4 B-52s deploying to Middle East amid threat of “possible attack” (Source cbsnews.com)

Four B-52 bombers are being deployed to the Middle East in response to what administration officials said earlier this week are threats of a possible attack by Iran or allied fighters on American troops in the region. White House national security adviser John Bolton said that the U.S. was deploying a bomber task force and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command region, an area that includes the Middle East. Bolton said the movement was in response to “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.” He didn’t provide details, but said the U.S. wants to send a “clear and unmistakable” message to Iran that “unrelenting force” would meet any attack on U.S. interests or those of its allies. “The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces,” he said.

Central Banks Are Ditching the Dollar for Gold (Source Bloomberg) First-quarter gold purchases by central banks, led by Russia and China, were the highest in six years as countries diversify their assets away from the U.S. dollar. Global gold reserves rose 145.5 tons in the first quarter, a 68 percent increase from a year earlier, the World Gold Council said Thursday in a report. Russia remains the largest buyer as the nation reduces its U.S. Treasury holdings as part of a de-dollarization drive. “We’ve seen a continuation of the strong demand from central banks,” said Alistair Hewitt, head of market intelligence at the World Gold Council. “We’re expecting another good year for central bank purchases, although I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they are to match the level seen in 2018.” As well as regular buyers such as Kazakhstan and Turkey, the first quarter also saw Ecuador adding to its reserves for the first time since 2014, plus sizable purchases by Qatar and Colombia, the council said. The buyers are dominated by countries looking to reduce their dollar dependency, and are typically nations with a lower share of reserves in gold than Western European countries.

Venezuela thrust to forefront of US-Russia clashes(Source Associated Press) The crisis in Venezuela has been thrust to the top of a list of long-simmering spats between the United States and Russia, with both sides entrenched in diametrically opposed positions from which they are unwilling to retreat. Russia’s support for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is refusing to cede power to U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, is just the latest of issues that have split Washington and Moscow. The dispute comes as relations between the Cold War foes have already been riven by Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, its military intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad, its 2014 annexation of Crimea and continued backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine. And, even as President Donald Trump seeks better ties with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, his subordinates are stepping up criticism of Russia on these issues with a recent particular focus on Venezuela. Russia and Venezuela have a political, military and economic alliance that was cemented between Putin and the late President Hugo Chavez. The Russians have provided the South American nation with substantial assistance, including an air defense system and help circumventing U.S. sanctions on their oil industry, but insist the extent of their support has been exaggerated by American officials. Since the beginning of the week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton have repeatedly denounced Russia, along with Cuba, for aiding Maduro, whose re-election last year is viewed by the U.S. and more than 50 other nations as illegitimate because of fraud.

Putin signs off new law allowing Russia to cut off its internet from the rest of the world and paving the way for increased censorship (Source dailymail.co.uk) President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a ‘sovereign internet’ bill which will allow Russian authorities to isolate the country’s internet, a move decried by rights groups. Russian lawmakers insist the new law is necessary to ensure the security of Russia‘s online networks but critics say the vaguely worded bill gives new censorship powers to government monitors. The text of the law will not come into effect until November. The measures include creating technology to monitor internet routing and to steer Russian internet traffic away from foreign servers, ostensibly to prevent a foreign country from shutting it down.

The authors of the initiative say Russia must ensure the security of its networks after US President Donald Trump unveiled a new American cybersecurity strategy last year that said Russia had carried out cyber attacks with impunity.

Thousands of people recently rallied in Russia against this and other bills that critics say aim to restrict information and communication online.

Separately, Putin in March signed controversial laws that allow courts to fine and briefly jail people for showing disrespect towards authorities, and block media for publishing ‘fake news’.  

The laws are part of an ongoing Kremlin clampdown on media and internet freedoms that has seen people jailed for sharing humorous memes.

Iran’s Zarif warns US of ‘consequences’ over oil sanctions (Source Aljazeera.com)

Iran will continue to find international buyers for its oil and use the Strait of Hormuz to transport it, the country’s foreign minister said, warning that if the United States tries to stop Tehran it should “be prepared for the consequences”. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cautioned US President Donald Trump‘s administration against taking the “crazy measure” of attempting to block Iranian oil sales. Zarif also said it was in the Islamic Republic’s “vital national security interest” to keep the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz open.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major oil shipment channel in the Gulf. Zarif’s comments at an Asia Society event came after Washington on Monday announcedit was ending waivers that have allowed some of Iran’s largest oil customers to import fuel from the Islamic Republic in limited volumes without facing financial penalties from the US. The move means buyers must stop purchases by May or face sanctions, the White House said. It is aimed at bringing “Iran’s oil exports to zero” to deny Tehran “its principal source of revenue”.

“Jamestown to Jamestown”: NAACP to Commemorate 400 Years of African Diaspora this August(Source goodblacknews.org) At the 50th NAACP Image Awards, the NAACP announced its historic “Jamestown to Jamestown” event partnership with Ghana, marking the 400th year enslaved Africans first touched the shores of what would become the United States of America. An official event of Ghana’s “Year of Return,” Jamestown to Jamestown will allow for NAACP leadership, NAACP members, and members of the African American community to honor both ancestors and the struggle for Black liberation in a groundbreaking trek from Jamestown, Virginia to Jamestown in Accra, Ghana in August of this year.

The Jamestown to Jamestown events kickoff August 18 in Washington D.C., where participants will travel via bus to Jamestown, Virginia for a prayer vigil and candle- ighting ceremony marking the African “Maafa,” a term describing the horrific suffering embedded in the past four centuries related to the enslavement process. Participants will then travel back to DC for a gathering at the National Museum of African American History and Culture prior to departing to Ghana on a direct flight for 7 to 10 days of cultural, spiritual and cathartic experiences designed to connect the present to the African past.

JAPAN’S MEDICAL FREEDOM: NO VACCINE MANDATES AND HEALTHIER CHILDREN (Source blacklistednews.com) As politicians in the United States do their best to remove Americans’ freedom of choice when it comes to vaccines, Japan has medical freedom.  There are no vaccine mandates in Japan and their children are growing up healthier than ours. Officials in California are desperately trying to take away the rights of their residents by seeking to override medical opinion about whether or not a person is fit for vaccination, while politicians in New York are mandating the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine for 6-12-month-old infants even though that vaccine’s safety and effectiveness “has not been established.” (Link to Merck’s website – the creator of the MMR vaccine,) By Merck’s own admission, this vaccine is probably not safe, especially for infants.

Care to purposely give your 3-to-4-month-young baby gastrointestinal illness and upper-respiratory distress? Up your chances of sickening your child with these serious health crises by 40 – 60 percent, simply by getting a nurse or doctor to inject the so-called “safe and effective” MMR vaccine. Yes, the Measles, Mumps & Rubella shot, or choose any of them separate too, and the results are virtually the same. This is according to the FDA and a vaccine trial run on American kids. A shockingly high percentage of the children tested suffered extreme illnesses just days and weeks after receiving the same vaccine New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to utilize in order to force-vaccinate all the Orthodox Jews (who all know better and opt out using religious exemptions). The insidious CDC has been fully exposed only thanks to an FOIA request (Freedom of Information Act), and now the MMR may be considered the 3rd most dangerous vaccine known to mankind, running close behind the deadly HPV vaccine and the infamously defective and mercury-laden flu jab (influenza vaccine)

Tel Aviv Skyscraper: Remake of Tower of Babel or Preparation for Third Temple? (Source breakingisraelnews.com) One of the largest real-estate developers in Israel revealed plans for the soon-to-be tallest building in Israel that looks surprisingly similar to images of what the Tower of Babel may have looked like. But a closer look reveals the new building may be much more, what one rabbi thinks could be a dry-run for building the Third Temple. The Azrieli Group, an Israeli real estate and holding company, announced their plan to build Israel’s tallest building as an addition to their already impressive Azrieli Center Complex in Tel Aviv. Topping out at 91 stories and reaching 1,150 feet toward the heavens, it is estimated that the Spiral Tower will take six years to complete at an estimated cost of $666 million. The new tower will take its place next to the iconic circle, square and triangle towers that make up the Azrieli Complex. By building the Spiral Tower, the Azrieli Group will outdo itself as they built the current tallest building in Israel, The Azrieli Sarona Tower which stands 782 feet high with 53 floors, just two years ago. The plans are ambitious, with around 150,000 square meters containing commercial space, offices, residences, and a hotel. Six underground parking levels, covering an area of 45,000 square meters, will be built at the base of the structure, in addition to a commercial floor connected directly to the light rail. The tower’s peak will include space for conferences and meetings, recreational space, and a 360-degree view of Tel Aviv and the surrounding area. it is predicted that approximately 100,000 people will pass through the center every day.

The unique design was produced by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), a New York-based architecture firm which is responsible for five of the 10 tallest skyscrapers in the world.

China leads U.S. on potent super-fast missiles(Source Reuters)

China is leading the U.S. in a race to deploy hypersonic missiles that would defeat existing air defense systems, according to senior U.S. officials.

The combination of speed, maneuverability and altitude of these missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept. They travel at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound or about 6,200 kilometers (3,853 miles) per hour. Some will travel as fast as 25,000 kilometers per hour, according to U.S. and other Western weapons researchers. That’s about 25 times as fast as modern passenger jets.

Admiral Harry Harris, the former head of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee in February last year that hypersonic weapons were one of a range of advanced technologies where China was beginning to outpace the U.S. military, challenging its dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. Last April, Michael Griffin, the U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China has deployed, or is close to deploying, hypersonic systems armed with conventional warheads. These can travel thousands of kilometers from the Chinese coast and threaten American forward bases or carrier battle groups, he said. “We do not have defenses against those systems,” Griffin said. Russia may have already fielded a hypersonic weapon. At a parade in May last year, the Russian military displayed what it had earlier said was a hypersonic missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the missile as invincible.

United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists for first time(Source nbcnews.com)The murder of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi — in a year when more than half of all journalists who were killed around the world were targeted deliberately — reflects a hatred of the media in many areas of society, a free-press advocacy group said. At least 63 professional journalists were killed doing their jobs in 2018, a 15 percent increase over last year, said the group, Reporters Without Borders. The number of deaths rises to 80 when all media workers and people classified as citizen journalists are included, it said in its annual report.

The world’s five deadliest countries for journalists include three — India, Mexico and, for the first time, the United States — where journalists were killed in cold blood, even though those countries weren’t at war or in conflict, the group said.

“The hatred of journalists that is voiced … by unscrupulous politicians, religious leaders and businessmen has tragic consequences on the ground, and has been reflected in this disturbing increase in violations against journalists,” Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said in a statement.

Khashoggi, a royal insider who became a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and began writing for The Washington Post after moving to the United States last year, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October.

His death sparked worldwide outrage. Saudi officials have rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered his death.

Reporters Without Borders said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico.

Meanwhile, the shooting deaths of five employees of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, in June propelled the United States into the ranks of the most dangerous countries for the first time.