July 2018

Three Russian journalists killed in Central African Republic during robbery attack

2018/07/31

Russian journalist Orhan Dzhemal, cameraman Kirill Radchenko and director Alexander Rastorguev were killed in the Central African Republic (CAR). Their bodies were found on a road 23 kilometres from the city of Sibut. Reportedly, the journalists were killed by "unidentified armed men." The bodies of the dead have been delivered to the hospital in the city of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Most likely, the perpetrators attacked the journalists to rob them.

The Russian journalists arrived in the CAR to film a documentary about the work of private military company Wagner. The wife of one of the killed journalists confirmed that her husband went to the CAR to make a documentary about a PMC group.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Russian embassy in the CAR was in contact with the local authorities to identify the citizenship of the killed individuals, whose bodies were found by soldiers of the regular army of the republic.

Russian diplomats went to identify the killed, she said, noting that the ministry would provide all necessary assistance to relatives of the victims. A message posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian Embassy in the CAR had not been informed about the presence of Russian journalists on the territory of the country.

Journalist Orhan Jemal (born on November 12, 1966) had worked in such hotspots as the Northern Caucasus, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, etc. In 2005 he became the founder and executive director of the Agency for Journalistic Investigations "Investigation Committee."

Rebels of the Seleka coalition, who call themselves a Muslim group, seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013. The country is mostly populated by Christians. Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, became the self-proclaimed president of the country. Afterwards, groups of Christian militia appeared on the political arena, fierce confrontation started, and hundreds of civilians were killed in the civil war.

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Russia obediently sells RD-180 rocket engines to USA if and when requested

2018/07/31

The new contract for the sale of Russian RD-180 rocket engines produced by Energomash to the United States may fall under the Russian anti-sanctions law. Does Russia want to use this law?

Russia obediently sells RD-180 rocket engines to USA if and when requested. 62683.jpeg

Igor Arbuzov, General Director of the maker of RD-180 rocket engines, NPO Energomash, said on Tuesday that his company and the US-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) entered into a new agreement on the delivery of RD-180 rocket engines to the USA. The engines that Russia is selling to the USA are used for the first stage of US Atlas 5 space vehicles. It is an open secret that the Americans have not been able to build an analogue to the Russian engine yet.

Can the Russian government use the law "On measures of influence (counteraction) in response to unfriendly actions of the United States of America and other foreign states" for the above-mentioned deal?

Washington has been persistently expanding restrictive measures against the Russian Federation for years now, but Moscow prefers not to do anything in return. The rocket engine deal between Russia and the USA does not affect common citizens. Many would probably say that Russia would harm itself by terminating cooperation with the USA in the space industry. What is the point of such laws then?

Scientific director of the Space Policy Institute, Ivan Moiseyev, told Pravda.Ru that Russia's refusal to sell RD-180 rocket engines to the USA would cause considerable damage to their maker, NPO Energomash, to the entire domestic engine building industry, and to Russia on the whole. "The Americans will not even feel any damage. All foreign transactions of this category come as government orders, and Russia receives money for that. There's also our reputation. If we cancel the contract, the reputation will worsen, and new contracts are not likely to follow. As for laws that do not work, this is a common peculiarity of Russian laws - they are adopted for the promotion of certain MPs, rather than for real action," Ivan Moiseyev said.

On June 4, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law "On measures of influence (counteraction) in response to unfriendly actions of the United States of America and other foreign states." According to the law, the government of the Russian Federation, upon the decision of the head of state, will be able to introduce retaliatory measures. At the same time, these measures should not affect essential goods, analogues to which are not produced either in Russia or in other countries. For the time being, the Russian government has not submitted any suggestion for responsive measures to the president.

[embedded content]
US can not do without Russia in space

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Iran has many reasons to distrust the West

2018/07/31

By Dave Harrison

Iran has many reasons to distrust the West. 62682.jpeg

Source: Fotodom.ru

In the West, Iran has repeatedly been vilified and demonized as a persistent troublemaker and 'fly-in-the-ointment' to peace in the Middle East, but Westerners should study contemporary history and world events more closely from their perspective. These events reveal some disturbing, political incidents which have brought Iran to its present situation and give more clarity to its foreign policy decisions and actions.

As far back as World War II, neutral Iran was the subject of intervention when a Western-led invasion (1941) secured the 'Persian Corridor' as a supply route to its Allies. To accommodate this support, the West pressured the Iranian government to replace Shah Reza who resisted the invasion with his more compliant son, Crown Prince, Mohammed Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.

In 1953, Iran's progressive and popular PM Mohammed Mosaddegh, was deposed by an Anglo-American-directed coup d'etat and replaced by Shah Pahlavi, making him Iran's sole, autocratic leader with his close ties to the West. Demonstrators and objectors to the overthrow of their burgeoning democracy were arrested, imprisoned or tortured by the Shah's secret police, the SAVAK. Had the West not interfered, Iran would most likely still have a democratic government - which they demand today - rather than an Islamic Republic.

Years of unrest followed until February, 1979, when Shah Pahlavi finally fled to Egypt, and Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile in France and became Iran's Supreme Leader during the Islamic Revolution. Khomeini was only a young child when the SAVAK arrested his father at their home in the middle of the night and hung him from a tree before his very eyes. From that moment on, Khomeini had neither love nor trust for the blood-thirsty Shah, and his controllers in the West.

An April, 1979 referendum approved an Islamic Republic and a second referendum in December, 1979 approved a Theocratic Constitution which replaced the despotic, autocratic rule of the Pahlavi monarchy. Years of tyranny had finally been brought to an end by the Iranian people's choice of leadership and constitution rather than be directed by nations from afar with their own interests in mind.

As an Islamic republic, it was immediately opposed by the West and held in contempt as a government which did not adhere to the separation of church and state - a basic, mandatory requirement of Western democracy. Since then, Iran's relationship with America has been both restrained and, at times, confrontational.

Such disdain for an Islamic Republic is classic irony since politics in America is dominated by right-wing, Christian politicians and backed by dozens of sketchy, extremist, far-right televangelists - and their hordes of odd-ball followers - whose narrow-minded views and policies date back to the Wild West era when America did its level-best to eradicate the Native people in their country.

Radical Islamists who stormed the American Embassy on Tehran in November 4, 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage did not help their diplomatic relations. America was rightfully blamed for its support of the repressive Shah (and his henchmen) and the West's repeated interventions in Iran's political affairs. America's failed hostage rescue attempt did not help, either. After 444 days, all hostages were released and returned to the USA unharmed.

In September, 1980, the devastating Iran-Iraq War began and the West chose its proxy, Saddam Hussein. The war - with a loss of almost one million lives - concluded in a stalemate (1988) and UN-guided truce. The fact that America fully backed Saddam and Iraq - Iran's mortal enemy - with finances, weapons, munitions and intelligence reports was never forgotten by the Iranian people.

Later, the US decided to make its own war against the Sunnis and, in the end, hung 'their man' in Iraq on a host of false allegations against that country. For the US, expediency is the 'name of the game' which makes them nothing less than merciless, international 'users', a fact which does not go unnoticed by most nations and day-to-day followers of international events.

In July, 1988 the American Navy vessel USS Vincennes, while deployed in the Persian Gulf, carelessly and mistakenly identified Iran Air 655 as an enemy aircraft and shot it down with a surface-to-air missile. All 290 innocent civilians on board - which included dozens of women and children - were killed.

The US reluctantly acknowledged the incident days later but never admitted legal liability and, to add insult to injury, never apologized to Iran and the Iranian people. For America, the loss of 290 Iranian civilians was just a minor, 'ho-hum' incident in which a civilian airliner got in the way of their 'lovely war'. This event clearly bespeaks America's historic lust for killing and endless blood-letting which is a long-standing trademark of their country.

The ship's captain, William C. Rogers III, who should have been prosecuted for all 290 deaths, was never charged and, ironically, was later awarded the US 'Legion of Merit' for "exceptionally meritorious conduct". This was another slap-in-the-face to Iran and all those who died as a result of Captain Rogers' less-than-meritorious actions and glaringly poor judgment.

The final straw in Iran's clash with the West has been Trump's decision (2017) to unilaterally cancel the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiated between the five, permanent UN members, Germany, the European Union, and Iran, and to punish Iran - yet again - for something it did not do.

Until its cancellation by America's president, Iran had observed all articles of the agreement but, once again, was betrayed by this Western power. Such a misguided decision has put peace in the Middle East, and Persian Gulf, into jeopardy.

Although the world may not always agree with Iran's decisions and actions, these recent, historical events give us a clearer understanding of their present-day views. These events - as indicated above - have given Iran ample reason to mistrust promises, peace treaties and agreements offered to them by Western, democratic governments, and especially the United States.

Dave Harrison

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Fun Photos of Russia [new part]

2018/07/31

WW2 photos by Oleg Knorin [26 photos]

2018/07/31

Russia's Defense Ministry orders thousands of army medals

2018/07/31

Russia's Defense Ministry announced a tender for the production of 2,500 medals "To participant of military operation." The news was made public after a relevant publication appeared on the state procurement website.

As much as 645,000 rubles were allocated to make the medals. In addition, the ministry plans to release 500 medals "To participant of peacekeeping operation," 2,000 medals "For military merits" and some others totaling 9.96 million rubles.

The winner of the tender will be announced on August 27. In total, 21 types of medals will be released, as well as six memorable signs in the form of a standard, 19 insignias in the form of the cross and more than 4,300 various forms of certificates.

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Peasants life in Arkhangelsk 1910 [37 images]

2018/07/31

NAVY Parade Petersburg 2018 [photos]

2018/07/31

Pakistani army rescues Russian climber stuck for week on snowy mountain

2018/07/31

Military men of the army of Pakistan conducted a successful operation to rescue a Russian climber, who stayed alone at an altitude of 6,200 meters on a slope of Mount Latok-1 of the Karakorum ridge.

Pakistani army rescues Russian climber stuck for week on snowy mountain. 62680.jpeg

According to the Nation, a Pakistani newspaper, and the interdepartmental service for public relations (ISPR) of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, the climber, Alexander Gukov, was blocked on the slope for six days before he was rescued on Tuesday, July 31, in an "intense helicopter mission." The man ran out of food three days ago, but rescuers could not rescue him because of bad weather conditions. The climber was staying at an altitude of 6,200 meters, and the cloud cover was at 5,000 meters.

Two Pakistani military helicopters and dozens of people took part in the mission to save the Russian climber. The Russian Embassy in Pakistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rendered assistance in organizing the rescue operation. Russian citizens transferred more than a million rubles to the account of the Federation of Mountaineering of Russia to assist in the operation.

After the rescue, the climber, Alexander Gukov, was taken to hospital. He has not suffered from frostbite, but the man remains very weak and can talk with difficulty.

Gukov was climbing Mount Latok-1 as part of a group of five mountaineers. One of the team members was injured as a result of a rockfall. The injured person remained in the base camp with two other climbers.

Two other participants of the summit ascent - Alexander Gukov (resident of St. Petersburg) and Sergei Glazunov (resident of Irkutsk) - decided to continue their ascent. It remains unclear whether they managed to succeed. Gukov's partner died when he fell off the mountain with all the climbing equipment.

Gukov was thus left alone on the mountain; he did not have any cables to continue descending on his own. The mountaineer sent an SOS message, his friends established his coordinates, but it was impossible to reach him as the ascent was highly complicated.

The website of the Mountaineering Federation of Russia said that Glazunov and Gukov were among the participants of the mission to ascend Mount Latok-1 for the filming of "Impossible - it's not forever" documentary. They attempted to climb to the top in 2017, but failed to do it because of bad weather.

Mount Latok-1 is a peak in the Karakoram mountain system; the mountain is 7,145 meters high.

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Terrorist attack in Tajikistan: Car crushes four cyclists

2018/07/31

The Islamic State* terrorist organization (banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the death of four foreign tourists after a car rammed into a group of cyclists in Tajikistan.

[embedded content]
Car rams into cyclists in Tajikistan

Representatives of SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors activities of terrorists, said that the attackers were "soldiers of the Islamic State*" who committed the attack in response to calls to attack foreign citizens, natives of the countries of the international anti-terrorist coalition.

Yet, spokespeople for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan said that they did not believe in the statement from the terrorist group. The Tajik authorities hold the Islamic Revival Party (banned in Tajikistan) responsible for the attack.

The incident occurred on July 29 in a rural area near Dushanbe, Tajikistan. A car rammed into a group of cyclists killing three of them instantly, whereas another one died later at hospital. The cyclists were citizens of the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Three other people were injured.

Interior Minister of Tajikistan Ramazon Rakhimzoda, commenting on the incident, said that investigators did not exclude the version of the terrorist attack. The footage from surveillance cameras shows that the attack was intentional. The video of the incident shows a car ramming into tourists, then turning back and crushes victims again.

The incident has become the first-ever attack on foreign citizens in Tajikistan.

*terrorist organization, banned in Russia

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Russia's Hmeymim airbase under drone attack

2018/07/31

Militants sent an unmanned aerial vehicle to Russia's Hmeymim airbase in Syria. The drone was destroyed, the head of the Center for reconciliation of the warring parties, Major General Alexei Tsygankov said.

Russia's Hmeymim airbase under drone attack. 62679.jpeg

Source: Mil.ru

The incident happened on July 29 at night. The drone was detected with the help of airspace control systems. The UAV was destroyed at a safe distance from the base.

This is not the first time when militants try to approach the Russian airbase in Syria from the air. Two days before the above-mentioned incident, Russian anti-aircraft systems destroyed another drone launched from the territory that still remains under the control of illegal armed groups.

Russia's Hmeymim airbase located south-east of the city of Latakia in Hmeymim, Latakia Governorate, Syria. The airbase shares some airfield facilities with Bassel Al-Assad International Airport. The legal status of the base is regulated by a treaty Russia and Syria signed in August 2015. At the end of 2017, Russia said it had decided to turn the Hmeymim base into a component of its permanent military contingent stationed in Syria.

[embedded content]
Inside Russian airbase in Syria. Pravda.Ru exclusive

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Common heroes: Ouday Ramadan, the Old Syrian

2018/07/31

Once the poet wrote "When your heart calls, how do you respond? Damascus, you are the cup, the brush, the sword..."

Common heroes: Ouday Ramadan, the Old Syrian. 62678.jpeg

I met Ouday Ramadan navigating the ocean of Facebook, following coasts of blatant posts, skirting islands of real news and fake news, landing in ports of common places after having sailed seas of banality.

The result is a friendship of modern times, made of like, sorry, repost, short and salacious answers and, perhaps in the future, who knows, something deeper.

Thanks to him, I discovered a Syria that I ignored and did not suspect even existed: a Syria seen with the eyes of those who love it deeply, eyes full of gratitude and respect. Deeply "assadist", as he defines himself, Ouday has spent a lot to defend his Syria with words from the beginning of the terrible war that has been bloodied it for almost seven years. Where others have changed flag again and again, following the advantage of the moment, he has remained the same. He is not a soldier, he is not an agent of the Intelligence, he is not on the payroll of the presidential family.

In fact, the old Syrian also has Lebanese roots and lives here in Italy for many years, respected non-clandestine immigrant. Since he is so different from the average Italian that has been cleverly imposed to us in recent years by forces that have nothing to do with Italy, I asked him to tell us something about himself and his Syria. The result was a friendly, sometimes affectionate, conversation, much longer than I had originally thought and which I can not transcribe easily from the spoken word.

Ouday tells us about his childhood spent between Lebanon and Syria, between two completely different worlds as only the capitalist Lebanon could be compared to the socialist Syria of the Baath. These were the years of Syrian rebirth from the feudal yoke of colonialism but also those of the Lebanese civil war. The need to emigrate abroad to escape increasingly dangerous violence brings young Ouday to Italy where he still resides today. He lives in our country, loving and respecting it in such a profound way that it is not common even among Italians.

Ouday says: "... you turn Italy for long and wide, you fall in love with this land, you fall in love with grapes, you fall in love with tomatoes, you fall in love with people, you fall in love with churches, History, ... discover that Italian for his nature is open to others ..."

These are the words of who lived without the iPhone in always in his hands, in years lucky, when the Internet was still just a perverse idea of a few miles of cables thrown at the least worst.

In some ways, Ouday reminds me of the old gypsy Melquiades of One Hundred Years of Solitude, so skillfully sketched by Garcia Marquez: as in Melquiades, even in Ouday we feel the echo of another, ancient civilization, which contemplates the time and the human with different eyes, with an intensity and depth that are not Western ones.

The love for his native land has resurfaced with the beginning of the war. A war that is not civil, as the Western media would have us believe, but a proxy war, in which foreign players have shared in advance what should have been the spoils of Syria destroyed in order to hit comfortably Moscow and Beijing.

But now that the liberation of Daraa, the city where the protests led by the West began, more than seven years ago, Idlib is there waiting. The sons and daughters of Syria are preparing themselves for the mother of all battles, the one that will complete the liberation and the reconquest of the country.

It is geopolitical, but not only: Iran is there on the Syrian ground to honor the debt made when Assad's father helped the Islamic Republic attacked by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Russia instead is committed to defending its interests in the Mediterranean and worried about a jihadist victory, danger that it had escaped in Chechnya and in the Caucasus at the cost of two bloody wars and who knows how many Intelligence-like operations.

It is dominion over the world. Financial capitalism, global but agonizing, which seeks to survive by plundering the last nations that reject it.

It is Israel: because there can be no peace with the Zionist State until at least it returns the occupied Golan. That same Israel that protects the jihadist militiamen and against whom they have never even fired a firecracker. That same Israel that secures almost 800 White Helmets, whose infamous mission had evidently failed. That same Israel that shot down the Syrian Sukhoi-22 on its borders. That same Israel that does everything to convince Moscow not to give modern anti-aircraft defense systems to Damascus.

However, the plot of the Western powers has broken down: the help of Iran and Russia and especially the huge sacrifice of the Syrian soldier allowed Syria to survive.

This is what Ouday, the old Syrian, tells us.

And Idlib is there waiting, mother of all battles.

*********************

Video of the interview on YouTube (Italian only):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RcSU7bYlgA

Costantino Ceoldo - Pravda freelance.

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USA and Turkey shred their relationship to pieces

2018/07/30

In May of last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised his US counterpart Donald Trump when he paid a visit to the States. These days, however, the two leaders blackmail and threaten each other against the background of Erdogan's "perfect" relations with Putin.

USA and Turkey shred their relationship to pieces. 62677.jpeg

Source: REX/Shutterstock

Another reason for the relationship between the USA and Turkey to aggravate was the arrest of US pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey. The Turkish authorities accuse him of maintaining ties with FETO - a movement of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen (banned in Turkey). Turkey claims that the latter was behind the failed military coup in Turkey in July of 2016.

An official representative for the US administration announced that Washington would introduce sanctions against Turkey if the US pastor remained under arrest.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu immediately responded that no one had the right to dictate to Turkey what to do. "We will never tolerate threats from anyone. Everyone is equal without any exceptions before the law," Çavuşoğlu tweeted.

Interestingly, both Donald Trump and Recep Erdogan have chosen one and the same tactic to increase ratings among their voters: they search for external enemies. Over the past two years, the Turkish leader has managed to blemish his ties with a number of European leaders. Erdogan accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi methods", branded the Netherlands as the "capital of fascism" and called Israel "the most Zionist and racist country in the world."

Donald Trump tries to keep up with his Turkish counterpart. In March of last year, while meeting Angela Merkel in the White House, he defiantly refused to shake her hand. In June of 2018, at the G7 summit, Trump took a few candies from his pocket and casually threw them on the table in Merkel's direction.

Trump arranged another scandal at the NATO summit in Brussels in July, where he managed to have a row with Washington's European allies. He claimed that the USA would pull out from NATO if EU states refused to raise their military spending.

On Thursday, July 26, US Congress decided to ban the shipment of F-35 aircraft to Turkey unless Ankara refused to purchase S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country would not terminate the contract with Russia. "We had been trying to purchase air defense and missile defense systems from the US, but these attempts were never successful, so we accepted the Russian proposal," the Turkish minister explained.

To make matters even worse, the Pentagon started shipping arms to Kurdish rebels in Syria, whom Ankara considers terrorists and separatists. Erdogan said later that Trump "stabbed Turkey in the back."

It is worthy of note that the relations between Washington and Ankara are worsening against the backdrop of improving personal friendship between Recep Erdogan and Vladimir Putin. During the BRICS summit in the capital of South Africa (July 25-27), the leaders of the two countries held a confidential conversation, during which Putin reminded Erdogan of his promise to invite the Russian president to a restaurant. "I accept this invitation, but there's one condition: when you let Russian meat products enter the Turkish market, when the restaurant has our meat dishes, then we'll have a lunch together," Putin said.

Erdogan promised to work on this issue and stated that "the friendly relations between Turkey and Russia cause jealousy in some people." The Turkish president obviously made an allusion to Donald Trump who can see USA's once staunch ally Turkey drifting towards Russia. The White House is particularly concerned about the prospect for Turkey to join the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization,) which is dominated by Washington's main rivals - Russia and China.

Thus, for the first time since Turkey joined NATO in 1952, Ankara has entered a period of deep crisis with the United States. If Erdogan eventually decides to close US Air Force base in the Turkish city of Incirlik, Turkey will cease to play the role of a NATO outpost that borders on the countries of the Middle East and Transcaucasia.

Aydin Mehtiyev
Pravda.Ru

Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

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Bad Roads [27 photo]

2018/07/30

Ukrainian army loses thousands of officers and contract soldiers in a few months

2018/07/30

During the first six months of 2018, as many as 11,000 officers and contract soldiers have left the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman.

According to Poltorak, about 18,000 officers and contract soldiers are expected to leave the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces before the end of the year because of low wages.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry decided to raise the pay service for the military from October 1, 2018. The ministry requests the government increases the funding from the budget by 4.5 billion hryvnia (more than 10.5 billion rubles).

In early 2016, a Ukrainian military man would be paid a monthly salary of 7,000 hryvnia (about $260). At that time, the amount was about five times the minimum wage and almost 1.6 of average wages in Ukraine. The increase in social standards in January 1, 2017 worsened the financial situation of servicemen, which led to the outflow of servicemen from the army.

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Russia to ship Karakurt missile vessels to Asia-Pacific countries

2018/07/30

Russia may supply Karakurt vessels to Vietnam, China, India and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said. Karakurt are small missile ships of Project 22800.

"These are very good ships with large tonnage, fine weapons, and most importantly, they have Caliber missiles. The corvette has an acceptable price. This is a compact and high-speed vessel. This ship has a very good export potential for a number of countries, especially of the Asia-Pacific region - Vietnam, China, India, other countries," the official said.

For the time being, Russia uses Karakurt vessels for Baltic, Northern and Black Sea fleets, as well as for the Caspian Flotilla. "The construction of three new ships has recently started at the Eastern shipyard, and I think that the interest in them will increase when new models are released," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Small missile ships of Project 22800 Karakurt are Russian multipurpose missile and artillery ships of near sea zone. The Russian Navy is to receive 18 small missile ships of Project 22800; the first two are to be delivered in 2018. The ships are armed with a complex of high-precision missiles and modern artillery systems.

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Flood in Kislovodsk [video]

2018/07/30

Russia's X-31 supersonic missile destroys target ship in Caspian Sea. Video

2018/07/30

A video of the launch of the X-31 supersonic anti-ship missile from the Su-34 bomber appeared on the Internet.

[embedded content]
X-31 supersonic missile destroys target

X-31 (NATO reporting name Krypton) is a medium-range tactical guided missile.

In addition to Su-34 fighters, Su-30SM, Su-24 and Su-34 and Su-25 attack aircraft also took part in military exercises that took place in the Caspian Sea about a week ago. In total, more than ten ships of the Caspian fleet and about 50 aircraft were involved in the drills. A target vessel was successfully destroyed.

Su-34 is a Russian 4++ generation fighter-bomber. The fighter is designed to strike enemy ground and air targets. The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art means of electronic warfare.

The Su-34 was put into operation in 2014. As of January of this year, more than a hundred fighter-bombers of this type have been assembled in the Russian Federation.

Russia used Su-34 aircraft during military operations in Syria.

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Appliance Maker Use Putin in Ad [video]

2018/07/30

Sanctions ruin professional career of former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul

2018/07/30

Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, can no longer study Russia as he did before because of sanctions that Russia imposed on him.

Sanctions ruin professional career of former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. 62676.jpeg

Source: commons.wikimedia.org/Kuhlmann/MSC

In an interview with MSNBC, McFaul said that his life took a dramatic turn after new visa restrictions came into effect.

"I'm a Stanford University professor. I've been a professor for almost three decades. Almost all of my research has been about Russia. I can't do research in Russia anymore. I'm on a sanctions list right now. My academic career about writing and doing research [...] is over," McFaul said. "My life has changed radically as a result of being on Putin's 'enemies list,'" he added.

Russia introduced sanctions against the former ambassador in November 2016. As the diplomat said, this was due to the fact that he had close relations with Barack Obama. According to sources at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia imposed sanctions on McFaul for his "active participation in the destruction of bilateral relations."

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Setting Mike Pompeo straight

2018/07/30

Setting Mike Pompeo straight

Yet another US Secretary of State who does not know his backside from his elbow making snide and insolent remarks about Crimea. Here comes the answer...

When addressing someone who has reached a pinnacle in her or his job or career or profession, it is polite to address the subject with a modicum of respect. However, respect is not demanded, it is earned and deserved. Let us apply the principle to the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

Looking at his recent comments on Crimea, insinuating that Russia should "give it back" after "annexing" the territory, one closes one's eyes and allows the adjectives to trickle down from the clouds...

Pompous. Also arrogant, deviant, stupid, ignorant, insolent, manipulative, sly, snide, rude, pigshit-thick, slimy, unpleasant and downright silly, a lightweight wannabe, utterly inept and incapable of fulfilling the brief, out of touch, incompetent, clinging at straws, uninformed, puerile, and an insult to diplomacy.

Justification? Well anyone is entitled to her/his opinion. The probable reason why such adjectives filtered down from the clouds above this writer's keyboard is because Pompeo's declaration on Russia and Crimea are total bullshit, balderdash, baloney.

Let us give Mike Pompeo a lesson in current affairs in language he can understand. Ah there you are Mr. Pompeo, pray sit yourself down over here, that's it, take a seat and make yourself comfortable. No, don't put your feet on the table, it's rude. Stop picking your nose, use a handkerchief. Stop fidgeting, how old are you? No, has someone lost the restroom key?... use the toilet for that please. Right now, settled?

OK so pay attention, listen carefully because I am going to say this once only. In 2014, there was a coup in Ukraine backed by interests linked to Washington, another example of your cuntry sticking its stinking nose into other people's business SHUT UP I am speaking. Google up shale gas and the Biden family Mister Pompeo or get someone at the State Department who knows how to use the Internet for professional purposes to do it for you.

In this coup, Fascist and terrorist forces came together and ousted the democratically-elected President, Viktor Yanukovich. Shots were fired indiscriminately on the crowd from the sixth floor of the Ukraine Hotel in "Maidan Square" Kiev to incriminate the police and create a "case" for rebellion. It would not be the first time the murderous filth sent from Washington left its disgusting paw-mark on slaughtered families overseas.

I don't know how you regard democracy in your country, Mister Pompeo but in civilized nations we respect the democratic will of the people and this is called the outcome of an election, although we are all well aware that in the good ol' US of A a leader can be picked by a minority, now what sort of phucked up system is that? As I said sit still for five minutes.

So in the absence of the democratically elected President, in the Republic of Crimea, Russian through and through until Krushchyov decided to hand it to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic some half century ago, the organism with the authority to impose and make the law was the legislative assembly. Check it out, Mister Pompeo. And that assembly decided to hold a referendum on status and lo and behold most citizens voted to integrate the Russian Federation. Pensions rose, salaries rose, standards of living rose, life quality rose and welcome to Mother Russia!

It is called Democracy, Mister Pompeo. DDDDDDDDDDdddddddddddddddemocracy! Try it some time. Crimea was annexed by nobody, it was and is Russia and always will be, it is not Iraq or Libya, speaking about annexations how are things going in those two places, eh? Sterling job you guys did in Benghazi and way to go with ISIS, eh whatty what what?

Now if I were in your position, here is what I would do, and you can see from what I am about to say that I would be far more competent in your job than you and your predecessors have been. And here is some sound advice for free which may one day save your job so don't sit there with a stupid expression on your snout, listen up.

First I would read and listen a lot more than I wrote and spoke. Secondly I would remember that as Secretary of State you are supposed to be your country's leading diplomat, difficult to remember with that string of screaming banshee Irish and Indian females in the UN representing the USA but diplomacy means diplomacy.

I would remember that the POTUS is elected by the people of the USA to govern the USA and not one centimeter outside its frontiers. I would remember that as Secretary of State I would represent my people who would expect that I knew and understood the issues I was talking about. I would remember not to make an idiot and an orifice of myself in public as you have done with your lies about Crimea.

I would conduct relations with an eye-to-eye approach and not a top-down, Anglo-Irish-elitist stance which Washington systematically adopts. I would conduct policy from a multi-lateralist approach favoring development and education over deployment of troops and confrontation.

I would remember that conducting eighteenth-century politics in the twenty-first century can only result in the short term because it is in a nutshell a policy of arrogance, bullying and blackmail and belligerence, chauvisism and is downright disrespectful to the family of nations which co-habit this planet.

Your country may be big and powerful but only at the expense of entire families of Native Americans slaughtered and butchered by the European filth that found its way over there, dessecrating the land, murdering its peoples and its animals like the savages they were. Today they would be shot like rabid dogs.

So if you adopted my approach you would find that Americans do not have to pretend to be Canadians when visiting the Old Continent, you would find that Americans would be welcomed with wide and genuine smiles, not stony-faced hatred and knuckle-clenched seething fury when venturing overseas, you would see that Americans would no longer have to be taught "kidnap mode" behavior when doing their jobs abroad.

If you have an iota of intelligence, Mister Pompeo, think about it. Oh and read up on Crimea. You will find quite a few articles here written by myself and other colleagues providing you with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but. So butt out of here, run along and play with Donald and Willy.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

Twitter: @TimothyBHinchey

timothy.hinchey@gmail.com

Setting Mike Pompeo straight. 62675.jpeg

*Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey has worked as a correspondent, journalist, deputy editor, editor, chief editor, director, project manager, executive director, partner and owner of printed and online daily, weekly, monthly and yearly publications, TV stations and media groups printed, aired and distributed in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal, Mozambique and São Tomé and Principe Isles; the Russian Foreign Ministry publication Dialog and the Cuban Foreign Ministry Official Publications. He has spent the last two decades in humanitarian projects, connecting communities, working to document and catalog disappearing languages, cultures, traditions, working to network with the LGBT communities helping to set up shelters for abused or frightened victims and as Media Partner with UN Women, working to foster the UN Women project to fight against gender violence and to strive for an end to sexism, racism and homophobia. A Vegan, he is also a Media Partner of Humane Society International, fighting for animal rights. He is Director and Chief Editor of the Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru.

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Russians go on mass rallies nationwide protesting against retirement age raise

2018/07/30

Many Russians took part in mass rallies held in Russia during the weekend to express their protest against the decision of the government to raise the retirement age.

Predictably, the rallies in Moscow were the largest. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, about 7,000 Muscovites gathered on Saturday on Sakharov Avenue, and about 3,000 came to the same street on Sunday.

On Saturday, the rallies were held under the patronage of the Communist Party, whereas the meetings on Sunday were organised by libertarians. The rallies organised by the Communist Party gathered at least twice as many people, even though on Sunday, the agenda of the rallies was broader: in addition to the retirement age, the rallies were also devoted to so-called Yarovaya laws* and the VAT increase from 18 to 20 percent.

The turnout, of course, could have been much higher, but given that the rallies took place during the holiday season, the numbers are acceptable. Experts say that the Russian government, most likely, was expecting a much smaller turnout. The rallies will not overturn the pension reform, of course, but the people have sent their message to the government.

Many experts believe that the protest activity will increase considerably in autumn.

*The Yarovaya law refers to a pair of Russian federal bills, 374-FZ and 375-FZ, passed in 2016. The bills amend a pre-existing counter-terrorism law and separate laws regulating additional counter-terror and public safety measures. It is known to the public under the last name of one of its creators - Irina Yarovaya. Among the amendments included an expansion of authority for law enforcement agencies, new requirements for data collection and mandatory deciphering in the telecommunications industry, and increased regulation of evangelism, including a ban on the performance of "missionary activities" in non-religious settings.

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Russia stops producing An-124 Ruslan jumbo jet

2018/07/30

Russia will no longer produce the An-124 Ruslan jumbo aircraft. Instead, a new superheavy aircraft will be created to replace the Russian by 2027.

[embedded content]
Russian An-124 Ruslan jumbo jets will not transport NATO tanks anymore

According to Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Borisov, Russia simply does not need the Ruslan aircraft. The vice-premier said that the Ruslan would undergo profound modernisation: the research work for its improvement was included in the State Armament Program.

The An-124 Ruslan is a heavy long-range transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. The Ruslan had not had a competitor airplane for six years - from 1982 to 1988. The An-124 was created for airdrop missions, for the transportation of mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles and other heavy military equipment. A Ruslan aircraft is capable of lifting a cargo of 120 tons into the air.

Fifty-five Russian aircraft haму been built since the time when the first aircraft was assembled. The last aircraft was assembled in 2004.

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20 Soviet Actresses

2018/07/29

Idlib: the mother of all battles

2018/07/29

For Syria, the war is not over yet. While Daraa and Quneitra return under the army of Bashar al Assad, the strategists in Damascus prepare the offensive towards the last and fundamental enemy stronghold: Idlib. And it is here that they prepare what the Lebanese site Al Masdar has defined, not wrongly, "the mother of all battles":

Idlib: the mother of all battles. 62673.jpeg

https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/exclusive-syrian-army-prepares-for-mother-of-all-battles-in-idlib/

According to the Lebanese site, the Syrian army's elite troops, the Tiger Forces, have already set their sights on the Idlib governorate. Once finished with the Yarmouk basin, where the Islamic State continues to engage the army and its allied militia, the forces of Damascus will concentrate on the north-west of the country.

by Lorenzo Vita

The objective, according to sources, is first of all the reconquest of the Plains of Al-Ghaab and of the entire district of Jisr Al-Shughour. While special forces will focus on this area, the Syrian Republican Guard and the Fourth Armored Division will head towards Jabal Turkmen and Jabal Al-Akrad, near Latakia.

In this way, it will be possible to guarantee the security of the border between Syria and Turkey and stop any possible advance of the troops of Ankara or related to it, as happened in the north in the Kurdish cantons. They will be the pillars of the reconquest of the north-west of Syria.

Together with the army and the militias, the Kurds could also join. As we wrote in these hours, the Rojava fighters could join the Syrian army in the siege of Idlib as part of the post-conflict agreement. Assad needs men, while the Kurds need guarantees that only the war can give. And the enemies, jihadism and Turkish influence, are the same.

The Russian armed forces have been preparing the offensive on the province of Idlib for several weeks. As we had written on this paper, the Moscow delegates sent to Daraa to convince the rebels to sign the surrender told the militiamen not to go to the north like the other armed groups. The Russians advised the rebels to surrender their arms and immediately recognize the government of Damascus, because after the south, the goal would have been precisely the city of the northwest.

The Russian aviation has been engaged for many months in raids against the city controlled by the jihadists. But it never started to hammer the province deeply. They are usually attacks that occur in response to blows inflicted by groups in the area.

For example, in recent months, local militia operations have increased with drones against the base of the Russian Air Force in Khmeimim. In February, however, the Russian aviation unleashed a rain of fire on Idlib in response to the downing of the Su-25 pilot Roman Filipov. Everyone will remember the gesture of the Russian military, who blew himself up so as not to fall into the hands of his enemies.

Now, with the coming end of the South offensive, Vladimir Putin's forces can concentrate on the area closest to their bases. Between Latakia, Khmeimim and Tartus, Russian Air Force and Navy prepare the liberation of the whole region close to the main Russian command centers in Syria. No coincidence that in the last few days ships from the Bosphorus have been sighted loaded with weapons and vehicles for the Syrian army. A journey that has lasted for years and which intensifies every time a new campaign is imminent.

The province of Idlib has always been one of the keys to the Turkish strategy in the war in Syria. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently called the Russian president to discuss the city in the Syrian northwest:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey/turkeys-erdogan-says-will-discuss-idlib-deraa-with-russias-putin-idUSKBN1KF1G6

Located a few kilometers from the Turkish border, Idlib has always been monitored by Ankara.

When the so-called Astana block decided the way of the de-escalation zones, Turkey was given the responsibility of the Syrian northwestern province both for obvious geographical reasons and above all because it was able to control the rebel galaxy that had taken control of the city and of the region: in particular, the Free Syrian Army.

In this group, which had its own cradle in the province of Idlib, the initials of Islamic fundamentalism were immediately merged under the supervision of Erdogan. The latter, in turn, will then be defeated by the local branches of Isis and Al Qaeda, in a fratricidal war of terrorism.

With the de-escalation zone, the Turkish army has set up observation posts throughout the North-Western Syria region. Outposts that have often represented strategic and political obstacles for the Syrian army. Assad knew that in that area he could not go any further.

But now, the situation has changed. Idlib is no longer one of the many fronts of the Damascus war: now it is the war front. Erdogan is in a very uncomfortable position. He continues to defend the jihadists of the area, but at the same time he knows that it will not last long. He knows that he may lose his eagerness to control the area, but he can not in turn stand against Putin, a precious political partner for the Middle East.

The risk that the Astana agreements end up with Idlib is very high. But it was something that all the parties involved could expect. The agreement between Syria and Turkey to send all the rebels to the north by busses has always seemed to want to postpone the problem once the reconquest of Syria from Damascus to the border with Israel and Jordan has ended. A problem that would have been solved in the only possible way: the final battle.

In the province, all the rebels who have not surrendered to Damascus are continuing to converge. But there are not only them. Idlib, in recent years, has been transformed into the last stronghold of Islamic terrorism. All the acronyms have been converging for months with the idea that there will be the final battle with the Syrian army and the Russian Air Force.

It seems to witness the final catharsis. In that land there are all, from the Chechens defeated by Putin in the Caucasian war to the Uyghurs who came from China to support the Caliphate. Together with them, all the fighters of the Islamic State fled from all parts of Syria, others from Iraq: foreign fighters and rebels united to fight Assad. There is Al Qaeda, in its Syrian declination. And there are, as mentioned, all the rebels who did not surrender to the Syrian army, from those of the eastern Ghouta to those of Daraa and Quneitra.

There is something profound and highly symbolic in defining the battle of Idlib as "mother". It seems difficult only to combine the beauty of a word that links life to a siege that will lead to the death of hundreds of men on both sides. But Idlib will also be a mother: the mother of a new future. From this siege, the fate of Syria will be decided. And it seems that only from this battle can there be a new beginning.

********************

Original article by Lorenzo Vita:

http://www.occhidellaguerra.it/idlib-battaglia-finale/

Translation by Costantino Ceoldo - Pravda freelance

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Italy: Something is moving

2018/07/28

The actions of the government that came out of the polls in March 2018 are slowly taking shape, giving not a few surprises to all its citizens.

The Dignity Decree, strongly desired by the 5Stelle, was a first step to try to bring order into the Italian labor market, after the unfair decisions taken by the previous governments that had handed Italian workers to a dark future, made up of precariousness and exploitation.

At the same time, the government in office cut the extra pension that Italian parliamentarians are maturing after only 3 years in parliament and who immediately receive as soon as the legislature is over. A typically Italian distortion, now decades old, which would have been better to abolish it altogether but we reserve it for the future.

Almost concomitant was also the cancellation of the AirRenzi contract, as the presidential plane wanted by the former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was scornfully called, to the modest sum, so to speak, of 150 million euros and after never used. Now the Italians will save 100 million euros and in its place will be used the other aircraft supplied to the Italian State for presidential flights.

But it is today's news, Friday, July 27th, to give me the greatest pleasure: the office of the new president of RAI, the Italian State Television, has been given to Marcello Foa, an Italian journalist who was student of and very closed to those two complainant giants who were Indro Montanelli and Mario Cervi.

Foa leaves the office of CEO at "L'Eco del Ticino", an Italian-language newspaper published in the Italian-speaking Switzerland. He was also a university professor, correspondent for foreigners at "il Giornale" and he is a talented writer too.

Expert in spin techniques, the techniques for manipulating and directing public opinion according to the wishes of politicians and power groups, Foa wrote a book about them. It was a great success for ten years, to the point of deserve a very recent updated rewriting. In his "The wizards of the news", he explains in detail the tricks and cunnings of the spin doctors so that the careful reader can get the tools to fight at least the grossest lies, that a certain way of doing politics tries to propose to the public opinion as soon as possible.

Personally, I met Foa by chance, approaching him in an even naive way, ignoring who he really was. I translated into English an article of his, about Obama's America with the idea of forwarding it to Paul Craig Roberts, with whom I was already in contact and then I wrote to inform him. The result was a friendship, which grew over time: I interviewed Foa several times for Pravda, hoping to be able to explain at least a little bit of Italy to all those who are not Italians.

For how I see the matter, the Italian State Television is to have at its main office a man with a deep culture and competence.

The problems to be faced will not be few and the political attacks have already begun, from the part that has not yet digested the loss of the last elections, but Foa has the temper and the knowledge to succeed in his new role.

What about Marcello as human? As I knew him, he is a good man from the past.

It seems incredible, but we will have as president of Italian State TV a concentrate of good qualities. What can go wrong? Maybe everything, maybe nothing.

RAI's Board of Directors must confirms the appointment but I think the road is all down as the choice comes just from the government in office. To Marcello Foa, whom I consider a Teacher as well as a friend, I wish my best wishes for a good job: RAI is in good hands. Something in Italy is slowly changing. For the best.

**********************

Costantino Ceoldo - Pravda freelance

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No doubt about it, the scientific paper just published in Nature Communications's well-respected Nature group, proves that the theory developed in 1956 by Rudolph Arthur Marcus, which earned him the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1992, is wrong.

At stake is the reorganization of molecules required for the transfer of electrons. For this type of chemical reactions to occur, Marcus's theory predicts that this reorganization has to be mainly done in solvents, but the study now published says that it is not so, showing that the key to electron transfer is in the reagents.

This discovery is the culmination of two and a half decades of studies developed in the Department of Chemistry of FCTUC, which generated much controversy within the scientific community along the way. The great driver of all this research was chemist Formosinho Simões (FCTUC professor, who died in December 2016), who has always questioned Marcus's theory.

"Dr. Formosinho Simões argued that the key to electron transfer was in the reagents, but crucial experimental evidence was lacking to refute Marcus's theory because Marcus was a very credible scientist and his theory was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1992», Says Luís Arnaut.

Faced with two radically opposed views on this chemical reaction, "in 1993 I brought together the most eminent chemists in the world at a NATO Workshop in Portugal to discuss the problem. With the exception of Formosinho Simões, no one dared question the Nobel Prize. It was a very intense discussion," recalls the FCTUC professor.

However, the group of Coimbra did not fade away and advanced alone in the design of experiments that allowed to determine which of the two theories was correct. It took 25 years: "It was an extremely difficult task. We have had to design, design and execute a wide range of studies and experiences. There are many reasons that justify so many years of study, including the need for highly sophisticated equipment that we did not have, the need to synthesize molecules that did not exist and the hiring of highly qualified personnel to develop the work ", stresses Luís Arnaut.

In addition to all these difficulties, the FCTUC scientists had to face criticism from the scientific community, who insisted on not accepting that a Chemistry Nobel could be wrong. After a long and winding road, finally, in 2014, the team of Formosinho Simões and Luís Arnaut met the appropriate conditions to realize "the decisive experience. The results were complete at the end of last year (2017). We submitted the scientific paper to the Nature group and, once again, the controversy was inevitable, "says the study's coordinator.

However, the arguments of the scientists of the FCTUC persuaded the reviewers of the magazine and the article was published this Wednesday (25 July). Asked what the reaction of the scientific community will be, Luís Arnaut believes that "perhaps he will be perplexed because what is written in the article is against the current. It clearly states that Marcus's theory does not work. "

As for the practical implications of this new theory - called the "intersection model of states" - the professor comments: "I do not think that suddenly the theory developed in Coimbra allows us to produce a product that reaches the market with advantages over existing ones. It took us 25 years to realize this experience, so it is expected that it will take many years to develop systems in a different way. But our model can inspire better solutions in areas where electron transfer is important. "

Electron transfer reactions are the basis of oxidation-reduction reactions, occurring in biological systems such as photosynthesis and respiration, as well as in artificial systems, for example, solar panels, conductive polymers used in televisions and computers, optoelectronics, etc.

Cristina Pinto
Coimbra University
Photo By Marcin Białek - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://ift.tt/2NPnzcd

Translated by Natália Santos

Portuguese version

Pravda.Ru

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Three conditions to force the US dollar system to collapse

2018/07/27

Russia has recently disposed of US Treasury bonds, but the move was like a gnat bite for the US financial system. To force this system to collapse, one needs to meet three requirements. Does one need to force the US dollar to collapse, though?

Three conditions to force the US dollar system to collapse. 62670.jpeg

In 2015, Donald Trump told Fox News that the United States could become another Spain or Greece that were standing on the verge of financial collapse. According to him, the US has been borrowing from China and other countries and has thus amassed the public debt of 13 trillion dollars.

If America's debt is so large, why hasn't it collapsed yet? The answer is simple: there are too many of those who want to invest in the US economy. During Trump's presidency, USA's public debt has increased to 21 trillion dollars - all because the Americans accurately pay off their bonds worth about ten trillion dollars a year. The US dollar is a commodity, a world reserve currency, and if banks run out of dollars, the entire world economy will collapse. The more dollars creditors have in their reserves, the more stability one gets.

Can the USA come across difficulties in attracting new loans to pay off old ones? The world community is convinced in the stability of the US dollar based on the Bretton Woods agreement. Plus, the US and Saudi Arabia had agreed to trade oil in US dollars, and all countries had subsequently joined their agreement. All exchanges buy and sell oil and other raw materials only for dollars. All banks maintain more than 60 percent of their liquidity in dollars. The euro accounts for only 30 percent, whereas the yuan and other currencies account for only ten percent.

It is very hard to shatter the world's faith in the US dollar. The above-mentioned agreements and treaties can be revised only as a result of a war. Is there a peaceful way? Technically, the dollar may decline in value considerably, prompting market members to sell their dollar assets. These market members are the countries that hold US bonds and futures, as well as ordinary investors, such as, for example, citizens having dollar bank accounts. For this situation to happen, at least several conditions are required.

First, the dollar should be weak. Trump as President has broken the 70-year tradition to support the strong dollar. The weak dollar gives the government an opportunity to service the debt more easily. In addition, Trump sees the strong dollar as a hindrance to his trade war with the world. The Wall Street Journal said that the dollar exchange rate remains ten percent overvalued. To liquidate the USA's trade deficit of 500 billion dollars, the rate of the US currency will have to decrease considerably.

There is a reverse side to it too. The debt-to-GDP ratio currently stands at over one hundred percent, and calculations show that it will grow. This factor will undermine confidence in the dollar.

Secondly, one needs to have a viable monetary alternative for buyers and investors. If we get rid of the dollar, what are we going to buy instead? How are we going to trade? One may suggest the yuan and the euro, but the yuan is a regulated currency, and the euro is a regional one. It does not look like China wants to switch from commodities to capital trade to make the yuan a convertible and strong currency.

Thirdly, someone needs to push the dollar to make it collapse. Debt holder nations could, as it seems, massively dispose of US bonds. It's only about five trillion dollars: if China and Japan started disposing their treasury stock on the secondary market, this would cause great panic. Yet, the yuan fluctuates within a corridor. China artificially lowers its rate to quietly enter the US market. In addition, US bonds bring China a stable income in dollars, which the country needs to meet importers' demand.

Japan is now trying to exit the 15-year deflation cycle after the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima nuclear disaster. If the dollar becomes weak, then the goods valued in yuan and yen will cost relatively more in the United States. They will become less competitive.

The countries that lend to the US may start selling US bonds either for political reasons or if they see their stocks dropping in price too quickly and they have another export market to replace the American one.

Thus, the collapse of the dollar, and therefore of the American system of living in debt is unlikely to happen. If it happens, the world will experience a global economic shock. Gold, the euro, energy carriers and other goods will become more expensive. The debt service will grow, US import prices will rise sharply, hyperinflation will follow, and exports will not yield any revenue. Inflation, high interest rates and volatility will suppress the growth of the real sector. The United States, perhaps, will launch military redivision of the world, since every war brings profit and economic recovery.

Lyuba Lulko (Stepushova)

Pravda.Ru
Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

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Jerry Jones: American Racist

2018/07/27

During the 1960s and early 70s, this was a popular paraphrase of an Eldridge Cleaver quotation: "If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem."

Jerry Jones: American Racist. 62669.jpeg

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is part of the problem.

If there was a race to decide which National Football League (NFL) team owner deserves the title of "most racist," it would be close to a dead heat.

While there are many owners in contention for this title, for brevity's sake I will just list a few: There is Stephen Ross. Although this may seem like an odd choice, given that Ross has received accolades for helping the African-American community, his desire to punish players who kneel in protest during the ritualistic playing of the national anthem demonstrates that he is little more than a fair-weather liberal who wants to "play the good guy" by paternalistically helping African-Americans, just as long as they know their place and don't become "uppity Negroes"; there is Daniel Snyder, who pretends that his team's nickname-a racist opprobrium against Native-Americans-actually "honors" Native-Americans; there is Bob McNair, who complained that letting players protest during the anthem was synonymous with letting "inmates run the prison," and who, according to a former player, was "visibly upset" when Barack Obama won the presidency; and there is Mike Brown, who openly rejected former player Eric Reid after Reid refused to agree to end his anthem protests. What makes Mike Brown especially abhorrent is that his father Paul was one of the first coaches to reintegrate football in 1946, and, in 1969, signed Tommie Smith-an African-American Olympic sprinter who, just a year earlier, had outraged white America by protesting during the playing of the national anthem after winning the gold medal in the 200 meter.

But the winner by a nose is Jerry Jones, not because he is any more racist than many NFL owners and executives, but because he proudly wears his racism on his sleeve.

It was Jones who, just a few months ago, threatened to sue the NFL. One of his complaints was that Commissioner Roger Goodell refused to adopt a hardline stance against anthem protestors. And it was Jones who, through his communications with Donald Trump, intertwined the federal government with the NFL, and thus helped make any so-called "anthem policy" subject to constitutional scrutiny.

Recently, the NFL Players Union (NFLPA) challenged the NFL's new policy that required players to either stand during the playing of the anthem or remain in the locker room, and the NFL agreed to suspend this policy and hold talks with the union to reach another solution.

But, naturally, this wasn't good enough, or racist enough, for the autocratic, megalomaniacal Jones. In apparent violation of an NFL edict that owners were not to discuss anthem policies while negotiations were ongoing, Jones recently announced, in keeping with (to use Al Sharpton's words) his "plantation mentality," that he expects his players to "toe the line" and stand during the anthem, and that they will not be allowed to remain in the locker room during it.

Naturally, like many beneficiaries of white privilege, Jones endeavored to camouflage his racism by pretending that he "understood" why African-American players felt the need to protest. But his statement was soon undermined by the fact that he also announced his support for a pizza chain whose former spokesperson had condemned the anthem protests, and who had used the racist "N" word during a conference call.

While I detest the NFL, especially for its treatment of Reid and Colin Kaepernick, I also find it despicable that Jones wants to suckle at the NFL's teat for profit, yet is such a hypocrite that he openly defies its policies while tyrannically demanding that players not defy his.

Even a first-year law student would agree that, when a new law or rule is suspended, the common practice is to revert to the original. In this case, that rule states that players "should" stand during the playing of the national anthem but are not required to.

It is clear that Jones's so-called "policy" explicitly contradicts this rule, and it is my hope that the NFL openly denounces it as unenforceable, and/or the NFLPA files a grievance against it. And if the union wins, Jones should be required to pay any and all legal fees both sides incur.

Of course, what Jones is banking on is that his threats will make players too intimidated to defy him, thus reducing the prospect of a grievance being filed. But, if history is any indication, his optimism might be short-lived.

There are two high profile trials scheduled during the NFL season involving white police officers who shot and killed African-Americans. The first is from a suburb of Dallas, Jones's home turf: The trial of the officer accused of murdering 15-year-old Jordan Edwards is scheduled for August 20^th; and the second trial, tentatively set for September 5^th, involves the officer who killed Laquan McDonald in Chicago.

While I certainly express hope that both these trials will deviate from the all too predictable pattern of predominantly white juries either being unable to reach a verdict or issuing outright acquittals, what if history repeats itself? Are these NFL players, who are also human beings, supposed to suppress their outrage, and sycophantically grovel before King Jerry and his racist iron-hand?

There are those who endeavor to take succor in the hope that history will revere the sacrifices of Reid and Kaepernick, much like it now reveres John Carlos and Tommie Smith's Olympic protest and the activism of Muhammad Ali.

But why must it always take the passage of years to open one's eyes? Why can't humanity recognize these sacrifices, and the issues that fuel them, in real time? Think how many injustices could have been avoided and how many lives could have been saved.

Some have argued that Jones is trying to suppress the anthem protests because he believes it hurts the prospects of the NFL developing into an international league. But, in a just universe, the opposite would be true: The world outside of the United States would be reviled at the prospect of Ross, Snyder, McNair, Brown, Jones and others of their ilk exporting their repugnant brand of autocratic racism to other nations.

America may be reaching a critical juncture in its history-a time where the meaning of patriotism will either be defined by rich, racist autocrats who view patriotism as a synonym for obsequious obedience, or by people who believe patriotism means having the right to question, to challenge the status-quo, to dissent, to protest, and to think for themselves.

So please use your right to think wisely, because the freedoms that could be lost might one day be your own.

David R. Hoffman, Legal Editor of Pravda.Report

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Problem of Russia's smoking aircraft carrier solved

2018/07/27

The modernisation of the combustion system, the injector part and power management will solve the problem of "black smoke" that was coming out from the pipes of Russia's only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, scientific director of the Krylov State Research Center, Valery Polovinkin said.

[embedded content]
Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov worst aircraft carrier in the world?

"We know, figuratively speaking, the weak points of this ship and will offer solutions for their modernisation. First of all, it goes about energy. We are revising problems related to ecology as well," the official said.

"As for the asbestos that the ship's boilers are lined with, there is a way out too. There are internationally used eco-friendly polymer materials that are resistant to high temperatures," Polovinkin said.

The official believes that Russia needs at least four aircraft carriers (two for the Northern and two for the Pacific fleet). Polovinkin believes that such ships should have the displacement of up to 100 thousand tons, as well as an atomic power plant and an electromagnetic catapult. The construction of small aircraft carriers is a dead-locked situation, the official said.

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Russia to bar foreign countries from transporting oil and gas via Northern Sea Route

2018/07/27

Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Borisov said that the right to transport hydrocarbons along the Northern Sea Route can only be granted to ships sailing under the Russian flag.

The official said at the International Maritime Show that the Russian government was working to grant Russian ships a unique right to transport and store hydrocarbons within the Northern Sea Route.

Borisov drew attention to the fact that the Russian Federation pays a lot of attention to the development and "replenishment" of the civilian fleet, especially when it comes to vessels intended for the transportation of liquid bulk cargo.

The Arctic region is known for its enormous deposits of hydrocarbons. The Russian shelf measures 4.1 million square kilometres - the territory is as large as the territories of all EU countries combined.

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Woman's skeleton with mysterious black markings unearthed in Ukraine

2018/07/27

An international team of archaeologists from Ukraine and Poland found burial sites near the Dnieper River. In one of the graves, researchers unearthed the skeleton of a woman buried about 5,000 years ago.

Woman's skeleton with mysterious black markings unearthed in Ukraine. 62667.jpeg

Source: Michal Podsiadlo

Archaeologists discovered unusual black markings on the bones of the skeleton. At first, the scientists assumed that the marks appeared because of activities of animals. However, having studied the bones, the researchers concluded that it was other people who put the markings on the bones after the woman was buried.

Most likely, the markings were applied on the woman's body after she was buried. Some time later, the body was exhumed and the markings were applied repeatedly, this time on the bones.

The archaeologists concluded that the mysterious markings on the bones of the deceased designated her high position in the community. It is believed that the woman was buried when she was 20 or 30 years of age.

The peoples of the areas, where the burial sites were found, used to lead a nomadic way of life. For this reason, archeologists have not discovered remains of their homes.

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USA to strike Iran this August

2018/07/27

The United States of America is to strike Iran's nuclear facilities already this August, ABC said with reference to an anonymous source in the Australian government. Most likely, Australian and British military will take direct participation in the special operation of the United States.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull soon stated, though, that the information about the imminent attack of the United States on Iranian nuclear facilities was a hoax. Turnbull urged everyone not to believe ABC as anonymous sources of information, in his opinion, were not trustworthy.

The relationship between Iran and the United States remains highly intense. Several days ago, Major General of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qasem Soleimani, told US President Donald Trump that America "will lose everything it has" should the States attack Iran.

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Russia to crush economy of Belarus

2018/07/27

The decision of the Russian government to lift the export duty on oil will strike a serious blow on the economy of Belarus. The move will deprive Belarus of the oil subsidy that the country has been receiving over the last two decades to re-export cheap Russian raw materials.

Russia to crush economy of Belarus. 62666.jpeg

Source: belorusneft.by

According to publications in the press of Belarus, such a move would make the economy of Belarus collapse, oil would cost Belarus as much as it costs other countries. Prior to the adoption of the law on the abolition of export duties, Belarus was buying oil from Russia thus saving about several billions of dollars a year.

Belarus would normally sell some of the Russian oil to Western countries at its own price. This year, the volume of such re-exports made up about six million tons. Because of the new Russian bill, Belarusian media outlets say, Minsk will no longer be able to resell the Russian oil at a higher price.

It is worth noting that Russia is not going to lift the export duty in one day: the implementation of the bill will take six years. Belarus may try to reduce imminent losses through domestic reforms, but the Belarusian economy is going to suffer a serious damage anyway.

Source: Fotodom.ru

Last week, United Russia MPs proposed amending the federal law about the procedure to leave and enter the territory of the Russian Federation. In accordance with these amendments, the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs should hold mandatory accreditation of all companies rendering intermediary visa registration services to Russian citizens.

In order to obtain accreditation, a visa issuance company is supposed to have representative offices in at least 20 regions of the Russian Federation, whereas the share of foreign participation in the authorized capital of the company should not exceed 20 percent. In addition, applicants should have certified technical means to process confidential information (including biometric personal data). The amendments also require at least three years of experience in collecting and processing documents for obtaining visas on behalf of diplomatic missions and consular missions.

According to the press secretary of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Irina Tyurina, none of existing operators can meet the criteria proposed in the draft law. For example, it is unclear how they should comply with the requirement of foreign participation.

Presently, there are six companies that run visa service centers in Russia: VFS Global, GVCW - Greece, VMS - Italy, BLS - Spain, India, TLS - Great Britain, Switzerland, Belgium and Pony Express. The information on each of these companies is available to the public in the state register of legal entities.

It is unlikely that these companies can be replaced with Russian ones: even if they meet all other requirements, Russian companies will not have three years of experience in rendering visa services.

Needless to say that the adoption of amendments will trigger a mirror response from other countries. In this case, big plans to attract foreign tourists to Russia, especially after the World Cup, may not materialize.

To make matters worse, residents of Russians regions will have to come to Moscow to get a visa to a foreign country. They will also have to spend many hours standing in long lines to visa departments of foreign embassies, as it was practiced during the 2000s.

In a nutshell, all this is nothing but bad news that, if it becomes real, will complicate the lives of all Russian travelers. The news triggered countless "iron curtain" discussions in social media in Russia. The "iron curtain" has many holes in it as Russia has visa-free regime with many countries. Yet, the curtain would be very strong when it comes to a trip to Europe or to the States.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs, Sergei Krivonosov, (United Russia) said that the Russian authorities, on the contrary, seek to minimize visa restrictions.

"At the initiative of the president, we are currently preparing proposals to simplify visa procedures. There are a number of countries that have already simplified the procedure to issue visas for Russian citizens. I haven't heard of the initiative that you're talking about. The State Duma's Subcommittee on Tourism (Sergei Krivonosov heads it - ed.) works to simplify visa procedures," the MP told Pravda.Ru.

"We do want to make the procedure simpler, because we've had problems with bankruptcies of tour operators. We believe that an electronic visa can help. I am sure that there is no iron curtain of any type involved," Sergei Krivonosov added.

Oleg Artyukov
Pravda.Ru

Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

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The horror story called Brazil: Murder and destruction

2018/07/26

The horror story called Brazil

Those who know Brazil speak highly of a fine country with friendly people, a land embued with natural charm mirrored by its peoples. There is a darker side.

This story does not filter through the Brazilian media to the outside. You will find it in socioambiental.org, a Brazilian environmentalist site and a very good one, speaking about the peoples of the interior and their fight to survive, and the systematic dessecration of Brazil's resources by those with ties to the exterior. Yes, the hand of Uncle Sam reaches the Amazon and the Amazonians.

Blood on their hands

So let us spread this story far and wide. Two stories in fact. The first is eye witness accounts from native Americans speaking out about death threats, invasion of territory and the murder of native Americans, even and especially children, so that they will not grow up, by death squads with links to farming and mineral interests. In short, murder the Indians to seize their lands and create massive latifundia, cattle ranches, cutting down and selling the timber in the process or else selling off the subsoil to the Americans.

In Brazil and still today, there are some 100 peoples denominated "isolated" or those living deep in the forest with little or no contact with the outside world. Taking a look at it, who blames them? But they are totally unprotected from the aggressive actions of poachers, narcotraffickers, oil companies and timber merchants.

Their complaints were heard last month at the Second International Meeting Eyes on Protection Policies for the Indian Peoples who are Isolated or had Recent Contact, in Brasilia and these peoples come not only from Brazil but also from Columbia, Bolivia, Equador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, so it is an international problem and one which the international media needs to wake up to. Among the peoples represented, and to see the scale of the problem, were the following:

Tapayuna, Tenharim, Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Jamamadi, Zo'é, Waiwai, Katxuyana, Huni Kuĩ, Manchineri, Ashaninka, Waorani, Uwottüja (Piaroa), Ayoreo, Kukama Kukamiria, Kubeo, Inga, Tenetehara, Tacana, Hixkaryana, Kahyana, Kulina-Pano, Marubo, Matis, Kanamari, Awa Guajá, Harakbut, Shipibo.

One hundred million trees in six months

The second story is equally appalling. In just one area of Brazil, Xingú, in just six months, one hundred million trees have been cut down by miners, timber merchants and other farmers who wish to expand their farms. These lands belong to isolated indigenous peoples and are home to many undiscovered species of plants and animals. Until what point this tragedy goes on unabated remains to be seen. So where is this story in the international media?

The destruction of the forest is increasing in rhythm, while many have the idea that deforestation stopped years ago. It did not, with the silence of the media it is taking place faster than ever.

What is the rest of the world doing about it?

Photo: https://ift.tt/2JXa9Zl

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

Twitter: @TimothyBHinchey

timothy.hinchey@gmail.com

Join the most international forum on the Net

http://engforum.pravda.ru/

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Swimming Costume PKT in Red Army

2018/07/26

Abandoned town in mountains

2018/07/26

Putin sends his army chief to Israel, France and Germany for the first time

2018/07/26

Never before had Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forced Valery Gerasimov traveled on a joint tour abroad. Obviously, these two officials play the role of "messengers" who clarify certain issues for Putin-Trump meetings. Yet, why does Gerasimov need to attend meetings in Berlin and Paris, if Germany and France play a secondary military role in Syria?

Putin to Merkel and Macron: 'You need to talk to my army chief'. 62662.jpeg

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forced Valery Gerasimov paid visits to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and then went to Berlin and Paris, where they had meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Macron. Judging by brief reports in the press, the officials discussed the state of affairs in Syria and the regulation of the crisis in Ukraine.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was present at the meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, July 23. Immediately afterwards, Netanyahu talked to Vladimir Putin on the phone. Russia has fulfilled its promise to guarantee the presence of the Syrian army in the south, on the border with Israel, pushing Iranian forces away from it. In turn, the US accepted the idea of Bashar Assad keeping his office. Iran earlier said that it could consider withdrawing troops if Russia could guarantee its interests.

What kind of interests are they? Bashar Assad keeps his office and remains an ally in the region. Weapons supplies to Hezbollah via the territory of Syria will have to be frozen.

Israel's recent evacuation of White Helmets from Syria shows that the agreements are being implemented. Even the Syrian military aircraft that Israel shot down on Tuesday, July 24, did not trigger anything big. Former Iranian ambassador to Damascus and adviser to Iranian foreign minister Hussein Sheikh al-Islam said that Russia should not interfere in Syria's internal affairs. "The Syrian government is the only party that has the right to decide who will stay in Syria, and who will leave it," the Iranian official said. Most likely, it was not only the Iranian position that the official voiced.

The meeting in Berlin was held in the presence of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attended the meeting in Paris. According to Western publications, the meetings were arranged at Russian president's request. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the officials discussed issues related to Syrian refugees and the implementation of the Minsk Accords for the regulation of the crisis in Ukraine (the Normandy format).

What was the need for Mr. Gerasimov, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, to be present at all those meetings? Paris and Berlin play a secondary, one can say a humanitarian role in the Syrian conflict. It was reported that Russia and France launched a joint humanitarian operation in Syria's liberated south. But what does Mr. Gerasimov have in common with it?

Yet, Berlin and Paris are directly responsible for the rise of fascist regime to power in Ukraine. They are also responsible for the anti-Russian hysteria in Europe. Russia held the FIFA World Cup and could now have a frank explanation with European leaders about its stance on Ukraine. Russia's position on the crisis in Ukraine has changed. Suffice it to recall Putin's recent proposal to hold a referendum in the Donbass. This is where Mr. Gerasimov could come in handy to talk about the red line that Ukraine has crossed in the Sea of Azov.

Earlier, Putin warned that the exacerbation of the crisis in the Donbass could lead to serious consequences for Ukraine's statehood. It appears that the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces already has a plan of action at this point. It appears that this plan takes into account Ukraine's possible move to launch a military operation against the Donbass either at its own will or by instructions from the deep state.

The above-mentioned meetings, held at Putin's request, looked like a message from Putin to Merkel and Macron: "Talk to Gerasimov, if Lavrov doesn't sound convincing for you."