Puppet MastersS


Star of David

Italian observer lays out legal facts regarding Israeli attacks on Syria vis-a-vis the UN Charter

Giovanni Sorbello
Fort Russ News
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 17:23 UTC
israel missile attack on syria
© Syrian Central Military Media, via APMissiles rise into the sky as Israel hits an air defense position and other military bases, in Damascus, Syria, May 10, 2018.
Over the past two years, the Israeli regime's combat fighters have carried out over 200 attacks in Syria against Syrian army positions. The last air raid took place against a military base in the province of Homs.

For Israeli officials these raids represent a self-defense, while for the Syrian government they are a clear aggression, and a violation of Syria's national sovereignty.

How does international law define these actions?

Comment: Despite all of the whining about 'existential threats', Israel is still legally in the wrong. Only the protection of the United States has prevented any real action on the part of UN members to discipline what is clearly a rogue country.

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Bulb

OPEC embraces Putin's leadership amid US pressure


Reuters
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 17:14 UTC
Putin
© UnknownRussian President Vladimir Putin
When Vladimir Putin announced at the weekend that OPEC would extend oil production cuts, broadcasting a deal before the group had even met to approve it, the move angered some member nations.

They were dismayed at the leading role non-OPEC Russia, once seen as an enemy in oil markets, was playing in shaping the group's policies.

But reality soon set in, and the acceptance that Moscow could help OPEC in its goal of propping up oil prices at a time when it is facing intensifying heat on another front: from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump is putting unprecedented pressure on OPEC and its de-facto leader Saudi Arabia, demanding they pump more crude to drive down fuel prices - a key domestic issue for him as he seeks re-election next year.
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Chess

Trump should realize that Iranians unite when bullied, says Iran parliament speaker


Reuters
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:59 UTC
Ali Larijani
Iran's parliament speaker Ali Larijani
U.S. President Donald Trump should realise that Iranians become more united when bullied, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Tuesday in remarks broadcast live on state television.

Iran announced on Monday it had amassed more low-enriched uranium than permitted under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, drawing a warning from Trump that Tehran was "playing with fire."

"Mr Trump should understand that when one uses bullying language against a civilised nation, they become more united," Larijani said. U.S. threats had united political factions in Iran, he added.
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Star of David

What was the extent of Israel's involvement in latest Venezuela coup attempt?

Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Network
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:41 UTC
maduro guaido baduel
On 24 June 2019, Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó were to be eliminated for the benefit of Raúl Baduel.
Yet another attempted coup d'etat took place the 24 June 2019 in Venezuela. All the protagonists were arrested, and the Minister for Information, Jorge Rodríguez, delivered a lengthy explanation on television about the ins and outs of the affair.

Indeed, unlike the previous attempts, this conspiracy had been observed for 14 months by a unit of Military Intelligence which had been trained by Cuban Intelligence. During this whole period, the Venezuelans had penetrated the group and monitored their audio and video communications. As a result, they now have 56 hours of recordings which compose a wealth of irrefutable proof.

Several of the individuals arrested had already been involved in the previous conspiracies, and so it is difficult to imagine that this operation is distinct and separate from those commanded earlier by the CIA.
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Bizarro Earth

The 'greatest country in the world' can't afford soap for migrant kids - but it's not Sarah Fabian's fault

Danielle Ryan
RT
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 21:13 UTC
Sarah fabian DOJ immigration centers
© 9th Circuit Court of AppealsSarah Fabian is an Obama-era DOJ appointee
A single DOJ lawyer has become a lightning rod for anger over conditions for kids in US border detention facilities - but let's not gloss over the utter absurdity of having debates over soap and toothpaste in 21st century America.

A video of lawyer Sarah Fabian arguing that children at migrant detention centers don't need basic items like soap, toothpaste and even proper beds, to be "safe and sanitary" went viral earlier this month. Fabian instantly became an evil human representation of the uniquely uncaring Trump administration.

News that Fabian had earlier used "dog-sitting" duties to excuse her from being present while arguments were being made about child-parent reunifications after border separations compounded her wickedness in many minds. Media figures lined up to castigate Fabian for her immorality. "What kind of a human being would stand up and argue this?"asked disgusted former CNN host Soledad O'Brien.
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Yoda

Little drama for OPEC meeting as Russia is the real power behind the scenes

Nick Cunningham
Oilprice.com
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 16:26 UTC
putin and mbs
After so much hype and anticipation, it seems that the OPEC meeting in Vienna was all but over before it had even begun.

Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to extend the OPEC+ production cuts by six to nine months. The production levels remains unchanged, but the timing could be extended through the first quarter of 2020. "We will support the extension, both Russia and Saudi Arabia. As far as the length of the extension is concerned, we have yet to decide whether it will be six or nine months. Maybe it will be nine months," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the sidelines of the G20 conference in Japan.

Saudi officials sounded a little more certain. "I think most likely a nine-month extension," Saudi oil minister Khalid al-Falih said. But when asked if the oil market needed deeper cuts, al-Falih said no. "I don't think the market needs that," he said.

Extending the cuts by nine months makes sense because of seasonally weaker demand in the early part of the year. In any event, the group will meet again in six months to reassess, so the precise duration of the extension is almost irrelevant.
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Arrow Up

Head of Saxony, Germany, invites Putin to visit


RT
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 16:26 UTC
Kretschmer putin
© Sputnik / Aleksey NikolskyiVladimir Putin meets with Saxony Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (L) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer has said he invited Vladimir Putin to visit the eastern German federal state "soon," reiterating his call for sanctions against Russia to be lifted.

Kretschmer made the announcement in front of 400 people at a conference of his party, the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), in Chemnitz over the weekend. "I hope he comes to visit us soon."

The minister president hinted that Putin could make the trip before the Saxon state election on September 1, Bild reported. He also repeated his call for German sanctions against Russia to be lifted, which he had previously made in early June, provoking a major debate in the country.

Shortly after meeting with the Russian president at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Kretschmer called Russia "a strategically important partner" for Germany, and urged economic restrictions against the country to be removed "for a better relationship."
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Blackbox

New Soros/Koch-funded think tank claims to oppose US forever war

Caitlin Johnstone
Medium
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 16:21 UTC
doubtful look
If you were to have asked me what news reports I definitely did not expect to see when checking my news feed this morning, "Malignant plutocrats join hands across partisan divide to end America's forever war" would probably have been among my first guesses. And yet, weirdly, here we are.

A new Boston Globe article titled "In an astonishing turn, George Soros and Charles Koch team up to end US 'forever war' policy" reports that the two influential billionaires have chipped in a half a million dollars apiece to start a new DC think tank with the goal of doing the exact opposite of the sort of thing that billionaire-funded DC think tanks normally do.

"Besides being billionaires and spending much of their fortunes to promote pet causes, the leftist financier George Soros and the right-wing Koch brothers have little in common," the report begins. "They could be seen as polar opposites. Soros is an old-fashioned New Deal liberal. The Koch brothers are fire-breathing right-wingers who dream of cutting taxes and dismantling government. Now they have found something to agree on: the United States must end its 'forever war' and adopt an entirely new foreign policy."

"In concrete terms, this means the Quincy Institute will likely advocate a withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and Syria; a return to the nuclear deal with Iran; less confrontational approaches to Russia and China; an end to regime-change campaigns against Venezuela and Cuba; and sharp reductions in the defense budget," the article reads.
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Pirates

Beijing slams Britain and US over 'gross interference' in Hong Kong protests


RT
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 11:48 UTC
protests in Hong Kong
© Reuters / Tyrone Siu
China warned London and Washington against meddling in its domestic affairs after Western politicians backed massive protests in Hong Kong, which spiraled into clashes with police as demonstrators stormed the city's parliament.

Beijing's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office had blasted Britain, along with the US and the EU, for their position on the Hong Kong protests on Tuesday. The agency demanded "the relevant countries to immediately stop making false statements and actions that undermine China's national security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability."

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, meanwhile, voiced"strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to one country's gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs."
We once again warn [all] countries to be careful and not interfere in Hong Kong's domestic affairs in any way.

Comment: See also:

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Rocket

Russian Army test-fires 'brand-new' air defense missile in Kazakhstani desert


RT
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 15:44 UTC
missile
© YouTube / Russia's Defense Ministry
Moscow has successfully tested its new interceptor missile in a desert in Central Asia as the nation's army prepares to receive next-generation S-500 Prometey air defense systems.

The test took place at Sary Shagan testing range in central Kazakhstan, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The military did not specify what type of missile was used, saying only that its launcher is already in service.

The "new interceptor missile... had proven its characteristics and successfully completed its task by striking the target," said Pavel Kuzmin, spokesperson for the air defense and anti-ballistic command.
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