Puppet MastersS


Pirates

Ukraine claims it stopped recruiting foreigners because it's running out of weapons and they're too inexperienced


RT
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 18:30 UTC

Comment: What actually happened is that the Russians scared away any more from coming...


Georgian Legion
© AP / Efrem LukatskyMembers of Ukraine's Georgian Legion train in their base in Kiev, Ukraine, February 4, 2022
Ukraine's 'International Legion' no longer wants foreign recruits to fight Russia, a spokesman told Canada's National Post on Friday. Despite Kiev once welcoming Westerners with open arms, it has now been revealed that supplies are low, and inexperienced volunteers aren't ready for combat.

Volunteers who've already made the journey have told horror stories of being sent to the front lines unarmed and untrained. Following the Russian offensive, videos emerged online of people claiming they joined the fight against Moscow's forces, but were given no ammo or weapons by the Ukrainian side.
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Newspaper

Saudi Arabia agrees to two-month truce with Yemen - UN


Al Jazeera
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:00 UTC
yemen saudi arabia
© Hani Mohammed/APYemeni police inspect a site of Saudi-led air raids targeting two houses in Sanaa, Yemen
The warring sides in Yemen's seven-year conflict have agreed to a two-month nationwide truce, starting with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the United Nations envoy has said.


Comment: It's not so much a 'conflict' as it is Saudi Arabia's billion dollar, western-backed, failed coup attempt in Yemen that has resulted in what the UN called the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe.


The UN-brokered deal on Friday between a Saudi-led coalition and the rebel Houthi group aligned with Iran is the most significant step yet towards ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and pushed millions into hunger. The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016.


Comment: It has actually killed hundreds of thousands, 377,000, 70% of whom were children under 5 years old, as Qatar-owned Al Jazeera admits further below.


UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said the two-month truce would come into effect at 7pm local time (16:00 GMT) on Saturday and could be renewed with the consent of the parties.

Comment: See also: UAE energy chief reaffirms commitment to Opec+ alliance with Russia

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Question

Italy ready to guarantee Ukraine's neutral status


RT
Sat, 02 Apr 2022 16:35 UTC
Luigi Di Maio
© AFP / Sergey DolzhenkoFILE PHOTO. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Italy is actively seeking to broker peace in Ukraine and is willing to become a guarantor of the country's neutral status, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Saturday. The diplomat made these remarks after meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku.

"Italy is working non-stop to put this conflict to an end through sanctions and without ever giving up the diplomatic channels.


Comment: Sanctioning Russia won't help end the conflict, it will however help hasten the West's demise, which, in a roundabout way, might help end the conflict.


The continuation of negotiations between the parties and a humanitarian truce are priorities," Di Maio stated, acknowledging that "progress" was made during Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey earlier this week.

Comment: Meanwhile Russia pushes on with its denazification of Ukraine.

See also: And check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Russia is LOSING the war in Ukraine! Or is it?



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Attention

April Fools... U.S. boosts import of Russian oil while urging world to impose ruinous sanctions


Strategic Culture
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 19:50 UTC
Russian Oil
© REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
The contradictions that stem from American and European arrogance have finally hit breaking point.

The United States reportedly boosted its import of Russian oil last month, according to official figures from the Energy Information Administration. The extra imported volume accounted for a 43 percent increase.

This is in spite of an executive order by U.S. President Joe Biden on March 8 to ban all energy and hydrocarbon commodities from Russia. That draconian measure was declared in response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine that was launched on February 24.

Admittedly, the United States does not rely heavily on Russia for its crude oil supply. Russia is not in the top five suppliers to the U.S., according to the EIA. Nevertheless, the apparent ramping up of U.S. purchase of Russian oil strikes a bizarre chord.

It comes as Washington is demanding European allies to cut energy trade with Russia. And it's not just the Europeans that are being ordered to do so. India and other Asian countries are also harangued by the Americans to likewise reduce imports of Russian gas, oil and petroleum products.

Given today's date, one could be forgiven for thinking this is some kind of April Fools joke. It's not. But it is a laughable illustration of how reckless and ridiculous American hubris has become.

Washington wants its so-called allies to commit economic suicide by cutting off vital energy trade with Russia all in a bid to satisfy its de facto Cold War agenda of trying to isolate Moscow and draw all countries under U.S. hegemony. The same geopolitical agenda applies to China, although that has taken somewhat of a backseat given the immediate tensions with Russia.
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Arrow Up

Defense Department to send Ukraine $300 million in additional military equipment

Shawna Chen
Axios
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00 UTC
Ukraine soldiers
© Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesUkrainian soldiers near the ruins of a burned vehicle on a road in Irpin, Ukraine • April 1, 2022
The Department of Defense will provide up to $300 million in security assistance and equipment to Ukraine as the nation continues to rally against Russian forces, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced Friday.

Why it matters: The move comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia's invasion has reached a "turning point," and that he had spoken with President Biden about Ukrainian forces needing more military help.

Driving the news: The new package includes laser-guided rocket systems, unmanned aircraft, armored vehicles, night vision devices tactical secure communications systems, ammunition and medical supplies.

What he's saying:
"This decision underscores the United States' unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in support of its heroic efforts to repel Russia's war of choice."
Kirby said in a statement:
  • It "represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide new capabilities to Ukraine's Armed Forces" instead of drawing equipment directly from DoD stockpiles.
The big picture: The U.S. has committed over $1.6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion, which has forced more than 4.1 million refugees to flee Ukraine.

Comment: What does US $300M buy in military aid for its war by proxy?
A US official told The New York Times on Friday that the Biden administration will work with allies in Europe to send Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine as the Western push to pour weapons into the country continues.

The move marks an escalation in Western military aid to Ukraine. Until now, the US and its NATO allies have provided Ukraine with thousands of shoulder-fired anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles but have held off on sending more advanced weapons over concerns of provoking Russia.

The US official wouldn't specify how many tanks will be sent or what countries they will come from. Ukraine needs Soviet-made weapons since its armed forces are trained to use them, and only the NATO members that are former Soviet states can provide them.

The decision came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with NATO to send tanks and warplanes. The US had previously backed off from a plan to transfer Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

According to the Pentagon, the new military aid package includes:
  • Laser-guided rocket systems;
  • Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
  • Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
  • Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;
  • Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles;
  • Small-to-large caliber non-standard ammunition;
  • Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, and optics;
  • Tactical secure communications systems;
  • Non-standard machine guns;
  • Commercial satellite imagery services;
  • Medical supplies, field equipment, and spare parts.
Poland has turned into a hub for NATO weapons that are being sent to Ukraine, and President Biden recently said that US soldiers in the country are training Ukrainian troops.
Germany is on board to stand by and watch as well:
Germany has given the green light to supply 58 Cold War-era Soviet BMP-1armored vehicles to Ukraine. While the infantry fighting vehicles (IVFs) are currently owned by a Czech firm, any attempt to transfer them to third parties still requires approval from Berlin due to the end-user agreement.

The potential delivery of the vehicles to Kiev is not expected to materialize immediately, as the IFVs still require maintenance and repair. The process will likely take a few weeks.

So far, Germany has abstained from supplying Ukraine with heavy military hardware, sticking to deliveries of personnel armor and helmets, as well as man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems.


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Handcuffs

Ex-UN prosecutor urges global arrest warrant for Putin


AP
Sat, 02 Apr 2022 00:00 UTC
del Ponte
© Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP/FileCarla del Ponte, European headquarters of the UN
The former chief prosecutor of United Nations war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda has called for an international arrest warrant to be issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Putin is a war criminal," Carla Del Ponte told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps in an interview published Saturday.

In interviews given to Swiss media to mark the release of her latest book, the Swiss lawyer who oversaw U.N. investigations in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia said there were clear war crimes being committed in Ukraine.

She said she was particularly shocked by the use of mass graves in Russia's war on Ukraine, which recalls the worst of the wars in the former Yugoslavia. She told the newspaper Blick:
"I hoped never to see mass graves again. These dead people have loved ones who don't even know what's become of them. That is unacceptable."



Comment: Perhaps Del Ponte should have been referring to:

Other war crimes she identified in Ukraine included attacks on civilians, the destruction of civilian buildings and even the demolishing of entire villages.

Comment: Expedient of Del Ponte in labeling President Putin 'a war criminal'. The bonus publicity is press exposure for her new book.

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Attention

Manchin: Biden's repeal of Title 42 order 'a frightening decision'

Alexander Bolton
The Hill
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 02:01 UTC
Manchin
© Andrew Harrer/BloombergSenator Joe Manchin, (D-WV)
Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Friday slammed President Biden's decision to rescind Title 42, a Trump-era health order used to rapidly deport people who cross the border without authorization. Manchin said in a statement after Biden's announcement:
"Today's announcement by the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the Biden Administration is a frightening decision. Title 42 has been an essential tool in combatting the spread of COVID-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border. We are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants this year, and that will only get worse if the Administration ends the Title 42 policy."
His office noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a record 1.7 million migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, a number four times higher than what was reported in 2020.


Comment: See also:

Borders open: CDC to terminate Title 42 border policy May 23

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X

"The biggest asset bubble in US history" Mark Spiegel eviscerates Fed Policy and Tesla

Quoth the Raven
quoththeraven.substack.com
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 00:00 UTC
money bubs
© bookkeeperguy.au
Mark's March 2022 investor letter doesn't pull any punches.

Friend of Fringe Finance Mark B. Spiegel of Stanphyl Capital released his most recent investor letter yesterday with his updated take on the market's valuation and Tesla.

Mark is a recurring guest on my podcast (and will be coming back on again soon hopefully) and definitely one of Wall Street's iconoclasts. I read every letter he publishes and only recently thought it would be a great idea to share them with my readers. Like many of my friends/guests, he's the type of voice that gets little coverage in the mainstream media, which, in my opinion, makes him someone worth listening to twice as closely.

Mark was kind enough to allow me to share his thoughts from his March 2022 investor letter, which he published on March 31, 2022.

Mark opened by calling the meme stock rally of the last few days "a fierce bear market rally of garbage stocks". What follows is Mark's take, from his letter, on the Fed and Tesla - and several chart annotations that I think help make his point.
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Footprints

Russia tells OSCE to leave Ukraine


RT
Fri, 01 Apr 2022 15:16 UTC
Zakarova Flags
© AzerNews/Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty images/KJNRussian FM Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova • OSCE flags
The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Secretariat "to immediately launch measures for winding down" its Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a lengthy statement on Friday that "in the current political and legal realities," the mission cannot work in accordance with the previous mandate anymore. It expired on Thursday and covered the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, now recognized by Russia as independent states. Zakharova wrote:
"This means that its further activities do not have the consensus support of the participating States and, therefore, cannot be carried out de jure. We urge the OSCE Secretariat to immediately begin measures to wind down the SMM, sell its property, terminate employment contracts with its personnel, and settle contractual obligations to service providers and landlords."
All monitoring and reporting functions of the SMM were de facto terminated on March 7.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

US envoy says Israel's 'hands not tied' on Iran, even if nuke deal signed


Times of Israel
Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:35 UTC
Nides
© US Embassy/David AzaguryTom Nides, US Ambassador to Israel
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said on Thursday Israel won't be faced with any American restrictions if it wishes to act against Iran, whether or not a nuclear deal is signed between Tehran and world powers.

Asked in a Channel 12 interview if the US expects Israel to "sit quietly and not do anything" if a deal is signed, Nides replied:
"Absolutely not. We've been very clear about this. If we have a deal, the Israelis' hands are not tied. If we don't have a deal, the Israelis' hands are certainly not tied. Israel can do and take whatever actions they need to take to protect the state of Israel.

"The president will do whatever he can do to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon... It's clear we'd like to do it through a diplomatic channel."
Regarding the progress of the negotiations on a deal, he said:
"The Israelis know very clearly exactly what is going on. I'm not suggesting they necessarily like it always, but there are no secrets here."
Nides dodged a direct question on whether Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be delisted from the US list of terror groups as part of a revived deal, as he also did in a Channel 13 interview.

Comment: As dynamics across the globe intensify, Israel appears to be choosing its battles. Temporary passes are merely future targets.

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