Puppet MastersS


Calendar

Washington renews 4 restrictions on Iran's nuclear program for 60 days


Business Standard
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 12:34 UTC
Iran mapthing
© WordPress.com/Sabbah Report
The restrictions related to non-proliferation work on the Middle East country are designed to make the Iranian nuclear program less capable of producing weapons.

The Trump administration on Monday (local time) decided to renew four restrictions on Iran's nuclear program for the next 60 days making it harder for Tehran to develop further nuclear weapons. Morgan Ortagus, US State Department spokesperson said in a statement:
"US is renewing four nuclear restrictions on Iran for an additional 60 days. We'll closely monitor developments in Iran's nuclear program and can adjust these restrictions at any time. As President Trump said, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon."
These restrictions are based on Iran's continued nuclear program which "is unacceptable", she added.
Read More...
Pirates

Tunisia, Libya: Mercenaries from Syria recruited to create terrorist enclaves

Vladimir Platov
New Eastern Outlook
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 00:00 UTC
Terrorists
© UnknownTerrorists in Tunisia
Terrorists who have fled Idlib (in Syria), in part due to actions taken by Turkey, are dispersing throughout Africa thus posing a security threat to the entire North African region.

Their numbers are especially high in Libya and Tunisia today. According to many commentators, Turkey, in its desire not to sacrifice its military personnel to protect its own geopolitical interests by providing military assistance to Fayez al-Sarraj's Government of National Accord (GNC), has shown its willingness to transform Libya and Tunisia into breeding grounds for terrorism by actively directing mercenaries to these two countries.

The reason Ankara has chosen Tunisia as one of the destinations for militants from Syria is that after Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, won in Tunisia's parliamentary elections in October 2019, Islamists began to consolidate their position in this nation. In addition, it is worth pointing out that Ennahda's ideology has been, in many ways, inspired by that of the Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), which Turkey and Qatar actively support. It is important not to forget that Turkey is a nation whose leadership includes players from moderate Islamist ranks or more precisely, the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey. Hence, it is no secret that armed units supporting Fayez al-Sarraj's GNC and Turkey's leaders share an ideology to a certain extent (although, of course, there are also some differences).

Comment: See also: Joanne Moriarty: Turkey proceeds with invasion of Libya, tribes respond

Read More...
Life Preserver

Iran receives medical goods from European states in first INSTEX transaction


Sputnik
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:26 UTC
Iran woman mask
© West Asia News/ReutersCoronavirus in Iran
The INSTEX trading mechanism was previously created by European countries to bypass unilateral restrictions, imposed against the Islamic Republic by Washington, as the US threatened to hit those trading with Tehran via secondary sanctions. Iran, however, has repeatedly criticised INSTEX for not functioning properly.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have officially confirmed concluding their first INSTEX transaction with Iran, exporting medical goods to the Middle Eastern country. According to the German Foreign Ministry, Berlin hopes to enhance the mechanism and carry out more transaction with Tehran.

The news comes several months after Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands joined the mechanism, allowing the countries to circumvent US sanctions against Iran.

The medical goods are being sent to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has severely affected Iran, making it the worst-hit Asian country outside China.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Arrow Up

'A huge, timely BDS victory': Microsoft dumps AnyVision, Israeli tech firm spying on Palestinians

Michael Arria
Mondoweiss
Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00 UTC
Truck sign
© JVP/Twitter
Microsoft has announced that its divesting its shareholding in the Israeli facial recognition company AnyVision. The move follows an audit which was forced by a BDS campaign targeting the company. Activists say that AnyVision's facial recognition technology is used to spy on Palestinians in the West Bank.

After Microsoft invested in the company last June, NBC News reported that AnyVision "powers a secret military surveillance project" in Palestine. ACLU's Shankar Narayan at the time said:
"Face recognition is possibly the most perfect tool for complete government control in public spaces, so we need to treat it with extreme caution."
When NBC reached out to AnyVision CEO Eylon Etshtein for the story, he denied knowledge of the project, insisted that the West Bank wasn't occupied, and implied that the report was being funded by a Palestinian activist group.
Read More...
Briefcase

Venezuela: Guaido subpoenaed 'among main perpetrators' for attempted coup, assassinations


RT
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 16:40 UTC
Guaido
© Reuters/Manaure QuinteroPretender Juan Guaido
Venezuela's prosecutors have summoned Juan Guaido over his role in the "attempted coup d'etat," as well as in alleged assassination attempts. Guaido is the main figure in US-backed efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

The move was announced by Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Tuesday in a televised speech. The official described Guaido as "one of the main perpetrators" of a "new" attempted coup.

The move comes after a cache of weaponry, said to be smuggled into Venezuela, was seized in neighboring Colombia last week. Saab stated:
"As part of last week's initial investigation into an attempted coup and assassination, following the unveiling of an arsenal of war, we have issued a summons for one of those responsible to appear next Thursday in the Prosecutor's Office."
Read More...
Brain

'A voice of clarity'? Biden's podcast shadowed by sex assault charge, mental state, weird interviews


RT
Mon, 30 Mar 2020 18:00 UTC
Joe Biden
© Scott Olsen/Getty ImagesFormer VP and Democratic candidate for President Joe Biden
Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden has launched a podcast, attempting to reassure voters by channeling FDR's WW2-era Fireside Chats but failing to distract from sexual assault allegations and concerns about his mental state.

The show, called Here's the Deal, debuted on Monday with a sit-down with Obama administration "Ebola czar" and venture capitalist Ron Klain, whom Biden (jokingly?) called an "old friend of the show." Perhaps tellingly for the candidate, who has staunchly refused to participate in a final primary debate with Democratic Socialist challenger Bernie Sanders, the pre-recorded, heavily-edited podcast clocked in at under 22 minutes.

Comment: At best, Biden is one of the side-shows to keep us distracted while nefarious things go on in the US. There is no evident logic to his promotion to presidential candidate except as a test to assess how indoctrinated and gullible we have become. Pushover politics happen for a reason and nothing happens in Washington by accident.

Read More...
Wolf

Putchists lurk in the shadow of coronavirus

Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Network
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 16:22 UTC
General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy
On February 1, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper instructed General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy to stand by. On February 13, O'Shaughnessy testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that he was preparing for the worst-case scenario. In the event of a health disaster, the "Continuity of Government" plan would make him the next dictator (in the ancient sense) of the United States.
While the public's eyes are riveted on the progression of coronavirus numbers, a profound reorganization of the executive is taking place, giving primacy to senior health officials over policy. In the shadows, bankers and soldiers are agitating in the hope of confiscating power for their own benefit.

The primacy of administrative logic over political logic

Many governments in industrialized countries decided to respond to the Covid-19 epidemic by confining their populations. This strategy does not stem from medicine, which has never practised isolation of healthy people, but from good management of medical resources to prevent a massive influx of sick people so as not to clog hospitals. Few industrialized countries, such as Sweden, have rejected this administrative approach to the epidemic. They have opted for a medical approach and therefore do not practise generalised containment.

The first lesson of the current period is therefore that in developed countries, administrative logic is now superior to medical experience.
Read More...
Corona

Trump says Russia sent 'very, very large planeload' of supplies to US for Covid-19, not planning nationwide quarantine - WHO fear-mongers


Sputnik
Mon, 30 Mar 2020 16:35 UTC
PutinTrump
© AP/SalonRussian President Vladimir Putin • US President Donald Trump
Russia and China have sent various supplies, including medical equipment, to the United States to help battle the novel coronavirus disease, US President Donald Trump said during a daily White House briefing on Monday.

"China sent us some stuff, which was terrific. Russia sent us a very, very large planeload of things, medical equipment, which was very nice", the president said.

He did not, however, elaborate on the details of the deliveries.

Earlier during the briefing, Trump said that restrictions amid the virus outbreak in the US could be toughened, but said he was not planning to impose a nationwide quarantine.


Comment: On the lockdowns, Trump said, "The guidelines will be very much as they are, maybe even toughened up a little bit." Trump and Putin spoke by phone about coronavirus, the world oil market, and "the possibilities of closer cooperation between the two countries" - the Kremlin called the call 'lengthy'. Pompeo and Lavrov also spoke about coronavirus, "the international agenda, including strategic stability and the Syrian crisis settlement, as well as some aspects of bilateral relations."

In Russia, St. Petersburg followed the herd, adopting strict measures and going into 'partial lockdown', like Moscow. The Russian parliament is following the global panic, clearing the path for a state of emergency to be declared:
On Monday morning Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asked Russia's regional heads to consider introducing similar restrictions in the capital. Many areas of the country have since complied.

"A regime of isolation is introduced for all age groups, with the exception of cases when emergency care is needed, or where you need to go to the store for food, or to travel to work [...] and other really good reasons," Mishustin explained. "In the current situation, this will help to protect yourself and your loved-ones. I ask the leaders of Russia's Federal Subjects to pay attention to the experience of their colleagues and to work out the possibility of introducing such measures in their regions."

On Tuesday, Russia's parliament adopted a law to expand the powers of the government and its right to announce a state of emergency. If declared, this would give authorities the ability to establish mandatory rules of conduct for citizens. The relevant agencies say that it will increase the nation's ability to effectively fight the pandemic. However, speaking to radio station Echo of Moscow, political scientist Andrei Kolesnikov has warned that, while the legislation can be "explained by the needs of the moment," in the long term it will give the government "much more substantial capabilities to suppress human rights." He expressed a worry that, once the pandemic is controlled, this new law will be used to turn Russia into a police state.
That pretty much applies everywhere... There was some fear that Putin might have been infected after he visited a Moscow doctor who later tested positive. The Kremlin says Putin takes tests regularly and is fine.

The WHO is still fear-mongering, saying the 'coronavirus crisis' in Asia is "far from over" and to brace for "large-scale community transmission". They're assuming there hasn't already been large-scale transmission, which would imply that the mortality rate and percentage of severe cases is much lower than all the authorities have been telling us.

Read More...
Heart - Black

Covid-19 the new Black Death? British death rates are normal so what does that say about the virus?

Peter Andrews
RT
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 09:07 UTC
BlackDeathCoronaVirus
© UnknownCoronavirus vs Black Death? Their commonality is misrepresentation!
Many people are waking up to the fact that the Covid-19 "pandemic" is not turning out as billed. When we finally emerge from it, the big question will be how many people have died from the virus. Here's the most likely outcome:

You can bet that the institutions of international government, and the "experts" advising them, will try to massage and cherry-pick statistics to present the version of events that most closely matches their worst-case scenarios. The fact is, according to their early predictions, we are already long overdue millions of Covid-19 deaths that have failed to materialise.

But even when Covid-19 deaths are recorded, we have seen how it could be that people are dying with coronavirus rather than dying of it. This concept is easy enough to understand, and it encourages one to take a closer look at the breakdown of deaths across an entire society. The more you follow this rabbit hole down, the more interesting the numbers become. It may be somewhat morbid, but it is nonetheless very important.

Comment: Do not expect a "thank-you for your participation in this global experiment - see ya next time" letter, nor a side note of how little effort it took to set in motion global paranoia. The rats erroneously took the blame for the Black Death. The rats this time are human.

Read More...
Blackbox

Is the US able to handle COVID-19? Global prospects hang on the question

Alastair Crooke
Strategic Culture Foundation
Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00 UTC
ems workers
As the lockdowns across Europe began to bite, the U.S. Establishment began its 'wobble'. The more elegant amongst élite circles pointed to a dangerous mis-match in timelines: The medical advice has been: 'lockdown until the virus begins to subside', but that advice encompassed too, the possibility of Covid-19 returning later in the year in a Phase Two, thus requiring further personal distancing. Hands shot high in absolute horror amongst some business and Wall Street leaders: Could the U.S. economy sustain such a prospect? Might not a long shutdown inflict permanent damage? Would there even be an economy left - to resurrect - in the wake of 'peak Coronavirus'?

The mis-match thesis then acquired a third strand: To immediate economic fears standing in contradistinction to longer term medical perspectives was added the third question: Are Americans culturally 'built' for lockdown (that is to say, will an individualistic, libertarian-minded - and armed society - acquiesce to being ordered to stay home over a long period)?


Comment: Some think not: Will the coronavirus result in martial law? 'Americans have a tipping point!'


Not surprisingly, President Trump - with an advancing Election, and his colours pinned to the mast of sound economic management - hit on the formula that the 'cure cannot be worse than the disease': Let's have the economy open by Easter (12 April - i.e. 15 days hence), he declared.
Read More...