Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Western sanctions against Russia 'the wrong medicine', ineffective, harming German business - Bundestag member


RT
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 20:43 UTC
Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst
Western economic sanctions against Russia are the "wrong medicine," since they haven't had the desired effect, said Klaus Ernst, the chairman of the Bundestag's Economic Committee.

"There is no effect of these sanctions. We have had them for five years and there is no change in Russian policy," he said in an interview with German news radio Deutschlandfunk.

"If you prescribe a medicine and you notice that the effect of this medicine is missing, and on the contrary, it is rather harmful, including for the German companies, then you have to think at some point that maybe it's the wrong medicine,"he explained.
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Bulb

Trump taps Rand Paul as peace emissary to Iran

Eliana Johnson, Nahal Tooso
Politico
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 19:51 UTC
Rand Paul
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesSen. Rand Paul has been among the most prominent voices warning against war with Iran
Over a round of golf this past weekend, Sen. Rand Paul asked President Donald Trump's blessing for a sensitive diplomatic mission.

Paul proposed sitting down with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to extend a fresh olive branch on the president's behalf, according to four U.S. officials. The aim: to reduce tensions between the two countries. Trump signed off on the idea.

With Zarif in New York City this week for U.N. meetings and private sitdowns with journalists and think-tank experts, the prospect of the dovish Kentucky senator serving as the administration's chief diplomatic emissary has rankled many administration officials, who are expressing concern that Paul's intervention threatens to scuttle the president's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.
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Chess

US upset over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400s, could it be a 'sign of true competition'?


RT
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 20:44 UTC
S-400s
© Sputnik/Sergey GuneevRussian S-400s
The US has punished Turkey for buying Russian air defense systems by cutting it from the F-35 program. The rationale behind the move is speculative, and Ankara's example may prompt other US allies to buy Russian, experts told RT.

Turkey received its first deliveries of the S-400 long-range air defense system last week, which it purchased in 2017. The US, which has been promising to retaliate by denying Turkey access to its F-35 fighter jets, delivered on the threat. Washington claims doing otherwise would have exposed the advanced aircraft to surveillance by the Russian system and compromised its stealth capabilities.

The US-advocated link between the two systems is "imaginary" and arbitrary, according to RT's defense expert Mikhail Khodarenok. The reality is that Turkey, a NATO ally, is boosting its defense capabilities with the purchase and, by extension, makes the entire alliance stronger.
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Bullseye

US slaps sanctions on Iranian-linked militia leaders in Iraq

Joyce Karam
thenational.ae
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
4 sanctioned Iraqis
© Facebook/Wikipedia/Rudaw TV/KJNWaad Qado • Ahmed al-Jubouri • Rayan al-Kildani • Al-Sultan (Nawfal Hamaci)
The United States imposed sanctions on two leaders of Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Thursday, labelling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption," a move that stepped up its efforts against Iranian proxies in the country.

Speaking at a high-level US State Department conference on religious freedom, Vice President Mike Pence announced the new restrictions on the two figures from the powerful Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella of Iraqi Shiite militias, and said that Washington would "not stand idly by" while they "spread terror".

The US Treasury Department announced the sanctions under the Magnitsky Act that targets human rights violators. The figures in question are two militia figures, Rayan Al Kildani and Waad Qado, as well as two former Iraqi governors, Nawfal Hammadi Al Sultan and Ahmed Al Jubouri.

Al Kildani is the leader of the 50th Brigade Babylon militia and the US accused him of "serious human rights abuse," including a video that showed him cutting the ear off of a handcuffed detainee. "The 50th Brigade has systematically looted homes in Batnaya, which is struggling to recover from ISIS's brutal rule," the Treasury statement added.

Qado is the leader of the 30th Brigade militia, an entity the US says has collected money through extortion, illegal arrests and kidnappings.
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X

Idle threat? Barnier claims Theresa May never used no-deal Brexit as a bargaining chip


RT
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 10:12 UTC
Theresa May Michel Barnier
© skynews/express.co.ukUK PM Theresa May • Michel Barnier
Theresa May and her ministers "never" used the threat of a no-deal Brexit in talks with the EU, according to chief negotiator Michel Barnier - despite the outgoing PM insisting the UK must keep the option 'on the table.'

In an interview with BBC Panorama, to be aired on Thursday night at 9pm BST, Barnier revealed that May and her Brexit negotiating team did not use 'no-deal' as a bargaining chip, claiming that UK officials always knew such a threat would not impress Brussels.

"I think that the UK side, which is well informed and competent and knows the way we work on the EU side, knew from the very beginning that we've never been impressed by such a threat. It's not useful to use it."

It's an admission that could anger many Brexiteers, who could see this as proof that Britain was never really serious about using it as a threat to get the best deal for the country.

Comment: From RT: Brexit's no-deal a no go? MPs bid to block Parliament shutdown
British lawmakers have voted in favor of a bid to stop the future Tory prime minister - hotly tipped to be Boris Johnson - from suspending the UK Parliament to ram through a no-deal Brexit.

MPs in the House of Commons backed an amendment by a majority of 41 (315-274) which blocks the suspension of Parliament between October 9 and December 18 unless a Northern Ireland executive is formed.

The vote is a blow for Johnson, who is the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, who has refused to take the 'proroguing' (suspension) of Parliament off the table as a backup measure to see the UK leave the EU by October 31. It now becomes increasingly difficult for such drastic action to take place.

Seventeen Tories rebelled against Theresa May's government, including Minister for Digital and Creative Industries Margot James, who resigned. Other notable rebels included Chancellor Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke and former Tory leadership contender Rory Stewart, who all abstained.

The amendment to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill means that if Parliament is suspended when the UK government publishes reports on the situation in the Northern Irish assembly, MPs must be recalled to debate them.

One of the key signatories to the amendment, former Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt, claimed that MPs had spoken very loudly and clearly with this vote to insist that they should not be bypassed, adding that "Parliament must be sitting in the run up to October 31."


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Nuke

Pentagon's nuclear doctrine: Scary as hell!

Darius Shahtahmasebi
RT
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 11:46 UTC
Minuteman missile test
© Global Look Press/USAFUnarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, test May 1, 2019, Vandenberg AFB
The Pentagon is actively contemplating the use of nuclear weapons to win wars that need not be fought in the first place. As expected, opposition to the US nuclear doctrine is almost non-existent in the mainstream media.

It used to be the case that the idea of using nuclear weapons in a real-world conflict was such a taboo idea that no one was ever openly to contemplate it. We need only look back to the end of World War II to realize how catastrophic and harmful nuclear weapons can be on civilian populations; yet we shouldn't have had the blueprint of Nagasaki and Hiroshima to know that the use of nuclear weapons would be a frightening and criminal act. They are deadly and unnecessary, end of story. You can all save me the cliched response "But they ended a war."

Firstly, the use of nuclear weapons didn't end a war - it started one (the Cold War). Secondly, anyone who knows even a little bit of history knows that Japan was on the verge of defeat. But don't take my word for it - I wasn't there. But those who were typically made statements to the effect that "[t]he use of [the atomic bombs] at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender." But I digress.

Comment: See also:

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Brain

A case of groupthink or bust: House Dems want to look united - delete tweets attacking each other


RT
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 01:11 UTC
Three Dem women
© Reuters/Joshua RobertsHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi • Blanca Ocasio-Cortez (AOC's mother) • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
US House Democrats' progressive and establishment wings have pledged not to let their political convictions get in the way of attacking President Donald Trump, uniting in a "collective de-escalation" to squelch intraparty drama.

Seeing Trump unfazed - and even boosted - by the 'racist tweet' scandal, representatives from the party's progressive and establishment wings officially embraced their "shared mission" with a joint statement on Thursday affirming their "dedication to making life better for everyday Americans." The leaders of the Democratic Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, New Democrat Coalition, and Blue Dog Coalition signed the truce on Thursday.

House Democrats are a diverse, robust, and passionate family," the statement declares, acknowledging that while "at times there may be different perspectives on the way forward, that is a hallmark of the legislative process." Their "unity of purpose," however, remains paramount, they said.

Comment: Obviously, Trump's plan is working!!!



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Footprints

'Everyone to Caracas!' Guaido to mobilize the masses as US boosts incoming money


RT
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 03:53 UTC
Guaido
© Reuters/Carlos Garcia RawlinsVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido
In a bid to regain lost momentum, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has announced that he would embark on the "next stage" of his quest to seize power next week with a massive street rally planned for Tuesday.

"We call on all of Venezuela to mobilize. Together, with the citizen power and the work of the National Assembly, we will advance to a next stage in our struggle. Everyone to Caracas!" Guaido tweeted on Wednesday, calling on his supporters to turn up for a "Great Street Session" on July 23. The rally apparently aims to galvanize the opposition movement in Venezuela, which is treading water domestically, despite enjoying broad support from the US and its allies - over 50 other nations in total.

Guaido is flaunting the outside support he enjoys in his quest for power. "Venezuelans are not alone; Presidents, leaders and agencies of the world are with us and have committed to Freedom and Democracy in Venezuela," he tweeted shortly before announcing his new push for Caracas.

Coincidentally, the announcement comes just a day after it was reported that the US is considering redirecting some $41.9 million, previously earmarked for humanitarian aid for Guatemala and Honduras, to Guaido and his team.

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

China: Debt tops 300% of GDP, constitutes 15% of all global debt


RT
Thu, 18 Jul 2019 09:44 UTC
China debt
© YouTube.com
A report from the Institute of International Finance (IIF) has shown rising debt levels worldwide. The world's second-largest economy China's debt exceeded 303 percent of gross domestic product in the first quarter of the year.

Data showed the country's total corporate, household and government debt rose from 297 percent in the same period a year earlier. The report stated:
"While authorities' efforts to curb shadow bank lending (particularly to smaller companies) have prompted a cutback in non-financial corporate debt, net borrowing in other sectors has brought China's total debt to over $40 trillion - some 15 percent of all global debt."
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Chess

Iranian FM Zarif: Iran offers United States enhanced inspections for lifting of sanctions

Darryl Coote
UPI
Fri, 19 Jul 2019 18:06 UTC
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
© UPI/Maryam RahmanianIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Iran will accept enhanced inspections of its nuclear program in return for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

"It's not about photo ops," he told reporters Thursday at the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York. "We are interested in substance. There are other substantial moves that can be made."

The offer comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries and on the day the United States said it shot down a Tehran drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
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