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Just looked on Guaido's Wikipedia page:
"Chávez had severed relations with Israel more than ten years ago, favoring support for Palestine during Operation Cast Lead; Guaidó seeks to restore relations with Israel.[189]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-israel/venezuelas-guaido-says-he-is-working-to-restore-ties-with-israel-idUSKCN1Q10Q9 "
*rolls eyes*
Yes, Pompeo was pretty clear that they'd only go after sanctioned trade via INSTEX or other channels. It was pretty hard to watch that pair of hypocrtical chancers, though, tbh! Hunt implied that Iran was making threats *despite* all of the JCPOA sanctions relief that the UK and EU are currently providing!
And Guaido was not "elected" as leader of Venezuela, despite how many times they say it, and it's not "restoring democracy" to install him via a coup. Incredible that they described Venezuela as struggling without any reference to the massive US sanctions, Bank of England freezing billions of their assets, sabotage of their electrical grid, armed coup attempts, etc. Rather despicable to then use the resulting dire conditions in Venezuela as an attack on Labour, imo (irresepective of where you stand on their current political outlook).
I honestly think people like Pompeo and Hunt just rely on enough people being distracted by Game of Thrones, or whatever, to keep churning out this rubbish out without it being subject to proper analysis! Telling that the journalists didn't ask many probing questions either - reminded me of Chomsky speaking to Andrew Marr :)
Yes, it feels odd doesn't it, Noodle! This is, in effect, a 'hijacked' US administration, though. It will all come out one day (soon, hopefully!): https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/the-happy-go-lucky-jewish-group-that-connects-trump-and-putin-215007
The Mueller Report only focused on very narrow topics. Seriously, would the Trump team directly conspire in secret with Russian intelligence/Government officials!? No, they'd do it via intermediaries and/or in plain sight – loads of this is 'out there' and I think there are something like 19 on-going investigations...
Russia, Israel, Saudi, UAE and perhaps Egypt are all involved from what I can tell e.g.: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-secret-yacht-summit-realigned-middle-east
Jared Kushner is one of the key figures: Remember that his family are friends of Netanyahu's from way back, he got top security clearance because Trump demanded it (over the objections of intelligence officials), he has been in regular contact with MBS via WhatsApp, he's responsible for the 'Deal of the Century' (I'm sure that that won't be one-sided!), etc...
Ever get the impression that this US Administration's main goal may not actually be 'America First'!? https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-israel-antisemitism/us-may-review-ties-with-countries-deemed-anti-israel-envoy-idUSKCN1SB0FI
How long until criticising the crazy current Israeli Government is considered Anti-Semitic!? It's scary for the Jews who don't buy into that particular brand of extreme, right-wing Zionism because genuine Anti-Semitism is now on the rise.
Why can't any of the 'mainstream' journalists seem to put all of these things together!? BBC are an absolute laughing stock – Jeremy Hunt was out promoting it around Africa the other day (is that really his job?).
All good fun!
Anyway, this move by Iran seems astute, imo. I said a few days ago that things may need to “a bit choppy” before there's progress – good on 'em! It is interesting to note that Zarif keeps mentioning that Iran are “still at the negotiating table” and Rouhani said today that they are looking to renegotiate with this move...
I also searched for the "Security Engineer" role listed on WSG websites and found the following cached page from 1st March 2019: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:i59mQMUosQ4J:https://www.indeed.co.uk/VMS-Engineer-jobs-in-England+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
So the Westminster job was there in March but I can no longer find it on 'indeed.co.uk'
Looking at WSG corporate website: https://www.wsg-corporate.com/about-us/vacancies/
The “Construction Manager” role is no longer there and I couldn't find it on any Google search. Has it disappeared or was it never on the corporate site in the first place?
All three remain on the WASS vacancies page: https://www.wass-ltd.com/vacancies/
I was searching for the WSG "Technical Project Manager" ME job role and found the following:
https://uk-job.info/en/state/Oxford/job/5c7913b24b0b837b74473e0c
"The Project Manager role will be based in the Middle East, candidates must have previous experience of the design, development, integration, installation. and documentation of security architectures including Security Systems, IT Networks, Screening Systems and VMS Platforms. The role will comprise of all aspects of project management including site meetings, site visits, paperwork, ensuring installations of security systems are installed to the correct standard, and to strict deadlines. Responsibilities Responsibility for team leadership and accountability for building and motivating the team. Planning for and obtaining the appropriate levels and types of resource required. Establishing common milestones which link to the wider project/programme milestones. Providing progress and status reports to the Project Team and Project Director Ensuring the delivery of quality project, on target, within budget and other constraints. Identifying issues and recommending solutions to the Project Team and other relevant parties. Liaising with customers Project Engineers. Experience Experience of delivering large scale projects involving multiple security related disciplines and workstreams. Experience of project planning, monitoring and controlling projects using PRINCE2 or other Project Management related methodologies. Awareness of both relevant standards, integration of security systems including IT Infrastructures. Experience in the assessment, mitigation and management of project risk. Experience in managing project budgets to project schedules. Experience of deploying security projects in a secure environment. Experience of managing and delivering multiple security discipline projects within tight timescales and with limited resources in the Middle East. Westminster will offer a competitive package with overseas allowances to the successful candidate. If you are interested in the role, please apply to hr@wi-ltd.com with your CV and a covering letter as soon as possible to be considered immediately for the role."
Looks like the role was posted on 1st March 2019 (they appear to be using an American-style date system yyyy-mm-dd) and there is now a message saying "Sorry, but the opening has been filled."
Other jobs advertised on that uk-jobs.info site appear to be live and the dates given appear to be correct to the original company ads.
Also, a March date was given on this cached page (which no longer exists): https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lTjM_oODw0UJ:https://uk.jobrapido.com/jobpreview/518206767+&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
"President Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.” Cheif Hostage Negotiator, USA!"
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1121738863486095360
Sounds like somebody might be getting excited... ;)
Yeah, Zarif mentioned this publicly on Wednesday. Good tactic, imo, as it forces the US to make a move towards engagement and, because it was initially brought up privately 6 months ago, he won't get much flak back home i.e. it's not a new offer.
I highly doubt that Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be included initially as that is a UK-Iran issue (probably linked to INSTEX). She was working for BBC Persian - the less said about that outfit the better in terms of promoting good UK-Iranian ties!
Zarif also mentioned that Iran remains at the negotiating table...
Lol, no, my 'specialist subject' is something completely different. However, I do have an interest in the ME region and believe that it is in everybody's interest to know what's going on there, because it is affecting domestic politics and, therefore, life here (and will continue to do so).
To anyone who's interested in the link between Trump, the ME and UK politics, I would recommend starting with this company and looking at the 'Key people' involved in it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica
Robert Mercer (who partly owned CA) was one of the leading contributors to Trump's election campaign, along with his company: Renaissance Technologies.
The parent company of Cambridge Analytica is SCL Group, whose founder said: “"We use the same techniques as Aristotle and Hitler ... We appeal to people on an emotional level to get them to agree on a functional level.”
CA gave assistance to the Brexit campaign by providing the Facebook data of 87 million users – most of whom never gave their permission. To say that CA were a 'dodgy outfit' would probably be a massive understatement!
Steve Bannon (former VP of CA) worked with Sheldon Adelson on the Trump election campaign. There's video of Bannon's speech at a ZOA meeting where he eulogises Adelson and the vital help he provided.
Sheldon Adelson (billionaire donor to Trump) is on camera saying that he “hopes (his) little boy becomes a sniper for the IDF”, that he wants to launch nukes against Iran to force them to negotiate and: “All we care about (he and his wife) is being good Zionists; good citizens of Israel.” - except he is an American citizen!
Persuading people to vote against their own long-term interests is down to an art-form nowadays and social media companies like CA are at the forefront. If you've got Facebook, or analytics data like CA on your side as a political party/campaign, for example, you have knowledge of which issues people 'like' or 'dislike', or what their prejudices are. Then you can tailor your message to suit different audiences, or even target individuals to get them to back your cause – even if it what you say/promise is a lie. CA served it's purpose and now it no longer exists. Information is power, and tech companies have a monopoly on it. (Btw, I'm looking forward to us having to negotiate a trade deal with the Trump after Brexit – I bet that that will benefit every British person!)
It's also worth looking at Messianic prophecies because that's what Pompeo, Netanyahu and others seem keen on...
Anyway, I'm running on, but as I've said before: I just use independent media, read and know a few languages - anybody can do or learn the same and I would encourage it. Some of it could be wide of the mark, but the BBC are next to useless, imo (unless you want to live in a bubble - and there is something to say for that, I suppose!).
Fairview, I think that the UK population growth rate has actually gone down over the past 10 years.
The increase in buy-to-let (partly because of low saving rates) and general speculation in property (including the foreign money going into London property) also seem to be large factors in the price rises.
I'd be careful with properties, though, because the next big crunch is likely to be related to climate change, imo. It is already having an effect and it looks like it will only get worse:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584281/uk-climate-change-risk-assess-2017.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/26/rising-sea-levels-will-claim-homes-around-english-coast-report-warns
Hard to say how it would affect house prices over time (could depend on location) but it could suddenly make things difficult. We're already seeing extreme weather, crop failures, associated civil wars and population migrations. Plenty of people, banks, investors, etc. have already bought up land with freshwater reserves (ethics!?) and associated technology in anticipation:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/25/california-water-drought-scarce-saudi-arabia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Burry
Future wars could be fought over water - some say that they already are. Indeed, the Golan Heights - which Israel just 'acquired' - are a valuable freshwater source for that region.
Jungle, the Trump-Kushner understanding of the Middle East can be summarised by the phrase: 'Israel first' (with a bit of help for Saudi and UAE thrown in too). You only need to look at the biographies of most of those in the Trump admin (including Jared), those of the Russian intermediaries and oligarchs involved in the campaign 'help', those of the amplified right-wing social media agitators (and the owners of the platforms that give them air time), those of Trump's army of lawyer friends, and those of his financial backers.
It really is all in plain sight. But if the penny still hasn't dropped, Netanyahu has said today that he intends to name a town in Golan after Trump!
Their time for organising the 'Deal of the Century' could be running out, though, as more Dems call for impeachment (personally, I think that they'll need to drip feed some of the other ongoing case results to get his approval rating sufficiently low first - they must be conscious of civil unrest if Trump ramps up all of those indoctrinated fans with his tweets).
Meanwhile Iran are now struggling with floods and locusts on top of the new sanctions.
Read Trump's advice on deal-making, though, and note that Zarif is now in NY for the UN GA, and other meetings on the sidelines. He will be joining Iran's new man there, who indicated the other day that Iran are open to diplomacy (seeing as they're not at war with the US).
Could still get a bit choppy before any breakthrough, but I don't think that a stalemate suits Israel/Trump and their plans for the ME (due "in June")...
There's been plenty of apparent action on the diplomatic front regarding Iran over the past few days, the latest of which was this:
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/144202/Assad-condemns-US-terrorist-designation-of-IRGC-as-destabilizing
"The two sides not that the West, particularly the United States, should resort to diplomacy instead of waging warriors and employing economic terrorism against those who disagree with them." (sic)
This follows on from the following, which I think have all happened since the floods, IRGC designation and Netanyahu 'winning' the Israeli election.
- Zarif has completely reorganised his team.
- Iran's new ambassador to France met with Macron yesterday and presented his credentials.
- Pakistan are looking to mediate between Iran and Saudi and Khan will visit Iran on Sunday: https://persiadigest.com/Pakistani-PM-to-visit-Tehran-for-mediation-between-Iran,-Saudi-Arabia
- UAE and Saudi sent flood aid to Iran (very surprising!)
- Zarif is in Turkey today and Erdogan's son in law just met with Trump, Kushner, etc.
- Iran finally got a new UN Representative (having not had one since ~November). He was granted a US visa and is now in NY.
- Rouhani spoke to Macron about JCPOA after the IRGC designation - I think this was the first time they'd spoken in quite a while.
- An Italian MP met with the Iranians last week (again, there don't seem to have been many meetings between Europeans and Iranians in recent weeks).
- Pompeo mentioned on Monday that US diplomats in relation to Iran - that's the first time I can remember him mentioning diplomacy actually happening.
- The Iranians have pardoned a woman who removed her hijab in public - this was a big deal on the Human Rights front.
- On Friday, Iran's Intelligence Ministers said that the US has secretly indicated that they want to negotiate because they have realised that their sanctions aren't working(!)
In my opinion, it seemed like Iran had stopped engaging with the EU a few weeks ago and my impression was that it was because of disagreements over missiles and Syria. Apparently John Kerry had also been advising them to wait out Trump. It now appears that there's a renewed effort to talk, though. I guess that those floods, the new US actions and Netanyahu forming another government may have all played a part in Iran's thinking. There are rumours that Iran have approached the IMF for a loan and Khameini has just granted permission to access the Sovereign Fund for some cash (they have lost billions because of the floods). An EU delegation is in Iran to help with flood and water management.
Hopefully they see the negotiations through to a happy conclusion this time!
The previous Iranian representative 'stepped down' in late 2018 and the position has not been filled since.
The announcement regarding this new appointment was made on Tuesday.
Yes, Rouhani's first selection for the post was denied a visa.
The US have just given a visa to one of Iran's top negotiators from the original JCPOA talks. He's their new UN representative in NY. They haven't had one since November.
The Independent Group MPs spent a fair bit of time today running on about Israeli concerns. Not sure why...
Joan Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IziK9PIK9iI
Etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCMKkmG2M8s
Clearly a biased news source but the facts seem to check out: https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-lobby-funders-back-breakaway-british-mps
Also, it's interesting to note the links between several far right figureheads/groups and support for Israel...
e.g. Tommy Robinson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MADGN5wYFsw
https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-are-us-pro-israel-groups-boosting-a-far-right-anti-muslim-uk-extremist/
See also the links between Steve Bannon, Israel, Cambridge Analytica, Trump and Brexit...
And this from the January regarding Syria: https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-acknowledges-long-claimed-weapons-supply-to-syrian-rebels/
This from last week about the coup in Egypt: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190403-israel-general-israel-was-behind-coup-against-egypts-morsi/
It's surprising what researching WSG and the ME more generally throws up. There's two sides to every story, though, so DYOR...
* Add Sheldon Adelson, Saudi Arabia and UAE to that list and it's nearly complete, JungleLand!
The IRGC have been a sanctioned entity since 2017. Due diligence about supporting them has been required since then.
It's seems to be more of a present for our old friend, Netanyahu, who was struggling with corruption charges as Israelis go to the elections today: https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1115265423673573379
Netanyahu's tweet in English: "Thank you, my dear friend, US President Donald Trump, for having decided to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization. Thank you for responding to another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries of the region. We will continue to work together in every way against the Iranian regime, which threatens the State of Israel, the US and world peace."
Interestingly, when Brian Hook was asked if this will make it difficult for the US to speak to Iran at any point, he said "Doing this will not impede our diplomacy." There were more hints that 'Peace in the Middle East' can only follow a tamed Iran - as has been suggested before. Also, Iran will apparently be sending a former member of their JCPOA negotiating team to NY as a UN representative.
I'd imagine it would be easier for things to progress diplomatically once the Israeli elections are out of the way. Trump will still then need his own success story... What lovely people they are!
MTP, I was thinking that that Kent Police Knife Bar story tied in with the 25th May 2019 WSG news here:
https://www.wg-plc.com/news/
Probably not massive money, but a good endorsement.
I'm guessing that the Kent Police was the authority referred to in the most recent news story on the WSG official site:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/knife-bar-in-park-to-detect-blades-201883/
https://www.wi-ltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/WG-Portabale-Walk-By-Metal-Detector-2.pdf
September 2018: "We have been working closely with our Iranian client on addressing all these issues and are currently preparing an addendum to the contract covering proposed changes in equipment, order of the rollout programme and the financial and payment structures. Both parties remain committed to the project and are eager to exchange board letters to commence the project at the earliest opportunity."
We already know that the "order of rollout" within the wider "project" may be changing.
It is pretty much guaranteed that the terminal will not open at full capacity from day one. The last thing they would want is for there to be delays or negative press upon opening. I have read that more and more flights will be transferred and added as it comes up to speed - makes sense.