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Eye 1

'Peacekeepers': US to leave 400 troops in Syria, European allies up to 1,500


Sputnik
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:20 UTC
Syria
© AFP 2018 / Delil SOULEIMAN
Earlier, the White House announced that around 200 US soldiers would remain in Syria as a "peacekeeper group" for an undefined period of time following the pull-out of other US military forces.

The US will keep around 200 troops at the al- Tanf base and around 200 more soldiers in north-eastern Syria the peacekeeping, an anonymous US administration official, quoted by Reuters, said. The 200 troops deployed in the northeast of the Arab Republic will be a part of a larger contingent, including the US' European allies. The latter's contribution will number around 800-1,500 soldiers.

The official also noted that both the US and its European allies are still engaged in talks on the creation and participation in maintaining a safe zone in north-eastern Syria.

Comment: It's notable that this is an anonymous source and that they fail to mention a definitive time-line for when this pull out, because thus far the US administration and the Pentagon have contradicted each other's claims, nor do they mention how many private mercenaries they intend to keep there. As of today, the US-led coalition doesn't appear to have ceased the bombing of civilians in the region.

See also: And check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: World in Chaos: Anti-Russia Hysteria, Israel Murders Palestinians, US Leaving Syria?

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Robot

SOTT Focus: All Your Meme Are Belong to Us: EU Plans 'European Firewall' to End Free Internet

D. Rodriguez
Sott.net
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 23:23 UTC
copyright directive
At a time when its legitimacy is being questioned by most Europeans, the EU Commission is certainly not making any friends with its latest version of a 'Copyright Directive' which displays remarkable contempt for the public and the public interest groups whose objections it supposedly took into account when redrafting the copyright reform legislation.

Last week a 'final draft' was agreed by both the German and French governments. The main matter of contention was whether to allow an exemption for small businesses under Article 13. France said no; Germany yes. In the end Germany caved and agreed to amendments which would crush small platforms in favor of US Big Tech. Gee, thanks Merkel.

Incredibly, that was the only point France and Germany had any disagreement over - considering that the rest of Article 13, as well as Article 11, are draconian and entirely miss the ostensible reason of achieving fair protections and compensation for content-creators of copyrighted works. Although supporters claim that the Directive helps content-creators, it doesn't actually use or define that term. The 'rights holder' tends to be large conglomerates (such as the film or music industries) and content-creators who aren't beholden to these entities will suddenly find themselves unable to make a living.

In any case, while the EU Commission states that "applying the principles of better regulation will ensure that measures are evidence-based, well designed and deliver tangible and sustainable benefits for citizens, business and society as a whole" (p.3), they've obviously decided that this doesn't apply to Articles 11 and 13. Eurocrats did conduct research on those measures but cherry-picked only the findings which supported their agenda and ignored others.
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Light Sabers

Warsaw won't bow to 'lies & racist insults,' Polish PM says amid simmering row with Israel


RT
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:10 UTC
Mateusz Morawiecki
© REUTERS/Kacper PempelMateusz Morawiecki speaks at the former Nazi German extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau
After an Israeli minister claimed that Poles harbor anti-Semitism from childhood, a Polish PM fired back, saying his country, where thousands risked their lives to help Jews during WWII, will not accept "racist insults."

Amid a simmering political row between Warsaw and Tel Aviv, Mateusz Morawiecki told Haaretz that Poland "will no longer give in to a pressure to accept lies, misleading phrases, let alone racist insults."

Morawiecki was apparently directing the comment at Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who upped the ante last week by saying that every Pole "suckled anti-Semitism with his mother's milk."
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Binoculars

'Sign of good will': US spy plane carries out 1st observation flights over Russia in 2 years


RT
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:29 UTC
American OC-135B
© AFP / US AIR FORCE / CHARLES J. HAYMONDAn American OC-135B taxiing to the runway
On Thursday and Friday, a US spy plane performs observation flights over Russia as part of the Open Skies pact, the first action of the kind in months. It can be also considered a sign of "good will" from Moscow, RT was told.

The Pentagon has confirmed that an OC-135B plane, fitted with high-resolution cameras and infrared sensors, is indeed performing the flyovers, and that Moscow is fully aware of the action. The flights are the first since November 2017, according to spokesman Lt. Col. Jamie Davis.

He said Russia is aware of the flight and the American spy plane has six of the country's military observers on board to ensure the mission goes according to the treaty. The Pentagon did not expand on this, nor did the Russian military comment on it.

Comment: It wouldn't be a surprise if the US took advantage of the opportunity only to suddenly suspend the treaty when it was Russia's turn:

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Blackbox

Trump or Clinton, Brexit or Remain, Maduro or Guaido? Are both choices worse?

Slavoj Zizek
RT
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 20:11 UTC
red blue pill
© Getty Images
These days, popular media and political elites like to "big up" only wildly opposing alternatives. Thus, better alternatives rarely get an airing.

When I read about the United Kingdom's ongoing Brexit struggle, my first association is always with Stalin. Back in the late 1920s, the Georgian was asked by a journalist which deviation is worse, the rightist one (of Bukharin and company) or the leftist one (of Trotsky and associates), and he snapped back: "They are both worse!"

Indeed, it's a sad sign of our predicament that, when we are confronted with a political choice and must take a side, even if it is only the less-bad one, quite often the reply that imposes itself is: "But they are both bad!"

This, of course, does not mean that both poles of the alternative simply amount to the same. In concrete situations, we should, for example, conditionally support the protests of Yellow Vests in France or make a tactical pact with liberals to block fundamentalist threats to our freedoms (say, when fundamentalists want to limit abortion rights or pursue openly racist politics).

However, what it means is that most of the choices imposed on us by big media are false choices - their function is to obfuscate the true option. And there is a sad lesson to be drawn from this: if one side in a conflict is bad, the opposite side is not necessarily good.

Comment: Well, Zizek's radical liberal cred is certainly on display here.

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Toys

Florida Dems throw hissy fit after Bernie Sanders refuses to recognize Guaido as Venezuela's leader


RT
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:59 UTC
bernie sanders
© Agence France-Presse/Alex EdelmanSenator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has refused to recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela's 'interim president,' calling instead for new elections. His comments have enraged Democratic lawmakers who are pushing for regime change.

Sanders is widely seen as a top contender to take on Donald Trump in 2020, but his views on the current political crisis in Venezuela have put him at odds with the Democratic Party.

In an interview with Univision, the senator - an independent who identifies as a democratic socialist - was asked if he considers self-declared interim president Juan Guaido to be the legitimate leader of Venezuela.

Comment: Why is Sanders taking a sensible stance in the case of Venezuela? He's been supportive of other regime-change operations.

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Eye 1

Pope Francis calls for 'concrete action' from bishops as summit on sex abuse begins


Chicago Sun Times
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:40 UTC
Pope Francis
© Getty ImagesPope Francis cited the "scourge" of sexual abuse and said it was the responsibility of church leaders to "confront this evil afflicting the Church and humanity."
Pope Francis urged high-ranking church officials from around the globe gathered Thursday at the Vatican to "hear the cry of the little ones" who are victims of sexual abuse by priests.

Francis spoke at the beginning of a crucial, four-day summit that brought together almost 200 high-ranking church officials, including leaders of bishop conferences from more than 100 nations. The summit will focus on making bishops aware of their responsibilities regarding sexual abuse, as well as accountability and transparency, the Vatican said.

The pope cited the "scourge" of sexual abuse and said it was the responsibility of church leaders to "confront this evil afflicting the Church and humanity."

Comment: Here's a wild idea: instead of treating these issues secretly within the Church, just turn over any accusations to the local authorities for a real investigation. The Catholic Church has failed miserably in such investigations and these predators and their victims deserve actual justice. Until that is achieved, Pope Francis is just blowing the same smoke he righteously condemns.

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Magnify

Indian legislators want to grill Facebook on how to keep people brainwashed

Sankalp Phartiyal
Reuters
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:10 UTC
facebook
© Michael Weber / Global Look Press
An Indian parliamentary panel has summoned representatives of Facebook Inc, its messaging services WhatsApp and photo-sharing app Instagram to appear before it early next month and discuss how to safeguard citizens' rights on social media.

Social media in the world's largest democracy have become a hotbed for circulation of fake political news and tech firms face intense scrutiny ahead of a general election due before May, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a second term.

In a circular late on Thursday, the parliamentary committee on information technology, chaired by Anurag Thakur, a lawmaker from Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said it would hear the views of officials from Facebook and its units on March 6.
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Star of David

Ultra-nationalists join forces ahead of Israeli elections as liberal and Palestinian blocs splinter

Jonathan Ofir
Mondoweiss
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:20 UTC
ya'alon gantz lapid ashkenazi
© Israel Resilience party Twitter accountFrom L to R: Former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon, Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi on February 21, 2019.
Yesterday night was the deadline for Israeli parties to present their slates towards the April 9th parliamentary elections.

In order to strengthen their blocs, several leaders worked hectically this week to join forces with those they perceived as possible allies in prospect of creating future government coalitions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked hard at having the 'David Dukes' of Israeli politics - the Jewish Power party - join with the Jewish Home party and secure a far-right bloc that would be part of his future coalition (the fear was that votes would be lost under the 3.25% electoral threshold).

Netanyahu's main rival contender, centrist Benny Gantz, chided him for it, using the occasion to tarnish a Palestinian party that promotes equality in a secular state, as equal to Jewish Power (positing that he would have nothing to do with either).

As news was coming out about the Netanyahu lobbying to the right, Gantz called upon centrist leader of Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid, to meet with him immediately - "tonight" (Tuesday), even though they had already announced their separate lists. They met, and created a new centrist party, called "Kahol Lavan" - "Blue and White" (referring to the colors of the Israeli, and earlier Zionist, flag). The militaristic aspect was bolstered by featuring two former military chiefs of staff in the leadership profile - Moshe Ya'alon and Gabi Ashenazi. Allison Kaplan Sommer of Haaretz points out:
The political landscape of 2019 is looking very military, very male and really puts the 'general' in 'general election'.
The centrist Blue and White party is now the main contender against Netanayhu's Likud. Various polls suggest that Blue and White hold a significant lead over Likud: Channel 12's poll showed the party would get 36 seats in the next Knesset, while Likud would receive 30; Channel 13's poll predicted it would get 36 seats, compared to 26 for Likud; public broadcaster Kan's poll predicted 35 seats, Likud following up with 32.

Comment: Here's what Lapid had to say about Netanyahu cancelling his trip to visit Putin:
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for postponing a visit to Russia, saying that he is "working tirelessly" to incorporate far-right groups into his coalition instead.

Scheduled for Thursday, Netanyahu's visit to Moscow was meant to focus on Syria and bilateral security issues, but the Kremlin had to postpone the meeting due to the Israeli PM's "domestic political affairs," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said Netanyahu put off the Russia negotiations to hold talks with far-right groups to strengthen his coalition ahead of the April 9 Knesset election.
"The prime minister is tirelessly working to ensure the participation of a group of racists in his coalition."
The harsh accusations target Netanyahu's Wednesday agreement with two fringe religious-nationalist parties, one of which, the Otzma Yehudit movement, is led by former disciples of the infamous ultra-nationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was banned from taking part in the 1988 Knesset election over racist comments.


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Newspaper

Hungarian officials slam Ukraine's education reform package as 'semi-fascist'


RT
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:23 UTC
Ukrainian students
© REUTERS / Gleb GaranichUkrainian students pose for a photograph ahead of 2015's World Teachers' Day
A Hungarian official has branded Ukraine's education law "semi-fascist," saying it "tramples" on the rights of minority citizens living in the neighboring country to have access to education in their own language.

Gergey Guiyash, who heads Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's administration, used the harsh words during a media conference in Budapest on Thursday.

Responding to questions about Ukraine's upcoming presidential elections on March 31, Guiyash said he hoped a change in power in Kiev would bring about better diplomatic relations, while lamenting that Budapest had been "unable to communicate with the present one." He stressed that Hungary still hoped amendments can be made to the controversial education law.

Tension between the countries has been growing since 2017, when Ukraine's parliament passed the education reform package. It stipulates that the language of instruction in Ukrainian educational institutions would be Ukrainian, and will be rolled out in stages during a transition period that will run until 2023.

Comment: Poroshenko signs controversial language bill into law: All schools must now teach only Ukrainian - UPDATE

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