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Russia Today: NatWest To Close Russian Channel's UK Bank Accounts (bbc.com)
According to the editor-in-chief of state-run broadcaster Russia Today (RT), NatWest bank froze its account. Margarita Simonyan said, "They've closed our accounts in Britain. All our accounts. 'The decision is not subject to review.' Praise be to freedom of speech!" The Guardian adds: Russia has angrily accused Britain of trampling on freedom of speech after NatWest said it was closing down the bank accounts of the Kremlin TV channel Russia Today (RT). Russian MPs, the foreign ministry and human rights officials all condemned the move, and said the UK government was guilty of violating press freedom and of double standards. Simonyan said she had received a letter out of the blue from NatWest saying that it was pulling the plug on the broadcaster's accounts from mid-December. "We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities," it said.
I remember reading about all this before. Of course, then it was East Germany and the KGB doing it...
RT is the KGB, by another name. Don't kid yourself.
Riiiiiiiight.
The internet is not a series of tubes. It's more like a net. Or a network of computers. Or an internet.
... while the focus in the US has been more about the hacking of the DNC and similar stories, if I had to wager, I'd guess that this is part of the new sanctions threatened against Russia by John Kerry and Boris Johnson over the bombing of Aleppo.
The internet is not a series of tubes. It's more like a net. Or a network of computers. Or an internet.
its about as close to the KGB as CNN is close to the CIA
That doesn't like much of a stretch. We all have our lapdog press.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
You mean it belongs to the Belarus government?
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
No one said Russia is a bastion of free speech, but the hyperbole of the "RT is the KGB" is absurd,
The KGB did A LOT More horrible shit than produce media with a pro-russian spin, i'm sick of stupid people constantly trying to make a point by finding the most extreme parallel they can imagine and then declaring confidently as if its fact..
Talk about CNN, I see funny when CNN edited an interview with RT's Anissa Naouai, in which CNN’s Amanpour definitely planted to show her "guest" is a fool. Forget about "freedom ranking", I saw here is Anissa was much more open, transparent and smarter than Amanpour.
You mean it belongs to the Belarus government?
Belarus has KDB rather than KGB, state in Belarussian is "dzyerzhava" as opposed to [red] Russian "gosudarstvo". But then, Lukashenko hardly even knows Belarussian...
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
i'm sick of stupid people constantly trying to make a point by finding the most extreme parallel they can imagine and then declaring confidently as if its fact..
Damn right! Those people are literally Hitler!
To pay the people in their London bureau?
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
A regional power with ~8k nuclear weapons. At least with the current administration, fear of conflict with this "regional power" has bound their hands pretty well.
There's no signs that Russia is going to "collapse any day now". It's not exactly on a positive trend, and remains fraught with demographic problems including large numbers of people who don't consider themselves Russian (or consider themselves Russian only second to some other category). And indeed they're playing with fire by, for example, using money to prop up strongmen like Kadyrov who have their own private militaries to try to keep peace in restive areas. But as for signs of any sort of "imminent" collapse, I just don't see it. Russia mains good control over the domestic messaging, and until the pocketbook starts contradicting too much with the message on TV, they'll maintain control.
The internet is not a series of tubes. It's more like a net. Or a network of computers. Or an internet.
Russia has angrily accused Britain of trampling on freedom of speech
As if Putin, and thereby extension Russia, knows what freedom of speech is.
If Russia is so worried about freedom of speech then perhaps they should start at home by allowing all those opposition and independent news organizations they keep investigating and shutting down to reopen. Lead by example.
The same would go for the Tartar news and radio organizations they've shut down since they've taken over Crimea from Ukraine rather than putting locks on the doors and imprisoning Tartars who run those organizations.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
https://www.theguardian.com/wo...
Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
Since Russian is the second official language in Belarus, it still works.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
You're not sure why? Did you see how hard it was to convince France to stop outright selling them their most advanced warship? So many people are willing to let business interests dominate the discussion; Europe (where I'm at) is particularly gutless on this front ("LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU, nothing going on, just business as usual!" (BOOM!!!! BOOM!!!) "I said NOTHING GOING ON, nope, pay no attention to those explosions next door to us!!!!")
And Russia of course funds attacks on the other flank (Golden Dawn, Front National, Northern League, etc) - populists supporting policies favorable to Russia. And funds anti-fracking groups and other organizations that pose a threat to their energy dominance in Europe.
Russia would really like to pivot east to China, and has tried, but it just hasn't gone well. Their infrastructure isn't there, their people aren't there, and even the places in China where they need the energy supplies aren't, for the most part, close to the border. Like it or not, Europe is their market. So they have to try to hold onto it. And they know Europe's main weaknesses: established business interests and not wanting to "rock the boat".
The internet is not a series of tubes. It's more like a net. Or a network of computers. Or an internet.
I can't help wondering if there is more to this. For some reason, I get a bunch of Russia Today articles in my news feed. It's interesting to read their side of things from time to time. Heavily biased and full of pro-Russian propaganda, but I'm smart enough to wade through most of that.
That said, it's hard to see how any of it is illegal and deserving of being closed down. Is there more to this story that isn't public? Or is this as simple as Britain shutting off RT just to quiet it. I hope there is more to this and not some overly sensitive clod high-up abusing his power.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Are we far enough along with Brexit that this action doesn't reflect on the EU?
Come play Moral Decay!
Not sure how that works.
Describing a country that spans 10 time zones, and that has borders w/ countries as varied as European ones, Japan, China, Korea and the Middle Eastern countries as a 'regional' power is absolutely laughable. Unless one now divides regions by latitude.
oh good another clever comment about the election, how original.
Oh, by that standard, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and a whole bunch of US channels that are openly rooting for Clinton should be treated the same way as RT. If RT is the mouthpiece of Vladimir Putin, these channels carry the water for Clinton and Obama.
Before we get into the whole "was the UK gov involved" quagmire, for what reason did the bank state that they froze the accounts? Without evidence, everything is pure speculation.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
You mean it belongs to the Belarus government?
Belarus has KDB rather than KGB, state in Belarussian is "dzyerzhava" as opposed to [red] Russian "gosudarstvo". But then, Lukashenko hardly even knows Belarussian...
It's a better idea to use the term 'Soviet' instead of Russian when the union of 15 Soviet communist republics existed, and when Russian only referred to the RSFSR
This is the kind of thing Russia and China do to US/EU media groups.
Which ones?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Hold your breath. Go on. I dare you.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
How different is that from the US? If you don't have cable, there are just a handful of over the air channels - maybe 10 or so. One of them - PBS, while not government controlled but definitely government funded, is permanently Leftist. The others, while not government funded, are permanently Leftist as well.
RT is and has always been part of the propaganda arm of the FSB. Yes, the vast majority of stories it runs are true, and responsible journalism (with the exception of now, while they are ramping up to try to destroy the US electoral system), however, their standard play-book is to leak the random false propaganda story in with the real occasionally. This gives the propaganda more credibility. This is what they have done to steal elections from Ukraine, and attempt the same in France and Germany where they have printed false stories in favor of far-right white-supremacist parties. This is the exact reason why Liz Wahl resigned while live on-air.
Please read this Newsweek article on the subject:
http://www.newsweek.com/rt-america-anchor-resigns-protest-white-washed-ukraine-coverage-230969
stop backing the Syrian regime so Europe and the Middle East can deal with the influx of refugees.
You are laughably uninformed. Carry on.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
You do not outsource the construction of your most advanced or secret technology. The Mistrals were helicopter carriers. A helicopter carrier is not a new concept, nor is there anything particularly advanced about it. France had to pay reparations for breach of contract, by the way. This doesn't say so much about Russia as about how much France is an American puppet.
And Russia of course funds attacks on the other flank (Golden Dawn, Front National, Northern League, etc) - populists supporting policies favorable to Russia. And funds anti-fracking groups and other organizations that pose a threat to their energy dominance in Europe.
You have actual evidence of this or are just making shit up?
but it just hasn't gone well. Their infrastructure isn't there, their people aren't there, and even the places in China where they need the energy supplies aren't, for the most part, close to the border.
Yes they're doing something that's totally ALIEN to Americans because they haven't done it in so long - they're :: get this :: BUILDING the infrastructure. This creates jobs, which attracts people. It attracts the workers. And it attracts all the people who want to provide services to the workers. The gas pipeline will be ready in 4 years. Then it will be built.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
I wouldn't be surprised if Wells Fargo might be interested in setting up multiple accounts for Russia Today. They have the infrastructure in place to set up multiple accounts whether you want them or not, though that infrastructure has been sidelined recently.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
he Mistrals were helicopter carriers. A helicopter carrier is not a new concept, nor is there anything particularly advanced about it.
That doesn't stop it being France's most advanced warship.
You're also rather naive if you think a warship is just a chunk of metal and maybe a couple of wocka wockas.
The French have historically actually been very good at designing and building warships. Just utter shite at fighting in them.
That doesn't stop it being France's most advanced warship.
Then France is in a pretty sorry state. Not to mention the fact that someone should be concerned that they're selling one to that staunch ally and NATO member - Egypt............ oh wait
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
That doesn't [sound] like much of a stretch...
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
These stupid vatniks didn't realistically expect that their dirty and unsavoury tactics against the West wouldn't be repaid in kind, did they?
There is nothing advanced about Mistral - it is basically a modified ferry.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
I was referring to Azerbaijan - ethnically Turkic, religiously Muslim. Also, depending on how much influence either Turkey or Iran ultimately have in the stans, they may fall under that definition as well. While it may be inaccurate to think of the stans as Middle Eastern, historic cities like Samarqand, Buqhara, Merw, Nisa were historic cities in medieval Iran and Turkestan
Surely you don't think US media is allowed to operate unfettered in Russia or China? If you do, you are very ignorant about the state of affairs.
RT takes direct orders from the Russia government. It is not at all comparable to corporate media (except in the fantasies of Russian propagandists with their endless whataboutism).
But the US really does have an equivalent to RT that's targeted at Russia, it's called Radio Free Europe: http://www.rferl.org/
There's also Radio Free Asia: http://www.rfa.org/
Take a look at those and get an idea of what real pro-western propaganda looks like. Then go look at RT for a while, and you'll begin to understand how those propaganda sites really are the mirror image of RT. Then you can begin to appreciate how the major media in the West are much more open, nuanced and honest than either one.
It's a better idea to use the term 'Soviet' instead of Russian when the union of 15 Soviet communist republics existed, and when Russian only referred to the RSFSR
There's no "Soviet" language even though one of those republics forced its language on others to a level that only the French (as a minority or majority) beat, including forcing people to switch their native languages to Cyrillic.
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
(Says one prairie dog to the other): "I think the lawnmower's gone. I'm gonna stick my head up and check."
***WHACK!***
They were given a two months notice. Whatever the reason. They can still access their assets and move them elsewhere. A PITA, yes, but a far cry from "frozen".
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Leftist in US terms means centrist in the rest of the world. There is no real left in the US. Travel a bit and you'll get it. So from the outside it looks like US media are centrist. Apart from Fox.
Seriously get real. The US government opinion as given by Hillary Clinton, let them kill each other until they get tired of it, this after the US pumped them up and supplied arms and munitions (this includes Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Iran and to be brutally honest pretty much the entire African continent, shh, it also includes NATO member Turkey). They do not give one crap about how many die, well, that's not quite accurate, more accurately they do care that as many die as possible. As for the Ukraine, did not the Ukraine government report a BUK system, launcher, transport and radar system missing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..., also they apparently lost the entire specialist crew required to operate the system, complete with photographic proof of the lost equipment before the US government changed their minds and their stories. Did not the Ukraine government purposefully direct that flight over the zone and then destroyed the record of radio transmissions and radar records. Russia did not so much annex Crimea as dump the Ukraine and took the Crimea back, seriously what the fuck did the Ukraine expect the outcome would be).
Why the stupidity because RT is exposing western corruption upon a daily basis and in typical psychopath corporate executive fashion in the most ignorant and arrogant manner possible, those insiders telling tens of thousands of well trained FSB agents to fuck off. This without the tacit agreement to not launch more personally directed eliminations unlike the currently protected politicians and government officers, corporate executives lack that protection. Now those corporate executives are choosing to attack Russia and so the Russian response will be interesting, they do prefer extended imprisonment in Siberia, a huge preference for that, the Chinese government on the other hand is quite comfortable with executing corporate executives no matter where they come from (they are most upset with regard to the corporate war games and threats of nuclear first strike, which will never happen, even if they took out a thousand corrupt executives).
Ahh, when corporate executives look to play war games, killing as many people as they can get away with, whilst pocketing billions in profits and feeding their insane sick egos.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
Yes. Propaganda is protected speech. As are a lot of other things you might dislike.
and how is that any different to how the US Government uses the press?
This isn't sanctioned by the uk government. It's a bank who, for some reason, has decided they don't to take a risk with Russia Today. There's nothing stopping Russia Today opening another bank account with another bank in the UK.
To say it's under the control of the uk government is wrong. They bailed this shoddy excuse for a financial institution in the last recession, and would likely sell it up if it ever got worth anything.
However, RT IS a voice of the Kremlin. They both share those chips on their shoulders. Indeed, it's quite bizarre when there's news about Ukranian rebels accused of shooting down a commercial airline on all the other news broadcasts. RT will not even mention this news even to deny it...
yes it is in the western world, it is also a pretty huge double standard given the amount of propaganda western governments pump through the press as well.. Just because you don't like what they say is irrelevant. Russia supposedly has freedom of press too, but you are likely to get harassed or found to have breached some law to allow them to shut you down should you try what you propose. I guess that is what you want to happen here too? our governments dictating what the press can say?
"You have actual evidence of this or are just making shit up?"
Actually there's a shit load of evidence of this, if rather than simply trying to declare the other person's post false you could've simply Googled it. Given that an AC appears to have done that for you it appears I wont have to. Long story short though, some of it is covert, and some of it is overt. There's evidence of both, but the funding for France's national front for example wasn't even a secret:
https://themoscowtimes.com/new...
Russia also holds an annual meeting of far right European leaders including people like Le Pen, Nick Griffin from the UK's BNP and so on and so forth. Interestingly these groups they host were the same people, and the only people they allowed into Crimea as "international observers" for their Crimean independence referendum - they wouldn't let any actual neutral observers in from the UN et. al. Make of that what you will, it's really not rocket science though.
The announcement to resign of Liz Wahl was lived air, without being interrupted. And, RT claimed that she is a "mole", just staged a plan to show RT is a propaganda network.
Another reporter, but less of attention is Abby Martin, because she did not resign and RT did not fire her.
When the west bargained from a position of strength, we ended the Cold War. And when Obama thought we could just all sing Kumbaya, Russia took that as a sign of weekness...as did N. Korea, Iran, and others, and they took advantage of it. So if, by "fuck with Russia" you mean let them do what they want, you're an idiot.
Just another day in Paradise
yes it has happened quite a bit, that doesn't mean it is something to support. When spotted it needs to be called out and fought against "regardless" of whether you agree with the message being delivered.
yé, thing is here they claim not to do it ... my today reading slashdot session is giving me acid reflux i might as well have turned on the tv lol omg ... i think we should all invest heavily in ironcurtain building companies cos it seems we gonna get nothing but that in the next decade ... so i need to get out
of europe
FAST
Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?