https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lapid-surprised-by-mossad-chief-remarks-embarrassed-before-u

Lapid surprised by Mossad chief remarks, embarrassed before US: media

Israeli media reported Thursday that the office of the Israeli occupation's Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, was surprised by Mossad chief David Barnea's criticism of US President Joe Biden's administration and demanded clarification.

Israeli Channel 12 had quoted the Mossad chief as saying in a series of internal meetings that the nuclear agreement "is very bad for Israel, yet, a strategic disaster."

According to the Israeli news website Walla!, Barnea's remarks created an embarrassment before the US administration after a few days in which there was a certain fading of the tensions between the US and "Israel" regarding the nuclear agreement and convergence of positions regarding the need to avoid further concessions in the negotiations with Iran.

The Israeli website said that despite Lapid's request, Barnea did not want to tell reporters that the US had hardened its position in the nuclear negotiations, claiming that this was the Israeli Prime Minister's position and not a professional one and added that he does not know what happened in the talks with the White House.

Walla! pointed out that Lapid and his men did not like this part of Barnea's remarks, which did not match the message that the Israeli Prime Minister's Office wanted to convey, and did not match the content of the National Security Council Chairman Eyal Hulata's talks in Washington.

Following Barnea's briefing, officials in Lapid's office contacted the head of Mossad's advisors and asked for clarification.

The news website cited officials in Lapid's office as saying that the Israeli PM has no problem with Barnea's position and also agrees with a large part of it. However, the problem, they said, was the lack of coordination when it came to some of the messages he conveyed.

In the same context, Walla! said that the head of Mossad David Barnea is the side pushing for the most extreme line on the Iranian nuclear deal within the Israeli occupation government, highlighting that it was not difficult for Barnea to convince former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett of his position.

Barnea claims that the entire Israeli security establishment supports his position against the nuclear deal, Walla! indicated, adding that to strengthen his claim, Barnea uses the fact that IOF chief Aviv Kochavi - who previously believed that the nuclear agreement had merits - aligned himself with his position a few months ago.

However, the Israeli news website pointed out that within the Israeli security establishment, there is a number of security officials that oppose Barnea's position and see strategic benefits for "Israel" in the event of signing a nuclear agreement, revealing that although Security Minister Benny Gantz does not announce it in public, he also agrees with these officials.

According to Walla!, the arguments of the camp that does not oppose a return to the nuclear deal are that such a deal would stop Iran's progress towards obtaining a nuclear bomb and roll back the Iranian nuclear program.

Another argument is that a nuclear agreement will buy time for the Israeli occupation to prepare for an attack against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israeli media: US not concerned with Lapid's stance on nuclear deal:

On Thursday, Israeli media quoted the former National Security Council head, Major General in Reserve Yaakov Amidror, as saying that "the Americans had previously deceived us in the previous nuclear agreement," stressing that the United States of America was "acting according to its interests."

On Wednesday, Israeli media reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden "does not take into account" the current Israeli occupation government with regard to the Iranian nuclear deal file.

Israeli media reported on Wednesday that the administration of US President Joe Biden "does not take into account" the current Israeli occupation government with regard to the file of the Iranian nuclear deal.

Israeli media cited, on Tuesday, a security source revealing that "the United States of America has relinquished all its demands to Iran." The source explains that "the assessment is that at this stage the crystallized agreement cannot be stopped," and that "Tehran got the dream deal."

Israeli media reported a few days ago, quoting political sources, that "Iran is close to signing the nuclear deal with major powers."

The political sources stated that "Israel perceives the present deal as a bad one," and pointed out that it is "preparing for various scenarios."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/germany-not-to-supply-kiev-with-weapons-to-strike-russia:-sc

Germany not to supply Kiev with weapons to strike Russia: Scholz

Germany will not be supplying weapons to Ukraine that would allow for strikes on Russian territory, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday.

"I believe that this principle should be followed by everyone else," German newspaper T-Online quoted Scholz as saying.

The German Chancellor then underlined that Berlin's goal is preventing Russian President Vladimir Putin from "winning the war […] so that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is preserved."

"The President of the United States formulated this quite clearly: he said that he would not supply weapons with which to shell the territory of Russia. I consider this a principle that we all agree on. And therefore we look at what others are doing," he underlined.

"Germany will not act alone and will focus on the actions of its allies," Sholz noted.

With Berlin acting this way, the German leader explained, the ongoing war would be contained and would not escalate from a Ukraine war into a "completely different war."

During his first visit to the training program of Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, Scholz underscored that his country would continue supplying Ukraine with weapons.

He reiterated what his government had said regarding supplying Kiev with the Flakpanzer Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, howitzers, and the Iris-T infrared air-defense system. According to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the Iris-T should be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Baerbock had said Wednesday that Germany could not send more weapons to Ukraine from its own military stocks, because it was already facing serious equipment shortages.

"We would like to support Ukraine militarily with everything we have. But unfortunately, in the current situation, we have an absolute deficit in our own stocks," Baerbock told public broadcaster ZDF at the time.

Germany also approved a Cobra artillery radar to Ukraine last month, reportedly due for delivery in September. According to German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Kiev has already signed the contract for the materials and troops should be starting training for "this highly complex system."

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Germany has joined the frenzy of Western sanctions against Russia, with its most recent one coming into effect last month, and supplied Ukrainian forces with a significant amount of weapons.

Scholz has however faced criticism in Germany over supposedly not doing enough to support Ukraine from both his fellow coalition members, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, as well as the ex-Ukrainian Ambassador to Berlin, Andrey Melnyk, who even labeled Scholz an "offended liverwurst" over his refusal to visit Kiev in May.

Half of the German population has expressed its opposition to delivering heavy arms to Ukraine, per a poll conducted by the German Institute for New Social Answers.

Berlin vowed in June to send Kiev one Iris-T unit for free, but Ukraine requested at least a dozen of the most advanced air-defense systems and has offered to purchase the rest directly from the manufacturer.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nasser-dangerous-naguib-agreed-to-western-plan:-documents

Nasser dangerous, Naguib agreed to Western plan: Documents

British documents obtained by the BBC revealed that the former Egyptian President Mohamed Naguib agreed to his country's participation in a US-British military project 70 years ago.

According to the BBC, if Naguib continued in power, the Middle East would have a defense organization in accordance with a joint US-British project.

The documents revealed a joint US-British agreement that states that Naguib's continuation in power serves the interests of the West in the Middle East and that care must be taken for his continuation in power.

In his memoirs, I Was President of Egypt, Naguib claimed that he did not accept at all Egypt’s participation in any military alliance in return for the evacuation of the occupying British forces from Egyptian lands and that the evacuation should be without any restriction or condition.

However, the documents obtained by the BBC reveal that the former Egyptian President agreed with the US and Britain to link the evacuation of British forces with Egypt's participation in the defense project.

The documents, which were classified as highly confidential, include recordings of seven rounds of secret talks between the United States and Britain in London between December 31, 1952, and January 7, 1953, to discuss what they agreed to call the "Egyptian Issue".

According to the documents, the political advisor at the US Embassy in Cairo, R. McClintock, revealed secret contacts between the Americans and Gamal Abdel Nasser, warning that the latter is a real danger to Naguib's policy, which the United States and Britain seek to perpetuate.

McClintock justified his perception by explaining that Abdel Nasser is responsible for the formation of liberation associations throughout Egypt, and in the event of the collapse of negotiations, there is a real danger that these associations may be used in a guerrilla war.

The US diplomat revealed that his country's embassy in Cairo warned Abdel Nasser of the danger and recklessness of this tactic.

>> Traitors in every country.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pope-francis-asks-dprk-to-invite-him-to-visit-work-for-peace

Pope Francis asks DPRK to invite him to visit, 'work for peace'

Pope Francis asked North Korea's Pyongyang to invite him to the country, emphasizing he would not refuse a chance to visit and work for peace, during a televised interview with South Korea's state broadcaster KBS on Friday.

A potential papal visit to the country was suggested in 2018 when former president Moon Jae-in embarked on a round of diplomacy with Pyongyang's Kim Jong Un.

Moon, a Catholic, said during a summit that Kim told him the pope would be "enthusiastically" welcomed. The pope replied back then that if he receives an official invitation, he would be willing to go.

However, communication has been largely cut off with Seoul after a second summit between Kim and then-US president Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, which halted the talks.

"When they invite me that is to say, please invite me I won't say no," Pope Francis said Friday, adding, "The goal is simply fraternity."

North and South Korea's relationship was cold since Seoul introduced into office a hawkish president, Yoon Suk-yeol, in May, who offered aid to the north in exchange for denuclearisation, but the DPRK ridiculed the plan.

Pyongyang accused South Korea of its May outbreak of Covid-19 and earlier this month vowed retaliation against South Korea if the latter were to continue embarking on the path that could cause Covid-19 to seep into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"If the enemy persists in such dangerous actions as provoking the entry of the virus into our republic, we will respond by eradicating not only the virus but also the South Korean authorities," Yonhap news agency quoted the DPRK leader's sister as saying.

The pope has repeatedly called on the Koreans on the peninsula to "work for peace."

While the DPRK allows Catholic organizations to run aid projects, but direct relations with the Vatican do not exist.

In 2014, Pope Francis visited South Korea and held a special mass dedicated to the reunification of the two Koreas.

>> Wasn't he too sick to travel?

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/kiev-changes-names-of-95-streets-as-part-of-derussification

Kiev changes names of 95 streets as part of 'derussification' campaign

Ukraine's capital renamed 95 streets on Thursday as part of a drive to purge Russian and Soviet places names, Kiev's mayor announced a day after Ukraine marked 31 years of independence.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Kiev has accelerated what it calls "derussification", a campaign to shed the legacy of hundreds of years of rule by Moscow.

"(The new names) should perpetuate the memory of significant historical events of Ukraine, as well as famous figures and heroes who glorified Ukraine and fought for the independence of our state," Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

He said the process was far from over and promised to press ahead with the campaign.

St. Petersburg Street was renamed after London, the capital of one of Ukraine's staunchest allies, while another was dubbed "Ukrainian rebirth street."

That name echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who said on Independence Day that Ukraine had been "reborn" when Russia invaded.

Another street, previously bearing the surname of a Soviet defense minister and the WWII Marshal Rodion Malinovsky that contributed to the defeat of fascism, was renamed after Ukraine's Azov neo-nazi regiment.

The Azov group, with far-right and ultranationalist roots, has been one of Ukraine's most visible military forces fighting Russia in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has frequently referenced Azov to bolster its claim that Ukraine is under the hands of "fascists".

Russia has accused the group of far-right views and designated it a terrorist organization.

Fueling anti-Russian sentiment across the world

Since the war began on 24 February 2022, anti-Russian sentiment soared across the Western world. Selective bans have prompted the shutting down of Russian businesses across the EU, bans on Russian-related cultural events, as well as the imposition of a ban on Russian imports.

Some countries have recently sought to ban all Russians from entering the Schengen territory.

The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, and the Netherlands have limited the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens.

Calls have been mounting for the European Commission to ban Russian tourists from entering the EU’s borderless area over the war in Ukraine.

France and Germany have so far refused to back Baltic and some central European states on their initiative citing the freedom of travel principle.

The issue will be on the agenda of the upcoming informal EU ministerial meeting that will take place in Prague on August 30-31.

On August 9, the Kremlin said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to ban all Russians from visiting Western countries was "out of the charts" and viewed "extremely negatively" by Moscow.

The Kremlin's remarks came after Zelenzky told The Washington Post that current Western sanctions against Moscow are too weak and that the West should close its borders to Russians.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "the irrationality of thinking, in this case, is off the charts," adding that "this can only be viewed extremely negatively."

"Any attempt to isolate Russians or Russia is a process that has no prospects," Peskov considered.

The spokesperson recalled events in the run-up to and during World War II, saying that "in their unfriendliness, many of these countries slip into forgetfulness."

"And they resort to statements that we heard from several European countries in the center of Europe 80 years ago," Peskov indicated.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ukrainian-troops-open-fire-at-zaporozhye-npp:-enerhodar-auth

Ukrainian troops open fire at Zaporozhye NPP: Enerhodar Authorities

The Ukrainian military on Friday targeted the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), and four shells hit the area where radioactive isotopes are stored, Enerhodar’s administration told Sputnik, adding that the radiation level did not exceed the norm.

"Ukrainian ‘punishers’ continue the global nuclear terror, striking at the territory of a nuclear power plant. So, today there were four hits on the Zaporozhye NPP in the area of ​​a storage of radioactive isotopes," a spokesperson of Enerhodar’s administration indicated, adding that the "radiation level is normal."

IAEA may prop up permanent post at Zaporozhye NPP: Chief

Earlier, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that the agency needs to determine the parameters of its mission to the Zaparozhye NPP.

Grossi underlined that his agency may establish a permanent presence at the NPP, which has been the center of contention with Russia.

"This is a difficult mission … We need to secure a route, we need to do it in coordination with [Russia and Ukraine]," the IAEA chief explained.

The IAEA said Friday it was actively consulting with all parties on sending a mission to the Zaporozhye NPP plant as soon as possible.

"We also need to rely on the support of the UN and its armored vehicles to take us to the place … We need to clearly define the parameters of the mission and, possibly, establish a permanent presence of the agency on the spot," Grossi told the RFI radio broadcaster in an interview.

The agency underlined that taking the seriousness of the situation into perspective, Grossi had reiterated the need to send a mission to carry out basic measures to ensure physical and nuclear security and safeguards at the facility.

France, IAEA receive security guarantees for NPP mission: Macron

In the same context, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that France and the IAEA have received security guarantees from Russia and Ukraine to conduct a mission to the Zaporozhye NPP.

"Yesterday, we met with the director general of the IAEA [Rafael Grossi], also the other day I spoke with [Ukrainian and Russian] presidents [Volodymyr] Zelensky and [Vladimir] Putin… We received security guarantees from the Ukrainian and Russian sides. Now there [at the NPP] an IAEA mission can be deployed, an independent mission that will be protected," Macron told reporters.

Kiev interrupts last transmission line from ZNPP

On Friday, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the Zaporozhye regional administration, told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster on Friday that Kiev has interrupted the last transmission line of the Zaporozhye NPP to Ukraine, and it is impossible to supply electricity there.

What you need to know

Russian forces have had complete control over the Zaporozhye NPP since March, but drone attacks by Ukrainian forces have regularly targeted the facility, leading Russia to request help from the IAEA to address security issues.

Two weeks ago, Russia accused the office of the United Nations Secretary-General of obstructing the work of IAEA experts and preventing them from visiting the NPP in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow had underlined several times that a trip by an IAEA delegation to the NPP through Kiev and then across the contact line will be very dangerous.

It is noteworthy that according to the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the Russian Defense Ministry is considering the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP by Ukrainian forces an act of nuclear terrorism under a UN convention adopted by a resolution of the UN General Assembley.

The official said if an accident were to happen, which the shelling could potentially cause, the effects would surpass the scale of Chernobyl and Fukushima - the entire territories of Ukraine, Donetsk, Lugansk, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Romania would be contaminated by nuclear waste.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian army sabotaged a high-voltage power line that provides electricity to nearby regions, which sparked a "power surge" at the station, causing smoke in a switchgear used to protect electrical equipment.

Russia has rejected previous claims, made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that it uses the Zaporozhye NPP as a military base.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/americans-to-suffer-pain-from-taming-inflation:-feds-powell

Americans to suffer 'pain' from taming inflation: Fed's Powell

While failing to fight the current 40-year high prices in the US would be harmful, controlling high inflation would also inflict "pain" on families and businesses in the country, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in a speech to global policymakers.

In the annual gathering of central bankers in Wyoming's Jackson Hole, Powell spoke and did not hesitate or leave room for doubt about the central bank's course, vowing to act "forcefully."

He warned the US is likely to slow for a continuous and extended period, and the strong job market will suffer in order to decrease the prices, describing the situation as the "unfortunate costs of reducing inflation."

The Fed has been on a combative campaign to higher interest rates, and Powell made it clear in his speech that the fight against inflation is not over.

"Restoring price stability will take some time and requires using our tools forcefully to bring demand and supply into better balance," he said, adding, "While higher interest rates, slower growth, and softer labor market conditions will bring down inflation, they will also bring some pain to households and businesses."

"But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain."

Modest signs of slowing and easing price pressures in the world's largest economy stimulated hope in financial markets that the central bank might ease up on its aggressive rate hikes, and maybe even begin next year to reverse course.

Powell doused those hopes, however, clarifying that Fed policy and the benchmark borrowing rate will have to remain "sufficiently restrictive" to return inflation to its 2% target.

Improving data

Supply chain issues have continued and were worsened by both a series of Covid lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine, leading to soaring prices worldwide.

The Fed has hiked rates several times since, in a battle aiming to contain the red-hot inflation in the US, which topped 9% in June.

Powell reiterated that another hike of three-quarter points could be suitable at the September policy meeting, but recent data showed signs of a slowing in price increases.

The Fed's preferred inflation measure, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, fell 0.1% in July, a dramatic slowdown from the 1.0% surge in June, largely mirroring the recent sharp retreat in global oil prices.

The PCE price index slowed to 6.3% over the last 12 months, as per the reports of the Commerce Department.

Powell expressed his discomfort, saying, "While the lower inflation readings for July are welcome, a single month's improvement falls far short of what the Committee will need to see before we are confident that inflation is moving down."

He mentioned the experience of one of his predecessors, Paul A. Volcker, the Fed Chairman who waged war on inflation and said officials cannot escape their responsibility.

"We must keep at it until the job is done," he said, urging to avoid any "premature" easing of policy.

Former Bank of England board member Adam Posen, who manages Washington's Peterson Institute for International Economics, said he expects the benchmark lending rate to reach 4% by February, but the Fed will be "willing to go further if needed, with the chances of a reversal in the 2023 year "very, very low."

>> PAIN

>>17446291

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/gas-futures-in-europe-top-3500-per-thousand-cubic-meters

Gas futures in Europe top $3,500 per thousand cubic meters

Gas futures prices in Europe on Friday surpassed $3,500 per thousand cubic meters for the first time since March.

As of 14:39 GMT, the futures (TTF hub) are growing by 6.6% to $3,507.7 per thousand cubic meters. The last day's settlement of $3,290.2 became a record for the whole period of operation of gas hubs in Europe, since 1996.

In March, European gas futures reached an all-time high of over $3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters, according to the London-based ICE exchange.

European and British gas prices surged back then, reaching record highest as crude oil spiked in light of the Ukraine crisis.

The surges stem from supply fears as sanctions fell on Russia over the war in Ukraine, leading the price of gas on the European stock exchange to surpass historic records.

>>17446410