Puppet MastersS


Light Saber

Russia-China ties have no limits - Putin

Putin Xi Jinping
© Sputnik / Sergey Guneev
Beijing and Moscow are working together to shape "a more just multipolar world," and ties between the two countries are now "at the highest level in their history," President Vladimir Putin said in an article released on the eve of a visit by his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to the Russian capital.

The piece, penned by Putin for China's People's Daily, was released late on Sunday by the Kremlin's press service.

"The progress made in the development of bilateral ties is impressive. The Russia-China relations have reached the highest level in their history and are gaining even more strength; they surpass Cold War-time military-political alliances in their quality, with no one to constantly order and no one to constantly obey, without limitations or taboos," Putin wrote, praising the "level of trust in our political dialogue, our strategic cooperation."

The two nations are busy shaping "a more just multipolar world," Putin noted, lauding Beijing's Eurasian international efforts under the One Belt, One Road Initiative, as well as China's Global Security Initiative, envisioning comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security.

Comment: See also: The China and Russia 'no limits friendship' 2.0


Quenelle

Macron narrowly survives crucial no-confidence votes in parliament

Emmanuel Macron
© Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty ImagesEmmanuel Macron's government survived today's no confidence vote
Emmanuel Macron's government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the French parliament Monday, after it pushed through a deeply unpopular pensions overhaul without a vote last week, sparking outrage and spontaneous protests across the country.

In a high-stakes vote in France's lower house of parliament, 278 MPs, mostly from the left and the far right, voted in favor of a cross-party motion of no confidence, falling just short of the 287 votes needed to topple the government. A second motion, backed only by the far-right National Rally, did not garner enough votes.

The outcome of the first vote was much tighter than anticipated and increases the pressure on Macron to withdraw his reform. It may also give a boost to the protest movement led by trade unions against the measures. The French president will also be under pressure to respond either by addressing the country or reshuffling his government.

Speaking ahead of the votes, the centrist MP Charles de Courson, one of the authors of the cross-party motion, accused Macron's government of lacking "courage" during the parliamentary debates.

Biohazard

The US is stocking vaccines for a hypothetical smallpox bio-attack

smallpox
© Florentine CodexFILE PHOTO: A 16th century illustration depicting smallpox victims.
In the event of a bio-terrorism smallpox attack, at least 2 million Americans will be able to get treatment, though we can all receive vaccinations
Planning for a bio-terrorism smallpox attack, the U.S. government just bought up enough smallpox medication supplies to treat two million people. But given that smallpox was eradicated in 1980 and that the only known remaining samples of the disease are kept under lock and key in the U.S. and Russia, the New York Times points out, some critics are crying foul over the $463 million the government shelled out for the vaccines.

Experts fear, though, that terrorists may have secret stockpiles of the virus or could figure out how to reengineer smallpox in the lab. Two million doses of treatment, the Times writes, could contain an outbreak in a large city in the event of terrorists dousing an airport or stadium with pathogens. But around 12 million doses would be needed to combat a nation-wide epidemic.

Comment: From November 2021: 'SMALLPOX found in Merck lab in Philadelphia, FBI launch urgent probe

Below is some research showing the US' research into small pox; outbreak simulations; as well as Wikileaks documents regarding America's ongoing research into smallpox:






Pirates

Best of the Web: Poland's French embassy says they could 'enter conflict' in Ukraine against Russia

Jan Emeryk Rościszewski
© Serwis Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)Statement by its own ambassador during television interview forces Polish Embassy in France to issue denial Timo Kirez
According to Polish Ambassador to France Jan Emeryk Rosciszewski, a situation may arise in which Poland would have to directly enter the Russia-Ukraine war.

"It is not NATO, Poland or Slovakia that are exerting more and more pressure, but Russia, which has invaded Ukraine. Russia that is usurping its territories. Russia that is killing its people. And Russia that kidnaps Ukrainian children," the 57-year-old ambassador told French broadcaster LCI on Sunday evening.

"So either Ukraine defends its independence today, or we have to enter this conflict. Because our main values, which were the basis of our civilization and our culture, will be threatened. Therefore, we will have no choice but to enter the conflict," he added.

Comment: Notes from Poland reports:
His words triggered criticism from opposition politicians in Poland.

"The Polish ambassador to France saying we will enter a war with Russia if Ukraine fails is clearly exceeding his powers and should simply be removed from office. Hello [foreign ministry]!" tweeted Maciej Gdula, an MP from The Left (Lewica).



"The PiS [ruling party's] diplomatic staff are a disaster. They put forward people with no experience in diplomacy as ambassadors, and they later say whatever comes to mind," wrote Krzystof Bosak, one of the leaders of the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party.


It's likely his words reflect the sentiment (and possible plans) of some of his colleagues. One recalls the recent comment from Germany's FM: Germany 'at war' with Russia - FM



"Looking for sensational content that does not fit with Poland's consistent efforts over the past year to help Ukraine win this conflict so that it would not spill over into Europe and Poland should be regarded as ill will," it added.

Although the Polish foreign ministry did not directly address the ambassador's statement in a separate communication, it retweeted the embassy's message.


Rościszewski's remarks came as one French politician, National Rally (RN) MEP and former minister Thierry Mariani, accused Poland of "clearly trying to drag the European Union into an escalation" of the war in Ukraine.

His comments came in response to Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, last week announcing that his country would become the first to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine.

"It seems to me that it is extremely dangerous for Poland to deliver military aircraft to Kyiv," Mariani told Russian state news agency TASS. "Until now, the United States has not made such a decision. Warsaw is now going even further than Washington in supplying Ukraine with military equipment."

Poland has long argued that helping Ukraine's defend itself against Russian aggression is vital for the safety of Europe, and in particular of NATO's eastern member states.

See also:


Handcuffs

Nancy Pelosi is once again setting up the Trump 'incitement' narrative ahead of his expected arrest

Trump
© UnknownFormer US President Donald Trump
MAGA supporters tempted to protest an expected Trump arrest should be wary, especially in a major city. They might be walking into another "insurrection" trap.

Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, is about to be arrested.

The expected Trump indictment hinges on his former lawyer Michael Cohen sending $130,000 to pornstar Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing a purported 2006 affair with Trump, who has denied the allegation. Trump allegedly reimbursed Cohen with campaign funds, allegedly claiming them as "legal expenses."

Alvin Bragg responded on Saturday night to pushback ahead of the expected Trump arrest, as reported by Breanna Morello.

In part, Bragg told the members of his office:
"Please know that your safety is our top priority. We have full confidence in our outstanding security staff and investigators, along with our great OCA and NYPD colleagues, and will continue to coordinate with all of them. We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York."
Nancy Pelosi may no longer hold the Speaker's gavel, but she is already hammering home the point that Donald Trump is 'inciting' his supporters ahead of his expected arrest next week.

Padlock

How Covid lockdowns primed the current financial crisis

playground
© unknown
The lockdowns and the stimulus required to keep the economy alive helped drive inflation. Then the Fed jacked up interest rates. And all hell broke loose.

On Friday March 10th, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) died of Covid. Alright, it's a little more complicated than that, but Covid lockdowns followed by massive government stimulus were a critical - and massively under-acknowledged - factor in propelling the bank's demise.

At the heart of the crisis is the gigantic pile of low-interest debt that was issued during the height of the pandemic. While private-sector pandemic-era debt like corporate bonds also soared, US government debt like Treasury bonds piled up.

In a nutshell, during the pandemic the government issued enormous amounts of extremely low interest government debt — about $4.2 trillion of it. But now interest rates, including on government debt, are higher than they have been in 15 years and investors are dumping their old low-interest debt. As they dump, the resale price of the old debt goes down. The more it declines, the more investors want to dump. And thus, a panic is born.

To understand the problem fully, the question of US government debt has to be put into its larger context, which is: the pandemic response as a whole.

Comment: COVID and US/Global economies were purposely tied together...a planned double whammy evidenced in the defaulting bank disaster today. The dominoes have been set and the tipping process has commenced.


Putin

Moscow opens criminal case over Putin warrant

ICC building
© Vincent Isore/MAGO/Global Look PressThe International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands
Russia's investigative committee says the ICC's top prosecutor and its judges acted "illegally"...

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) principal prosecutor and the judges who issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin have become the targets of a criminal case, Russia's Investigative Committee announced on Monday.

In a Telegram post, the committee said that it had opened cases against ICC prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan, as well as judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez.

Khan sent a petition on February 22 to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to obtain warrants for the arrest of Putin and Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, whom he accused of being responsible for the "illegal deportation of children from Ukraine." His petition was approved by the aforementioned judges. Moscow regards the evacuation as providing the safety of civilians from territories at risk of attacks by Ukrainian troops.

Comment: The ICC is ineffective and full of deficiencies, unable to investigate or enforce its rulings:
The biggest demonstration of the ICC's impotence was its failed attempt to investigate war crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, Medvedev stated.

Washington derailed the court's probe. John Bolton, the national security adviser under then-President Donald Trump, mused at the time that "for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead," so Washington will allow it to "die on its own."

Last week's decision by the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber to go after the leader of another nuclear power that likewise refused to recognize its jurisdiction is obviously just for show, Medvedev said, adding that this will only serve to eradicate whatever trust in international institutions remains.

Nations ignore rulings that they perceive as inherently unjust and prefer to make direct agreements between each other, while "stupid decisions of the UN and other structures come apart at the seams."

Medvedev added that one could "imagine a situation" in which the building of the ICC in The Hague could be struck by a Russian hypersonic missile. "This court is just a puny international organization, not a NATO nation's people. They would not dare to start a war over it. No one would even be sorry about it."
Russia is 'unfazed' by Putin's arrest warrant:
The Russian leadership has taken note of the arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin announced by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week but is not worried by it, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said. It is just one of many attacks on Russia and its leader, he explained.
"We take notice [of such things], but if we were to take to heart every hostile action, certainly nothing good would come out of it. We are unfazed and will keep working."
The court acts on the authority of the Rome Statute, an international treaty that Russia never ratified and from which it fully withdrew in 2016. Several other major world powers, including the US, China, and India, do not recognize the ICC either. Washington infamously derailed the court's attempt to investigate war crimes allegedly committed in Iraq and Afghanistan by US troops and their allies under President Donald Trump.

The Russian government dismissed the arrest warrant as irrelevant. Former President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of the National Security Council, called the court earlier on Monday a "puny international organization."



Syringe

Japanese officials urge government to tell the truth about 210,000 excess deaths following vaccine mandates - highest number since WWII

Japanese accusation
The Government of Japan is urged to tell the truth about the huge number of vaccine injuries and excess deaths during a hearing.

Japanese lawmaker Mr. Yanagase Hirofumi, a Japanese politician who is a member of the House of Councillors of Japan, accused the Japanese government of covering up COVID-19 mRNA vaccine injuries and deaths.

Below is the transcript of Mr. Hirofumi's speech:
"The number of deaths in Japan has been on the rise continuously. As you can see from this panel, the dramatic increase in the number of deaths is quite obvious. Last year, the number of deaths in 2022, exceeded 1.58 million, the highest number since World War II.
Compared to 2021, the number of deaths has increased by more than 140,000.

Compared to 2020, the number of deaths has increased by a staggering number of 210,000.
Covid didn't cause so many more deaths. There must be factors (like vaccines). I wonder how the government is analyzing this problem?

Briefcase

Trump indictment delayed, "surprise witness" to testify on Monday

donald trump
© AFP / Alex WongFormer US President Donald Trump addresses the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
According to Business Insider sources, a possible Trump indictment is on hold until a final "surprise witness" can testify before the Grand Jury on Monday.

Here's the report from Business Insider:
Not so fast. A New York grand jury will hear a final surprise witness on Monday and won't vote on Trump indictment until it's over.

"There is one more witness," a source with knowledge of the investigation told Insider on Saturday night. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge details of the grand jury proceedings.

The source declined to identify the witness, whose testimony will cap a two-month grand jury presentation by prosecutors under District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

A separate source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told Insider that the witness is not Allen Weisselberg, Trump's former CFO, who is serving a five-month sentence for admittedly masterminding a payroll tax-dodge scheme at the Trump Organization.

Comment: 'This is a flawed case': Legal expert pours cold water on NY DA's rumored plan to indict Trump as he explains why prosecution would likely fail


Mail

Saudi king invites Iranian president to Riyadh - official

Salman
© AP/Bandar AljaloudKing Salman of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to a meeting in Riyadh, Raisi's deputy chief of staff said on Sunday. Planning is also underway for a meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers, after a Chinese-mediated deal restored diplomatic relations following a seven-year rift.

Salman extended the invitation in a letter to Raisi, Deputy Chief of Staff Mohammad Jamshidi wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "Welcoming this invitation, the president emphasized Iran's readiness to strengthen cooperation," Jamshidi added. In a follow-up tweet in English, Jamshidi stated that Salman referred to Saudi Arabia and Iran as "brotherly countries" in his letter.

Saudi Arabia and Iran announced last week that they would restore diplomatic ties and commit to "non-interference" in each other's internal affairs, in a landmark deal brokered by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Preparations have been underway to reopen embassies in Riyadh and Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told Tehran's state media on Sunday.