Puppet Masters
"The sources and phenomena of disinformation can be identified inside and outside the Union and come from a range of state and non-state actors. In this regard, efforts must target evil actors, including Russian sources," said the Council European Union of the document which presented the official conclusions of the bloc on the subject.
The Council accused Russian sources of increasingly using disinformation strategies and suggested that any action against them should be guided by analyzes of threats and intelligence assessments.
During an interview on CBS This Morning, Ren Zhengfei said, with a hint of sarcasm, that US officials who have been sounding warnings about 5G were "great figures" because it was helping to spread the word about the technology.
Zhengfei said that until now, 5G was not widely known about. "But now, these great figures are all talking about 5G... and we're becoming more influential and getting more contracts," he said.
"Please tell them - I'm actually thanking them for promoting us," he told host Bianna Golodrgya.
Comment: He has a point; if the US establishment wants to shut you down, chances are you've got something worthwhile, and that applies to China's mobile phones as it does to Russia's S-400s. Although what Mr Zhengfei may not be aware of the danger to health that 5G does pose:
- 5G networks will use the same frequencies as pain-inflicting crowd control weapons
- Hundreds of birds dead during 5G cell phone tower experiment in The Hague, Netherlands
- Britain's first court case against 5G wireless technology - And the people won
- 5G is just the tip of the iceberg
- Finian Cunningham: Why China's over the moon
- Engdahl: Is Canada's Huawei arrest an attempt to sabotage Trump-Xi talks?
- Why the West fears 'Made in China: 2025'
Comment: Until Israel can no longer rely on Uncle Sam to protect its aggressive designs on its neighbors, Israel will continue to act with near-impunity. Russia seems to be trying to convince Israel that - being closer, more disciplined, and thus more effective - it is a more reliable 'big power partner' than the US, but it will not have escaped Israeli attention that this option, while offering better security, necessitates a drastic haircut on its belligerent interference in neighboring countries.
The other major consideration Putin must balance 'in Syria' is domestic policy. As is becoming transparently obvious - that is to say, it's moved from Internet 'conspiracy theory' to being blasted all over the evening mainstreamnews - in Western capitals these days, 'Israel' is a strange country with unusual capabilities for getting its way:
- Scapegoating Yellow Vests? Macron Moves to Outlaw Criticism of 'Zionism' as 'Anti-Semitism Wave' Hits France
- 7 UK MPs leave Labour party complaining about Brexit, Corbyn and 'anti-semitism'
- 'Anti-semitism': A highly lucrative scam in Washington

The road BR-174, which links the border cities of Santa Elena de Uiaren in Venezuela and Pacaraima in Brazil.
The Venezuelan military was ordered to enforce the travel ban in airspace and on the sea until further notice, Maduro said during a televised address from a military headquarters.
Speaking about possible cut of border travel with Colombia, Maduro said he didn't want to take such a decision but was considering it.
"Seven to eight drones that had constant flights over Syria and Iraq were brought under our control and their intel was monitored by us and we could gain their first-hand intel," Iran's FARS news agency quoted Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
The general heads the air force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Iran's powerful quasi-military force.
Comment: It's highly likely because Iran has already reverse-engineered US drones, and they've done it before. This is yet another report which demonstrates that regardless of how many billions the US spends on its military tech, further impoverishing its people, it's almost always doomed to failure:
- Russia to deploy newest weapons against command centers that threaten Russia
- Faulty US welding delays Britain's new £31 billion nuclear missiles
- New Pentagon report reveals that half of F-35 fleet grounded by tech problems
- Syria Shoots Down Israeli Jet - It's About Time
- The Real Story Behind Israel's Attack on "Iranian" Targets in Syria and Trump's Abandonment of the Iran Deal
"The ultimate goal of all this Russiagating that is happening in the United States is to expand the security state's control over social media," popular social and political commenter -and stand-up comedian- Jimmy Dore told RT, after Facebook unexpectedly suspended pages belonging to Maffick Media - a company 51 percent owned by RT's video agency Ruptly.
"They are working in conjunction with the state, with the government," Dore speculated, noting that the banned RT- linked content did not violate any of the rules of the platform, despite Facebook's claim that the blocked pages failed to disclose their funding. Dore believes that Mark Zuckerberg's company has overstepped a line when it comes to censorship.
There have been strong indications that Mueller could wrap up his investigation as early next week. Republicans predict that Mueller will not find any evidence he colluded with Russia, and Justice Department policy is that a sitting president cannot be indicted.
But even if the Mueller report turns out to be far from the smoking gun Democrats have yearned for, they are now in control of the House of Representatives and show no signs of letting up.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) report describes the vote as "the most consequential parliamentary vote in the EU's history" and says it is even possible for Euroskeptic parties to gain more than 30 percent of the EP's seats "if their popularity continues to grow or if some of the fringe members of the mainstream join them."
The report argues that if such a situation occurs, the EU could find itself "living on borrowed time" and outlines ways that various anti-EU parties could align with each other to garner more power in Brussels.
Trump in December ordered a withdrawal of the 2,000 American troops in Syria on the defeat of the last remnants of the Islamic State militants there.
But Trump has been under pressure from multiple advisers to adjust his policy to ensure the protection of Kurdish forces, who supported the fight against Islamic State and who might now be threatened by Turkey, and to serve as a bulwark against Iran's influence.
Comment: see also:
- US senior official: Pullout from At Tanf in Syria is conditions-based
- Pentagon refutes April 1st Syria withdrawal plan as an "arbitrary timeline", contradicting earlier claims
- As US withdraws from Syria, Trump tells European 'allies' to take back 800 of its terrorists - Otherwise, they'll just be set free
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw 1,000 or more US troops from Afghanistan has prompted concerns among American lawmakers and Washington's European allies. On 16 February the bipartisan group of US congressmen met with Afghan President Ashaf Ghani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the painful dilemma.
The US' Afghanistan war, which will mark its 18th anniversary this October, started in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attack under then-US President George W. Bush.
"Officially, Washington invaded Afghanistan because the Afghan government was allegedly harbouring Osama bin Laden who allegedly organised the attack on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon", Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, economist, author, and former US assistant secretary of the Treasury for economic policy under President Ronald Reagan, told Sputnik, adding that "Bin Laden was the excuse for an invasion that served several interests."
Comment: See also:
- After 15 years of war US changing its tune in Afghanistan as 'barbaric' Taliban becomes bulwark against ISIS
- ISIS in Afghanistan: The West's proxy war against China and Iran
- Moscow: Increase of ISIS presence in Afghanistan is a threat to Russia, 'real action' from US requested
- "The war is worth waging": Afghanistan's vast reserves of minerals and natural gas
- Where to go? 'Terrorist migration' to Afghanistan as the next ISIS stronghold is one option














Comment: And once again: Where is the evidence for such allegations?!? Answer: There is none. Which only goes to show that Russia's government has become the West's favorite whipping boy and scapegoat for when things "go wrong" according to the elite neo-liberal political class who want to maintain and/or increase their grip on power.