Puppet Masters

Slovakia becomes latest country to shun UN migration pact

Reuters
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:23 UTC

Slovakia will not support the United Nations pact on the treatment of migrants worldwide, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said on Sunday after the European Union summit.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 member U.N. nations except the United States, which backed out last year, and is due to be ratified formally in December.

The pact was conceived after the biggest influx of migrants into Europe since World War Two, many fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

Comment: See also:

Syria blames foreign states for Aleppo 'toxic gas attack', calls on UN to become involved - Russia destroys militants responsible

RT
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:10 UTC

The militant shelling of Aleppo was the result of some countries' attempts to "facilitate" delivery of chemicals to terrorist groups, Damascus said. Syria now calls for the UN to act against states supporting terrorism.

At least 46 people, including 8 children have been hospitalized in Aleppo with symptoms of gas poisoning from chlorine, according to the Russian military who sent special units to assist with treating patients after the attack. Syrian media say over 100 people were injured. The shelling that targeted residential areas of Aleppo on Saturday night is believed to have been launched from within the Idlib de-escalation zone, from an area controlled by the former Al-Nusra front.

Damascus said the attack aimed to further frame the Syrian government, according to Sana news agency. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called on the UN Security Council to immediately condemn the "terrorist crimes," and take "deterrent and punitive measures against the states and regimes backing terrorism."

Comment: See also: At least 73 Syrians hospitalized after terrorists shell Aleppo with chlorine gas

Trump turns French fuel protests into rant about how 'badly' EU treats America

RT
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:08 UTC

Donald Trump has been described as a narcissist by some, and he isn't doing himself any favors by making everything about him and the US. He's even found a way to make French demonstrations over rising fuel prices about America.

The US president took to Twitter on Sunday to address protests in France over rising fuel costs, which turned violent in Paris and led to tear gas and water cannon being deployed by police.

"The large and violent French protests don't take into account how badly the United States has been treated on Trade by the European Union or on fair and reasonable payments for our GREAT military protection. Both of these topics must be remedied soon," he tweeted.

He then went on to toot his own horn for falling oil prices. "Thank you, President T," he wrote.

Comment: Trump is one odd character.

MI6's panicked scramble to stop Trump release of classified docs in 'Russiagate' probe

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 17:44 UTC

The UK's Secret Intelligence Service, otherwise known as MI6, has been scrambling to prevent President Trump from publishing classified materials linked to the Russian election meddling investigation, according to The Telegraph, stating that any disclosure would "undermine intelligence gathering if he releases pages of an FBI application to wiretap one of his former campaign advisers."

Trump's allies, however, are fighting back - demanding transparency and suggesting that the UK wouldn't want the documents withheld unless it had something to hide.

Comment:

France shrugs off Saudi prince's presence at G20 amid Khashoggi row

Washington Post
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 22:34 UTC

The Latest on the fallout from the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

France appears to be shrugging off concerns about the Saudi crown prince's presence at a Group of 20 summit next week, despite global concern over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

France has joined Germany in imposing travel sanctions against 18 Saudi nationals suspected of links with the death in Istanbul last month. A senior French official on Friday reiterated France's demands for a thorough investigation.

He wouldn't comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused by U.S. intelligence officials of ordering the writer's killing.

Comment: Nigel Farage has pointed out the hypocrisy in the West's response to the Khashoggi killing:

Imagine if any other country had behaved like this. Imagine if Russia had behaved like this. There would be a much bigger international outcry

But, as Farage makes clear, Saudi Arabia is an important market for the West especially in the US and UK. Their unwillingness to hold MBS accountable for blatant murder shows the stark double standard. Russia is demonized for acts that have no basis or evidence, but Saudi Arabia is free from sanctions and provocative attacks despite the overwhelming evidence. Is anyone in the MSM going to talk about this elephant in the room?

Latest fallout from Khashoggi killing: France shrugs off presence of MbS at G20 summit

The Washington Post
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC

The Latest on the fallout from the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):

9:50 a.m.

France appears to be shrugging off concerns about the Saudi crown prince's presence at a Group of 20 summit next week, despite global concern over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

France has joined Germany in imposing travel sanctions against 18 Saudi nationals suspected of links with the death in Istanbul last month. A senior French official on Friday reiterated France's demands for a thorough investigation.

He wouldn't comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's defense of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused by U.S. intelligence officials of ordering the writer's killing.

The crown prince has denied involvement. Critics accuse Trump of turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia's abuses because of its influence on the world oil market.

Comment: Trump shrugs shoulders, doesn't seem to mind if Saudi Crown Prince MBS ordered the murder of an innocent civilian

The French official deflected questions about the optics of Macron, Trump and other leaders around the same table with the prince at the G-20 meetings in Argentina Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The official said it's unclear whether Macron will meet with bin Salman privately.

Comment: Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage appears to be more indignant about the killing, saying that responses would be significantly different if Russia was responsible:

Saudi Arabia is an "important market" both for the US and UK, but the West's unwillingness to hold Riyadh accountable for Khashoggi's killing reveals a glaring double-standard, Farage argued in an interview with Fox News.
Imagine if any other country had behaved like this. Imagine if Russia had behaved like this. There would be a much bigger international outcry
Farage isn't the only one to notice the discrepancy. Since Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, journalists and commentators have struggled to understand how Riyadh has emerged from the grisly crime largely unscathed.

Russian Federation and the LNR foreign ministry on the implications of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics elections

George Eliason
Modern Diplomacy
Fri, 23 Nov 2018 16:10 UTC

On November 11, 2018, along with people from twenty-two countries, I was in Lugansk People's Republic as an election observer for the national election. The elections in Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics were necessary because of the assassination of DNR Head of the Administration Alexandr Zakharchenko and the resignation of former Head of the Administration Igor Plotnitsky.

In the run up to the election and following it I was privileged to be able to interview diplomats from the Russian Federation and Lugansk People's Republic. I took statements from the Deputy Foreign Minister in LNR, an OSCE election observer who was on his way to monitor the US mid-terms, and the mayor of Stakhanov which is a city in LNR.

Shattering the republics seem to be the motivation behind Zakharchenko's assassination.

Comment: The US neocon's attempt to create another zone of chaos on Russia's doorstep appears to be failing, at least for the moment. Russia may never formally integrate the Republics as they hope for, but it will never let them be destroyed by the neonazi crazies running things in western Ukraine. Ordinary citizens will be the ones to suffer, even more than they are suffering now.

Palermo Conference on Libya features deep-seated disputes entrenched by international powers

Yury Zinin
New Eastern Outlook
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 15:52 UTC

The international conference on Libya, which took place on November 12-13 in the Italian city of Palermo, provoked a noticeable resonance across the Middle East.

In general, one can only welcome the initiative of Italy, which managed to bring together various Libyan factions that remain fragmented by internal strife ever since 2014, the mark after which the country would be led by two competing governments. It was especially concerning that those factions would refuse to take a seat at the negotiation table together with their compatriots.

Therefore, the range of opinions expressed in the media on this topic has been extremely diverse, yet skeptics seem to prevail as indicated by regional headlines, such as: "Palermo Conference: a climate of reconciliation, but with no real steps", "Palermo: no major breakthrough," etc.

Comment: The chaos in Libya is a demonstration of how the West 'builds nations'. It is by and large the epicenter of modern terrorism, nurtured by maniacal liberal tenets that seek destructive control over stability and order. It's little surprise that the Western nations that have created this mess are also unable to clean it up.

EU27 endorses Brexit deal at summit - EU Council President Tusk

Euronews
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 12:00 UTC

European leaders have arrived in Brussels ahead of a crucial EU summit on Brexit.

They are considering two key documents: the legally binding EU withdrawal agreement and a separate political declaration, outlining the UK's future relationship with the EU.

According to European Council President Donald Tusk, the EU 27 endorsed both documents, although support for UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal is dwindling in Westminster.

There will be no formal vote, but the EU is expected to proceed after the consensus, despite Spain's threats to derail the process over Gibraltar and the heated debate over the Irish border.

Comment: See: Brexit: A Political Farce Based on a Public Lie

And check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: California Wildfires, Climate Change, And The Impossible Brexit

Trump names hand-picked panel to supervise, investigate intelligence community

Steven Nelson
Washington Examiner
Wed, 21 Nov 2018 16:21 UTC

With Republicans poised to lose control of investigatory panels in the House of Representatives, President Trump is resurrecting a potentially powerful board capable of intimately reviewing intelligence agency conduct on his direct orders.

The White House announced five appointments to the Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board on Tuesday evening, after selecting a chairman and vice chairwoman earlier this year.

The dormant board created by former President Dwight Eisenhower has no formal powers, but derives significant authority directly from the president, operating as his surrogate to smooth over agency rivalries, investigate misconduct, and evaluate intelligence collection policies.

Experts say Trump could roil the intelligence community by asking his hand-picked panel to draft reports, for example, on alleged surveillance abuses against his 2016 campaign associates, a disputed charge made by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, who are poised to lose subpoena powers.

"The board can do whatever the hell the president wants it to do, and really it's about what the president tasks it with," said University of Notre Dame professor Michael Desch, co-author of the authoritative 2012 history of the board, Privileged and Confidential: The Secret History of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

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Puppet Masters

Slovakia becomes latest country to shun UN migration pact

Syria blames foreign states for Aleppo 'toxic gas attack', calls on UN to become involved - Russia destroys militants responsible

Trump turns French fuel protests into rant about how 'badly' EU treats America

MI6's panicked scramble to stop Trump release of classified docs in 'Russiagate' probe

France shrugs off Saudi prince's presence at G20 amid Khashoggi row

Latest fallout from Khashoggi killing: France shrugs off presence of MbS at G20 summit

Russian Federation and the LNR foreign ministry on the implications of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics elections

Palermo Conference on Libya features deep-seated disputes entrenched by international powers

EU27 endorses Brexit deal at summit - EU Council President Tusk

Trump names hand-picked panel to supervise, investigate intelligence community

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