listen to them).

I do not exclude the likelihood that what the Prime Minister said, has domestic purposes.

 

[angelburst29]

The United States needs to work with Russia in areas where the interests of the two countries overlap, even if Washington continues to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin for his policies, US Vice President Joe Biden said at the Center for New American Security on Monday.

Biden: It Is Time to Dust off Cold War Playbook, Cooperate With Russia
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160620/1041646194/biden-putin-criticism-cooperation.html

Both Moscow and the US-led NATO alliance are building up military forces on Russia’s border with Eastern Europe amid ongoing tensions over Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia and the United States continue to work together in areas such as space exploration and, in some cases, attempts to combat Islamist terrorism.

"Embracing Putin at a time of renewed Russian aggression would, I believe, would call into question America’s longstanding commitment to Europe whole free and at peace," Biden said. "But, neither is it time to dust off the Cold War playbook. We have to continue cooperating with Russia where our interests overlap."

Relations between the United States and Russia deteriorated after Washington accused Moscow in 2014 of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs. The United States and its allies imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow after residents of Crimea overwhelmingly decided via a popular referendum to rejoin Russia.

Moscow has repeatedly refuted all allegations of interfering in Ukraine’s affairs and has warned that amassing troops and weapons on Russia’s borders can destabilize the region.

The Syrian military forces' strong defense did not allow the ISIL terrorists to advance in energy-rich areas in al-Rasafeh region South of al-Tabaqa airbase, sources said, adding that the ISIL left behind scores of dead members and retreated.

Syrian Army Beats ISIL back from Oil-Rich Region Southwest of Raqqa
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401001003

"The ISIL offensives to penetrate into the government forces' strongholds in al-Thowrah oilfield and along Ithriya-al-Rasafeh road were repelled by the Syrian army men," the sources said, adding, "Scores of the ISIL members were killed or wounded in the failed attacks and one of them was captured by the Syrian army."

Reports said earlier today that the Syrian army and popular forces have captured 57 square kilometers of lands in their push towards al-Tabaqa airbase in recent days.

Tens of terrorists were killed or wounded after the Syrian army's engineering units detonated a tunnel, filled by explosives and bombs, under their positions in Eastern Ghouta, army sources said.

Syrian Army Explodes Tunnel under Terrorist Positions East of Damascus
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401000625

"The Syrian army's engineering units detonated a tunnel under a five-story building used by the terrorists in Jobar, which ended in the killing or wounding of several militants and inflicted major losses on the building," the sources said, adding, "This technique of hitting the militant bases takes a long time but it is accurate and can inflict major damage on the enemy sites."

Also on Sunday, a long tunnel, filled by explosive devices, was detonated under the strongholds of Faylaq al-Rahman's command-and-control center in Eastern Ghouta by the Syrian Army troops, inflicting major losses on the militants.

Syrian army's engineering units detonated a long tunnel-bomb under the Takfiri terrorists' stronghold of Zamalka in Eastern Ghouta, which destroyed one more command-and-control center of Faylaq al-Rahman terrorists in the region.

Security forces detained recruiters who had been urging Kyrgyz citizens to join extremists fighting in Syria.

Recruiters for Syria-Based Extremists Detained in Kyrgyzstan
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160621/1041656403/kyrgyzstan-recruiters-syria.html

Recruiters working for an international extremist organization, who have been recruiting Kyrgyz citizens to join the war in Syria, have been detained by security forces in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the press service of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee on National Security (GKNB) said on Tuesday.

"GKNB, in the course of an operation to detect and prevent the smuggling of recruits of international terrorist organizations participating in the war in Syria, identified and arrested Zh. F., born in 1992, and A. B., born in 1966, in Bishkek," the press-service said in a statement.

According to the statement, an investigation revealed that the detainees are officially wanted in one of the neighboring countries, and in February of this year, illegally crossed the state border of Kyrgyzstan.

A criminal case has been opened against the detainees.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with a number of opposition factions and extremist Islamic groups fighting the Syrian Army in an attempt to topple the government.

Last year, Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry identified over 200 instances of recruitment into foreign militant groups. Over 20 people were arrested on charges of recruiting new militants.

At least six Jordanian soldiers were killed in a car bombing near a refugee camp on Tuesday.

At Least Six Guards Die in Car Bombing at Syria-Jordan Border
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160621/1041664963/rukban-attack-jordan.html

A least six guards died at the Syrian-Jordanian border as result of a terrorist attack, the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Six soldiers died, 14 were injured as result of car explosion in the district of Rukban near the Syrian border," the statement said, broadcast by Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV).

Earlier in the day, media reported that the car exploded near a camp for Syrian refugees at the border between the two countries, which is a home to about 70,000 people.

The Russian General Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against Vnukovo airport staff in relation to the plane crash in 2014 that caused the death of Christophe de Margerie, CEO of the French oil company Total, the body said Tuesday in a statement.

Russian Prosecutors File Charges Against Vnukovo Over Total CEO Plane Crash
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160621/1041669186/total-plane-crash.html

De Margerie and three crew members died on the night of October 20, 2014, when his business jet crashed at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport.

"Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia Viktor Grin confirmed the accusation of guilt in the criminal case opened on the basis of evidence of a crime under Art. 263 part 3 of the Russian Criminal Code (violation of traffic security and air vehicle operation rules) upon the crash of a plane en route from Moscow to Paris at Vnukovo airport," the statement reads.

The prosecutor's office brought charges against snowplow driver Vladimir Martynenko, whose vehicle hit against the plane during takeoff provoking the crash, as well as senior shift engineer Vladimir Ledenev and air traffic controllers Roman Dunaev, Aleksander Kruglov and Nadezhda Arkhipova.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, violations of runway rules and the negligence of air traffic controllers led to the accident.

Teenage recruits into the Australian military were subjected to horrendous physical and sexual abuse by their senior officers, a new inquiry has found.

Young Australian army recruits horrendously abused by officers: Inquiry
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/21/471424/Austarlia-sexual-abuse-military-officers-young-recruits

On Tuesday, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse started an inquiry into the conduct of the Australian military and its treatment of apprentices at its facilities in the course of the past five decades.

The inquiry revealed that the victims were sexually abused during their first six months at the Leeuwin base, in Perth’s south, in 1967.

The survivors told the commission that their senior officers forced them to rape each other and perform horrific sex acts, causing some the recruits to commit suicide, according to the inquiry.

A former Navy cadet, who served in in 1967, told the commission that he was “repeatedly” raped and forced to perform horrific sex acts on his fellow recruits.

Frazer said there were some people in military “who still think it is OK to break people down by whatever means necessary.”

“What we are going to hear is a number of courageous survivors who are prepared to tell their stories about the horror they experienced,” said Adair Donaldson, a lawyer acting for 50 people faced sexual abused while they served the military.

“By telling their stories, they hope that they will make a difference for the future and that what they experienced will never be experienced by any other member of the ADF (Australia Defense Force),” Donaldson added.

Some 30 witnesses are expected to give evidence at the commission.

The commission has already examined churches, sports bodies and the entertainment industry with its focus now on the military.

 

[angelburst29]

Putin Warns of Nuclear War (VIDEO)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/putin-warns-of-nuclear-war-video.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09GBjzxYymQ

At a discussion with representatives of various media outlets, Putin urges journalists to report genuinely on the impending nuclear war.

Nobody has anything to gain from a nuclear stand-off against Russia. The power hungry decision-makers are few in number, but powerful enough to have subverted mainstream media to misrepresent Russia as the main threat to international security.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, in a series of confused events, Soviet submariner Vasili Arkhipov refused his captain's orders by not firing a missile against the United States. By morning, Khruschev and Kennedy had come to a mutual agreement.

The world never truly understood how close we came to mutually assured destruction. It is important to remember that the rational actions of ONE person can avoid a disaster.


NATO's "5 Russian Myths": A Tale of Washington writing Brussels' Script
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/natos-5-russian-myths-tale-of.html

Continuing its propaganda attack and in order to aid its military maneuvers towards our borders and advance its military infrastructure, NATO has released a new “manual”, a document entitled “Russia’s top five myths about NATO.” The document is not very well prepared, but there are reasons for this: based on its contents, it is immediately evident that it is intended for “internal” use. In other words, the answers from this “manual” are aimed at paying lip service for ordinary Europeans and not Russians who already see through NATO’s many tricks and gimmicks in the information war. And so, let us look go point by point through these five so-called “myths.”

“Myth #1: Nato is trying to encircle Russia”

A characteristic feature of this part, as well as the document as a whole, is that its writers come up with questions which are convenient for them rather than responding to the real concerns that Russia has expressed. Moscow has never accused NATO of attempting to “encircle” it - this is quite foolish from the point of view of geography and politics. It is the US which is trying to encircle us or, more precisely, has long since encircled us with its bases and nuclear weapons on all sides of our borders.

However, NATO is indeed making such efforts with fairly obvious results: (Map)

Thus, the first “exposure” is, so to say, a distortion of the purest water. American military doctrine prefers to position their bases at key points on the planet and not jointly under the auspices of NATO bases. NATO, thus, is not trying to “encircle”, but there is one more correction: no-one is accusing NATO of this, and thus this “main myth” doesn’t even stick. NATO is our main threat on the Western continent and in the Atlantic, as the name of the alliance suggests.

“Myth #2: NATO has tried to isolate or marginalize Russia”

Unfortunately, we once again have to scold the compilers of the “manual” for lying. No one has said that NATO is trying to isolate Russia. Isolation is a political task, while NATO is a military structure. The Alliance can play a role in isolation, but it can’t do it on its own.

Isolation is achieved by means of creating a ring of hostile governments in countries around a state as well as by breaking the most important political, economic, ad military ties with the isolated country. Obviously, this is not a task for NATO. This is a task for the State Department which has consistently and systematically taken steps in this direction to which we have accordingly been compelled to systematically answer by pursuing policies preventing our isolation. This has meant maintaining individual contacts and economic ties which are too big for the Americans to have the pleasure of giving up. This means military cooperation and political relations which many countries are not at all ready to sever because they desire to have a counterbalance and alternative to American influence in the form of Russia.

For all these reasons, the paragraphs about NATO’s activities and Russia- NATO Council and its founding Act are, of course, quite nice and informative, but they have no relation whatsoever to the question of attempts to isolate Russia. In essence, NATO is simply writing a “freestyle essay” and then stating that this allegedly exposes myths and debunks our concerns. But in fact, they are solving a completely different task, that of forming in the minds of Europeans the image of a positive and constructive organization which pursues policies of peace and is ready to work with any partner “for everything good and against everything bad.” This is quite crude propaganda, but it should be borne in mind that this is aimed at Western laymen, the majority of which are in fact citizens of NATO member-countries and, of course, are very flattered by such nonsense. They want to believe in such so that all the fears and accusations of Russia fall on a deaf ear and innocent heart.

“Myth #3: NATO missile defense targets Russia and the Iran agreement proves it”

It is difficult to judge just how much they consider the peoples of Europe to be idiots and it is even more difficult to judge just how just this is, but the fact remains: they are once again “feeding” us with the American missile systems under the guise of NATO ones. The Euro Anti-Missile Defense System, as is well known, is a project of the United States and is the product of bilateral agreements with the countries agreeing to host such bases. However, this is not the only nor the biggest lie.

The main point which is hidden in the document is that the American missile defense system is not protective, as has long been explained by our military experts…Igor Korotchenko and Viktor Baranets have already repeatedly explained the essence and purpose of this missile defense system.

Firstly, it is being structurally linked to the Global Lighting Strike system which is now considered to be one of the most promising doctrines of the US. The role of the missile defense system in this doctrine boils down to the following: it is not designed to resist attacks (the first attack can’t even be deflected), but is designed to prevent a counter-attack. That is, we are talking about a simple, understandable, and quite characteristically American scenario:

The US will launch preemptive strikes in accordance with its Global Lighting Strike. The goal of this strike are objects located near our border (within 500-800 km). These objects are destroyed, which provokes "nuclear aggression" on Russia's part, which is then to be intercepted by these defense systems. After the destruction of these targets in peripheral areas, the subsequent strike finishes off centers located in the heart of Russia deeply beyond “defensive” boundaries.

Added to this is the missile defense system Aegis which is know being built in Europe by the Americans, allowing them not only to accommodate rocket-interceptors with a range of 500-600 km, but also Tomahawk cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, the radius for which is 2-2.5 thousand km. This means that, with a slight readjusting of the software and replacing the rocket’s warhead (which takes about 40 minutes), nuclear warheads can be launched straight from Europe and hit Russia up to the Volga, i.e., reach the furthest point that Hitler’s troops reached after 3 years.

“Myth #4: NATO exercises are a provocation which threatens Russia”

Surprisingly enough, here their “exposure of a myth” is based on a very interesting logic: “We have the right to conduct exercises on our own territory!” - that’s the whole response. Doesn’t matter what is threatening Russia. Our right is do what we want, such as massive exercises with the use of heavy military equipment and aircraft right at Russia’s borders.

The authors of this manual themselves resent the fact that Russia, in response, is holding its own exercises on its own territory. “Say, this disturbs and alarms us!” Thus, there is a double-standard. NATO can hold exercises and neglect Russia’s concerns, but Russia must take into account the concerns of NATO countries.

It is worth recalling who exactly did everything in order to bury the CFE Treaty which a few decades ago, for precisely these concerns, was established and served as a guarantor of peace and transparency. Unfortunately, the so-called “open door policy” of NATO and almost all of Eastern Europe’s joining of the Alliance has made the treaty meaningless insofar as, according to the CRE Treaty, Eastern Europe was to look like still part of the Warsaw Pact, and not NATO, and no such changes were considered. The West systematically refused to amend the treaty given newly existing realities, and forced Russia to withdraw from the agreement. After all, Russia no longer received any guarantees from it which had their place when the treaty was signed. Under new circumstances, compliance with this agreement directly hurt our military security interests.

“Myth #5: NATO’s Open Door policy creates new dividing lines in Europe and deepens existing ones”

The same manipulation in points 1 and 2 is employed here. The diving lines in Europe have not been created by the accession of countries to NATO, because these lines arise within NATO itself, but rather thanks to the US policies of interference in the affairs of the European Union. The diplomacy and policies of Poland, the “Baltic tigers,” and other countries of the Russophobic minority of the EU have split Old and New Europe. The key issue of this split is relations with Russia, and not NATO membership. We have successfully worked with many NATO members, such as Italy and France, since the days of the Soviet Union, and we continue to do so today. The “dividing lines” in Europe are being drawn not by NATO in Brussels, but by the US State Department in Washington.

The US has embarked on a dangerous mission to the South Pole to evacuate an ill worker from a science station.

US Launches Dangerous Winter Rescue at the South Pole
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160622/1041710879/united-states-rescue-mission-south-pole.html

A rescue team in a Twin Otter aircraft departed from a British base in Antarctica on Tuesday, to begin the 1,500 mile trip. A second plane is on deck at the base, if necessary.

The unnamed scientist is reportedly an employee of Lockheed Martin and his illness is not treatable at the South Pole station, where researchers often spend months isolated throughout the winter. The first day of the Arctic winter began on Monday.

There have been reports that two workers are ill, but the organization has not announced whether they will evacuate both.

The National Science Foundation responsible for the station told McClatchy News that there are 48 people, including 39 men and 9 women, at the remote site currently.

The rescue mission is extremely dangerous, given the cold and changeable weather. Tuesday morning at the South Pole station, it was reportedly —75 degrees Fahrenheit.

"There are a lot of things that cold effects on mechanical systems" of aircraft, West said.

South Korea claims that the North has fired another mid-range ballistic missile, its second of the day.

North Korea Fires Second Ballistic Missile Hours After First Failed Launch
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160622/1041712580/north-second-ballistic-missile.html

Officials with South Korea's Defense Ministry said earlier that Pyongyang had conducted a failed launch, with the missile falling into the Sea of Japan.

The DPRK has test fired a number of ballistic missiles in recent months. These have been condemned by the United Nations, with the US, South Korea, China, and Russia urging Pyongyang to tone down the tests. Harsh new sanctions were put in place in response to earlier tests.

Pyongyang has also claimed to have developed a miniaturized nuclear warhead that could, theoretically, be launched with an intercontinental missile.

)A suspect who was arrested following a bomb alert in a Brussels shopping mall was wearing a fake explosive belt filled with salt and cookies, authorities said.

Terror Suspect with Fake Explosive Vest Arrested in Brussels
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401001257

Soon after the report on possible terror attack, two metro stations were said to have been evacuated, RT reported.

The incident happened at the City2 Shopping Mall in the heart of the Belgian capital, local media said, adding that it was a bomb alert. The area was cordoned off and emergency services along with sappers arrived at the scene.

The police were notified “of a suspicious situation", said Ilse Van de Keere, spokeswoman for the Brussels-Ixelles police.

"A security perimeter was established and the SEDEE unit of Belgian armed forces is at the site. The operations are still ongoing.”

Traffic at the nearby Jardin Botanique Boulevard was blocked as well as at Rogier metro station.

Initially, a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor said the man “arrested on Tuesday morning” was “possibly in possession of explosives.”

However, later RTL prosecutors said sappers found no explosives in the building and the belt turned out to be a fake.

The Belgian security source confirmed to Reuters that no explosives were found on the suspect. Similar information appeared in the Flemish-language VTM Nieuws newspaper.

While DH cited sources claiming the ‘terror incident’ was a joke. The 26-year-old man apparently made a fake ‘explosive belt’ filled with salt. He then called police flagging up a “terror alert.”

The man initially claimed that he was kidnapped and had to wear an explosive device that could be detonated remotely.He said he was abducted by unknown people in a car that could be found in Shaerbeek area of Brussels. The car was later located by police.

According to RTL sources, the suspect may have mental health problems. The SEDEE unit found no explosives in his belt.

The man was known to Belgian authorities for various offenses, prosecutors said, as cited by Belgium’s VTM news.

“In 2014, he was involved in a case of the federal prosecutor. He has recently namely contacted the police and stated that he joined the terror group Islamic State in Syria."

Soon after that, Schuman and De Brouckere stations in the Belgian capital were evacuated, locals reported on Twitter. Schuman serves the European quarter of Brussels and is located near EU buildings.

Prime Minister Charles Michel, who was due to speak on an RTL program, canceled the engagement, saying the situation “was very suspicious.”

After a meeting of the National Security Council, Michel told journalists “the situation is currently under control.” He added that security services “remain extremely vigilant.”

Brussels has been on high alert since twin suicide bombings hit Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station on March 22. The station is near the buildings of the EU Commission and the Council of the European Union, as well as NATO’s headquarters.

A new report revealed that 33 Islamophobic groups in the US had access to over US$205 million between 2008 and 2013.

US Islamophobic Groups Spend $205 Million to ‘Spread Hatred’
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950401001430

According to the report “Confronting Fear,” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley, this money was used “to spread fear and hatred of Muslims”, Telesur reported.

The study analyzed publicly listed tax filings to calculate that Islamophobic groups earned at least US$205,838,077 in revenue.

The staggering figure is indicative of a broader trend of increased hostility toward Islam and Muslims, the report states.

Not only are there more Islamophobic groups in the US,up from 69 in 2013 to 74 in 2016, according to the report, instance of violent attacks are also on the rise.

In 2015, more attacks on mosques were reported than any other year since 2009. A total of 78 mosques were attacked, triple the number of the past two years.

Last year, also saw the highest number of cases of vandalism, destruction of property and intimidation against Muslim people.

Also raising concern, the report indicates, is the influence of anti-Islamic groups on government legislation.

According to the report, anti-Islam bills became laws in 10 US states, including Florida and Tennessee where lawmakers “have passed laws revising the way they approve textbooks for classroom use as a direct result of anti-Islam campaigns.”

The rise of Islamophobia is partially attributed to the anti-Muslim political rhetoric espoused by figures like Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“The 2016 presidential election has mainstreamed Islamophobia and resulted in a number of un-constitutional proposals targeting Muslims,” said Corey Saylor, director of CAIR’s Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia.

During the presidential contest, Trump demanded a “total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and for mosques across the US to be closed.

“Confronting Fear” echoes earlier findings linking hate speech in presidential campaigning to the increased number of attacks against Muslim people.

In May, a study from Georgetown University found that from March 2015, when Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced he would for the Republican Party nomination, to March 2016, authorities registered 180 incidences of violence toward Muslims, including “12 murders; 34 physical assaults; 49 verbal assaults or threats against persons and institutions.”

 

[angelburst29]

Secretary of State John Kerry met with ten of the 51 diplomats who called for military intervention in Syria in an internal memorandum, while US policy planners were close to develop an official response, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.

Kerry Discusses Military Option in Syria With State Department 'Dissenters'
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160621/1041704961/kerry-syria-talks.html

Kirby noted that Kerry was largely in “listening mode,” and thanked the diplomats for using the dissent channel, a process which the secretary respects.

“The Secretary [Kerry] read the memo, decided he wanted to meet with some of them [signatories],” Kirby stated. “We scheduled a meeting even as the policy planning group was working on [an] official response which…if it is not done it will be done very soon.”

On Friday, Kirby told Sputnik that an internal memorandum was under review, funneled through the “dissent channel.” A draft of the memo, signed by 51 diplomats, was obtained by The New York Times from a State Department official on Thursday.

US Vice President Joe Biden called Syrian President Bashar Assad "Saddam" in a mistaken reference to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during an interview with PBS’s Charlie Rose.

Oops! Biden Refers to Syria’s Bashar Assad as 'Saddam' in Freudian Slip
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160621/1041701655/biden-assad-mistake.html

When Rose corrected Biden saying "Assad out of power," Biden apologized and explained that his reference to Saddam was a Freudian slip.

"What we are talking about is we are going in, and we are, piece by piece, trying to decimate ISIS [Daesh] and in the process Al-Nusra, so that we eliminate the most immediate single threat to US interest," Biden said of US efforts in Syria. "At the same time, we’re continuing to work the international community to reach a negotiated settlement that gets Saddam out of power, have him leave."

The US Department of Defense is not able to confirm reports that a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, who was transferred to Uruguay, has gone missing in neighboring Brazil, department spokesman Peter Cook said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Pentagon Unable to Confirm Ex-Gitmo Prisoner Missing in South America
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160622/1041709603/gitmo-prisoner-missing-uruguay.html

Last week, US media reported that Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab, a Syrian national released from the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Uruguay in 2014, disappeared across the border to Brazil.

The Defense Department has seen the reports of the missing prisoner and is "tracking" the development, Cook said, adding that Dhiab’s questionable whereabouts are "something, obviously, we take very seriously."

In 2014, Uruguay took five detainees from Guantanamo Bay, becoming the first South American country to accept such individuals transferred as part of President Barack Obama’s effort to close the detention facility.

The United States is planning to send a motorized brigade of about 5,000 servicemen to Eastern Europe to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, US Ambassador in Warsaw Paul Jones told RMF radio station.

US Plans to Deploy 5,000 Soldiers to Strengthen NATO's Eastern Flank
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160621/1041705660/us-nato-eastern-flank.html

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that the member states of the defense alliance approved the deployment of one battalion to each of the four states: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, the media source reported.

In his interview, Jones confirmed that a number of NATO countries will participate in the initiative and deploy battalions in the Baltic countries and Poland as part of a new NATO mission. However, there is so far no specific information on how many troops and in what configuration each country will provide.

Jones also stressed that further details will be clarified during the NATO summit in Warsaw. He also mentioned that a motorized brigade of about 5,000 soldiers will be deployed in the region and that the US military will arrive there in January next year, suggesting that the military from other countries would arrive at NATO's eastern borders about the same time.

In addition, the US ambassador confirmed that the United States will be one of the countries responsible for the battalion in Poland.

More than 100 German politicians, lawyers and scientists will send an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and country's government calling for improvement of German-Russian relations in order to promote peace in Europe.

German Politicians, Scientists to Send Letter to Merkel on Ties With Russia
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160621/1041699197/merkel-letter-russia.html

The letter is expected to be published in German Frankfurter Rundschau and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspapers on Wednesday, the day which marks the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Russia during World War II, in which Soviet losses stood at about 20 million, by most estimates.

"On June 22, 2016, on a historic anniversary, we address the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and German government: only the policy of mutual understanding with Russia and of settlement of conflicts and contradictions on behalf of the international law opens prospects of peaceful future for Europe… We urge to learn lessons from the most awful war until now to reach a new quality of German-Russian relations," the letter obtained by RIA Novosti said.

The letter added that every effort, including in the spheres of economy and culture, should be used to exclude the possibility of an armed conflict between Moscow and Berlin.

"All the relations and formats should be used to exclude a new armed conflict between Germany and Russia forever," the letter said.

The signatories of the letter said that Germany should strengthen the collective security institutions instead of construction of military bases in Europe and sending troops to the areas near Russian borders.

Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi has revealed the details of several thwarted Takfiri “suicide” bomb attacks across the country.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry reveals details of foiled Takfiri bomb attacks
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/22/471523/iran-intelligence-alavi-thwarted-attacks

On Tuesday, Alavi announced that during a series of security operations earlier in the month, 10 Takfiri terrorists were apprehended in Tehran and three other central provinces.

He added that the terrorists had planned "remote control bombings, suicide attacks, and car bombings" in several busy locations.

During the operations, security forces identified 50 bombing locations, confiscated over 100 kilograms of explosives, and stopped the delivery of at least two tons of explosive materials to the terrorists in the country, he elaborated.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani said on Monday that the attacks were planned for the holy month of Ramadan.

On Monday, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry released a statement about the foiled bombing plots by Takfiri-Wahabi groups. The intelligence minister also announced in May that 20 terrorist cells that had planned to detonate bombs and cause insecurity across the country had been dismantled.

A United Nations investigative panel has raised concerns about civilian fatalities in Syria, saying over 700 physicians and medical staff have lost their lives during five years of crisis gripping the Arab country.

Over 700 doctors killed in 5-yr-long Syria conflict: UN Panel
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/21/471466/Syria-UN-Paulo-Pinheiro

Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, released the figure in a report published on Tuesday.

Airstrikes on medical facilities across Syria "have resulted in scores of civilian deaths, including much-needed medical workers," Pinheiro told the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, adding, "More than 700 doctors and medical personnel have been killed in attacks on hospitals since the beginning of the conflict.”

"As civilian casualties mount, the number of medical facilities and staff decreases, limiting even further access to medical care," he said.

The UN official further censured frequent raids on other facilities essential to civilian life, such as schools, markets, bakeries, mosques and water stations, noting, "With each attack, terrorized survivors are left more vulnerable.”

The US military is facing growing questions about the way it trains pilots and maintains aircraft after it lost several servicemen and billions of dollars in damages in a recent spate of aircraft crashes.

US military losing billions in aircraft crashes: Report
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/21/471436/US-military-Navy-aircraft-accident

Last week, an American MH-60S helicopter went down in Virginia’s James River during a training mission, marking yet another major, but non fatal, military incident in June, after two F-16C fighter jets collided over Georgia, CNN reported.

A few days earlier, on June 3, the US Navy’s Blue Angels aerial acrobatics team lost one of its pilots when an F/A-18 jet crashed.

The Navy’s other elite air show team, Thunderbirds, also saw one of its F-16 jets crash earlier this month.

General John Paxton, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps had admitted the growing rate of crashes during a congressional testimony in March, blaming the accidents on funding shortfalls.

“We are concerned about an increasing number of aircraft mishaps and accidents,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“If you don't have the money and you don't have the parts and you don't have the maintenance, then you fly less,” he added. “If you fly less and maintain slower, there's a higher likelihood of accidents. So, we're worried.”

Between October 2014 and April 2016, the US Navy has sustained a total loss of over $1 billion in damages caused by accidents, according to data by the Naval Safety Center.

The incidents included a Marine AV-8B Harrier jet crashing off the East Coast in May, inflicting some $62.8 million in damages.

Additionally, two US Navy F/A-18 fighter jets crashed in late May, after an “in-air mishap” during a routine training mission, American military officials said.

According to the Navy, each plane costs at least $57 million and is considered “the most cost-effective aircraft” in the US aviation fleet, costing less per flight hour than any other in the US forces inventory.

In January, an F/A-18A crash in Nevada cost the Navy $71 million.

In October 2015, another F/A-18 crashed in the UK near the RAF Lakenheath airbase in Suffolk, shortly after it took off, killing its pilot.

 

[angelburst29]

U.S. military says will not disclose details on injured service members
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/u-military-says-not-disclose-details-injured-members-195207853.html

The U.S. military will not provide details on specific cases of American service members injured in Iraq and Syria because it could give information to Islamic State militants, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday

The spokesman, Peter Cook, was responding to a question at a Pentagon press briefing seeking confirmation that four Americans had been wounded in Syria earlier this month.

Cook said there had been no a change in policy and aggregate numbers would still be provided.

"Our policy is not to identify wounded service members for a variety of reasons, including operational security, including privacy reasons," Cook said.

"Also, we do not want to provide additional information to the enemy that might enhance their own assessment on the battlefield situation," he said.

However, the Pentagon has released such information in the past and responded to queries, and it was unclear how Cook's comments were consistent with previous disclosures.

According to Pentagon data, there have been 16 American service members wounded in action since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military's name for an operation targeting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria which started in 2014.

Cook's comments came the same day that President Barack Obama visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; he has visited wounded U.S. service members there throughout his presidency.


How French cement company Lafarge collaborated with the Islamic State
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/how-french-cement-company-lafarge.html

The cement plant in Jalabiya, northern Syria, owned by the French group Lafarge, paid taxes to the Islamic State between 2013 and 2014 in order to continue functioning during the war.

This is demonstrated by an investigation published by Le Monde, Tuesday, June 21.

Inaugurated in 2010, the cement plant in Jalabiya, in the northeast of Syria, was the flagship of the French cement producer in the Middle East. But the following year, civil war broke out. The factory management tried to operate as long as possible in the dangerous and unstable environment.

Indirect funding of jihadist organization

Beginning in 2013, the presence of the Islamic State (EI) in the region forced the cement maker to negotiate rights of passage for its trucks at checkpoints manned by the jihadists. They also had to get petroleum from oil traders, whose fields were held by the ISIS. Thus for a little over a year, Lafarge indirectly funded the jihadist organization, until the Islamic State seized the plant on September 19, 2014, and Lafarge ceased its activities.

The factory now houses Western special forces.

Twice an intermediary proposed to the French group relaunching cement production under the protection of IE in exchange for a profit sharing. Without success.

In February 2015, the site was taken over by the Kurdish YPG militia, supported by the international coalition against ISIS. Now the abandoned cement plant is the base for Western special forces, French, American and British, who quietly support the Kurdish-Arab forces in their ongoing offensive against the jihadists in Manbij and Rakka.

 

[Ca.]

Another new low for the (whispering) U.S. Department of State .... Just another vehicle to undermined the True Progress of and to Peace.

Please what her credentials? Besides what Hollweird promotes within there stable of clones for propaganda purposes ?

Oh yeah is it me, or does she look........................Shut my mouth.

Remarks with Angelina Jolie Pitt, Special Envoy for UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Published on Jun 20, 2016

https://youtu.be/f8CPwiBDKUU

Secretary of State John Kerry and Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie Pitt deliver remarks at a camera spray at the Department of State on June 20, 2016

..........UN High Commissioner for Refugees ........what da hell does that mean.........?

..High...................oh wait i know..............take your pick

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYFdldfYEJk

_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX18qdMrRl8

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= c.a.]Besides what Hollweird promotes within there stable of clones for propaganda purposes ?[/quote]

What a self-serving clueless donkey. Thanking John Kerry for peace and security in the world and finding solutions for the refugee crisis. She doesn't have an inch of sincerity in her. If she had it would be obvious that John Kerry contradicts all those points. He is not the solution, he is the cause of problem.

Psychopaths and their favorite muppets.

 

[angelburst29]

A US Congress-proposed bill seeks to re-establish a Cold War-era body aimed at countering Russian espionage, amid tense relations between the two major world powers, BuzzFeed reported, citing a source in the US intelligence services.

US Congress Seeks to Re-Establish Cold-War Era Anti-Russian Spy Committee
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160622/1041719177/congress-russia-spy-committee.html

In a press release last month, Senator Richard Burr’s press office said that the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Bill, which was passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee in May, "requires the President to establish an interagency committee to counter Russian active measures," however no details on the requirements have been listed.

According to the BuzzFeed news outlet, the intelligence bill calls to revive the Cold War-era presidentially-appointed group to counter "Russian spies and Russian-sponsored assassinations" in the United States. The group would have to also investigate the funding of Russian "covert broadcasting, media manipulation" and secret funding.

The bill, among other measures, calls to tighten how Russian diplomats can travel within the United States without official notifications to US authorities, limiting it to a 50-mile perimeter around the embassy. All movement outside that perimeter would have to be investigated by the security services, the media outlet reported.

The bill now must be passed by the Senate.

Russia is planning to release to public its catalog of near-Earth objects, including US military satellites, a Russian official said.

(Note: Flash-back from Russia falsely being accused of the Panama Papers leak?)

No Secrets: Russia to Publish Catalog Disclosing US Military Satellites
http://sputniknews.com/science/20160622/1041718824/russia-us-satellites.html

Russia will publicly release its own database of Earth orbiting satellites, Viktor Shilin, head of the Russian delegation at the 59th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The Russian platform would become an analogue to the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) catalog. It lists over 45,000 tracked objects. Every object has its five-digit number, NORAD ID.

However, in addition to tracking non-military satellites and space debris, the Russian catalog will include data which the United States Space Command does not make public.

The NORAD catalog also restricts data on defense satellites of Washington’s allies, including France, Germany, Israel, and Japan. But it lists Russian military satellites.

Moscow has proposed to merge national databases into one catalog available for every county involved in space activities. Such a platform would provide information on potentially dangerous situation in space (for satellites and objects on earth) as well as on possible dangers for rocket launches.

According to a source close to the matter, the Russian proposal was supported by China, but opposed by the US.

"The US wants to preserve its monopoly in regulating space traffic. Moreover, the US military doesn’t want make data on its objects public," the source said.

The American may not be concerned over disclosure of their military satellites information. This would happen anyway," Shilin said.

The US brought up the idea of deterrence in space last year, citing Russia and China among the possible rivals. According to the Pentagon, Moscow and China is building up their presence in space while the US is lagging behind.

Moscow has repeatedly called for the demilitarization of space.

In 2008, the Russian and Chinese governments proposed an international agreement to prevent the deployment of weapons in outer space but the US government under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama has consistently rejected launching negotiations to conclude such a treaty.

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that Russia will not deploy weapons in space. The ministry warned that deployment of nuclear weapons in space would provoke an uncontrollable arms race.

In late-2015, Russia submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft resolution on space demilitarization. However, the document was blocked by Washington.

The Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Microsatellite will improve ship detection and marine traffic management in Canadian waters.

Canada Launches Maritime Monitoring Satellite
http://sputniknews.com/science/20160622/1041754236/canada-monitoring-satellite.html

The Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Microsatellite (M3MSat) has been placed into orbit by an Indian Space Research Organization rocket, the Canadian Space Agency said in a press release on Wednesday.

"The M3MSat mission will improve ship detection and marine traffic management in Canadian waters by testing new technologies, including an innovative antenna designed by the University of Waterloo that promises improved identification of ships and better resolution between conflicting [identification] signals in regions with high maritime traffic," the release stated.

A second satellite placed in orbit by the same rocket was developed by the Montreal-based firm GHGSat to test a new way to measure greenhouse gas emissions by industrial facilities, the release noted.

The launch was originally scheduled in 2014 on a Russian rocket, however that launch was canceled by Canada amid tensions with Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.

Germany celebrates a lot of anniversaries, but it still has "major gaps" in its historical memory, head of German-Russian forum Matthias Platzeck wrote for Tagespiegel.

Germany 'Misses Historic Chance' to Restore Ties With Russia
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160622/1041746148/germany-historic-chance-russia.html

While on June 22, Russia marks the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany's "Operation Barbarossa" plan to attack the Soviet Union, it is "suspiciously quiet" in Germany on this day, the politician said.

On June 22, there was the start of the most ambitious and terrible war of annihilation in the history of humanity, directed against the peoples of the Soviet Union. This is the day of their memory. This is a day of the world history," Platzeck wrote.

Platzeck recalled that the brutal campaign claimed lives of 27 million people, two thirds of whom were civilians. The Leningrad blockade alone claimed over one million lives. Thousands of villages were destroyed in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, the politician stressed.

In Platzeck's opinion, Germany should have organized official celebrations to mark the anniversary of this historic event Instead, there is a summer festival taking place in the country.

"Of course, there was no evil intent to do so. Most likely, the thing wasn't just properly thought out," Platzeck said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that Germany could use the date as an opportunity to restore friendly relations with Russia and resolve tensions that arose between countries amid the conflict in Ukraine.

We have a wrong attitude to our national responsibility and miss a historic opportunity in the context of relations with our biggest neighbor in Eastern Europe," Platzeck said.

Relations between Russia and Germany deteriorated in 2014 over the Ukrainian crisis, when the European Union along with the United States and some other countries imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, accusing it of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs, a claim Moscow has repeatedly denied.

"Russia again and again showed us what real forgiveness is. Germans are being welcomed as friends in the places where the greatest tragedies of the Second World War took place, on the battlefields near St. Petersburg, Volgograd and Kursk," the politician stated, adding that Germany should make more efforts to restore friendly relations with its Eastern neighbor.

Nazi Germany and its satellites attacked the Soviet Union 75 years ago at 4:00 a.m., without any declaration of war, triggering the bloodiest conflict in history.

Germany Vows to Always Remember Nazi Army Invasion of USSR
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160622/1041751314/germany-ussr-invasion-75.html

Germany will always remember June 22, 1941, when the Nazi army invaded the Soviet Union, Ulrike Demmer, deputy spokeswoman for the German government, said Wednesday.

"The war that was unleashed by Nazi Germany on June 22, 1941, brought uncountable suffering to millions of people in what is today Russia, Ukraine and Belarus… The federal government will always remember that people in the Soviet Union and soldiers in the Red Army suffered the largest number of losses [in all of WWII]," Demmer said.

On June 22, 1941, the German army supported by its satellites invaded the Soviet Union. The Eastern Front, as it was known in Germany, became a crucial part of World War II and the Soviet Union played a leading role in defeating Nazism once it entered the war.

Germany signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender in a suburb of Berlin in the late evening of May 8, 1945 (May 9 Moscow time). The Soviet Union are estimated to have lost more than 25 million people in the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday laid a wreath at the eternal flame near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow to commemorate the victims of the Great Patriotic War.

Putin Lays Wreath at Unknown Soldier Tomb to Commemorate WWII Victims
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160622/1041731143/putin-tomb-war.html

The ceremony took place on June 22 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Union during World War II, which was to become known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.

The wreath laid at the tomb in silence had a commemorative inscription that read, "To the unknown soldier from the president of the Russian Federation."

After the Russian president, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko and Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin also laid flowers near the eternal flame.

The ceremony took place at the Alexander Gardens (Aleksandrovsky Sad) located below the Kremlin walls.

The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) was a crucial part of World War II (1939-1945). It began on June 22, 1941, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Germany signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender in a suburb of Berlin in the late evening of May 8, 1945 (already May 9 according to Moscow time). The Soviet Union lost more than 25 million people in the war.

Russia and Germany have announced a new project to search and digitize data on millions of Soviet and German internees and prisoners of war, the foreign ministers of the two countries said in a joint statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website Wednesday.

Moscow, Berlin Announce Project to Compile, Digitize Data on WWII Prisoners
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160622/1041751669/russia-germany-wwii-prisoners.html

According to the joint statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the two sides intend to preserve the memory of the Second World War tragedy in the context of reconciliation between the two countries.

"In this regard, today, on the day when we remember the attack by Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, we would like to announce our joint intention to revive the names of the Soviet and German prisoners and internees, who's individual fates have not been documented yet and therefore to enable their descendants to commemorate them," the statement reads.

It was noted in the statement that the new project would be based on an earlier initiative carried out by the Saxon Memorial Foundation between 2000 and 2014 with the active participation of the Russian government and financial assistance from the German government.

The Russian Defense Ministry has been appointed to coordinate the new project from the Russian side, while the National Union on German War Graves Care are to coordinate the project from the German side.

The US dollar has been overvalued by 10-20 percent, according to the IMF.

US Dollar Overvalued by 10-20% - IMF
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160622/1041749425/us-dollar-overvalued-imf.html

The US dollar has been overvalued by up to 20 percent, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report on Wednesday.

"At today’s levels of the real effective exchange rate, the current account deficit is expected to rise above 4 percent of GDP by 2020, pointing to the US dollar being overvalued by 10-20 percent," the IMF stated.

The IMF noted that the United States is set to enter its seventh year of growth. The fund’s analysts expect the country’s economy to grow at 2.2 percent in 2016 and 2.5 percent in 2017, according to the report.

The fund added, however, that the United States faces "potentially significant" longer-term challenges, including a decline in labor force participation and lower productivity growth, as well as polarized distribution of income and a high share of people living in poverty.

The International Monetary Fund downgraded the growth forecast for the US economy in 2016 to 2.2 percent from 2.4.

IMF Downgrades 2016 US Economy Growth Forecast to 2.2% From 2.4%
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160622/1041748468/imf-us-economy-growth.html

The growth forecast for the US economy in 2016 has been downgraded to 2.2 percent from 2.4 percent predicted in April, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report issued on Wednesday.

"[US] Growth is forecast to be 2.2 percent in 2016 and 2.5 percent in 2017," the report stated.

On April 12, the IMF World Economic Outlook report said the US economy would grow at a rate of 2.4 percent this year, while expanding an additional 0.1 point in 2017.

The United States has been experiencing a significant decline in productivity growth, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde stated on Wednesday.

"It [productivity] has fallen from 1.7 percent in the decade prior to 2007 to 0.4 percent in the past five years," Lagarde said.

The IMF chief noted that in the past 20 years, much of the gains in US incomes stemmed from gains in productivity and innovation.

"The fall in productivity growth seems, at least in part, to be linked to falling dynamism both in the US labor markets and in the formation of new and productive enterprises," Lagarde added.

The IMF said in a report released on Wednesday that the United States also faces other "potentially significant" longer-term challenges, including a decline in labor force participation and polarized distribution of income, as well as a high share of people living in poverty.

 

[angelburst29]

In a speech at the Herzliya Conference, Israel’s military intelligence chief, Major General Herzi Halevy, took Israel’s long-standing position that it “prefers ISIS” over the Syrian government to a whole ‘nother level, declaring openly that Israel does not want to see ISIS defeated in the war.

Israel Does Not Want ISIS Defeated But Direct Support, Prefers It Over The Syrian Government
http://novorossia.today/israel-not-want-isis-defeated/

Maj. Gen. Halevy expressed concern about the recent offensives against ISIS territory, saying that in the last three months the Islamist group was facing the “most difficult” situation since its inception and declaration of a caliphate.

Israeli officials have regularly expressed comfort with the idea of ISIS conquering the whole of Syria, saying they find it preferable to the Iran-allied government surviving the war. At the same time, they were never so overtly supportive of ISIS and its survival.

Halevy went on to express concern that the defeat of ISIS might mean the “superpowers” leaving Syria, saying this would put Israel “in a hard position” after being so opposed to the survival of the Syrian government.

He then said Israel will do “all we can so as to not find ourselves in such a situation,” suggesting that the Israeli military is looking at direct support for ISIS as a matter of policy, and not just rhetoric.

An American review board is considering a release plea by the last Russian inmate held at the US military’s notorious prison facility on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

US considering release of Gitmo’s last Russian inmate
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/22/471660/Russia-Guantanamo-US-Ravil-Mingazo

Ravil Mingazo asked the Periodic Review Board in the Washington area via video link on Tuesday to approve his release after nearly 14 years of custody.

His lawyers are trying to convince the board to let him rejoin his family who live under political asylum in Nottingham, England.

Gary Thompson, a Washington-based attorney who has spent more than 10 years getting to know Mingazo, says the inmate no longer poses a threat.

“"I believe and know Ravil to be a kind and peaceful man who, if released, will do no harm to anyone," he told the board in a written statement,” he told the board.

The 48-year-old member of the Russian military was detained by American troops over charges of cooperation with Taliban.

Prior to the hearing, the Pentagon released a profile of Mingazo, accusing the former ballet dancer of having ties with al-Qaeda affiliates in Uzbekistan.

He was reportedly captured in Pakistan, at a safe house associated with Abu Zubaydah, a Taliban "facilitator" in the country.

Moscow has questioned Mingazo’s imprisonment, asking for his extradition. However, the Pentagon claims that he is not willing to return to his homeland as he fears facing possible criminal charges there.

Mingazov "maintains a strong disdain for the Russian government and does not want to be repatriated, claiming his treatment in Guantanamo is better than the treatment he received in Russia," the Pentagon’s profile reads.

The US military has held about 9 Russian citizens at Guantanamo accusing them of being linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

At its peak, some 800 detainees were held at the notorious prison at the US naval base in Cuba, which was set up after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Today, there are nearly 80 prisoners left at the facility, 30 of whom have been approved for transfer to foreign countries. The US State Department says the transfer will be done this summer.

A Senate report in December 2014 revealed that the CIA has used a wide array of sexual abuse and other forms of torture as part of its interrogation methods against Guantanamo prisoners.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the results of the work of the State Duma of the current convocation saying integration of Crimea and Sevastopol has become a historic result of the work.

Russian President Putin Praises State Duma Work On The Legal Integration Of Crimea And Sevastopol, Historic !
http://novorossia.today/126880-2/

“I believe the truly historic outcome of work of your convocation is the legal integration of Crimea and Sevastopol that was preceded by your sincere, hearty and moral support for the citizens of the peninsula ahead of the referendum on joining the Russian Federation,” the president told the MPs.

“Your performance and its results can certainly be regarded as decent. It is of special importance that the laws you have adopted enabled us to comply with the social obligations to our citizens, develop crucial branches of the economy and perfect the political system of the state,” Putin told the legislators.

Putin believes that the lawmakers have done a ‘colossal job’ along these lines.

In his opinion “such successful activity is a result of efforts by all factions and their readiness to conduct a constructive dialog with each other, with the government and with other actors enjoying the right to legislative initiative.”

Stability, trust key factors of country’s development In his address the president has also stressed that stability and trust are the key factors of country’s development. Putin has also set the importance of economic and social issues higher than security and foreign affairs.

“Everything is important – security, foreign affairs, but the economic and social sectors are the most important,” Putin said, adding that the issue particularly covers medical care, education, housing and the utility sector as well as support of motherhood and childhood. “Those are very challenging, and maybe even thorny issues, but the future of the country will depend on the ways we tackle them,” he added.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has asked the country's electricity minister to form a new government.

Assad asks electricity minister to form new government
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/22/471620/Syria-Assad-new-government-parliamentary-election

Imad Khamis was tasked with forming the new cabinet on Wednesday, Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported.

Sources had earlier told the Russian English-language news channel RT that the new cabinet will include 12 new ministers, such as the justice minister, health minister and the minister of electricity.

According to the report, the key portfolios will remain intact as the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, defense and finance will not be changed.

Khamis is to submit his proposal for new ministerial appointments in the coming days, AFP reported.

He is a 54-year-old engineer, who is to replace Wael al-Halqi who had held the post since August 2012.

Khamis had served as Syria's minister of electricity since 2011 and is an electrical engineer. He has been under sanctions by the European Union since March 2012.

The changes come more than two months after parliamentary elections were held in the country on April 13, in which a high voter turnout was recorded.

A number of opposition parties were running in the race, but armed opposition groups boycotted the vote and called it illegitimate. Parliament members are elected for a four-year term in Syria.

 

[angelburst29]

For over a year, French industrial company Lafarge indirectly financed Daesh terrorists in Syria, Le Monde newspaper wrote on Tuesday. In an interview with Sputnik, Emmanuel Daoud, a specialist in international criminal law, commented on the issue.

French Court to Decide Whether French Firm Funding Daesh Was an 'Emergency'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160622/1041772152/french-court-funding-daesh.html

The company was reported to have paid money to Daesh militants in order to keep its cement plant working.

The plant located in the Syrian city Jalabiya was functioning from 2013 until the end of summer 2014 as a result of "agreements […] with local armed groups, including the Islamic State [Daesh]," the newspaper wrote.

According to Dauod, any activity aimed at financing a terrorist organization is punishable by law. In the case of Lafarge, however, a corresponding decision should be made by the prosecutor's office in France or Switzerland, as the firm is a part of the Swiss group called Holcim, the legal expert said.

"The facts revealed by your colleagues from the newspaper Le Monde suggest that the company Lafarge deliberately paid — although it still must be proved — fees at checkpoints controlled by the Islamic State, and even, perhaps, made other payments in order to use or operate notorious plant to maintain its positions in Syria and, most likely, to guarantee the safety of its employees and its activities," Dauod said.

its press release from June 21, LafargeHolcim group clarified that Lafarge had been operating the plant from 2010 to 2014. When the war reached the area where the factory was located, the company tried to ensure the safety of its personnel, at the same time resolving the issue of the plant's closure, the press release stated.

"Did the Syrian branch know about it? The answer is — yes. Did the the parent company in Paris, France know about it? The answer to this question seems to be positive, too. And if there is a preliminary investigation or criminal proceedings, one will need to find out whether it was done on purpose, and if so — whether the court decides that the state of emergency, in which they were, will allow to remove the charges over financing of a terrorist organization. In my opinion, this is how it looks from legal and criminal perspectives," the legal expert stated.

The company's press release further stated that in September 2014 the work of the factory was suspended and that all employees were evacuated, and received paid leave. The plant was shut down in September 2014 after Daesh militants had advanced toward it.

The French Armed Forces want to participate in the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank, Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Riho Terras said Wednesday.

France Intends to Support Strengthening of NATO's Eastern Flank - Talinn
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160622/1041764071/france-nato-east-flank.html

Earlier in the day, Terras met with his French counterpart Pierre de Villiers in Tallinn.

"The French Armed Forces are making a significant contribution both to their [country's] own domestic security, as well as into international military operations. It shows their desire to participate in the strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO and support the system of the Alliance's collective security," Terras said following the meeting, as cited by the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces.

The US Department of Defense refrained from cutting off Internet access in the Islamic State’s command and control center in Raqqa, Syria out of concern for citizens’ rights to access the Internet, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland and Global Security Thomas Atkin said on Wednesday.

Pentagon Avoided Cutting Off Internet in Daesh Stronghold of Raqqa
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160622/1041768713/pentagon-raqqa-internet.html

In April, the Defense Department officially announced it had begun the use of offensive cyber tactics in the fight against Daesh. The US military acknowledged that it had to carefully weigh decisions over when to use cyber tactics to shut down communications networks versus using the networks to gather intelligence.

"Certainly going after specific nodes to hamper and stop the use of the Internet by ISIS [Daesh] is important, but we also have to respect the privileges and rights of citizens to have access to the Internet as a whole and as a country," Atkin told members of the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

"When you start talking about ‘taking out the Internet,’ there are all these challenges," Atkin explained when pressed on why Daesh is still able to use the Internet for command and control, recruitment and similar activities.

"Internet services to a region are much broader generally than just the… single command control node," Atkin said, noting he would discuss the matter further in a classified session with lawmakers taking place on Wednesday afternoon.

The CIA refused to comment on possible re-establishment of an anti-Russian spy committee.

CIA Declines to Comment on Possible Revival of Anti-Russian Spy Committee
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160622/1041765381/committee-cia-russia-us.html

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declined to comment on the possible revival of a Cold War-era group to counter Russian espionage due to the fact intelligence legislation in Congress is still pending, the agency’s spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday.

"We have no comments," the spokesperson said.

When asked whether the CIA is not able to comment because the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Bill to revive the committee is still pending, the official said, "yes."

On Monday, a BuzzFeed news outlet report cited a US intelligence community source saying the proposed intelligence bill in Congress calls for a revival of the Cold War-era group to counter Russian spies and Russian-sponsored assassinations in the United States.

The presidentially-appointed committee would investigate the funding of Russian covert broadcasting, media manipulation as well as secret funding, according to the report.

The next Israel Independence Day, expect to see the letters of the Google logo featured on the company’s homepage shaped by Israeli air force personnel and framed by two F-16 jets. No, this is not a hoax and not from The Onion. It was reported by Israel state radio (IBA) veteran military reporter, Carmella Menashe.

Israeli Air Force Personnel Ordered to Form Google Logo at Airbase (Video)
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2016/06/20/israeli-air-force-personnel-ordered-to-form-google-logo-at-airbase/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K0KU4fgpf4

When Google CEO, Eric Schmidt came calling at the Hatzerim Airbase, the airmen there were ordered by their commanding officers to join in a formation which, from the air, spelled out the Google icon. The logo was framed by two Lavi fighter jets. How absolutely picturesque.

This macabre commercial venture appears to have been organized by those innovative folks in the IAF public affairs unit. Though what they could’ve been thinking when they devised this stunt, Lord only knows.

The airmen themselves were unhappy with being recruited to promote Google. They believed that they had enlisted in the Air Force to serve their country and not to promote corporate interests.

In separate remarks made during his Israel visit, Schmidt praised Israel for its compulsory army service which, so he naively believes, “allows both men and women to emerge from such service with superior analytical and leadership skills, permitting the State of Israel to become a global leader.”

This whole gambit by the IAF reminded one reader of the character Scheisskopf (“-idiot-” in German) in the novel, Catch-22. He is a low-level officer who is continually promoted from a minor rank to Lt. Gen. despite having no other skills than obsessively marching his men in formation on a parade ground.

In another social media story, Facebook Israel hired former PMO staffer and current foreign ministry PR flack, Jordana Cutler. She will be a liaison for Facebook with the government. Her hiring appears to be a sop thrown to Internal Security Minister Gil Erdan, who threatened to submit a Knesset bill which to hold a Facebook responsible for anti-Israel content.

Cutler will presumably be the right wing government’s eyes and ears inside Facebook and an internal lobbyist for ultra-nationalism inside the company.

Israel has stepped up its monitoring of social media as have other authoritarian nations like China, Kuwait, Dubai and Qatar. It arrested Palestinians who have posted material supporting resistance to Occupation. If Cutler’s hiring means Israel expects Facebook to preemptively monitor and censure such content, then the company may face the wrath of users both in Israel and worldwide.

(In comment section)

If you read Hebrew, read the Marker story which I linked a few minutes ago. Soldiers had traveled four hours after Shabbat to return to base. They were immediately ordered to report to formation in the hot Beersheva sun in the middle of the afternoon. THey were not given a choice. It was a command. There, without any water, they spent an hour and a half doing formations for the pleasure of Google CEO Eric Schmidt. If you don’t find that bizarre then you’re farther gone than I thought. Israel journalists from Chico Menashe to the Marker thought it bizarre & inappropriate. I guess they have a greater sense of the bizarre than you.

 

[youlik]

Авиаудары ВВС Израиля по территории Сирии и ответ ПВО САР — подробности

22.06.2016 - 21:19
Авиаудары ВВС Израиля по территории Сирии и ответ ПВО САР — подробности | Русская весна
В 10-х числах июня израильские и сирийские СМИ сообщили о том, что ВВС Израиля разбомбили сирийский военный объект вблизи города Хомс.

Нам стали известны подробности происшествия.

Напомним, что, согласно данным журналистов, 4 июня самолеты израильских ВВС нанесли авиаудары по объектам Сирийской армии южнее г. Хомс. По одним сообщениям, бомбардировке подвергся район Шеншара, где находились склады с вооружением и военной техникой элитной 4-й бронетанковой дивизии, возглавляемой братом Башара Асада, бригадным генералом Махером Хафезом аль-Асадом. По другой версии, был разбомблен учебный центр ПВО САР, где уничтожены склады с зенитными ракетами.

СМИ сирийской «оппозиции» (например «Заман аль-Васаль») цитируют слова очевидцев, которые слышали сильные взрывы в районе Шеншара. Медиа-активисты подчеркивают, что в данном случае речь не может идти о действиях авиации ВКС России, ВВС США или Сирии, так как авиаудару подверглись склады правительственных войск, а не объекты террористов.

Еще по одной версии, озвученной израильским 9-м каналом (9tv.co.il), авиация «нанесла ракетный удар по военным объектам шиитского движения „Хезболла“, находящимся в 13 км от Хомса».

Израильские и сирийские власти никак не отреагировали на информацию, опубликованную в СМИ.

Военкору «Русской Весны», находящемуся сейчас в Сирии, удалось узнать подробности происшествия.

Офицер сирийского Генштаба рассказал, что авиаудар по территории Сирии действительно уже не в первый раз был нанесен ВВС Израиля.

«Пуск был осуществлен над территорией Ливана, потом резкий разворот и домой. Недавно другой еврейский самолет попытался нанести удар, залетев в Сирию, по нему был открыт огонь из С-200. Больше израильские самолеты не рискуют пересекать границу», — сообщил офицер.
«В этот раз ракета попала по складу сельхозтехники, попаданий по военным объектам не было», — подчеркнул военный.
В тоже время агентство Ynet напоминает, что в декабре 2015 года премьер-министр Биньямин Нетаньяху подтвердил, что израильские военные действовали в том или ином качестве в Сирии: «Мы работаем в Сирии периодически, чтобы предотвратить превращение этой страны в антиизраильский фронт. Мы принимаем меры против террористического фронта, который Иран пытается построить на Голанах, чтобы предотвратить передачу смертоносного оружия из Сирии в Ливан. Мы будем продолжать делать это», — заявил Нетаньяху.

Израильское информационное агентство Newsru.co.il приводит список ударов по Сирии в 2013–2016 годах, нанесенных ЦАХАЛом или же приписываемых израильской армии
2016 год.

11 мая. У международного аэропорта Дамаска взрывом убит глава сецслужб «Хизбаллы» Мустафа Бадр ад-Дин.

18 февраля. SOHR передает, что израильская армия выпустила 3 ракеты по целям на автостраде Дамаск — Дараа.

9 февраля. «Аль-Джазира» утверждает, что ВВС Израиля атаковали силы «Хизбаллы» на шоссе Дамаск — Хомс.

2015 год

26 декабря. Сирийские СМИ передали, что самолеты ЦАХАЛа атаковали 7 объектов «Хезболлы» в горах Каламун.

20 декабря. В районе Джармана южнее Дамаска бомбовым ударом разрушено здание, убиты не менее 9 командиров и бойцов «Хезболлы». Среди них известный Самир Кунтар, руководивший «Хезболлой» на сирийской части Голанских высот, а также полевой командир Фархан Шаалан.

4 декабря. Авиаудар по колонне грузовиков, перевозивших ракеты в районе Аль-Катифы севернее Дамаска.

29 ноября. Бомбордировка позиций Армии Сирии и «Хезболлы» в приграничном районе Каламун.

23 ноября. Авиаудар по смешанному гарнизону «Хезболлы» и сирийской армии в селении Рас аль-Маара.

11 ноября. Сирийские и ливанские СМИ сообщили, что самолеты Израиля нанесли серию ударов по объекту у дамасского аэропорта. Предположительно, было взорвано иранское оружие, предназначенные для «Хезболлы».

30 октября. Сирийская оппозиция заявила, что израильская авиация разбомбила позиции Армии Сирии и ливанской «Хезболлы».

21 августа. ВВС ЦАХАЛа нанесли удары по 14 объектам правительственных войск САР на Голанских высотах.

20 августа. Сирийское государственное агентство SANA сообщило о нанесении самолетами Израиля ракетно-бомбовых ударов по двум административным зданиям в Кунейтре.

Далее в списке газеты приводится еще несколько десятков атак за 2013 – 2015 годы. 2 последних удара из приведенных обосновываются ответами на обстрелы Израиля.

Translation
Air strikes by the Israeli air force on Syria, and defense response, SAR — details

22.06.2016 - 21:19
Air strikes by the Israeli air force on Syria, and defense response, SAR — details | Russian spring
In 10th June Israeli and Syrian media reported that Israeli air force bombed a Syrian military facility near the city of HOMS.

We learned the details of the incident.

Recall that, according to journalists on 4 June, Israeli aircraft carried out air strikes on Syrian army targets South of the city of HOMS. According to one message, bombed the district Sansara, where stocks of weapons and military equipment of the elite 4th armored division, led by the brother of Bashar al-Assad, Brigadier General Maher Hafez al-Assad. According to another version, was bombed training center air defense, SAR, where they destroyed stocks of anti-aircraft missiles.

Media Syrian "opposition" (e.g., "Zaman al-Wasal"), quoting the words of eyewitnesses who heard strong explosions in the area Sansara. Media activists emphasize that in this case we can not talk about the actions of the aviation of Russian air force, the US air force and Syria, as air strikes targeted the warehouses of the government forces, not terrorist targets.

Another version, voiced by the Israeli 9th channel 9tv.co.il), aviation missile strike on military targets of the Shiite movement "Hezbollah", located 13 km from HOMS".

The Israeli and Syrian authorities have not reacted to the information published in the media.

Posted by the "Russian Spring", which is now in Syria, was able to learn details of the incident.

The officer of the Syrian General staff said that an airstrike on Syrian territory do not for the first time was struck by the Israeli air force.

"The launch was carried out over Lebanese territory, then a sharp turn and go home. Recently, another Jewish the plane tried to strike, having flown to Syria, according to him, fire was opened from the C-200. More Israeli planes are not at risk to cross the border," the officer said.
"This time the missile hit a warehouse of agricultural machines, hits on military targets was not" — said the military.
At the same time, Ynet recalls that in December 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli military acted in some capacity in Syria: "We are working in Syria periodically to prevent the transformation of that country into an anti-Israeli front. We take action against terrorist front that Iran is trying to build in the Golan to prevent the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon. We will continue to do so," said Netanyahu.

The Israeli news Agency Newsru.co.il leads the list of strikes against Syria in 2013-2016 caused or attributed to the IDF Israeli army
2016.

May 11. The international airport of Damascus, a blast killed the head of setslug Hizbullah Mustafa Badr al-DIN.

18 Feb. SOHR reports that the Israeli army launched 3 missiles at targets on the motorway Damascus — Daraa.

9 Feb. Al-Jazeera claims that the Israeli air force attacked the forces of "Hezbollah" on the highway Damascus — HOMS.

2015

26 Dec. Syrian media reported that the IDF planes attacked 7 objects "Hezbollah" in the mountains kalamun.

20 Dec. In the area Jarmana South of Damascus bomb attacks destroyed the building, killing at least 9 soldiers and commanders of Hizbollah. Famous among them Samir Kuntar, who led Hezbollah in the Syrian part of the Golan heights, and field commander Farhan Shaalan.

4 Dec. Airstrike on a convoy of trucks carrying missiles in the al-Cutify North of Damascus.

29 Nov. The shelling of the positions of the Syrian Army and Hizbollah in the border area of Kalamun.

23 Nov. An airstrike by a mixed garrison of Hezbollah and the Syrian army in the village of RAS al-Maar.

11 Nov. Syrian and Lebanese media reported that Israeli jets launched a series of attacks on the facility near the Damascus airport. Presumably, had blown up an Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah.

30 Oct. The Syrian opposition said the Israeli air force bombed the positions of the Syrian Army and Lebanese Hezbollah.

21 Aug. IDF air force bombed 14 objects SAR government troops in the Golan heights.

August 20. Syrian state news Agency SANA reported the application of aircraft of Israel air strikes on two office buildings in Quneitra.

Next on the list of Newspapers given several dozen attacks over the years 2013 – 2015. 2 the last hit of the above are justified responses to attacks on Israel.

http://rusvesna.su/news/1465394402

 

[youlik]

ВОЕННЫЕ НАТО ПОПЫТАЛИСЬ ПОВТОРИТЬ «ТАНКОВЫЙ БИАТЛОН»

Страны НАТО позаимствовали идею проведения международных соревнований танковых экипажей у России. Напомню, что в России танковый биатлон пройдёт в этом году в третий раз. Военным ведомствам стран НАТО неоднократно поступали предложения посоревноваться с лучшими российскими экипажами, однако, Минобороны России получало неизменный отказ на эти предложения.
Оказалось, что сама идея заинтриговала западных военных, но в российских соревнованиях поучаствовать, видимо, постеснялись. Не пристало соревнования с мнимым агрессором устраивать, да и психологов на всех в случае проигрыша не напасёшься.
Натовцы решили устроить междусобойчик по упрощённой схеме. Иными словами просто, незрелищно и закрыто. Информация о прошедших в Баварии соревнований с 10 по 13 мая просочилась в прессу только сейчас, и то только благодаря инсайду начальника Главного управления боевой подготовки генерал-лейтенанта Ивана Бувальцева.
Баварские соревнования проходило в неплановом режиме. Натовское руководство всерьёз обеспокоилось стремительно растущим авторитетом Армии России, благодаря успешным действиям в Сирии и международным учениям и конкурсам. Спасти репутацию натовских военных и вооружения, было призвано соревнование танковых экипажей в Германии.
Впрочем, непонятно, как репутацию можно было спасти при помощи закрытых соревнований. Видимо, это был пилотный вариант для сбора необходимой информации.
Тем более что результаты соревнований получились весьма любопытные. Лучший американский экипаж не попал, даже в призовую тройку. Первое место занял немецкий экипаж. На втором месте расположился экипаж из Дании, третье место заняла польская команда.
Как уже было упомянуто соревнования в Баварии шли в облегчённом режиме по сравнению танковым биатлоном. Соревновательная часть вообще не походила на гонку. Натовские экипажи посоревновались в стрельбе, технической подготовке, оказании медпомощи и стрельбе из личного оружия.
В общем, натовский вариант и в подмётки не годится танковому биатлону. Жаль, что натовские генералы трусят выставить свои экипажи на танковый биатлон. Глядишь бы навсегда отпало желание расширяться на Восток.

Translation
NATO MILITARY TRIED TO REPEAT "TANK BIATHLON"

NATO countries have borrowed the idea of holding of international competitions of tank crews from Russia. Let me remind you that in Russia tank biathlon will be held this year for the third time. The military departments of NATO countries have repeatedly received offers to compete with the best Russian crews, however, the Russian defense Ministry has received continued refusal to these proposals.
It turned out that the idea intrigued the Western military, but the Russian competition to participate, apparently ashamed. Ought not the competition with an imaginary aggressor to arrange, and psychologists at all in case of loss will not be enough.
NATO members decided to arrange a get-together under the simplified scheme. In other words just nutralise and closed. Information about the past in Bavaria, competition from 10 to 13 may was leaked to the press just now, and then only through the inside of the head of the Main Directorate of combat training Lieutenant General Ivan Buvaltsev.
Bavarian championship took place in unplanned mode. NATO military leadership is seriously concerned about the rapidly growing credibility of the Russian Army, thanks to the successful actions in Syria and international exercises and competitions. To save the reputation of NATO forces and weapons, has been called competition of tank crews in Germany.
However, it is unclear how reputation could have been saved with the help of closed competition. Apparently, this was a pilot option for collecting the necessary information.
Moreover, the results of the competition turned out very interesting. The best American crew has not got even in the top three. First place went to the German crew. On the second place crew from Denmark, third place went to the Polish team.
As already mentioned competitions in Bavaria was in Lite mode than tank biathlon. Competition generally not like for the race. NATO crews competed in shooting, technical training, provision of medical care and personal weapons.
In General, the NATO option and sloppy tank biathlon. It is a pity that NATO generals are cowards to put their crews on tank biathlon. Would you look all fell off the desire to expand to the East.


http://smi2.mirtesen.ru/blog/43418539463/Voennyie-NATO-popyitalis-povtorit-%C2%ABtankovyiy-biatlon%C2%BB

 

[angelburst29]

-The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Thursday reports of Russian troops whose photographs were published by ISIS terrorist group, which claimed that the soldiers were killed in Syria.

Russia denies reports of Russian soldiers allegedly killed in Syria
http://sana.sy/en/?p=80823

The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov was quoted by Sputnik news agency as saying that the photographs in question were taken from a mobile phone stolen on Russian territory.

“All military personnel whose photographs were published by ISIS terrorist group, their Ukrainian ‘friends,’ as well as the ‘Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’ are alive and well, and are located with their units,” Igor Konashenkov said.

Russia’s participation in the war against terrorism in Syria has come under fire because it exposed Western unwillingness to fight terrorism and showed that the US-led anti-ISIS coalition is nothing but a publicity stunt.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced on Thursday that the next round of Syrian talks in Geneva has not yet been determined, noting that the UN seeks to resume it in July.

De Mistura: We seek to resume Syrian talks in July
http://sana.sy/en/?p=80810

In a press conference in Geneva, de Mistura said he will head to the US before the meeting of UN Security Council which will be held on June 29th and will conduct consultations in New York and Washington in a bid to set a date for the Syrian-Syrian dialogue.

He added that the resumption of Syrian talks is still in the preliminary stage, considering that the technical talks being held in Cairo, Moscow and other places will be useful for the dialogue.

The Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh has reportedly kidnapped as many as 900 people from a Kurdish city in the northeast of the Syrian border province of Aleppo.

Daesh abducts 900 in Syria’s Aleppo: Group
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/24/471918/Syria-Daesh-Aleppo-alBab

The abductees were spirited away from 15 villages and a township in the city, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

Some of the abductees, the UK-based monitor said, have been transferred to the Kurdish town of Qabaseen in the province’s east.

Others have been taken to the cities of al-Rai and Manbij near the Turkish border, where the terrorists have come under attack from several fronts, to either be forced to dig trenches or be used as human shields, it added.

It has also been reported that the terrorists have executed 18 civilians who had tried to flee Daesh captivity in the area.

Aleppo’s provincial capital is under continued shelling by al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.

The province forms an important front for the Syrian government’s soldiers, who recently slew nearly 170 Takfiri terrorists there.

Backed by Russian airpower, the troops have entered the neighboring Raqqah Province and are advancing toward the provincial capital, which is considered Daesh’s so-called headquarters.

The potential recapture of Raqqah in Syria and the Iraqi city of Mosul — which Daesh has declared as its “headquarters” in Iraq and which likewise awaits liberation operations — would mark the ultimate blow to Daesh.

The authorities in Hama province arrested a terrorist cell in Masyaf city and seized their car which was loaded with weapons and ammunition bound for terrorist groups in the northern countryside of the province.

A terror cell transporting munitions arrested in Masyaf, Hama
http://sana.sy/en/?p=80782

In a statement to SANA, a source at Hama Governorate said that a patrol clashed with the members of the terrorist group who were five persons, adding that one of the terrorists was killed and the four others were arrested.

The source stressed that none of the patrol’s members was injured in the clashes, noting that the car was loaded with two thermal rockets, automatic rifles, grenades, RPG rounds and ammunition for PKC and 23 mm machineguns.

An alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces has reportedly managed to enter Manbij in Syria’s Aleppo Province weeks after encircling the Daesh-held city.

Kurdish, Arab fighters engage Daesh inside Syria’s Manbij
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/23/471784/Syria-Manbij-SDF-Daesh

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pushed into Manbij, located some 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates, hours after they seized control of a village southwest of the city, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Thursday.

According to the Observatory, fierce street battles were still going on in the streets of Manbij.

It said at least two SDF fighters were killed when a bomb was detonated inside a building. There were no immediate reports about causalities among the ranks of Daesh.

Sources said Thursday that Daesh had planted many booby-traps to stop the advance of the SDF.

This is the second time in less than a month that SDF attempts to capture Manbij, a town of 120,000 people before the conflict started in Syria more than five years ago. The area fell to Daesh in 2014.

The Kurdish-Arab fighters encircled the city earlier in this month but faced heavy resistance by Daesh.

Manbij is situated some 40 kilometers from the Turkish border. The SDF forces have so far liberated dozens of villages and farms in the area since the start of their anti-Daesh assault on May 31. However, the SDF has been slow in its advances as many civilians are still trapped inside the city.

The recapture of Manbij could cut Daesh militants’ main access route to the outside world, paving the way for an offensive to flush the terrorists out of their main stronghold in Syria’s Raqqah Province.

The Takfiri group has used the town as a key station on its supply route from Turkey into Raqqah.

Russian State Duma Sergey Naryshkin believes that the United States’ refusal to apologize for the atom bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 is tantamount to an attempt to erase historical memory

The United States Refusal To Apologize For The Atom Bombs Of Japan Is An Attempt To Erase Historical Memory
http://novorossia.today/united-states-refusal-apologize-atom-bombs-japan-attempt-erase-historical-memory/

“I’ve always wondered why US politicians are so reluctant to apologize to the Japanese for the war crime they committed. It might seem it would be a very humane and correct gesture to make,” Naryshkin told a TASS news conference on Thursday.

“I have one guess. Possibly I am wrong. I suspect that this is one of the many attempts to erase the historical memory of that event: who is to blame, who authored that barbarity, that war crime for which there is no statute of limitations,” Naryshkin speculated. “As long as there are no apologies, with time it will be possible to disclaim responsibility.”