Re: #27 - Main news thread - conflicts, terrorism, crisis from around the globe

[Anon]

George Galloway has been sacked by talkRADIO after sending an allegedly anti-Semitic tweet.
The 'offending tweet'...

Congratulations to the great people of #Liverpool to the memory of the socialist miner #BillShankley to the fallen #96 to those who fought for justice for them and to the Liverpool dockers. No #Israël flags on the Cup!

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) June 1, 2019

Galloway has been a host on talkRADIO for years. Never has he shyed away from his views on Israel so the timing of this is quite suspicious. Galloway is a long time friend and ally of Corbyn. The most consequential UK general election in decades creeps nearer...

[Zambeezi]

George Galloway has been sacked by talkRADIO after sending an allegedly anti-Semitic tweet.
The 'offending tweet'...

Congratulations to the great people of #Liverpool to the memory of the socialist miner #BillShankley to the fallen #96 to those who fought for justice for them and to the Liverpool dockers. No #Israël flags on the Cup!

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) June 1, 2019

Galloway has been a host on talkRADIO for years. Never has he shyed away from his views on Israel so the timing of this is quite suspicious. Galloway is a long time friend and ally of Corbyn. The most consequential UK general election in decades creeps nearer...

absoposilutely agree.

[Anon]

Chlorinated chicken and the shit-show that is the US healthcare system imported to Britain. No thanks, you can keep all your crap https://t.co/erHOHtuQ99

— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) June 2, 2019

No doubt that US, UK will look to do a TTIP style trade deal once UK leaves the EU. US and Trump are obviously keen on it, very likely Farage too but he is acutely aware of how unpopular it would be in UK and I don't think he fancies becoming more disliked than Theresa May. NHS is a symbol of huge pride for Brits and infact part of the reason to leave the EU was because of the perception that the NHS was being exploited and too freely accessed by non-UK citizens(from EU and non-EU).

[Zambeezi]

[Zambeezi]

#BREAKING: #Trump says #Russia told US it has removed "most" personnel from Venezuela - AFP

here's all I can find....

Russia will not back military solution to Venezuela crisis, Lavrov says
http://tass.com/politics/1061444

Kremlin not commenting on media reports about pullout of military advisers from Venezuela
http://tass.com/defense/1061410

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal article claiming that Russia is withdrawing its military advisers from Venezuela.

"You are asking the wrong party. You should ask the companies that maintain the equipment provided to Venezuela earlier," he told reporters.

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman pointed out that the information "has already been rejected by Russia’s side."

The Wall Street Journal claimed earlier that over the past few months, Russia’s Rostec State Corporation, responsible for training Venezuelan military personnel and providing consultations on weapons supply contacts, reduced the number of its advisers from about a thousand to several dozen. The newspaper added that the pullout was due to a lack of new contracts and the fact that the Maduro government was no longer capable of paying for the corporation’s services.

A Rostec spokesman told TASS earlier on Monday that:

►Rostec’s personnel in Venezuela had remained unchanged for years.

►"The number of military advisers mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article is exaggerated tens of times," he said.

►"The office staff has remained unchanged for many years.

As for technicians,

►they arrive in the country from time to time to maintain and repair the equipment provided earlier.

►Just recently, the maintenance of a batch of aircraft was completed," the spokesman added.
===========






Here is the WSJ article being quoted everywhere...

MOSCOW—Russia has withdrawn key defense advisers from Venezuela, an embarrassment for President Nicolás Maduro as Moscow weighs the leader’s political and economic resilience against growing U.S. pressure.

Russian state defense contractor Rostec, which has trained Venezuelan troops and advised on securing arms contracts, has cut its staff in Venezuela to just a few dozen, from about 1,000 at the height of cooperation between Moscow and Caracas several years ago, said a person close to the Russian defense ministry.

The gradual pullout, which has escalated over the last several months, according to people familiar with the situation, is due to a lack of new contracts and the acceptance that Mr. Maduro’s regime no longer has the cash to continue to pay for other Rostec services associated with past contracts.

Russia has been among Mr. Maduro’s biggest international supporters, but the winding down of Rostec’s presence shows the limits of Russia’s reach in the South American country at a time when Moscow is facing economic difficulties—in part due to the impact of U.S. sanctions—at home. Venezuela has been one of Moscow’s largest customers in South America.

Rostec’s withdrawal of permanent and temporary employees is a major setback for Mr. Maduro, who has frequently touted assistance support from Russia and China as a sign that other global powers are willing to assist him in his bitter standoff against the U.S. Russian military support has been central to Mr. Maduro’s pledge to defend Venezuela from any foreign invasion.

His government’s inability to pay Rostec also reflects the economic calamity gripping the country. The Maduro government didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he spoke during a mandatory radio and TV broadcast in Caracas, Venezuela, last week. PHOTO: MIRAFLORES PRESS OFFICE/JHONN ZE/SHUTTERSTOCK Under Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow’s defense exports have become a foreign-policy tool. The arms trade is overseen in some places by embassy employees themselves to help to strengthen ties with political partners from Asia to South America, according to one of the people familiar with the situation. The defense contractor, run by Mr. Putin’s longtime friend Sergei Chemezov, has been hit by financial difficulties as U.S. sanctions have derailed several big contracts.

A person close to the Russian government said Rostec weighed the political benefits of supporting Mr. Maduro against the regime’s growing economic liabilities, forcing the company to make a strategic decision on ties with Caracas.

“They believe the fight is being lost,” said the person.

The final major contract Rostec fulfilled was the construction of a helicopter-training center for military helicopters in March. Other longstanding plans, including the construction of a Kalashnikov production facility, were expected to cease, the people said.

Russia-Venezuela defense ties flourished under Mr. Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, with arms contracts for attack helicopters, jet fighters and tanks.

“This cooperation has grown a lot,” Vladimir Zaemskiy, Russia’s longtime ambassador, said in an interview Wednesday. “Among other things, Venezuela has bought assault rifles, multiuse aircraft, helicopters from the Mi-17, Mi-35 and Mi-26 models, T-72 tanks, as well as various anti-aerial defense systems.” He said that because of the sophistication of the weaponry, “it’s obvious that the Venezuelans needed Russian assistance and those contracts that we have signed since 2006 foresaw, among other things, the training of Venezuelan personnel and maintenance of that equipment.”

By the end of last year, contracts were still ongoing for missiles and air-defense systems, but money had stopped coming in, said a person close to Russia’s defense ministry.

“Since the Venezuelans aren’t paying, why should Rostec stay there and foot the bill on its own,” the person said. The person added that, for months now, Venezuela hasn’t been paying for services like the servicing of military hardware.

A spokesperson for Rostec couldn’t be reached. A Kremlin spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Both President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have signaled that Russian influence was at the center of the continuing standoff between Mr. Maduro and Venezuela’s opposition, raising the specter of a Cold War-style confrontation with Moscow close to U.S. borders. Mr. Pompeo said last month that Russia persuaded Mr. Maduro not to flee the country during an attempt to oust him.

In March, the deputy chief of the general staff Col. Gen. Vasily Tonkoshkurov, landed in Venezuela aboard an Ilyushin passenger jet with 99 Russian military specialists. They were accompanied by an Antonov An-124 cargo plane that carried 35 tons of military hardware.

The Russian military plane was sent to make up for Rostec advisers and technicians who had since slowed their work with Caracas.

That planeload of soldiers ultimately escalated tensions around Venezuela and prompted President Trump to threaten Russia to “get out” of Venezuela.

“It was a public show of support by the defense ministry because real cooperation between Rostec and Venezuela had already slowed to a trickle,” said one of the people familiar with the situation.

Even as Rostec has drawn down its presence, Russia has tried to maintain a military presence. Mark Galleotti, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute said Russia’s defense ministry and other corporate security companies likely had a presence of about 300 officers in the country.

Importantly to Caracas, Mr. Putin has publicly stood behind Mr. Maduro in his standoff with the U.S., whom Moscow has accused of interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

The Kremlin sees Venezuela as the latest front in what it touts as a global contest against U.S. hegemony and a chance to inflict revenge on Washington for what it regards as meddling in the politics of nations close to its borders, such as Ukraine.

Rostec has been facing its own financial problems since the U.S. in 2017 began sanctioning third-party countries for dealing with Russia’s arms industry.

Since then, a number of countries have delayed their purchases of Russian arms. Kuwait said earlier this year it would delay a contract for T-90 tanks. Indonesia has delayed a shipment of Su-35 fighters, and the Philippines announced last year it wouldn’t buy a package of Russian arms President Rodrigo Duterte had promised to buy.

Worries over Venezuela’s future, however, have spread to other sectors where Russia has a strong presence, such as oil. Venezuela is by far the largest recipient of investments by oil giant Rosneft outside of Russia. And there is no easy way for Rosneft to divest itself of its commitments, which have mostly been spent on prepayment for Venezuelan oil or joint-venture costs with Venezuela’s state oil company.

Rosneft wasn’t immediately available for comment.

(paywalled)
Russia withdraws key defense support to Maduro in Venezuela
https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-a-blow-to-maduro-russia-withdraws-key-defense-support-to-venezuela-11559486826

[luda]

[luda]

[luda]

[KneelB4Zod!]

#Maduro asks opposition to help unblock resources for medical care in #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/mw7hygANvq

— RT (@RT_com) 4. června 2019

[KneelB4Zod!]

Kushner: Palestinians not yet capable of governing themselves

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/kushner-palestinians-capable-governing-190603051426199.html

[KneelB4Zod!]

Al-Masdar News
@TheArabSource
3 min.
Syrian military seizes US-made missiles in southern #Syria https://aml.ink/Jvucy  #Daraa

[Anon]

A Swedish judge has rejected a request to detain Julian Assange in absentia, complicating hopes to extradite him from the UK.

Prosecutors said Assange had not co-operated with their investigation into a 2010 allegation of rape against the Wikileaks founder, and so should be remotely held for questioning.

This would have allowed them to move forward with steps to extradite him.

But the judge rejected the motion, as Assange is already detained in the UK.

Speaking after the ruling, Eva-Marie Persson - Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions - said the rape investigation would continue, and she would instead issue a European Investigation Order to question Assange.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48503730



So when Assange's jail term comes to an end in the UK, the UK govt will suffer the political consequences for exporting Assange direct to the criminal globalists in the US. That's if the fuckers haven't killed him in UK prison before then.

If Corbyn gets into power before that time then I sincerely don't think Assange would be exported to the US.

[Anon]

Science institute that advised EU and UN 'actually industry lobby group'

International Life Sciences Institute used by corporate backers to counter public health policies, says study

An institute whose experts have occupied key positions on EU and UN regulatory panels is, in reality, an industry lobby group that masquerades as a scientific health charity, according to a peer-reviewed study.

The Washington-based International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) describes its mission as “pursuing objectivity, clarity and reproducibility” to “benefit the public good”.

But researchers from the University of Cambridge, Bocconi University in Milan, and the US Right to Know campaign assessed over 17,000 pages of documents under US freedom of information laws to present evidence of influence-peddling.

The paper’s lead author, Dr Sarah Steele, a Cambridge university senior research associate, said: “Our findings add to the evidence that this nonprofit organisation has been used by its corporate backers for years to counter public health policies. ILSI should be regarded as an industry group – a private body – and regulated as such, not as a body acting for the greater good.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/03/science-institute-that-advised-eu-and-un-actually-industry-lobby-group

[Anon]

Emmanuel Macron says Britain should leave EU with or without a deal on October 31

EMMANUEL Macron has said Britain should be kicked out of the EU with or without a deal on October 31 - unless it agrees to a radical rethink.

The French President said our current exit date should be the “final, final deadline” in a boost to Brexiteer PM hopefuls like Boris Johnson.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/9216865/emmanuel-macron-brexit-final-deadline/




Lol, so now they call October 31 as the "final, final deadline", as opposed to April 12th which was the "final deadline" and March 29th which was the "deadline".

No wonder is it that EU is so unpopular when it is full of contemptible liars like Macron who will never be honest with the public that they can't afford to see UK leave EU and they will keep trying to make new deadlines no matter what until UK votes the right way.

[Anon]

George Galloway has been sacked by talkRADIO after sending an allegedly anti-Semitic tweet.
The 'offending tweet'...

Congratulations to the great people of #Liverpool to the memory of the socialist miner #BillShankley to the fallen #96 to those who fought for justice for them and to the Liverpool dockers. No #Israël flags on the Cup!

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) June 1, 2019

Israël can murder children nurses journalists every Friday but a guy says “Israël flags” on twitter and it is HE who must be hunted down? What madness is this? #Gaza #Palestine

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) June 3, 2019

[Anon]

#OnThisDay 30 years ago. pic.twitter.com/8II6aqNKv7

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) June 4, 2019

Pompeo statement from a few hours ago:

On June 4, we honor the heroic protest movement of the Chinese people that ended on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese Communist Party leadership sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to violently repress peaceful demonstrations calling for democracy, human rights, and an end to rampant corruption. The hundreds of thousands of protesters who gathered in Beijing and in other cities around China suffered grievously in pursuit of a better future for their country. The number of dead is still unknown. We express our deep sorrow to the families still grieving their lost loved ones, including the courageous Tiananmen Mothers, who have never stopped seeking accountability, despite great personal risk. The events of thirty years ago still stir our conscience, and the conscience of freedom-loving people around the world.

Over the decades that followed, the United States hoped that China’s integration into the international system would lead to a more open, tolerant society. Those hopes have been dashed. China’s one-party state tolerates no dissent and abuses human rights whenever it serves its interests. Today, Chinese citizens have been subjected to a new wave of abuses, especially in Xinjiang, where the Communist Party leadership is methodically attempting to strangle Uighur culture and stamp out the Islamic faith, including through the detention of more than one million members of Muslim minority groups. Even as the party builds a powerful surveillance state, ordinary Chinese citizens continue to seek to exercise their human rights, organize independent unions, pursue justice through the legal system, and simply express their views, for which many are punished, jailed, and even tortured.

We salute the heroes of the Chinese people who bravely stood up thirty years ago in Tiananmen Square to demand their rights. Their exemplary courage has served as an inspiration to future generations calling for freedom and democracy around the world, beginning with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Eastern Europe in the months that followed.

We urge the Chinese government to make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing to give comfort to the many victims of this dark chapter of history. Such a step would begin to demonstrate the Communist Party’s willingness to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. We call on China to release all those held for seeking to exercise these rights and freedoms, halt the use of arbitrary detention, and reverse counterproductive policies that conflate terrorism with religious and political expression. China’s own constitution stipulates that all power belongs to the people. History has shown that nations are stronger when governments are responsive to their citizens, respect the rule of law, and uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms.

https://www.state.gov/on-the-30th-anniversary-of-tiananmen-square/








China expresses 'strong dissatisfaction' with U.S. statement on Tiananmen anniversary

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tiananmen-pompeo-idUSKCN1T50B2

The Chinese Embassy is not happy about Pompeo’s remarks and takes the opportunity to jab the department’s “clash of civilizations” thesis as well: “Under the pretext of human rights, the statement grossly intervenes in China’s internal affairs [and] attacks its system pic.twitter.com/vXNqLKRaWF

— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) June 4, 2019

[Anon]

[Anon]

Partisan  ☬
‏

@PartisanDE
5 min.
#BREAKING: #Trump says #Russia told US it has removed "most" personnel from Venezuela - AFP

Russia denies the withdrawal of its staff from Venezuela and promises to intensify cooperation

https://francais.rt.com/international/62694-russie-dement-retrait-son-personnel-venezuela-promet-intensifier-cooperation

[Zambeezi]

#DeZ City pic.twitter.com/hV4EMdAVBu

— Bosni (@Bosni94) June 3, 2019

I remember the terror.... the years of siege. their isolation. no food. all bridges blown by US...
except the ones to assist ISIS zombies. under constant live fire assault. the captures. the tortures. all night. every night. night after night.
They are a miracle. Long live the Tigers and Bashar al Assad and the good people of Syria.






missing Issam... salute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zambeezi]

Syrian Army scores big advance in southern #Idlib, 3 towns have been liberated. https://t.co/TbEgyeKrl6

— Enrico Ivanov (@Russ_Warrior) June 4, 2019

Map of the latest progress of SAA TIGERFORCE captured 3 sites in southern Idlib & NW Hama
1 Qasabiyah
2 Qiratah
3 WadialJurah

[Zambeezi]

+18 | Video allegedly from 2016. A group of US military ambushed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.#USA #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/T2NyIf2TO1

— R&U Videos (@r_u_vid) June 4, 2019

[KneelB4Zod!]

Along with the Israelis they are desperate to know what’s coming https://t.co/JItb7MO47G

— Syrian Military Capabilities (@Syrian_MC) 4. června 2019

[Zambeezi]

[KneelB4Zod!]

Guy Elster‏@guyelster · 1 min.
#BREAKING #Trump says Corbyn wanted to meet him, but he has refused

So it was vice versa I guess...

[Zambeezi]

Fiberglass Hull

[KneelB4Zod!]

Sarah Abdallah‏ @sahouraxo · 50 min.
Ron Paul asks the question that the corporate media won’t: Are the US and UK governments trying to kill Julian Assange for bringing their crimes against humanity to light?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7090985/amp/Ron-Paul-asks-UK-trying-kill-jailed-Julian-Assange.html

[KneelB4Zod!]

amin dada‏ @kambrone64 · 2 min.
At least 4 killed, 2 injured in mass shooting in Australian city of Darwin

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/at-least-4-killed-2-injured-in-mass-shooting-in-australian-city-of-darwin

[KneelB4Zod!]

H.K  ‏@Ibra_Joudeh · 1 min.
Syrian Army scores big advance in southern Idlib , 3 towns captured (MAP)

https://en.muraselon.com/2019/06/syrian-army-idlib-towns-map/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[KneelB4Zod!]

Al-Masdar News‏@TheArabSource · 1 min.
Unidentified debris spotted near Syrian SAM system after Israeli strike: video https://aml.ink/YMkdD #Israel #Syria

[KneelB4Zod!]

Completely drunk Ukrainina cops shot dead 5 year old child.

They tried to hit an empty can...

https://www.novinky.cz/zahranicni/evropa/506730-namol-opili-ukrajinsti-policiste-omylem-zastrelili-dite.html