Puppet MastersS


Cell Phone

Huawei or the West's way: Which kind of spying comes with your phone?

Simon Rite
RT
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:46 UTC
huawei
© Getty Images / Guillaume Payen
The accusations around Chinese tech giant Huawei have left phone owners and internet users with a real dilemma. The choice is not so much what features you want on your handset, but which spies you're most comfortable with.

In case you've missed what's going on, Huawei has made big inroads into the technology market that the West has happily dominated forever. It already sells more phones than Apple. Most significantly, the firm is steaming ahead in the development of the next generation 5G network.

This is the technology which will allow you to download movies in your work's restroom in about 3 seconds, allow your bathroom scales to warn your fridge that you're approaching thanks to the internet of things, and allow driverless cars to mount sidewalks all on their own. On a personal note, I don't care which country makes all that happen first, as long as it happens and quickly. 3 second downloads!

You'll have already realized there's a lot of money to be made with 5G, although I don't want to suggest that could be part of the reason Huawei is being targeted. I'm sure it has nothing to do with that. Ahem. Western spy agencies are warning that the company has uncomfortably close links to the Chinese state and could be putting in secret backdoors allowing Beijing to spy on anyone who happens to be using their equipment.
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Calendar

Pelosi: Requests Trump postpone State of the Union address due to shutdown, or deliver it in writing - huh?

Erica Werner, Robert Costa, John Wagner
The Washington Post
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 07:00 UTC
PelosiTrump
© J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/Evan VucciHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi • President Donald Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Trump on Wednesday to postpone his State of the Union address - or deliver it in writing - if the government shutdown doesn't end this week, an extraordinary suggestion that touched off a day of maneuvering and political theater from the White House to Capitol Hill.

The address, scheduled for Jan. 29, would give Trump a prime-time televised platform to make his case for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the sticking point in a partisan stalemate that has closed large parts of the government since Dec. 22.

Pelosi did not rescind her invitation for Trump to deliver the address, but in a letter to the president she suggested they work together to find a different date for it after the government has reopened, because of the security costs involved from federal agencies that are going without funding.

The White House made no comment about Pelosi's letter, but Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen dismissed any security concerns, writing on Twitter: "The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union."


Comment: Pelosi doesn't want Trump to make his case before a national audience outlining his position and reasons for funding the wall, nor having him call out the resistance that has resulted in a shut down of the government and the paychecks of federal workers. Pelosi, and crew, have equal power and responsibility to restart the government in this stand-off. It's a Washington circus at this point. 'Bring on the clowns...'





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Arrow Down

Ex-CIA Director Brennan, who pushed Russiagate probe, now backs off collusion theory (but not really)


Sputnik
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 22:00 UTC
John Brennan
© AP/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisFormer CIA Director John Brennan
Former CIA Director John Brennan, who once beat the drum about alleged collusion between Donald Trump and Russia, backed off that position in a recent TV interview, saying he simply found the US president's policies puzzling.

During an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes Tuesday night, Brennan said, "I don't think I've said that" when Hayes prompted him about his repeated suggestions that Trump's "policy positions are the product, essentially, of some concealed relationship with the Russians."

"I think we're saying there are demonstrated examples of Mr. Trump's policy actions that are undermining the US role internationally," Brennan said, also speaking of the opinion of David Laufman, the ex-chief of the Justice Department's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, whose opinions Hayes had just cited.


Comment: Backed off? Brennan listed all kinds of scenarios that boil down (in his estimation) to Trump being a witting or unwitting Russian pawn. And, he has adeptly played off of, and into, the judgements, narrative and leading questions of his TV hosts. Have a listen.

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Rocket

Trump on Missile Defense Review: North Korea an 'extraordinary threat'

Phil Stewart
Channel NewsAsia
Fri, 18 Jan 2019 12:47 UTC
Trump flags
© ReutersmediaPresident Trump speaks during Missile Defense Review at the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump was unveiling a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday that singles out North Korea as an ongoing and "extraordinary threat," seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated.

The Missile Defense Review is a sweeping examination of efforts to shield the United States from missile threats. It singles out concerns about advancing capabilities by North Korea, Iran, Russia and China. Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan acknowledged the threat from those countries, and noted that North Korea's missiles remain a "significant concern."

The document was even stronger. "While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant," the report said in its executive summary.

For Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the report's release came at an awkward moment. Three North Korean officials, including the top envoy involved in talks with the United States, are booked on a flight to Washington, suggesting possible movement towards a second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to South Korean media.

Comment: Russia, as well as China, has the hypersonic technology and has tested it with successful results.

1 /16/2019 According to Zero Hedge:
The congressionally mandated review is the first of its kind to be undertaken since 2010, and though it was scheduled to be released in late 2017, it was finally completed in October of last year - pushed back in part due to the administration's desire to expand the scope of the study from ballistic missile defense to all missile defense.

Potential plans and areas of further research will include "early warning systems" in space that could track missiles as they are being prepared for launch, perhaps ever more crucial given current reports of Russian and Chinese rapid development of hypersonic threats.

The Missile Defense Review is also expected to explore "a space-based interceptor that could fire rockets into space, directed at an incoming missile," according to senior officials. This will also include study of the use of what an official described as "directed energy" against incoming missiles, possibly through laser technology. On these and other technologies that sound straight out of Star Trek, the official said "we think is worth looking into".

Specifically on the North Korea nuclear and long-range ballistic missile threat, the following bizarre and futuristic sounding weapon has been described as under consideration as an avenue of research:
ABC News has learned that one concept being explored for countering the North Korean missile threat in the future is using a new solid state powered laser on a high-altitude drone. The long-range laser would be able to destroy a North Korean missile while in the initial boost phase of its launch.
"This is really a comprehensive look at our missile defense capabilities and programs and posture," a senior administration official said of the report's release. "Both what we have today, what we'd like to make improvements to and then what are the next generation programs we'd like to invest in to get ahead and stay ahead of the threat."


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Handcuffs

Serbia: Putin assassination plot foiled, Wahabist suspect caught with knives and sniper rifle

Tom Winter
FRN
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
Putin
© UnknownRussian President Vladimir Putin
Terrorist attack against Putin thwarted - alleged assassin promoted by Saudi Arabia.

Security forces arrested a man in the Serbian city of Novi Pazar for planning a terrorist attack on the Russian President during Vladimir Putin's visit to Belgrade.

21-year-old Armin A. is a member of a Wahhabi group called Dava Tim Centar, according to several Serbian media reports. Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative, specifically Saudi-Islamic scholarly tradition of Sunni Islam, which, massively funded by Saudi funds, has found many followers in the Balkan countries in recent decades.

According to the Serbian daily Alo, Armin A. is suspected of having planned a terrorist attack during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Serbia. Putin comes to Belgrade Thursday at the invitation of his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic.

The suspect was under surveillance was and stopped in Novi Pazar. "He was carrying a rucksack enclosing a rifle with a riflescope and several knives," the Serbian daily Blic quotes an unnamed source from police circles.
suspect house
© Quelle/ReutersSuspect’s home filled with IS propaganda and bomb ingredients.
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No Entry

Iraq Defense Ministry spokesman: There were no, and shall be no foreign military forces in Iraq


Sputnik
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:18 UTC
Donald/Melania/Troops
© New York TimesPresident Trump, Melania visit US troops in Iraq this past December
Iraq does not need and will not need foreign troops on its territory and assures that the US forces currently deployed in the country are there in an advisory capacity, a spokesman for the Iraqi Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

"Washington does not have any bases in Iraq. There is not even a single US base under US command in Iraq, in the first place. Secondly, all those present are advisers from the international coalition, there is coaching, plans for army training, logistical support, air force efforts," Maj. Gen. Tahsin Khafaji said.

He stressed that when Iraq was fighting to defeat the Daesh terrorist group, it led ground actions on its own, with foreign support consisting only of advising, arming and air operations.

"I believe that we have succeeded as a team in working with the international coalition and all friendly and fraternal countries to defeat terrorism... I confirm that there were no and there will be no foreign military forces on our borders and in our county," Khafaji noted.

Commenting on the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, the official emphasised that the Iraqi authorities have prepared for it by strengthening the security of its borders.

Comment: Iraq is not willing to host US troops, nor is it willing to be seen as a US puppet regarding Iran.

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Gold Bar

Venezuela to refine tons of gold in Turkey, despite US sanctions

Ragip Soylu
Middle East Eye
Mon, 14 Jan 2019 18:57 UTC
Erdogan/Maduro
© AFPTurkish President Erdogan • Venezuelan President Maduro, December 2018
Venezuela and Turkey are working on a deal to ship tonnes of gold to refine and certify in the Turkish city of Corum this year.

Facing sanctions and international pressure, Venezuela is increasingly turning to Turkey as a partner in the Middle East. Ankara will provide a host of services to Caracas, including building hospital and schools and providing humanitarian aid as a part of the gold refining deal.

Venezuelan Minister of Industries and National Production Tareck El Aissami will finalise a deal on the gold trade during a visit to Turkey on Wednesday. He will also tour an industrial complex in Corum, where Ahlatci Metal company has a refinery with an annual capacity of 365 tonnes, according to a spokesperson from the Turkish precious metals company.

Aissami is visiting Turkey amid US sanctions against Venezuelan gold imports, which are further debilitating the country's failing economy that is in need of fresh capital. Aissami himself is targeted by a set of sanctions by the European Union and the US due to allegations of corruption and drug trafficking.

The new deal has been in the making since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Venezuela in December. Erdogan had personally introduced businessman Ahmet Ahlatci to president Nicolas Maduro as a likely candidate to refine the gold.

Comment: See also:

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Attention

US military accused of releasing 40 Daesh militants in Afghanistan


Sputnik
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:00 UTC
US Soldiers
© AP/Aaron FavilaUS soldiers on patrol near Bagram, Afghanistan
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in his Twitter account that the US military had killed security guards during a raid on one of the prisons in Badghis province (northwestern Afghanistan) and took away 40 Daesh fighters imprisoned there in an unknown direction.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also reported that American special forces could have been involved in the prison raid in order to prevent information leaks about terrorist sponsors.

At the same time, Bakhtar News Agency, the official state news agency of the Afghan government, posted information that "36 members of the IS [Daesh] were liberated by the Afghan national army."

Commenting on the reports, Abdullah Afzali, deputy head of Badghis provincial council, told Sputnik that the militants had been released by some foreign military.

"Three days ago, foreign military surrounded the Panjboz area, where the IS militants were captured by the Taliban five months ago in Faryab province. Foreign military forces killed about 20-30 Taliban members guarding the detention facility. They freed 38 militants, who were taken away in an unknown direction," the official said.
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Oil Well

White House is considering an oil embargo on Venezuela


OAN News
Wed, 16 Jan 2019 11:43 UTC
Venez oilwells
© APOil wells in the Maracaibo Lake, in the west of Venezuela.
The U.S. is reportedly considering imposing sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector. According to reports, White House officials warned U.S. refiners about a possible oil embargo against Venezuelan crude-exports.

Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA would reportedly be the primary target of new sanctions. Chevron, Valero, and PBF Energy are the biggest consumers of Venezuelan crude in the U.S., and could be affected by the possible move.

This comes as the White House has refused to recognize Nicolas Maduro's presidential reelection.

Vice President Mike Pence stated:
"We've imposed tough new sanctions on Nicolas Maduro's sham of a government. Just this week, we unequivocally condemned the arrest of Juan Guido, the president of the National Assembly, after he invoked protections under Venezuela's constitution and declared Maduro's presidency illegitimate."
Experts have warned a oil embargo on Venezuela could push U.S. oil prices up, resulting in higher input costs for U.S. refiners and higher revenues for U.S. drillers.

Comment: Conflating business with politics to effect regime change is right out of the US playbook.

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Snakes in Suits

Trudeau doubles down on anti-BDS remarks, refuses to stop condemning Palestinian campaign for human rights

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours
Middle East Eye
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:16 UTC
trudeau bds
© Flickr/Mohamed Ouda - REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Justin Trudeau reaffirmed his opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, saying he would "continue to condemn" the Palestinian campaign for human rights.

Speaking at a town hall event at Brock University in Ontario late on Tuesday, the Canadian prime minister said BDS "singles out Israel" and "seeks to delegitimise and in some cases demonise" the country.

"We have to recognise that there are things that aren't acceptable, not because of foreign policy concerns, but because of Canadian values," Trudeau said.

"It's not right to discriminate or make someone feel unsafe on campus because of their religion and unfortunately the BDS movement is often linked to those kinds of things," he said, after being asked by a member of the audience whether he would reverse his anti-BDS stance.

"So yes, sir, I will continue to condemn the BDS movement."
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