Puppet MastersS


Arrow Up

Comeback kid Lula in the eye of a volcano

Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
Mon, 31 Oct 2022 16:46 UTC
Lula wins but his room for maneuver will be limited by powerful forces aligned against his Global South agenda.

Lula Brazil
© TwitterGuess who's back in Brazil?
Luis Ignacio "Lula" da Silva may be the ultimate 21st century political comeback kid. At 77, fit and sharp, leading an alliance of 10 political parties, he has just been elected as Brazilian president for what will be a de facto third term after his first two from 2003 to 2010.

Lula even staged a comeback-inside-a-comeback, during the extremely fast and tight electronic vote counting, reaching 50.9% against 49.1% to the incumbent, extreme right President Jair Bolsonaro, representing a difference of only two million votes in a country of 215 million people. Lula's back in office on January 1, 2023.

Lula's first speech was somewhat anti-Lula; noted for his Garcia Marquez-style improvisations and folksy stream of consciousness, he read from a measured, carefully-prepared script.

Lula emphasized the defense of democracy; the fight against hunger; the drive for sustainable development with social inclusion; a "relentless fight against racism, prejudice and discrimination."

He invited international cooperation to preserve the Amazon rainforest and will fight for fair global trade, instead of trade "that condemns our country to be an eternal exporter of raw materials."

Lula, always an exceptional negotiator, managed to win against the formidable state machine apparatus unleashed by Bolsonaro, which saw the distribution of billions of dollars in vote-buying; an avalanche of fake news; outright intimidation and attempts of voter suppression against the poor by rabid Bolsonarists; and countless episodes of political violence.

Lula inherits a devastated nation that, much like the US, is completely polarized. From 2003 to 2010 - he rose to power, incidentally, only two months before America's "shock and awe" against Iraq - it was quite a different story.
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Bad Guys

UK responds to Russian accusation over Nord Stream


RT
Sat, 29 Oct 2022 14:21 UTC
Nord Stream 2
© Danish Defence/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesDanish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022.
London denies it was behind the pipeline sabotage, dismissing Moscow's claim as an "invented story."

The United Kingdom has rebuffed a Russian accusation that it orchestrated an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The statement came hours after Moscow claimed that the Royal Navy was involved in the explosions.

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, the UK Ministry of Defence claimed that Moscow "is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale" in an effort to detract the global community from "their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine."

Comment:
See also:

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Cell Phone

Liz Truss's personal hacked phone was so compromised it was locked away in a 'secure location' as experts fear top secret negotiations and private messages may have been leaked

Glen Owen and Dan Hodges
Daily Mail
Sat, 29 Oct 2022 22:00 UTC
liz truss phone
The former Prime Minister's phone was reportedly compromised while Ms Truss was Foreign Secretary.
Liz Truss's personal mobile phone was hacked by agents suspected of working for the Kremlin, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The cyber-spies are believed to have gained access to top-secret exchanges with key international partners as well as private conversations with her leading political ally, Kwasi Kwarteng.

One source said that the phone was so heavily compromised that it has now been placed in a locked safe inside a secure Government location.
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Attention

Bill Gates meets with UK opposition leader Starmer to discuss 'global health' and climate

Kurt Zindulka
Breitbart
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00 UTC
Keir Starmer Bill Gates
© Stefan Rousseau/ PA Images via Getty ImagesKeir Starmer & Bill Gates
Two days after the installation of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Microsoft founder Bill Gates met with Sunak's counterpart in the parliament, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer to reportedly discuss climate change and "global health".

On Wednesday, leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer met with 'master of the universe' Bill Gates in his office in the Parliament.

Commenting on the meeting, a Labour Party spokesman said: "Keir Starmer was pleased to meet with Bill Gates today and discuss a number of issues of mutual concern including how the UK best supports global health and equitable development, and how we use the goal of net zero to invest in science and technology to deliver the jobs and growth of the future."

Comment: For more on Keir Starmer check out the articles below:

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Quenelle - Golden

Best of the Web: United Nations GA vote declares Israel must get rid of its nuclear weapons

Tovah Lazaroff
The Jerusalem Post
Sun, 30 Oct 2022 18:29 UTC
UNGA israel
© Mike Segar/ReutersPRIME MINISTER Yair Lapid addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, last week.
Israel must dispose of all its nuclear weapons and place its nuclear sites under the International Atomic Energy Agency's purview, the United Nations General Assembly's First Committee stated in an initial 152-5 vote.

The five nations that opposed Friday's resolution on the "risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East" were: Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Palau and the United States. Another 24 countries abstained, including European Union members.

The annual resolution submitted by Egypt to the UNGA in New York was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority and 19 counties including Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

Comment: Is time finally running out for the terrorist state of Israel? Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Cardboard Box

The sordid politics of inflation

MN Gordon
Economic Prism
Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00 UTC
BidenSaudi
© Getty Images copyFist-bumper Joe Biden at the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia
"Some airlines, if you want six more inches between you and the seat in front, you pay more money but you don't know it ... these are junk fees, they're unfair and they hit marginalized Americans the hardest, especially ... people of color."
- President Joe Biden, October 26, 2022
Fist Bump Agreements

President Joe Biden just crapped the bed. Again!

The near octogenarian thought he'd struck a secret deal back in July.

You may have seen Biden's fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the time. The non-binding agreement called for increased oil production until at least December, after the midterm elections.

With additional Saudi Arabian oil, in combination with draining the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, now down 32 percent year-to-date, Biden planned to deliver cheap gasoline to American voters.

His calculation was that this gift would prevent a likely midterm catastrophe for the Democrat party. What a slick political move, right?

Alas, Biden recently woke up - like a pig - rolling around in a mess of his making.

Comment: The Poverty Pit awaits...and not for long!

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Arrow Down

Biden admin has discussed slow-rolling military aid to Saudis, including Patriot missiles, as payback for oil production cut

Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee
NBC News
Sat, 29 Oct 2022 08:00 UTC
loading
© Jeffrey Grossi/U.S. Air ForceU.S. military personnel assigned to Patriot missile reload drills work to steady a Guidance Enhanced Missile canister as it is offloaded during a reload certification exercise
Al Dhafra Air Base • United Arab Emirates • July 28, 2022
The Biden administration has discussed slow-rolling military aid to Saudi Arabia, including shipments of advanced Patriot missiles, to punish the kingdom for leading OPEC's decision to cut oil production, say two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the discussions.

Some military officials support the idea, said the sources, but others want to make sure the military relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is kept separate from any retribution by the administration.

The Saudis have a contract for 300 Patriot 104-E guided ballistic missiles (GEM-T) that are used in Patriot air and missile defense systems, a critical capability for the Saudis, who face a persistent threat of missiles and drones fired from Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Saudis have the Patriot launch systems but need a re-supply of the missiles to intercept incoming threats.

Comment: What if every country the US 'stiffed' demanded payback and retribution? The lineup would be staggering.

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Calendar

Kremlin reveals possible basis for Putin-Biden talks


RT
Sun, 30 Oct 2022 12:02 UTC
Meeting
© Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFPUS President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva
June 16, 2021
Potential talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden would depend on Washington's willingness to hear Moscow's security concerns, the Kremlin press secretary said on Sunday.

Speaking to the Rossiya-1 TV channel, Dmitry Peskov said high-level re-engagement could happen "if the United States pays heed to our concerns":
"It would be contingent on the US desire to go back to the state of things as of December-January and ask the question: what the Russians are offering may not suit all of us, but maybe we should still sit down with them at the negotiating table?"
The spokesman explained that he was referring to the draft documents on security guarantees that Moscow submitted to both Brussels and Washington before the Ukraine conflict broke out in late February.

In mid-December last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the drafts of two treaties - one with the US and one with NATO - with a list of Moscow's security demands, in a bid to lower tensions in Europe.

Comment: Talks with Kiev deemed 'impossible':
Russia is open to negotiations over Ukraine, but any agreement with Kiev would have little credibility because it could be rescinded by the West, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. This means that any possible settlement should be primarily discussed with the US.

The spokesman told Rossiya-1 TV channel:
"Any unilateral diplomatic engagement with Ukraine is unlikely to succeed because the deciding vote rests with Washington. It's just impossible to discuss something, for example, with Kiev."
According to Peskov, while Russia could try to reach some agreements with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, but
"based on what happened in March, these agreements are worthless, because they can be instantly canceled upon orders from outside actors."
Peskov signaled that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for talks over Ukraine.
"The president has repeatedly said he is open to the negotiation process... Whether they are ready or not, but the West should know and hear this."
Earlier this month, Zelensky signed a decree on Ukraine officially rejecting peace talks with the Russian president.


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Calendar

FBI now wants 66 years before releasing information on Seth Rich


Truth Press
Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00 UTC
wray
© UnknownFBI Director Christopher Wray
The FBI is asking a U.S. court to reverse its order that it produce information from Seth Rich's laptop computer. If the court does not, the bureau wants 66 years to produce the information.

Rich was a Democratic National Committee staffer when he was killed on a street in Washington in mid-2016. No person has ever been arrested in connection to the murder.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, an Obama appointee, ruled in September that the bureau must hand over information from the computer to Brian Huddleston, a Texas man who filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the info.

The FBI's assertion that the privacy interest Rich's family members hold outweighed the public interest was rejected by Mazzant, who noted the bureau cited no relevant case law supporting the argument.

But the ruling was erroneous, U.S. lawyers said in a new filing.

The bureau shouldn't have to produce the information because of FOIA exemptions for information that are compiled for law enforcement purposes and "could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source," the lawyers said in a motion for reconsideration. Another exemption, which enables agencies to withhold information that would disclose law enforcement techniques also applies, they said.

Comment: See also:

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Stop

Russia suspends participation in grain deal after Ukrainian attack


RT
Sat, 29 Oct 2022 14:49 UTC
grain
© Sputnik/Mikhail Mordasov
Russia announced on Saturday that it has halted its compliance with a grain deal, brokered by the UN and Türkiye earlier this year. The move came after Ukraine launched a major drone attack on ships involved in securing safe passage for agricultural cargo, the Russian Defense Ministry explained.

In a post on its Telegram channel, the ministry said Russia "is suspending its participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports".

It explained that the move was prompted by "a terror attack" against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the grain corridor. The ministry also alleged that the bombing was organized with the involvement of British military.

The UK Defence Ministry has denied any involvement in the Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, claiming that Moscow
"is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale" in an effort to distract the global community from "their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine. This invented story, says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West."

Comment: Russia, taking cues from Ukraine, acts accordingly:
Speaking to reporters, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said: "Washington's reaction to the terrorist attack on the port of Sevastopol is truly outrageous," adding that the US refrained from condemning "the reckless actions of the Kiev regime."

Antonov noted the West's "complete disregard" of Russia's allegations that the bombing of Russian ships was organized with the involvement of the British military. The UK Ministry of Defence has denied the accusation.

Amid "attacks and provocations against Russian military and merchant vessels involved in the Black Sea Initiative", Moscow cannot continue operations without paying attention to security issues, Antonov insisted.

The envoy also addressed "insinuations" that Russia is causing global starvation, saying Moscow has repeatedly highlighted the importance of supplying the poorest countries with agricultural goods.
"However, under the grain scheme, a good half of all dry-cargo carriers went to developed countries. At the same time, Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan and Afghanistan received only about 3% of agricultural products."
On Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that it was suspending the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, citing a Ukrainian "terror attack" against ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the grain corridor.

US President Joe Biden denounced Moscow's decision as
"purely outrageous," claiming it would "increase starvation." "There's no merit to what they're doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it."
Meanwhile, commenting on Russia's decision to suspend the grain deal, Andrey Ermak, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's chief of staff, accused Moscow of "blackmail."


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