Puppet MastersS


Dollars

Iran: US owes us $130B in damages for inciting riots


RT
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:16 UTC
bank destroyed
© Reuters/WANA/Nazanin TabatabaeePeople walk near a burnt bank, one of 731, after protests against increased fuel prices.
Tehran has said the US should offer compensation to ordinary citizens whose lives have been damaged during the violent protests openly backed by Washington.

Iranians have filed more than 360 lawsuits seeking compensation from the US for the damages caused by the widespread rioting and looting during anti-government protests, as well as for other "crimes committed by the US against our nation," judiciary spokesperson, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili, told reporters on Tuesday.

Esmaeili accused Washington of inciting and supporting the unrest, stressing that American actions directly hurt ordinary Iranian citizens. The courts have awarded over $130 billion in damages to be paid by the US, he said, adding that the Iranian government must now work towards compelling Washington to pay up.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli previously said that between 130,000 and 200,000 people participated in the riots across the country, during which 731 banks, 70 gas stations and more than 300 private vehicles were vandalized or burned. A number of protesters and security personnel were killed in the ensuing clashes.

Comment: Whether the US financially backed the riots directly or through its cadre of puppet NGOs, it will be expected to pay amends for the consequences of these actions. Perhaps Syria, China, Venezuela...would be interested in billing the US as well. Collection, however, is another matter.

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Lemon

Lisa Page says she is the real victim - of Trump's texts


RT
Mon, 02 Dec 2019 22:15 UTC
LisaPage
© Reuters/Leah MillisEx-FBI lawyer Lisa Page looking absolutely devastated after an interview with the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, July 13, 2018.
FBI lawyer Lisa Page cast herself as the victim of the bullying president in her first-ever media interview. She also said anti-Donald Trump texts she exchanged with agent Peter Strzok during their adulterous affair weren't wrong.

"The president of the United States is calling me names to the entire world. He's demeaning me and my career. It's sickening," Page told Molly Jong-Fast of the Daily Beast, in an interview that appeared over the weekend.

"It had been so hard not to defend myself, to let people who hate me control the narrative. I decided to take my power back," said Page, adding that the "demeaning fake orgasm" Trump performed during a Minnesota rally in October was the last straw. The president was parodying a popular play called 'Lovebirds,' based on her texts with Strzok.


Comment: Timing of Page's rendition of truth and justice is her attempt to control the message, create an alternative narrative and engage a sympathy ploy to the upcoming reports from the IG. That she has chosen to come forward in this manner, at this time, suggests the damage could be significant.

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Cell Phone

Putin signs bill requiring Russian-made software for electronic devices


RT
Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:41 UTC
yandex moblile phones
© Global Look Press / Anton Belitsky / FileRussian search engine Yandex
President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill mandating Russian-made software for any electronic device sold in the country. Big tech companies have opposed the legislation and petitioned the Kremlin against it.

The idea of having Russian applications pre-installed on any smartphone, computer or smart TV sold in Russia to make them more attractive for the locals and give customers a broader choice was welcomed by several Russian internet giants. However, the legislation provoked quite a stir from a number of foreign companies, some of which even came together to send Putin a letter, outright asking him to veto the controversial bill.

It appears that Putin was not persuaded by the plea, made by a major association that includes such giants as Google, Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Dell, IBM, LG and others, though it warned that making Russian software mandatory might lead to a "decrease in business activity in the consumer electronics and software markets" and eventually to their "monopolization."

Comment: Between Russia and China, the major US tech companies may soon find themselves squeezed out of the communications software AND hardware markets due to their predatory behavior.

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Mr. Potato

Flip-flopping Trump changes his mind about NATO, attacks French president for proclaiming it 'brain-dead'


RT
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:16 UTC

Comment: At the 70th anniversary of brain-dead NATO, Trump suddenly cares about the 20th century military alliance...


TrumpNATO
© Reuters/Kevin LamarqueUS President Donald Trump
The French president was disrespectful when he called NATO brain-dead, Donald Trump said ahead of a special gathering of the alliance. A man whose nation is in economic trouble just can't do such nasty things, he explained.

The US president on Tuesday managed to praise NATO as a great organization, criticize its European members for taking advantage of Washington's generosity, and berate France's Emmanuel Macron for being disrespectful to the organization.

Trump told journalists in London amid a meeting with NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
"NATO serves a great purpose. It got to be unfair for the United States because the United States paid a disproportionate amount. I heard that President Macron said that it was brain dead. I think it was very insulting to a lot of different forces, including the man that does a very good job in running NATO."
The 'man running NATO' agreed, saying Macron's criticism was not based on facts. "That's not the case. Actually NATO is active, NATO is agile, NATO is adapting," Stoltenberg said.


Comment: Trump's also agile and active... flip-flopping on 'the great and purposeful NATO'.


Comment: It looks like someone managed to convince Trump NATO can still turn a profit for the US.

When Trump declared NATO "obsolete" in 2016, it was a great moment, but it's past now.

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No Entry

China suspends visits by US warships, sanctions NGOs in response to US signing Hong Kong bill


RT
Mon, 02 Dec 2019 00:00 UTC
protesters US flags
© Reuters/Thomas PeterMasked protesters hold placards during the “March of Gratitude to the US” event in Central, Hong Kong, China December 1, 2019.
Beijing has stopped allowing US Navy vessels to visit Hong Kong and "sanctioned" foreign NGOs after President Donald Trump signed a bill, which targets China over its response to anti-government protests and riots in the city.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said on Monday that China will no longer review requests by the American warships to dock in Hong Kong. The nation has already barred several US Navy ships from visiting Hong Kong in recent months.

Hua also announced that the country has sanctioned NGOs, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW), Freedom House and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), for inciting protesters to commit "violent crimes" and promoting "separatism" in Hong Kong. These groups are "responsible for the current chaos" in the city, she told reporters.

The spokesperson stressed that the measures are a direct response to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act 2019, which was signed into law by Trump last week. The legislation allows the US to impose sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials over human rights abuses in Hong Kong.

Comment: RT, 1/12/2019: The real reasons and instigators behind anti-Beijing riots
Having personally witnessed brutal clashes and spoken to key figures on both sides of the barricades, RT America's Michele Greenstein paints a comprehensive picture of the protest's origins and handlers.



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Star of David

Creeping annexation: Israel announces plan to double Jewish settler population in Hebron

Jeremy Sharon, Khaled Abu Toameh
The Jerusalem Post
Sun, 01 Dec 2019 21:56 UTC
Hebron site
© Tzipi Shlisel/TPSThe site of new Jewish construction in Hebron.
Palestinians, left-wing groups denounces plans for new neighborhood for "perpetuating" Israeli military control over Palestinians.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced the approval of a new Jewish neighborhood in Hebron on Sunday, generating strong praise from the settlement community and condemnation from Palestinian rights organizations.

The neighborhood will be constructed at the site of what is known as the wholesale market, which was purchased by the old Hebron Jewish community at the beginning of the 19th century, but which became a center for Palestinian commerce when the city came under Jordanian rule.

Under the new construction plan, the old market stalls building will be destroyed and several apartment blocks built, which will include as many as 70 units in total, a spokesman for the Jewish community said.

Due to legal requirements, the ground floor of the apartment buildings will be reserved for market stalls, so as to uphold demands of the Supreme Court, although it is unlikely that Palestinian tradesmen will gain access to the old market area due to security considerations.

Comment: Aljazeera, 1/12/2019: Illegal settlement to be built in flashpoint city of Hebron
The market area is on Hebron's once-bustling Shuhada Street, the Old City's main commercial artery. It has been shut down by the Israeli army since 1994, forcing many businesses to close.

Hebron Mayor Taysir Abu Sneineh warned that the "dangerous" decision by the defence ministry would lead to escalations in the "entire region", Wafa news agency said.

Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, was divided into two areas and forms of control in 1997 - H1 and H2.

With some 200,000 Palestinians living in the area, H1 is under the control of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority. Some 33,000 Palestinians reside in H2, alongside several hundred Jewish settlers who live under Israeli civil law.

In the H2 area, Palestinians live under Israeli military control, with their freedom of movement heavily restricted due to the presence of checkpoints and the imposition of curfews.

The Bennett plan, he wrote on Twitter, "is the first tangible result of the US decision to legitimise colonisation".


Sunday's statement said the planned new building project would "double the number of Jewish residents in the city".


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Attention

Trump's trade war with China may drag on past the 2020 election

Lia Eustachewich
New York Post
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 07:35 UTC
Xi/Trump
© Getty ImagesChinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump
President Trump on Tuesday warned that the trade war with China could drag on beyond the 2020 election, saying there's "no deadline" to strike a deal.

Trump told reporters in London, where he was due to attend a NATO summit:
"In some ways, I think it's better to wait until after the election with China. In some ways, I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal. But they want to make a deal now, and we'll see whether or not the deal's going to be right. It's got to be right."
Last month, the US and China announced they reached a "substantial" interim trade deal, staving off a tariff increase on Chinese goods and raising hopes of a de-escalation.

Trump, who in September said he didn't need a deal before the 2020 election, put the pressure on China on Tuesday.
"The China trade deal is dependent on one thing — do I want to make it, because we are doing very well with China right now, and we can do even better with a flick of a pen. And China is paying for it, and China is having by far the worst year that they have had in 57 years. So we'll see what happens."
China reported its slowest economic growth in 27 years in October.
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Fire

Lunacy: Bolsonaro claims actor DiCaprio funded Amazon forest fires

Drago Bosnic
Fort Russ
Sat, 30 Nov 2019 17:16 UTC
deCaprio amazon forest fires
© (L) AFP / Nelson Almeida; (R) YouTube / Sony Pictures Entertainment
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused, without providing evidence, Hollywood actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio of financing nonprofit groups that he claimed are partly responsible for fires in the Amazon rainforest this year.

The far-right leader appeared to be commenting on social media postings claiming that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) environmental organization had paid for images taken by volunteer firefighters that it then used to solicit donations, including a $500,000 contribution from DiCaprio, Al-Jazeera reported. The WWF has denied receiving a donation from DiCaprio or obtaining photos from the firefighters.

Comment: RT reports the reactions to Bolsanaro's ludicrous statement:
DiCaprio came under fire from Bolsonaro over the weekend, with the Brazilian president accusing him of funding NGOs that supposedly set the Amazon rainforest ablaze in order to attract more donations, without providing any evidence.

The bizarre spat, meanwhile, prompted a flurry of jokes on Twitter, mostly parodying iconic scenes from DiCaprio's movies with reference to him trying to burn the Amazon. A handful of memes came straight from this year's Quentin Tarantino flick Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which Leo's character wields a flamethrower.


Others brought up his role in The Revenant, which earned DiCaprio an Oscar for Best Actor.


Earlier this year, Bolsonaro had a high-profile Twitter fight with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who sent an alarmist "our house is burning" tweet about the Amazon fires during a G7 event in France. Bolsonaro responded by accusing him of using an outdated photo of the Amazon and exhibiting a colonialist attitude towards Brazil.
The Amazon and its native peoples are under far more threat from oil and mining companies:

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Chess

NATO expansion towards Russian borders 'one of the potential threats' to us but Moscow remains ready to partner on 'actual challenges' - Putin


RT
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 17:24 UTC
U.S. M1 Abrams tanks
© REUTERS / Inquam Photos / Adel Al-HaddadU.S. M1 Abrams tanks advance while taking part in Justice Eagle 17 joint military exercise at Smardan shooting range
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that NATO getting closer to the nation's borders poses a threat to the country, as the alliance keeps beefing up military might and citing Moscow as a perceived threat.

Speaking at a defense-themed event on Tuesday, Putin said that NATO's outdated "bloc-focused" way of thinking cannot serve as a "good instrument for making effective decisions" in the present-day world.

The president was commenting on the NATO summit, currently under way in London, where the bloc's members gathered to celebrate its 70 anniversary.
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Propaganda

Russian Defense Ministry lobs truth bomb at NYT propaganda mill over 'bombing of Syrian refugee camp'


Sputnik
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:48 UTC
Syria refugee camp
© AP Photo / Maya Alleruzzo
The NYT wrote 1 December that "eyewitness photos and videos, flight logs and cockpit tapes obtained by The Times enabled reporters to trace an airstrike on a Syrian camp for displaced families to a Russian pilot."

The Russian Defence Ministry dismissed a report by The New York Times (NYT) about Russia's Aerospace Forces' alleged bombing of a Syrian refugee camp in August.

"Like a month and a half ago, the ridiculous accusations by the authors of the fake are based on a video of unknown origin with swindlers from the White Helmets against the backdrop of buildings of the 'refugee camp'; pictures of the blue sky in which a Russian plane was supposed to be and fragments of Russian phrases, allegedly belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces pilots", ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
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