Puppet Masters

France: Sanctions, travel ban on 18 Saudis suspected in the murder of Khashoggi

Middle East Eye
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 03:43 UTC

France announced on Thursday it had imposed sanctions, including travel bans, on 18 Saudi citizens linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned that more could follow depending on results of the current investigation.

"The murder of Mr Khashoggi is a crime of extreme gravity, which moreover goes against freedom of the press and the most fundamental rights," the French foreign ministry said in a statement. "France asks that all light be shed on the manner in which such an act may have been committed. It expects from the Saudi authorities a transparent, detailed and exhaustive response."

Comment: Economics: the moral modifier

Foreign Ministry: If you won't listen to Russia's diplomacy, listen to its military

RT
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:39 UTC

Russia still hopes the US will refrain from an ill-advised move over the pivotal arms control accord, the INF, but those unwilling to listen to diplomatic language will be less dismissive of the military, Moscow warns.

US President Donald Trump's plan to ditch the decades-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) has been creating a stir for over a month. Some US allies have lashed out at Washington for the potentially dangerous move which could also hurt Europe's security.

Russia hopes the US can take a "sober" look at global security and refrain from making any "ill-advised" moves, director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Vladimir Ermakov, told media. However, Russia is prepared for any decision the US makes.

Comment: Sell war and you sell war equipment. An absence of treaties increases risk and threat believability. See also:

French revolt: War declared on Google as military replaces search engine with 'untrackable' Qwant

Felix Allen
The Sun
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 06:01 UTC

France has declared war on Google to avoid becoming a "digital colony" of the US, according to reports. The French Army ministry and parliament are switching computers and handheld gadgets to use the rival Qwant search engine which they claim is more secure.

Qwant, a French and German owned web service, promises not to track its users like Google and others.

MP Florian Bachelier said: "We have to set the example. Security and digital sovereignty are at stake here, which is anything but an issue only for geeks." He chairs the National Assembly's cybersecurity and digital sovereignty task force, which was set up in April to protect firms from hackers and end France's reliance on foreign tech giants.

Officials and politicians are said to be very concerned with the dominance of US and Chinese firms and the concept of "digital sovereignty", including a country's control over its citizens data, reports Wired.

Comment: 'Promises' and 'claims'...more or less nails it down, oui?

Russia-Austria trade grows almost 60%, approaches pre-sanctions record highs

RT
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 10:10 UTC

The volume of trade between Russia and Austria has been steadily growing, reaching $4.2 billion since January year-on-year, said Russia's trade representative in Austria Aleksandr Potemkin.

"Solid steps have been made towards strengthening of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Austria over the past two years. Among EU countries that are the main trade and economic partners of Russia with trade turnover exceeding $4 billion, Austria is the first in terms of growth."

Potemkin noted that this year Russian-Austrian trade may exceed the highest level of the "post-crisis period" of $5.1 billion recorded in 2013. It could probably even reach the record level seen in 2008 of $5.4 billion, he said. That growth was achieved mostly thanks to Russia's exports, the trade envoy said, noting that: "In first three quarters of 2018 it doubled, while import was up almost 18 percent."

Trade between Russia and the European Union started to improve in early 2017 despite trade barriers from mutual sanctions introduced almost five years ago.

Comment: Russia and Austria are increasing their good relationship. See also:

Art of the deal? Turkey may turn US Patriot missiles into 'bargaining chip'

RT
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:42 UTC

Despite many spats between Washington and Ankara, Turkey signaled that it is open to buying US-made Patriot air defense missile systems. The move may be part of a sophisticated Turkish bargaining game, experts say.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesperson said that Ankara would "seriously evaluate"the possibility of purchasing Patriot missiles should the White House make "a good offer."

Turkey held lengthy talks to acquire Patriot missiles for several years. Negotiations with Washington stalled two times - first in 2013 when Ankara announced that will buy a Chinese air defense system, and then in 2017 when it eventually chose to buy cutting-edge Russian S-400 air defense systems instead.

US lawmakers claimed that Erdogan's deal with the Russians would undermine NATO's security. The defiant Turkish leader signed the contract anyway. In response, Congress passed a law delaying the shipment of 100 F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. This followed a series of high-profile spats, with Erdogan even calling on Turkish citizens and other nations to dump the US dollar.

Saudi Arabia dismisses 'baseless' Amnesty report on torture and sexual harassment of human rights activists

Sputnik
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 17:39 UTC

On Tuesday, Amnesty International said in a report that Saudi Arabian authorities have tortured and sexually harassed detained human rights activists, including a number of women.

Saudi Arabia stated Friday that the reports about torture, issued by the human rights watchdogs Amnesty International, were 'baseless', the Ministry of Media said in a statement.

"The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia categorically and strongly denies the allegations made by them. The wild claims made, quoting anonymous 'testimonies' or 'informed sources', are simply wrong," the ministry said.

The ministry's statement comes after Amnesty International released a report on Tuesday in which it claimed that "the activists were repeatedly tortured by electrocution and flogging, leaving some unable to walk or stand properly."

The torture allegations come with Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammad facing international condemnation over the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Finally! House Republicans subpoena Comey, Lynch to testify at closed- door hearing before judiciary panel

Sergio Bustos
USA Today
Thu, 22 Nov 2018 17:18 UTC

© Alex Wong, Getty Images
Attorney General Loretta Lynch (R) speaks as FBI Director James Comey (L) listens during a news conference for announcing a law enforcement action March 24, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Former FBI Director James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch have been issued subpoenas to testify early next month before the House Judiciary Committee, according to media reports.

Committee chair, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., wants Comey to testify Dec. 3 and Lynch to testify Dec. 4. The testimony would be taken in private before committee members, reported POLITICO and CNN. It would take place only weeks before Democrats take power over the influential committee.

Comment:

White House aides are actively stymieing deal with Assange - Congressman Rohrabacher

Alex Pfeiffer
The Daily Caller
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 16:26 UTC

President Donald Trump is being blocked from knowing he can pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in exchange for information vindicating Russia of hacking allegations, according to Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

Trump told reporters Sunday that he has "never heard" of a potential deal with Assange.

"I think the president's answer indicates that there is a wall around him that is being created by people who do not want to expose this fraud that there was collusion between our intelligence community and the leaders of the Democratic Party," Rohrabacher told The Daily Caller Tuesday in a phone interview.

Comment: As a former head of Homeland Security, Kelly knows where a lot of bodies are buried. The last thing he and other Deep State old guard needs is more Vault 7-type dumps from Wikileaks.

'Daily reminder: Russians are evil!' British govt releases more footage of Skripal patsies walking about Salisbury

RT
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 16:21 UTC

© London Metropolitan Police
Still image from Metropolitan Police video showing Salisbury suspects Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov passing a bridge on Fisherton Street.

Police have released three new video clips showing Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who London believes are culpable in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter, arriving in Salisbury and walking the streets.

London Metropolitan police have posted an update on the long-running investigation into the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on March 4 and the subsequent death of Dawn Sturgess in nearby Amesbury, who, British police believe, was accidentally exposed to the same 'Novichok' nerve agent.

Police have released new images of the fake Nina Ricci perfume bottle they claim contained the chemical, but had no insight on how it ended up in the street where Sturgess' partner Charlie Rowley picked it up.

Comment: See also:

Moscow proposes linking Iran withdrawal from Syria to sanctions relief

Axios
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 16:13 UTC

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a closed hearing on Monday that Russia recently proposed to Israel and the U.S. that Iran be granted relief from some U.S. sanctions in return for the removal of Iranian forces and proxies from Syria.

Why it matters:

Iranian retrenchment in Syria is a huge concern for Israel, but the Russian position until now has been, at least publicly, that Iran's presence is legitimate because it came at the Assad regime's invitation. This is the first we're hearing that the Russians have floated an idea for Iran's withdrawal, and that they're linking it to U.S. sanctions.

Netanyahu's statements came during a hearing of the foreign affairs and security committee of the Knesset.

Comment: Another example of Russia's pragmatic approach to geopolitics. Netanyahu gets some of what he wants, plus saving political face at home. Iran needs to give up a little overt influence in Syria, but it could provide some relief for its suffering citizenry. Russia shows the world once again, at least for those seeing objectively, that it is not an aggressor, but a peacemaker.

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Puppet Masters

France: Sanctions, travel ban on 18 Saudis suspected in the murder of Khashoggi

Foreign Ministry: If you won't listen to Russia's diplomacy, listen to its military

French revolt: War declared on Google as military replaces search engine with 'untrackable' Qwant

Russia-Austria trade grows almost 60%, approaches pre-sanctions record highs

Art of the deal? Turkey may turn US Patriot missiles into 'bargaining chip'

Saudi Arabia dismisses 'baseless' Amnesty report on torture and sexual harassment of human rights activists

Finally! House Republicans subpoena Comey, Lynch to testify at closed- door hearing before judiciary panel

White House aides are actively stymieing deal with Assange - Congressman Rohrabacher

'Daily reminder: Russians are evil!' British govt releases more footage of Skripal patsies walking about Salisbury

Moscow proposes linking Iran withdrawal from Syria to sanctions relief

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