World-News

These war games, officially tagged as part of a counter terrorism program, are in direct response to US military threats in the region including the planned attacks against Iran.

https://tinyurl.com/sy3pz


From Information Clearing House

W. Joseph Stroupe writes: "The vast bulk of the world's oil, gas and strategic minerals resources either is coming under or is already under the control of authoritarian, or less-than-democratic, or leftist, or otherwise radical regimes either with a decidedly anti-Western political stance and ideology or pointedly decreased sensitivities to strategic US interests. Contrary to the assumptions of conventional wisdom, the US hasn't any longer the global leverage to shape unfolding developments in its favor."

https://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082506F.shtml

https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russian_General_Slams_BMD_1_999.html


Informant: Kev Hall

Moscow's political elite has been steadily drumming a new message into the heads of its guests from around the world, a message that has already taken hold in their own country: Russia, reborn from the ashes of the Soviet Union and newly awash in oil and gas revenues running into the billions of dollars, no longer feels compelled to play second fiddle to the world's major powers.

https://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,426393,00.html


From Information Clearing House

Video

At a joint press conference held in Russia on Saturday with President Bush, President Putin joked that his country didn't want to have the same kind of democracy that the United States has in Iraq.

QuickTime video.
https://tinyurl.com/n4zpv


From Information Clearing House

"Russian-Iranian military-technical cooperation is proceeding in complete compliance with relevant international norms," Lavrov told reporters on a plane en route to Moscow from Paris on Thursday.

https://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11553176


From Information Clearing House

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already spectacularly preempted this weekend's Group of Eight (G8) summit in St Petersburg with his own bit of Pipelineistan news. Putin announced in Shanghai on June 15 that "Gazprom is ready to support the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and India with financial resources and technology".

https://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HG14Dj03.html


From Information Clearing House

He singled out US Vice-President Dick Cheney, who earlier this year accused Mr Putin of backsliding on democracy.

https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5172794.stm



Bushists Back Hard-Right in Russia

The reason Putin is now attracting continuous criticism from the lords of the West has nothing to do with the very real contraction of democracy and increasing authoritarianism in Russia.

https://tinyurl.com/hxco4


From Information Clearing House

Russia's fleet is returning to the Mediterranean as the Kremlin sends military advisors and weapons to Syria.

https://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,422911,00.html


From Information Clearing House