Puppet MastersS


Arrow Up

As China ups tariffs on US goods, it gives other countries the red carpet treatment

Yen Nee Lee
CNBC
Wed, 19 Jun 2019 03:25 UTC
TrumpXi
© Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump • President Xi Jinping
China is "rolling out the red carpet for the rest of the world" by lowering tariffs with other countries - even as its trade war with the U.S. continues to drag on, according to Peterson Institute for International Economics.

In a little known fact, Beijing has over the past year lowered duties on goods from countries that compete with America, the think tank said in a recent report. The research showed that:
  • China's average tariff rate on U.S. goods jumped from 8% at the start of 2018 to 20.7% this month.
  • China's average tariff rate on its imports from all other countries fell from 8% at the start of 2018 to 6.7% last November. It has stayed at that level since then.
China's move to lower tariffs on countries other than the U.S. has received little public attention, with much media coverage focusing on what Beijing and Washington say and do to each other.

But in fact, by lowering duties with other trading partners, Beijing has put American firms at a "considerable" disadvantage at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly used tariffs as a way to negotiate with other countries, PIIE said.

Comment: More from RT: Tariffs are sanctions by another name meant to hobble states - Putin
China and Russia have one thing in common - the US is targeting both nations with economic sanctions that are designed to undermine their economic growth and to help America compete with them, said Vladimir Putin.
"China has nothing to do with Crimea or Donbass [the issues over which Russia was subjected to Western sanctions]. But the tariffs on their goods, which are de facto sanctions, are growing and growing. There is [also] the attack against Huawei. Where did it come from and what is its goal? The goal is to hold back development [of a state which] has become a global competitor to another global power, the US. The same thing is happening with Russia and it will continue."
The US and China are currently locked in several conflicts. Washington has subjected Chinese exports to increasingly harsh trade tariffs over the past months, triggering a tit-for-tat response from Beijing. The US is also targeting the Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei, pressuring other nations to reject the company's bids to upgrade their communications networks to 5G technology.

The Russian president said this at his annual Q&A session, held on Thursday.
See also: Markets turn optimistic: Trump to meet with President Xi at the G-20 summit

Read More...
Stop

Campaigners against arms sales to Saudi Arabia offer 'brutal condemnation of UK foreign policy'


RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 16:00 UTC
UK protesters
© Reuters/Simon DawsonCampaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)
Anti-arms sales campaigners have given a damning assessment of the UK government's arms export licensing failures, claiming "Parliament has been shown to be totally broken," after a landmark ruling was handed down.

The UK Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that it was "irrational and unlawful" of the government to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia without making proper checks. In addition, it concluded that the state had "made no attempt" to assess whether Riyadh had breached international humanitarian law in the ongoing Yemen war.

Responding to the judgment, Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was in court to witness the ruling handed down by three of the UK's top judges, told RT that there now needs to be "a judicial review into the whole arms licensing system."


Comment: More from RT:
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade, which brought the challenge, welcomed the verdict but insisted it shouldn't have taken a court case to force the UK government to "follow its own rules. No matter what atrocities it has inflicted, the Saudi regime has been able to count on the uncritical political and military support of the UK."
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox was due to give a statement to parliament on Thursday afternoon, about how the government planned to respond to the judgement.


Read More...
Attention

Warning from Ryabkov: US must stop sending troops to the Gulf 'before it's too late'


RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 11:09 UTC
Ryabkov
© Russian EmbassyDeputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov
Deploying troops to the Persian Gulf risks igniting a powder keg in the troubled region where tension is mounting, the Russian Foreign Ministry has warned, advising Washington to stop "before it's too late."

Russia is hoping that the US buildup in the Middle East "won't become a spark that creates a blaze," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday. Otherwise, the situation will spiral out of control, he warned.

"Destabilization is such a dangerous thing, especially in this region. Anyone who undertakes such actions too easily should stop and use common sense... before it is too late."

The warning comes as the US beefs up its assets in the Gulf. Just last month, the Pentagon deployed a battery of Patriot missiles, nuclear-capable bombers, and an aircraft carrier strike group to the area. Washington cited a growing threat from Tehran to justify the buildup, whereas Iran blamed the US for eroding its own security.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Clipboard

Haftar promises to create a constitutional committee if LNA captures Tripoli


Sputnik
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 06:49 UTC
LNA Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar
© unknownLNA Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA), said that if his forces capture Tripoli, they will set up of a committee tasked with rewriting the country's constitution, as well as unifying state institutions and disarming all militias. Haftar said in an interview with the Al-Marsad newspaper:
"For example, the dismantling of all militias, disarming them, and giving guarantees to those who cooperate in that regard [...] Amongst the tasks of such a phase is the formation of a new constitutional committee, and a proposed referendum law, rebalancing the oil sector and its revenues, addressing the challenges facing people, and making their lives easier, and especially addressing the liquidity crisis, and commencing the unification and proper management of state institutions, after years of chaotic divisiveness."
Haftar also said that after the LNA liberates the Libyan capital from forces loyal to the rival western Government of National Accord (GNA), several tasks will need to be accomplished as part of a transitional period in order to switch to a so-called permanent phase.

The LNA commander explained that the transition period tasks will include dismantling all the bodies set up by the so-called Skhirat Accord, which laid the foundation for the creation of the UN-backed GNA. Haftar argued that the accord had not fixed the Libyan conflict, and had instead fueled several other crises.
Read More...
Bullseye

Why the United States will not attack Iran

Steve Brown
The Duran
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:42 UTC
Pompeo Rouhani
The world has become so accustomed to US hubris, bluster, arrogance, and conceit, over so many years, most people accept even the most absurd statements coming from US State as a matter of course. But like the jester to the Court, informed opinion is aware that the United States is a spent force, incapable of carrying out its hollow threats versus Iran. And here's why.

Global alliances have shifted

Turkey has defacto announced its withdrawal from NATO, by its purchase of S-400 missiles. That purchase and collaboration with Russia guarantees its departure from NATO, even if Turkey has not publicly announced such a withdrawal. Furthermore, while Turkey's military bases host US aircraft and operations, Turkey says it will not allow its bases to be used in any attack on Iran, by the US.

Iraq, an ally of Iran, has likewise stated that it will not allow its territory to be used as a base for attacking Iran.

Comment: Even though it is unlikely the US will overtly start a war with Iran - because there have already been a number of instances that could be considered acts of war - that doesn't mean those nefarious factions in the US, responsible for this crisis, will just give up their goal of world domination; we can expect much more chaos creation yet to come:

Read More...
Bad Guys

ISIS may turn its eyes to India after suffering defeats in Middle East - reports


RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:09 UTC
indian soldiers
© REUTERS/Danish Ismail
Suffering defeats in the Middle East, Islamic State may now eye India, setting up underground cells in various states of the world's second-largest country, a local intelligence agency has reportedly warned.

India has become increasingly vulnerable to the threat of Islamic State-inspired (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist attacks, according to NDTV, citing three intelligence letters sent to police chiefs in the state of Kerala.

"After loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, IS is urging operatives to take up violent forms of jihad while staying back in their respective countries," reads one of the letters.
Read More...
Eye 1

Homeland Security has fused all its biometric data on an Amazon server - what could go wrong?


RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:32 UTC
biometric reader thumb facial recognition
© Reuters / Rodrigo Garrido
The US Department of Homeland Security is upgrading its surveillance database to add DNA profiles and relationships to its massive cache of fingerprints and face scans. And Amazon is to host this trove of sensitive information.

The DHS Office of Biometric Identification Management is replacing its Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT), which cross-references fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition with biographical information, with the even more dystopian Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology System (HART), which adds DNA, palm prints, tattoos, scars, and other physical markings.

The system will also contain data on people's "relationship patterns," possibly gleaned from social media profiles, which DHS has acknowledged will include "non-obvious relationships" - whatever that means - as well as data from "officer encounters," which often take place under dubiously legal circumstances.

Comment:

Read More...
Jet3

Erdogan doubles down on S-400 deal, promises Turkey will retaliate against any US sanctions


RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:13 UTC
erdogan s-400 missile launch
© (L) Reuters/Handout/Presidential Press Office/Murat Cetinmuhurdar; (R)ReutersPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Turkey's intention to buy the S-400 missile system from Russia
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his commitment to the S-400 defense deal with Russia at a press conference on Thursday, vowing to respond to any sanctions Washington imposes over the deal in kind.

Calling the multi-billion-dollar agreement with Russia for the purchase of the advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems a "done deal," Erdrogan promised reprisal if the US attempts to punish Turkey over the matter.

The US has made a number of threats over the past few months in an attempt to dissuade Turkey from going through with the buy, including imposing sanctions and removing Turkey as a partner in the F-35 fighter program.

Comment: Turkey continues to be a wild card in the Middle East, with its NATO membership, but continuing to have friendly relations with Russia. Erdogan is very conscious of the strategic importance of his country to both sides, and has been pressing Turkey's advantages with each. The fact that Erdogan was nearly unseated by a coup that was covertly backed by the US has surely soured him on the West, whereas Russia has proven a reliable actor with which to do business. It will not be a surprise to see Turkey gradually edging more eastward in it relations.

Read More...
Dominoes

How a disastrous conflict between Israel & Lebanon can be avoided

Darius Shahtahmasebi
RT
Thu, 20 Jun 2019 17:17 UTC
Israeli soldiers
© Reuters /Ronen ZvulunIsraeli soldiers take part in an exercise in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
While tensions are increasing between the US and Iran, Israel and Lebanon may finally be on the path toward diplomacy in order to reach an agreement over a hotly contested resource-rich maritime region.

The greatest fear of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and of course, Israel, is the formation of what has been dubbed for years the 'Shia Crescent' - a land bridge of predominantly Shia-led countries that connects Iran to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond.

As Iran's influence grows in these countries, these nations become a problem for the US and its regional allies. Iran has been a thorn in Washington's backside ever since the Iranian people overthrew an American-backed dictator in the Islamic Revolution. Imagine how much more problematic it would become when Iran manages to maintain an influential footprint in a bridge of nations which can further advance its interests?

However, while the US typically relies on the brute force of its military to solve the issues that challenging nations such as Iran pose, in the case of Lebanon it has apparently attempted another tactful approach (which may just end up working).
Read More...
Chess

Declassified: The Sino-Russian masterplan to end US dominance in Middle East

Yossef Bodansky
Oilprice.com
Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:23 UTC
putin and xi
Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin's early June 2019 summit in Moscow with People's Republic of China (PRC) Pres. Xi Jinping seems likely to have a disproportionate influence on the next phases of the crises unfolding in the greater Middle East, and therefore on the future of the region.

The escalating confrontation between Iran and the US is both influencing and influenced by the mega-trends set by Russia and the PRC.

Although the key meetings took place on June 5, 2019, the seeds of the new joint strategy were already planted during the May 13, 2019, summit in Sochi between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. They went over all the key topics in preparation for the Putin-Xi summit.

On June 5, 2019, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Moscow and decided to not only markedly upgrade the bilateral relations and alliance of their countries, but to use the new relations in order to shape the long-term posture of the entire Eastern Hemisphere in their favor. Emphasis was to be put on the Eurasian Sphere (the Kremlin's high priority) and the New Silk Road (the Forbidden City's high priority), as well as the Korean Peninsula which is most important for both.
Read More...