Puppet MastersS


Star of David

Austrian Chancellor on contrived tape scandal: 'Reminds me of Israeli political strategist Tal Silberstein'


RT
Tue, 21 May 2019 17:58 UTC
Sebastian Kurz (L) and Tal Silberstein (R)
© Reuters / Leonhard Foeger and WikipediaSebastian Kurz (L) and Tal Silberstein (R)

Comment: Ouf, that's one way to mention the I-word!...


Following Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache's resignation amid a corruption scandal, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has hinted that Israeli political strategist Tal Silberstein may have orchestrated the debacle.

Strache resigned on Saturday, one day after a video surfaced in German outlets showing the vice-chancellor discussing a quid-pro-quo agreement with a woman presented by the media as a niece of a Russian oligarch, filmed in Ibiza in 2017. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz quickly condemned Strache's alleged misdeeds, and called for snap elections.

However, both Strache - who headed Austria's Freedom Party, the junior coalition partner to Kurz's Austrian People's Party - and Kurz alleged dirty tricks were afoot.

Strache called the surreptitiously recorded tape a "targeted political assassination," and Kurz compared the scandal to a "dirty campaign" waged against him in 2017 by Austria's Social Democrats, via political adviser Tal Silberstein.

Comment: Kurz is stalking them back!

He's only 32, but he has balls of steel.

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Chess

Kremlin: Putin will laud Zelensky if he ends war & mends ties with Russia


RT
Tue, 21 May 2019 17:53 UTC
Volodymyr Zelenskiy
© REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Vladimir Putin will send formal greetings to Volodymyr Zelensky but not until the new Ukrainian President succeeds in ending the war in Donbass and repairing ties with Russia, the Kremlin said.

Until "success in solving the domestic conflict in Eastern Ukraine" is achieved and Russia-Ukraine relations are normalized, congratulating Zelensky makes little sense, the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Zelensky, formerly a well-known comedian and television star, was sworn in on Monday in Kiev. During his inaugural speech to Ukrainian lawmakers, he promised to attempt to reclaim "lost territories," namely Crimea and the east of the country. "Our first objective will be to achieve a ceasefire in Donbass," he said, referring to the eastern industrial region controlled by rebels.
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Pirates

Russian FSB chief: 5,000 terrorists gathered in northern Afghanistan, preparing to infiltrate former Soviet countries


RT
Tue, 21 May 2019 17:34 UTC
terrorists
© Reuters / Stringer
An Islamic State offshoot has amassed around 5,000 militants in northern Afghanistan on the border of post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, the director of Russia's FSB has warned, adding that many of them have fought in Syria.

"Especially worrying is re-deployment of terrorist groups into northern provinces of Afghanistan,"Alexander Bortnikov told chiefs of ex-Soviet intelligence services in Dushanbe. He warned that 'Wilayat Khorasan', a local Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliate, had managed to gather 5,000 fighters in the area.

Terrorist cells are now infiltrating into former Soviet countries where they are forming ties with organized crime. To keep a low profile, they try to pose as refugees and migrants, according to Bortnikov.

Comment: This, of course, is exactly what large pools of Islamic terrorists are for: threatening rivals with.

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Snakes in Suits

Best of the Web: EU establishment cries 'Russia!' in desperate bid to defeat critics

Nebojsa Malic
RT
Sat, 18 May 2019 20:20 UTC
eu leaders
© Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo
With European Parliament elections looming, the establishment parties and mainstream media are reaching for the playbook of US Democrats and hyping the specter of 'Russia' to drive voters away from the rising tide of populism.

One of the most outspoken liberals in the European Parliament, former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt, openly accused five populist politicians of being "paid by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin" and plotting to destroy the EU. Challenging Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini to a debate on Monday, Verhofstadt also name-checked Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, French opposition politician Marine Le Pen, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and freshly resigned Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

In another tweet, Verhofstadt framed the coming election in terms of voting for "pro-European"parties or "letting our continent become a playground for Trump & Putin's puppets," citing an EuroNews report about former Trump campaign chief Steve Bannon praising Le Pen's campaign in france.

Actually reading past the clickbait headline, however, quickly makes it apparent that Verhofstadt didn't bother: namely, the article clearly spells out that Bannon is in no way involved with Le Pen's campaign, and was commenting as a private person. It even quotes Le Pen's remarks to the French media complaining about the press "dragging" Bannon into the election.
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Chart Bar

Giant oligopoly: Monopolistic concentration of US corporate ownership is at unprecedented levels


Jon Hellevig's Blog
Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00 UTC
wall street money
A close-knit oligarchy controls all major corporations. Monopolization of ownership in US economy fast approaching Soviet levels

Starting with Ronald Reagan's presidency, the US government willingly decided to ignore the anti-trust laws so that corporations would have free rein to set up monopolies. With each successive president the monopolistic concentration of business and shareholding in America has grown precipitously eventually to reach the monstrous levels of the present day.

Today's level of monopolistic concentration is of such unprecedented levels that we may without hesitation designate the US economy as a giant oligopoly. From economic power follows political power, therefore the economic oligopoly translates into a political oligarchy. (It seems, though, that the transformation has rather gone the other way around, a ferocious set of oligarchs have consolidated their economic and political power beginning from the turn of the twentieth century). The conclusion that the US is an oligarchy finds support in a 2014 by a Princeton University study.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world has not seen these levels of concentration of ownership. The Soviet Union did not die because of apparent ideological reasons but due to economic bankruptcy caused by its uncompetitive monopolistic economy. Our verdict is that the US is heading in the same direction.


Comment: To be fair, the Soviet Union had plenty of 'help' from its so-called 'friends'. For some background, see: Grand Deception: The 1990s Raid on Russia


Comment: Chris Hedges: The deadly rule of the oligarchs
Oligarchs accelerate social, political, cultural and economic collapse. The unchecked plunder leads to systems breakdown. The refusal to protect natural resources, or the economic engines that sustain the state, means that poverty becomes the norm and the natural world becomes a toxic wasteland. Basic institutions no longer work. Infrastructure is no longer reliable. Water, air and soil are poisoned. The population is left uneducated, untrained, impoverished, oppressed by organs of internal security and beset by despair. The state eventually goes bankrupt. Oligarchs respond to this steady deterioration by forcing workers to do more for less and launching self-destructive wars in the vain attempt to restore a lost golden age. They also insist, no matter how bad it gets, on maintaining their opulent and hedonistic lifestyles. They further tax the resources of the state, the ecosystem and the population with suicidal demands. They flee from the looming chaos into their gated compounds, modern versions of Versailles or the Forbidden City. They lose touch with reality. In the end, they are overthrown or destroy the state itself. There is no institution left in America that can be called democratic, and thus there is no internal mechanism to prevent a descent into barbarity.


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Eye 1

'Populism and Russia': Austrian video scandal is 'two-pronged attack' on EU


RT
Tue, 21 May 2019 05:03 UTC
afd germany
© AFP / Andreas ArnoldA rally of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The scandalous video that has cost the Austrian vice chancellor his job plays into the hands of establishment parties elsewhere in Europe, and at the same time attacks Russia, which is seen as the right-wing's backer, experts say.

"Such a scandal plays very well into the hands of establishment parties elsewhere in Europe and there's another element involved in this because they can basically kill two flies with one blow: it's against the populism in Europe in general, and, of course, against Russia," Peter Schulze, professor of International Relations at University of Gottingen, told RT. The rise of the right has been a serious thorn in mainstream parties' sides, he said, calling the video scandal "basically a two-pronged attack."

The timing of its release is strange, however. It leaves the now-resigned vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache's Freedom Party (FPO) with room to regroup and recover in time for the September snap elections at home, which he believes are more important for the party than the European Parliament elections coming up this weekend. In the end, "It may be a kind of an individual revenge act," Schulze theorized.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Bizarro Earth

Britain accused of creating secret torture policy so long as 'benefits justify risks'


RT
Mon, 20 May 2019 12:47 UTC
soldier uk
© Reuters / Neil HallA soldier stands outside the Ministry of Defence in London
The UK government has been accused of developing a secret policy that allows ministers to break the law by authorizing intelligence-sharing with allies where there is a serious risk of torture of detainees.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) documents released under a freedom of information request, dated November 2018, have revealed a provision that allows cabinet ministers to pass on information that could lead to abuse of detainees, according to the Times. The UK government denies any wrongdoing.

Kirsty Brimelow, QC, former chairwoman of the Bar human rights committee, insists the law is "clear and established internationally and nationally" on the prohibition of torture and this policy allows UK ministers to break that law.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Perfidious Albion: If Russia is a Rogue State, What is the UK?

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Gold Bar

Russia's gold production sees year-on-year surge of 13%


RT
Mon, 20 May 2019 14:59 UTC
gold bars
© Sputnik / Pavel Lisitsin
Gold output in Russia increased by 12.6 percent from January through March this year compared with the same period a year ago, according to the country's ministry of finance.

Production in the first quarter of the current year reportedly totaled 58.12 tons, up from 51.61 tons in 2018.

Production for the period included 45.95 tons of mined gold compared with 39.78 tons a year ago, the ministry reported. Accompanying mining totaled 4.32 tons, marking a 21 percent year-over-year surge, while secondary mining shrank by five percent to 7.85 tons.

At the same time, production of mined silver amounted to 223.28 tons, fixing a decline of 11 percent.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Israel behind Trump's 'negotiating' strategy with Iran - and it's not working

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Mon, 20 May 2019 08:37 UTC
trump and netanyahu
© Susan Walsh / Associated Press
Israel prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu claimed he personally convinced the US president Donald Trump to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA agreement, and wished Iran to "disappear with the help of God". Israel is much more experienced in dealing with the Middle East than the current US president and his entire team in this administration. Even if Israel itself was not convinced, they evidently managed to convince the Americans that a show of US "superior force with the will to use it" would compel Iran to back off and submit to the US 12 conditions dictated by Secretary Pompeo, as Israel's former Ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon said would happen. Israel, the instigator of this strategy that has been refuted by two clear messages from Iran and its allies - is nonetheless coming out unharmed by this rhetorical escalation. Trump seems the only loser, waiting by the phone that is not expected to ring.

It is Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's belligerence which obliges Iran to take a strong stand; Netanyahu has boasted that his influence led Trump to give him the Syrian Golan Heights, move the US embassy to Jerusalem, give Jerusalem to Netanyahu, and to revoke the JCPOA deal with Iran. He is also very likely behind the 12 conditions Trump seeks to impose on Iran since, unlike the inept US administration, the Israelis know well that Iran cannot accept them. The US president has sabotaged the peace process and squandered the position of his country as a mediator between the Palestinians and Israel.

When Netanyahu asked Trump to give him all these gifts, the US president did not hesitate to save the Israeli prime minister from criminal prosecution for fraud and breach of trust to boost his re-election and give him what doesn't belong to him!

And now it is Iran's turn to be in the US frying pan. Nevertheless, it seems things haven't turned out the way Trump planned. His own image has been damaged, but not that of Netanyahu, who has instructed his cabinet to keep silent and stay out of the Iran-US contention. The Israeli Prime Minister can wash his hands of the US non-act of war against Iran and watch in silence, keeping Israel out of the Iran-US tensions as though he were far from being involved. He is trying to pretend that the ongoing bras-de-fer between the US and Iran and Trump's retreat after the al-Fujairah and Aramco attacks have nothing to do with him.

Comment: Trump is apparently trying the same strategy that worked (so far) with North Korea. But things aren't going so well with Iran. As Magnier points out, Trump doesn't understand Iran, and this strategy will not work. For instance:
"In my last year's visit to the United Nations, 5 well-known world leaders approached us to mediate a negotiation with the US President. Their [US] State Department also sent requests to us 8 times, but today is not the time for negotiations at all, but resistance and steadfastness", he said in a statement, published by the presidency.

The remark followed a suggestion made by US President Donald Trump that talks are possible, when Iran is ready. He, however, added that any "provocation" would be met with "great force."
RT adds:
"I favor talks and diplomacy but under current conditions, I do not accept it, as today's situation is not suitable for talks and our choice is resistance only," Rouhani said, as cited by IRNA news agency.

He added that the Iranian authorities feel the support of ordinary people who did not buy into the idea that Iran is responsible for the spike in tensions, despite attempts by "the enemy" to portray it as such. The unilateral nature of Washington's sanctions is prime evidence of Iran's victimhood, Rouhani said.

"If we walked away from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - the formal name of the nuclear deal] with the US provocative acts, then, in addition to the US, the UN and world would also impose sanctions on us," he said.

Rouhani admitted that the US sanctions crackdown on Iran has taken a toll on its economy, having severely impaired the Islamic Republic's international trade, considering that some 87 percent of global financial transactions are conducted in dollars. That shrunken ability to deal with the outside world and decreasing government revenues are Iran's two main concerns at the moment, he said.


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Cross

Abortions impediment to Russian population growth - Patriarch


RT
Mon, 20 May 2019 13:39 UTC
kirill
© Reuters / Evgenia NovozheninaPatriarch Kirill
If Russia gives up on abortions, its population will grow to 156 million by 2029 and to 166 million by 2039, according to calculations by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.

"If we want to increase the real population in Russia, we must remove the problem of abortions in its current scale," the Patriarch said.

Demographic problems won't be solely solved through money bonuses given to families with kids, known as "maternity capital" in Russia, he warned.

The Russian population stood at almost 147 million last year, according to state statistics agency Rosstat. However, it was the first time in a decade that it decreased by 87,000.

Comment: See also: Also check out SOTT radio's: Objective: Health - Law or Flaw? Let's Talk About Abortion

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