Stephen Lendman ■ On Thursday, a joint NATO/Ukraine Commission press release included a litany of Big Lies vilifying Russia. || Facts: NATO claims are Big Lies. No verifiable proof supports them. Russia remains discretely neutral. It deplores war. It's gone all-out for diplomatic conflict resolution. Washington sabotaged its good faith efforts. It continues doing so. It uses Ukraine as a convenient proxy to further its regional goals. Both countries wage war on freedom. They deplore democracy. They consider it a four-letter word. They want it avoided at all costs. Russia didn't invade Ukraine. Its troops aren't involved in fighting. It hasn't armed Southeastern Ukrainian self-defense forces. US-led NATO bears full responsibility for global instability, lack of security and high crimes against peace. It's a monster. It's a killing machine. It's a humanity-threatening cancer. It deplores peace. It ravages one country after another. It's guilty of genocidal crimes of war and against humanity. Claiming NATO's Distinctive Partnership with Ukraine "contribute(s) to building a stable, peaceful and undivided Europe" is pure fantasy.

Itar-Tass: NATO to expand command and logistics infrastructure in Eastern Europe, Rasmussen says

Members of the Contact Group on Ukrainian reconciliation have signed a deal declaring a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine starting from 6:00 p.m. Moscow time (14:00 GMT), the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Friday. ● “In Minsk, representatives of Ukraine, the DPR and the LPR [Luhansk People’s Republic] have signed a protocol to cease hostilities at 18:00 Friday,” DPR said in its official Twitter. An informed source told RIA Novosti earlier that the sides were “moving towards signing” the agreement during the meeting in Minsk, involving the representatives of Russia, the Kiev government, eastern Ukrainian independence supporters and the Organization for Secuirty and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

■ OSCE Confirms that No Russian Troops, No Tanks, have Crossed the Russia-Ukraine Border
Poroshenko Confirms Signing of Ceasefire Protocol, Says Both Sides Must Observe Agreements
RT.com: Ukraine ceasefire: Kiev and self-defense forces start peace talks in Minsk
(Did Russia "annex" Crimea? - No, Russia did not "annex" Crimea)

Russian Photographer Stenin Killed in Ukraine
International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya photojournalist Andrei Stenin did everything possible for the world to see the truth about the tragic events in southeastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telegram to the journalist’s mother. “Please accept my condolences at this grievous time. We believed that Andrei would return to his family and friends but the tragic news left us no hope. He fulfilled his duties as a journalist and as a human being. He did everything possible for the world to see the truth about the tragic events in the Donetsk Region. We will always cherish the memory of Andrei Stenin.” A farewell ceremony for Stenin was held Friday at the Rossiya Segodnya international press center for those wishing to pay their last respects to the photographer. The memorial service was held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Moscow time (06:00 to 08:00 GMT). Stenin was buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. The Russian Investigative Committee said that an attack was carried out by Ukrainian forces on a column of refugees guarded by several eastern Ukraine independence supporters about a month ago. Stenin was in a car that was shot at and torched near Donetsk.

Stephen Lendman ■ Kiev Fascists Murder Russian Journalist

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has expressed concern about potential Scottish independence, saying “greater global interests” [read: the New World Order] would not be served if Scotland voted for independence in an upcoming referendum. ● Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in Wales on Thursday, Harper strongly opposed Scottish independence and praised the UK as an “overwhelmingly positive force in the world.” He also said Canadians view the concept of English and Scottish people separating as “inconceivable.” Harper emphasized that the division of countries like the UK and Canada advances no solutions to any issues. “There’s nothing in dividing those countries that would serve either greater global interests or frankly the interests of ordinary people in these countries,” he claimed. The remarks by the Canadian premier comes as an opinion poll published by the Scottish Daily Mail newspaper showed that support for independence has grown by four percent, rising to 47 percent from 43 percent since a similar Survation poll was released earlier this month.

The Telegraph: MI6 head: Scotland would be less protected

As Odessa marked four months since the May 2nd massacre, the leader of the local Maidan Defence said what happened was not a “tragedy” and that the loss of life was “an acceptable price to pay” for what was achieved. Meanwhile, Maidan Defence and Right Sector thugs managed to secure the release of one of their supporters who is accused of finishing off anti-Maidan protesters after they jumped off the burning Trade Union building on May 2nd. The press secretary of the Odessa Maidan Defence, Artem Filippenko, declared that what had happened on May 2nd at the Kulikovo Field and in the House of Trade Unions had not been “a tragedy”, but rather “a fight which the Euromaidan supporters had won”. According to a report in Timer he stated that “on May 2 Euromaidan supporters defended their city and even prevented the collapse of the state” and that “48 killed and more than 200 wounded was an acceptable price for these achievements”. Otherwise, said Filippenko, “was would have broken out in the Odessa”. [They achieved THIS and little else. Be warned - the images are gruesome beyond belief.][H/T]

Gilad Atzmon ■ Ynet reports this morning on “the operation to hide Steven Sotloff's Jewish and Israeli background online.” The articles tells a story of a “worldwide network of friends included over 150 members, speaking 20 different languages, who scanned every post Steven has made on Facebook or Twitter and removed any mentions of his Israeli or Jewish connections.” I can only think of one Jewish organization that could facilitate such an grand scale operation and it isn't JVP. We also learned yesterday that Sotloff spent 3 years at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. An institute that is linked to the Mossad according to some media sources. Israeli press comes short of linking Sotloff to the Mossad but it produces the necessary evidence that would make such a suggestion into a valid option.

“There is no doubt that Islamic State is an utterly reactionary sectarian force. But it is a force that came out of U.S. Policy and the destruction of the whole region. ISIS or Islamic State, is a direct result of U.S. Policy of fomenting religious, ethnic national differences, in Iraq, in Syria, as policy for the war in Iraq and for overthrowing the government in Syria. Again and again they have used absolutely reactionary groupings in these policies.” (Source: WUFYS)

Finian Cunningham ■ Saudi scare story for Western intervention

Mike Whitney ■ “There is no innocent explanation for the sudden disappearance of MH17 from the media and political spotlight. The plane’s black box has been held in Britain for examination for weeks, and US and Russian spy satellites and military radar were intensively scanning east Ukraine at the time of the crash. The claim that Washington does not have detailed knowledge of the circumstances of the crash and the various forces involved is not credible.”

Adam Hudson ■ The United States and Israel have "shared values" but not when it comes to upholding democracy and the rule of law. Their shared values are perpetual war, torture, indefinite detention, and military courts. Guantanamo is a perfect example of this. Both states have been in a state of perpetual war for quite some time with Israel against the Palestinians since its founding in 1948 while the U.S. can trace back its war to its founding in 1776 and the colonization of Native American lands. Today's global war on terror is the latest chapter in that saga. Under perpetual war, the United States and Israel can justify a litany of draconian policies, such as indefinite detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing. (H/T: PCR)

Ken O'Keeth, lays it out perfectly on dinosaur mainstream media, calling out the fraud.
Must see, must share! Brilliant! [H/T: Steigan Blogger]

Critics and anti-poverty advocates are questioning the so-called economic recovery as a USDA study published Wednesday revealed that while the nation's wealthiest enjoyed record gains, nearly 50 million Americans continue to struggled with food insecurity in 2013. ● According to the government figures, while a majority of people who were not always able to afford food last year were adults, 16 million children also went hungry at times, with 360,000 households reporting that their kids skipped meals or did not eat for an entire day because there was not enough money. [...] Overall, food insecurity is 35 percent higher than in 2007, before the recession began. In 2013, the average food-secure household spent 30 percent more on food than the average food-insecure household of the same size.

"The stock market is at an all-time, but economic activity is not at an all-time," explains billionaire investor Sam Zell to CNBC this morning, adding that, "every company that's missed has missed on the revenue side, which is a reflection that there's a demand issue; and when you got a demand issue it's hard to imagine the stock market at an all-time high." Zell said he is being very cautious adding to stocks and cutting some positions because "I don't remember any time in my career where there have been as many wildcards floating out there that have the potential to be very significant and alter people's thinking." Zell also discussed his view on Obama's Fed encouraging disparity and on tax inversions, but concludes, rather ominously, "this is the first time I ever remember where having cash isn't such a terrible thing." Zell's calls should not be shocking following George Soros. Stan Druckenmiller, and Carl Icahn's warnings that there is trouble ahead.